Answering Life's Most Important Question Series

Introduction:

A. One day, two men with the same qualifications interviewed for the same job and both did equally well in the interview.

1. The hiring manager decided to have them both take an exam with 10 questions to help him make a decision about who to hire.

2. As it turned out, both men only missed one of the questions.

3. The manager went to one of the men and said, “Thank you for your interest in this position, and even though you and the other man are equally qualified and both only missed one question, I’ve decided to give the job to the other man.”

4. The man replied, “If we are equally qualified and interviewed equally well, and both correctly answered 9 questions, then why is he getting the job rather than me?”

5. The manager replied, “It was your different answers for the one question you both missed that determined my decision. The other man’s answer to the question was, ‘I don’t know.’ But your answer was, ‘Neither do I.’ ”

B. How we answer the most important questions in life makes a huge difference and it doesn’t help to copy other people's answers.

1. In today’s section from the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus asking His disciples “life’s most important question” and the question isn’t “where did we come from?”, or “why are we here?”, or “where are we going?”, as important as those questions are.

2. The question Jesus asked them is: Who do you say that I am?”

a. That is life’s most important question and how we answer that question has earthly and eternal consequences.

3. But as we will see in today’s passage from Mark, giving the right answer requires the right understanding and brings with it a specific set of expectations.

C. Ultimately, Jesus is who Jesus is, He’s not whoever you want Him to be.

1. Some people want to keep Jesus in the realm of fairy tale or comic book characters.

2. Some people want to believe that He was just a good man who did good things.

3. Others want to believe that Jesus was always loving and accepting, and was never critical or condemning.

4. Still others want to accept Him as just a great teacher with great teachings.

5. But what does Scripture declare about who Jesus really is?

D. Chapter 8 of Mark’s Gospel is a pivotal chapter because it’s the climax of the first act.

1. At this point in Jesus’ ministry, the disciples have been with Him for about 2 years and they have been growing in their understanding of who Jesus really is.

2. They have come to know Him as someone who can do great and powerful things beyond imagination: like; cast out demons, heal the sick, feed the multitudes, calm the wind and waves, and even raise the dead.

3. All of these things point to the fact that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Anointed One, the King that they had been waiting centuries for.

4. But now what they need to understand is that He is a different kind of King than they had imagined.

5. In today’s passage Jesus will declare that He is their King, but as their King, He is headed for a cross, and if they want to follow Him, then they have to experience crosses as well.

I. Peter’s Right Answer (Mark 8:27-30)

A. Mark wrote: 27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him. (Mk. 8:27-30)

1. Before Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was, He asked them about the sentiments of the crowds.

2. Jesus knew that some people viewed Him as a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of sinners, and a pawn of Beelzebub, but the apostles didn’t mention any of those negative opinions.

3. The apostles chose to report the more favorable views they had heard about Him: Some thought Jesus is John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the prophets.

4. This is the same list of possible identities for Jesus that was brought up back in Mark 6:14-15.

5. If you or I were always asking our friends “What do people say about me?” or if we were constantly Googling ourselves to see what is out there about us, then we might be considered a narcissist or have a problem with pride.

6. But Jesus asked this question as a teaching moment and also to frame the next question: But who do you say that I am?