1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,760 May we open your Bibles, please, at Luke’s gospel chapter 9 2 00:00:03,760 –> 00:00:09,760 and verse 20, as we come to the second in our series entitled, Ultimate Questions, 3 00:00:10,480 –> 00:00:15,120 and remember that we’ve been learning in this series already that the ultimate questions in 4 00:00:15,120 –> 00:00:23,040 life are not really the questions that you have for God. The ultimate questions are the questions 5 00:00:23,040 –> 00:00:29,360 that God has for you, the questions that God has for me. Now, today we come to the question that 6 00:00:29,360 –> 00:00:34,639 stands at the very centre of the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and if you 7 00:00:34,639 –> 00:00:39,759 look at verse 18 of Luke chapter 9, you’ll get the picture as to where this question came. 8 00:00:40,320 –> 00:00:45,439 We’re told that Jesus was alone with his disciples, they were in private, probably at the 9 00:00:45,439 –> 00:00:51,520 end of the day the crowds to whom Jesus had been ministering had gone home. Jesus has some downtime 10 00:00:51,520 –> 00:00:56,880 with his friends, and as they’re talking, Jesus asks a question, he says to them, 11 00:00:56,959 –> 00:01:01,919 Now these folks that were in the crowd today, what are they saying about me? Who do they say that 12 00:01:01,919 –> 00:01:09,040 I am? What opinions are they forming about me? This of course is a question about culture, 13 00:01:10,160 –> 00:01:14,800 and Jesus is not asking this question because he feels insecure about his own reputation, 14 00:01:14,800 –> 00:01:19,440 or because he needs some market research as to how people are responding to the message. 15 00:01:19,440 –> 00:01:23,199 He is asking the question simply because it is important that the 16 00:01:23,199 –> 00:01:29,919 disciples understand the culture in which they live. How is the culture responding to Jesus? 17 00:01:29,919 –> 00:01:37,519 What are people around here saying about him? It’s clear from the disciples’ answer that there 18 00:01:38,320 –> 00:01:42,480 was then, as there is still today a variety of opinions about Jesus. 19 00:01:43,279 –> 00:01:48,959 Some say that you are John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, and still others that one of the 20 00:01:48,959 –> 00:01:56,879 prophets from long ago has come back to life. Then Jesus asks the question that I want us 21 00:01:56,879 –> 00:02:07,360 to consider this morning. It really is an ultimate question. And again I want us to 22 00:02:07,360 –> 00:02:14,080 try and hear it this morning as if the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen ascended Christ 23 00:02:14,899 –> 00:02:21,940 we’re personally addressing to each one of us in this sanctuary. Here’s the question. 24 00:02:23,660 –> 00:02:32,860 Who do you say I am? Who do you say I am? 25 00:02:36,539 –> 00:02:43,339 The first thing to notice about this question is its extraordinary self-centeredness. 26 00:02:44,619 –> 00:02:56,720 Jesus asks a question about himself. Who do you say I am? Now this is in stark 27 00:02:56,720 –> 00:03:00,960 contrast to everything else that we find anywhere else in the Bible. John the 28 00:03:00,960 –> 00:03:05,820 Baptist spoke about the Coming Messiah, the prophet spoke the word of the Lord, 29 00:03:06,179 –> 00:03:12,919 but Jesus speaks consistently about himself. 30 00:03:13,380 –> 00:03:18,539 Now we become familiar with the words of Jesus over time— so familiar that 31 00:03:18,539 –> 00:03:24,220 actually the astonishing and shocking nature of this fact really eludes us. So 32 00:03:24,220 –> 00:03:29,240 I’d like to try and use an illustration that I hope will really help us to see 33 00:03:29,240 –> 00:03:35,559 with fresh eyes or hear with fresh ears how extraordinary this self-centeredness 34 00:03:35,559 –> 00:03:41,100 of Jesus actually is. So I want you to imagine with me for a moment that a new 35 00:03:41,100 –> 00:03:47,080 pastor comes to our church. The search committee has done a marvellous job. 36 00:03:47,080 –> 00:03:52,000 Scoured the country, found the candidate, the congregation has met, they’ve invited 37 00:03:52,000 –> 00:03:57,419 the new man, and the day comes when we all welcome him on his first Sunday as 38 00:03:57,419 –> 00:04:02,699 he begins his new ministry in this church. On the first Sunday he comes up 39 00:04:02,740 –> 00:04:06,500 to this pulpit, and he says well you’ll understand I’ve been thinking and I’ve 40 00:04:06,500 –> 00:04:09,580 been praying a great deal about the message that I should bring for my very 41 00:04:09,580 –> 00:04:14,759 first series of sermons here. And I’ve decided that for the first year I’m 42 00:04:14,759 –> 00:04:20,480 going to talk about myself. Because really the most important thing for all 43 00:04:20,480 –> 00:04:26,339 of you in your spiritual development is that you come to know me. So that’s what 44 00:04:26,579 –> 00:04:32,880 to be our focus. You need to know as a congregation that it’s a good thing that 45 00:04:32,880 –> 00:04:39,299 I’ve come to be here. In fact my arrival here is very good news for you. I’ll tell 46 00:04:39,299 –> 00:04:44,559 you why. It’s good news for you that I am here, because