If you would please turn to the gospel of Luke chapter 9. We read beginning with verse 18 down to the 22nd verse, Luke chapter 9 verse 18. Now it happened that as He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him. And He asked them, who do the crowds say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist, but others say Elijah and others that one of the prophets of old has risen. Then he said to them, but who do you say that I am? And Peter answered, the Christ of God. And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one saying, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. Let's go to our God together and ask His blessing on our time and His Word. Lord, I am thankful and joyful that I have the privilege this morning to tell of my Savior, to tell of your Son, to tell of the Lord Jesus. And I pray that you would powerfully work both in me as I preach this morning, in my mind, in my heart. Lord, let me worship you well as I declare your word. and be at work in each of us as we listen, that we would, Lord, engage Your Word with our minds and we would have open hearts, eager and ready to receive and to learn, and then to decide and to live in light of what we hear. And in that way, Lord, we ask, bless Your church. But we also ask, save the lost and bring your elect into your family and kingdom through the preaching of your gospel, the gospel of your Son. We will thank you for what you accomplish in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, the question was becoming more and more commonplace. Who is this? And as a result, speculation was commonplace. Who is this? Who is this that raises the dead son of a widow from the dead in Nain? Who is this that in the house of Simon the Pharisee declares the sins of a woman forgiven? Who is this who with His Word calms the winds in the sea? Who is this? Who is this man? And in terms of what the crowds were saying, what the people were saying, we've already heard it voiced earlier in Luke chapter 9 when Luke 9, 7 says, Now Herod the Tatriarch heard about all that was happening and he was perplexed. Because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen." Who is this? Is it John the Baptist? Is it Elijah? Is it one of the prophets of old? That question is still commonplace. At least opinions about the question are still commonplace. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Who was He? Did He actually exist? If He did exist, how do we understand Him? Those things are still being talked about in our society today. And that question is one that you have to answer. That question is of supreme importance for every person in this room right now. What do you say about that? Who do you say that Jesus was? Who do you say that Jesus is? Most of these people did not understand the gravity of the question they were asking, but I want you to understand the gravity of it. I want you to understand that your eternal destiny is determined by how you answer it. And the most important thing about your answer is whether or not your answer agrees with God. Whether or not your answer agrees with the truth, if I ask you who is Jesus, who do you believe that He is, will your answer agree with God? Will your answer agree with the truth? Now I have good news for you this morning. God has not left it up to you to discover the answer to that question. Don't you love it when God gives a test and supplies the answers? Right? I like tests like that. Here's your test and here's the answer key. You can pass that test, can't you? So the test is, who is, who was, who is Jesus? And God has given us the answer key. All you have to do to know the true identity and nature of Jesus of Nazareth is to believe the Bible because the Bible gives us the answer. The Old Testament Scriptures prepare us to receive the truth about Jesus. The angels announced who He is. Before he was conceived, at the time of his birth, they gave us the answer. Prophets who were living at the time that he was born gave testimony to his true identity. John the Baptist was his forerunner. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John the Baptist told the world who this Jesus is. At his baptism, the Holy Spirit of God more witness to the true identity of Jesus as the Christ. Throughout his life and ministry, there were times that even Satan and demons gave voice to the true identity of Jesus. We know who you are, they would say, and they would identify him publicly. God the Father, on more than one occasion, announces from heaven in a way that is audible This is my beloved Son." As we will see soon in Luke chapter 9, we'll study the transfiguration. And there the Father says, this is my Son, listen to Him, listen to Him. And so there the identity of Jesus is made known to us. The words and works of Jesus make His identity clear. No one ever spoke like this man speaks. No one has ever done what this man does. Even some who were involved in his crucifixion gave voice to his true identity. One of them, hanging on a cross beside him, asked that Jesus would remember him when he came into his kingdom. And Jesus said to that man, truly, truly today you will be with me in paradise. And even a soldier who just beholds and looks at how this man dies, acknowledges that he is truly the Son of God. Those who were closest to Jesus, those who spent the most time with Jesus, those who had more opportunity to see if there had been any hypocrisy, anything lying about the man, anything false about him, they would have seen it and yet they give testimony in these gospel accounts to the true identity of Jesus. John writes in John 20 verse 30, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name. But if all of that were not enough, if you're looking for the answer, just listen to Jesus Himself. He tells us, doesn't He? John 8.58, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. And they took up stones to stone Him because they understood very clearly that He was claiming to be equal with God, claiming to be God in human flesh. John 6.38, Jesus said, for I have come down from heaven. What ordinary man could say that? I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me. John 3.13, no one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And then John 10.30, Jesus said, I and the Father are one. We've come to a very strategic place in Luke's account of the life and death and resurrection of Christ, Luke's account of the person of Christ. We've come to a strategic position. We've come to the place where now Peter is going to give voice to the disciples' understanding of the person of Christ. It is strategic as you look backwards because we've just finished looking at Christ feed the multitudes. He fed the five thousand. And the question is, now who is this? Who is this that could do such a thing? What conclusion are we to draw from what He's just done? But also when we get down to the 51st verse of this chapter, we will see that Christ is now turning His attention to Jerusalem. He's about six months away from the cross. And it is vital that His men begin to understand not only who He is, but what He has come to accomplish. Not only the truth about His person, but the truth about His passion, about His mission. And so Christ is beginning to prepare them for what's going to happen to Him and for what's going to happen to them. And they won't get it all, they won't understand it all on this side of the cross. But all of this instruction will be used by the Holy Spirit after the crucifixion, after the resurrection, it will be brought back to their remembrance and things will begin to make sense. This is...this is needful, this is necessary, this is important, this work of preparation that Jesus is doing in the lives of His men. Now notice, we begin this morning in the eighteenth verse with a purposeful question. The Bible says, now it happened that as He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him. Let's just stop there for a moment. He's praying alone. Well in the sense that He and His disciples now are away from the multitudes. They're away from the crowds. Christ is not absolutely alone. His disciples are with Him. Perhaps this time of prayer has been one where He's moved away to some private place. But He and the disciples are there. Perhaps even Christ has been praying with them. The Bible doesn't tell us. But as we see again and again in these gospel accounts, before Christ makes some major decision, or before there is some major lesson that is being taught, often we see Him in prayer to the Father. And that's just a great reminder to us that if Christ lived His life in prayer, in communion with the Father, how much more should we be in prayer? about all the decisions we have to make, about all the things that we're involved with in life, how we should be devoted to prayer. The Son of God sets an example for us in that way. And I don't doubt that He's been praying for these men. He's about to ask a very important question, a very strategic question, and no doubt He's been praying for their faith and praying for their understanding. So He asks them a question. after prayer. And here it is, he says, who do the crowds say that I am? And in Luke's gospel, that Greek word translated crowds is used of the unbelieving masses that follow Christ. The masses following the Son of God, they have an interest in the Son of God, they're attracted to Him, they have opinions about Him, but they've not yet come to truly understand who He is and to believe in Him. But what is the popular opinion out there about me? That's what he's asking. What is sort of the popular consensus as the multitudes attempt to figure out and understand who I am and what I'm saying and what I'm doing? What do the people say about me? Who do they say that I am? And so the disciples answer him and they say this, John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah. And others, that one of the prophets of old has risen. I think it's instructive that Christ could ask this question and His men would know the answer. I know it's obvious, but it's a good reminder that Jesus and His men did not isolate themselves from the multitude. Right? They're out there. They're amongst the people. In fact, this time of being alone is a rare thing. They seek for it. They strive for it. More than once they've attempted to be alone but were not able because of the multitudes following Jesus. Truth does not need a vacuum to exist. Truth has no need to isolate itself from the world in order to do its work. The truth is to be out there in the midst of the culture, engaging the culture in the lives of God's people. Christ and His men were so exposed to the crowds that when Jesus asked His men what is the popular view of Him, His men could easily tell Him. I just want to ask you this morning, can you tell me what the popular views of Jesus are in our culture? Are you engaged enough with lost humanity? That you're aware of the opinions and the ideas and the philosophies that are floating around about Jesus. Do you have an awareness of that? Could you give us an answer this morning? If I ask you, what do the multitudes say about Jesus? Could you give us an answer? Well His men could. Some say John the Baptist. Some say Elijah. Some say one of the prophets of the ancients who has risen. Now a few things I want to point out about the popular view of Jesus at this time. One, I want you to notice that the consensus is that He was definitely someone who was extraordinary. Right? Each one of those answers represents something extraordinary. The people believe that John the Baptist was a prophet sent