Who Do YOU Say I Am?

Introduction

We are at a point in Jesus ministry where He has just around 10 months or so before His crucifixion. Jesus has recently repeatedly withdrawn from the territory of the Jews and gone into Gentile territory where He is neither a wanted man nor, from what we can gather from Scripture, deeply criticized as much as with His own people.

We must keep in mind that since shortly after the death of John the Baptist, Herod has been asking questions about Jesus, wondering if perhaps Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead. Since then, Jesus has continually withdrawn from Galilee, which was under Herod’s authority, in part, to not be scrutinized by Herod so much yet. In so doing, Jesus is also fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that a great light would be revealed to those who had so long been walking in darkness, i.e.: the Gentiles. They truly did see and recognize the great light as we saw just a couple of weeks ago when together, thousands and thousands of them glorified the God of Israel for Jesus’ sake.

After feeding the crowd of 4,000 (Gentiles, primarily), Jesus then heads back across the Sea of Galilee to the area of Magdala, where He is tempted by the Pharisees and Sadducees who ask Him for a heavenly sign. Jesus tells them for a second time that the only sign they would get from Him would be the sign of Jonah, that being that Jesus would be in the heart of the earth for three nights and three days and would rise again on the third day.

Jesus and His disciples hop on a boat to Bethsaida, and while they are in the boat, Jesus warns His disciples that they should not be contaminated with the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We saw that at first, the disciples were concerned that Jesus was getting onto them for not packing enough bread, but then realized that Jesus was actually warning them about being contaminated with the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The two extremes that they fell into were that of legalism and liberalism/materialism. We saw last week that this is a valid warning even now, as both legalism and self-serving liberalism abound in philosophies espoused by individual Christians and in churches still today.

Which brings us to today’s passage:

Mark 8:22–27 KJV 1900

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. 27a And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi.

We won’t spend a lot of time on this particular miracle except to note a couple of things.

Jesus is in Bethsaida, travelling north. The last time Jesus had interactions with the people of Bethsaida, many of them had walked away from Jesus and decided to not follow Him anymore because of the hard sayings that He had taught.

We know from future references that Jesus makes about Bethsaida, that in general as a city, they had rejected Jesus and His teachings. It is obvious that this is not the case for every resident, because some of them (whether many or few, we do not know) have brought to Jesus a man that is blind and are begging Jesus to touch Him.

This is not the first time that people approach Jesus on behalf of someone else’s health or well-being, so this is not unusual. But what does seem unusual are the things that happen immediately after they bring this man to Jesus

Jesus takes the man outside of the town. We have not seen Jesus do this before. He goes to the people that need healing, or, when they are brought to Him, He heals them right there (or, as in the case with the deaf man in the crowd of the 4,000, takes them aside from the multitude, but not far).

We do not know the reason behind Jesus doing this simply because the Bible does not tell us, though some have speculated that it may be that because of the rampant unbelief within the city, Jesus felt it necessary to exit the city (in Nazareth He could do no large miracles for the lack of faith of the majority of the people), or

because if many had witnessed the healing within the city, they would have once again followed Jesus in a superficial manner.

The second thing that is unusual is that when Jesus first touched the blind man’s eyes, his eyesight was not immediately restored fully. This is also something that we have not seen yet. Once again, the reason behind this is not clear, but there are some good speculations out there.

It may have been that the man himself had a lack of faith, at first. Remember, Jesus chooses to respond to faith, and there are many times when Jesus has said, “Be it unto you according to your faith,” or, “Your faith has made you whole.” It could be that this man’s faith was not very strong, because when Jesus first touched his eyes, he saw men as if they were trees walking around. Or,

it could be that the lack of faith within the city of Bethsaida was so much that the healing took time to accomplish.

Of lesser note: there are things that indicate that this man had at one time possessed his sense of sight as he knows the difference between what people and trees look like. Also, the word ‘restore’ used in verse 25 means ‘to restore to a previous state.’

