GOD'S PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO TELL
Matthew 16:13-20
If you were at a party, and you saw someone slip something into someone's drink, and they wouldn't believe you when you told them, what would you do? Would you be willing to create a scene, knock the drink out of his or her hand, risk looking like a fool?
Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was. Some people said Jesus was John the Baptist, a man who came to convict people of their personal sin and lead them to repentance. Some said he was Elijah, a prophet who was going to confront the ruling parties about their oppressive and unjust reign. Others said he was Jeremiah, another prophet who warned the nation of Israel to turn back to back to God.
There are some people today that say Jesus was just a man -- a good man, perhaps even a prophet. He was a great teacher who preached about moral and ethical behavior. He was an advocate for justice and the rights of the people. He was a man, and the miracles and the resurrection are just stories that belong to an ancient culture that needed myth to make sense of the world, unlike the rational world we live in today.
Jesus then asked his disciples who they said he was. Peter spoke for his fellow disciples, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."
Messiah: the one foretold by the prophets, the one sent from God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be king and judge.
The Son of the Living God: God born in human flesh, both fully human and fully divine, sent to bring salvation to all human kind through his life, death and resurrection.
Peter and his fellow disciples weren't basing their answer on what other people were saying. Christ's identity was revealed to them through faith by the grace of God.
This faith is the foundation upon which the church is built. It is powerful. Through faith, we can storm the gates of Hell, the stronghold of sin and death. Faith in Christ has the power to transform lives, to bring hope and strength from despair, and to save souls. The effect of Christ in people's lives is too wonderful to be kept a secret.
In a "Penn Says" video, I saw on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w), Penn Jillete of Penn and Teller, a magician avowed atheist, talks about an encounter he had with a man one night after a performance. The man had been waiting to speak to him, and told him how much he enjoyed the show. His compliments were sincere, and he seemed to be a kind and sane human being.
Then the man told Penn, "I brought this for you." It was a pocket-sized Gideon New Testament with Psalms. "I wanted you to have this."
Penn, a non-believer, said he has a lot of respect for Christians who share their faith and who witness to others about Christ. After all, if you really believe in heaven and hell, you're going to tell people about the way to eternal life. As he put it, "How much do you have to hate someone not to tell them."
There's a lot of people out there who only know what the world says who Jesus is. Who is going to introduce them to the real Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God if we don't -- we who know Christ personally, as our Lord and Savior and who are filled with Christ's love?
If we know someone is going to Hell, to what lengths are we willing to go? Will we risk being rejected and looking foolish? Will we step out in faith, take a chance and depend on the power of God to guide us and give us the words we need to speak?
Christ is too wonderful to be kept a secret. We should be telling people about him.
If you were at a party, and you saw someone slip something into someone's drink, and they wouldn't believe you when you told them, what would you do? Would you be willing to create a scene, knock the drink out of his or her hand, risk looking like a fool?
Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was. Some people said Jesus was John the Baptist, a man who came to convict people of their personal sin and lead them to repentance. Some said he was Elijah, a prophet who was going to confront the ruling parties about their oppressive and unjust reign. Others said he was Jeremiah, another prophet who warned the nation of Israel to turn back to back to God.
There are some people today that say Jesus was just a man -- a good man, perhaps even a prophet. He was a great teacher who preached about moral and ethical behavior. He was an advocate for justice and the rights of the people. He was a man, and the miracles and the resurrection are just stories that belong to an ancient culture that needed myth to make sense of the world, unlike the rational world we live in today.
Jesus then asked his disciples who they said he was. Peter spoke for his fellow disciples, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."
Messiah: the one foretold by the prophets, the one sent from God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be king and judge.
The Son of the Living God: God born in human flesh, both fully human and fully divine, sent to bring salvation to all human kind through his life, death and resurrection.
Peter and his fellow disciples weren't basing their answer on what other people were saying. Christ's identity was revealed to them through faith by the grace of God.
This faith is the foundation upon which the church is built. It is powerful. Through faith, we can storm the gates of Hell, the stronghold of sin and death. Faith in Christ has the power to transform lives, to bring hope and strength from despair, and to save souls. The effect of Christ in people's lives is too wonderful to be kept a secret.
In a "Penn Says" video, I saw on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w), Penn Jillete of Penn and Teller, a magician avowed atheist, talks about an encounter he had with a man one night after a performance. The man had been waiting to speak to him, and told him how much he enjoyed the show. His compliments were sincere, and he seemed to be a kind and sane human being.
Then the man told Penn, "I brought this for you." It was a pocket-sized Gideon New Testament with Psalms. "I wanted you to have this."
Penn, a non-believer, said he has a lot of respect for Christians who share their faith and who witness to others about Christ. After all, if you really believe in heaven and hell, you're going to tell people about the way to eternal life. As he put it, "How much do you have to hate someone not to tell them."
There's a lot of people out there who only know what the world says who Jesus is. Who is going to introduce them to the real Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God if we don't -- we who know Christ personally, as our Lord and Savior and who are filled with Christ's love?
If we know someone is going to Hell, to what lengths are we willing to go? Will we risk being rejected and looking foolish? Will we step out in faith, take a chance and depend on the power of God to guide us and give us the words we need to speak?
Christ is too wonderful to be kept a secret. We should be telling people about him.
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