Luke 9, 18, it came to pass,
as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him. And he asked them, saying, whom
say the people that I am? They answering said, John the
Baptist, but some say Elias, and others say that one of the
old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say
ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ
of God. And he straightly charged them
and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying, The Son
of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders
and chief priests and scribes and be slain and be raised the
third day. I hope to be brief and concise
this morning and very plain and really just look at a couple
of verses. Our Lord was alone praying and his disciples were
with him. I don't know how you can be alone
and have twelve people with you, but I want to be one of those
twelve, I know that. Even when he's alone, I want
to be with him, don't you? And he was praying. Now think
about this, he's praying to his father on the throne and he says
to them. And essentially what he says
is this, who am I? He asks it this way, who do they
say I am and who do you say I am? But who am I is the question.
That's the question. Who am I? What was he praying about? You
suppose he was praying that the father would show them. Who he
is. That's what I want my prayer
to be this morning. Lord show us. And like Philip, Philip said
to the Lord Jesus, show us the father. But I pray that you and
I have learned that if we've seen Him, we've
seen the Father. To know the Lord Jesus Christ
is to know God. And to know God is eternal life.
May God reveal Himself to us in the person of His dear Son.
When our Lord asked a question, whom do men say that I am? Who
do you say that I am? Whenever he asked a question,
we have to keep a few things in mind. First of all, it was
never to find out anything. Our Lord doesn't ask a question
to get information. He already has all the information.
He doesn't receive information. He knew what everybody was saying
about him. He knew what they were saying
about him. He knew what the disciples thought. He knew what Peter's
answer would be before he ever spoke it. And so the important
thing, when we know why He did not ask the question. We know
he didn't ask it in order to find out anything, so why did
he ask? Why do you ask a question then,
if not to find out something? To give information, not to get
it. To teach. Our Lord, one time
our Lord asked the religious Jews a question in order to shut
them up. Well, Chris, how do you know
he asked them for that reason? Because it shut them up. They
never dared ask him any more questions after that. Matthew
22, 46. So I know that's why he asked
it. Because whatever he does something
for, that's why he did it. Whatever happens, that's why
he did it. But he's asking the disciples
this question to teach them something. To cause them to think about
the issue raised by the question. If somebody asks you, who do
you say I am? What do you think about me? What
do you know about me? It causes you to think. You have to think about that. When God said to Adam in the
Garden of Eden, where are you? Adam, where are you? It wasn't
because the Lord didn't know where he was. He's causing Adam
to think about where he is. Wait a minute, yesterday, I was
in perfect fellowship and communion with God. Where am I now? I'm
hiding behind a bush wearing a fig leaf. How did I get here? Why am I here? He caused him
to think about that and to confess what had happened to bring him
to where he is. That's how our Lord asks questions.
So if our Lord is teaching by asking, then what is he teaching
here based on what he asked? If he's asking, who am I? And
he's not asking for information, but to give information. What
information is he giving by asking that? Who he is. He's teaching
them who he is. He's causing them to think about
that. Who is this that we're walking around with here? Who
is this that just broke five loaves and two fish and fed 5,000
men plus women and children? Who in the world is this? What
manner of man is this? Who do you say that I am? And think about this now. This brings me to the third thing
about our Lord's questions. They were perfect. Perfect God,
man. He asked perfect questions to
the point, concise, vital. Our Lord didn't ask questions
that had inconsequential answers. He asked that blind man in John
chapter 9, do you believe on the Son of God? What a question. Can you think about that? That'll
cause you to think about it. What, did somebody put that to
you bluntly? Do you believe on Christ? Make you think, won't
it? Make you think. Look what he
asked him in Matthew 22, 41. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, saying, what think ye of Christ? Whose
son is he? Now he asked him that question
to shut them up, as we're going to see. This is the passage I
was referring to a while ago. But also, these Pharisees that
he's shutting up are not the only ones standing around. Listen.
