2 Pivotal Decisions (Luke 9:18-25)

Welcome

If you’re new here, welcome to Voyage College Church.

I’m DP, I’m the campus pastor here.

Our friends from Acts2Fellowship at Purdue University are visiting, welcome!

Wanted to have Connect TIme

Connect Time

Yesterday some of us went to Starved Rock State Park … had a beautiful hike. Then had brisket at Bombers BBQ … went all the way to Indiana for that. Not sure if we hiked enough to justify how much food we had there. But it was awesome.

Cata and I have known Roy and Kaitlyn since we were undergrads … and they were already lawyers. Pulled up old picture with me and Roy in it…

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Winter Retreat: DP

WHO: Purdue University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Illinois Tech, and the University of Chicago, we are adding University of Michigan and *the* Ohio State.

WHEN: MLK Weekend, start of winter quarter. January 12-15.

WHERE: Camp Tecumseh, about 2 hours south of here.

HOW MUCH:

All first-timers to college retreat = $60

Everyone else, early bird special = $70 if you register and send in money by 12/1

$90 after that

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Praise

Message

Good to see everyone.

So today we’re going to have someone share their story.

Testimony - Chizara - 3rd year

Thanks! 1 minute to discuss what you heard -

Hook.

In the course of a dating relationship, you ask a lot of questions. To yourself. To each other. As you try to figure out — is this the person I want to spend the rest of my life with?

When Cata and I were dating and I was trying to think of a good way to propose to her, I came across a NY Times article entitled “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.” And I thought it was neat, it was an article based on a study done by psychologists where these 36 questions which would get progressively more vulnerable which fosters closeness. Or as the study put it “sustained, escalating, reciprocal, personal self-disclosure” develops close relationships.

And so I made a plan. I suggested that over the course of the next few dates, we did a few of these questions at a time. And on the day that I was going to propose, we’d finish the 36 questions on the drive over. At which point, when we got to our date spot, I’d ask, “could I ask you one more question?”

As good as those 36 questions were and as much as our “sustained, escalating, reciprocal, personal self-disclosure” caused us to get closer … really to me, there was only ONE question that mattered. And that was the PIVOTAL QUESTION that would forever alter the trajectory of my relationship with Cata.

Today we’re going to study a passage in which Jesus asks a PIVOTAL QUESTION. In fact, he asks two. And the disciples answers — and all of OUR answers — to his question also forever alter the trajectory of our relationship with Jesus.

We’re in Luke 9, starting from verse 18. Let’s have Purdue be Jesus. And members of Voyage be the disciples.

Luke 9:18–20 ESV

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

[[SLIDE]]

Luke 9:18 “18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him.

In the gospel of Luke, the gospel writer highlights 9 instances in which Jesus prays, whether alone or with some people around him, and they are all associated with very significant moments in Jesus’ life.

Just to name a few..

his own baptism where the Spirit descends on him and God says “with you I am well pleased”

before choosing the Twelve disciples

in the garden of Gethsemane as he was about to face arrest

and as he was dying on a cross...

So we’re signalled here that something very significant is about to happen, which is that he’s about to reveal his true identity.

[[SLIDE]]

Luke 9:18–19 “... And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.””

By this incident, Jesus had been in active public ministry for a while now. Hard to say exactly, but maybe even two years in.

Many people had heard a lot of Jesus’ teaching, had seen many of his miracles. This was after the very public feeding of the 5000 and the other feeding of the 4000 …

So people are starting to develop some theories around who this is. This is John the Baptist. No it’s Elijah … or maybe one of the other prophets of old.

Many people throughout the centuries have had many different theories about who Jesus is. He's certainly one of the most influential figures in all of human history.

[[SLIDE]]

This is what Jaroslav Pelikan, a famous theologian from Yale, and a University of Chicago alum said…

"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible with some sort of super magnet to pull up out of that history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left? […] It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray.” (Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture)

Really beautifully put. Indeed Jesus was probably and is still the most influential figure in all of history. [[SLIDE]]

And yet people have many many theories as to who he is...

[[SLIDE]] e.g. Islam, Jesus is regarded as a merely a prophet

[[SLIDE]] e.g. Buddhists don’t think Jesus was divine, but that he was an enlightened one

[[SLIDE]] e.g. Bahai’s believe that Jesus was a messenger of God sent to each people about love and unity but don’t really believe he was the son of God or that he was crucified.