by God. Obviously Elijah they understood to be a prophet sent by God. Or one of the prophets of the ancients, one of the old prophets, risen. So they all agree Jesus was someone who was extraordinary. I think it's very important for those who would mock Christ today, for those who would sort of suggest that Jesus was just a, you know, self-interested huckster who was sort of deceiving people. No, even from the mouths of those who had not yet understood who He was or believed in who He was, even they had to admit this is no ordinary man. In fact, some had even tried already to make Him king after He fed the multitudes. John 6.15, perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. Which, by the way, that kind of undercuts the idea that He was some sort of rip-off artist, doesn't it? I mean, if what you're wanting to do is win approval for yourself and now they're ready to make you king? Why would you withdraw from that? Why would you refuse that if that was your interest? So they all agree He's extraordinary. But not only extraordinary, they also in these answers clearly understood that there's something supernatural about Him. Because if this is John the Baptist, come back from the dead, that's supernatural. If this is Elijah... appearing again, that's supernatural. If this is one of the prophets of old who has risen, that's supernatural. He's not just extraordinary, but there's something supernatural about this man. Also notice that each of the possibilities offered represents a prophet. Jesus was understood to be a preacher. He was understood to be someone who communicated the truth of God. And all the possibilities offered were men who were believed to be authentic servants of God. The crowds believed that John the Baptist was for real. Obviously Elijah was for real. One of the prophets of old, they would be for real. So the crowds saw Jesus as authentic, a prophet, extraordinary, supernatural. And Jesus was indeed the prophet, the consummate prophet. So their answers here are not inaccurate necessarily in terms of seeing Him as a prophet, but they are inadequate by themselves because He's more than a prophet. This is the Son of God. This is God in human flesh. This is God. This is Emmanuel with us, God with us. Now ask yourself a question. How could these people, how could these multitudes of people see what they saw, hear what they heard, and not conclude that Jesus was the Christ? Why would they stop short of that? Why would they see Him as a prophet, someone extraordinary, even the supernatural is attached to Him, but they don't confess Him as the Messiah? Why? Well again, God supplies us with the answer. Jesus supplies us with the answer. I want you to look over to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. Why? Do the multitudes not confess what Peter is about to confess? And there are two reasons that Jesus brings to our attention. And the same two reasons explain the popular opinion of Jesus in our culture. That is among those who take Jesus seriously, among those who would say He actually existed and lived and that there was something extraordinary about His life. But they don't say He is the Son of God. They don't say He's God incarnate. They don't say He's the only Savior given to mankind. They don't say He was the Messiah. How could that be that you would stop short given who Jesus was, what He said, what He did? How could you stop short? Well, listen to what Jesus said in John 12 beginning with verse 34. Actually let's begin with verse 32. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself. He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. So the crowd answered Him, We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? This is coming from the crowd. So Jesus said to them, the light is among you for a little while longer. While you have the light, walk rather, walk while you have the light lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, get this, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. What's wrong with the crowds? I'll tell you what's wrong. They just don't believe. It's not that he's not saying it, it's not that it's not clear, it's not that it's not evident, they just don't believe. At work in lost humanity is this stubbornness that belongs to blindness, that belongs to unbelief. To say it another way, we can say it this way, men don't see what they are unwilling to see. They don't see what they're not willing to see. So that even what is evident, set before their eyes, they deny it because they don't have any moral desire for it. They love darkness. They love sin. Christ is light. But they don't come to the light lest their evil deeds be exposed. And so they reject the light and explain away the light in their sinful blind unbelief. End of verse 36, this is why Jesus does what He does. When Jesus had said these things, He departed and hid Himself from them. What is that? That is judicial distancing. It is an act of judgment on the part of Christ based on their rejection of light. In fact, notice the next verse, though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, Lord, who has believed what He heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, for again Isaiah said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them." Light set before them, they don't want to see it, so God in an act of judgment shuts off the light and hardens their heart. And it is just what God has done because they had the light right there in their midst, despite all that they saw, they were unwilling to see. They did not want to see and therefore God said, You will not see. But that's not the only reason that Jesus gives. He continues. Verse 41, Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him, nevertheless, Many even of the authorities believed in Him, but for fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." Did you get that? Why do people reject Christ? Sinful unbelief. and tied to that the foolish priorities that belong to unbelief. You see, I can even perceive just intellectually who Jesus really was and is, but not confess Him with genuine faith and not follow Him with genuine faith because I count the things of this world to have greater value to me than Him. I would rather be accepted by my friends than follow Him and have Him. I would rather be accepted by my family than to follow Him and to have Him. I'd rather have a better paying job than to have Him and to follow Him. So that even when people have an intellectual awareness of who Jesus really is, they don't follow Jesus because they're afraid of what they might lose if they do follow Him. Verse 44, and Jesus cried out and said, whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And whoever sees Me, sees Him who sent Me. I have come into the world as light so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness, if anyone hears My words. and does not keep them, I do not judge him for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge." Get this, the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. I mean, the very light that you were exposed to and walked away from, either because you didn't believe it or because though you believed it intellectually, you would not commit your life to Christ for fear of men. Either way, that revelation, that light from God will be your judge. Here it was. You heard it. You were exposed to it. You knew it, but you didn't receive it. Verse 49, for I have not spoken on my own authority but the Father who sent me has given...has Himself given me a commandment what to say and what to speak and I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me. You reject Christ, you reject God. You reject Christ, you reject God's testimony. Let's look back at our text, Luke chapter 9. So, there's this purposeful question on the part of Christ. He's heading somewhere with this. He's aiming at something with the question that he asks, who do the crowds say that I am? And his men are able to give the answer. John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets of old who's risen. Now we get to a personal question. Verse 20, then He said to them...you see, Christ doesn't even deal with what the crowds are saying. He didn't ask the question because He didn't already know this. He asked the question because He wants to set that up, the answer of the multitudes up in great contrast to what His people must believe about Him. This is what the world says about Jesus, but now personal question, verse 20, then He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Who do you say that I am? And by the way, in the Greek text, you is emphatic, you. Who do you say that I am? And I want to make it as personal this morning as Jesus did with these men. I want you not to think about the person behind you, or in front of you, or beside you. This morning on the authority of God's Word, I'm asking you, who do you say Jesus was and is. What is your answer? This question is designed to confirm what God has already done in the hearts of these men. This question is designed to prepare them for what He's going to teach them in just a moment about His mission. It's not enough just to confess Jesus as the Messiah, you have to understand what the Messiah was sent into the world to accomplish. You not only need a right perception of His person, you need a right perception of His mission. Who do you say that Jesus was and is? Thank God for Peter. He wasn't silent, was He? And He wasn't timid. He was always ready to put himself out there. He might be wrong, and he was oftentimes. But he was real. And as the leader among these men and as the spokesman, he answers. Peter answered, the Christ of God, that's who you are, the Christ of God. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One, the One promised throughout the history of redemption, the forever King over God's people, the One who will save His people from their sins. Take everything that the Old Testament prophesied concerning the Messiah, Peter says, that's who you are. That's who you are. This answer is in contrast to popular opinion, isn't it? It goes beyond popular opinion, not just a prophet, not just an extraordinary man, not even someone that there's something supernatural about him, just in general terms. No, you are the Christ of God. And that's what characterizes a genuine believer, willing to hold to the truth about Jesus, right in the face of popular opinion. Even when you know that popular opinion is hostile to the true answer of who Jesus is, the true believer is willing to stand up boldly and be identified with the truth about Jesus. This is an affirmation of His true identity. despite the fact that from a purely human vantage point, it must have seemed so very bold as it was. Jesus, a carpenter, the son of a carpenter. I mean, we know His father and mother, His brothers and sisters. We know this guy. He's from Nazareth. The Messiah? I mean, nothing about Jesus from a purely human point of view that would have said He has these great earthly credentials and He's the Messiah? He's not even accepted by the religious leaders of our people, but you're willing to say He is the Messiah? He is the Christ? That's what Peter said. And he was right. Jesus doesn't rebuke him for that, does He? Jesus doesn't say, oh wait, you have overestimated who I am. No, He's spoken the truth. And He speaks it in a way that recognizes Christ's relationship to the Father. He is the Christ of God, the chosen one of God, the one sent by the Father, the one anointed by the Father, the one chosen by the Father for this role. You're the Christ of God. Now we ask the