Who Do You Say That I Am?

 Matthew 16:13-18

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

Simon Peter answered, “You are the messiah, the Son of the living God.” 

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Jesus and His 12 Apostles

Who Do You Say I Am? (Matthew 16:13-18)

Sermon at Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC on July 7, 2024

A daughter’s boyfriend introduced himself to her father and said, "Hello sir, nice to meet you". He put out his hand. The father took his hand and shook. He said, "Are you nervous?" He said, No, why?” The father smiled and said, "Then why are you shaking?"

First meetings can be nerve racking, can’t they? I trust that we will treat each other like family because we’re followers of Jesus. He taught us to treat others as you wish to be treated. And we’re all Methodists connected through the wonderful Wesleyan tradition. And we’re Hoosiers who practice hospitality. 

To help you get to know me I’d like to answer the question Jesus put to His disciples, “Who do You say I am?” 

If you were to survey people about who they think Jesus is, you’d get a wide variety of answers. Some would wisecrack and say, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Some would say he was a good man who got himself killed. The Muslims say that he’s one of many prophets. Some Jews curse the name of Jesus of Nazareth because Christians have persecuted the Jews. Some say that Jesus is a great teacher. Others say that Jesus is the Christian God. Peter said he was the Christ, the anointed one, the promised messiah, the son of the living God.

But the question that really matters is, “Who do you say Jesus is?” The answer to that question will define how you live your life. This morning, I’ll answer the question as a way of introducing myself. For what really matters is that you are meeting a pastor who loves the Lord Jesus.

Who is Jesus to me? Jesus is at least three things to me. He is my Teacher. He is my Savior. He is my Lord.

Jesus taught with the authority of God. When the crowds heard Jesus teach, they were amazed because they sensed something of God in his preaching. Jesus taught using relatable stories we call parables. Anybody got a favorite parable? Popular parables are The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son and The Parable of the Sower. 

How many of you are gardeners? One of my favorite parables is the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds. Jesus tells of a farmer sowing seed in a field. An enemy sowed weeds in the wheat field. When the seeds sprouted, the farm hands reported the weeds. They wanted to know if they should pull them up. The farmer told them not to pull up the weeds because they might pull up some of the wheat as well. Instead let them grow together and at the harvest they can separate the good wheat from the weeds. 

Jesus goes on to explain the parable. The Son of Man, which is a title for the messiah, is the sower of the good seed. He is preaching good news about the coming kingdom of God. But the devil is planting seeds of evil and wickedness, making it look like it’s something good. The harvest is at the end of the age when the angels will gather all the human souls and separate the good from the wicked.  

…they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Mat 13:41-42)

If I were a Baptist, I’d give some good ole hellfire and damnation preaching right about now, but I’m not attracted to this parable because of the threat of hell. I’m blown away at the thought of a world without evil, or even a cause for sin. Can you imagine a world without sinful temptation, without hate, prejudice, greed, lust or rage? Jesus paints a picture of our future when God will remove every obstacle this fallen world throws at us. It’s nearly unbelievable. None of us have ever known life without causes to sin. None of us have lived in a world where no one does evil. It boggles my mind, but deep within I want that! My heart leaps in hope. 

Revelation 21:4 depicts a hopeful future for all who hope in Christ.

God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 

Jesus is my teacher. He teaches me hope in God’s kingdom to come. 

Jesus is my savior. God so loved me and you that He gave his only begotten Son, that if we will trust in Jesus, we will not perish, but gain the gift of everlasting life. John wrote his gospel account hoping that we would believe in Jesus and by believing we would have life. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly, our fullest and best life!

Jesus is my savior. What is Jesus saving me from? He is saving me from my sin and weakness, my fear and bitterness. He is saving me from my stupidity, my spiritual blindness. I’m a survivor of childhood trauma. I live with post-traumatic stress disorder. I used alcohol and drugs to cope. I didn’t know that was what I was doing until I met other survivors. I remember when I admitted I was an alcoholic, I was scared to death of never taking another drink again. Jesus saved me from addiction. He helped me to see that I was exchanged God’s glory for this lesser thing. A cold beer might take the edge off, but it did nothing to fill the emptiness of my soul. Addiction is a form of idolatry. I was exchanging God for a cheap substitute. I ignored what my life truly needed, and went for the cheap fix. 

I’m a big rock music fan, In fact, I sing for a classic rock cover band called Damaged Goodz. Pink Floyd has a song called Comfortably Numb. The lyrics say…

When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, but it was gone. I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown. The dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. 

That’s a theme song for a whole generation of drinkers, and stoners, and hellraisers. Numbing out with substances like alcohol or marijuana kept me from growing and maturing. I was a frightened child in a 30-something body when I began my journey of sobriety. I had to learn how to be an adult. I had to learn how to deal with my emotions, rather than numb them out. Jesus is my savior. He saved me from a life of addiction and an early grave. My childhood innocence was taken from me, but Christ made me new again! 

The apostle Paul encouraged the church in his letter to the Philippians, 

continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12b-13)

Jesus saves, not simply by saving me from hell and death, Jesus saves me by transforming my life. He fills my life with His own Spirit. His presence is warm like the glow of sunlight. His touch is peaceful like a gentle breeze. His power is like fire that sets an engine in motion. Jesus saves by transforming our lives with His amazing grace. For once I was lost, but now I’m found. I was blind, but now I see! Our destiny is to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, to be transformed from sinful weakness and become like Jesus in thought, word and deed. 

Jesus is my teacher, Jesus is my savior. And Jesus is my Lord. I often say that everybody wants Jesus as their savior, but we’re not too sure about Jesus as our Lord. We Americans prize our personal freedom. We celebrate our freedom of choice. My evaluation of where we are as a society is narcissism on a rampant and unhealthy scale. 

Our society promotes self-satisfaction so extremely, that it despises any who might criticize or interfere with an individual’s choices. The unholy trinity of American society is Me, Myself and I. Our society teaches us to follow your own heart. To thine own self be true. Have it your way! But the Bible teaches that the human heart cannot be trusted. 

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.

Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Our hearts need the Lord. We need a master whose wisdom exceeds our own. We need a mentor to tame our wildness. We need a shepherd to lead us to places of safety and refreshment. 

Living life my own way, chasing after whatever I wanted, left me depressed and empty. Living a sinful life, beyond the boundaries of God’s right ways, is like a glass of water spilled on a table. It runs all over the place because it has nothing to cling to, nothing to hold it in place. But pour a glass of water into a bowl and the water conforms to the shape of the bowl. In the same way, following God’s right ways forms us, giving us purpose, direction and identity. Pour Jesus into me and I will become the best version of myself, as Christ fills every part of my heart and life. 

Jesus is my Lord, the voice I heed, and the Shepherd I follow. 

Who do you say Jesus is? If He is your master, savior, and teacher, then surely, goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.