“Who Do You Say?” 9-10-23

Overview

"Who Do You Say That I Am?"

In the district of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus pressed His disciples with two questions—first about public opinion, then about personal conviction. To "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" the disciples reported the popular guesses: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Each answer, though respectful, fell short, treating Jesus merely as a forerunner of the Messiah rather than the Messiah Himself. Then came the sharper question: "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered rightly: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus declared this confession to be revealed by the Father, and upon this very confession He would build His church Matthew 16:13-18.

Yet in the very next breath, when Jesus foretold His suffering, death, and resurrection, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him: "God forbid it, Lord!" Jesus replied with stern words: "Get behind me, Satan… you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" Matthew 16:21-23. The same Peter who confessed Christ rightly was now refashioning Christ wrongly—shaping a Messiah who would not suffer, a Jesus more agreeable to his own expectations. It is the old sin of Israel at Sinai, who, when Moses delayed, melted their gold and declared, "Here is your God" Exodus 32. When God seems slow or strange, the human heart reaches for clay and hammer.

We are tempted toward the same idolatry. We fashion a Jesus who functions like a genie, obligated to grant our wishes if we muster enough faith. We mold a god tolerant of our sin, willing to wink at what is unholy. We craft a teacher we may critique and edit, or a Lord content with the leftovers of our lives, compartmentalized and kept at arm's length. When God will not behave according to our design, we grow angry at Him for failing to be the god we made. Left to ourselves, we will consistently give the wrong answer to Jesus' question.

But our Lord meets this idol-making with compassion. The Gospels repeatedly record that Jesus "had compassion" on the crowds, the grieving, and the harassed and helpless (Matthew 9:36; Luke 7:13). He knows us thoroughly—our sitting and rising, our words before they form Psalm 139—including our proclivity to remake Him. And He bore that very sin, our idol-making included, to the cross to forgive us and restore the relationship. Through His inerrant and infallible Word 2 Timothy 3:16, He keeps telling us who He truly is—gracious, merciful, just, holy, and almighty—birthing in us, again and again, the right answer to His question. Repent of every redefinition. Receive the Christ He reveals Himself to be. And confess with Peter: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Transcript

We'll open up your Bibles Please with me for our time of study today. 3s

To the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, if you are using a few edition of Holy 7s

Scripture, you're going to find that on page 15 in the new Testament. 13s

Matthew the 16th chapter for our study today. 18s

40,000. 23s

40,000. 27s

That's the number of questions that a Harvard study revealed that the average child 30s

between the ages two and five will ask. 38s

40,000 questions. 44s

Why questions abound throughout our life? 50s

Don't we? 54s

There are some questions that are closed and some questions that are open. 55s

For example, a closed question, it doesn't really involve too much of an answer. 60s

You can typically answer it with one word. 66s

For example, did you have a good day? 70s

Open question is, so what did you do today? 74s

You see that requires more verbint to answer. 84s

Doesn't it? 88s

Most of Jesus' questions that he asked were open. 89s

Involking them a response. 98s

We begin today a new sermon series. 102s

And over the next several months, we're going to examine each week some of the questions that 106s

are Lord asked. 113s

So, closed question. 117s

Are you ready? 121s

Okay, let's get to work. 124s

In the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read in verse 13. 125s

Now when Jesus came into the district of Cessaria, Philippi, he asked his disciples. 132s

Who do people say that the Son of Man is? 138s

The reference here to people is Jesus is asking, what are the Jews? 143s

That's the people that he is referring to. 147s

What are the Jews saying about him? 150s

Son of Man is the most popular and used designation with regard to the Messiah. 153s

It is used some 80 times in the New Testament. 160s

It was Jesus' favorite designation with regard to himself. 164s

And so, he asked the question, who do people say that the Son of Man is? 169s

It's not that Jesus needs to be informed here of anything. 174s

He wants to people to verbalize it. 178s

Then comes the responses. 183s

And they said some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 186s

There were those that believed that Jesus was John the Baptist reincarnated to announce the coming of the Messiah. 196s

Same thing about Elijah. 205s

There were those that believed that Jesus was reincarnated, Elijah, to announce the coming of the Messiah. 208s

There were also those that believed that he was Jeremiah come again because some believed that before the Messiah would come, Jeremiah would come back. 216s

And would bring the ark of the covenant and the altar into the temple. 227s

And there were others that thought he was one of the prophets. 233s

Here's the commonality in all of their responses. 238s

In all of their responses, it was the belief here that Jesus was the forerunner of the Messiah to come. 241s