He's also teaching. And maybe one of these Pharisees,
maybe one of these was one that he had chosen. But listen to
what he said. What think ye of Christ? Whose
son is he? And they said to him, he's the
son of David. That's the stock answer to anybody that knows
the Old Testament. Whoever the Christ is, he's gonna
be of the lineage of David. And so that was a good answer
in a way. It was a correct answer. But then he said to them this,
how then, if he's David's son, how then does David call him
Lord? And think about this now. What
is it? We're going to see Peter's answer
in a minute. You're the Christ of God. What is that? What does that mean? To some
people, his name is just a cuss word. Christ. To others, it means somebody
that, you know, did their best and really wants you to be saved,
but it's all really up to you. But our Lord is teaching here
that David, whoever this Christ person is, David said he's the
Lord. He's the Lord. David called him Lord, saying,
the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand. Whoever
this Christ person is, he's sitting on the throne of God. He said unto my Lord, sit thou
on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
If David then called him Lord, how is he his son? That's a good
question, isn't it? How can God Almighty Be the son
of David, that's the gospel, God in human flesh. God becoming
one of us, becoming us, his people. God with us. It behooved him
to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. We need a priest. We need an
offering to God for our sin, and we need somebody to offer
it. That don't pertain to us. We need a priest. What does the word Christ mean?
Anointed. Who got anointed? The priest, and the king, and the prophet. Only three people ever got anointed
in the Old Testament. prophets, priests, and kings. So whoever this Christ is, he's
the king, David said. He called him Lord. Though he was his son. Though
he was born of a woman. No man was able to answer him
a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any
more questions. Listen to this question. These are the questions
that our Lord asked. What do you suppose our Lord
was teaching Philip and the others there when he asked this question?
Jesus saith unto Philip in John 14, nine, have I been so long
time with you, Philip? And yet you don't know me. Think
about that question. Think if the Lord asked you that
question, have I been teaching you? Have you been listening
to the gospel for 20, 30 years and you still don't know who
I am? And then after asking that question,
he makes this statement. He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. And how sayest thou then, show
us the Father? Is there any thing worth seeing
that you haven't seen if you've seen Christ, the Son of God?
Is there anybody else or anything else you need to see? How can
you say that there is if you've seen him? Well, that's a good
question. In John chapter 21, when Simon
had denied the Lord and quit the ministry, he said, I'm going
fishing. I'm going to go back to doing
what I was doing before we met this Jesus of Nazareth. He's
gone. We watched him die. It's over. And the Lord appeared to him
and the others on the beach. What was the question then? Do
you remember what our Lord asked him? Do you love me? What a question. That's a personal
question. It'd be tough to look at him,
have him look you in the eyes and say, do you love me? The Lord had a work for the apostles
to do, they quit for for a time. The Lord's fixing to put them
back to work. But before he did, there's there's an issue that's
got to be settled. Do you love me? Are we going
to do something here? If we're going to, then that's
got to be settled. Do you love me more than these? More than
these boats and nets and this stuff that you've gone back to?
Which do you love more? Boy, what a question. What a
question. And do you notice a theme to
all these questions? Me. If you've seen me, do you believe
on me? Do you love me? What do you think about me? The personal Christ, who he is, because,
and you know why these, this is the theme of every question
really worth asking now. You know why that is? It's because
every, the foundation of every error The foundation of every
false thinking, every false doctrine is who he is. And the foundation
of every truth is who he is. All error begins with and is
defined by wrong ideas of who Christ is. And all truth, every
truth of God, every doctrine, of God begins with and is defined
by right thinking concerning who Christ is. Now, not only is this question
vital and simple, but as I mentioned already, it's very personal.
Who do you say? Who do you say that I am? Boy, he demands an answer from
each and every one of us, doesn't he? It's a question that's got
to be answered, and it's got to be answered by you. Nobody
can answer it for you. Who do you say I am? The first
part is not unimportant. Who does everybody else say that
I am? But why does he ask that? Well,
our Lord, as we've seen before, he draws clearly here a stark
contrast between those who are taught and those who are not.
Those who have been walking with Him and He's taught them who
He is, and those who don't have that teaching, they don't have
that benefit. Blessed are your eyes, it's given to you to know.
But to them it's not given. And to those to whom it's not
given, they're saying all kinds of stuff. But to those to whom
it is given, those to whom it is given, what are they saying?
The Christ of God. We'll look at that answer in
a minute. But you see how our Lord's questions, those three
things about them now. He didn't ask to get information.
He did ask to teach, to give information, to enlighten. And we see that his questions
are vital. They're life and death. And it's
really just one question. He just asked it in some different
ways, didn't he? Do you love me is the same question
of do you believe on me? Because if you know who he is,
you love him. I guarantee you that. So it's
the same question, really. And not only is it vital, but
it's personal. Think about this. He deliberately
drew a stark contrast. It's important to hear the first
part of his question, who does everybody else say that I am? Because in Matthew 10, 34, it
says, don't think that I've come to send peace on the earth. The
Lord didn't come so that everybody will be one big happy family.
