Whom Do You Say I Am?

Psalm 141:1-10; Mark 8:27-30 / 1 Peter 2:1-10

I. Who Is Jesus?

A. Jesus raised the question; what did the public think? “And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27)

B. The Apostles knew the common opinions. “And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.” (Mark 8:28)

C. Some people were looking for the prophet promised through Moses; perhaps the age of Moses would return. “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-20)

D. It could be that Jesus is a restoration or even a reincarnation of Elijah. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:” (Malachi 4:5)

E. Perhaps Jesus is actually a risen John the Baptist. “But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (Mark 6:16)

F. Mark answered the question in the first sentence of the gospel and then kept proposing the question in various ways; Christianity rises or falls with the answer. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;” (Mark 1:1) “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

II. Jesus Made the Question Personal

A. Jesus moved from the general to the specific, getting personal. “And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? “ (Mark 8:29a)

B. Peter made a profession of faith. And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. (Mark 8:29b)

C. The personal answer must be settled before taking the question to the public. “And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.” (Mark 8:30)

III. The Answer Matters

A. The intermediate answers are not options; Jesus is all or nothing. “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,” (1 Peter 2:7)

B. Will Jesus be your stone of stumbling? “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” (1 Peter 2:8)

C. Or will you profess that Jesus is more important than any other thing in life? “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Philippians 3:8-10)

D. Say what is on your heart; make your profession so that everyone can hear it. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

E. Courts have little interest in testimony given after the judge passes sentence. “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9)

F. Paul explained what Peter was answering and called people to invest in Jesus as he and Peter invested with all they had. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10) “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

G. Who would risk eternity for what cannot be? The psalmist Asaph put it this way, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” (Psalm 73:25)

“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:11)