Verse 15. 255s

He said to them, 259s

But who do you say that I am? 262s

Now it's become quite pointed. 269s

The question calling for response. 274s

Verse 16, Simon Peter answered, 278s

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 281s

And Peter gets it. 290s

Right. 296s

For all of Peter's problems, 299s

He kneels it here. 304s

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 309s

Jesus is the anticipated Messiah. 316s

He's the Son of the living God. 319s

He is God in the flesh. 321s

And Jesus responds in verse 17, 324s

And Jesus answered him, 327s

Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah, 329s

For a flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, 332s

But my father in heaven, 336s

And I tell you you are Peter, 339s

And on this rock, 341s

I will build my church, 342s

And the gates of Haiti will not prevail against it. 344s

The very confession of Peter that Jesus is the Messiah, 351s

The Son of the living God, 355s

That very confession is the rock, 358s

The foundation upon which the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be built. 362s

Peter gets it. 371s

But, 383s

In Exodus the 32nd chapter, 388s

Moses has gone up to the mountain, 394s

Sinai, to receive the 10 commandments. 395s

Moses doesn't come back down in accordance with the timetable of the people. 399s

So, Scripture tells us what did the people do. 406s

But they started to gather their gold, 411s

They melted the gold down, 413s

And they built a golden cap, 416s

And said, 420s

Here is your gods. 421s

What they did, you see, 427s

When who knows what happened to Moses, 429s

Who knows where God is, 431s

They just molded their own God. 433s

They fashioned it with their hands. 439s

And this was their version of God. 445s

That is certainly not the only example of that that we see in Holy Scripture. 453s

His notice what the Scripture says, 461s

Just a few verses down from our text for today. 463s

Verse 21. 467s

From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples 470s

That He must go to Jerusalem 475s

And undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders in chief priests and scribes, 477s

And be killed, 484s

And on the third day, 485s

Be raised, this is the passion prediction, isn't it? 487s

Let us verse 22. 491s

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, 494s

Saying, 499s

God forbid it, Lord, 500s

This must never happen to you. 503s

Now do you see that in your mind's eye? 509s

This is the very one 513s

Who has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah 515s

That Jesus is God in the flesh. 521s

He's just confessed it. 528s

And what does He do? 533s

He takes Jesus a side. 536s

And then what does He do? 545s

The very one that He has confessed is the Messiah, 549s

The Son of the living God, 553s

God in the flesh, 554s

The very one that He has made that confession about. 555s

Scripture says He does what? 560s

He reputes Him. 564s

He takes Him aside 569s

to strengthen Him out. 573s

What's he doing? 581s

He's his fashioning, 584s

His own version of Jesus, 587s

fashioning, 593s

Now with his hands over his thoughts, 594s

and with his words, 596s

His fashioning, 598s

His own Messiah, 600s

because He cannot conceive of a Messiah 603s

that would suffer and die. 606s

So He fashions His own. 610s

What's the response of Jesus verse 23? 617s

But He turned and said, 619s

The Peter, 621s

Get behind me, Satan. 621s

You are a stumbling block to me. 623s

For you're sitting your mind, 625s

not on divine things, 627s

but on human things. 629s

Jesus rebukes Peter. 633s

For what He's doing. 637s

Fashioning, 640s

Jesus, 642s

to His own. 644s

Like Him. 646s

You... 650s

Love it. 651s

We are tempted to do the same thing. 655s

We're tempted to do the same thing. 659s

We're tempted to want Jesus to be like a 667s

a Jeannie in a bottle. 672s

And so we fashion Him with our thoughts, 676s

with our words into one. 681s

Who will give us not only our three wishes, 685s

but will give us whatever it is that we desire. 688s

And when God doesn't act, 695s

the way we have fashioned Him, 697s

irony of irony, 700s

we can angry at Him. 703s

For not acting, 707s

how we have fashioned Him, 708s

to act, 712s

we are tempted. 715s

We're tempted to think that God doesn't forgive all of our sin. 719s

And so we fashion Him into one, 725s

who accepts even in the smallest of ways, 729s

our works, 733s

that contribute then in our own minds to the healing 736s

of the broken relationship, 740s

and we mold Him. 743s

How we think who should be? 746s

We are tempted. 750s

We're tempted to not want to repent of all of our sin. 753s

And so we fashion Him. 760s

We fashion Him into one, 763s

who is tolerant of sin. 766s

Maybe gives us a wink and says, 769s

everybody falls short. 772s

We fashion Him into a God who is less than holy. 775s

We fashion Him with our words, with our thoughts. 781s

We are tempted to want to be in control. 788s

We want to be in control. 791s

And so we fashion Him. 794s

We fashion Him into one, 797s

then that will be obligated to answer our prayers 799s

if we drum up enough faith. 803s

And so we tell ourselves, 807s

if we drum up enough faith in God, 808s

you are obligated to answer 810s

the very prayer that I've made 812s

and we fashion Him. 815s

We are tempted to want to keep Him at an arms, 817s

blank and so we can fashion Him. 822s

Into a teacher that's just like every other teacher. 826s

That we can critically examine what the teacher is saying. 831s

And then we can throw out what it is that doesn't match 834s

our presuppositions. 839s

We are tempted to want to limit His Lordship 841s

and so we fashion a God. 846s

We fashion a God who is content 850s

with the left overs in our lives 853s

that is content with being compartmentalized 856s

into the box that we put Him in. 859s

Instead of repenting of our redefining of Him, 863s

we renew our reformation of Him. 869s

Why the Scripture tells us 877s

that Peter took a miscited began to review Him saying, 880s

God for pit it Lord, 885s

this must never happen to you. 887s

That was His response to the question. 891s

And Jesus turns to us and says, 898s

Who do you say I am? 903s

Who do you say I am? 906s

And then our sinfulness, 910s

and our sinfulness beloved, 915s

we are tempted to express our sin and say, 920s

You'll be whoever I want you to be. 928s

See, left to ourselves in our sin, 938s

we will be systemantly give the wrong answer 944s

to Jesus's question. 950s

Luke 7th chapter says, 964s

When the Lord saw her, 967s

He had compassion for her 968s

and said to her, 971s

Do not wait. 973s

In Matthew 15, 976s

it says, 978s

then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, 979s

I have compassion for the crowd. 983s

In Matthew 9th chapter, 989s

it says, 992s

When He saw the crowds, 992s

He had compassion for them, 993s

because they were harassed and helpless, 996s

like sheep without a shepherd. 998s

In Matthew 6, 1002s

it says, 1004s

He had compassion for them, 1004s

and He began to teach them many things. 1007s

Psalm 139, 1011s

it tells us that God knows all about us. 1013s

All about us. 1018s

He knows when we stand, 1020s

when we sit, 1021s

He knows our thoughts, 1022s

He knows before a word, 1023s

is on our tongue, 1025s

He knows all about us, 1027s

and He knows all about our molding, 1029s

Proclivity. 1035s

All about our proclivity, 1038s

continually want to fashion Him, 1040s

to how we want Him to be. 1049s

And how does He respond, 1056s

that He responds with compassion, 1060s

and that He is the God of God. 1065s

Taking all of our sin, 1068s

including all of our idol-making of Him, 1071s

upon Himself at the cross, 1077s

forgiving us, 1081s

forgiving us, 1084s

restoring the relationship with us. 1087s

How does He respond with compassion? 1094s

On this rally day, 1109s

in which we rally a new, 1110s

around the word of God, 1112s

we rally a new, 1116s

around that word of God, 1117s

that is an errant and infelible. 1119s

It is an errant. 1123s

It is without error. 1124s

It is infelible. 1126s

And it is incapable of error. 1129s

All rights in 2 Timothy 3, 1134s

all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful, 1136s

for teaching, 1140s

for reproof, 1141s

for correction, 1142s

for training in righteousness. 1143s

Remember that word inspired means it's exal. 1145s

Anything exal by God must be in errant and infelible, 1147s

and so God keeps coming to us, 1152s

in His inerrant and infelible word, 1155s

telling us, 1159s

telling us, 1162s

who He is, 1164s

telling us of His grace, 1167s

telling us of His mercy, 1170s

telling us of His compassion, 1172s

telling us of His justice, 1175s

telling us of His omnipotent. 1178s

He keeps telling us through His word, 1181s

who He is. 1186s

Why? 1189s

The Scripture tells us, 1190s

blessed are you, 1195s

Simon, Son of Jonah, 1196s

for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, 1197s

but my father in heaven. 1201s

And what is He keep doing for us? 1205s

But He keeps coming to us, 1207s

answering His own question, 1215s

burthing in us, 1220s

the answer to His own question, 1224s

of who He is, 1231s

pulling us again, 1235s

and again, 1240s

and again, 1242s

does it roaks? 1247s