WEBVTT 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:05.219 Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:07.480 Father, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:15.460 and from the Holy Spirit. Amen. Labels. We love 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:18.859 labels. As people, as society, I don't mean labels 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.620 like labels on jars and stuff like that, or like 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:24.480 record labels. I mean labels like stereotypes, 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:28.890 right? Labels for people. Let's do a little experiment 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:32.609 here. I want you to close your eyes. Trust me 00:00:32.609 --> 00:00:35.710 enough to close your eyes. I'm gonna say some 00:00:35.710 --> 00:00:39.310 labels, some terms, and as I say these labels, 00:00:39.409 --> 00:00:43.149 I want you to picture in your mind a person that 00:00:43.149 --> 00:00:45.329 represents that label. It doesn't have to be 00:00:45.329 --> 00:00:47.310 an actual person from your life. It could be 00:00:47.310 --> 00:00:49.590 somebody who's theoretical, but I'll list off 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:51.710 a couple of them. With each one, come up with 00:00:51.710 --> 00:00:54.289 somebody and what they look like, maybe how they 00:00:54.289 --> 00:01:03.340 act, okay? High school athlete. Band kid. A tomboy. 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:10.519 By contrast, a girly girl. Blue collar. Picture 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:13.599 in your mind somebody who's blue collar. White 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:21.379 collar. Christian. Atheist. What do you picture 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:24.260 when you hear that? Leader. It's a little more 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:30.250 abstract. leader, follower, and then to get your 00:01:30.250 --> 00:01:35.489 ire up a little bit, Aggie, and of course, Longhorn. 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:39.069 Literal hissing. Okay, go ahead, open your eyes. 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:44.530 Hissing, that's okay, sure. Now how many of you 00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:47.109 by show of hands were able to picture somebody 00:01:47.109 --> 00:01:49.849 a kind of a picture of somebody For each of those 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:51.409 descriptions raise your hand if you can picture 00:01:51.409 --> 00:01:53.230 somebody and kind of like, okay I know that there 00:01:53.230 --> 00:01:55.489 are some people who have a hard time like Visualizing 00:01:55.489 --> 00:01:57.250 stuff just the way their brain works But for 00:01:57.250 --> 00:01:58.989 me like I can picture each of those people and 00:01:58.989 --> 00:02:02.370 kind of a stereotype in my mind Because when 00:02:02.370 --> 00:02:05.769 you hear a label, it's shorthand, isn't it? It's 00:02:05.769 --> 00:02:10.530 shorthand for their ideology for their behavior, 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:13.650 their attitudes towards the world around them, 00:02:14.449 --> 00:02:17.009 even down to like their physical attributes, 00:02:17.050 --> 00:02:19.469 how they carry themselves, what they wear, all 00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:22.569 of those things may come into kind of your label. 00:02:23.469 --> 00:02:26.629 Labels can be incredibly helpful, but also incredibly 00:02:26.629 --> 00:02:29.409 damaging, right? Because they are stereotypes. 00:02:29.449 --> 00:02:32.229 They are things that we kind of fill in and perhaps 00:02:32.229 --> 00:02:35.370 it paints with too broad of a brush, right? Nobody 00:02:35.370 --> 00:02:38.759 is defined by any one thing. Today we're going 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:42.039 to be looking at some labels that Jesus gets 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:45.580 assigned, that he got assigned back as he was 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:48.020 in the middle of his earthly ministry, but even 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:50.960 today. But before we go into that and take a 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:52.840 look at that concept, let's go to our God in 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:57.919 prayer. Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank you 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.500 so much for today. for this chance that we get 00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:03.400 to come together and be in worship, whether here 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:07.900 in this room, unified by our space, or across 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:10.759 the world watching online, unified by our belief. 00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:14.539 Lord, we thank you for this chance to be in worship. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:16.840 And I pray that you would focus us. Focus our 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:19.379 hearts and focus our minds on you. Lord, I thank 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:22.020 you for the chance to share your message. And 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:24.599 Lord, of course, let it be your message. Move 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:28.599 me out of the way. It is not about me. I submit 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:31.479 myself to you, and I pray that your Holy Spirit 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:33.300 will work through me, will work in this moment. 