That Jesus tells this many to not go publishing his miracle in town, but to go straight home. This is not unusual, but what normally what we have seen is that when Jesus says, “Don’t tell anyone,” that the Gospel writers make a point to comment that those that are healed immediately begin to tell everyone about it. This comment does not appear in this case, however, nor do we know of any multitude that followed Him from the region of Bethsaida.

Lastly, we see that Jesus and His disciples make there way into the villages of Caesarea Philippi.

“Who Do the People Say I Am?”

And when we finish reading verse 27 in a moment, you will see the first of two very important questions. But first, let’s take a look at Caesarea Philippi. Before Caesarea Philippi was called Caesarea Philippi, it was a town called Paneas.

This region was strongly connected to several religions. Originally, it had been a center for Baal worship, the Greek god Pan ad shrines there, and Herod the Great built a temple to honor Augustus Caesar, then later, his son, Herod Philip I enlarged the city and renamed it Caesarea Philippi, distinguishing it from 2 other cities also named Caesarea.

It is here, in this stronghold of pagan religions, Jesus asks two very important questions to His disciples. This interaction between Jesus and His disciples is recorded in Luke 9, Mark 8, and in the book of Matthew also. Because Matthew gives us a bit more detail about the conversation, we will look at his account, though I may reference Luke and Mark briefly as we go.

Matthew 16:13 KJV 1900

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Luke 9:18 tells us that Jesus asks the disciples this question after spending some time alone in prayer. In Mark 8:27 we find that they were travelling along the way, not yet arriving at Caesarea Philippi proper when Jesus asks his disciples, “Whom do the people say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Jesus is here asking what the popular opinion is about him. We find in Luke that Jesus uses the phrase “the people.” He is not asking what the rulers think nor what the religious leaders think, but the people, the masses, the multitudes that have come out to see and hear him. He’s not unaware of what people are saying about Him. Jesus knows. What Jesus is doing here is making the disciples think carefully about those perceptions, because shortly after, He’s going to direct the

So, the disciples give him the general consensus - Matthew 16:14

Matthew 16:14 KJV 1900

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Though Jesus has referred to Himself many times using the Messianic title “the Son of Man” (using this reference more than any other to refer to himself), the disciples report that people hold various thoughts about Jesus’ identity.

John the Baptist resurrected. Some believe, like Herod Antipas, that Jesus is John the Baptist resurrected. This is not hard to see why, as John the Baptist and Jesus had similar messages of repentance. However, John the Baptist clearly pointed out Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world. And though John the Baptist was a hard man to miss, a wild man dressing in camel hair clothing and having a peculiar diet, Jesus was visibly very different from John the Baptist.

Others thought that Jesus was the prophet Elijah. Elijah was, and still is, considered the premier prophet of God to Israel who is prophesied to come back announcing the “great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:5)

Another opinion was that Jesus was the reincarnated prophet Jeremiah - another well-revered prophet.

And others that were unsure held to the thought that Jesus was one of the prophets of the Old Testament times risen again.

In each instance, the thought was that Jesus was a forerunner to the Messiah, not the Messiah Himself. They couldn’t deny his supernatural power, but they could not bring themselves to accept Him as the Savior, the Messiah. They came as close as they could to God’s ultimate truth without accepting it. However, since they did regard Jesus as a prophet, their denial of who He said He was is inexcusable, because if they accepted Him as prophet, they should have accepted His statements and claims about Himself as absolute truth from God. So really, they claimed to believe He was a prophet, but chose not to treat Him or His words as those of a prophet. They had fallen for the leaven of the Sadducees, in a way — they used Jesus for their own benefit and satisfaction, refusing to follow or obey when it would have cost them personally.

All throughout history we can see that this is the pattern concerning Christ. Many people and religions speak highly of Him without recognizing Jesus deity and lordship. Pilate said, “I find no fault in him.” Napoleon said, “I know men, and Jesus was no mere man.” The French philosopher of the so-called Age of Enlightenment, Denis Diderot, referred to Jesus as “unsurpassed.” German rationalist, Leo Strauss called Jesus the “highest model of religion.”