some of you have been 47 00:04:44,559 –> 00:04:53,040 slaves to patterns of sin for years and I’m gonna set you free. Some of you have 48 00:04:53,059 –> 00:04:56,859 been sitting in church for years and you’ve been blind to God’s truth and I’m 49 00:04:56,859 –> 00:05:04,079 gonna open your eyes. The following Tuesday it’s the first meeting of the 50 00:05:04,079 –> 00:05:11,100 board with the new pastor and he sits down and they have over some coffee, a 51 00:05:11,100 –> 00:05:15,420 kind of introductory session, and the new pastor asks each of the board members 52 00:05:15,420 –> 00:05:20,100 know you’re married, yes? You have children, family, grandchildren? And all of 53 00:05:20,100 –> 00:05:23,739 the board members share their family circumstances, the story of their 54 00:05:23,739 –> 00:05:28,179 children, their achievements, and so forth and so on. Well, he says it’s a delight 55 00:05:28,179 –> 00:05:31,500 to get to know you. I’m very much looking forward to you. I do want to ask for your 56 00:05:31,500 –> 00:05:35,899 support in this first meeting. In fact, I have to tell you that if any of you board 57 00:05:35,899 –> 00:05:40,359 members loves your father or your mother or your wife or your children more than 58 00:05:40,359 –> 00:05:46,459 you love me, you are not worthy of me. And by the 59 00:05:46,579 –> 00:05:50,140 way, there’s one other thing I just need you to know without me you can do 60 00:05:50,140 –> 00:05:52,359 nothing. 61 00:05:53,100 –> 00:05:57,420 The following week he goes to a meeting of the ministers of the greater Chicago 62 00:05:57,420 –> 00:06:01,399 area, the chairman of this particularly august group welcomes him to the meeting 63 00:06:01,399 –> 00:06:04,299 and says that he hopes that the new pastor from Arlingtonites Free Church 64 00:06:04,299 –> 00:06:08,660 will feel quickly at home and able to join in the discussion with the rest. 65 00:06:08,660 –> 00:06:14,480 Would you like, he says, to say a few words? So the new pastor gets up and he 66 00:06:14,779 –> 00:06:18,500 I’m delighted to be here. I know that some of you, of course, have been working 67 00:06:18,500 –> 00:06:22,619 very hard for many years in the Greater Chicago area. Some of you have a 68 00:06:22,619 –> 00:06:28,359 particularly tough ministry in the inner city and many of you are living under 69 00:06:28,359 –> 00:06:35,540 great pressure, and I just want to say that if any of you feel burdened, I want 70 00:06:35,540 –> 00:06:40,820 you to come to me and I will give you rest, and if you do that, I will teach 71 00:06:41,019 –> 00:06:48,980 you, and as I teach you, you will find rest for your souls. The next day there’s 72 00:06:48,980 –> 00:06:52,720 a call here at the church office, and someone in the congregation is in 73 00:06:52,720 –> 00:06:57,980 hospital. He has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. So the new pastor 74 00:06:57,980 –> 00:07:02,299 gets in the car and he goes down to the hospital. The sufferer tells his story as 75 00:07:02,299 –> 00:07:06,339 the new pastor sits on the end of the bed, and then, after listening for a while, 76 00:07:06,380 –> 00:07:12,619 he says, let me just say this to you, don’t let your heart be troubled. You 77 00:07:12,619 –> 00:07:18,339 believe in God, don’t you? Yes, says the man suffering from a terminal illness. 78 00:07:18,339 –> 00:07:25,440 Well, says the pastor, here’s what I want to say to you, just you believe in me. 79 00:07:25,899 –> 00:07:33,339 Wow! By the end of the first week there are serious questions running through 80 00:07:33,380 –> 00:07:38,700 the congregation about the new pastor. People are saying that the church maybe 81 00:07:38,700 –> 00:07:43,880 has made a big mistake in calling this man and the church chairman invites the 82 00:07:43,880 –> 00:07:48,019 new pastor to meet for breakfast and suggests that they have a little bit of 83 00:07:48,019 –> 00:07:53,459 a chat. When they meet he says to the pastor, now look some people have been 84 00:07:53,459 –> 00:07:57,200 having problems with some of the things you’re saying and we’re thinking that 85 00:07:57,200 –> 00:08:02,600 maybe we should restrict your speaking. Oh, says the new pastor, 86 00:08:02,739 –> 00:08:08,140 you can’t do that. You see, the time is coming and now is 87 00:08:08,140 –> 00:08:15,540 when even the dead will hear my voice and live. Now you see, you only need to 88 00:08:15,540 –> 00:08:20,859 say these things to realize that for any human being to speak like this is 89 00:08:20,859 –> 00:08:29,500 completely ludicrous. If any man did speak remotely like this, the board would 90 00:08:29,600 –> 00:08:33,039 run him out of town before the end of the first week and they would be right 91 00:08:33,039 –> 00:08:41,559 to do so. No man speaks like this! It would be blasphemy, wouldn’t it? And yet 92 00:08:41,559 –> 00:08:48,219 these are precisely the things that Jesus Christ said. And his very central 93 00:08:48,219 –> 00:08:59,460 question to people is, Who do you say I am? It is extraordinary, isn’t it? C. S. 94 00:08:59,460 –> 00:09:02,539 Lewis makes this point, I think quite brilliantly, in his book mere 95 00:09:02,539 –> 00:09:06,760 Christianity. Some of you will know this passage, let me read it to you because it 96 00:09:06,760 –> 00:09:10,140 makes this point so powerfully. He says, 97 00:09:18,440 –> 00:09:25,020 Some of you get the impression of silliness or conceit. You put these words 98 00:09:25,020 –> 00:09:29,159 in the mouth of any other person, they just sound silly, don’t they? But they 99 00:09:29,159 –> 00:09:30,780 don’t sound silly when you read them in the Gospels. 