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:36.560 I pray that we would all be humble enough to 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.099 submit ourselves to you, that your truth may 00:03:39.099 --> 00:03:43.180 be known. In your name we pray. Amen. Again, 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.740 special welcome to those of you watching the 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.919 sermon online. Our main text that we're gonna 00:03:48.919 --> 00:03:51.520 be diving through today is that gospel reading, 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:54.099 which I just shared earlier in the service, Matthew 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:57.719 chapter 16, 13 through 20. If you are just watching 00:03:57.719 --> 00:04:00.080 the sermon, go ahead and pause the video. Go 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.979 ahead and find Matthew 16, 13 through 20. Read 00:04:02.979 --> 00:04:05.000 through it so you can catch up with where we 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.560 are. But let's do a little learning first, right? 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:11.419 A little didactic time, taking a look at this 00:04:11.419 --> 00:04:14.159 gospel reading before we get into the real thematic 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.800 meat of it. It says, now when Jesus came into 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:21.040 the district of Caesarea Philippi, which is interesting, 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:23.959 because if you've been following along here with 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:26.379 the dictionary series, the kind of assigned readings 00:04:26.379 --> 00:04:29.399 each week, we've been going through Matthew pretty 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:33.009 systematically. And the past couple of chapters 00:04:33.009 --> 00:04:36.110 of Matthew, the past time within his ministry, 00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:40.009 Jesus has been encountering a lot of crowds, 00:04:40.569 --> 00:04:43.870 teaching people, healing people, going through 00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:45.670 and giving a lot of instruction, also going toe 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.569 -to -toe with some of the Jewish religious leaders, 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:50.889 right? The Pharisees, Sadducees, St. Hedron, 00:04:50.930 --> 00:04:53.949 etc. And as he's been traveling through this 00:04:53.949 --> 00:04:56.889 region of Galilee, where he is, he finds himself 00:04:56.889 --> 00:05:00.470 at this area called Caesarea Philippi. which 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:04.009 is essentially the boundary, the border, if you 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:07.149 will, of Gentile land, right? So there's Jews 00:05:07.149 --> 00:05:09.290 and Gentiles. Gentiles are kind of the pagans. 00:05:09.370 --> 00:05:12.689 In fact, this area, Caesarea Philippi, used to 00:05:12.689 --> 00:05:16.790 be known for worshiping Baal, the god Baal from 00:05:16.790 --> 00:05:19.089 Old Testament times, as well as the Roman god 00:05:19.089 --> 00:05:22.209 Pan. But at the point that when Jesus is there, 00:05:22.389 --> 00:05:24.529 there is a temple to, if you look at the name, 00:05:24.589 --> 00:05:27.110 you may be able to figure it out, Caesar. We're 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:30.029 kind of that like God -King concept, right? And 00:05:30.029 --> 00:05:34.009 so this is squarely in pagan territory. Now what 00:05:34.009 --> 00:05:36.689 this means is those crowds that were following 00:05:36.689 --> 00:05:38.750 Jesus, those Israelites, those Jewish people, 00:05:39.129 --> 00:05:41.050 the religious leaders, they probably aren't going 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:44.009 to follow him into this area because they kind 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:47.350 of were strict, like, do not enter zones, whether 00:05:47.350 --> 00:05:49.410 it be for religious reasons or just for practical 00:05:49.410 --> 00:05:51.250 safety reasons. They didn't really get along, 00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:55.319 right? So Jesus and his disciples find themselves 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:58.240 in this Gentile region, or at least on the border 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:00.139 of it, and it gives him the opportunity over 00:06:00.139 --> 00:06:03.439 the next three chapters of Matthew to do some 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:07.180 more one -on -one private intimate teaching with 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:08.759 his disciples. Rather than having to worry about 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:11.759 the crowd, he's able to teach those disciples, 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.040 right? So he's with his disciples and pretty 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:16.560 much them alone, and it goes on to say he asked 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:19.910 them a question. This translation says, who do 00:06:19.910 --> 00:06:23.370 people say that the son of man is? In other translations, 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:26.009 it becomes apparent that he's referring to himself 00:06:26.009 --> 00:06:28.209 as the son of man. He's not talking about this 00:06:28.209 --> 00:06:30.490 vague concept of the son of man. He says, who 00:06:30.490 --> 00:06:34.649 do they say that I, the son of man is? Now this 00:06:34.649 --> 00:06:38.009 is a term you hear a lot in the gospel, son of 00:06:38.009 --> 00:06:40.589 man, right? Okay, son of man. All men are son 00:06:40.589 --> 00:06:44.550 of men, so why is that significant? Well, it 00:06:44.550 --> 00:06:48.189 comes from Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:52.149 specifically, where it references that God will 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:57.389 bestow upon the Son of Man dominion and glory. 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:00.740 This is a prophetic statement about somebody 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:03.699 who is selected to be unique, the son of man. 