I Will Build My Church: Our Lord

Big Idea

Tension: Who is Jesus?

Resolution: He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Exegetical Idea: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Theological Idea: Jesus is the appointed Messiah sent from God to save his people from their sins and oppression.

Homiletical Idea: Jesus is Lord.

Introduction

Well, today I want to ask a question that we are going to wrestle with as a church this morning. And as we will see, there is perhaps no more important question than you can answer in your life. ANd that question is this, “Who is Jesus?” Who is Jesus? Jesus wanted his disciples to wrestle with that question and understand just what was at stake in it. Because that question and the answer he gave, more than any other, will effect how we live our lives and how our church follows him. So it is worthwhile to spend some time reflecting today on this question.

Who does our world say Jesus is?

Before we answer this question God’s way, I think we should look at how our world answers this question. And our passage today points us towards two of the world’s false answers. And the first answer is this.

Jesus is part of the universal “divine spirit.”

Caesearea Philippi: Now you have to understand, Jesus says all this, and they are at the town called Caeserea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was a town that was originally built by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. And Caesar gave Caesarea to Herod, who passed it onto his son Philip, who renamed the town Caesarea Philippi. Now, Caesarea Philippi was a Roman place, and they had a huge temple there to the God Pan. So Jesus is here, walking in teh streets with all these priests of a foreign religion, he is here standing in teh midst of the place where there are all these idols. It is a dark, pagan place. ANd Jesus turns to the 12 who are with him, knowing who he is, and asks a few questions.

Caesearea Philippi: First, you have to see, that Jesus is asking them this question at the town called Caeserea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was a town that was originally built by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. And Caesar gave Caesarea to Herod, who passed it onto his son Philip, who renamed the town Caesarea Philippi. Now, Caesarea Philippi was a Roman place, and they had a huge temple there to the God Pan.

The Roman Approach to Religion: Now to really understand this, you have to understand the Roman approach to religions of the lands that they conquered. When the Romans would conquer a region, they typically wouldn’t smash out the religion of the conquered people. They kind of had a different strategy. On the one hand, they would try to identify that religion with their own in some way. Or on the other, they would adopt that religion into their own pantheon of Gods. This was how they legalized various religions. The Romans were, in many ways, much like the pluralistic society we live in. The Romans’ approach to religion, in general, was you can worship whoever you want, as long as it does not upset the status quo. There was even this general sense among the Roman philosophers in which all these different religions led each person into the divine in their own way.

Could Jesus fit into the Roman Pantheon: Now, imagine that you know this. And you are walking with Jesus in front of this giant temple and all this idolatry and paganism. And Jesus turns in front of you and asks, “Who do men say that I am?” The answer that many Romans who were around would have been, “You might be part of the universal spiritual divine spirit.” The impulse of the Romans around would have been to say, “Jesus, yes, we will worship you as just one of the other gods. Yes, you can have your place, just don’t ask me to give up my idols, my worship, my beliefs.”

Many approach Christ in the same way today: Of course, many people approach Jesus in the same way today. When Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life,” they think Jesus is saying, “I am a way, a truth, and a life.” They think of Jesus as just one of the many ways to bring us to God. They think that, “You worship what works for you, and I’ll worship what works for me.” Just as long as Jesus doesn’t call me on my sin, as long as Jesus doesn’t tell me my idols aren’t worth it, as long as Jesus doesn’t tell me how to treat my family, how to work in the workplace, how to spend my money, I’m okay.

Jesus was too exclusive: The problem with that is that it just doesn’t recognize just how exclusive Jesus is. Jesus says, in … and then he says in .... Nobody means… nobody. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, he is the only way to God, nobody can come to the Father except through him.

Nollan Dalla, who is an atheistic writer, says this, “In short, religious practitioners not only invade our space and attempt to alter our consciousness, they also desire to be our lawgiver, our landlord, and — should we break their commandments — our executioner for eternal damnation.” The problem with thinking that Jesus is just another God, is that Jesus is too exclusive. Jesus claims to be God, the only God. You can’t just say he’s another God, because he won’t let you.