We can all just get together. You know, we're different denominations.
We have different beliefs and different doctrine and things
like that, but we can all get together and put on one big Christmas
cantata. No, No. Just like I told one
fellow that invited us to do that very thing, I said, if you
believe that Christ died for people to save people that were
already in hell the day he died, we're not going to have a Christmas
cantata with you. We can't. How are we going to
do that? What communion hath light with darkness? It's not
going to be one happy family. I didn't come to send peace on
this earth, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father and the daughter against her mother
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's
foes shall be they of his own household. That's what he's saying
here. Who does everybody say that I am? Well, you're a man. You're a great man, but you're
a man. Who do you say I am? You're God's Christ. There's
the sword right there. That's a sword. That's not just
a little difference of opinion. That's the difference between
enemies. As far as eternal things are
concerned, now that doesn't mean that I count everybody my enemy
that doesn't believe on Christ. We, our heart goes out to people. We want it like Him to teach.
We want to have these questions asked and pray that God, that
this is a friend that's just acting like an enemy right now.
Maybe we're enemies now in the sense that we're divided by Christ,
but maybe not always. It may not be that way tomorrow.
And we keep that in mind, that hope, especially for our fathers
and mothers and daughters and daughter-in-laws and all the
ones he mentioned here. We don't hate them because of
this. But he did say, a man's foe shall
be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me. Loveth thou me more than
these, more than your fishing equipment. More than this world
more than your livelihood What it what do you who or what
do you love more than you if anything That's a matter that's
got to be settled if you don't go to work for him And he that
loveth son or daughter more is not worthy and he that taketh
not his cross And followeth after me is not worthy of me You've
got to die, and it's got to be a premeditated death. You've
got to die on purpose. You've got to take up your cross,
willingly, and say, I'm a goner, and that's what I want to be.
I want to be a goner, and I want to be his. I want the me that
trusts in the flesh, the me that imagines himself to have a free
will. The me that leans on the flesh,
the me that thinks I can ever do anything to please God, I
want that me dead, don't you? He that findeth his life shall
lose life, but he that looseth his life for my sake shall find
it. For my sake, that's key right
there, for my sake. Our Lord establishes something,
and I want to jump ahead in the text just a little bit to make
a point here while we're on this subject of who do you say, who
do men say I am, who do you say I am? Our Lord establishes that
what everyone else is saying and what his disciples are saying
are two different things, and they're darkness and light. They're
death and life. They're a sword. They're enmity. They're as far apart as you can
be. And then he lets them know that that's just the way he wants
it. Verse 21, look at it. They're
saying stupid stuff, but you know the truth, and I don't want
you to tell them any different. You think about that for a minute. Don't tell anybody. You know
the truth. Now there was a time, the time
came when he said, now you go into all the world, Why would
he do that? Why would he tell them now? Don't
you tell anybody and then tell them later tell every creature
that'll listen to you Well, I'll tell you this if our Lord's trying
to save the world There would never be a time he
said don't tell anybody let me tell you something that you already
know I Feel pretty sure that everybody in here knows it already
But we need to really know this What our Lord is saying here,
don't tell them. You know they don't, don't tell them. He said,
it's just the way I want it. Why is that important? It goes
back again to who he is now. You think with me, who he is.
We need to understand that if there is somebody that is saying
the wrong thing about him, that he wants to know the right thing
about him, then he'll tell them. Think about it now with me. He'll
tell them. There's not anybody right now
that he wants to know who he is that doesn't know who he is.
Is there any other way to see this? He told them, don't you
tell anybody. And that was something that he
manipulated. At times he would say, don't you tell anybody.
For a time he said that. And then later he said, now go
tell everybody. His purpose He uses the propagation of the gospel
to save his people, but he's going to save his people. And in his purpose at one time,
he said, don't tell anybody. There's just one way to see that
now. He's going to use the gospel so that people will know who
he is. But everybody that he wants to know who he is, knows
who he is. And we need to understand that.