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:06.540 It's also worth noting that this is not a military 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:09.079 statement. It's not about conquest. It's not 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:10.699 about the son of man will come in on a white 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:13.139 horse and take out the enemies. It's God will 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:16.040 peacefully give over this power and dominion, 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:19.019 right? From Daniel chapter seven. So when Jesus 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.220 says the son of man, he's referring to himself 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:25.839 through this messianic prophecy. So he asked 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.980 basically, What are they saying? What are they 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:30.839 saying about me guys like you we've been around 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:34.259 these crowds I'm busy teaching you guys are in 00:07:34.259 --> 00:07:35.920 the midst of them. What are they saying about 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.730 me is kind of what he's asking And our translation 00:07:39.730 --> 00:07:42.310 again says that the disciples responded. It's 00:07:42.310 --> 00:07:44.970 believed that it's Peter who probably answers 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:47.290 both questions here because that's kind of Peter's 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:50.110 thing, right? Like, Peter is the most excited 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:52.170 and anxious of all. Like, oh, pick me! Like, 00:07:52.230 --> 00:07:55.870 that's Peter, okay? So he says, who do they say 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:58.050 that I am? And they respond with three different 00:07:58.050 --> 00:08:00.610 people, plus a little vague. They say John the 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:05.670 Baptist, the prophet Elijah, and Jeremiah. And 00:08:05.670 --> 00:08:08.350 then they say and some other prophets. Now, why 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:10.949 those three? That's kind of an odd grouping of 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:14.050 people. John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:15.490 Well, there's reason for this. Again, it kind 00:08:15.490 --> 00:08:17.870 of goes back to labels. Well, John the Baptist, 00:08:17.930 --> 00:08:20.310 we know for a fact that people are saying that 00:08:20.310 --> 00:08:23.129 Jesus is somehow connected to John the Baptist, 00:08:23.189 --> 00:08:28.370 because we see in Matthew chapter 14, Herod says 00:08:28.370 --> 00:08:31.670 it's like he is John the Baptist come back to 00:08:31.670 --> 00:08:34.940 life. Which is unique because in that chapter, 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:38.019 it tells the story of how Herod had John the 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:41.720 Baptist beheaded. So like, Herod, why are you 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.379 the one saying that he's come back? Did you not 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:45.659 do a good enough job? That seems like a pretty 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:47.659 tough thing to come back from the dead for, right? 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:50.419 Like, why is Herod the one saying that he is 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:52.940 John the Baptist resurrected? Well, it's believed 00:08:52.940 --> 00:08:55.000 that it's kind of thematic, right? That they're 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.519 not literally John the Baptist, but more the 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.529 way John the Baptist lived. John the Baptist 00:09:00.529 --> 00:09:03.330 was known at this point throughout the land of 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:05.529 gaining a big following. There were a lot of 00:09:05.529 --> 00:09:08.669 people who were coming to see him. And for a 00:09:08.669 --> 00:09:12.429 ruler like Herod who has a group of people who 00:09:12.429 --> 00:09:15.570 may be a bit of a thorn in his side, anyone who 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:17.909 can gather a following is going to be worth noting. 00:09:18.570 --> 00:09:21.769 Because a following can very quickly become what? 00:09:22.230 --> 00:09:26.039 A rebellion. A revolt. And so he's taking note 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:28.419 of like, okay, I took care of John the Baptist 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:30.679 and his followers kind of disbanded, but now 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.139 there's this Jesus of Nazareth guy. It's like 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:35.860 he's the same guy over again, right? So this 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:37.799 is alluding to the fact that Jesus has a lot 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:40.519 of followers. What about Elijah? That's a pretty 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:43.480 common one. You see Elijah referenced because 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:47.159 Elijah was prophesied to return. that he would 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:49.679 return before the day of Yahweh, so to speak, 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:51.659 right? The day of tribulation, the day where 00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:54.159 Yahweh returned. So this was kind of a sign of 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.700 the return of God. And so they were always kind 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:58.299 of looking for, okay, who's the next Elijah? 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.480 What was it about Jesus that drew them towards 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:04.879 that conclusion? As a prophet, Elijah was known 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.379 for miracles. He was known for doing supernatural 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:10.799 things. He was known for doing these great deeds. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.779 And so these people are watching Jesus heal people, 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:15.639 walk on water, do all this stuff, and they're 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:18.720 saying, it's Elijah. It's just like Elijah. He 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:20.860 does this supernatural miracle stuff, must be 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:26.840 a connection. But what about Jeremiah? That is 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:29.179 such an odd choice, because Jeremiah hardly on 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:32.720 the Mount Rushmore of prophets, right? Well, 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:37.659 Jeremiah was known for calling out the shepherds 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:41.080 for not taking care of the sheep. Jeremiah was 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:43.580 known for calling out the religious leaders of 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:47.019 his day. And so, it's pretty obvious to see the 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:49.840 connection as they're watching Jesus stand up 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.419 against the Pharisees, against the Sadducees, 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:55.059 the Sanhedrin, etc. They're saying, this guy's 00:10:55.059 --> 00:10:58.399 like Jeremiah from scripture that we know. The 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.320 prophet who spoke against the religious institution 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:04.139 and how they were falling short. Okay, he's one 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:06.539 of those guys. And so what they're trying to 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:08.440 do is they're trying to figure out what kind 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:15.080 of Messiah Jesus is. Well then Jesus follows 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:16.620 up with the real question. He only asked the 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:19.059 first question to really give the second question. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:24.620 Who do you say that I am? And that you there, 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:27.500 we see Peter again, Mr. Uh -uh, pick me. Peter 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:29.840 responds, because he's always excited to respond, 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:33.610 but that you isn't singular, it's plural. If 00:11:33.610 --> 00:11:35.850 there was a new Texan version of the Bible, it'd 00:11:35.850 --> 00:11:39.090 be, who do y 'all say, or maybe even who do all 00:11:39.090 --> 00:11:44.330 y 'all say that I am? Right? Now, Peter does 00:11:44.330 --> 00:11:48.289 respond. He says, you are the Christ. Now, as 00:11:48.289 --> 00:11:50.889 Christians, we know what Christ means. It's Jesus' 00:11:51.110 --> 00:11:54.009 last name, right? Middle name H. Right? That's 00:11:54.009 --> 00:11:56.950 what it is. No. Christ, of course, as you know, 00:11:57.029 --> 00:12:00.230 is a title. It means the anointed one, the special 00:12:00.230 --> 00:12:04.299 one, the chosen one. Now, when it comes to our 00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:06.139 modern understanding of Christ, we recognize 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:10.639 we are Christ, Christians. And so we follow the 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:14.039 Christ. But in those times, Christ would have 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:17.139 been seen as potentially a political leader, 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.320 potentially somebody who would lead the people 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:23.700 of Israel. They have a long history of these 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:26.639 leaders rising to the top and leading them out 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:30.679 of tough situations. from Abraham to Moses to 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:33.879 Joseph to David. And essentially they're looking 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:37.779 for the next David. They're constantly looking 00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:40.539 for a Savior. This was seen in the book of Judges. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:43.059 This is seen in 1 and 2 Kings where they're constantly 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:45.720 looking for somebody to deliver them, for one 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:48.120 person to rise up. And so they're saying, Jesus, 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:51.139 you're special. Jesus, you gain this fall and 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:53.500 you teach in such eloquent ways. Clearly, you 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:55.779 are one of these great messiahs that we have 00:12:55.779 --> 00:12:59.289 had in the past. But Peter doesn't stop there. 00:13:00.389 --> 00:13:02.350 He goes on to say, you are the son of the living 00:13:02.350 --> 00:13:05.029 God, which is a great little dig, because remember, 00:13:05.049 --> 00:13:07.210 where they are is a very pagan area, probably 00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:09.870 lots of stone and wooden idols around them, and 00:13:09.870 --> 00:13:12.529 so he's saying, these guys, these gods aren't 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:14.409 going to move. They're not alive. You are the 00:13:14.409 --> 00:13:20.019 son of the living God. Right? And Jesus responds, 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:22.899 blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah, that's his 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:26.360 Jewish given name, bar meaning son of, son of 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.519 Jonah, or John, depending on your translation. 