Jesus as a “good man”

[[SLIDE]]

And while these views might seem all pretty different, it’s gone this one commonality with a very commonly held view of Jesus nowadays in our modern, secular culture. That Jesus was a man. A GOOD man went around with important teachings that we could all learn from. He brought a message of love and compassion. He was an excellent ethicist, progressive for his time. The original social justice warrior. But that essentially he was a man, but that later people who really loved his message deified him and started to worship him.

But there are huge problems with this view of Jesus.

If you look more closely at the gospels, and if you take Jesus at his word, then it’s nearly impossible to conclude that Jesus was merely a good man who taught good things.

Even in this passage, in response to Jesus’ question, what does Peter say? He says that Jesus is the “Christ of God.” And Jesus doesn’t say, “oh my gosh what are you saying?!” Instead, he says: “don’t tell anyone” which implies … “you got it right!”

Now for modern people the term “Christ of God” is a mixed bag. On the one hand we’re REALLY FAMILIAR with the term Jesus Christ. Maybe some of us assume that’s his FIRST NAME and LAST NAME. We hear it in church. We hear it when someone slams their finger in a door.

But CHRIST is a title. And it’s a Greek transliteration of the Old Testament word “Messiah” which meant “THE CHOSEN ONE” or the “ANOINTED ONE.” So this title “Christ of God” was literally the chosen one of God, who was predicted to be the savior of the human race that God was going to send. Jesus claimed titles like these.

He also called himself the Son of God. And the JEWS knew what he was claiming by this. To be the SON OF GOD. Means he would share the same NATURE as God, meaning that he too was divine. That was not lost on the Jews. Which is why they tried so hard to get him killed, and eventually succeeded.

If Jesus claimed these things, it’s hard to say that he was merely a good man. This is what CS Lewis, an Oxford Professor, Christian theologian and writer, said about this...

[[SLIDE]]

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. [[SLIDE]] Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

If you take Jesus at his word from what you read in the Gospels, then you can't simply conclude that he was a good man. He had to either be more than that or less than that. Can't be both.

Now, we can theorize and debate as UChicago students love to do about who Jesus is… but at some point, we ourselves have to decide what we think about Jesus… and that’s what Jesus asks..

First Pivotal Question

[[SLIDE]]

Jesus turns to his disciples and asks (v.20) “But who do you say that I am?”

Jesus isn’t interested really in what the crowds are saying. He wants to know … what about you --- who do you say that I am.

[[SLIDE]]

This is the first PIVOTAL QUESTION we need to answer. Let’s consider this question...

[[SLIDE]]

First of all, it’s a really PERSONAL question.

e.g. When I was proposing to my wife, I was pretty sure she was going to say yes … but still you like never know right. So, I remember nervously asking her...”

Now what if she responded, “Yeah David, I think the institution of marriage is a really really profound and beautiful thing, and all the studies show that people who commit themselves in a loving marriage are happier, they make more money, they’re healthier, and there are over al lot of benefits to that.”

Like what am I supposed to do with that. Because that’s not my question. My question is not how she feels about the institution of marriage. My question is will you marry ME.

And Jesus question is something like that. Who do you say that I am?

Jesus wants to make this personal. This is not about your views on Christianity as a worldview, or about the church or any other institution in the Christian world. First and foremost it’s an invitation into a relationship.

[[SLIDE]]

Second, it’s really a question that only you can answer. Because Jesus is not ultimately interested in what the crowds are saying about him. He wants to know, what about you?

Neil Tongson. What about you? Who do YOU say that I am.

e.g. Like it’d be absurd after I popped the question the if Cata was like, “well you know my sister says you’re nice, my dad says you work for a good company and seems like you’ll have a stable career and my mom says, “well, at least he’s tall...”

No… What about you? What do YOU think.

Eventually you’ll have to answer for yourself. Nobody else can answer for you.

It doesn’t matter what your parents said about who Jesus is. It doesn’t matter what you grew up hearing. It doesn’t even matter what your pastor says or what respected theologians say. It doesn’t mater what Voyage College Church says. When it comes to Jesus’ question to you … “who do you say that I am” that’s a question that only you can answer.

[[SLIDE]]

And of course, it’s a very significant question. Your answer will CHANGE EVERYTHING.

A few times in our lives, these kinds of REALLY PIVOTAL questions come our way. And because they’re SO important, SO significant, it’s sometimes REALLY hard to answer/to decide.

When I asked Cata to marry me, we both knew that if she said yes, this would change everything about our lives. And so even the decision to PROPOSE was fraught with questions, feelings, uncertainties. Gosh SO MUCH at stake!

Do I even want to get married?

