Who Do You Say That I Am?

And it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and he asked them saying who do the crowds say that I am so they answered and said John the Baptist but some say Elijah and others say that one of the old prophets has arisen again he said to them but who do you say that I am and Peter answered and said the Christ of God. [00:30:31]

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost for whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and to his fathers and of the Holy Angels. [00:100:28]

I ask that you would acknowledge that what you've heard in the reading of this word is nothing less than the truth of almighty God and I urge you to embrace it as such let us pray father and our God you have called us here today in solemn assembly to attend the teaching of the Apostles to be in prayer together to offer to you the sacrifice of praise and adoration to sing to your glory and now oh God to hear your word. [00:183:68]

I assumed that every sensient adult in this country has at least enough information about Jesus if from no other source but from those messages that come across through the extended Christmas season each year so that every adult person in this country certainly has by now formed some opinion as to the identity of Jesus and I was wondering what is that identity that they've assumed what do they think about Jesus. [00:417:88]

I encountered a friend the other day who I have known for many years and I would have to describe him in the following manner he's a man who wouldn't be caught dead in a church building unless he were coming to pay his last respects to one of his friends who had died the only time I think I've ever seen him in church is for a funeral he's a man who's one of the most profane men that I know whose vocabulary is regularly laced with blasphemies. [00:494:32]

I said to him candidly and I said Burke uh the devil made me do it uh now I said to him I said you know I have a sermon this Sunday and I I'll ask you to give me some help on it and he was a little bit surprised that I was seeking information for my sermon from him but I said I'm speaking on this passage where people were asked their opinion of Jesus and I said to him as I've said to you already I know that everybody in this country has some opinion of Jesus. [00:573:64]

He said I'm going to have to think about it so I said fair enough so about 4 hours later I saw him and I said have you thought about the question I asked you and he said actually he says I've thought about very little else in the last few hours and I have come to a conclusion as to what I think about Jesus and I said well what do you think of him and he looked at me and he said I think he said I think that he's the son of God that God sent into the world. [00:647:96]

I began to wonder how many people out there have that same contradictory understanding of Jesus intellectually while their hearts are so far removed from him and then of course I began to think of the precious people whom I love so dearly who make up this congregation and thought again of the great St Augustine's definition of the church as a corpus per mixtum a mixed body Augustine was simply reflecting on the teaching of Jesus himself who said among the assembly there will always be tears among the week there will be the unconverted among the converted. [00:903:36]

I know that the scriptures tell me that I am called to make my calling sure that the Assurance of Salvation is a real possibility and not only a possibility but an obligation for every Christian and so before I go on in this text let me ask you who do you think he is and add the question I always ask to that and what difference does it make to you if Jesus is the son of God and he is that he is supremely worthy of our Adoration of our worship and of our devotion to him with our whole heart and soul. [00:1026:04]

If anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me maybe it's that part that people who come to the conclusion that intellect that Jesus is the son of God that they don't want to hear they don't want to embrace the consequences that Jesus sets forth if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself you know when it comes right down to it you either deny Christ and follow yourself or you deny yourself and follow Christ because you can't follow Christ and yourself. [00:1363:60]

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it in one sense beloved to be a Christian is to have a throw away life at least that's the appearance that if I'm going to be a Christian I have to throw away my life but to throw a away my life for Christ is to find my life forever for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost. [00:1634:96]

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in his father's and of the Holy Angels and by the grace of God I F finish the text all the way to verse 26 what a sober warning that is from Jesus if I confess him before men he will confess me before his father if I say to my friends I love Jesus I believe Jesus is the son of God and prepared to follow him at whatever cost it is if I say that and mean that and do that then Jesus will say to the father I love RC he's mine. [00:1772:24]