Who Do You Say I Am

Q: What does the Bible say about who Jesus is?

The Bible identifies Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God sent to save sinners. In Mark 8, Jesus asks His disciples, 'Who do you say that I am?' This crucial question emphasizes the importance of correctly identifying Jesus as the Christ, meaning the Messiah—God's chosen one. In response, Peter declares, 'You are the Christ,' affirming that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and God's promise to redeem His people through a Savior. This identity of Christ is foundational for understanding the gospel, and recognizing Him as the Messiah is paramount for salvation.

Q: How do we know Jesus as the Messiah is true?

Our faith in Jesus as the Messiah is affirmed through Scripture and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The truth of Jesus as the Messiah is established in the Scriptures, where it is prophesied that He would come to suffer, die, and rise again for the sins of His people. After Peter's confession of faith, Jesus explains that being the Messiah includes suffering and death, underscoring the significance of His sacrificial role. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in illuminating this truth to believers, ensuring that they do not merely understand Jesus on a human level but grasp the spiritual significance of His work for salvation.

Q: Why is understanding the nature of Christ important for Christians?

Understanding Christ's nature is essential as it defines the core of the gospel and our salvation. For Christians, grasping the true nature of Christ—both as fully God and fully man, and as the prophesied Messiah—is crucial because it affects our understanding of salvation. If one misunderstands Jesus as merely a good teacher or moral example, they miss the heart of the gospel. The message of Christ's atoning sacrifice and His role as the Savior is what distinguishes Christianity from other belief systems. Recognizing Him as the Messiah brings clarity to the gospel message and grounds believers in their faith, provided they rely solely on His completed work for their salvation.

Q: What is the gospel message according to the sermon?

The gospel message proclaims that Jesus died for our sins and offers salvation to all who believe. According to the sermon, the gospel message is centered on the work of Christ—His death and resurrection for our sins. It emphasizes that salvation is a completed work of Jesus, who is the only one capable of bearing the wrath of God on our behalf. The preacher highlights that one cannot contribute to their salvation through works, as this would nullify grace. Instead, the simplicity of the gospel lies in trusting fully in Christ's finished work. This message is fundamental for Christians, as understanding it shapes our lives and our response to God’s grace.

Q: Why is grace important in the context of salvation?

Grace is essential because it is the unmerited favor of God through which we are saved. Grace serves as the foundation for Christian salvation, as it signifies God's unmerited favor toward sinners who believe in Christ. Scripture articulates that if salvation were based on human works or merit, it would no longer be grace. In Romans 11:6, Paul clearly states that grace and works cannot coexist in the salvation discussion; it must be one or the other. This underscores the truth that believers are justified not by their own efforts but solely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, acknowledging that our righteousness comes from Him alone.

I enjoyed this piece of scripture a lot this week. They're pieces of scripture that we're very familiar with. I personally haven't really put them together. I'm very familiar with the story of him asking, who do people say I am? Of Christ asking, who do you say I am? And we're also very familiar with the time when Peter rebukes Christ and Christ says, get behind me, Satan.

We've preached on both of those. But this is one event. And they go together in a way that is pretty remarkable. It shows, once again, just like every week, it shows the sovereignty of God, the weakness of man, and the perfection of Christ. The question that Christ asked is a very, very important one. Who do you say I am? about that question is important. So much hinges on that question. Who do you say Christ is? It doesn't have to do with your politics. It doesn't have to do with your church denomination or your church attendance. Not your religious activity. Who is Christ Jesus? Your answer to that is incredibly important. Paul answered and said, you are the Christ, which is the same word as Messiah, the chosen one, the son of God. But what's fascinating is that Peter, who we've talked about a lot, he is very good at being a picture of humans, a picture of mankind. Sometimes good intentions, not the greatest at carrying him out. Regularly inserts foot in mouth.

But what's fascinating about this one is that only moments later, after Peter says, you are the Christ, you are the chosen one of God, you are the sent Messiah to fulfill everything that's been promised in the old covenant, Peter rebukes Jesus. Think about those words. Peter rebukes the Son of God. When Jesus begins to speak about the cross, when Jesus begins to speak about the gospel of Christ and him crucified, which is the message of the gospel, Peter rebuked him.