British philosopher and intellectual regarded Jesus as “the guide of humanity,” while French atheist philosopher Ernest Renan went so far as to call Jesus “the greatest among the sons of men.”

All those titles and accolades fall short of identifying Jesus for who He really is — the Messiah, God in human flesh.

“Who Do YOU Say I Am?”

Following the declaration of what the people in general believed about the identity of Jesus, Jesus asks His disciples a very pointed question. There is no way to get around it but to answer it as directly as it is asked.

Matthew 16:15 KJV 1900

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

This is the most important question that anyone will ever answer. The disciples are asked, point blank, “Who do you believe that I am?” They have been given plenty of time to make a determination. They have accompanied Jesus for nearly 2.5 years. Do they believe, like the majority of Jews, that Jesus is a precursor to the Messiah? That He is only a prophet? A teacher? A miracle worker?

Or do they believe what Jesus has been saying all along? Do they believe what John the Baptist preached about Jesus before Jesus started His ministry? Do they recognize that Jesus has been fulfilling prophecies as the Messiah since He first drew breath?

This is a question that every person and every religion will one day have to answer for themselves, and they will either do it to their credit or to their damnation.

“The proper answer of the heart of this question,” wrote J.W. McGarvey, “forms the starting point of the true Christian life.”

So, Peter, being the spokesperson for the disciples confidently answers. Matthew 16:16

Matthew 16:16 KJV 1900

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And we see that Peter answers this properly. Let’s break down the answer. “You are the...

“Christ” - This is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah — God’s predicted and long-awaited deliverer of Israel, the “Anointed One,” the coming High Priest, King, and Savior. Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, not simply a precursor. This is something that the disciples knew intellectually, as we see in Nathaniel’s confession when he calls Jesus the Son of God, the King of Israel, but the more that they spent time with Jesus, the more evidence they had of His divine nature, power, and authority. They still would struggle with their expectations of what the Messiah would do and when, but they knew that Jesus was in fact the Christ. They would struggle with times of weak faith in their misunderstanding of Jesus, but they would not doubt who He was.

“Son of the Living God” - The Son of Man (title for the Messiah) was also the Son of God. That is to say, He was the Creator. He is one with God, a real and true God, not a mythological one such as Pan, in whose lands they were entering. He was not a mortal deity such as Caesar, whose temple resided nearby. Jesus is the Son of the Living God. “Son” reflects the idea of oneness in essence, because a son is one in nature with his father. So, Jesus Christ was one in nature with God the Father.

The Jews did not generally expect the Messiah to be divine. They had followed others who claimed to be Messiahs before that did not claim to be God in the flesh. So in declaring that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Peter rises above even the popular theories as to the personality of the Messiah.

The Church Prophesied

This true response from Peter that reflected the attitude of the other disciples, save Judas Iscariot, is the foundation of the Christian faith and, as we will see in just a moment, the foundation of the church.

Let’s analyze the Lord’s response to Peter’s answer.

Matthew 16:17 KJV 1900

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus tells Peter that he is blessed — supremely happy — because Peter has been given this revelation, this knowledge, not by his own intellectual or logical reasoning nor by any other person’s, but by the Father in heaven. How so? Did God the Father at that moment lean down and whisper it in Peter’s ear? No. He operated as He has chosen to operate - by the word of God.

Notice Romans 10:13-17

Romans 10:13–17 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Paul, writing to the Romans, explains well what is necessary to have this faith revealed. It takes hearing the word of God preached by those that have been sent to preach. Faith comes by hearing God’s word proclaimed.

Peter and the other disciples had heard the preaching of John the Baptist and that had stirred a faith in them. When John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” we remember that Andrew and John both left John the Baptist to follow Jesus from that day. They and the rest of the disciples had heard not only John the Baptist preach, but they had heard Jesus preach. They had seen and watched Jesus, the Living Word of God. This caused them to have faith in who He is.

