Who Do Men Say I Am?

During Jesus earthly ministry. The Jews had a very specific idea of who their Messiah would be the Messiah is something one who comes in triumph, not one who comes in the clothing of a servant who was sacrificed and despised and rejected of men. And so she says no. As soon as the people talk Messiah. They had a totally different understanding for what it meant to be the Messiah that his own understand that seemed delusional when we imagine what God should do for us were disappointed when his real purposes are revealed.

Welcome to the mother. The addition of Renewing Your Mind. I we went in the this week you are going to hear a series of messages with never aired before in honor of regular ministries 50th anniversary this month. Going back into the archives and uncovered this gym from 1986. It's a series titled your Christ is too small. Most everybody sort of CS Lewis in his famous for writing children's stories as well as some serious works in literature and theology, and that is most famous series is what's called the Chronicles of Narnia and the name of the chief character of the Chronicles of Narnia is Asselin and Asselin is a magnificent lion but Asselin in the story is the symbol of Jesus is not familiar with the story I take a quick reconnaissance of what happens in these chronicles these little children go to England and there were little children do they explore the back rooms of their relatives mansion and they find this neat old wardrobe and they begin to explore the back edges of it and lo and behold the back of the wardrobe. Anderson to strange and marvelous land. The land of Narnia and the whole seven volumes of this goes through several segments of these children's experience in this fantasy land of Narnia, which is filled with all kinds of symbols one will look at real briefly is this that after the first experience of the kids in the land of Narnia. They come back and then they resume their normal lives in England until the next summer when they return to their relatives and they go through the wardrobe again and they enter again into the wonderful land of Narnia but this time everything is changed I can't find her bearings that the buildings that they have remembered from the year before are in ruins when what the children don't understand is that though only one year of time had passed in England thousands of years have passed and Narnia so they can't find their bearings are lost in all kinds of terrible things happen to them and then one night, as they are beaten and bloodied and ready to succumb to despair under seated around the campfire. Suddenly the shadow emerges on the edge of a clearing little Lucy heroine of the story looks up and she sees as she so excited she runs up and she grabs this line around the neck and hugs him and tells him how much she loves them and she pets is his main and everything he lets her ride on his back and she says oh you are so much bigger than you were last in Asselin smiles at the little girl and he said Lucy actually it hasn't been just a year you know it's been thousands of years in the truth of the matter is, honey, I haven't changed I'm the same size right now as I was a thousand years ago, I looked the same. I act the same for you. Say honey, I'm the same yesterday today and forever. But I've noticed something strange in that is that the more people get to know me, the bigger I looked, what an insight that CS Lewis gave us a medical children's story because that's part of the message of the New Testament is that the more we examine the person of Jesus, the more we probe the work of Christ, the larger and the deeper our understanding of Jesus of Nazareth becomes so only take a minute and look at a passage in the New Testament this the record of a meeting that Jesus had with his closest group of friends as disciples at Caesarea Philippi. Now Jesus ministry had been very active.

He was involved in the countryside teaching and preaching and doing miracles and so on, but was also part of the style of Jesus ministry from time to time to pull back away from the crowds and spend some time alone or just with his friends. Here we find him just with his closest friends and Caesarea Philippi and we read the text in Matthew's version of it in the 16th chapter of Matthew. In verse 13 where it says when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, who do men say that I am Jesus pulls them aside and he said okay guys, what was the scuttlebutt.

What's the conversation in the villages. How are the people responding to me how my being perceived if we were saved.

Madison Avenue terms of today's culture. Jesus asking his disciples. What's my image in the marketplace and so the disciples begin to give Jesus feedback to this question.

I said what Jesus, some say that your John the Baptist. Some say that your larger than others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

The words were getting on the grapevine Jesus is there people out there think your John the Baptist come back from the dead will.

If you remember your New Testament history. John the Baptist was Jesus cousin John the Baptist was the one who introduced Jesus to his public ministry. When he baptized him in the Jordan River when his fame reaches its peak Jesus is just starting as early, very few people have heard yet about Jesus and then join us suddenly to an rumblings are coming out of Galilee and Capernaum and Canaan of this other man was coming preaching pretty much the same thing John the Baptist was preaching only now not just preaching to people like John the Baptist and now that the rumors are flying that he turned water into wine and erase somebody from the dead.

These doing all of this, miracles and Herod himself who was the one who ordered the execution of John the Baptist when he heard these rumors, he said on the deck and only me. John the Baptist has come back to life as rumor was running all over Palestine that John the Baptist had come back to life that even the sword of Herod couldn't shut him up there.