Peter was willing to confess Jesus as the Messiah, but he did not understand what that meant. Not at the moment. Well, you are the Messiah, you are the Christ, but that cannot mean that you die. I will not allow that, says Peter. I will rebuke you on that topic. Peter would ultimately understand what Christ came here to do, but not until it was over.

Even throughout the crucifixion, the apostles were absolutely confused as to what was going on, even though Christ was so clear with them what was needed to be done. But at that moment, he had yet been shown what it meant for Christ to be the Messiah. And I believe that that problem still exists. I think there are a lot of people that know the name Jesus and don't know what it means. There are many people in many churches that use the name Jesus as Lord. say He is the Messiah and say He is the Savior and then preach and act and require a much different message.

They preach and live as though what His work that was accomplished was not enough. They focus subtly, shifts away from Christ, and Him crucified on to us, which is where man wants to keep it. We, what we must do, they'll never, very few will come out and say, well, you have to follow the law because they know that Christ said that's not true. So it's not that blatant, but there's still an undercurrent of what we must do, what we must accomplish, what we must build together, how we must impact the world, how we prove ourselves spiritually. So today I want to look carefully at what it says here in Mark 8.

It says, at the beginning, Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi on the way and he asked them, who do people say I am? And I touched on this earlier. Jesus begins by asking what the consensus is or some of the ideas are during that time and in that area. What are the rumors about me? What are people saying about me? Who do they say I am? He knows the answer.

He's not asking because he doesn't know the answer. This is part of a lesson for the disciples and for us. They replied, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets. But Jesus does not stop there. He doesn't even respond to their response. He doesn't even mention it again. He just moves right on and says, well, what about you? Who do you say that I am? He makes it personal. What about you, he asked, who do you say I am?

Everything rises and falls on the identity of Christ. If your definition of Christ is not the true definition of Christ, it's not Christ at all. If what you believe Christ to be is not what the scriptures say, you are not worshiping Christ of the Bible. Jesus is not merely a teacher. If he's merely a teacher, he can't save anyone.

He's not a prophet and he's not an example. Quite often we like to use him as an example. Yes, of course, he lived perfectly. So yes, he's an example of how to live. But that's not why he came. That's not why he came here, to show us how to be. We're dead in our transgressions and sins. How can we learn to live? by watching someone alive? How can a dead person become alive by witnessing someone that isn't dead?

That's not how this works. If he's truly the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of sinners, then everything changes. If he's not, then this is pointless. But Peter answers and says, you are the Christ. Very simple. You are the Messiah. Christ means the Messiah, the anointed one, the promised savior, the fulfillment of all of the promises that God had made.

Not a spiritual leader, the one that was sent by God to save his people. And yet many people claimed the name of Jesus still fundamentally misunderstood. Because you can't understand the true name of Christ without the spirit of God interceding. We are incapable on our own to understand who Christ is. You might have an idea, a humanly understanding, but not on a spiritual level. Your soul doesn't depend on him unless God has given you that, has opened your eyes and softened your heart in a way that you realize this is not merely the perfect man.

This is my savior. And then it says, he then began to teach them that the Son of Man, so this is right after Peter answers and says, you are the Christ, you are the Messiah. And notice what Christ does right after that. He preaches the gospel. Peter, you say I am the Messiah.

Let me tell you, Peter, what that actually means. And he says, he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must die, and be raised again on the third day. So the moment Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah, Jesus immediately begins teaching him about the suffering and the death that the Messiah must experience. Why? Because that is the gospel. Peter, if you think I am the Messiah, this is what that means.

Jesus did not merely come here to inspire humanity. He did not come here to overthrow Rome and free Israel like many thought back then. He did not come here to improve society or teach us how to live a moral life. Peter didn't know that. He didn't understand. He believed you are the Messiah, but he didn't know what that meant.

