The Key Question Matthew 16:13-20 Michael J. Roth

Transcription

1 The Key Question Matthew 16:13-20 Michael J. Roth Introduction A. I enjoy listening to Car Talk on National Public Radio. After stating the problem the hosts of the program, affectionately known as Click and Clack the Tappet brothers, ask the caller a series of questions to diagnose the car s problem. Although there is a lot of laughing and joking around I find it fascinating how skilled these guys are in asking the right questions to get the best diagnosis. B. The process is also used by a good diagnostic doctor. She knows just the right questions to ask to come up with a diagnosis. The skill is in asking key questions. C. In our text Jesus is trying to teach and strengthen His disciples by asking a key question. Who do people say that Son of Man is? And more pointedly, Who do you say that I am? I. The wrong answers are given by the world. A. We live in a pluralistic world. 1. Caesarea Philippi was in a land of paganism. As far as we know from the Gospels this is the farthest Jesus ever traveled from Jerusalem. He and His disciples were not only a great distance from the Temple they were also a great distance from the faith and worship of the true God. In this region many gods were worshiped. There were Syrian gods, there were Greek gods, and there was even Roman emperor worship. These people were polytheistic; they believed there were many gods. In fact, the question, Who do men say that I am? did not elicit an answer about being God at all. The concept of god for those people was

2 anything but a personal, caring and compassionate man like Jesus. The concept of god was more akin to people s understanding of mother nature today some being or force that acts on a whim and doesn t really care to be personally involved with creation. 2. We also live in a land of paganism. More and more we are surrounded by people who worship false gods. These gods or ideas of god can be found in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha i and other nativist religions. In addition to those who worship false gods, there are those who worship no god at all. This takes the form of secularism, a form of humanism that rejects the need or connection to any god. It instead glorifies the desires and interests of man. Although fewer people claim affiliation with a religion most say they are spiritual. A poll shed some light on the paradox of increased religiosity and decreased morality. According to sociologist Robert Bellah, 81 percent of the American people also say they agree, An individual should arrive at his or her own religious belief independent of any church or synagogue. Thus the key to the paradox is the fact that those who claim to be Christian are arriving at faith on their own terms terms that make no demands on behavior. A woman named Sheila, interviewed for Bellah s Habits of the Heart, embodies this attitude. I believe in God, she said. I can t remember the last time I went to church. But my faith has carried me a long way. It s Sheila-ism. Just my own little voice. (C. Colson) B. False ideas about Jesus.

3 1. Many in Jesus day had a wrong idea about who He was. When Jesus asked the disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? they replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Based on many Jewish traditions of the day, these weren t really strange answers. These answers do recognize the uniqueness and special qualities of Jesus, but they don t go far enough. These answers are shortsighted, inadequate and ultimately, unbelieving. 2. There are many false ideas within Christianity also today. Many who would call themselves Christians today don t really know Jesus all that well. They see in Him a moral teacher, or a good example, or an inspiring leader. They may even say they believe in Him or pray to Him or worship Him, but do not really understand biblical concepts of Redeemer, Savior and Messiah. Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. What did he find? asked the cohort. A piece of the truth, the Devil replied. Doesn t it bother you that he found a piece of the truth? asked the cohort. No said the Devil, I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it. (Snodgrass) People today have bits and pieces of the truth, but not the whole thing. All too often modern Christianity is shallow and lacking in Scriptural depth. People s faith includes a little bit of the truth, but sadly, not enough to trust solely in Christ. After the disciples had given the answer to Jesus question about what other people think, He asks the key

4 question for us all: What about you, who do you say that I am? Representing the disciples Peter speaks up: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Here is a truth that we must all acknowledge: we cannot know who Jesus is and confess His name without God Himself revealing it to us. The key question is: What do you believe about Jesus? II. The right answer is revealed by God. A. Jesus is the Christ. 1. He is the Anointed One of God. In this response Peter is saying that Jesus is the promised Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament Scriptures. He is saying, in effect, that Jesus is Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, who repeatedly rescued and redeemed His people. For us to confess Jesus as the Christ is to see Him as the center of the whole Bible. It is to acknowledge that He is the One who has come to rescue and restore His creation and His people. 2. He is our Savior. What this identity means is expressed later on in this chapter: From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. When we confess Jesus as the Christ, our Savior, we are admitting our sinfulness and inability to be right with God on our own. We are confessing our sin and utter depravity and

5 pleading the mercy of God. As our Savior, Jesus is our only hope from sin and death. B. The Son of the living God. 1. Jesus is a living God. It is interesting that the people the disciples say others think Jesus is are all dead. Likewise, those who worship false gods today put their trust in those who are dead. Christianity is the only religion whose founder is alive. Jesus is the Son of the living God. As a living God, Jesus is with us always. He hears and answers our prayers. He is present in worship, in the Word and in the bread and wine of the Sacrament. 2. Jesus gives life to those who believe in Him. As the living God, Jesus gives life to all flesh. He is the creator God and He is the redeemer God. Our physical and our spiritual life come from Him. This means that He is able to help and heal our bodies and He is able to strengthen, sustain and forgive our souls. In yesterday s Herald Palladium a front page article was entitled: Anti-aging industry sees dollar signs in Baby Boomer s vanity. The article reads: Baby boomers heading into what used to be called retirement age are providing a 70 million-member strong market for legions of companies, entrepreneurs and cosmetic surgeons eager to capitalize on their forever young mindset, whether it s through wrinkle creams, face-lifts or workout regimens. It appears that people today want to squeeze every last once out of this life while they can. In many ways it is an avoidance of an inevitable reality called - mortality. Because of sin, we are all going to died. There are no creams, face-lifts or workouts that can change that. Our need is

6 not for a cosmetic surgeon, it is for a spiritual cardiologist. We need Jesus who can cleans our heart of sin and give us life in heaven that will never end. We need Jesus, the Son of the living God. C. The key question is the key that unlocks the door to everlasting life. 1. On this key the church is built. Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built. He is the foundation for the church and for our individual lives. Jesus is the key for the church militant in this life and for the church triumphant in eternal life. Not even the gates of hell can prevail against Christ s church. This means that God will protect us from the evil one. He will keep us in the faith and give us strength the length of our days. 2. This key opens the kingdom of heaven. It announces a Gospel that has power to save. Jesus says: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Whenever Jesus is proclaimed as the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Holy Spirit can work faith in those who hear. This faith enables the believer to go through the open door of heaven. 3. It is a joy and a privilege to share this Gospel message. At Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI there is a huge steam locomotive. Beside this complicated piece of machinery is a sign showing boiler pressure, size and number of wheels, horsepower, lengths, weight and more. The bottom line indicates that 96% of the power

7 generated was used to move the locomotive and only 4% was left to pull the load. Some churches are like that. They spend 96% of their time, energy and money just keeping the organization going and only 4% on pulling the load, that is, reaching out with the saving Gospel of Jesus. Would that describe Trinity? Conclusion A. The key question we must all answer is: Who is Jesus? If you can say, His is the Christ, the Son of the living God, it has been revealed to you by God the Father in heaven. B. If the Father has given you this faith it leads to another key, one that unlocks heaven for you. With this key you may also unlock heaven for someone else with whom you share your Gospel confession. C. I leave you with two questions: Who do you say Jesus is? And who will you say it to?