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The Consummate Confession Jesus began to show his disciples how he was going to suffer and be crucified for the sins of the world after this encounter with Peter and the disciples at Caesarea Philippi. This emphasis of what Christ would DO came only after the disciples understood WHO HE WAS. One who does not grasp the glory of His PERSON will never comprehend the grace of His WORK. This consummate confession is made: Jesus has been teaching and re-teaching his disciples about who He is, He has been guiding and directing them and affirming and reaffirming the truth of who He is. Now here is the final exam with two questions: Think about this. People may say many things about Jesus but when they are wrong they in effect are all saying the same thing. What similarities do every wrong perception of Jesus have? How are the false views of Jesus related? The ?men? of the world say that Jesus is someone to be respected. Others said that he was Jeremiah, that weeping prophet. There was a tradition written in the book of Maccabees (2:4-8) that Jeremiah carried the Ark of the Covenant and the Altar of incense out of the Temple and hid them on Mount Nebo in order to preserve them from destruction by the Babylonians. Some Jews thought Jeremiah would return to earth and restore the Ark and the alter to their proper places in the Temple. To be mentioned as one of these great men shows that no one considered Jesus extreme. Rather, this shows great respect for Jesus. Jesus PREACHED like John, He manifested the POWER in doing miracles like Elijah, and he was full of PASSION like Jeremiah. If one said that he was John the Baptist, another that he was Elijah and another that he was Jeremiah, could they all be right? Not! These three men in history were clearly three different men, so people were contradicting each other about who Jesus was even in his day. Do not be surprised about the multitudinous doctrines in the name of Jesus Christ. Natural man has many ideas about who Jesus is and in fact the natural man using his natural senses can say only at best, ?I think Jesus is?? and not be too sure about it. Many are confused about who Jesus is but they do not care too much. Many have another Jesus. Islam. Mormons. Jehovah Witnesses. New Agers say that he was the self actualized or ideal man. There are many popular ideas about Jesus. I am sure that no one was dogmatic or sure about their opinion and would allow room for other beliefs. A thousand lies will tolerate each other. Error can get along with itself. There is a sense of indecision among the people. There was a sense that you ?cannot really know for sure who He is.? Many today say Jesus was a good man, a great example, a moral leader, a loving teacher, but you cannot be sure who He is. If that is all you say He was, you have not answered correctly as to who is Jesus. Now, here is a question we ought to have an answer for: Are we intolerant? In our post 9-11 era, intolerance will not be tolerated. Here is a question that we can answer yes and no. No, I am not intolerant in the sense that the world defines ?intolerance.? We do not advocate persecuting anyone who does not believe like us. We do not want to have political power in order to force everyone to be saved. That would be impossible. We believe strongly in religious liberty and the separation of church and state. We will never persuade anyone with any sword or physical force but the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of all people, Bible believing Christians are the most tolerant of all people. But if you mean this: do you believe salvation is only through Jesus Christ? Yes, you can say that I am unbending and unyielding in standing on the fact that Jesus is THE Savior of the world. If you define intolerance as one who believes that only those who repent from their sin and put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation are saved, then I confess to intolerance! I will stand on the truth in love and will not yield my convictions that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Were the ones who said that Jesus was John the Baptist right? How about Elijah or Jeremiah? No, the men of the world are all related in that they are all wrong. They may have been religious people, they may have been moral people. They may have been educated people. Nevertheless, they were wrong to say that Jesus was a reincarnation of one of those great men of God. It is appointed once to die, and after that the judgment. The ?men? of the world all say He is someone less than the Divine Messiah. Pilate could say, I find no fault in him. Napoleon said, ?I know men, and Jesus was no mere man.? The French atheist Renan said he was ?the greatest among the sons of men.? The ?men? all formed their opinions based on human reasoning. They followed their own feelings and not the Word of God. Jesus wants to know if his disciples are paying attention to the thinking of those in their day. We should know what people say around us so we can answer them with the truth. Who do you say that I am? The original language says it so emphatically because this is an important question: BUT YOU, who do you say I am? With Daring CLARITY Notice how sure, precise and distinct Peter’s confession is! Is there any indefiniteness in Peter’s confession? How precise we may be in an imprecise world! Look at how dogmatic he is. His confession is assured and clear. What ?Daring Clarity? he demonstrates! He clearly states that Jesus is the promised seed of the woman who is more than a prophet: He is the Messiah. He is also the Son of the Living God, or He is co-equal and co-powerful with God. He is the CHRIST, the long-awaited deliverer, the ?Anointed One? of God. The Messiah was a Prophet, but not merely ONE of the prophets. Think of all the people who have ever lived and ask yourself this question: who else has a name associated so closely with Messiah other than Jesus? No one! The Messiah was THE prophet, and more than a prophet. Not only does Peter realize that Jesus is the Messiah, but that He is the DIVINE Messiah. He is the Son of the Living God. This means that He is the ?only begotten Son of God.? The phrase, ?only begotten Son? uses a Greek word: monogenes. This word is used five times in relationship to Jesus, always by John (John 1:14, 18; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9). It indicates that the Son of God is the sole representative of the nature of the Father and that Jesus is One in nature with His Father. It speaks of the equality of person and power that Jesus shared with the Father. Jesus is the express image of God, the full revelation of God’s character: His holiness, love, and grace. John 1:14, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Jesus is the physical image of the invisible God. He is the glory of God manifest in human flesh. He is the express image of the eternal Father, and One in essence with Him, co-equal, co-eternal and co-powerful. Jesus did not become the only begotten Son by incarnation, for His Sonship is eternal. His Sonship was revealed by the incarnation but it did not begin with the incarnation. Peter realizes Jesus is incomparable: Peter does not compare Jesus to any prophet, but that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. To compare Jesus to any man is like comparing a night light to the sun, it is like comparing the water from your faucet to the Niagra Falls, it is like comparing an anthill to Mount Everest. What a confession! This confession is foundational to a right view of God. Jesus is the Divine Messiah! One cannot be saved unless you hold to this view of the Lord Jesus Christ. A church cannot be a true church unless they hold to this truth. This confession is now his conclusion that what he first heard from his brother Andrew was indeed the truth. John 1:41, He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. The Samaritans knew Jesus was the Divine Messiah: John 4:24, The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. John 4:42, And (the people of Samaria) said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. The man born blind: John 9:35,38, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? And he said, Lord I believe. And he worshipped him. Barjonah is an Aramaic term that means he is the ?son of Jonah.? Perhaps we are in the minority when we make such a confession but Blessed is the one who says, Thou art the Christ! What does it take to make this confession? The attitudes found in the beattitutes. Each beattitude begins with the same word, BLESSED or HAPPY. One must be poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness. Believing in Christ brings blessing, and being a part of His church is not a bore or a chore, but a joy and blessing. When the truth of who Jesus is penetrates your soul, and you confess that He is Lord, you receive eternal life. When we make this confession, abundant life is also ours. What a blessing to believe that Jesus is the Christ. To not be swayed by what men say. Public opinion constantly changes, but truth stays the same. What a blessing to believe the Bible is God’s authoritative and infallible Word. Before I was saved, I hated church. I used to steal the dime out of the offering envelope that my parents gave me! Can you imagine that? I hated to put on my Sunday clothes. That hour was like an eternity to me. It was painful. I dreaded going to church. The church I attended did not believe in the necessity of the New Birth, however, and it was a theologically liberal church. Once I was saved, I loved going to church! I anticipated it and looked forward to it greatly, and I still do! The Christian life is a blessing beyond description. By Divine CAUSE Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. God Himself must reveal this truth to you. Salvation is of the Lord, and God is sovereign in this matter of salvation. I can stand here and speak it but God must prove it to your soul. O Spirit of God, drive into some heart today the truth of the Son of God. God must be your Father for you to make a sure confession like Peter makes here. Only a son can call his father such a term, and you must be born of God in order to say Father, I do confess that Jesus is your only begotten Son. When God reveals this truth to the soul and you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, we are unanimous. We agree. When God drives this truth home, one does not say, I believe Jesus is just a prophet but less than Mohammed. No, we all say the same thing. |