INTRODUCTION
Opening Statement: Christ is Christianity. Philip Yancey writes: "Why am I a Christian? I sometimes ask myself, and to be perfectly honest the reasons reduce to two: 1) the lack of good alternatives, and 2) Jesus. Brilliant, untamed, tender, creative, slippery, irreducible, paradoxically humble (Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, 265)." If you are a spiritual seeker, on a search for true life purpose, looking to fit into a story large enough for you to live in, you must not quickly dismiss Jesus. Think about these two reasons cited by Yancey before you do. There are no good alternatives out there. Jesus is unsurpassed. This is important in light of current events.
Transition: The Apostle John wrote in John 6 these words…
Texts: John 6:66-69; Matthew 16:13-16
EXPOSITION
Recitation: John 6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. 6:69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”
Exposition: These same reasons given by Yancey are mirrored by Peter, the Apostle: 1) the lack of good alternatives, and 2) Jesus. Jesus had just finished feeding the 5,000 - plus multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish. The following day, the disciples and Jesus were on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The multitude found him and basically said, "Let’s have another potluck. That was fun yesterday. Do it again. Man, this beats working for our bread any day." It sounds a lot like life. Everybody wants the great food, but nobody wants to cook it. Realizing their motives for following Him were less than noble, Jesus uttered some very hard sayings like "Eat my flesh. Drink my blood." As a result, many of his followers didn’t hang around for a fuller explanation. At the first shadow of the cross, they left him and a mass defection takes place. The stock in Jesus’ ministry plummeted and the earlier popularity that Jesus enjoyed collapsed. Jesus did not measure up to their expectations.
Illustration: My former seminary professor in Dallas, TX shares a story about how for several months his then five-year old son Ben had been asking “When are we going to the Grand Canyon?” When they finally made it there, they asked Ben how it measured up to his expectations. With a little frown, he said, “I though you said it was a big cannon.” What little boy wouldn’t want to see a canon that was described by his parents as bigger than downtown Dallas! That’s what happened with many of Jesus’ followers. While we can’t be absolutely sure of all that they expected, we know they wanted more than what they got. They wanted the miracles and the kingdom but no discipleship (Bob Pyne, Kindred Spirit).
Explanation: This whole desertion thing prompted a private exchange between Jesus and the 12, and Peter the spokesman of the group makes his great confession. We get insight into the level of Peter’s discipleship when we note the manner in which he addressed Jesus, and then, what he went on to confess about Jesus as being the Holy One of God. Peter knew that nothing else could satisfy him like Christ had satisfied Him. He had grasped the importance of having Jesus at the center of his life. He learned to surrender his agenda and his expectations to Christ, instead of walking away with all the others in disillusionment. You have to do the same.
Application: Perhaps, you have heard about a book that was written in 2003 by author Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code. I believe this book will prey on the disillusioned. God and Christ have not fulfilled my expectations. I’m hurt. God has let me down. Why not consider a story that brings God down to where He belongs? Walking away disillusioned is easy to do. Maybe you thought your new job would be better than the last one. Maybe you thought Christians didn’t have financial problems. Maybe you thought nobody would ever take advantage of you or abuse you. Maybe you thought college would give you a fresh start, but you still have the same problems. Maybe you thought God would bring you a spouse if you obeyed him. And maybe He did, but the spouse you got has been a nightmare. Maybe you thought you would have children, but the bedrooms of your home are quiet. Maybe you thought cancer was something that happened to other people. Maybe you thought your children would walk closely with Jesus if you attended a good church, but they don’t even believe in Him. Maybe you thought the prestige of a good career would be worth the early sacrifices, but now you the shallowness of it all. You thought you had a deal with God. But God has not necessarily promised those things any more than my seminary professor promised a big cannon to his 5 year old. Does this make you want to walk away? 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Peter and the others undoubtedly had some unfulfilled expectations with Jesus, but here’s where they were different. They never walked away. You may not understand many things about Jesus, what He said, why things have happened the way they have in your life, but if you will hang around and not walk out, you’ll get a resurrection! I have seen enough of Jesus to know that I have no other worthy alternatives. He tells me the truth. I have nowhere else to go.
Observation: It might be helpful to note that during the life and ministry of Jesus, Jesus found Himself surrounded by three types of people. First, there was the curious. They were on the fringes, looking in from a distance. They were not really sure about His words, doctrine, or teaching. As we work our way through the Gospels, we see some of the characters progressing from the curious to secondly, the convinced. These are the ones who having carefully observed Christ, became convinced in their own minds of His authority and person. Finally, there were those who were not just curious, not just convinced, but who were deeply committed. They left everything to follow Jesus (Pentecost, Dwight, Design for Discipleship, 10-17).
Illustration: When I hear that word commitment, I’m reminded of the different expressions that the hen and the pig displayed when the farmer suggested that they have bacon and eggs for breakfast. The pig quickly replied, “That’s not fair. For the hen, it only requires a contribution. But for me, it requires a total commitment.”
Recitation: Matthew 16:13-16 16:13 When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi [a very pagan area with many gods represented – Barclay; something archeology has confirmed - Morgan], he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 16:14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist [back from the dead – 14:2], others Elijah [Israel’s greatest prophet and forerunner of Messiah – Mal.4:5], and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” [This was a question of public consensus. Who do people say that I am? For 400 years, the people had not heard from God. In their eyes Jesus was ranking high on the list, but in the eyes of many, He was still not God. Jews were very monotheistic. You will encounter many differing opinions about Jesus.] 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” [This is the question of personal conviction.] 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ [the Messiah God – Is.9:6; Jer.23:5-6; Micah 5:2], the Son of the living God.” [Peter came to rest on who this carpenter-teacher really was. Dan Brown would answer – a mere man married to Mary Magdalene who shares worship with goddesses].
Exposition: For Peter, this was not a decision of public consensus. He never polled the people for this answer. But in the core of his being, he believed this. He had a conviction about this. Jesus got the disciples about 25 miles away from the Galilean crowds, north of the Sea of Galilee against a backdrop of paganism, where He could really evaluate where they were in their belief toward Him among the many options available. Everybody had developed a different opinion about Jesus. The disciples were part of these conversations in the crowd. “He’s Moses, Elijah, or a prophet.” They heard these discussions. Some followers left Him. The disciples watched this mass exodus. Jesus wanted to know where they were. 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”
Application: In our day, there are people leaving the true Jesus in droves who refuse His claim to deity. There are those who want to overturn his claim to deity like Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code. So we see why this question Jesus asked of his disciples is still the question of our time. “Who do you say that I am?” It will take a sense of conviction in a culture of public consensus if you and I are to be the light-bearers we’re called to be and bear witness to the Son of God. People in the church are confused about that question. Stone’s Hill does not need to be among them. We’re called to love and create a place where the Dan Browns of life can find the truth on their spiritual journey’s and give them room to eventually answer the question of Jesus for themselves just like Peter. But we have no truth if we don’t have Christ. You may not answer like Peter answered today, but by all means, you must not avoid Jesus’ question. A compelling vision for a prevailing church must prepare people to answer that question.
Quotation: The famous Bible commentator William Barclay put it all in perspective: “Here indeed is a dramatic picture. Here is a homeless, penniless Galilean carpenter, with twelve very ordinary men around him. At the moment the orthodox are actually plotting and planning to destroy him as a dangerous heretic. He stands in an area littered with the temples of Syrian gods; in a place where the ancient Greek gods looked down; in a place where the history of Israel crowded upon the minds of men; where the white marble splendor of the home of Caesar-worship dominated the landscape and compelled the eye. And there – of all places – this amazing carpenter stands and asks men who they believe him to be, and expects the answer, the Son of God (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew Vol. 2 from The Daily Bible Study Series, p. 135).”
Clarification: The question is not “Do you drink, smoke, curse, go to church, give an offering, gossip, lust, gamble, party or whatever else you want to ask.” That’s not the question. The all-important question is “Who is Jesus?” Based on how you answer that question, determines if you have eternal life. If He is God, then I must reconcile my life with what He taught and who He claimed to be. Based on how I answer that question and continue to answer it throughout my life will determine my eternal destiny.
Amplification: This was not just a quick answer by Peter and the others. All of the apostles went to a martyr’s death, except for John, for this belief. This is a message that has reached us down through the centuries, stained by the blood of people who knew Jesus best.
Ask Paul, who had his head chopped off by a Roman executioner that question “Who do you say that I am?” Paul wrote between 50 and 68 AD almost 300 years before the council of Nicea: Philippians 2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, 2:6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, 2:7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 2:8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death– even death on a cross! 2:9 As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Colossians 1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. Paul said in Romans 9:5 “Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!”
