Lordship And Acceptance Series

LORDSHIP – SALUTE OR DILUTE

LORDSHIP AND ACCEPTANCE

MATTHEW 16:13-23 (NIV) WHEN JESUS CAME TO THE REGION OF CAESAREA PHILIPPI, HE ASKED HIS DISCIPLES, "WHO DO PEOPLE SAY THE SON OF MAN IS?" 14 THEY 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?" 16 SIMON PETER ANSWERED, "YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." 17 JESUS REPLIED, "BLESSED ARE YOU, SIMON SON OF JONAH, FOR THIS WAS NOT REVEALED TO YOU BY MAN, BUT BY MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. 18 AND I TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME IT. 19 I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; WHATEVER YOU BIND ON EARTH WILL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHATEVER YOU LOOSE ON EARTH WILL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN." 20 THEN HE WARNED HIS DISCIPLES NOT TO TELL ANYONE THAT HE WAS THE CHRIST. 21 FROM THAT TIME ON JESUS BEGAN TO EXPLAIN TO HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE MUST GO TO JERUSALEM AND SUFFER MANY THINGS AT THE HANDS OF THE ELDERS, CHIEF PRIESTS AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW, AND THAT HE MUST BE KILLED AND ON THE THIRD DAY BE RAISED TO LIFE. 22 PETER TOOK HIM ASIDE AND BEGAN TO REBUKE HIM. "NEVER, LORD!" HE SAID. "THIS SHALL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU!" 23 JESUS TURNED AND SAID TO PETER, "GET BEHIND ME, SATAN! YOU ARE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ME; YOU DO NOT HAVE IN MIND THE THINGS OF GOD, BUT THE THINGS OF MEN."

MATTHEW 16:24 (NIV) THEN JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, "IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.

KEY THOUGHT: HOW WE SEE JESUS IS IMPORTANT IN ACCEPTING HIM AS GOD AND IS ESSENTIAL FOR LORDSHIP.

INTRODUCTION: AS WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY ON THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST, WE MOVE OUR ATTENTION TO HIS DISCIPLES. FOR IT IS IN THIS ENCOUNTER, RECORDED FOR US IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW THAT WE SEE THE DECLARATION OF PETER, RELATED TO HIS UNDERSTANDING AND PERCEPTION OF JESUS THAT BRINGS HIM, AND THE OTHER DISCIPLES TO THE CONCLUSION THAT JESUS IS LORD

JESUS CHRIST IS NOT VALUED AT ALL UNTIL HE IS VALUED ABOVE ALL. AUGUSTIN

I. THE VALUE OF JESUS – VALUABLE ENOUGH TO KNOW

a. HERE IN OUR PASSAGE JESUS IS ASKING HIS DISCIPLES WHO THE CROWDS THINK HE IS

i. HOW DO THEY SEE HIM. THEN AS NOW, HOW WE SEE JESUS WILL REFLECT ITSELF IN HOW WE RESPOND TO HIM.

ii. WHO JESUS IS AND HOW WE SEE HIM WILL EFFECT OUR ETERNAL DESTINY.

iii. THE RESPONSE OF THE CROWD

1. JOHN THE BAPTIST – RUMORS OF HIS RETURN FROM THE DEAD

2. ELIJAH – DID NOT DIE BUT WAS TAKEN TO HEAVEN

3. JEREMIAH – ACCORDING TO JEWISH LEGEND WAS THOUGHT TO BE IMMORTAL

iv. THEIR IDENTIFICATION WAS WRONG

1. FORERUNNERS OF THE MESSIAH

2. BUT NOT THE MESSIAH

3. WRONG IDENTIFICATION BRINGS WRONG CONCLUSIONS

MATTOON WRITES THIS IN HIS COMMENTARY -- ALL THESE ANSWERS WERE CASES OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE PROVIDING THE ANSWERS DID NOT KNOW THE LORD PERSONALLY OR WERE SPECULATING. PEOPLE CONTINUE TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TODAY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW THE LORD. THEY CLAIM HE WAS JUST A REVOLUTIONARY, A GREAT TEACHER OR PROPHET. MUSLIMS BELIEVE JESUS WAS A PROPHET, THE GREATEST OF PROPHETS, BUT DEFINITELY NOT GOD.

THE MOST PREVALENT VIEW TODAY OF JESUS IS THAT THE LORD WAS A GOOD MAN, EVEN THE BEST OF MEN, AND A GREAT MORAL TEACHER. MILLIONS HOLD THIS VIEW DESPITE THE BRILLIANT DEBUNKING GIVEN TO IT BY THOMAS AQUINAS, AND MORE RECENTLY BY C. S. LEWIS. LEWIS STATED THAT IT IS FOOLISH TO BELIEVE JESUS WAS A GREAT MORAL TEACHER, BUT NOT BELIEVE HE WAS THE SON OF GOD. HERE IS HIS REASONING:

A MAN WHO WAS MERELY A MAN AND SAID THE SORT OF THINGS JESUS SAID WOULD NOT BE A GREAT MORAL TEACHER. HE WOULD EITHER BE A LUNATIC, ON A LEVEL WITH THE MAN WHO SAYS HE IS A POACHED EGG, OR ELSE HE WOULD BE THE DEVIL OF HELL. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR CHOICE. EITHER THIS MAN WAS, AND IS, THE SON OF GOD, OR ELSE A MADMAN OR SOMETHING WORSE. ………. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND WHEN IT COMES TO THE LORD'S DEITY.

IN OUR "NO-TOLERANCE-FOR-ABSOLUTES" CULTURE, PEOPLE WILL APPLY ALL THESE DIFFERENT LABELS TO JESUS AND BE COMFORTABLE WITH THEM. TO TALK OF JESUS AS A GREAT TEACHER OR EVEN A PROPHET ISN'T TERRIBLY UNSETTLING OR DISTURBING. THAT DOES NOT RUFFLE ANY FEATHERS. WHEN YOU DECLARE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD AND THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN, FEATHERS GET RUFFLED REAL QUICK. WITH SOME FOLKS, YOU PROVOKE A KNEE-JERK REACTION. THAT'S BECAUSE ADMITTING YOU NEED A SAVIOR MEANS YOU HAVE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU AND YOU NEED HELP.