Everybody that our Lord wanted to know who he was at that exact
time knew who he was at that exact time Now that tells us
a little bit more too about who it is we're dealing with it goes
back again to who he is He can say don't tell and he can say
tell and when he says don't tell don't tell if he says tell and
tell Now the best I can tell We have this commission from
him. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. And we're going to do that with whatever means he
gives us. The gospel is going to go out. There are people in
the Philippines that have heard the message from this pulpit
and all over the place. And that's true of every gospel
preacher. He spreads his gospel and he teaches sinners who he
is that way. But he gives us a little reminder
here that everybody he wants to know who he is, knows who
he is at any given time. That's a good reminder isn't
it? I'm so glad about that. It's not up to me. I'm so glad. I'm just happy to be in on it.
He's gonna save somebody. Today, everybody he wants to
know who he is today, he wants to be able to give the right
answer to that question, can do that today. And tomorrow,
that'll be true again. Maybe some at it tomorrow, may
not. But he's going to be on the throne
just like he is right now. Boy, I'm so happy about that.
But notice how our Lord brings this home. Who do you say, who
do you say that I am? Simon, do you love me? Philip, how can you not know
who I am? Now he was saying that for the
benefit of others too, I'm sure, but he said it to Philip. Have you been walking with me
all this time and you don't know who I am? Do you believe on the
Son of God? This is a question that our Lord
brings right home to every sinner, right to our heart. for our consideration. An answer is demanded of you
and me. And remember, he doesn't ask
you what you think about the end times. He's not asking you
if you think I'm coming back soon. People say that. That's a good opinion. He's coming
back soon. Well, maybe. Maybe not. I don't
know. He doesn't ask about that. He never asks about any of that.
Where do you stand on this issue or that? Do you ever see him
asking about that? Who do you say that I am? Everything else follows that. What does that have to do with
when he's coming back, Chris? I'll tell you exactly what it
has to do with that. Because I know who he is, I know when
he's coming back. And you know when that is? When he gets good
and ready. Well, that's not an answer. Oh,
you better believe that's an answer. That's the answer. Isn't it? When he flat gets good
and ready, that's when he's coming back. And I'm fine with that.
I'm fine with it by his grace. Now, this answer, the answer
to this precludes all other considerations. Look at this with me. Listen
to this. I said I'd be brief, and I sure
do want to be. Mark 8, 13, he left them and
entering into the ship again, departed to the other side. I
want you to look at this and I promise I'll just close with
this. I wasn't going to but I want to just mark 813. I believe this
is this is key now to this question and the answer. He's the Christ
of God. He's the Christ of God mark 813. Look at this now. He left them
and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. Now,
this is the context of our text in Luke 9. It's the same story,
but it's Mark's version of it, and listen to it. Now the disciples,
verse 14, had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the
ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged him saying,
this is not long though, after he had fed the 5,000 with the
loaves and fishes. And apparently they ate some
of the baskets that were left over and they were down to one
loaf. And that's all they took with him. And he charged him
saying, verse 15, take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the leaven of Herod. Now, what was the problem with
the Pharisees and with Herod? What did he confront them with?
He said, if you had loved God, you'd believe me. You say God
is your father. If God were your father, you'd
believe me. You're going to die in your sins
because you believe not on me. If you had any light, you'd believe
me. It was all about what they thought
of Christ. He said, if the Son will make
you free, you'll be free indeed. They said, we've gotten in bondage.
And then he taught them. They need to be set free by Him.
He said, I am that bread. I am. He said it over and over. I am. If you believe not on me,
it's because there's no light from God. And look at this. He
told them beware of that now beware. They're they're religious,
but they hate me They're the religious authorities of the
day, but they reject me and my sayings and beware of that now
Don't listen to them about me And look at verse 16 and they
reason among themselves saying it's because we have no bread
because he's talking about the leaven of the pharisees which
was like yeast that you used to make bread. And they reasoned
among themselves, it's because we don't have any bread. He's,
you know, he's warning us that we may not have enough to eat.