That confession of Jesus as Lord causes one to be blessed, truly happy — happier than happy — because they have found eternal life. It is an easy confession to make, but the older we get, the more difficult it is to have the humility to mean it. This is why the same word is used in the Beatitudes when Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Those that confess that Jesus is Lord in humility, recognizing that He is all and we are not worthy of anything, those are blessed because those find forgiveness and grace at the feet of the Savior.

“Simon bar-Jona, you are blessed, because you couldn’t have come up with this on your own; it was revealed to you by the Father.”

The question often arises, “Why did Jesus not perform signs in the heavens when the Pharisees and Sadducees demanded it? It would have made them believe!” But Romans 10:17 shows clearly that faith comes by hearing the word of God, not by seeing miracles. This is why the miracle seekers were quick to leave Jesus. Because the “faith” that they had was not really faith. True faith does not disappear when it is tried. It may grow weak, it may diminish in size and in strength much like the disciples’ who were often told they had little faith, but it never goes away. Because that faith comes from God as we willingly hear the word of God.

Now, we come to some of the most misused and misunderstood verses in the Bible — a passage that has held many in bondage for centuries. A passage that has been misinterpreted and abused, leading countless millions into darkness.

Matthew 16:18–19 KJV 1900

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Both of these verses present their difficulties, so let’s take them one at a time. I will try to be brief, but I also want to be thorough in this.

Matthew 16:18 KJV 1900

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The first thing we notice is the future tense of this verse. Jesus is declaring that He will build His church. Jesus had followers, but they were not yet organized into an ecclesia, a church, a called out assembly. They were not a “building fitly joined together” just yet. But Jesus would build His church. This is the church prophesied.

Not only that, but we see that the builder of the church is Jesus Christ. This is important to note. No amount of scheming or marketing can build the church of Jesus. No pastor, youth director, or children’s teacher can build the church of Jesus. No program, no method, no schedule, and no ministry can build the church of Jesus. Only Jesus can build His church, and He has promised to do so.

Next, I want to note the last phrase of this verse — the gates of hell, Hades in some translations, shall not prevail against it. We see several things here:

The gates of hell. What is translated hell in the KJV and Hades or death in other translations does not mean the forces of evil. The word translated hell here is the Greek word hades. This is the Greek version of the Hebraic concept of Sheol, which is the abode of the dead - not Satan’s home, or even a place of punishment for unbelievers. This is especially relevant considering that in the next chapter and a half, Jesus will talk about His death and the suffering of those that follow Him four separate times. The disciples need to know right now that even death will not destroy Jesus’ church, not even His own death. When we look at the history of the church, we see that the more persecution there is of the Lord’s church, the greater and faster and deeper it grows. Death will not destroy the church.

Shall not prevail against it — we are in a fight against death, and we win in the end. The last enemy that Jesus will destroy is death. Until then, we assault death by preaching the word of life — the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lastly, I want to look at a confusing passage. Confusing, but only if the rest of Scripture is not taken into account, because by simply reading this passage in English, it looks like Jesus is saying that He will build His church on the person of Peter.

The Catholic faith has taken this verse to mean that Jesus built the church upon Peter, and that this verse establishes Peter as the first Pope.

How many of you studied a foreign language? How many of you remember the concept of “grammatically gendered nouns”? These are nouns that have nothing to do with the actual gender of a person or animal. Those are called “biologically gendered nouns”.

In modern English, we are familiar with biologically gendered nouns - man, woman, boy, girl, etc.

However, we do not have grammatically gendered nouns anymore. I say “anymore” because Old English, the precursor to Middle English, from which we now have our Modern English, did have grammatically gendered nouns.

You might wonder what a grammatical gender is, since we do not use it in our modern English, so let me kind of explain it.

Using the words masculine or feminine, I want you to tell me what gender the following words are. Ready? MAN. WOMAN. Alright, those were easy. What about FIRE. STEAK. HAMBURGER. Those were a little harder! But not really, because none of those words have a gender in English. They are grammatically neutral.

In Spanish, as in most other languages, there exists a gender for each noun. It may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. These also have what are called determiners. Words that typically precede the noun that determine whether it is masculine or feminine. Articles are determiners.

