Who Do You Say I AM? - Peace Church, Loyal OK

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27 NIV

Loyal, OK

Pastor Leon Seaton

Who Do You Say I AM?

Matthew 16:13-20

It had been a long day and Jesus and the disciples had found a place in the woods to rest for the evening. Being an itinerate preacher was not always an easy life.

As they sat around the camp fire visiting Jesus asked the disciples an interesting question. “Who do the people say that I am?”

"Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Then He asked, “And who do you say I am?” A little harder question!

Perhaps there was an awkward silence before Peter answered. Then he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus complimented Peter and observed that no human had taught him that – that revelation had come from the Father Himself.

It had taken a while, but they were satisfied that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. God’s revelations often come slowly to us, but if we persist we will get a full understanding of God’s will and sense of direction.

Peter’s testimony showed that they believed Jesus was more than man.

Christ added that He had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or firmness in professing the truth. The word translated "rock," is not the same word as “Peter” but is of a similar meaning. Matthew Henry states, “Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant the person of Peter was the rock.” Jesus is the rock… the Rock, the foundation of the church!

If Jesus is not the Christ, those that believe in Him do not make up the church. Instead, they are deceived – or deceivers!

No one can forgive sins but God only. Thus “binding and loosing” meant that Peter, as an apostle, would speak forth what the Holy Spirit was teaching him. Those teachings would be based on the teachings of Jesus. Any word that you or I receive from God will always match the scriptures.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Evangelical Association is their dependence and reliance on the Scriptures. They remind me of the good old days with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to which our church used to belong.

The Evangelical Association Convocation in Sinking Spring, PA last week was a wonderful experience. The theme was, “Who do you say that I am?” This was the question Jesus asked His disciples right after He asked them what the crowd was saying about Him, and it is our text for today.

It is a good question for us this morning. Why? Because what we really believe about Jesus will be reflected in the way we live out our Christian life.

If we believe that Jesus was merely a good teacher and not the Son of the Living God we have to admit that He was either a liar or disillusioned. If He did not live a pure and sinless life, then His death would not pay the penalty for our sins. We will still have to pay that debt, for His own death would merely pay His debt if he was a sinner just like you and me.

If we believe that Jesus is God, and He is, then we need to obey His word. If He is God and if the Bible is the Word of God, then the command to, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15) is more than an idea or a concept, it is a command!

JESUS IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, then we have an obligation to walk in obedience to His commandments. Imagine for a moment what would happen to a marine or a soldier in combat if they disobeyed a direct command from the commanding officer. They would be shot on sight or sent to prison.

If Jesus is both Lord and God, how much more will we face judgment if we ignore His commands to us!

Are we Christ’s disciples? Do we walk in obedience? The following three questions will help you know.

I. Do you have His heart?
II. Do you have His courage?
III. Do you have His faith in God?

I. Do you have His heart?

Do you love those He loved? Jesus taught us to love each other – but He also taught us to love our enemies and those that despitefully use us. A lot of damage has been done to the Christian message by people who claim to be Christians but do not have Christ’s heart. “What we do speaks so loudly that people cannot hear what we say.”

People that say they are Christian yet sometimes they have a cold attitude toward others, they are demanding, and sometimes even cruel. If you are saved and full of God’s Spirit, it is impossible to live that lie!

Michael Slaughter in his book Unlearning Church tells about a religion editor from a local newspaper that came to his church to interview him about a conference they were having. At the end of the interview, he asked if she went to church. He assumed she did, since she was a religion editor. She said, "No, I am a Buddhist. I was raised in the church," she went on, "but about ten years ago, I became interested in Buddhism because the highest value of Buddhism is the value of compassion." Slaughter says her next comment made him feel as if she had put her hand in his chest and squeezed his heart. "The people I grew up around in the church," she added, "were some of the least compassionate people I ever knew." "Ouch," says Michael Slaughter and then he adds, "Yet Jesus is compassion made visible." Found at www.esermons.com

I think that he's right. Jesus is compassion made visible. Having Jesus' name, but not His heart is a dangerous combination. It can make us turn away people that Jesus is calling us to embrace.

Dr. Jean Houston once served as a mediator between a group of low-caste villagers in India and a large Indian corporation that refused to hire them. The board of directors at the corporation was all from higher castes; they held numerous prejudices about lower-caste people. They were sure that those from the lower castes were lazy and ignorant, unfit for better jobs.

Instead of confronting these prejudices head-on, Dr. Houston began asking both groups to tell stories about themselves. She asked them about the day-to-day rhythms of their lives and their families. One low-caste villager brought his young son with him. The boy's obvious talents impressed the executives, and inspired them to tell stories about the careers they dreamed of when they were children. As these men and women shared their stories, they began to see the similarities between them. In the end, the board of directors instituted a training program to help the villagers obtain jobs in their corporation.

Is there someone Jesus is asking you to reach out to, someone you might otherwise ignore? Do you have Jesus' heart? Found at www.esermons.com

II. Do you have His courage?

I believe that many Christians live lives of least resistance. Our goal is never to offend, never to ruffle, never to rouse sleeping dogs. It sounds so nice, so “inclusive.”

However, there is a risk… in Revelation we are taught that God wishes we were either on fire or cold… He hates lukewarmness and Jesus, the kind, loving, gentle shepherd says, "I will spew you out of My mouth."

It takes nerve to be a dynamic Christian. It also took nerve for Jesus to go to His cross. Let’s face it; crosses are painful, dirty things. Many of us were taught that God will take care of all our needs – and He will. However, He never promised us a life of ease and luxury with everyone agreeing with us.

Carrying your cross is a necessary part of following Him. Do you love Him? Do you have His heart? Do you have His courage?

III. Do you have His faith in God?

It's easy to follow Christ if you have His faith, His trust in His heavenly Father. Getting there is not always easy. Howard Hendricks tells about a couple he knew in Dallas a number of years ago. The husband sold his business at a loss and went into full-time Christian service. Things got rather rough. There were four kids in the family, One night during their regular family worship, Timmy, the youngest boy, said, "Daddy, do you think Jesus would mind if I asked Him for a shirt?"

"Well, no, of course not," said his father. "Let's write that down in our prayer request book, Mother."

So she wrote down "shirt for Timmy" and she added "size seven."

You can be sure that every day Timmy saw to it that they prayed for the shirt.

One Saturday Timmy's mother received a telephone call from a clothier in downtown Dallas, a Christian businessman. "I've finished my July clearance sale and knowing that you have four boys it occurred to me that you might use something we have left. Could you use some boys' shirts?"

She said, "What size?"

"Size seven," said the clothier.

"How many do you have?" She asked hesitantly.

He said, "Twelve."

Many of us might have taken the shirts, stuffed them in the bureau drawer, and made some casual comment to the children. Not this wise set of parents. That night, as expected, Timmy said, "Don't forget, Mommy, let's pray for the shirt."

His mother said, "We don't have to pray for the shirt, Timmy."

"How come?" asked Timmy.

"The Lord has answered our prayer."

"He has?"

"Right."

So, as previously arranged, his brother Tommy goes out and gets one shirt, brings it in, and puts it down on the table. Little Timmy's eyes are like saucers. Tommy goes out and gets another shirt and brings it in. Out, back, out, back, until he piles twelve shirts on the table, and Timmy thinks God is going into the shirt business.

"But you know," says Howard Hendricks, "there is a little kid in Dallas today by the name of Timothy who believes there is a God in heaven interested enough in his needs to provide boys with shirts."

Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it . . ." Matthew 16:24

Perhaps you can tell you a story similar to that of Timmy and his shirt. You took a stand for God and He blessed you. Perhaps He is calling us to do that again today.

In 1989, former President George Bush, our current president's father, was entering St. John's Episcopal Church to attend a worship service. A homeless man, William Wallace Brown Jr., stopped him and asked for prayer. The President's answer must have shocked onlookers. He replied, "No. Come inside with us--and pray for yourself."

From that day forward, William Wallace Brown Jr. was a regular attender of St. John's Episcopal Church. This man in ragged, smelly clothes sat in the pews alongside the rich and the powerful. At offering time, he put a dollar in the collection plate. One usher reports that many of the rich members also gave only a dollar to the offering. These people were humbled by Mr. Brown's example of generosity.

But you know why William Wallace Brown was so generous while so many of these wealthy churchmen were so stingy. I’m told that when a person goes out on a cruise ship that every need they have is met. The beds are made, the food is served and all you have to do is enjoy yourself.

Christianity is not a Cruise Ship – a place of luxury. Not at all! It’s more like a battleship! The rich people were humbled by Mr. Brown’s generosity because they thought they were on a cruise ship and all they had to do was tip God. William Wallace Brown understood that he was on a battleship, and with his meager resources, he wanted to do his part.

Jesus told us that He would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. However, we must do our part! Jesus is at the right hand of the Father praying for us. The Holy Spirit lives in us and is ready to counsel us, comfort us and guide us. But we have to do the work! Sorry! Courtland Milloy, "A poor man who enriched others' lives" The Washington Post, Nov. 29, 2000, B1. Cited in Homiletics, Jan. 2002, p.23

Is Jesus your Lord and Master… and are you walking in full obedience? If not, now is the time to make a new commitment – or to give your heart to the Lord if you have yet to do that!

Sincerely, Pastor Leon

Sunday, September 30, 2007