Who is He to you?

Matthew 16:13–16 NASB95

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

A.W. Tozer says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

What is God like? What kind of God is He?

How can we exact his to act towards us?

Who is this man?

(talk about how indescribable and unexplainable He is. He is so other than. Bigger than words)

I would be foolish If I would try to answer this question outside of God own Self-revelation.

I am coming to the understanding that God is not some mental concept not a intellection idea.

These question can not be merely academic.

AW tozer says the answer to these question “affect life and character and destiny.”

He adds

“When asked in reverence and there answers sought in humility, these are questions that cannot but be pleasing to our Father which art in heaven.”

So Jesus than ask His disciples.

Matthew 16:13 NASB95

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Matthew 16:14 NASB95

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Matthew 16:16 NASB95

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Tozer tells us that there are two primary ways God answers these question

1. the bible

2. the person of Jesus Christ

so jesus’s first question was very broad. Who do they say I am ?

same question he is asking to

Christian Science

· Jesus was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God

· Christ is spiritual

· That he is divine idea o God

· Mary conception of him was spiritual

· And Jesus is not God

The people that would hold the Unity view would say…

· Jesus is I in Man, we are the same

· This is a divine idea

· Reveal yourself to yourself by affirming I AM Christ.

Spiritualism

· Christ is not the Son of God

· Any just and perfect being is Christ

· He is not divine but in the since that we are all divine

The Jehovah’s witness

· Jesus Christ was just a man-niether more or less

· None other than the archangel Michael

· God created him

· He is dead

· He is dead forever

· He was not resurrected Bodily

Baha’ism

· Jesus Christ is only one of the many manifestation of God

· One of many Messiahs

· His suffereing was no more than any other prophets (but he is not Just a Prophet)

Unitarianism

· Our birth was just as divine as Jesus

Modernism

· That Jesus was a man so good his deluded follower made him a god.

With all these world view, with all these opinion. The question of the hour is how do you say that the son of man is?

So he ask his disciple. Who in the world do they say that I am.

But then the 2nd is more personal. Who do say I am?

Peter answers and says though art the Chris the Son of the loving God.

There is one qualifying concept in seeing the majesty and beauty of God and that is found in Jesus’s teaching on the sermon on the mount

Matthew 5:8 NASB95

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Jesus tell peter flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my father.

What does this mean?

Mr. Wakefield from Origen, Contra a professor said.

“God has no body, and therefore is invisible: but men of contemplation can discern him with the heart and understanding. But A Defiled Heart Cannot See God: but He Must Be Pure Who Wishes to Enjoy a Proper View of a Pure Being.”

The pure in heart….. They shall see

They shall enjoy it, they shall experience it. will be revealed to them.

Jesus says in John 4:24 that God is a spirit

John 4:24 NASB95

24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

And those who worship or connect to him must do it in spirit and in truth

Only spiritual people can understand and see a spiritual God.

Break that down a little more for us pastor d

Look at I Corinthians 2:9-16

1 Corinthians 2:9–16 NASB95

9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit

A couple thing to understand here. The first one is God wants us to see him.

He want to reveal Himself to us God has prepared things for those who love Him.

No one knows the thoughts of God but by the spirit watch this

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

God has given us by the spirit the opportunity and the ablity to know him.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

This is why we cannot argue with the hardhearted unbeliever because they can not understand what is spiritual.

You may say pastor derrick stop right there.

What about me? I don’t understand things. I get lost reading the bible.

Just the fact that you want to know. Just the fact that you are here and you have question points to the truth that the Holy Spirit is desiring you

To lead you to teach you and to bring you into deep understanding.

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”

You where made to be connect to him to you him intimately and you gave you his spirit so that you might have the mind of Christ.

I want to take some time and focus on what we think about God.

God wants to find us to this deep revelation and understand of who he is.

Pass logic just as the word became flesh in Jesus and we beheld the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

In the same way God want us to encounter His word today

Let me give you an example look at Psalms 145:8-9

Psalm 145:8–9 NASB95

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9 The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

Now we read scriptures like this all the time.

In our minds we know he is

Gracious

Compassionate

Slow to anger

Merciful

And good

Now I know all of these things I can quote the scriptures with the best of them

The problem with this is I am human.

And I honestly my life situation don’t always point to these things.

But the truth is my lack of emotional stability does not change God reality.

And if I search him out with a pure heart and wait on him and stop telling him how to run heaven

And not become bitter and vain and self seeking.

I could see experience encounter his….

Grace

Compassion

Patience

Mercy

And goodness

What do we think about Him

Thomas Traherne says, “As nothing is more easy than to think, so nothing is more difficult than to think well.”

If we are going to think well about anything it should be the God who created everything

Look with me

Song of Solomon 5:9–14 NASB95

9 “What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved, That thus you adjure us?” 10 “My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand. 11 “His head is like gold, pure gold; His locks are like clusters of dates And black as a raven. 12 “His eyes are like doves Beside streams of water, Bathed in milk, And reposed in their setting. 13 “His cheeks are like a bed of balsam, Banks of sweet-scented herbs; His lips are lilies Dripping with liquid myrrh. 14 “His hands are rods of gold Set with beryl; His abdomen is carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires.

and so on and so on….

What do you say when you are ask about him?

She was only able to say these things because to has experienced and encounter t