People were confusing. Jesus with John the Baptist and so the cycle say some people think you John the Baptist other people. Jesus say that your Elijah ever been to a Jewish friends home. We are celebrating the Passover and they have all of the special foods prepared to celebrate Passover and you might commend the table and see everyone seated around the table and then at one end of the table. There's an empty chair, and maybe started to walk over signature and somebody grabbed his leg on in the memo you you can't sit there that the places reserved around that experience chair for in the Jewish family. The chair is there for Elijah because the last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, in the very last page of the Old Testament and the very last paragraph of the Old Testament in the very last sentence of the Old Testament, the absolute last prophecy of the Old Testament for Malachi was this that someday the Messiah is going to come before he comes God is going to bring back the prophet Elijah so you can imagine. If prophecy has ceased for 400 years and it also John the Baptist comes on the scene and now Jesus, the people are all whipped up and they're all excited and I think maybe it's time for the Messiah to come and maybe this is so.

There were people in Jesus day, who thought Jesus was a large so they run this by one of the other prophets but I'm one of the center sent Jesus, they think you're pretty significant but hello your but the rumors include John the Baptist from the dead, Elijah, Jeremiah, or some other great profit Jesus. That's interest. Here's the big question.

Who do you say that I am now. We heard how the public is reacting but you men are with me.

You hear me you watch me your on the inside of my ministry. My life is an open book to you. Watch your judgment. Who do you say that I was Peter who answers for the group and Peter says how are the Christ, the son of the living God. To realize what what Peter is saying here when he makes that statement. You are the Christ. Let's go border for a minute I dislike the name Christ saw that in our day. When we talk about Jesus. We don't just say Jesus we say Jesus was his whole name Jesus Christ and what we sorta think that Jesus is Jesus first name and Christ is the second night.

That's not the way work in the ancient world. Jesus full name would have been Jesus bar Joseph, Jesus son of Joseph, or Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was his name. Christ was not his name but that the two words, Jesus and Christ have been so closely linked together through 2000 years of Christian history that nowadays we treat those two words as if they were a proper name, but now were trying to go back in the time to get the virgin response to Jesus and see that there was something radical here when Peter looks at him and says you are the Christ name Christ comes from the Greek word Christos FCC you just learned the Greek word comes right across from Christos to Christ. But what's significant about that is that the word Christos in Greek is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word nasi which comes into English as Messiah and the word Christos in Greek means anointed one, because the Jews had a dream a dream that was based upon certain promises that God would give them from time to time that someday saw almost Alice in Wonderland almost fairytale type of a future hoax member who wasn't snow white or Cinderella@someday. My principal, Israel wasn't so much looking for Prince as they were looking for a king their national history was a history of one tragedy after another. We talk about World War II and the Holocaust is the most obscene chapter in human history, and sometimes forget that the Holocaust that took place with the systematic extermination of two thirds of the world's population. Jewish people was by no means the first Holocaust. The history of Israel is the history of one Holocaust after another early were situated in that tiny band of real estate connected Africa and Asia and it was their little nation was like a ping-pong table where the major powers replying back and forth and running back and through their cities and conquering at the left and right to mean a total piece of Israel epoxy Israeli efforts 3000 years total about 20 years and older history, and the Golden age of his was one God, David McKay, who made them for a very short time on major world's tiny little country became the leading power in the ancient world.

This king came in and he extended the boundaries of Israel from Dan to Beersheba in his name was David.

David was Israel's greatest musician Israel's greatest poet Israel's greatest warrior, Israel's greatest administrator and Israel's greatest things were good while David was but as soon as David died, it was back to things as usual, warfare, internecine politics, all kinds of violence and atrocities taken place.

Once again Israel becomes a ping-pong ball for the world powers and the people long for the day when their king would come to remove oppression from them to get rid of the Babylonians or the Assyrians were later on the Romans and they saw in the person. This king, the anointed one, not just an earthly warrior but one who would be gifted from the power of God that God would anoint just as he had anointed David that this Messiah would come and deliver, throw out the Romans, so their little promises throughout Jewish history about this. What happens when Jesus comes on the same as he come on the scene like David does he come riding into Jerusalem Whitehorse or or with a chariot over the sword and say okay Romans leave on taking over on that okay on the Messiah. No, Jesus did not take to himself the expected identity of the Messiah member. We fed the 5000 takes a couple of fish a couple loaves of bread feeds 5000 people died of a welfare program for quick and what was the mob reaction. They came to Jesus and try to take hold of him in order to do what to make him king's iconic king. We want to Produce food like that and gives it away free. Everybody was a king like that and Jesus walked away and every time somebody tried to talk to Jesus in terms of being a Messiah, he rejected walked away. And if you read very carefully in the New Testament, you will see that Jesus studiously avoids that title Messiah for the title Christ is not strange here. We talk that's probably because of Jesus Christ. Jesus was very reluctant to assume that title how the disciples had seen that and what the scholars call the so-called messianic secret were Jesus was failing himself from these popular expectations. There was a reason for that which will look at it only looks at Peter and Peter says hey we know who you are. We think you're the Christ. If I can read between the lines is almost like Peter was saying you.