Ask John who was boiled in oil but miraculously survived that question “Who do you say that I am?”: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 1:2 The Word was with God in the beginning. [Christ pre-existed before the incarnation.] 1:3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created (see John 5:18).
Ask the Hebrew writer that question “Who do you say that I am?”: Hebrews 1:1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 1:3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 1:4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.
Peter stayed with his conviction, “our God and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1).”
Ask Jesus himself who he is. He claimed that He alone was the way to the Father. He forgave sins. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He claimed to exist before Abraham. He answered in Mark 14:61 Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 14:62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” [An allusion to Dan. 7:13.]
Quotation: “If Christ claimed to be God, performed works that only God could do, was raised bodily from the dead so that He appeared alive to His disciples, and His followers continued to spread that message even at the loss of their own lives when proclaiming it, then Jesus had to be who He claimed to be (McDowell, Da Vinci Notes, 131).”
Conclusion: Jesus is undiminished deity united with unfallen humanity. He created life – only God can do that. He pardoned sin. He raised the dead. He will judge people. He is worshipped. Nature bowed to Him. Peter affirmed His deity. Paul knew it and affirmed it. Jesus claimed it. The Apostle John knew it and affirmed it. Of all the people who could have thwarted the deity of Jesus, John could have. He knew Jesus best. He lived right beside him for 3 years. Yet, he’s the one who defends the deity of Jesus the most. Behind The Da Vinci Code is more like The Da Vinci Con because there is another code or agenda at work that is designed to demolish God’s redemption story.
1. It questions the deity of Jesus using other gospels not included in our Bible.
2. It undermines the reliability and authority of the Scriptures by overlooking the canonization process.
3. It challenges the integrity of the church that existed from the first century to the fourth century.
4. It promotes goddess worship and revisions God as feminine.
Summation: So the controversy really centers on these issues: Is Jesus God? Is the Bible reliable? Is the church credible? Is our image of God accurate? If the whole world sided with Dan Brown, it still does not diminish the deity of Jesus one iota. When a Da Vinci Code comes along, disciples go deeper; the half-hearted walk away. That’s why I’ve chosen the title…
Title: Decoding the Da Vinci Code – Walking with the Master!
Key Word: When we affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, and we call him God, several IMPLICATIONS stem from that confession. He’s more than just a good man or prophet (Erickson, Christian Theology).
IMPLICATIONS
I. The Deity of Jesus implies a real knowledge of God. The prophets and others talked about God, but Jesus was God. If we want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
Quotation: “The world has never known a heart so pure, a character so flawless. His spiritual hearing was so keen he never missed a heavenly whisper. His mercy to abundant he never missed a chance to forgive. No lie left his lips, no distraction marred his vision. He touched when others recoiled He endured when others quit (Lucado, Just… 166).” To paraphrase A.W. Tozer: “What comes into our minds when we think about Christ is the most important thing about us.”
II. The Deity of Jesus implies redemption available to all. I can trust Him for salvation. If he was just a man, his death would not atone for all sin and he would not be sinless because all men and women have sinned the Scriptures teach. But if a sinless God died in my place, then He is adequate to save me. You see I am a sinner and I can’t have someone save me who is a part of my predicament. One sinner can’t save another. Christianity offers a sinless Savior to deliver me. There is only one person perfectly sinless, able to bring us into God’s presence and declare us righteous on his merits. Lust wooed him. Greed lured him. Power called him. But Jesus never sinned.
III. The Deity of Jesus implies that God and man have been reunited. It was not an angel or a human who came from God. It was God himself who crossed the chasm created by sin. Our God is not aloof.
IV. The Deity of Jesus implies that we worship Him. If He is God, I must worship Him. If He is not, and I worship Him, then I am an idolater because only God should be worshipped. If He is not God, then He is a blasphemer, because He claimed to be God (John 5:18). We find the early church worshipping Jesus as God. This was not an invention of the 3rd century as Dan Brown would assert.
Illustration: Brown asserts that the deity of Jesus was an embellishment of his followers and a belief that was promoted 300 years after the life of Jesus. So Constantine, a Roman Emperor that was converted to Christianity, convened a church council in 325 AD at a place called Nicea (in modern day Turkey). Approximately three hundred church leaders from all over the empire convened in order to ratify and make official what the apostles and other church fathers had affirmed for years - that Jesus was co-eternal with the Father, fully God, fully man. Dan Brown said that it barely passed by a close vote. How close was this vote? Historian Paul Maier of Western Michigan University said it was 300 to 2 in favor of affirming the deity of Jesus. Some sources have 218 to 2. If the whole world sided with Dan Brown, it still does not diminish the deity of Jesus one iota. When a Da Vinci Code comes along, disciples go deeper; the half-hearted walk away.