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:34.320 You are Peter, Petros, Cephas, and upon this 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.480 rock I will build the church. Now this has become 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:39.779 a bit of a controversial statement in the history 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:42.789 of the church. See, in the Catholic Church, when 00:13:42.789 --> 00:13:45.629 they say, Peter, upon this rock, I will build 00:13:45.629 --> 00:13:48.450 my church, they think that is literally Peter 00:13:48.450 --> 00:13:52.509 and Peter alone. It is this guy. And from that 00:13:52.509 --> 00:13:56.169 we get this theoretically unbroken lineage of 00:13:56.169 --> 00:13:59.250 the papacy, the popes. And they believe because 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:02.769 he gave this blessing to Peter that somehow Peter 00:14:02.769 --> 00:14:05.710 is more than the others. And thus they give the 00:14:05.710 --> 00:14:08.429 power and authority. to the Pope, but in the 00:14:08.429 --> 00:14:11.450 Protestant Church we go, hold on, in other spots 00:14:11.450 --> 00:14:14.389 Jesus gives the same power and authority to all 00:14:14.389 --> 00:14:19.309 the disciples. So why is Peter different? Well, 00:14:19.350 --> 00:14:21.230 we look at that and we say, well, what if he's 00:14:21.230 --> 00:14:23.169 not actually talking about Peter, this Petros 00:14:23.169 --> 00:14:26.129 that he's talking about, is this statement of 00:14:26.129 --> 00:14:28.850 faith? You are the Christ, the Son of the Living 00:14:28.850 --> 00:14:31.429 God. Jesus responds, you don't know this, you 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:33.330 haven't been seeing this, it's been exposed to 00:14:33.330 --> 00:14:36.370 you because God gave you that faith and it's 00:14:36.370 --> 00:14:39.610 upon that faith that I will build the church. 00:14:39.690 --> 00:14:43.470 It's upon that statement of trust in God's identity, 00:14:43.730 --> 00:14:48.509 trust in God's messianic prophecy. And so that's 00:14:48.509 --> 00:14:52.179 where the Protestant Church lands. But I think 00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:54.600 it's important for us in our modern time, some 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.399 2 ,000 years later, to look at that very question 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:03.460 that Jesus asked to His disciples, to the Church. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:14.149 To say that Jesus is. Because just as we saw 00:15:14.149 --> 00:15:15.570 in Jesus times, there were a lot of different 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:17.830 people who had different interpretations of how 00:15:17.830 --> 00:15:20.450 this Messiah would act. As we're going through 00:15:20.450 --> 00:15:22.850 the triumphal entry and all that, we saw that 00:15:22.850 --> 00:15:25.529 some thought he would be a military warrior who 00:15:25.529 --> 00:15:28.230 would literally, with sword and horse, lead the 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:31.169 way and drive out the Romans and restore land 00:15:31.169 --> 00:15:33.669 for Israel. Others believed he would be a political 00:15:33.669 --> 00:15:37.210 force, that he would use his eloquent speaking 00:15:37.210 --> 00:15:38.929 and the fact that he had this big following, 00:15:39.409 --> 00:15:41.570 that he would lead a political revolution. Others... 00:15:41.610 --> 00:15:43.509 just thought He was this great teacher that would 00:15:43.509 --> 00:15:46.190 help them to band together and unite. There are 00:15:46.190 --> 00:15:49.309 all these different interpretations. What about 00:15:49.309 --> 00:15:54.690 us now? How do you see Jesus? Who do you say 00:15:54.690 --> 00:16:01.409 that He is? Some of you may see Jesus as the 00:16:01.409 --> 00:16:04.610 leader of the church, the founder, the president 00:16:04.610 --> 00:16:08.740 of this particular club, right? that he should 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:11.220 be honored because he's kind of the central figure. 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:14.320 Not dissimilar to like Teddy Roosevelt in the 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.139 national parks, right? Like, oh, he deserves 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:18.779 a lot of credit for all of this. He's the founding 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:22.320 member of the Christian church. And it's all 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:26.080 about coming together in this club. Some of you 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:31.120 view Jesus as the judge of your morality. The 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:33.440 arbiter of right and wrong that he is the one 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:37.259 who will determine if on the big scales of cosmic 00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:40.100 justice You've done enough good to outweigh the 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:43.000 bad That he's just there to say whether you're 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:46.820 right or wrong Some of you just aren't sure about 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:49.299 this whole thing and maybe you've done enough 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:52.379 Historical research to know that that there was 00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:54.779 in fact and there's a lot of extra biblical evidence 00:16:54.779 --> 00:16:58.179 that there was a man named Jesus or Yeshua who 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:01.279 lived in Nazareth and had a great following and 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:05.700 seemingly performed some amazing deeds. And you 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:07.460 say, you know, I'm not sure about I buy the whole 00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:10.619 Son of God thing, but he seemed like a pretty 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:12.579 good teacher. I like when I read the Gospels 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:14.859 and what he's teaching and compassion for me. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.460 I can get behind that. He was a great teacher. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:23.759 And then my hope is because we're here in church 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.579 that the majority of you would look at Jesus. 