100 00:09:34,080 –> 00:09:40,140 He is humble and meek, and we believe him. Not noticing that if he were 101 00:09:40,140 –> 00:09:45,559 merely a man, humility and meekness would be the very last characteristics that we 102 00:09:45,580 –> 00:09:52,200 attribute to some of his sayings. Lewis says, I am trying here to prevent anyone 103 00:09:52,200 –> 00:09:57,739 from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus. 104 00:09:57,739 –> 00:10:01,679 I’m ready to accept him as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim 105 00:10:01,679 –> 00:10:07,700 to be God. That, says Lewis, is the one thing we must not say, 106 00:10:07,700 –> 00:10:14,020 because a man who was merely a man and said the sorts of things that Jesus said 107 00:10:14,020 –> 00:10:20,000 would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic 108 00:10:20,000 –> 00:10:24,700 on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be 109 00:10:24,700 –> 00:10:32,960 the devil from hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the 110 00:10:32,960 –> 00:10:40,739 son of God, or else he is a madman, or something worse. 111 00:10:40,780 –> 00:10:45,880 You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, 112 00:10:45,880 –> 00:10:50,979 or, you can fall at his feet and call him, Lord and God, but let us not 113 00:10:50,979 –> 00:10:55,840 come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human Teacher. 114 00:10:55,840 –> 00:11:04,099 He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to. 115 00:11:04,099 –> 00:11:06,419 You see, that’s the problem with what the culture is saying about Jesus. 116 00:11:06,419 –> 00:11:09,820 Oh he’s one of the prophets, and he’s a great spiritual Teacher. 117 00:11:10,539 –> 00:11:18,900 He just doesn’t fit that category. It isn’t big enough to hold him. 118 00:11:19,400 –> 00:11:25,179 Any serious evaluation of the evidence of the gospels narrows our options 119 00:11:25,179 –> 00:11:31,640 in answering Jesus’ question, who do you say I am? 120 00:11:31,640 –> 00:11:37,340 This of course is why Jesus is so divisive. 121 00:11:37,340 –> 00:11:40,919 You cannot be neutral about him. 122 00:11:40,919 –> 00:11:45,320 You cannot put him merely in the profit box — merely in the great moral teacher 123 00:11:45,320 –> 00:11:48,859 along with an array of others box. 124 00:11:48,859 –> 00:11:51,979 Let me give you one other quotation this morning. 125 00:11:51,979 –> 00:11:54,200 This time from John Stott. 126 00:11:54,200 –> 00:11:58,760 John Stott says one of the most extraordinary things that Jesus did in his teaching 127 00:11:58,760 –> 00:12:05,280 and he did it so unobtrusively that many people read the gospels without even noticing. 128 00:12:05,799 –> 00:12:13,280 But the extraordinary thing that he did was that he set himself apart from everybody else. 129 00:12:13,280 –> 00:12:17,440 For example, says Stott, by claiming to be the good shepherd who went out into the desert 130 00:12:17,440 –> 00:12:23,520 to seek the lost sheep, he was implying that the world was lost and he wasn’t 131 00:12:23,520 –> 00:12:27,359 and that he could seek it and save it. 132 00:12:27,359 –> 00:12:32,479 In other words, he put himself in a moral category in which he was alone. 133 00:12:32,520 –> 00:12:38,159 Everybody else was in the darkness, he was the light of the world. 134 00:12:38,159 –> 00:12:42,880 Everybody else was hungry, he was the bread of life. 135 00:12:42,880 –> 00:12:47,400 Everybody else was thirsty, he could quench their thirst. 136 00:12:47,400 –> 00:12:53,679 Everybody else was sinful, he could forgive our sins. 137 00:12:53,679 –> 00:12:55,919 Now these are his claims. 138 00:12:56,840 –> 00:13:03,659 They sound either ridiculous or blasphemous on the lips of anybody else. 139 00:13:03,679 –> 00:13:07,380 But they are the claims of Jesus and he comes to those who profess to have some connection 140 00:13:07,380 –> 00:13:13,960 with him and he says, now who do you say I am? 141 00:13:13,960 –> 00:13:16,599 That’s the question. 142 00:13:16,599 –> 00:13:20,900 That’s really the decisive one for us. 143 00:13:20,900 –> 00:13:25,320 Now notice that Peter had an answer, and it is an answer that Jesus affirmed in Matthew’s 144 00:13:25,820 –> 00:13:27,280 recording of this account. 145 00:13:27,280 –> 00:13:32,039 Jesus affirms the answer and so I want us to look at it very carefully. 146 00:13:32,039 –> 00:13:37,479 Peter says, you are the Christ of God. 147 00:13:37,479 –> 00:13:41,640 Now throughout the history of the Church, this has been the central confession that 148 00:13:41,640 –> 00:13:44,299 marks a person as a Christian. 149 00:13:44,299 –> 00:13:50,119 We confess that Jesus is the Christ of God. 150 00:13:50,119 –> 00:13:53,500 Now many people today, of course, want to make their own definition of what a Christian 151 00:13:54,260 –> 00:13:57,000 find anything like that in the Bible. 