It meant that Christ came here to die. Jesus gets Peter to pronounce that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and Christ goes right into what that means. He must suffer many things and he must die. And Peter hates that idea. It says, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. which is mind-blowing and also kind of funny. I mean, Peter, taking the Son of God aside to rebuke Him. That's very Peter. But that's also very humanity, isn't it? That's who we are. That's how highly we think of ourselves. That is modern-day Christianity. No. I will not accept that it takes that to save me. I'm not that bad.

So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. So as you think about that, Peter rebuked Jesus for preaching the gospel. Why? Because that is how much our human nature hates the idea of a savior. That's the world's biggest problem with Christ. Humanity hates the idea of a savior.

Humanity wants strength. Humanity wants victory. Humanity wants our own righteousness. We want to contribute or at least participate. We want a gospel where we still matter. And Jesus came preaching something very offensive. You cannot save yourself. And humanity hates that message. It is against our nature to believe that.

Scripture says it incredibly clearly in Romans 3. It says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And then three chapters later in Romans, it says the wages of sin are death. So if all have sinned and the wages of sin are death, that means we all deserve death.

That is not a message that is easy to hear. Beyond the interceding spirit of God, that is a message that makes people bristle. We don't want to hear that. Humanity's problem is not lack of motivation, it's not lack of purpose, it's not lack of self-esteem, it's sin. Sin is our problem, and we are sin. We are born sin, and we consistently add to the pile. and sin separates man from God.

This is why Jesus came, not to assist salvation, to accomplish it on his own. He's the only one that can. If anyone else thinks they're involved, it is not the work of Christ. This is where the church has to be careful because many today use the language of Christianity while subtly preaching something completely different. And it happens all the time. And I'm not here to condemn anyone, but this is something we must be aware of. It happens everywhere.

What we are building, what we are doing for God, often we hear the term being the hands and feet of God, as if he needs us to be his hands and feet. How are we changing the world? How are we making an impact? I hear that one a lot too. How are we providing our faith through constant activity? We're proving who we are. And slowly the focus shifts from Christ's finished work to our continued work. While continuing to use the name of Christ.

That's the scary part. It's a dangerous trap. I firmly believe that the devil doesn't walk around trying to convert everybody to worship Satan, because we know better in our nature even. The devil uses the church, quote unquote, not the actual church, but churches, to just tweak the truth. and a tweaked truth is not the truth. When it comes to giving the full glory to Christ, if it is not His, it is not the truth. But scripture speaks very strongly about altering the gospel. says Paul writes in Galatians one verse six, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is no gospel at all.

And then goes on to say something pretty shocking. Evidently some of the people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. Notice that language. He doesn't say are slightly changing. He says pervert. That is a powerful word.

Not a slight misunderstanding of the gospel. He says they are perverting it because the gospel of Christ is perfect. It's as perfect as Christ. Complete, holy. And when fallen man adds anything, he is only perverting what is already perfect, no matter how small the change.

If the change comes from a sinful man, the change itself is sinful. man adding his own righteousness, his own effort, his own religious performance into the finished work of Christ, the gospel becomes distorted, or as Paul says, which is no gospel at all.

And then he says even stronger, and I like this, even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one preached to you, let them be eternally condemned. Think about how serious that language is. More modern Bibles will say, instead of eternally condemned, they'll say under God's curse or accursed. But I prefer eternally condemned. Well, that is what it is to be cursed by God, but it sounds a little bit more like the truth.

Paul says that even if an angel from heaven preaches a different gospel, Not let them be wrong or let them be taught. Let them be eternally condemned. That is how serious and true God holds the gospel of Christ. Even an angel comes down and changes it even slightly. You may be eternally condemned. do not touch the truth of Christ. It is perfect. Any change will make it not so. Why is this? Because no one has the authority to alter the gospel of Jesus Christ. No one here. No pastor, no church, no tradition, not even angels have the authority. The gospel is perfect because Christ's work was perfect.

The moment salvation depends partly on man, grace is destroyed. Grace is unmerited favor. The minute we have merit, there is no more grace. And grace is the only way to salvation. It says in Romans 11, and if by grace, then it is no longer by works. If it were, grace would no longer be grace. You can't have both. says it clearly in the scripture. Crystal clear, grace and works cannot coexist for salvation. Either Christ accomplished salvation fully or he didn't at all. And Jesus himself declared from the cross, it is finished. It's amazing how often God has made the scriptures so clear. And they have to be.

We are simple creatures. Just in the last two pieces of scripture that I read, I mean, it says, and if it is by grace, then there can no longer be works. If it were, grace can no longer be grace. That's not complicated. And if it is grace and it's done through the work of Christ, Man, I wonder if he's finished it for me.

He told us on the cross, at the moment of his death, it is finished. Stop. It's over. My people have been saved. Go tell the world what I've done. Don't go tell the world how to get together, grow your church, make an impact on your community. Those things are bad. And as saved people, as God's people, you should want to do good things, of course. You're representative of God's church. But it has nothing to do with your salvation. Because your salvation was finished Who told us that? The King of the universe, the Son of God. It is finished.

The glory of the gospel is that Jesus accomplished what sinners cannot. In 1 Peter it says, for Christ died for sinners once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God once. He died for all. All of the sin of all of his people has been paid for, accomplished.

It is finished. He is sufficient. He is the only one that is sufficient. He's the only answer. He's the only place to go. He's the only way. He told us this himself, I am the way. Go to him every day. Jesus lived the perfect life that we could not live. He fulfilled the law completely that we couldn't fulfill one rule. He bore the wrath of God against sin. We could never accomplish that. He died in the place of his people, and three days later he rose again.

That is the gospel. That is who Christ is. That is the answer. Who do you say I am? Paul says, but we preach Christ and him crucified. That's what we preach. not self-improvement, not family values, not how to be a better person, not how to... There's so many different things that people focus on.

We are not here for that. We are not here for moral achievements or morality at all. If we're here for morality, we will fail. We are incapable. of true morality. There was one that was capable of true morality and he is already in heaven victorious. And Paul says that. We preach Christ and Him crucified. We don't preach morality. We don't preach human potential. We don't preach world-changing activism. We preach Christ crucified because only Christ can save. In Acts 4, it says, salvation is found nowhere else. Again, the clarity. If you want salvation, it is only found in one place. in Jesus Christ. Salvation belongs entirely to Christ.

Now, does this mean we do nothing? Does this mean we just sit around and say, well, none of this matters? No, of course not. Christians, people that love Christ and that are loved by Christ should want to love their neighbors. and should want to serve and give generously and help the church when needed and care for people and, you know, pursue a life that isn't completely obliterated by sin, even though it is, but you shouldn't not care. You shouldn't embrace it. Scripture says, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.

It also says in Matthew, in the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. That's the truth. Joe used to say, and I love this, he used to say, good works matter, they just don't count. Good works matter because they can be honoring to God. They can help people. They can serve the church. They can reflect the image of God's church to the world.

But they do not count towards righteousness. They don't remove sin. They don't justify the sinner in the eyes of God. They don't contribute to salvation. Because if righteousness could be gained through human effort, then the cross was completely unnecessary. It says in Galatians 2, I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.

It cannot be gained through the law. We cannot gain righteousness, no matter what we do. We hear that on a weekly basis, but the world needs to hear that too. That's the message that's hard for them, hard for anyone to hear. We cannot, can never be righteous. The gospel is set up that way because Christ alone is righteous and he is our only way to righteousness. It all points to him.

And because we are saved, we want to love. Sometimes, not always. We still have the flesh. But the part of us that's been given life understands, yes, we should love others. We should treat people well. We should help when we can. We should try to avoid the daily trappings of sin. But not to become righteous because it already tells us we cannot. But because Christ is our righteousness, we should not embrace a life otherwise. The church does not exist to glorify human effort or to inspire better effort. The church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ and his gospel and to worship him. Look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians.

It says, for what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. First importance. That's correct. That is the first importance. that Christ died for you according to, died for our sins according to the scriptures. It's not secondary importance, it's not a topic among other topics. Christ crucified and risen is the gospel message.

And it is the only one that can do any person good. You can be told over and over and practice hard every day to become a better person, a more moral person, and you might even succeed a little bit in the eyes of the world. That does nothing for your soul. You are in the exact same place.