Jesus is a human

Of course Jesus’ disciples give another answer. They say, “some say Elijah, others Jeremiah, still some, John the Baptist.” Now, all three of these guys are prophets. They are brilliant, invective, charismatic prophets. But none of them are God. In other words, they are all, “humans.” They are not God. They are just human. And the point is that they are saying, “they say that you are a smart guy, a charismatic guy, but that is all.”

The reality is that many people think about Jesus the same way today. They view Jesus as this human speaker and charismatic guy. They think that he maybe has some good advice. They think that maybe he has has some good thoughts. They think that maybe he isn’t really God. They think that he had some good things to say, but the idea that he is “very God of God” is just a little bit farfetched. He was a brilliant philosopher.

C.S. Lewis: The problem with this though is that it is incredibly inconsistent. Because Jesus claimed to be so much more. You can’t say that Jesus is just a good teacher, because if you believe what he actually taught, then you have to believe everything he taught. C.S. Lewis describes it this way: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 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 the 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. 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 patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

So, if Jesus isn’t just one of many ways to God, and if Jesus isn’t just a human teacher, who is he? Well, God tells us.

Who does God tell us Jesus is?

Well, I want to point something out. Look in vs. 17. Jesus is going to tell Simon that he is blessed because of what God has showed him. So we need to talk about this:

My Father has revealed this to you: Now, look at what Jesus says, he says, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” You see, if nobody can come to the Father apart from the Son, nobody can come to the Son apart from the Father. We just read that in . If we are to understand Jesus, we need to first be quiet and listen to what God has to tell us.

What God reveals about Christ: So, let’s make this application as we’re walking through Scripture. The church’s job is not to try to make stuff up about Christ. No, our job is to look in Scripture and see what God has revealed about Christ and herald it with all the power we possibly can. this is why we study hard, this is why we look hard, this is why we’re trying to piece Scripture together to try to figure this out. We want to do as much as we can to be as faithful to Christ as we possibly can. We want to try to figure this out and figure this out.

What God reveals about Christ: So, let’s make this application as we’re walking through Scripture. The church’s job is not to try to make stuff up about Christ. No, our job is to look in Scripture and see what God has revealed about Christ and herald it with all the power we possibly can. this is why we study hard, this is why we look hard, this is why we’re trying to piece Scripture together to try to figure this out. We want to do as much as we can to be as faithful to Christ as we possibly can. We want to try to figure this out and figure this out.

What God reveals about Christ: So, let’s make this application as we’re walking through Scripture. The church’s job is not to try to make stuff up about Christ. No, our job is to look in Scripture and see what God has revealed about Christ and herald it with all the power we possibly can. this is why we study hard, this is why we look hard, this is why we’re trying to piece Scripture together to try to figure this out. We want to do as much as we can to be as faithful to Christ as we possibly can. We want to try to figure this out and figure this out.

So, who does the father show us Jesus is? Well we see four big identities of Jesus in this passage, and each one of them pushes back on this cultural conception of who Jesus is.

Son of Man: Who is the “Son of Man”? The Son of Man is a title from . And that title is a Messianic title and it was used regularly by Christ to describe himself. The title is used to describe the King, the Messiah, who has accomplished salvation. And he comes before the throne of God, who is called the Ancient of Days. And the Ancient of Days, who is the Father, gives him a kingdom, dominion, and glory. And all peoples, languages and nations will serve him. And his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. And Christ regularly describes himself as the “Son of Man.” He is the Messiah whom God will give every kingdom over to. Jesus is not just “another good spiritual voice”, no he ushers in the kingdom of God, given by the ancient of Days. Jesus is not just another good teacher, no he is the Son of Man who has access to God.

He is the

Christ: This also here described as the “Christ.” The “Christ” is a title that Jesus is often called. And we think of it like it is his last name. But it is actually a title in Greek that means, “Annointed one” or “Messiah.” And the reason that is important, is before Kings could be coronated, they would have to be annointed. Even today, when Kings or Queens who are Christian take their thrones, they are anointed. So often, the Messiah, is the Lord’s annointed King, to show that he will be King and he will be anointed to take the throne and given a kingdom. And this was regularly used to refer to the Son of David who would take his throne. So not only is Jesus the Son of Man, who takes the throne from the ANcient of Days, eh is also the Son of David. He is David’s annointed Messiah who will rule on his throne forever. Jesus is not another path to God, Jesus is God’s appointed leader to bring humanity out of their sinful ways and to God. But Jesus is not just aonther teacher. Jesus doesn’t write “God for dummies” books. Jesus gives us teh “words of life.”

Son of the Father: Jesus also here calls teh Father his own. He is the “Son of the Father.” Jesus and the Father share a unique relationship. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father. In fact, there are 22 different places in the gospel of Matthew where Jesus calls the Father his own. Probably the most tender is in … Jesus says, “Nobody knows me except for the Father, and nobody knows the Father except for me… and anybody who I choose to show him to.” Jesus believes that he is the only way to the Father, the only way by whic you and I can call his Father our own. ONly if we have faiht in Christ can God be our Father. Jesus is not another path to God, he is the only begotten Son of teh Father. Jesus is not just another wise teacher, no, he brings us the words from teh Father.

Son of the living God: But he is also teh “son of the living God.” For Jesus, God is the “living God.” He is not a dead God, his words are not just advice, his thoughts are not just wise. No, he is the living God. Every other God is false, and every other God is wrong, but God is true. What does Jesus say when he is tempted to turn the bread into stone, he says, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God.” So when jesus says, “I am his Son.” what he is saying is that because teh Father is the living God and speaks the words of life, I can speak teh words of life. Jesus views his relationship with teh Father to be true, and to be accurate, and to be unimpeachable. Jesus is not another path to God, he is the Son of the living God, the only true God, very God of very God as the church fathers used to say. But Jesus is not just a good teacher, no he brings us into a relationship with the only God and Father: Jesus Christ.

You see, Jesus is the Lord. Who is Jesus? Who is the Jesus? He is the Lord. What we see here is that this has radical implications for us as individuals, and radical implications for us as a church. And all of us are called to answer this same question that Jesus asked to Peter.

You see, Jesus is the Lord. Who is Jesus? Who is the Jesus? He is the Lord. And all of us are called to answer this same question that Jesus asked to Peter.

Who do you say that I am: So Jesus turns the tables and says, “So if that’s who they say that I am, who do you say that I am.” You see, Jesus asked the disciples before who they thought others thought he was. But now he turns it on its head and says, “Who do you say that I am?” You see, all of us will be called on at some point to answer this question. Who do you say that he is? Do you think that he is just another spiritual way to God? Or do you think he is just another good teacher? Or, do you believe that there is something absolutely unswervingly, unnervingly unique about him? Because if you do, then you believe that Jesus is the Lord. And you need to be faithful to that and work that out.

Because of all this, Jesus is able to build the church. In other words, Jesus builds his church on who he is. This is why these two things are put together.

Builder of the Church: Jesus says, “On this rock I will build my church” Now who is the rock? Is it Peter? No, it is Christ. This truth,t hat Jesus Christ is the Son of hte living God, the Christ, the Son of Man, truly God and truly man. That is the rock. And Peter is given the name “rock,” in honor of that confession. And when we are faithful to that, Christ builds his church. WHen we are sure to confess it, when we make sure that we are faithful to it, he will build his church. Matt doesn’t build the chruch, teh leaders don’t built this church, our friendships our programs our evangelism doesn’t build the church, Christ builds the church. If Christ is not the one building this church, then it is not worht building. Listen, we as a church cannot be built on tradition, we cannot be built on ourselves, we cannot be built on a great preacher, on great worship, on small groups, on anythign but Jesus Christ. We need to build our church on Christ. THis is the relationship between Christ and teh chruch. In fact, we see this in a number of different ways throughout Scripture.

Jesus Christ is Lord. He has come as the Messiah, teh Son of Man, the Son of the Father, the Son of the living God. He has come and born our sins on the cross. He has come and he has risen from the dead. He is Lord. There is nobody else like him, he is the exclusive Messiah, savior, Lord of everything and every place and every person. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. And because of this, Jesus has called us into his church and he will build his church through us.

