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"Who Do You Say I Am?"
by Steve Countryman Matthew 16:13-16 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." "Who do you say I am?" has to be the question of all time! It is one that mankind has spent enormous amounts of time, money and energy trying to answer. "To prove that Jesus didn't exist back then and doesn't exist today." "That Jesus was just one of the prophets." "That Jesus was just a good man." "That Jesus didn't really exist and that Jesus is just a myth." "That Jesus didn't do all that the Bible says He did." "That Jesus is not the Son of God." "That Jesus is not part of the Holy Trinity." "That Jesus didn't die for our sins or that Jesus was raised from the grave." To say that you believe that Jesus was real and that He was only a good man but not God as man is an incorrect statement. If you believe that Jesus did exist back in the New Testament but is only a good man is to say that all of His professions of being part of the Trinity, being the Son of God, being there before the creation of the earth is to say that you really think that Jesus was a "crazy" good man!?! They have written books and made movies to contradict the Bible. They have made up lies, fabricated "truth", "discovered" old writings, written novels, found bones and graves and whatever else they can think up to try to convince the world that Jesus isn't who He says that He is! At the very least their goal is to cast doubt on the real truth of the Bible, God's Word. Doesn't that sound like what Satan did in the Garden of Eden with Eve and the apple, to cast doubt on God's word? Now in place of Jesus and God, mankind has come up with some of its own answers/theories to God, a higher being. "There is no God because God is dead." "There never was a God because all living things evolved from a single cell organism." "Mankind is a descendant from apes." Or "God exists but doesn't care about us so we don't care about God." How about God created in our image? God who is made from the hands of man. Those things that command your attention and time that you could easily call your god. Ancient civilizations made their gods from precious metals, stone, marble, wood, jewels and anything else they could find. All of which is meant to escape the responsibility for sin. Mankind not wanting to answer to or be accountable to a higher being, God, for their sins. Denying the existence of God will not excuse you from the eternal judgment that you will surely face! Is your opinion of who Jesus is based on what you have found to be true or on what others have told you? Jesus asked His disciples who others said He was, then Jesus asked them who they said He was. That is the real question, "Who do you say I am?" That is what really matters, not what the world thinks but who do you say Jesus is. As a Christian it becomes extremely important who you say that Jesus is. Until you discover who Jesus really is to you, how can you discover who Jesus is in you? Your faith, beliefs, trust, hope, future, doctrines and theology all comes down to who you say that Jesus is. Do you believe that the Bible is the undeniable Word of God? Do you believe that what the Bible says happened did indeed happen? Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the one and only true Son of God? Don't let others dictate to you who and how you are to believe regarding Jesus. You are to seek Jesus out by His Word and who He is to you! Your salvation depends on it! The realization of who Jesus is and who Jesus is in and through you is key to representing His kingdom here on earth. It is also key to living the abundant life here on earth. It is key to be an effective Christian and witness for God every day. To walk in the revelation of who Jesus is in you is where Oneness is found, completeness takes place and where the fullness of God flows! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |