The Christ Confessed: Mark 8:27-30

Introduce

Jesus transitions from His ministry around Galilee and begins what we might call the journey to Jerusalem. Jesus in His Galilean ministry progressively revealed himself in preaching and miracles. He preached parables about the Kingdom of God. He refuted and rebuked the religious leaders of His day. He terrified and cast out demons. He amazed crowds and confused His disciples. He healed the sick and cleansed the unclean. Last week we learned that it is Jesus who gives sight ultimately to see Him for who He is. Who is Jesus? That is the key question our text answers. To help us answer this question consider four aspects of the story.

Retell

In the first place, consider how the Christ converses (8:27).

As I said earlier, Jesus and His disciples left the Sea of Galilee. They went to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was a city some 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee with a population of mostly Syrian and Greek pagans. It at one point was the center of the worship of Baal, then of the Greek God pan, and finally of Caesar of whom it was named after by Philip, one of Herod the Great’s sons. Jesus, however, avoided the city and ministered in the villages. Along the way He struck up a conversation with His disciples. Jesus ask them two probing questions to get them thinking. Look at first one in verse 27, Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am?”

Jesus is a master teacher and the greatest philosopher. His method of teaching is very much like the famous Greek philosopher, who would teach his students by posing them with questions about reality, knowledge, politics, and ethics. Jesus teaches on similar issues. However, unlike Socrates. who rarely found a solid answer, Jesus leads His disciples not only to think but to truth.

You have considered how Christ converses.

In like manner, consider how Christ confuses (8:28).

The disciples disciples answer first question revealing their are various opinions.

Some say Jesus is John the Baptist. This isn’t shocking. They did preach a similar message. They both challenged the religious authorities. They both had disciples. They were even related. Yet, we and His disciples know that John baptized Jesus and had died at the hands of Herod. Therefore, Jesus is not John.

Others said He was Ellijah. Ellijah was a miracle working prophet, who stood up to kings and never died. In fact, their was Old Testament prophecy of God sending an Elijah before the great and awesome day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5-6). Jesus’s preaching lines up with preaching of the promised Elijah. However, the Elijah promised in Malachi is not Jesus, but John the baptist, who prepared the way for the LORD.

Others said Jesus was one of the prophets. This too isn’t shocking. Jesus spoke with authority. He worked miracles. Indeed, He was a prophet, but more than a prophet. A prophet greater than Moses. Yet, I’m getting ahead of myself. So at this point it is enough to say that Jesus confused many people. They didn’t know who He was.

You have considered how Christ converses and confuses.

Moreover, consider how the Christ catechizes (8:29).

Catechesis is a teaching technique by way of using questions and answers. The goal of the one asking is to get the ones asked to know and memorize the truth. Jesus had asked what the people thought of Him. Jesus second question much more direct. Look at verse 29: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Bingo, Peter’s answer is correct, yet this truth did not come from within Peter, but was given by Him (Matthew 16:17). For it is God in Christ who gives sight to see, ears to hear, and mouth to confess His truth.

Although it is true, as Peter says, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), what does it mean to say that He is the Christ? Well I can tell you right off that Christ is not Jesus’s last name. It is a title with many layers of meaning. So lets consider what the whole Bible says about the Christ help us better understand what Peter confesses.

Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, meaning anointed one. In the Old Testament, we might say that there were many lowercase “m” messiahs, while there was also a promise of what we might call an uppercase “M” Messiah. Lowercase “m” messiahs in the Old Testament include all who inhabited the offices of priest or king. In respect to Kings, anointing conveyed the idea that they were set apart to God’s service and to rule over God’s people. Some examples of those especially anointed by God are King David (1 Samuel 16:3, 12-13) and Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:41; 29:7). In one case, it is used of the prophet Elisha (1 Kings 19:16). These lowercase “m” messiahs foreshadowed the uppercase “M” Messiah.

The promised uppercase “M” Messiah would be:

The seed of the woman who would defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15).

The seed of Abraham that would bless the nations (Genesis 22:18; Acts 3:25-26; Galatians 3:8).

The seed of David who would reign forever (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:36-37; Luke 1:33; Isaiah 9:2-7; Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 18, 27; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 11:15; John 12:34).

The one to establish a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Yahweh’s servant who saves rebels (Isaiah 42:1-9), enlightens the nations (Isaiah 49:1-7), obeys Yahweh, and gives himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners and raises to see them saved (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

God he Son incarnate (Isaiah 9:6; 43:3; Daniel 7:13-4; Psalm 2; 45; 110:1, 5).

In summary, Peter by God’s grace (Matthew 16:17), sees and identifies Jesus as the Son of God incarnate who has come to save His people through righteous living, substitutionary dying, and victorious rising. He identifies Jesus as the perfect prophet, priest, and kings foreshadowed and promised in the Old Testament Scriptures.

You have considered how the Christ converses, confuses, and catechizes.

Finally, consider how the Christ commands (8:30).

Jesus strictly commands His disciples to not reveal Him, that is Him as the Christ, to anyone. The time had not yet come for the full revelation of Jesus the Christ. The people if they think Jesus is the Christ may rebel against Rome in hopes of a restored physical, visible, and independent Israel. In fact, in the very next story we see Peter though right about Jesus’s identity as the Christ doesn’t understand His mission. Something startling and shocking would be accomplished by Christ, namely the establishment of God’s Kingdom by ransoming sinners in His death and resurrection. This Kingdom is not of this world, but is spiritual and invisible. The only visible manifestations of it are local churches like our own where we confess Jesus as the Christ like Peter.

Transition

You have considered how the Christ converses, confuses, catechizes, and commands. I asked a question at the beginning: Who is Jesus? Many answers have been given by people through the ages. In Jesus’s day, some thought him a prophet, others a demon, and others a trouble maker. In our day, the diversity of answers has only increased. Some answers include Jesus being a prophet, a teacher, a philosopher, an angel, the brother of Satan, one god among many, a lunatic, or a liar. Who is Jesus? Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ. Who do you say that Jesus is? That is the question each one of you must answer. It is the most important question you will ever answer. What others say about Him in the end will not matter for you in the end. You must come an inner conviction of who He is. Let me tell you what you should do: Confess Jesus is the Christ. That is the big idea. Like Peter confess Jesus is the Christ. Now let me give you the needed source of such a confession and the manner in which you should make it. In other words, I have two applications of this exhortation.

Apply

1. Confess Jesus is the Christ with Faith

Faith is an important word in Christianity, isn’t it? We use it all the time. I talk about it week after week. We say it when we don’t understand something about God or life, “You just have to have faith.” I’ve heard an unbeliever equate faith to superstition, which is the belief in something despite evidence to the contrary. What does God’s Word say about saving faith? Faith is personal knowledge of, trust in, and rest on Jesus’s person and work for the remission of sins, imputed righteousness, and eternal life.

To confess Jesus as the Christ like Peter you must have faith. Peter, though his faith wasn’t perfect, still had faith. A weak faith is sufficient, so long as its object is perfect. In the case of Christ, He is perfect. Let me ask you a some diagnostic questions to help you examine your own faith.

Are you aware of your need for Christ? Do you realize that you are a sinner deserving of God’s judgement? Have you acknowledged this need?

Are you aware that you cannot save yourself? Have you acknowledged that truth?

Have you cast yourself upon Christ for salvation?

Have you recieved Him as your savior and Lord?

If you have answered yes to these questions, then you have faith. If you haven’t already, I urge you to not only to have a faith that is private. Have a faith that is public. Confess your faith in Christ before the Church and the world.

Now Christian marvel in gratitude at the blessings and graces that come to you by faith in Christ:

Justification

The remission of sins: This means that in Christ our sins have been taken away from us. They are no longer counted against us. Instead Christ to them and the judgment for them upon himself.

Imputed righteousness: Not only was your sin taken away Christian. You were given the perfect righteousness of Christ. God has replaced your record of sin with Jesus’s perfect record.

Adoption: In Christ you have been removed from the courtroom and brought into God’s family. Jesus is your elder brother and God the Father is your heavenly Father. The Spirit is your seal marking you out as a member of this family. Indeed, all who have Faith are your brothers and sisters in God’s family.

Sanctification: In Christ you are not only forgiven of sins, declared righteous, and adopted, but you are also progressively infused with holiness. That is the Spirit of God resides within you and makes you more like Jesus. In this life the work of holiness progressively grows in you and wars against the sinful flesh that remains within you. You who were once enslaved to sin have now been freed to please God in holiness.

Glorification/Eternal Life: In Christ death and sin don’t win. By faith in Christ you receive eternal life and glorification. Glorification is the reception of the immortal, imperishable, and sinless life in the resurrection body. Eternal life is the enjoyment of fellowship with God in Christ by the Holy Spirit for all eternity.

Christian when you placed your faith in Jesus you recieved all these wonderful blessings and more. Like Peter you should confess Jesus is the Christ with faith.

2. Confess Jesus is the Christ with Boldness

Boldness a virtue that every Christian should possess. Peter might have been the most bold of the disciples. Sometimes his boldness was misplaced. However when boldness is for Christ Jesus, it is never misplaced. Peter boldly confessed Jesus is the Christ in our text. He did it before all the other disciples and in spite of the many opinion of others. Peter did falter in His confession of Christ on more than one occasion, but He was restored every-time. Eventually He would confess Christ before thousands. You should confess Jesus is the Christ with boldness like Peter did in our story.

Your confession of Jesus being the Christ should be public, explicit, and vocal.

Corporately we must confess Christ with boldness. There are many ways for a church to do this.

One such way is to have robust Confession of Faith, that is a document that summarizes our beliefs with order, clarity, and detail. Our church currently subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000. There are better confessions, I recommend the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith or the Charleston Confession of Faith, but at the very least the BFM states plainly what we believe about Christ.

Another way is what we are doing this morning. Assembling and worshiping with your church family is a bold statement of what you believe about Jesus. Sure you can attend church without confessing Jesus is the Christ. I would, however, wager that you cannot say you are confessing Jesus is the Christ without regularly assembling with His people. That would be hypocrisy not confession.

So subscribe to a robust confession of faith and assemble together as a church family. By doing such things you are able to confess Jesus is the Christ with boldness.

Our corporate and individual witness as Christians must make a priority of proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. Christians shouldn’t mainly be known by what voting block they are likely to inhabit. We should be known for our faith in Jesus. We make our faith known by boldly proclaiming Christ with our words and boldly living for Christ in our actions.

Confess Jesus is the Christ before your children, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Tell them about His person and work and call them to place their faith in Him.

Conclude

I have charged you to confess Jesus is the Christ with faith and boldness. I derived this charge from the text where you considered how the Christ converses, confuses, catechizes, and commands. I end with this question. Who do you say that Jesus is?