Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Good Morning Friends,

Life is full of questions, what am I going to do with my life? What will I become? What will tomorrow bring? Will my children turn out right? There are also questions concerning our spiritual life. Am I saved? When I die will I go to heaven? However the most important question in the world is this: Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Scripture: Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

Mark 8:27-38 (NRSV)

Paul wrote, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.”

Galatians 2:20 (TEV)

Message: You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval. A billion Muslims will say: “Prophet, yes. God, no!” Jews scattered around the world will say: “Teacher, yes. Messiah, no!” And among liberal Protestant theologians as well, the divinity of Christ has been an open question in theological discussions. In many circles, both clergy and laity express a kind of faithless familiarity that keeps people from being forthright in answering in the affirmative as to Jesus’ divinity. So who do you say Jesus is? C.S. Lewis focused the issue sharply: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher. He’d either be a lunatic-on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg-or else he’d be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is the son of God, or else a madman or something worse. Christianity, if false is of no importance and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” Friends, in our pluralistic society we have been watering down the gospels and the name of Jesus for quite some time. In an attempt to not offend other people or their religion we choose not to speak of Jesus. We accept the idea of God and we admit to trusting Him but then we go our separate way. We believe we can control our own destiny, but in the process may gain the world and loose our lives. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension the disciples were to share the truth about Jesus being the Son of God with other people. When the “sign of Jonah” was completed, the Spirit would be given, and the message could be proclaimed. The nation in general, and certainly the religious leaders in particular, were not yet ready for this message. They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah and it cost a whole generation dearly. A moment of high spiritual drama was in play when Jesus asked Simon the question. So, how about you? Are you ready for this message? Who do you say Jesus is?

Pray we realize it takes a supernatural revelation to come to the conclusion that Jesus is the incarnation of God. Pray we realize it takes an act of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth. Pray we believe in Jesus. Pray we have our priorities straight. Pray we realize that in the midst of our deepest hopes and hurts…our fondest dreams and desires and actions and anxieties is an answer to life’s ultimate question. Pray we be who we are so others can learn to be who they are. Pray we not deny our own beliefs in an effort to solicitously be accepting of others. Pray we exhibit the characteristics showing forth to others what a real Christian is. Pray we realize that people do not want to be excluded from the Christian experience. Pray we realize that Christ both comforts and confronts. Pray we are called on an exhilarating adventure of dynamic discipleship. Pray we realize that how we answer the question of Jesus determines our ability to live the abundant life promised and our ability to receive and to give forgiveness. Pray we say yes to the Christ of Glory in us. Pray our affirmation of Christ give us courage to face death and life. Pray that the depth of his love heals us and makes us unselfish lovers of people. Pray his joy radiates from us. Pray we have a profound peace of mind that controls our thinking and makes us peacemakers joining with God in the life intended from the start. Pray the Lord’s patience gives us calmness in our struggles. Pray we experience a surge of kindness that makes us affirmers of people as well as affirmers of Christ.

Blessings,

John Lawson