Who is Jesus to You?

Notice that Jesus did not spend one moment correcting any of those false speculations, but now he changes the question instead into something intense and on avoidable personal verse 20. Then he said to them by you say that I tell you the most important thing in life will never be with the crowd says about Jesus.

The most important thing will be what you said actually believe live out those trends after being equipped by Jesus to minister on earth and after declaring profound theological truths about Jesus, Peter and the disciples were put to the test by Jesus.

He wanted them to understand that their hearts and lives needed to match their head knowledge and words.

Jesus is asking the same thing of each of us today Stevens going to explore this in a message he's called who is Jesus who is Jesus where you rank Jesus today in your life that answer is going to impact every aspect of your life. The fact your eternal life to come. Who is really is he somebody you get a brief prayer before me all it is is he a casual acquaintance that's reserved for for Sunday's Z a nice man who delivered that golden rule and told everybody to love everybody. Here's the question. Who is Jesus to you today in the gospel by Luke chapter 9 of this fascinating conversation where Jesus actually puts this question that question to his disciples, so let me invite you to take your copy if you brought one along Luke's gospel chapter 9 and I want to pick it up where we left off were now at verse 18.

Now it happened that as he was praying alone.

The disciples were with them. Remember if you been with us as follows. Soon after, and feeding the massive crowd for evidently stops the private prayer meeting with his father comes over, maybe sit down the campfire. We all know this is where he casually asks his disciples. This question who do the crowds say that I am the remember the disciples have only recently returned from their trip abroad, they were sent out in pairs. They were empowered by Jesus to heal, to exercise authority over demons. They were to preach the gospel. They were to preach the king's message that the kingdom of God is around the corner may come back all excited.

Well, Jesus does a been surrounded by people so we can ask them you know what, what are all the opinions of me out there on the street that you've been hearing. Keep in mind here at this point in the gospel account that the disciples themselves are not fully aware of who Jesus is there, growing in their understanding. In many ways frankly like you and I are growing in our personal understanding of the Lord they they didn't have the book of Romans eight in Philippians Colossians a their growing and learning as they follow the Lord Jesus now asks them basically all those people out there think I am, and they answered. Notice John the Baptist, but others say Elijah and others that one of the prophets of old has risen. It is from the dead in Matthew's gospel account records this event and and and adds to the list of people out there saying some people that Jeremiah the prophet has risen from the dead, so I want you to notice here that the popular opinion on the street gives Jesus a pretty high ranking I'm I mean this is this is not chopped liver here were talking about John the Baptist. I mean he's come back to life. Maybe if you take revenge on Herod for executing them. John scumbag is going to let them have. He's he's Elijah this is the great Jewish prophet. They were expecting him to come as the forerunner of the Messiah.

Jeremiah while maybes Jeremiah come from the dead see the Jewish people at this point in time that this legend they were being taught that the Jeremiah was can arise from the dead and reveal where he supposedly hidden the ark of the covenant he'd evidently hidden in the cave somewhere nearby.

He was going to go get that back out and resurrect the glory days of David and Solomon in the worship of the nation Israel maybes Jeremiah go to that tape somewhere bring that arc out again this is all ranking Jesus very high on the list but isn't it interesting that everybody had an opinion. The crowd had their assumptions and their speculations and their ideas and their opinions and all of them were absolutely couldn't help but think that nothing is really change to this day. John Ryle wrote more than 125 years ago the world will speculate and talk to reason and invent theories to account for Christ.

They satisfy themselves of all the gossip year rolls on.

After year and finds them in the same state, talking, criticizing, speculating, but never going any further, they hover like a moth around Christianity, but they never settle down like honey bee on its treasure. Why not what the really not interested in answering the question in their heart which you notice here that Jesus does not spend one moment correcting any of those false speculations.

It is NFL as a BB five reasons on the Jeremiah or Elijah didn't even spend any time on it. But now he changes the question instead into something intensely and unavoidably personal. Verse 20. Then he said to them, but who do you say that I am the word for use in the original language is plural, which means he's addressing all 12 of his disciples.

I know what the crowd is saying about me and he already knew.

Anyway, that's great.

He had them rehearse it but who do all of you guys say you said that I may tell you the most important thing in life will never be with the crowd says about Jesus.