152 00:13:57,000 –> 00:14:01,039 The name Christian, of course, comes from the name Christ. 153 00:14:01,039 –> 00:14:05,059 A Christian is a Christ one. 154 00:14:05,059 –> 00:14:09,679 A Christian is one who believes that the Christ has come. 155 00:14:09,679 –> 00:14:15,760 A Christian is a person who confesses, as Peter did with the disciples here, that Jesus 156 00:14:15,760 –> 00:14:19,520 is the Christ. 157 00:14:19,520 –> 00:14:24,739 So it is very important that we understand what Peter says here and then that we think 158 00:14:24,739 –> 00:14:32,179 through whether we are personally able to stand with him in making this confession. 159 00:14:32,179 –> 00:14:35,960 Who do you say I am? 160 00:14:35,960 –> 00:14:39,659 You are the Christ of God. 161 00:14:39,659 –> 00:14:43,940 I want to ask two very obvious questions of the central confession of the Christian faith. 162 00:14:43,940 –> 00:14:46,020 The first is, what does it mean? 163 00:14:46,780 –> 00:14:49,820 And the second is, why does it matter. 164 00:14:49,820 –> 00:14:53,159 What does it mean, why does it matter? 165 00:14:53,159 –> 00:14:57,719 To say you are the Christ of God. 166 00:14:57,719 –> 00:14:59,400 First then, what does it mean? 167 00:14:59,400 –> 00:15:02,359 You are the Christ. 168 00:15:02,359 –> 00:15:05,159 Now the word Christ simply means anointed one. 169 00:15:05,159 –> 00:15:11,159 It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah and so this ties directly into the 170 00:15:11,159 –> 00:15:16,280 whole of the Bible’s story because the Old Testament had been consistently pointing towards 171 00:15:16,280 –> 00:15:21,559 one who will be anointed by God and who will be the hope of the world. 172 00:15:21,559 –> 00:15:26,000 And the title that is given to this one who will come, the anointed one of God, the hope 173 00:15:26,000 –> 00:15:32,820 of the world is the Messiah, the Christos, the Christ, the anointed one. 174 00:15:32,820 –> 00:15:34,700 Now that’s what Christ means. 175 00:15:34,700 –> 00:15:38,460 It raises the obvious question, anointed for what? 176 00:15:39,200 –> 00:15:41,380 Well again the Old Testament gives us the answer. 177 00:15:41,380 –> 00:15:47,580 It’s very fascinating how God reveals within His own Word what we need to understand about 178 00:15:47,580 –> 00:15:48,679 Jesus. 179 00:15:48,679 –> 00:15:55,580 See, all the way through the Bible story God is engaged in three distinct activities. 180 00:15:55,580 –> 00:16:00,380 The first is that He reveals Himself that we may know Him. 181 00:16:00,380 –> 00:16:05,919 The second is that He reconciles us to Himself that we may find peace with Him. 182 00:16:05,919 –> 00:16:10,880 And the third is that He rules the world so that His purposes may be fulfilled. 183 00:16:10,880 –> 00:16:15,179 Reveals Himself so that we may know Him, reconciles us to Himself so that we may be at peace with 184 00:16:15,179 –> 00:16:20,719 Him, rules the world so that His purpose may be fulfilled. 185 00:16:20,719 –> 00:16:27,760 Now in the Old Testament certain people were anointed for advancing one of these three 186 00:16:27,760 –> 00:16:30,599 purposes. 187 00:16:30,599 –> 00:16:36,760 The people who were anointed for God’s work of revealing were called prophets. 188 00:16:36,760 –> 00:16:41,500 God spoke the Word directly to them, they spoke the Word of God. 189 00:16:41,500 –> 00:16:48,719 Thus says the Lord, prophets were appointed for the work of revealing, anointed for it. 190 00:16:48,719 –> 00:16:54,140 Then those who were anointed to represent the work of reconciling were called priests. 191 00:16:54,140 –> 00:16:58,760 Their work, you remember in the Old Testament, was to offer sacrifices on behalf of God’s 192 00:16:58,760 –> 00:16:59,760 people. 193 00:16:59,960 –> 00:17:04,239 They were anointed with oil, and the reason for this was that they were speaking of the 194 00:17:04,239 –> 00:17:09,800 central work of God throughout human history, the priests were anointed for God’s work of 195 00:17:09,800 –> 00:17:10,800 reconciling. 196 00:17:10,800 –> 00:17:17,319 Then, of course, the kings were the ones who were anointed for God’s work of ruling. 197 00:17:17,319 –> 00:17:23,099 The kings were anointed, prophets, priests and kings, were all anointed physically with 198 00:17:23,099 –> 00:17:30,280 oil as a sign that God’s Spirit was upon them for particular work that was being advanced 199 00:17:30,280 –> 00:17:31,280 in the world. 200 00:17:31,280 –> 00:17:37,760 The prophet spoke the word of God, the priests offered sacrifices to God, and the king ruled 201 00:17:37,760 –> 00:17:43,819 over God’s people—revealing, reconciling, reigning—that’s the Old Testament picture. 202 00:17:43,819 –> 00:17:52,260 Now, these prophets, priests, and kings throughout the Old Testament were really like signposts. 203 00:17:52,260 –> 00:17:58,560 They were anointed with oil because they were all pointing forward to one who was expected 204 00:17:58,560 –> 00:18:06,180 amongst all believing people, the anointed one of God, THE Christ, who would fulfill 205 00:18:06,180 –> 00:18:13,040 everything that each of these three groups of people were pointing towards. 