question, why do the crowds stop short of this confession? But let's go to the other side of the issue and ask, how was it that Peter knew this answer? When the crowds are saying, John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets of old, how is it that Peter is able to say on behalf of the other disciples, you are the Christ of God? The Lord supplies the answer key. We don't have to wonder. Matthew 16, 17, in the parallel account of this, after Peter gives his answer, Jesus says to him, blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Peter, you didn't get this because some Mere mortal revealed it to you nor did you get this based upon your own abilities But the reason why you understand who I am is my father has taught it to you He has revealed it to you In fact this becomes plain doesn't it right there in the midst of these disciples I Mean someone might be able to say well now wait a second Here's why Peter got it because he got to see things that the rest of the crowds didn't necessarily get to see He was in on some of those discussions that Jesus had with His small group that He didn't have with the multitudes. He was able to be within that realm of personal influence. Christ spent more time with these men than He did with the crowds. Maybe that's why Peter and the disciples grasped this. No, we know that's not the case. Even without Jesus telling us that's not the case, we know that's not the case. How do we know that? Because there's one right there in that same company, one who has been with Him like Peter and John and all the others, one who has seen and heard and been there for the influence of Christ, but he still doesn't get it. He still doesn't believe. He will not believe. In fact, he will perish in unbelief. And his name is Judas Iscariot. He's had as much exposure to Christ as anybody and yet he doesn't get it. How do you explain anyone having a right understanding of Christ? Answer, the Holy Spirit of God must reveal Him to you. The Father must teach you the truth about His Son in a personal, effectual way. Blessed are you, Simon. Son of Jonah, because flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you, but my Father did who is in heaven. Christian, put away all of your pride, glory and the fact that you know God's Son because God has been merciful to you. God has been gracious to you. You are blessed. Because flesh and blood didn't reveal it to you, but God the Father revealed it to you by the work of the Spirit of God. I wonder sometimes, just in my mind's eye, I wonder how Peter reacted when he got things right. You know, he got so much wrong. I wonder how he must have felt. You're the Christ of God. Yes, he is. But now Jesus does something that just doesn't seem to make sense. Verse 21, and He strictly charged and commanded them. Two different Greek words, one translated strictly charged. Sometimes it's translated rebuked. I mean, it's a strong word. So there's a sternness to what Jesus does here. He sternly commands them. You are to tell no one the truth of what you've just confessed. Why? Why would Jesus tell them not to tell? Now obviously, after His death and burial and resurrection and ascension, this would be their business for the rest of their lives, to tell the whole world what Peter just confessed. But why not now? Well let me offer some reasons. As the next statement of Christ will, I think, make clear, one reason He doesn't want them to tell now is because they need additional understanding. They know who He is, but have they grasped what He's come to do? What do they think of when they think Messiah? What do they understand when they think Christ? You can have right knowledge, genuine knowledge, supernaturally imparted knowledge and still need more information. And right now these men are not equipped and ready to preach the fullness of this message because they don't have it yet. They don't understand it yet. In addition, if they went and declared this now publicly, hey, He's the Messiah. The crowds who would hear that would respond based on their misunderstanding. They were ready to crown him king just because they had been fed. They were looking for a political leader, one who would deliver them from the bondage of Rome. They didn't think Savior in the sense of spiritual salvation so much as they thought deliverer in the political and social realm. And also, to go out and declare this in a way that Christ is forbidding, it could perhaps bring him into some premature conflict. Soon enough, the conflict will come. He's not avoiding it. They won't arrest him out there somewhere out in the, you know, wilderness trying to hide from the religious leaders. or the political ones, no, Christ is going to go straight to Jerusalem, right into the heart of the lion's den. He's going to come face to face with those who hate Him the most. It's just not time yet. There's something they need to know. He strictly charged them and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying... See, this is a part of why not. The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised." Each of those action words are in the passive voice. Christ is receiving what is going to be done. He will receive suffering. Great suffering. He's going to suffer many things at the hands of men. He's going to be rejected. It's an interesting word. It's a word that has to do with submitting something to a test and then it is found to be inferior or spurious. And so the idea is He's going to be examined by a court and they're going to reject Him. The court is given to us by Christ. He's going to be examined by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, the Sanhedrin. He's going to be examined by the leaders of the people of Israel and they're going to say, no, we reject Him. And then, and this must have