The most important thing will be what you say about Jesus that answer will direct every aspect of your life and at the end of your life. It will determine your eternal destiny. This is the question of the ages. What Peter gets it right here in verse 20 in Peter answered. You are the Christ of God's fires back you dress the 12 Peter of course is the one who speaks he's the spokesman again. You're the Christ of God, what is that mean oh well, the term Christ comes from the Greek noun Chris Doss which means anointed and anointed one.

Chris Doss translates the Hebrew word machine which we transliterated Messiah Messiah. Both Christ and Messiah mean the same thing literally anointed one to Peter is effectively saying here you learned are a lot of people out there saying a lot of things about you.

Good things. There are some bad things I might interesting the disciples left out. They didn't want her Jesus feelings, but rather thing said about they didn't mention those certainly people will ranking him very high on the last stand. Some people had them in the gutter but but we don't believe any of those assumptions because we know they're all wrong. We know you are the anointed one that we've been expecting you are the Messiah, Matthew's Gospel account gives us a fuller declaration from Peter in Matthew 16 in verse 16 Peter as you are Christ, the son of the living God while you are one in essence in nature, equal with eternal God. This point really didn't fully understand what he just said. In other words, you're not a resurrected prophet, you're more than Elijah.

You're more than Jeremiah.

You're more than John the baptizer more than that. You are the son of God. That's an incredible declaration of faith. Jesus is going to respond in Matthew's gospel that Peter is the recipient of divinely inspired revelation, Peter. You didn't come up with that on your own. Your bright but not that bright so you that a little help from God the father you've just been given the truth from my father of who I am, shockingly, to me, and certainly that this revelation is not followed up with Jesus saying now mad, let's go tell the world the suspect in Luke chapter 9 verse 21 he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one. Why the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes be killed and on the third day be raised. Luke summarizes what was probably a conversation in the one sentence but it's packed with 4 Verbs You Might Cir. suffer.

I'm going to suffer be rejected.

Specifies rejected by chief priests and elders, and scribes. That's a reference to the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Israel. The Supreme Court is going to declare me worthy of the kill to death. Purée, a reference to his resurrection from the dead. In other words, Jesus now begins to reveal the them some truth here about his future. He is going to wear a crown, but it'd be a crown of gold.

At first it's going to be the crown of thorns so get that later on she before he raises up a kingdom he is going to be raised from the dead, they were expecting that Jesus stuns them effectively tells the men wanted to keep all this under your hat for now is any proclamation by the way, Jesus for who he is, would lead the Jews immediately to plan our next revolt. They been itching for they've already done it before Jesus showed up. Let's overthrow Rome let the kingdom come, you're the king. He knows that's not the plan to then honors then understand the Messiah's first coming isn't going to leave the coronation. It's going to lead to a crucifixion. We know that they don't fully get it because Matthew's gospel gives us. Peter's response Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief reason scribes. Matthew writes it this way be killed and on the third day be raised and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, far be it from you, Lord, you could translate that God forbade that will ever happen to you. This will never happen to you, and he turned and said to Peter, get behind me literally get away from me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me, for you're not setting your mind on the things of God. When you say that kind of but on the things of man, one English translation reads it this way, you are a dangerous trap you are seeing things merrily from a human point of view and not from God's. In other words, Peter went from declaring the divine attribute of Jesus to now let go, weighing the deceptive agenda of Satan.

Satan don't want Christ to fulfill his divine purpose in dying for our sins and rising from the dead. So Peter is essentially redirecting Jesus which plays into the hands of all you need to get away from me Peter, now put this together.

If you if you combine the gospel accounts in his only six verses in six verses really in less than six verses Peter goes from announcing who Jesus Christ is, to missing entirely. What Jesus Christ is come to do in in six verses in a matter of moments, Peter moves from insight to indiscretion as well as a idiocy. But I want to be nicer starts with an eye as well. If you didn't notice, go to seminary to get those guys there together from insight to indiscretion. Now, if it's possible for Peter to lose his spiritual footing in less than six verses how is it, how easy is it for you and for me to lose ours. I dig into this scene, two words come to mind that explain Peter not excuse Peter but explain what moved him from insight to indiscretion. You could say this way from submission to correction happen what the first word is this estimation that I could jump to the application and come back to the text we need a sanctified estimation of the person of Christ.

Again, Matthew records in chapter 16 of verse 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

What did that look like Lord after the Bible study, see you for a moment, come over here that all that talk about you dying you being rejected, you suffering that it happened. Remember I get special insight from God the father tells me stuff this is going to happen to you to part of Peter's problem was that he forgot who he was talking to only a few verses earlier. He's declaring Jesus is the son of God, which means he's not correcting the son of God. Can you imagine getting to the point where you correct God.

I would never correct God all larger timing is really lousy. You wouldn't say that we in church, but your thinking what are you doing your you're missing some details, let me remind you of what you're overlooking my fear we correct them all the time. If Jesus Christ were to show up today and ask you, do you think I am sure I would hope that everyone in this audience would say with theological conviction.

You are the Messiah, you are the son of the living God, Peter did you see it's possible to know who God is and struggle with what God does. That's what's happening here. I I think Peter can imagine the God the father would ever allow this to have to do is son talking about rejection being murdered. God forbid the problem is at this particular moment Peter straightening the Lord out or trying these treating Jesus like one of the disciples is estimation of Jesus is far too low. Beloved any any estimation of Jesus that diminishes his glory in dilutes his word abandons his authority and doubts his wisdom is aligning with the agenda of Satan. We end up on the wrong side in our struggle others. Another word that I believe let Peter doing indiscretion is the word expectation just as believers need a sanctified estimation of the person of Christ. Believers need to surrender their expectations to the purposes of Christ and at the moment. This is part of Peter's hangup. I believe he had expectation for the future. They didn't have anything to do a Jesus dying. So when the Lord begins to reveal his expectations about his future. They will line up with Peter's expectations yield to God. Got up battle expectations. Lord I wasn't expecting this to happen. Lord I expected you to do that.

Lord I expected my life to be turning out a little differently. At this point, but I didn't expect you to allow light becomes a battle all our expectations over and against the expectations of God. The Christian life is is not an immediate solution to that battle is in a very real way, the beginning of the battle. It is living, not according to our own expectations, but learning to trust the Lord as we discover what his expectations are for us as he unveiled think about Peter is expecting a kingdom. Jesus is expecting rejection and Peter is expecting to see Judaism reform. Jesus is expecting the end of Judaism and the creation of a church made up of Jew and Gentile, Peter is expecting to see more miracles.

Jesus is expecting to see the head of the serpent crushed and death defeated Peter's expectations about his own life for wrong. He expected to remain faithful there there there wasn't any rooster in Peter's expectations.

No nails, no cross, no to see the problem with our expectations is that they're usually too self-centered and too shortsighted and way too small Peter. He sees fish dinners by the seashore. Jesus sees the marriage supper of the Lamb, Peter can see houses filling up with disciples Jesus can see heaven filled with the redeemed of all time. What you said answer his question. Who do you said that I am what is your personal estimation of Jesus Christ and from all your growing and learning what you learning about and what are your expectations from him. Here's the good news when we did it wrong as those who follow him as believers is patient to teach us more. Jesus did not respond to Peter by saying it's been nice knowing you take a hike, no they didn't kick him out of the group continued to teach them. Peter is embarking on a lifetime of learning. Like you and I in the process as well. Peter records this experience as he writes now is an old man and he applies it this way in his second letter but grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus cries keep learning about him all you can as you get to know him, you learn to trust him. You can only see so far away. Jesus Christ is already there is far ahead as you can see, Peter writes in his final letter and that's because to him belongs the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Jesus knows what he's doing. He's in charge of eternity taking us there with him. See, this is the sanctified estimation of who he is and this is the surrendered expect Tatian to what he's doing. Ever thought about the fact that when the day comes at the end of human history as we know it. There's going to be a universal ranking of Jesus, the redeemed and the unredeemed are going to end up with the same conclusion, but only the unredeemed will be judged for it will be at their bar too late, but they will acknowledge along with those redeemed. Paul writes it to the Philippian church of this future universal declaration that comes at the end of human history. At some point as we know it. It will be the ranking of Jesus by all of humanity. Paul writes, here it is, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord he is Lord, not 10 Points Not Certain Pl. not just among 100 influential people that impress the worldly will hold the highest ranking of everything and everyone. He created an iron phrase of of him in our and our worship of him and are singing to him in our declarations to him and his glory will last forever and ever and ever.

Throughout eternal glory wrote it this way to the Colossian believers that Jesus is before all things, because he is preeminent you know that means that means Jesus Christ is first.

I hope you'll take time to ponder today. The place in the role Jesus hands in your life and that you evaluate whether or not your life lines up with what you claim to be true. Stephen called this lesson. Who is Jesus to you, it comes from his series in Luke called into the spotlight. Stephen is the pastor of the shepherd's church in Cary, North Carolina.

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