SO maybe you say, “How does Jesus do this?” Well, we’ll talk next week about how exactly Jesus builds his church. But, today, I want us to ask, what does it mean that Jesus Christ is Lord for us? Well, I want to give you just a handful of things. If we agree with Peter that Jesus Christ is Lord, what does that mean for us?

You see, Jesus, is the Lord.

What does that mean for us?

Who do

Jesus Christ brings me to God: First, if we agree that Jesus Christ is Lord, we need to understand, Jesus brings me to God. Jesus is the one who has to die for my sins and rise from the dead. Which also means, I cannot find my own way to God. I can’t be good enough for him. I can’t be religious enough for him. I can’t be smart enough for him. But Jesus Christ opens up a way to the Father for me. The only way that I can come to the Father is by faith in Christ, grabbing hold of him. Not having a righteousness that is my own. No salvation is a gift of God for the people of God by the grace of God.

We are a fellowship fo

Christ: This also here described as the “Christ.” The “Christ” is a title that Jesus is often called. And we think of it like it is his last name. But it is actually a title in Greek that means, “Annointed one” or “Messiah.” And the reason that is important, is before Kings could be coronated, they would have to be annointed. Even today, when Kings or Queens who are Christian take their thrones, they are anointed. So often, the Messiah, is the Lord’s annointed King, to show that he will be King and he will be anointed to take the throne and given a kingdom. And this was regularly used to refer to the Son of David who would take his throne. So not only is Jesus the Son of Man, who takes the throne from the ANcient of Days, eh is also the Son of David. He is David’s annointed Messiah who will rule on his throne forever.

The church of Christ needs to be profoundly shaped by grace: The second thing that this means for us is this. If Jesus is the one who brings us to God, not the good things that we have done, then we need to be a church that is profoundly shaped by grace. We need to be loving to one another because God was loving towards us. We need to reconcile with one another because God reconciled with us. We need to be generous towards one another because God was generous towards us. If a church loses sight of the grace of God for the people of God, then they are just a building.

Son of the Father: Jesus also here calls teh Father his own. He is the “Son of the Father.” Jesus and the Father share a unique relationship. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father. In fact, there are 22 different places in the gospel of Matthew where Jesus calls the Father his own. Probably the most tender is in Matthew 11:25-27 … Jesus says, “Nobody knows me except for the Father, and nobody knows the Father except for me… and anybody who I choose to show him to.” Jesus believes that he is the only way to the Father, the only way by whic you and I can call his Father our own. ONly if we have faiht in Christ can God be our Father.

Jesus Christ instructs me in the way I should walk: If this is true, that Jesus Christ is Lord and that only Jesus can bring me to the Father, then we need to be faithful to what that means. It means that Jesus gives me the way to walk for my life. It means that he can tell me to pick up my cross and follow him. It means that when my preferences conflict with his preferences, then his preferences win. And this is not because he does not love me, but because he does love me. He wants me to have the life that is most glorifying to him.

Son of the living God: But he is also teh “son of the living God.” For Jesus, God is the “living God.” He is not a dead God, his words are not just advice, his thoughts are not just wise. No, he is the living God. Every other God is false, and every other God is wrong, but God is true. What does Jesus say when he is tempted to turn the bread into stone, he says, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God.” So when jesus says, “I am his Son.” what he is saying is that because teh Father is the living God and speaks the words of life, I can speak teh words of life. Jesus views his relationship with teh Father to be true, and to be accurate, and to be unimpeachable.

Jesus Christ builds the church on his own terms: If Jesus Christ really is Lord, then he gets to build the church on his own terms. If he really has reconciled all things on heaven and on earth by his blood, then he gets to tell us as a church how we should walk. He gets to build teh church on his term, provide his own commands instructions about what that looks like.

What we see is that this idea that Jesus Christ is Lord is profoundly stretching for us both as individuals and both as a church. It will radically shape us as individuals, and it will radically shape us as a church. It will humble us because we cannot save ourselves and it will empower us because he has saved us. It will unite us together with the bond of grace, and it will hold us fast by his holiness. Jesus Christ is not another divine way , and he is not some human. He is the only way to God, and he is truly human.