Paul says of first importance, Of course it is. It is the only way for you to not be condemned by God for the rest of eternity. Through Christ, who died for our sins according to the scriptures. First importance. Now back to Mark 8, it says in verse 34, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. People often say this deny yourself is, you know, don't give in to your sinful nature and make sure you try harder and do better. No, denying yourself is denying your capabilities, denying that you're even capable of any type of righteousness or helping your position in the eyes of God in any way. denying your own righteousness, denying your own merit, your own ability to save yourself.

True faith, the faith that is a gift from God, stops trusting self and clings entirely to Christ. Paul writes in Romans, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. to the man who does not work, but trusts God to save the wicked. His faith is credited as righteousness. That is the faith that is a gift from God.

God justifies the wicked, first of all. That's another message that people don't like to hear. Sinners feels a little softer. The wicked. That's who Christ justifies. Not the impressive, not the accomplished, not the so-so. The wicked who trust in Christ. That is the gospel. So now we go back to that question at the beginning. Who do you say I am in Mark 8, 29? It is possible, we see it all the time, to say the words, Jesus is Lord, while still trusting yourself. We witness it while trusting yourself, while trusting your religion, while trusting your works, your morality, your activity, your performance. But the true gospel declares Christ alone saves. Christ alone justifies. Christ alone satisfied the wrath of God. Christ alone.

Which is why all glory goes to him. And all boasting is in him. We receive none of either. The message is believe and rest in what he has done. It's so, it flies in the face of our nature. We so badly want to be a part of this. We want to participate. And beyond the intervention of the Spirit of God, you can't get past that. Not naturally.

You'll never let go of that. which is why you should be so grateful if you have an understanding of who Christ is and believe in who he is and what he's done for you, to be so grateful that he has worked in you through the Spirit of God to see that truth. It's almost something that, it feels weird to say this, but you can almost get used to it. It's a miracle. that you believe in Jesus Christ. It's a miracle that you know the truth and accept it.

Beyond the spirit of God, you would not do so. Again, the message is to believe and trust in Christ, and that is it. Beyond that, rest in the fact that it is finished. and to someone that doesn't know that this is new to someone. That can be even scary. How do I know if I believe? How do I know if I trust? Don't overthink it. Go to him and say, Lord Jesus, I need you. I'm a sinner. I believe. I have no righteousness and no path to it. Save me.

And one of the most beautiful aspects of the gospel is that He will. We love to complicate things, like to get our fingers in there and try to be a part of everything. Go to Him. Just look to Christ. The message of the gospel is stated so clearly. In Romans 8 verse 1, that's what I'm gonna finish with. I just, I couldn't get over how clear this is and how beautiful it is. This is the truth of trusting and believing in Christ. One sentence, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. In this world, it's hard to get past our condemnation and what we deserve. We see it. We live it every day. For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is now, right now, no condemnation. You are free. You have been set free right now. It was finished. It is finished.

If you believe in Christ and you are in Him, you have no condemnation. I was looking at the bulletin today and I came across one of Joe's kind of quippy, funny quotes. It says, when I look at myself, I worry about everything. When I look at Christ, I worry about nothing. And this is why. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for the perfection of your gospel.

We pray that you keep us in a place where we never distort it. We look to you for that. We look to you that you'll keep us in a place where when we hear something that isn't the truth, we turn our back on it. And to take it that seriously, because you take it that seriously, help us to only ever believe in the truth that has been set before us by the Spirit of God, Christ and Him crucified. And the finished eternal work that he has done, the removal of all condemnation for all of his people. Lord, help us to focus on that. Help us to look to him every day, both for comfort while we're here and to also look forward to eternity with you. We thank you, Jesus, and pray this in your name, amen.

Who Do You Say I Am

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about who Jesus is?

How do we know Jesus as the Messiah is true?

Why is understanding the nature of Christ important for Christians?

What is the gospel message according to the sermon?

Why is grace important in the context of salvation?

Sermon Transcript

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Who Do You Say I Am

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about who Jesus is?

How do we know Jesus as the Messiah is true?

Why is understanding the nature of Christ important for Christians?

What is the gospel message according to the sermon?

Why is grace important in the context of salvation?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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