Maybe Tony's other people: you are paying attention when I call you Christ we know who you are you really the Christ. Are you he looks at Peter and he said blessed art thou, Simon Borja, Jesus pronounces his benediction on Peter. If you are familiar with the history of Jesus relationship with Peter, Jesus doesn't pass out a lot of benedictions. The Peter during his ministry Peter David sits inside at this time.

He said Peter blessed art and the reason why your blessed is it because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. My father who is in heaven to hear Jesus say the first thing that is implied is he saying Peter your blessed because you're right you got the right answer, but you didn't get it because you're all astute didn't get it because you're all that well versed in Old Testament prophecy. You didn't figure this out on your own through the application of your native intelligence. You are blessed Peter because you are one who has received a revelation from Michael. My father has let you sequence where the eyes of other people are clones. Other people don't see what you see and so you are blessed and of course this is the case were Jesus then says to Peter, and thou art Patrick Ross member peters name was really Simon now Jesus says no longer Simon Petross. The rock on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it as I can see Peter J which this is to complements and arose from Jesus. Jesus first in your blessed, blessed are your site is a greater swelling of his idea that guys I got the right answer but he's just given me his benediction I that he remains 70 says no. And after this glorious moment of affirmation. Jesus blows them all away said, but men at the Tyson the Son of Man, referring to himself must suffer many thing's shocks them. He communicates them in the midst of this glorious affirmation. Men don't you realize what I'm about what my mission is what my purposes, what my agenda is.

I'm headed for Jerusalem and got my face set like a flint, and ongoing their gentlemen to die. Now it's Peter sure impossible to tell me that stuff. The Jewish people had no room in their thinking from Messiah who would die there Messiah is to be a victorious day not humiliated day the Messiah is to be one who comes in triumph, not one who comes in the clothing of the servant who sacrificed and despised and rejected of men. And so that's one of the reasons you see what she says play down that because of the Messiah because he knew as soon as the people talk Messiah. They had a totally different understanding for what it meant to be the Messiah that his own understand. He said Peter I have to pick God forbid, forbid willing to go to roost and now after same blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah and insight thou art Petross. The next statement Jesus is the peters get the be hind me, Satan, Jesus looks at his friend and now he hears the same temptation that he faced in the wilderness when Satan confronted him directly because when Satan was teaching Jesus in the wilderness was it don't have to die read and sign.

You don't have to suffer to be the Redeemer of Israel. You stick with me and Ali all the kingdoms of the world at truth jump off the temple, God will capture turning stones into bread. All of those temptations were designed to convince Jesus to go the military, political, route to escape, suffer, and Peter didn't understand in the church has not always understood, but the church and did understand a suffering Messiah. When it came to because all of a sudden when Jesus enters triumphantly into Jerusalem and lets it be known, not just to his inner circle of friends to the whole Jewish community. I am the Messiah, Palm Sunday, he rides in as the Messiah and their screaming. Hosanna, their love and it there ready for any minute legions of angels to come over the hill to drive the Romans out of there and to restore the kingdom of David and men, the Messiah allows himself to be arrested and humiliated to justice is I have to suffer. So what we have in the title sign is a king who is royalty becomes a Jesus who understands his own mission is one of the Jews understanding of who their Messiah would be was misguided. It was simply too small. They thought he would be a conquering national hero to free them from the Romans. In reality, Jesus was a suffering servant, sent to save the world from sin and the wrath to come. This is the message of the gospel and the subject of our series this week. Your Christ is too small. This classic series was taught by Dr. RC Sproul in 1986 and it's never aired before here on Renewing Your Mind as part of a large library of exclusive messages reserved for leaders, ministry partners and it's a good example of the extra discipleship resources that are made available to those who commit to support Wegener's gospel outreach on a monthly basis.

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Today we learned how other people thought of Jesus. Tomorrow's message is titled who does Jesus say he is to make plans to join us Tuesday for Renewing Your Mind