206 00:18:13,040 –> 00:18:21,520 THE Christ, when he came, the anointed one, would make God fully known. 207 00:18:22,500 –> 00:18:29,060 THE Christ, when he came, would offer THE sacrifice that would bring peace and reconciliation 208 00:18:29,060 –> 00:18:31,880 for all people with God. 209 00:18:31,880 –> 00:18:37,099 THE Christ, when he came, would be the one who WOULD bring in God’s kingdom, his eternal 210 00:18:37,099 –> 00:18:42,500 kingdom, that would deliver and deliver God’s people from their enemies, even the ultimate 211 00:18:42,500 –> 00:18:47,579 enemy, which, of course, is death itself. 212 00:18:47,619 –> 00:18:54,540 Now, the whole of the Old Testament is simply breathing with the anticipation of this Messiah, 213 00:18:54,540 –> 00:19:00,140 this coming one, this anointed one, this one who will fulfill everything that prophets, 214 00:19:00,140 –> 00:19:05,119 priests and kings in the Old Testament were pointing towards, that will fulfill in himself 215 00:19:05,119 –> 00:19:10,540 all of God’s revelation and reconciliation and inaugurate the very reign of God on the 216 00:19:10,540 –> 00:19:13,439 earth. 217 00:19:13,479 –> 00:19:16,719 And then Jesus comes. 218 00:19:16,719 –> 00:19:20,520 And listen again to how he speaks. 219 00:19:20,520 –> 00:19:30,619 He says, No one knows the father except the son and those to whom the son makes him known. 220 00:19:30,619 –> 00:19:36,880 He says, I have come to seek and save the lost and to give my life as a ransom for many. 221 00:19:37,400 –> 00:19:43,500 He demonstrates his authority over nature and over demons and over sickness and over 222 00:19:43,500 –> 00:19:44,819 death and his miracles. 223 00:19:44,819 –> 00:19:49,959 And then he says, if I by the finger of God cast out demons, you know that the kingdom 224 00:19:49,959 –> 00:19:53,140 of God has come among you. 225 00:19:53,140 –> 00:19:55,800 Now, he comes to his disciples. 226 00:19:55,800 –> 00:20:01,079 He says, I’ve got a question for you. 227 00:20:01,079 –> 00:20:04,640 Who do you say I am? 228 00:20:05,540 –> 00:20:12,000 And Peter says, you are the Christ of God. 229 00:20:12,000 –> 00:20:16,000 You are the one that the whole world has been waiting for. 230 00:20:16,000 –> 00:20:19,739 You are prophet, priest, and king. 231 00:20:19,739 –> 00:20:23,380 You are the one towards whom the whole of the Old Testament scripture and the very hope 232 00:20:23,380 –> 00:20:26,079 of the world has been pointing. 233 00:20:26,300 –> 00:20:36,920 Now, do you see therefore what it means to confess that Jesus is the Christ? 234 00:20:36,920 –> 00:20:44,060 For you or for me, to confess that Jesus is the Christ means that we confess him also 235 00:20:44,060 –> 00:20:47,560 as prophet, priest, and king. 236 00:20:47,560 –> 00:20:52,780 As our prophet, our priest, our king, our confession. 237 00:20:52,800 –> 00:20:58,760 To confess that Jesus is the Christ means three things – for you and for me. 238 00:20:58,760 –> 00:21:05,859 It means that I put myself in the position of learning from Jesus as my teacher, trusting 239 00:21:05,859 –> 00:21:14,400 Jesus as my savior and serving Jesus as my master, prophet, priest, and king. 240 00:21:14,400 –> 00:21:17,739 That’s what it means to confess that Jesus is the Christ. 241 00:21:18,579 –> 00:21:23,739 You say, okay, that sounds a little bit theoretical. 242 00:21:23,739 –> 00:21:25,900 I hear it, but what does that actually mean in practice? 243 00:21:25,900 –> 00:21:27,520 Well two things. 244 00:21:27,520 –> 00:21:31,739 First, let me say what it doesn’t mean in practice, and then what it does. 245 00:21:31,739 –> 00:21:34,400 First, the negative. 246 00:21:34,400 –> 00:21:38,160 What does it not mean in practice? 247 00:21:38,160 –> 00:21:43,640 Confessing that Jesus is the Christ does not mean that you have your whole life sorted 248 00:21:43,640 –> 00:21:46,219 out and everything in place as it should be. 249 00:21:46,819 –> 00:21:48,180 You say, that’s a huge relief. 250 00:21:48,180 –> 00:21:53,119 It is for all of us, but how do you know that? 251 00:21:53,119 –> 00:21:57,439 Well, just look at what happens to the disciples after they make this confession. 252 00:21:57,439 –> 00:22:00,079 You have your Bible open at Chapter 9? 253 00:22:00,079 –> 00:22:04,160 Look at verse 33, and see what happens after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ. 254 00:22:04,160 –> 00:22:09,500 In verse 33, you find him so confused that Luke tells us he didn’t know what he was saying. 255 00:22:09,500 –> 00:22:14,560 Verse 40, just to skip over and get the feel of it, you find the disciples being confronted 256 00:22:14,760 –> 00:22:19,040 with a need for ministry and they are unable to help someone in desperate need. 257 00:22:19,040 –> 00:22:23,479 Verse 46, you find an argument breaking out among the disciples about which of 258 00:22:23,479 –> 00:22:28,640 them is the greatest, and verse 54, you find James and John suggesting that it might be 259 00:22:28,640 –> 00:22:34,000 a good idea for us, as disciples, to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village 260 00:22:34,000 –> 00:22:36,160 where there are people who evidently don’t believe. 261 00:22:36,160 –> 00:22:40,819 And all that has happened before the end of Chapter 9! 