In English, articles are not determiners. They are simply articles. A, an, and the. A taco, an enchilada, the burrito.

For those of you in Spanish class, you may recognize those words as transliterations. Taco, burrito, and enchilada are not English words, they are Spanish words that have been Englishified.

These words in Spanish possess gender. EL TACO. EL BURRITO. Both of those are masculine nouns. However, ENCHILADA is feminine so we would say LA ENCHILADA.

Some words are capable of having both masculine and feminine forms, such as the Spanish word for child. EL NIÑO, LA NIÑA. The boy child, the girl child.

Understanding this helps us understand Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18 “18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [petros - the masculine form of the word meaning small stone], and upon this rock [petra - the feminine form of the word that means a rocky mountain or boulder] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The trick in foreign languages that trips people up that speak English is that determiners like articles, pronouns, numbers, and adjectives MUST agree in gender to be grammatically correct. Otherwise, it sounds very odd!

Jesus is clearly distinguishing two things when He uses the word PETER-PETROS and ROCK-PETRA.

So if Peter is not the rock, then what is? There are two possibilities, and either is acceptable (if not nearly identical), both grammatically and theologically.

The rock is Peter’s confession. “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” This confession could be the rock on which the church is established. For to be part of the Church, one must confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Secondly is that Jesus is speaking of Himself as the rock. “You are Peter, a little rock. And on this rock, this boulder, myself, I will build my church.

There are other passages that support either and both of these interpretations. Namely Ephesians 2:19-22 As we read this, notice that Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus, and note how he uses the metaphor of a building to refer to the church.

Ephesians 2:19–22 KJV 1900

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [the church] 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [The apostles had a unique duty and that was to establish the organization of the church. They did this as they taught and wrote the epistles and pastored churches themselves through what the Holy Spirit was telling them. As the Holy Spirit gave various people in the church the gift of prophesy, that is the gift of proclaiming God’s word for the church, they also helped lay the foundation of the church. Their teachings and their confessions are the foundation of the church with those teachings being aligned with Jesus Himself, the chef cornerstone. Today, we think of a foundation as being one large slab. In ancient times, a foundation was a series of large stones that fit well together in order to support the weight of the structure. These were all aligned off of one primary stone, the chief cornerstone.] 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [The building grows as it is built on the foundation of Jesus and the apostles] 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

All that to say this - Jesus is the ROCK - petra. The cornerstone of the foundation of the church. Peter is a small stone, he would be part of the foundation along with the other apostles, and the prophets that would speak to the early church as it was forming. Of course, everything that the apostles and the prophets said needed to line up with the teaching and the person of Jesus Christ, or they were truly not foundational.

So now we come to the next verse that is controversial. Matthew 16:19

Matthew 16:19 KJV 1900

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

It seems, without contextual study, that this verse is saying that Peter would be able to shut up heaven or open it to whom he desired since he would hold the keys. This is probably where we get the image of Saint Peter sitting at the gates of heaven determining who is worthy to go in and who is not...

Previously, we have seen Jesus talk to the Pharisees and the Scribes in a critical manner for holding the key of the knowledge of God’s word but not letting anyone else know it because of their misrepresentation and twisting of God’s word. Luke 11:52

Luke 11:52 KJV 1900

52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Later we will study that Jesus says that they are literally shutting the doors of heaven on people when we get to Matthew 23, but here’s a preview.

Matthew 23:13 KJV 1900

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

So right now, Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” And indeed, on the day of Pentecost, Peter opened up the doors of heaven as the preached the unadulterated Gospel message. There in Acts 2, the door was opened up for the Jews, and later, Peter would also be used to open the door for the Samaritans (Acts 8, half Jewish, half Gentile descent) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10) to receive the Gospel.

By extension, the other Apostles and by extension, the church throughout the ages (including you and me) hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And we are either shutting heaven’s doors on people by not preaching the Gospel, or we are opening up the gates of heaven to them by presenting them with the Gospel.