00:17:27.309 --> 00:17:30.210 and see Him for what it records in Scripture, 00:17:30.269 --> 00:17:32.809 that He was the physical manifestation of an 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:37.730 eternal God. That He was Emmanuel, God with us. 00:17:38.250 --> 00:17:41.390 That He lived with the help of His fully God 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:45.630 side a perfect life. And then because of His 00:17:45.630 --> 00:17:49.769 fully man side was able to go to the cross as 00:17:49.769 --> 00:17:52.450 the perfect sacrifice to outweigh our own sins, 00:17:52.609 --> 00:17:58.759 to justify our sins, to set us free. And if that's 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:01.819 what you believe, that last one, that should 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:06.099 impact your life beyond just one hour on Sunday 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:10.940 morning. There are 168 hours in the week. It 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:15.680 should impact you for the other 167. Because 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.859 that changes everything. If we have an Emmanuel, 00:18:18.980 --> 00:18:21.279 a God who came down and was in the midst of us 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:23.700 and still showed compassion and mercy to even 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:25.839 the worst sinners that nobody else would talk 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:28.660 to, and then was willing to go to the cross for 00:18:28.660 --> 00:18:34.240 you, for me, for us, that should change everything. 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:36.119 That should change how you treat other people. 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:38.759 Right? Because if you've been forgiven your sins 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.660 by nothing that you've brought, then you should 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:44.019 be doing the same to others. As difficult as 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:47.890 that is. That should change everything because 00:18:47.890 --> 00:18:50.650 it means that you've been set free not by a great 00:18:50.650 --> 00:18:53.190 teacher two thousand years ago not by a political 00:18:53.190 --> 00:18:55.869 person who who said the right thing in a speech 00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:59.589 in a debate not by a military conquest who took 00:18:59.589 --> 00:19:05.029 out enemies temporarily but by God Himself Who 00:19:05.029 --> 00:19:10.170 is steadfast and abiding that changes everything 00:19:10.170 --> 00:19:13.390 that should become the core of your identity 00:19:15.309 --> 00:19:17.630 Which leads me to a question that isn't asked 00:19:17.630 --> 00:19:23.529 that perhaps we should also ask ourselves Jesus 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:27.009 says who do the people say that I am and then 00:19:27.009 --> 00:19:30.589 he says who do you say that I am? Perhaps we 00:19:30.589 --> 00:19:35.950 should ask who does God say I am Because we know 00:19:35.950 --> 00:19:37.970 what the people say about us we know what we 00:19:37.970 --> 00:19:43.710 say about ourselves We hear those labels Lazy 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:49.930 not fulfilling potential, overbearing, a bully, 00:19:52.049 --> 00:19:57.509 divisive. We hear those labels put on us constantly, 00:19:58.329 --> 00:20:01.329 but that is not the label of God. That is not 00:20:01.329 --> 00:20:03.529 who God sees us to be. That's what the people 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:06.829 say about us. But what does God say about you? 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:11.869 For you, He says, you are blessed. You are beloved. 00:20:12.930 --> 00:20:16.920 You are my child. You are my creation. No, no, 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:21.059 no. You are my masterpiece. Because in Genesis 00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:24.000 when God created the world each day He said and 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.519 it was good. But then when He created mankind 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:28.940 He said that it was very good because we are 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:34.720 His masterpiece. And yes, He sees the sin. But 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:39.039 He also sees the forgiveness. Yeah, He sees the 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:43.500 brokenness. And yet He mends us. He repairs us. 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:48.500 He restores us. He restores you. What does God 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:50.839 say about you? Stop listening to what the people 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:53.140 say about you. Stop listening to what the world 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.839 says about you. Stop listening to what you and 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:58.779 your sinful, angry self, stop listening to what 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:01.400 you say about you. Instead, listen to what God 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:08.420 says about you. We are unique. We each have our 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:11.140 story and our background. We each have our gifts, 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:15.920 right? And yet, we are the church. The Greek 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:20.400 word is ekklesia, which means called out. Not 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:23.259 called in. Not called to come and sing a couple 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:25.220 songs and sit in a bench for a little while and 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:27.339 then feel pretty good about life and off we go. 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:31.480 No, the ekklesia is called out into the world. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:37.230 Because we are the body of Christ. Christ, the 00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:40.529 anointed one, Christ, the Savior, Christ, the 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:42.950 one who would come to save the people, to pull 00:21:42.950 --> 00:21:45.509 them out of the suffering and struggle of this 00:21:45.509 --> 00:21:48.109 world, to place them on a firm foundation, to 00:21:48.109 --> 00:21:50.750 shine a light in the midst of the darkness. We 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:56.309 are the body of Christ. The Church is called 00:21:56.309 --> 00:22:01.079 to be that in this world. That is our collective 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:04.420 identity brought together solely by the faith 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:06.859 that we have. It's not our own faith. Boy, we 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:10.500 get so haughty and proud, don't we? We say, well, 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:12.319 I go to church every Sunday. At least I'm better 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:14.900 than that person. I'm a Christian. When I said 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:17.700 Christian and atheist, did you picture one as 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:21.700 better than the other? The only thing that separates 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:24.819 you from an atheist is the faith that God has 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:28.660 inspired within you. the Holy Spirit bringing 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:35.259 that faith to you. And we get to be united by 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:39.480 nothing else than that. So here now in this place, 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:41.660 we skipped the Apostles Creed earlier because 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:46.720 that is a statement of faith. That is the disciples 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:49.319 working together. That is the apostles working 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:51.559 together. That is the church working together, 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:54.660 united to proclaim, this is what we believe. 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:58.420 And that belief is the rock upon which the church 00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:01.900 is built. It is the rock upon which the body 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:08.000 of Christ exists. But let's do it a little different. 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:11.559 There in front of you, in your pews, except for 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:13.440 you guys in the front row, are some kneelers. 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:17.960 Go ahead and flip those down. We don't do this 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:22.640 often, but they're there. And I think it's important 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:27.859 for us to take a posture of humility. And kneeling 00:23:27.859 --> 00:23:31.359 is a stance of humility because we need to recognize 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:35.359 that the faith that we have is not because of 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:41.180 us. The salvation we have is not because of us. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:45.339 And so we take a posture of humility. If you're 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:51.559 able, kneel. If you're not sure about this whole 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:53.000 thing and you're like, whoa, this is some weird 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:54.960 cult behavior, that's okay. You can stay in your 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:57.480 seat. That's perfectly fine. We won't judge you. 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:02.119 I promise. But let's kneel before our God in 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:06.279 a posture of humility and confess together our 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:08.900 Apostles' creed, the creed, what we believe. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:13.640 Together we profess... I believe in God, the 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:17.500 Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:20.839 in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:24.059 was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:27.700 Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:30.819 crucified, died, and was buried. He descended 00:24:30.819 --> 00:24:34.160 into hell. The third day he rose again from the 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:37.519 dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:40.549 right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From 00:24:40.549 --> 00:24:43.029 thence He will come to judge the living and the 00:24:43.029 --> 00:24:46.710 dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy 00:24:46.710 --> 00:24:50.009 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the 00:24:50.009 --> 00:24:52.710 forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the 00:24:52.710 --> 00:24:56.589 body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Go ahead 00:24:56.589 --> 00:25:00.609 and move back to your seat. This is the faith 00:25:00.609 --> 00:25:03.849 that we have. This is the faith that draws us 00:25:03.849 --> 00:25:07.319 here. This is the faith... that unites us. And 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:10.440 we humbly approach our God knowing that that 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:13.960 faith is what saves us through Jesus Christ. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:16.759 It is not our own, but it is His. It is a free 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:21.059 gift of grace. Let that be who God says you are. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:27.240 A beloved, redeemed, forgiven, and saved child 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.859 of God. Amen.