262 00:22:41,439 –> 00:22:46,979 So confessing that Jesus is the Christ did not mean for these disciples or for us, that 263 00:22:46,979 –> 00:22:50,719 everything in life is as it should be, that we’ve got it all sorted out, that we believe 264 00:22:50,719 –> 00:22:55,020 perfectly and have no doubts, that we minister perfectly and have no failures. 265 00:22:55,020 –> 00:22:58,819 It does not mean that we have all our questions answered, it does not mean that we are successful 266 00:22:58,819 –> 00:23:01,060 in everything we attempt for Jesus. 267 00:23:02,060 –> 00:23:07,739 Making this confession does not mean that you are a perfect Christian. 268 00:23:07,979 –> 00:23:15,319 Nobody understands fully, nobody believes perfectly, and nobody serves completely. 269 00:23:15,319 –> 00:23:22,180 So if that’s what you thought it really meant to be a Christian try and put that 270 00:23:22,180 –> 00:23:25,619 out of your mind because otherwise it will be a barrier to you. 271 00:23:25,619 –> 00:23:30,560 It’s not what it meant for the disciples. 272 00:23:30,560 –> 00:23:33,060 What then positively does it mean in practice? 273 00:23:33,060 –> 00:23:37,140 What does it mean to confess that Jesus is the Christ? 274 00:23:37,540 –> 00:23:46,859 Confessing that Jesus is the Christ means that I embrace him as my Teacher, my Savior, 275 00:23:46,859 –> 00:23:53,760 my Master, or to put it another way my Prophet, my Priest, and my King. 276 00:23:53,760 –> 00:24:03,719 Embracing him as my Teacher means that I give up my right to disagree with him. 277 00:24:03,780 –> 00:24:06,439 His teaching becomes my creed. 278 00:24:06,439 –> 00:24:12,000 Now, for me to do that is a step of faith because even now I do not fully understand 279 00:24:12,000 –> 00:24:14,359 all that he says. 280 00:24:14,359 –> 00:24:16,199 Some things that he says are hard to grasp. 281 00:24:16,199 –> 00:24:20,040 Some of them are difficult for me to follow. 282 00:24:20,040 –> 00:24:24,739 But confessing Jesus as the Christ means that I say to him, 283 00:24:24,739 –> 00:24:27,599 Jesus, I believe that you are the truth. 284 00:24:28,479 –> 00:24:32,199 I believe that you will not lead me astray. 285 00:24:32,199 –> 00:24:38,920 So I commit myself to follow your teaching even when I find it difficult, even when 286 00:24:38,920 –> 00:24:41,819 it goes against the grain of what I would instinctively think. 287 00:24:41,819 –> 00:24:46,060 I submit my mind to you as my teacher. 288 00:24:46,060 –> 00:24:50,760 I will take what you say as the word of God to me. 289 00:24:50,760 –> 00:24:58,760 And therefore, the commitment of my life will be to seek with your help to do it. 290 00:24:58,760 –> 00:25:04,619 That’s embracing him as my teacher. 291 00:25:04,619 –> 00:25:12,119 Embracing him as my Savior means that I give up any other hope of salvation in myself or 292 00:25:12,119 –> 00:25:16,000 for anyone else apart from him. 293 00:25:16,000 –> 00:25:19,699 Again, that is an act of faith. 294 00:25:19,699 –> 00:25:27,540 But confessing that Jesus is the Christ means that I say to him, Jesus my life falls way 295 00:25:27,540 –> 00:25:33,680 short of the holiness that God requires of me. 296 00:25:33,680 –> 00:25:38,859 I am therefore not fit to be brought into the presence of the holy one and by myself 297 00:25:38,859 –> 00:25:42,479 never can be or will be. 298 00:25:42,680 –> 00:25:49,660 So I need grace and forgiveness which I now believe flows from you through your death 299 00:25:49,660 –> 00:25:58,239 and resurrection for me and I rest my hope of everlasting life not in my own works but 300 00:25:58,239 –> 00:26:00,040 in your sacrifice. 301 00:26:00,040 –> 00:26:07,079 I receive the forgiveness that comes from you with open hands, not because I deserve 302 00:26:07,079 –> 00:26:12,719 it but because you offer it freely to me as a gift of love.” 303 00:26:12,719 –> 00:26:17,939 That’s embracing him as my savior, it’s an act of faith. 304 00:26:17,939 –> 00:26:25,900 And embracing him as my master means simply that I give up my right to rule my own life. 305 00:26:25,900 –> 00:26:29,880 Again, this is a step of faith. 306 00:26:29,880 –> 00:26:35,479 Confessing that Jesus is the Christ means that I’m saying to him I resign the control 307 00:26:35,500 –> 00:26:40,420 of my life and I hand it over to you. 308 00:26:40,420 –> 00:26:48,500 The agenda of my life now is no longer to do what pleases me, but to do whatever pleases 309 00:26:48,500 –> 00:26:50,439 you. 310 00:26:50,439 –> 00:26:53,500 You are the king who calls me into your service. 311 00:26:53,500 –> 00:26:57,099 It’s not me that’s calling you into mine. 312 00:26:57,099 –> 00:27:01,780 So I place myself entirely at your disposal. 313 00:27:01,819 –> 00:27:10,079 I claim no rights, but I freely offer myself in whatever circumstance I find myself, in 314 00:27:10,079 –> 00:27:14,420 sickness, or in health, in poverty, or in wealth, in employment or in unemployment, 315 00:27:14,420 –> 00:27:19,579 in happiness, or in sadness, in difficulty, or in success. 316 00:27:19,579 –> 00:27:25,819 I offer all that I am, in every situation of life, into your hands, knowing that in 317 00:27:25,819 –> 00:27:32,260 giving up my life to you, thereby I will find it.” 318 00:27:32,260 –> 00:27:37,800 Now again, confessing that Jesus is the Christ doesn’t mean that you do all these things 319 00:27:37,800 –> 00:27:39,780 perfectly. 320 00:27:39,780 –> 00:27:46,579 Nobody is a perfect Christian, but it does mean that these three things, and not one 321 00:27:46,579 –> 00:27:52,459 of them or two of them, these three things are the fundamental commitments of your life 322 00:27:52,819 –> 00:27:56,739 that they are not negotiable. 323 00:27:56,739 –> 00:28:02,699 Now here it seems to me we come to the very heart of the problem that we are facing in 324 00:28:02,699 –> 00:28:07,140 the Evangelical world today. 325 00:28:07,140 –> 00:28:12,560 That for a very, very large number of people who claim the title born again or Evangelical, 326 00:28:12,560 –> 00:28:18,979 we have cut 2 thirds out of the central Christian confession. 327 00:28:18,979 –> 00:28:22,579 We say that we confess Jesus as the Christ and what we mean by that is we trust him 328 00:28:22,579 –> 00:28:24,640 as Savior. 329 00:28:24,640 –> 00:28:30,219 We have abandoned, rejected, and eliminated any concept of following him as Lord, learning 330 00:28:30,219 –> 00:28:31,959 from him as teacher. 331 00:28:31,959 –> 00:28:37,000 We have emaciated the central Christian confession. 332 00:28:37,000 –> 00:28:41,219 With the result that we have people who profess very confidently that they will go to heaven 333 00:28:41,219 –> 00:28:48,619 and very often show very, very little evidence from the world of the unbelieving world, the 334 00:28:48,619 –> 00:28:49,900 secular world outside. 335 00:28:49,900 –> 00:28:53,900 And the world looks at us and says that makes no sense and they’re right! 336 00:28:53,900 –> 00:28:55,979 It doesn’t. 337 00:28:55,979 –> 00:29:00,260 It doesn’t. 338 00:29:00,260 –> 00:29:07,640 I cannot think of anything that is more important for us than to rediscover the central confession 339 00:29:07,640 –> 00:29:08,939 of the Christian faith. 340 00:29:08,939 –> 00:29:15,500 And have you noticed that Jesus asked this question of his disciples? 341 00:29:15,500 –> 00:29:17,319 This is the place for the question. 342 00:29:18,219 –> 00:29:22,380 With all of us who claim some kind of connection to Jesus, 343 00:29:24,099 –> 00:29:30,540 who do you say I am? 344 00:29:30,560 –> 00:29:36,119 And he will not settle for one third of an answer. 345 00:29:36,119 –> 00:29:41,439 That is in its very nature an utter distortion of the gospel. 346 00:29:41,439 –> 00:29:46,280 And in our hearts we know it. 347 00:29:46,300 –> 00:29:48,900 Clearly this is what Jesus was talking about when he says, 348 00:29:50,619 –> 00:29:53,939 not everybody who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. 349 00:29:56,020 –> 00:30:01,339 But only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. 350 00:30:03,579 –> 00:30:09,619 The evidence of a saved soul is a changed life, not a perfect life, 351 00:30:09,619 –> 00:30:14,000 but a life that is in the process of change and 352 00:30:14,000 –> 00:30:17,800 a life that is in the process of change under the authority of Jesus, 353 00:30:17,800 –> 00:30:19,800 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 354 00:30:19,800 –> 00:30:21,219 It’s what the gospel is. 355 00:30:24,140 –> 00:30:28,040 A single phrase brought this home to my mind when I was 17 years old, 356 00:30:28,040 –> 00:30:32,040 I was sitting in a convention, hit me like a rocket. 357 00:30:34,000 –> 00:30:36,599 From Dr. Alan Redpath, used to be at one time, 358 00:30:36,599 –> 00:30:40,079 the pastor of Moody Church here in Chicago. 359 00:30:40,619 –> 00:30:46,280 Sitting in a convention in England, 17 years old, 360 00:30:49,660 –> 00:30:53,339 I heard Redpath say, if you’ve got an unchanged life, 361 00:30:55,739 –> 00:31:00,319 you’ve got an unsaved soul, I’ve never forgotten it. 362 00:31:04,040 –> 00:31:09,439 If you’ve got an unchanged life, you’ve got an unsaved soul. 363 00:31:09,880 –> 00:31:10,900 What is unsaved soul? 364 00:31:13,900 –> 00:31:17,400 Salvation isn’t some theory that we sign off on. 365 00:31:20,400 –> 00:31:24,619 He’s not saying, and the bible is not saying, 366 00:31:24,619 –> 00:31:26,099 and this is the third time I’ve said it, 367 00:31:26,099 –> 00:31:29,380 that we have to be perfect in order to be saved. 368 00:31:29,380 –> 00:31:32,260 But what Redpath is saying and what the bible is saying 369 00:31:32,260 –> 00:31:34,719 is that without evidence that you’re submitting 370 00:31:34,719 –> 00:31:36,739 to Christ as your teacher, 371 00:31:36,739 –> 00:31:38,660 and without evidence that you’re following 372 00:31:38,660 –> 00:31:41,859 Christ as your master, what good reason is there 373 00:31:41,859 –> 00:31:43,459 to think that you are really trusting 374 00:31:43,459 –> 00:31:45,099 in Christ as your savior? 375 00:31:46,459 –> 00:31:48,900 You can’t embrace a third of Christ. 