We better, you know, do something about it. And when Jesus knew
it, verse 17, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have
no bread? Now here's questions again. He's
asking them questions. Perceive ye not yet? Neither
understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Do you really think this is all
about whether you have enough Of what you need in this world
or not? Do you still think that having
eyes see you not verse 18 and having ears hear you not and
do you not remember And listen, he put this question to him when
I break the five loaves among five thousand How many basket
baskets full of fragments took you up and they say unto him? twelve And you can just hear
the way they answer this question, don't you? They're like little
children that are being scolded. That's what they are. That's
what we are. We're his little children and he has to scold
us sometimes. Are you really missing it that
bad? Or is your mind still on earthly
things? Are you still worried about whether
you have enough or not when I'm standing here with you? You sat
there and watched me. create food and give it to people
that didn't have anything. And do you think that was just
so that they wouldn't starve to death in the desert? Are you
still really thinking that way? After you heard me say to them,
don't worry so much about the bread that goes in the mouth
and go without the drought and is gone. But labor for that bread that
the Son of Man shall give you. Then if he gives it to you, you
won't ever be hungry again. You'll have everything you need
for the rest of your life and all of eternity. Do you really
still not see that yet? They knew what was coming, didn't
they? And it's sinking into their heart. You can just almost see
it sinking into their heart as he asked him. They said, 12. So what are we doing worrying
that we just have one loaf now? We've got the one who makes loaves
when he gets good and ready. We have him who is fulfillment
and satisfaction and life. And when the seven among 4,000,
when there were 4,000 people and I fed them with just a few little crumbs, How many baskets of fragments
took you up?" And they said, seven. And he said unto them, how is
it that you do not understand? Do we understand? That's the
question. This is the Christ of God we're talking about. Is
there anything, how is it that we, you and I, are still taken
up with petty things like that? Like, how much do we have? Do
we have enough? Are we going to be able to, are we going to
get by? Are we going to be, wherewithal shall we be clothed? He said,
don't take any thought for those things. Did he not say that?
Why take ye thought, saying, what shall we wear? What shall
we eat? Your heavenly father knows that you have need of these
things. Does him knowing that you need
some things, is that enough for you? Is that comfort enough for
you? Do you think he's forgotten you?
If you know how to give good things to your children, don't
you think your Heavenly Father knows how to give you what you
need and then some? You're the Christ of God. At another time, Peter, the Lord
said, everybody's leaving, are you going to go with them? And
Peter said, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life and you remember what he said next and we believe and
are sure that thou art that Christ That's what that was what Peter's
saying here when he says you're the Christ of God you're the
one You're the only one there is
where else would we go? Your very words are life We can't walk away from you.
If you understand that, if you see that He is all you need,
He is the bread and the fish and the life that they give. He is true life. He is true fulfillment. He is true satisfaction. He is
the true need, not just of our body, but of our very soul. If you understand that, then
where are you going to go? Oh, you're the Christ of God.
What is he saying? We say the Christ of God, the
anointed of God, anointed as king. David called him Lord. You know what? Because he's Lord.
He said, you call me master and Lord. And you say, well, for
so I am. So I am who is anointed the priest. The one who offered sacrifice
on behalf of the people that made atonement between God and
the sinner. And he is our high priest and
prophet. And think about this, as prophet,
what was his message? Himself. As priest, what did
he offer? Himself. And as king, in God's kingdom, who is the
king? Himself. He is God's anointed prophet,
priest, and king. Nobody that ever lived ever filled
all of those offices but the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And
he's our hope now. What does it mean he's the Christ
of God? I'll tell you what Paul said it meant. Paul said, who
is he that condemneth? It is God that justify. Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justify.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ. If he's the Christ
of God, then he stands between me and hell. He stands between
me and every charge of sin, every charge of evil against me. And
none get through. All of the charge. All of the
guilt, all of the shame for my sin fell upon him. And he bore
the penalty, the wrath of God against all of my sin in his
own body on the tree. And now, Paul said, nobody in
heaven, earth, or hell can bring a single accusation against me
because he is the Christ and he's the one that died for me.
Now, to religion, his death is just another chance. We are all out of chances. We
don't need another chance. If Christ died for me, I don't
have a chance to be saved. I'm saved. That's what it means
that he's the Christ of God. That's what Paul said. He's my
salvation. He's all my salvation and all
my desire. The Christ of God. Oh. I know this. I pray that he would
be pleased. To reveal himself. To those among us, whether here
or not here this morning, those that we know and love and pray
for. May he reveal himself to them.
I know that everybody that he wants to know him knows him.
And so I can pray to him and say, Lord, if you will. If you
will, you can make him home. You can feed them. I'm not worried
about them being fed or me. If you're pleased to be to me
and to them the bread. Let's don't ever stop praying.
Let's pray together now. Father, thank you for your