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Introduction:
Good morning and Happy Lord’s Day to You.
Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark picking up where we left off and we are in chapter 8:27-33 this morning.
Up until this point in Mark, Jesus has been conducting ministry throughout Galilee with his disciples.
The first half of the book of Mark will conclude in as Jesus asks his disciples:
Who Do You Say that I Am?
The question posed to the disciples is the question the Bible confronts each and everyone of us this room.
In fact, that question confronts every human being ever born if the claims of the Bible are true.
If Jesus was really who He said he was, the stakes are not only high, but have eternal ramifications on how we respond to that question.
One writer said,
“This is the central question of Mark’s Gospel—and of every presentation of the gospel.
The essential meaning of faith is contained in the answer given.”
If you don’t feel satisfy with this sermon, I would commend to you this red book in our book stall: Who is Jesus?
by Greg Gilbert for further study.
When someone claims to be your God, you really only have two choices, right?
You can reject the claim or you can accept it.
What you can’t do, at least for very long, is suspend judgment and just see how it plays out.
Jesus claimed some amazing things about himself, and also about you.
Like it or not, that has radical implications for your life…Who is Jesus?
Really, it’s the most important question you’ll ever consider-Greg Gilbert.
How you respond to the question who is Jesus will determine the course of your life and your eternity.
Main Idea: Recognize the true identity of Jesus Christ because it will change your life and your eternity, as it did the disciples back then.
Recap: Do you remember that Jesus healed a blind man in two stages, or two touches.
The first touch was the man’s sight restored.
The second touch was the man’s sight restored completely.
It was a lesson for the disciples that even though they recognized who Jesus was, they did not recognize Him fully or the extent of His person.
And Jesus ask his disciples a couple of questions to see if they really get it yet.
And this question, the question that Jesus, asks his disciples, is that same question he asks you and me today.
And how you respond to that question will either change your life for good or ruin your life for eternity.
This morning we will look at two questions that every person needs to get right, because getting it wrong will result in eternal suffering.
Who is Jesus?
(vv.
27-30)
What did He Come to Do? (vv.
31-33)
Scripture Reading:
Up till this point, the disciples were with Jesus for several months.
They were with Jesus as he choose them, as they saw him perform miracles, as he taught about the kingdom of God.
And now on the way, Jesus ask his disciples a couple of questions:
I. Who is Jesus?
(Identity of Jesus)
Virtually all historians, whether secular or religious, agreed that Jesus existed in human history.
The real debate, is who he is?
And it was the same debate back then.
Jesus goes further North into the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Caesarea Philippi was a center of Hellenistic pagan worship along with the exaltation of the Roman emperor.
Jesus led his disciples some 25 miles north from Bethsaida (Ch.
8:22) to the district of Iturea dominated by Caesarea Philippi, the residence of Herod Philip.
The capital was located at the source of the Jordan River on the slopes of Mount Hermon in a region famed for its beauty and fertility.
When the area was first given to Herod the Great by Augustus he built a temple in honor of the emperor near a grotto consecrated to the Greek god Pan.
In 3 B.C. Philip rebuilt the neighboring village of Paneas as his residence and named the new city in honor of Caesar.
The area was thus dominated by strong Roman associations, and it may be theologically significant that Jesus’ dignity was first recognized in a region devoted to the affirmation that Caesar is lord.
Mark 8:2
Jesus is in Gentile territories with the his disciples where they confessed Caesar as Lord and worshipped idols.
And here Jesus asks them the question:
“Who do people say that I am?”
The Public Opinion
Notice the public opinion about Jesus.
What did the crowds say?
If they had twitter back then, what would people be tweeting about Jesus?
The Public Opinion
All three opinions assign to Jesus only a preparatory role and deny to him the definitive role associated with consummation and the achievement of salvation.
A. John the Baptist
John was a powerful preacher.
Jesus preached the same message as John as preacher of repentance.
Some said that in light of Jesus’ preaching, he was John the Baptist.
Or even John the Baptist raised from the dead.
You remembered Herod had already beheaded John, so they thought Jesus was a reincarnate John.
He was a great preacher.
Other thought he was a great miracle working prophet...
B. Elijah
People were being healed all throughout Galilee.
So was this the Elijah the Prophet who was to come?
Others thought that Jesus was Elijah.
You know Elijah was the great prophet of the OT who performed many miracles.
He was the great prophet that confronted the wicked King Ahab.
He was the great prophet who confronted the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel.
But one unique thing about Elijah was that he didn’t die an ordinary death.
In fact, the Bible tells us he was taken to heaven.
And in fact, popular opinion of Elijah believed he would return before the great Day of the Lord, or the Day of judgment.
C. One of the Prophets
And then there was the view that Jesus was one of the prophets.
Maybe even THE prophet.
Whether it was a prophet like Jeremiah, or a prophet like Moses, Jesus proclaimed the Word of the Lord to the people.
The problem with all these views is that they missed the mark because they put Jesus as one of many great men of God, not the God-man.
All three opinions assign to Jesus only a preparatory role and deny to him the definitive role associated with consummation and the achievement of salvation.
All these views viewed Jesus as a forerunner or a pointer to the coming King.
What is true then, is also true today.
People have many opinions about Jesus who miss the mark.
Liberal scholars say he was a great religious teacher.
Philosophers say he was a great instructor in wisdom.
Secular people say that Jesus was a great teacher among many great teachers of history.
Muslims believe that Jesus is a great prophet of Allah.
New Age and Easterners believe Jesus was one who achieved enlightenment or One who had specialized knowledge or an Avatar.
Cults believe that Jesus was either an archangel or created being.
There are many opinions about Jesus.
Even within “Christian” circles, Jesus is the One who not only purchased salvation, but health, wealth, and prosperity.
Jesus is One who will make all our problems go away.
Or if you have been raised within church, Jesus is the one who dies for sins, but it is a fact that has no bearing on your daily living.
Jesus is just someone really important to mom and dad.
“If you think Jesus is a pointer, and not the point, then you missed the point.”
Kevin DeYoung
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