What are the pros and cons? What if things don’t work out? What if

Do I even know what I’m getting myself into? Does SHE know

Do I love her? Do I really? How do I know that?

Am I ready...

It’s going to feel complicated. And as you think through these important questions, of course you’ll get some opinions from others, family, friends, you’ll get some expert advice, get some council … you’ll weigh lots of things ...

But in the end, you have to NET IT OUT … in an actual decision.

Maybe not all of your questions can be answered. Not all contingencies can be planned for. There may still be a lot of unknowns. But there does come a point where you have to SUM THINGS UP and instead of continuously allowing all the questions to float around, you have to net it out. That’s the mature thing to do.

Sometime we think we can NOT make a decision. But to NOT make a decision, is a decision.

e.g. How long could I in my relationship with Catarina which is clearly heading toward marriage refuse to propose before she takes that as a rejection in and of itself.

Or even more clearly, how long after I ask “will you marry me” can she not say anything back, before that relationship can’t continue anymore.

This is the first pivotal question every Christian has answered. It’s a question that Jesus poses to each and everyone of us— who do you say that I am?

A lot of us in the room either grew up going to church or at least had some exposure to it growing up. And you may have learned all the right answers when it comes to who Jesus is. He’s the Son of God. He’s the Savior. He died on the cross for humanity’s sins.

And perhaps tragically it’s those people who grew up going to church all their lives who’ve never actually answered this question for themselves. I think ALL of us needs to consider this question carefully. Because it’s possible that we’re still answering Jesus’ question with the CROWD’S ANSWER. Saying what you’ve heard others say. What you were taught to say. What your parents say.

But Jesus is not asking what the “right answer” is that you heard from others. He’s asking you — who do YOU say that I am?

Peter’s Response

[[SLIDE]]

Well, how does Peter net it out?

Luke 9:20-21 “The Christ of God.” 21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,”

Peter nets it out : You are the Christ. We went over this already — but he says you are the the chosen one of God, the one who’s been sent to save us. This is a good answer. It’s the right answer … technically.

And yet Peter was also VERY mistaken. Because he didn’t really know what it meant that Jesus was the Christ.

Then Jesus does this ODD thing and he strictly tells them to NOT tell anyone this. Why not? Why wouldn’t he want people to know?

Turns out it’s because just like Peter, most Jews at the time had all sorts of wrong expectations and hopes about what the Christ would do and the kind of change he would bring.

They would have expected the Christ to come and bring victory over Roman oppression. They would have expected Him to usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the Jews. But that’s not why Jesus came.

And so it seems like he didn’t want word to spread too quickly that He might be the Christ before he had a chance to first teach people what the Christ had actually come to do.

And so immediately he begins to teach them what the Christ has truly come to do.

[[SLIDE]]

Luke 9:22 ESV

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.”

If you grew up in church, this doesn’t sound strange at all. All this sounds familiar because this IS the gospel message!

That God sent his Son to suffer, to be rejected, to be punished and killed in our place. But that on the third day, he is raised, thereby showing that ALL of our sins have been paid for, and that Jesus was indeed who he claimed to be.

But this was NONSENSE to the Jews!!

How could the one that came to SAVE us … get bullied by the Romans and then get killed in one of the most public and shameful ways known to that society? This was so SHOCKING even to the disciples that in other version of this story we find out that Peter, one of the disciples, actually pulls Jesus aside and starts to REBUKE him. After which Jesus says “get behind me SATAN.”

No, Jesus is very clear, this is what the Christ must do. He must SUFFER MANY THINGS. HE MUST BE KILLED … so that people could have eternal life through him...

For the purposes of today’s message — here’s my main question: if this is what the Christ came to do — what does that say about what it means to FOLLOW this kind of Christ?

DISQ: (30 seconds — if this is what Christ came to do - what does it say about what it means to follow Christ?)

And that is exactly the question that Jesus answers.

[[SLIDE]]

Luke 9:23 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

What does it look like to follow THIS CHRIST? It looks like living the kind of life that Jesus did. To DENY YOURSELF, TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY and FOLLOW ME.

Second Pivotal Question

[[SLIDE]]

And that brings us to the 2nd pivotal question: “Will we follow Christ?”

It’s not a question that Jesus literally asks. But it’s definitely implied:.

After we answer the first question: “Who do you say that I am...” We have to answer the second--”ok will we follow Christ?

Have we embraced the kind of life that Jesus is calling us to? Well what kind of life is that?

You’ll have to (v.23) DENY YOURSELF.

This literally means to not think about yourself. To say NO to yourself.

To say no to your plans. To say no to your preferences. To say no to what feels comfortable or doable for you.

And INSTEAD you’ll have to (v.23) TAKE UP YOUR CROSS, DAILY.

e.g. People in the 1st century knew that if a contingent of Roman soldiers came and made someone in their town take up a cross and led you out … that you weren’t coming back.

To take up your cross means to lose your life. To embrace a dying to yourself, so to speak.

[[SLIDE]]

Here’s how Paul explains it in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

I have been crucified with Christ … It’s no longer I who live. My preferences, my desires, my plans and purposes are dead. But it’s now CHRIST who lives in me. And that Christ who lives in me is one that DIED so that people may be SAVED through him.

[[SLIDE]]

So then we’re back to the second pivotal question that all of us have to answer—which is “will you follow Jesus?” Not on your own terms, but on the terms that he requires — that we deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow.

Following Jesus means embracing suffering. It means embracing death.

What would feel like death to you?

Saying no to some TV show? Some video game?

Talking to a stranger?

Telling your friends that you believe in Jesus? Telling your family?

Holding your tongue when you really want to speak your mind.

Asking for help? Admitting that you really need it?

What is that thing that Jesus would ask you to do, that would make you feel awkward, scared, afraid? ...

We’re willing to do a lot of things to avoid death. We might even do religious things, like go to church and read the Bible—anything to avoid the ACTUAL decision we need to make—to avoid taking up our cross.

And often, it’s at this second pivotal question that some of us are tempted to say, “actually I don’t think I can do that. I don’t think I can take up my cross. I’m going to save myself.”

Let’s heed Jesus’ next words.

[[SLIDE]]

Luke 9:24–25 ESV

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Jesus invites us to life. But in order to live true life, we have to first die .... to ourselves. And let Christ live in us.

The two decisions recapped

Jesus poses everyone one of us with two question.

[[SLIDE]]

Who do you say that I am?

Will you follow me?

We could use diff words for these (write it out) / break it up in different ways

Belief

Lordship

Or

Head

Heart/Hands

I bet there’s a lot of people in here who have no problem with the first question. To acknowledge that Jesus is Christ. That he’s my Savior. That I’m in need of a Savior. That I’ve pretty much messed things up in my life. And I’m in need of God to forgive me.

But it’s quite possible that many of us here today have not answered that second question. To not just claim Jesus as my Savior, but to follow him as my Lord. This decision to relinquish control over my life and to accept Jesus as the absolute Lord over my life.

But the thing is… these are not really two different questions. They’re more like 2 sides of the same coin.

Because to say that I believe that Jesus is my Savior … that he is the Christ … the Lord over all…

And then say, but I won’t actually follow you and I’m still pretty much going to live the way that I want … that just doesn’t add up.

To not answer the second question means we haven’t REALLY answered the first.

No, our answers to these two questions nets out in ONE decision. The decision to become Christian. To follow Jesus.

Ignorance

For some of us, it’s possible that we just never knew that this second question existed.

e.g. I grew up in church, and I remember hearing A LOT about Jesus as my Savior. And man I agreed with that. I knew that I needed Jesus to save me. But I wasn’t taught much about Jesus as my Lord. Or even if I was taught it, I didn’t hear it.

And it wasn’t until a retreat in my freshman year of college, when the preacher at a winter retreat explained that to make Jesus Savior and Lord over your life … is not to view my life like this

[[SLIDE]] - PIE CHART

Like there’s a lot of different aspects of my life. Money. School. Health. Time. Romance. And of course religion. [[SLIDE]] - PIE CHART WITH RELIGION SLICE HIGHLIGHTED

Religion might even be a larger slice than this. A very significant slice. But that religion slice doesn’t really have a say in what happens in these other areas. Like how I use my time. My money. My body.

But to make Jesus Lord and to follow Him … would mean to take him out of a SLICE and put him at the center.

[[SLIDE]] - PIE CHART WITH JESUS AT CENTER

And to allow him to speak into and affect every area of my life.

And that’s what Chizara did. As she made Jesus Savior and Lord … she started to allow Jesus to tough areas of her life that she had been controlling .... areas that maybe she didn’t want to give up control at first.

[[SLIDE]] - PIE CHART WITH JESUS EXPANDED

And as you GROW in your Christian walk, as you continue to follow and take up your cross daily, the influence that Jesus has on your life grows and grows.

And that just made so much sense to me.

And it was hard to admit that I’d been approaching Christian life the wrong way the entire time. That perhaps I had never actually made a genuine decision to FOLLOW JESUS. But what was important was that when I realized that, I decided to follow Jesus from then on.

Not One Time - Daily

For some of us, we’ve answered these questions. We’ve made that decision to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. And praise the Lord for that! It’s a miracle when that happens, and just in the past week, we’ve had 2 people place their trust in Jesus. And I suspect that a good number of you have made this decision.

And of course we only become Christian once. We become genuine followers in an instance.

[[SLIDE]]

But in verse 23, Jesus said that we have to take up our cross “DAILY.” Why would Jesus say this?

And it IS a daily decision.

Because DAILY our desire to call our own shots again seeps in.

DAILY, I find it easier to do what I want instead of what Jesus wants.

DAILY, I want comfort instead of suffering.

DAILY, I’m tempted to ignore the Great Commission and to just invest in my own life.

So yes, it’s a DAILY decision to take up the cross again. To live the life that Jesus calls me to.

And so today’s a chance for you to evaluate — am I following Jesus?

NOT. .. was I following Jesus when I was really on fire for him 2 years ago.

NOT … was I following Jesus last quarter when I was serving a lot.

Are you following Jesus today? How’s it been since the start of the quarter? How’s it been since you moved onto campus. Are you taking up your cross daily to follow him?

And as you consider that, I think God will show you some areas of your life that he wants you to surrender to HIS lordship once again.

Fears/Reluctance

I hope God brings each one of us to a decision point today.

Maybe you’re right there on the edge of answering these pivotal decisions for the first time and becoming a Christian

Maybe you’ve made some significant decision in your past. But maybe you’re realizing you’ve really only answered the first question. And haven’t answered the 2nd… am I going to wholeheartedly follow.

Maybe you’ve answered both, you’re already a Christ follower. But there’s a choice you need to make up about taking up your cross TODAY. To Say NO to something> Or to say YES to something. Because your Lord, Jesus is putting something specific on your heart...

If you feel a certain sense of fear and reluctance about that. I understand...

It’s a significant decision.

But it’s partially because you’re probably not USED to making BIG SIGNIFICANT decisions.

e.g. I remember when I bought my first car out of college. Put $10k down. Took another $15K out on a loan. That was scary. That was like wow ok I make this decision, that means there’s a lot of other ways I’d have liked to use that money but I can’t.

That’s the nature of decision making.

It involves CLOSING some doors, and then opening one door and walking through it.

But this is hard. You’re young, you haven’t had many opportunities to make these kinds of decisions. And the dominant MO of our culture is to leave as many doors open as possible for as long as possible. And so we don’t decide. We remain silent.

There’s this really cool thing that the prophet Elijah says in 1 Kings 18… where Elijah confronts the people of God because they keep wavering back and forth between wholeheartedly following God and following Baal—one of the false gods of Canaan.

[[SLIDE]]

1 Kings 18:21 ESV

21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

If the Lord is God — follow him!

If Baal is God, then follow him!

Then the people “did not answer him a word.” They were silent.

And that silence speaks volumes. That silence itself is a choice that they are making.

I’ve noticed that more and more, people like to DRIFT into things.

Even for things like marriage. People just want to see what happens. They go out with this person for long time but they’re hoping they’ll just drift from like … dating to cohabitation to somehow marriage…

In a way, because it feels scary to OWN and MAKE that decision, people want to stay silent until they are FORCED into making a decision.

e.g. It’s like people who don’t want to make a decision to follow Jesus until their on their deathbed.

e.g. Or someone who says they’re going to surrender their idolatry of career and really focus on prioritizing God, after they’ve gotten rejected from Med School or something, after having already spent 4 years incredibly anxious and busy and yanked to and fro by the gods of the medical school establishment. (I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to med school btw, it’s just an illustration)

To FOLLOW CHRIST would mean that when Jesus prompts you. To deal with some sin. To stop living for your idols. To obey him. To take a step of faith by going to a retreat or a mission trip or something … following him would be to do the thing that feels like death … and say “Yes, Lord.”

That’s the mature thing to do and that’s awesome.

Conclusion

[[SLIDE]]

So there you have it. The two pivotal questions.

Who do you say that I am?

Will you follow me?

And I added 2b … have you taken up your cross today?

Let’s use this time now to consider … how do we want to respond to God today?

We usually have some time for people to apply the message. On the back of your handouts there are some questions to help you to process and now to do the work of responding to Jesus. But before we start that, let’s read this final passage together. Another passage about being decisive.

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”