This phrase, “I will give unto you the keys,” and the following phrase about binding and loosing are directed at Peter, and ultimately at the church. And this is why contextual study is important.

We can turn to Matthew 18 for more context in using this wording. Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15–20 KJV 1900

15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. [A church that Biblically practices church discipline goes through these steps incrementally as needed. If the person remains unrepentant, then the church has the authority to excommunicate that person, or put them out of fellowship from the church. This does not mean that the person is not allowed back at church, as the reason for discipline is with a hope of restoration. What this does mean is that that person looses their membership in the local church. They are treated as an unbeliever because their unrepentant heart is as an unbeliever’s heart would be. Again, this does not mean they are shunned. We don’t find shunning as a form of church discipline in the Bible. If someone walks in these doors that is not saved, we as a church would love them, welcome them, and pray for their salvation. The same thing should be the norm of someone who has gone through all the steps of church discipline.] 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

These are the guidelines for church discipline.

A commentator put it this way:

Christians have such authority because they have the truth of God’s authoritative Word by which to judge. The source of the church’s authority is not in itself, anymore than the source of the apostles’ authority was in themselves or even in their office.

Christians can authoritatively declare what is acceptable to God or forbidden by Him because they have His Word. Christians do not determine what is right or wrong, forgiven or unforgiven. Rather, on the basis of God’s own Word, they recognize and proclaim what God has already determined to be right or wrong, forgiven or unforgiven. When they judge on the basis of God’s Word, they can be certain their judgment corresponds with the judgment of heaven.

If a person declares himself to be an atheist, or to be anything other than a believer in and lover of the Lord Jesus Christ, Christians can say to that person with absolute certainty, “You are under God’s judgment and condemned to hell,” because that is what Scripture teaches. If, on the other hand, a person testifies that he has trusted Christ as his saving Lord, Christians can say to him with equal certainty, “If what you say is true, then your sins are forgiven, you are a child of God, and your eternal destiny is heaven.” (J. MacArthur)

And ultimately this all goes back to recognizing Who Jesus Is. If we recognize that He is God, that He is Lord, that He is King and sovereign over all, then we recognize that His word is true, His word is the final word, His word is irrefutable, and His word is for us.

It is easy to say, “Jesus, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” But it is so much more difficult to live those words. Because to live those words means that I take Jesus as Supreme Authority over everything.

Who Do YOU Say Jesus Is?

So the question this morning is, “Who do you say that Jesus is?”

To the unsaved — Today you can put your faith in Him as your savior.

To the saved — Today you can surrender fully to His authority.

To the church — Because Jesus is who He says He is, even death cannot overcome the church. We will let Jesus build His church by us following His direction. And try as he may, Satan will not win. If persecution comes, this church will stand. Even in death, we that are saved will still be part of His body, His church.

Stay faithful.

Life Group

1. Did anything stand out to you about the sermon? Are there any questions or concerns?

2. If someone stopped you this week and asked, “Who is Jesus to you, really?” how do you think you would naturally answer in one or two sentences?

3. What’s one way you’ve seen the church keep going, even through loss, conflict, or cultural pressure, that has encouraged your faith?

4. Why do you think Jesus starts by asking, “Who do people say that I am?” before He asks, “Who do you say that I am?” What’s the difference between those two questions?

5. What does it mean that Jesus is the one who builds His church?

6. Are there any areas where you find it easy to say, “Jesus is Lord,” but hard to live as if He truly has supreme authority (e.g., relationships, money, time, sexuality, forgiveness)?

7. In practical terms, what would change in your week if you treated Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” in one specific area of your life that you normally keep for yourself?

8. How can remembering that Jesus Himself builds His church (not programs, personalities, or marketing) reshape the way you think about your role in your local church?

9. Since “keys of the kingdom” are essentially the gospel message, what are some ways we might unintentionally “shut the door” on people by our silence or by how we represent Christ?

10. Action step for the week — Choose one concrete decision coming up (financial, relational, work-related). How will you intentionally submit that decision to Jesus as Lord (through Scripture, prayer, counsel) rather than just doing what feels best?