“Who Do You Say I Am?”
Matthew 16:13-20
David P. Nolte
A preacher visited a Nursing home that had some patients with Alzheimer's. He went around and greeted the people and he walked up to one lady and asked, "Do you know who I am?" She said, "No, but if you go to the Front Desk, they can tell you."
In another situation A United Airlines gate agent in Denver made her point when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.
A crowded United flight was canceled. A single agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS."
The agent replied, "I'm sorry sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these folks first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out." The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Without hesitating, the gate agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. "May I have your attention please?" she began, her voice bellowing throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at the gate WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to gate 17."
With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man gritted his teeth and swore at her and retreated as the people in the terminal applauded loudly. Although the flight was canceled and people were late, they were no longer angry at United.
The great song today said, “Everybody ought to know who Jesus is!” Should He ask you, “Do you know Who I am?” how would you reply? Look at the text for an answer:
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ‘I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.’ Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.” Matthew 16:13-20 (NASB).
He asked the question, not because He didn’t know what the people thought and spoke of Him; but to open the door for a declaration of their comprehension, to confirm and strengthen them in it. So, who is this Jesus?
I. JESUS IS THE PERFECT SON OF MAN:
A. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus used that title “son of man” many times in the gospels.
1. Consider first what that does not mean:
a. It does not mean that He had a biological human father.
b. It does not mean that He was merely human and not Divine
2. Consider what it does mean:
a. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. .... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-2, 14 (NASB).
b. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11 (NASB)
c. It means Jesus was a flesh and bone human being. He was born of a woman just like you and I were except that while Jesus had a mortal mother, He had no human father and was born to a virgin.
B. Though He was a flesh and blood human being He did not cease to be deity! We see in Colossians, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Colossians 2:9 (NASB).
C. His human characteristics are obvious;
1. He wept.
2. He got tired.
3. He got hungry and thirsty.
4. He was tempted.
5. He had to travel from point to point – He did not transport Himself magically from one place to another.
6. When wounded, He bled.
D. So what does that mean to me? Identification, understanding, compassion.
1. “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 (NASB).
2. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB).
E. He lived among us as one of us to reveal what sinless man would be. He was the perfect Son of Man and people didn’t recognize Him. It is like an event that took place in the late 1700’s. The manager of Baltimore’s largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer because he thought this fellow’s appearance would discredit his inn.
So the man left. Later that evening, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than then Vice-President Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to Jefferson, asking him to come back and be his guest.
Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: “Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States.”
That hotel manager was like many of Jesus’ own people who saw a carpenter, an itinerant rabbi, a rebel, a miracle worker – but did not realize they were looking at the Son of Man – the incarnate God. Everybody ought to know Who Jesus is!
II. JESUS IS THE POWERFUL SON OF GOD:
A. Peter declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” and Jesus Himself claimed to be the Son of God.
1. He frequently referred to God as Father.
2. He claimed for Himself and demonstrated Divine prerogatives:
a. He forgave sins.
b. He took authority over demons
c. He healed the sick.
d. He controlled stormy seas.
e. He raised the dead.
f. He fed a multitude on a boy’s lunch.
g. He foretold the future with accuracy.
h. He claimed to exist before Abraham.
i. He opened the way for us to freely approach the Throne.
j. He said He would be seated at the right hand of God’s Throne.
B. What does it mean?
1. It means that Jesus was not just a good moral man.
2. It means that He was not merely a prophet or teacher.
3. It means that He was not a deluded fanatic who got Himself needlessly martyred.
4. He was, and is, the one and only begotten Son of God.
C. That being true, our response should be:
1. Faith: Believe, trust and obey Him.
2. Love:
a. The greatest commandment is, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27 (NASB)
b. And love of neighbor is the second greatest commandment. In fact Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 (NASB).
3. Proclamation: tell the world; make Is name known because everybody ought to know Who Jesus is!
D. The Son of God became the Son of Man
1. That we might know what God is like.
2. That we might know what sinless man would be like.
3. That we might know a High Priest who gets it – who comprehends – who Has walked where we walk!
E. The Son of God became the Son of Man to stand in the gap between the divine and the human. To illustrate: a man was looking out his front window at a flock of birds trying to find some food in the snow. He felt compassion form them and he opened his garage door to let them in and put some birdseed on the floor to attract them, but not one flew inside. M he went out to herd them in but they merely flew away. After awhile le they were back and he tried held out a handful of seed to entice them into the shelter of the garage – no takers. He went out and shouted, “Stupid birds! Can’t you see I’m trying to save you? Get in that garage!’ Nope – not one! So the man thought, “I wish I could become s bird long enough to let the know I meanS them no harm – only good.” God became one of us to (a) identify with us (b) to communicate with us and © to rescue and save us!
He is the Son of Man, Son of God and thus:
III. JESUS IS THE PROMISED SAVIOR CHRIST:
A. Peter said. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
1. The word “Messiah” or “Christ” means` “the anointed one.”
2. In the Old Testament prophets, priest and kings were anointed with oil to set them apart for special service and to indicate the coming of God’s Spirit upon them.
3. Jesus, The Christ or Messiah, was the anointed prophet, priest and king, the long awaited deliverer who would restore the kingdom to the Jews.
B. Hear just a couple of the hundreds of prophecies about Christ:
1. Moses said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him.” Deuteronomy 18:15 (NASB).
2. Isaiah said, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NASB).
3. Daniel said, “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.” Daniel 7:9 (NASB).
C. Jesus is the fulfilment of all the promises of God..
1. Paul wrote about “the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.” Titus 1:2 (NASB)
2. And he said, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NASB).
D. The Messiah’s coming was not a secret left in a corner, but the repeated revelation of God to His people in the Old Testament. Jesus is that promised One, the Messiah, the Christ! That assures us that He keeps His word.
E. From Steve Shepherd comes the story of a friendship forged during one of the worst battles of World War II, and a promise made. Huggins, and Mack McClain were best friends in the army. They wound up together at Anzio Beach, Italy. Mack had a premonition that he wouldn’t make it out of there alive, so he gave Harold some mementos, a belt, some photos, and said: ‘Give this to my sister, tell her that I love her. You can even give her a kiss.’"
Harold promised if anything happened to Mack he would do what was asked. One day later, Mack was killed in an artillery barrage. After the war, Harold looked for Mack’s sister but he never found her until Harold’s daughter sent out e-mails to various veterans groups. Some California vets found Mack’s sister, Grace, whose last name changed when she married.
The promise was finally kept on August 2, 2001 when Harold Huggins traveled halfway across the country by train on one last mission in memory of his best buddy.
"I had this on my mind for 57 years, trying to locate his sister and loved ones out there in California," says Huggins. "Part of him lives in me."
"We have always hoped and prayed that we would meet somebody that would tell us about Mack," says Grace.
Thursday, Aug. 2nd, at the place where his buddy’s name is engraved in marble at the veterans memorial in Marysville, Calif., Harold Huggins kept that promise he made 57 years ago, meeting Mack’s sister for the very first time and turning over those mementos from his fallen friend. and on top of that he gave her that kiss that Mack asked Harold to deliver, and”But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5 (NASB)
PRAY / INVITATION
who do you say Jesus is? If you, like Peter, confess that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, you, like Peter, will be called blessed! If you acknowledge Him as Christ, then repent of sin, be baptized for forgiveness of sin, and follow in His steps the rest of your life. Make that commitment as we sing, “I Know Whom I Have Believed!”
