Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?”

-- Matthew 16:15

Jesus asked this question of the disciples but He could easily ask that of you or me. We tend to think of Jesus in terms of what He means to the world, to Christians, to our church. Maybe we even have a “personal relationship” with Him. But who is He? Who do you think He is?

Pastor Rob asked this last Sunday. It’s one of those questions that at first seems rather silly. We’re all in church. We know who Jesus is. We know He is God’s son. We know He came to earth as a man and died for us. We know the story. We’ve heard it all many times.

But the story takes on a different meaning when it becomes personal. And it is personal. A friend once explained it this way: If I was the only one who needed Him to come and save me from certain death, Jesus would still have come. He would still have died on a cross. He would have suffered for me.

So it makes a difference who you think Jesus really is. It’s personal, whether we want to think of Him that way or not.

Let’s ask another question. Do you believe that God favors some people over others? Does He show favoritism like parents sometimes do? Does God love a wealthy person more than a poor person? Does God favor the healthy over the sick? Tough questions from Pastor Rob.

The answer, though, is pretty simple. God loves all His children equally. Circumstances vary. Choices affect outcomes. Some things just happen. And God is with us all, no matter what path our lives are on.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” -- Matthew 16:16

When you love and respect someone, you want to be like that person. That person becomes your reference point. Is Jesus your reference point? Do you look to Him when you make decisions about how to live your life? When you think about Jesus, who do you see? Savior. Messiah. Redeemer.

“Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

-- Matthew 16:18

What has God called you to do? What do you believe you cannot do because you aren’t talented enough or smart enough or rich enough? What excuses are you giving Him and yourself? Do you see Him as Counselor, Teacher?

As Pastor Rob said, it is only through the power of Christ that we have the ability to do whatever it is that God has called us to do. Not through our power, but through His. Without Him? Well, I don’t even want to think about that.

So we come back to Pastor Rob’s original question: Who do you say Jesus is? All of heaven and earth depends on your answer.