Explanation: One of the first descriptions of a church service which we possess is that of Pliny, the Roman governor of Bithynia, who in 112 AD sent a report of the activities of the Christians to Trajan the Roman Emperor, in an attempt to get some advice on how to treat them under Roman law. In that report he said, "They meet at dawn to sing a hymn to Christ as God (Barclay, Daily Study Bible, "Colossians")." In reply, Trajan wrote regarding the Christians: “No search should be made for these people, when they are denounced and found guilty they must be punished, with the restriction, however, that when the party denies himself to be a Christian, and shall give proof that he is not (that is, by adoring our gods) he shall be pardoned on the ground of repentance even though he may have formerly incurred suspicion (McDowell, Notes).” If we confess with these early Christians that Christ is God, then we must identify with His Lordship.
Illustration: I’ve noticed that "the sign of the fish" continues to be popular among Christians these days. This is not the first time. Well known among archeological discoveries is the repeated "fish" symbol. Its popularity among Christians many centuries ago was due to the five letters that make it up, each of which stands for a Greek word confessing their Christian belief and identity. I - iota; X - chi; H - theta; Y - upsilon (with breathing mark); S - sigma, Icthus, is the Greek word for "fish," and Christians saw each of its letters standing for a word, i.e., Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." That was a succinct and very definite expression of Christian conviction, emanating from the earliest days of the church (Green, Michael, Who Is This Jesus? 120,121). Can you believe and say: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"?
Quotation: Since the Council of Nicea gets a bad rap from Dan Brown, let’s pull out these ancient words that do such a great job of capturing what it is that Christians confess. Let’s affirm this creed.
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
CONCLUSION
Invitation: Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). If You’re Lost, He’s the Way! If you’re uncertain about Truth, He’s the Truth! If you’re Spiritually Dead, He’s the Life! Always being uncertain about what is right and about what path you should take finds an answer in Jesus. Believing in Him is like finding a road on which your deepest questions of life are finally answered. If you’re lost, Jesus said, “I am the way.” Jesus is the Road you seek. Perhaps you’ve taken a detour. Maybe you’ve hit a dead-end. You haven’t followed Christ. This is your moment to get back on track. Apart from the Way, there is no going; apart from the Truth, there is no knowing; apart from the Life there is no living. Jesus Christ demands a personal verdict. 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Thomas said after touching the scar on Jesus side, “My Lord and my God.” Can you say that today? Is that your final answer? It’s time for you to decide.
Application: I like how one pastor summarizes our three options when it comes to examining the claims of Christ. These options go back to something C.S. Lewis once said and were made popular by Josh McDowell. The options…
1. Jesus was a liar. One option is that Jesus made all these statements about “being equal with God” knowing that it wasn’t true. The problem with this is that we can hardly take the moral teachings of a habitual liar seriously.
2. Jesus was a lunatic. A second option is that Jesus genuinely thought that He was God, but He was genuinely mistaken. In this view He was really just a mortal man, but He had “delusions of grandeur.” The problem here is that people who go around claiming to be God are generally put in an institution, not on a pedestal to be adored by millions. If Jesus was genuinely deluded, that nixes the authority of His teaching.
3. Jesus is Lord. The third option is that Jesus was exactly who He said He was. There are many who want to accept Jesus as a good teacher without giving Him control of their lives. If Jesus is Lord, and He is, we must submit and surrender to Him. This is no easy task for those of us who are sinful and selfish. Jesus leaves us with two options: accept him as God or reject him.
C.S. Lewis put it this way: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher… Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit on Him and kill Him…or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (“Mere Christianity,” pp. 52-53). Lewis is exactly right: Jesus did not leave the option open for us to take what we like of His teachings and leave the rest on the table. Do you believe this morning that Jesus was telling the truth when He claimed to be God? He is either a liar or a lunatic; or He is Lord. Who do you think He is? Who is Christ to you? Malcom Muggeridge once said: “You must answer. And you. And you. And you and you (Jesus Rediscovered).” "You cannot go on being a good egg forever. You must either hatch or rot (C.S. Lewis)."