been shocking to their ears, in fact, we know it was because in the parallel account, remember, Peter is rebuked for his response to what Jesus says here. He says to Jesus, in effect, you are not going to die. And what does Christ say to him? Get behind me, Satan. He says, I'm going to be killed. They're going to kill me. Suffer at the hands of men. Rejected at the hands of men. Crucified at the hands of men. But notice, on the third day, be raised. That's also passive. God is going to raise him. rejected by men, demonstrated by God to be exactly who Peter said that Jesus is. God will demonstrate that He is the Messiah. God will demonstrate that this is My Son. God will demonstrate that He is the only Savior given to mankind. God will demonstrate that He is Emmanuel, God with us. God will demonstrate that Jesus is everything He claimed to be and everything the Bible claims that He is. God will demonstrate this by raising Him from the dead. And do you notice a very important word in verse 22? It's the word must. These things must happen. The Son of Man must suffer many things. He must be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes. He must be killed and He must be raised from the dead. Why must these things happen? Because this is God's plan. This is what Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost. He preaches this responsibility of man, you crucified Him with wicked hands. This one whom God predetermined would suffer in this way. This is God's plan but you're responsible for your sin and wickedness. This is God's way that sinners will be reconciled to Himself but you're a sinner. And if you don't repent of your sins and trust in the Christ, you will perish. and pay forever for your sins." All of this is on purpose and all of this on the part of Christ is voluntary. He knows in advance where all of this is heading and yet He goes there. He knows in advance all that's going to happen to Him and yet He goes there. Look at verse 51, Luke 9 verse 51, when the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. No man takes his life, he lays it down voluntarily. So let me close this morning by asking you two questions. What does this world say about Jesus? What does this world right now say about Jesus? The unbelieving multitudes, the unbelieving crowds, what do they say about Him? Some say He never existed. Some say if He did exist, what we have in the Bible is an exaggeration of who He was, a mythical tale of who He was. Some say that the Bible gives a fair representation of who He was, but it also gives the disciples misunderstanding of who He was, and perhaps even Christ's own misunderstanding of who He was. Some say he was a good man. Some say he was a prophet. Some even say he was a deceiver. But I want to ask you something. Who do you say he was? Who do you say he is? And as I ask that, there are two groups in this room that I address that question to. I address it to people like Peter, believers. that right now you would stand up in this room and you would say to me, I know who He is, He is the Christ of God. I have a question for you. Does your life look like you believe that? Listen, folks, if He's the Christ of God and we are the people who believe that, what manner of people should we be? How should our lives be lived? We know He's the Christ of God, and there's a world around us dying. You know He's the Christ of God? How do you never tell your neighbor? How do you never tell that person just one workstation away from you? How do you not fill this city with your doctrine if you know He's the Christ? And so before you stand and say with your lips, He's the Christ of God, I want to ask you, do you believe in your heart that He's the Christ of God? And does your life say you know He's the Christ of God? And then anyone in this room who has yet to confess Him from your heart, as the Christ of God. Would you believe the light this morning? Would you believe what you've heard today? Would you respond to Christ with a genuine faith that says you are the Son of God who has been raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, alive right now, able to save me forever. I come to you for who you are and I give you me. I don't deserve you. I'm amazed that you would receive me. But I look to you for the forgiveness of all of my sins based upon what you did for sinners on a cross, their suffering as a substitute for all who would put their faith and trust in you. I come to you, no strings attached, nothing held in reserve. I lose my life to have you. You are the pearl of great price. You are the treasure hidden in the field. You are worth more than life itself. Would you believe? Would you cry out to Him? Would you trust in Him today? Or will you say, you know, He's an interesting guy? Or maybe you would say, I believe that, but I have too much to lose. I exhort you, trust with all your heart and with all your life in this Jesus who is, the Christ of God. Let's bow together for prayer. Lord, we love you and we thank you that we do because that is the result of your work in our hearts. We confess that by nature we were children deserving of your wrath. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were blind. We walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit at work and the sons of disobedience. That's who we all were. But because you are rich in mercy, by your grace, you raised us up together with your son and you have made us alive. And now we love you. Thank you. for having mercy upon us. Awaken us, Lord, to who we are in Christ and what our calling is in this world. Awaken us to the true nature of life in this world. Awaken us to the opportunities we have to tell the truth about our Savior and grant us the boldness to do it well. We ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen.