Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
The Son: Meeting Jesus through Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
In our text this morning we are introduced to the most critical issue facing mankind today and no grater question can be asked on our first Sunday together in the new year.
The question of “Who do you say Jesus is?” or more importantly “Who is Jesus?” because it matters not who a person may think he is but who he really is.
The answer to that question has eternal consequence.
It is a question that many have sought to answer over the century's but that only holds one correct answer.
Human philosophy, cults, false religions and aberrant theological systems have all tried to provide the answer to this question apart from the scriptures and have wound up rejecting the truth of Christ and his work.
Stacks of books, articles, papers, and documentaries have been written to address this question over the years and somehow seem to make it complex and unanswerable. But its not.
All four of the Gospel writers answer this question in unison: Jesus is the Messiah, God the Son incarnate, the one and only Savior and faith in him alone results in life everlasting.
Luke, in his narrative has been building up to this question in ch.9. Today’s scene opens with Jesus praying, something Jesus always put a high value on especially before being faced with difficult circumstances or important events. In this case, Jesus was off praying alone somewhere on the slopes of Mt. Hermon in Caesarea Philipi which is about 40-50 miles to the southwest of Damascus if you were looking at a Bible atlas. HIs disciples were nearby as he was praying.
It seems as if he was praying for His father to give his apostles the right answer to the test question he was about to hit them with. It was a final exam question, so to speak.
The question of “who is Jesus” can only be answered one of two ways and we see that before us in our text today.
Human opinion. (v.18-19)
Divine Revelation. (v.20-22)
Let’s dive into the Word of the Lord together.
1.) Human opinion. (v.18-19)
1.) Human opinion. (v.18-19)
Luke 9:18 (ESV)
…… And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
It’s important for us to understand, the large crowds of people all over Judea never questioned if Jesus miracles were real, they witnessed them with their own eyes. In fact, it was because of these miracles that they were following him.
They knew that no one who was a mere human could do such things, so they were even willing to accept that Jesus had some sort of supernatural ability. But, their belief went no further than that.
Herod, thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead.
Others thought he was the prophet Elijah returned. (many jews are still looking for the return of Elijah)
Others even argued that he was one of the other Old Testament prophets risen from the dead.
But, none of them were willing to attest to his deity.
The opinions of the people in Jesus day, are not all that much different than human opinions of Christ rejectors today.
A.) Many are willing to declare that Jesus is a prophet.
In fact the largest and fastest growing religion in the world today, Islam, is willing to concede this. In fact they will go as far to say that he was the greatest of all the prophets.
But this is as far as they are willing to go. Friend, if this is as far as your willing to go, then you will miss heaven for all eternity. You will face eternal death instead of eternal life.
B.) Others are willing to declare Jesus as some sort of moral teacher.
This is probably where most people fall today. They say that Jesus was a good man, perhaps even the best of men, and a great moral teacher.
This was the view held by Thomas Jefferson who compiled his own Bible where he cut out everything but the moral teachings of Jesus.
Friend, morality will not get you to heaven. To accept Jesus as a moral teacher is to miss Jesus for all he is.
C.) Some declare Jesus to be fictional.
To believe that Jesus was somehow a figment of imagination or wishful thinking is nothing more than Heresy. To deny the literal existence of Jesus os to deny history and embrace ignorance.
Al three of these man made opinions may be popular but they are wrong and to believe them is to one day find yourself in Hell.
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
2.) Divine Revelation. (v.20-22)
2.) Divine Revelation. (v.20-22)
20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus here switched from asking his disciples about who the crowds thought he was and instead emphatically asked them “Who do you say I am?”.
Not what does public opinion say, but who do you personally say. You see friend, it matters not what the prevailing opinion of Christ is, but it does matter who you know Christ to be.
Just as is often the case, Peter (the defacto spokesmen) speaks up and makes a bold declaration: “The Christ of God.”
Christ- is the greek version of the Hebrew word for Messiah. Bot words mean “the anointed one.” It is an official title that reveals who Jesus is.
Of- is possessive. As in belonging to God.
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
In the old testament, there were only three kinds of individuals who were “anointed” by oil, which symbolized the Holy Spirit. Prophets, Priests, and kings.
This means that Jesus is the anointed one of God, chosen by Him to be prophet, priest and king.
This is in fulfillment to Old Testament prophet.
Israel was told of a coming prophet like Moses in
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’
17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken.
18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
In Psalms, a priest a lasting priest like the first priest to appear in scripture would come.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
In 2 Samuel, God made a covenant with David that the throne of the nation would never depart from his house, that one day a king from his offspring would come and set up his kingdom for all eternity.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The twelve knew exactly who Jesus was. He wasn't just another prophet, nor was he a run of the mill political leader, He was God’s chosen, the anointed Messiah and God’s own beloved son, and the true King of kings.
To reject Christ and declare him as anything but the Christ is to receive a curse.
22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!
and that makes you deserving of the highest and most severe form of punishment from God.
29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
The Apostles didn't come to understand this about Christ through their own wisdom, Matthew account of this tells us how they knew this:
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
We can only know who Jesus really is because God has chosen to reveal him to us.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Look now at vs.21-22
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
While the apostles understood Jesus to be the Messiah, they did not yet fully grasp all that that meant.
The Old Testament prophecies the Jews had been focused on were the ones regarding the exaltation, soverignty, power and glory of the Messiah. They saw the Messiah as only coming to set up his kingdom and ruling and reighng bringing all into his subjection. Their idea of a Messiah was earthly and physical, not spiritual.
They had missed all the prophecies of Messiah being a suffering savior, they weren't as clear in their copies of the scripture.
It is at this point, that Jesus finally begins to reveal to them exactly why he had come. YEs, messiah is a conquering savior, but he must first be a suffering one. He’s been telling them this for a while, but it wasn't until this point they really understood.
Up to this point, he had been speaking of his death in symbols and pictures, not simple and direct words like he does here.
He even points out who would be the ones to kill him (elders, chief priests and scribes) representing the entirety of the nation.
Friends, Jesus is the suffering messiah, who came not to adored by the masses, but to suffer and die for the sins of the people. But, his coming didn't end with his death, but a resurrection three days later.
Who do you say Jesus is?
If your answer is anything other than “The Christ of God” then you are on your way to eternal punishment.
Give Gospel call.