376 00:31:49,780 –> 00:31:51,420 He is prophet, priest, and king. 377 00:31:51,420 –> 00:31:53,979 He is savior, teacher, and master, 378 00:31:53,979 –> 00:31:57,219 and either we embrace Him for all that He is, 379 00:31:57,219 –> 00:31:59,739 or we do not embrace Him at all. 380 00:32:01,939 –> 00:32:03,880 So what this means for us who want to make 381 00:32:03,880 –> 00:32:05,560 this confession, as I trust all of us 382 00:32:05,560 –> 00:32:07,400 will want to make this confession again, 383 00:32:07,400 –> 00:32:09,400 freshly, and with meaning this morning, 384 00:32:09,400 –> 00:32:11,680 is that we’re gonna have to come to that place 385 00:32:11,680 –> 00:32:13,339 not only of saying Jesus I’m trusting you 386 00:32:13,339 –> 00:32:16,000 to save my soul and to get me into everlasting life 387 00:32:16,000 –> 00:32:19,400 in heaven, but to say Jesus, help me now 388 00:32:19,400 –> 00:32:21,699 to be a learner of you and to be one 389 00:32:21,699 –> 00:32:23,880 who follows your teaching and more and more 390 00:32:23,880 –> 00:32:26,520 is putting it into practice. 391 00:32:26,520 –> 00:32:29,319 And help me to be one who is delivered 392 00:32:29,319 –> 00:32:31,920 from the curse of a self-centered life 393 00:32:31,920 –> 00:32:34,660 so that I may offer myself to you as my king 394 00:32:34,699 –> 00:32:36,219 instead of walking around as if 395 00:32:36,219 –> 00:32:38,180 somehow you were my servant. 396 00:32:41,060 –> 00:32:41,959 What does it mean? 397 00:32:43,500 –> 00:32:45,420 See why this is the most central confession 398 00:32:45,420 –> 00:32:46,579 of the Christian faith. 399 00:32:49,660 –> 00:32:52,459 It is the last thing and it’s much more brief 400 00:32:52,459 –> 00:32:53,420 but it’s important. 401 00:32:53,420 –> 00:32:54,300 Why does it matter? 402 00:32:54,300 –> 00:32:55,140 What does it mean? 403 00:32:55,140 –> 00:32:56,060 Why does it matter? 404 00:32:57,939 –> 00:33:00,680 To put it another way, does anything hang 405 00:33:00,680 –> 00:33:03,439 on the confession that Jesus is the Christ. 406 00:33:03,439 –> 00:33:04,959 This is the so what question. 407 00:33:07,359 –> 00:33:09,800 And it is of huge importance in our time 408 00:33:09,800 –> 00:33:12,599 because remember that the culture has 409 00:33:12,599 –> 00:33:16,479 many different answers to who people think Jesus is 410 00:33:16,479 –> 00:33:19,160 and the truth is that having put him in the category 411 00:33:19,160 –> 00:33:20,920 with many others, alongside the prophets 412 00:33:20,920 –> 00:33:24,680 and so forth, and so on, that many people think 413 00:33:24,680 –> 00:33:29,119 of religin these days in pretty much the same way 414 00:33:29,119 –> 00:33:33,359 as most of us think of brand names on clothes. 415 00:33:34,339 –> 00:33:36,359 You know, you go in to buy a shirt 416 00:33:37,479 –> 00:33:40,160 and you go into the shop and you could get Dockers 417 00:33:40,160 –> 00:33:42,880 or you could get Levi’s or half a dozen others 418 00:33:42,880 –> 00:33:44,119 and everyone has their preference 419 00:33:44,119 –> 00:33:45,780 and most people stick with a brand 420 00:33:45,780 –> 00:33:47,020 they’re comfortable with. 421 00:33:48,199 –> 00:33:49,520 But any sensible person says, 422 00:33:49,520 –> 00:33:51,640 let’s not make too big a deal about this kind of issue 423 00:33:51,640 –> 00:33:52,839 because at the end of the day, 424 00:33:52,839 –> 00:33:54,920 a shirt is a shirt, and what’s it really matter 425 00:33:54,920 –> 00:33:56,920 whether you have a Levi or a Dockers, 426 00:33:56,920 –> 00:33:58,479 just so long as you’re clothed. 427 00:33:59,439 –> 00:34:01,280 And there are thousands of people you see 428 00:34:01,280 –> 00:34:03,079 who think in precisely that way 429 00:34:03,079 –> 00:34:04,479 about all matters of religion 430 00:34:04,479 –> 00:34:07,040 and find it very difficult to see 431 00:34:07,040 –> 00:34:09,260 why this confession matters. 432 00:34:10,159 –> 00:34:12,199 Okay, you see Jesus as the Christ, 433 00:34:12,199 –> 00:34:13,719 the Muslim says a prophet, 434 00:34:13,719 –> 00:34:16,219 a Hindu regards him as being part of the pantheon, 435 00:34:16,219 –> 00:34:18,520 but surely anyone can see that we’re all God’s children, 436 00:34:18,520 –> 00:34:21,159 God knows our hearts and whatever your religion, 437 00:34:21,159 –> 00:34:23,239 surely what really matters is basically 438 00:34:23,239 –> 00:34:25,479 that you live a good and a decent life. 439 00:34:26,320 –> 00:34:31,100 Well, not according to Jesus, 440 00:34:33,060 –> 00:34:34,419 not according to Jesus. 441 00:34:37,659 –> 00:34:39,780 So here’s one place where we’re gonna have to decide 442 00:34:39,780 –> 00:34:41,919 if we’re taking him as our teacher, right? 443 00:34:44,979 –> 00:34:47,139 Jesus makes it very clear right here 444 00:34:47,139 –> 00:34:49,540 that confessing him as the Christ 445 00:34:49,540 –> 00:34:51,520 is the thing that really matters. 446 00:34:51,520 –> 00:34:56,520 And notice that he tells his disciples about a day 447 00:34:57,360 –> 00:35:01,360 when he will come in his glory, 448 00:35:01,360 –> 00:35:05,459 with his Father’s glory and with the Holy Angel’s. 449 00:35:06,520 –> 00:35:09,040 And he says, see it there if you have your Bibles open, 450 00:35:09,040 –> 00:35:11,300 please, right there in verse 26, 451 00:35:11,300 –> 00:35:14,199 he says about that day when Jesus says 452 00:35:14,199 –> 00:35:15,639 he will come in his glory 453 00:35:15,639 –> 00:35:16,739 and with his Father’s glory 454 00:35:16,739 –> 00:35:18,260 and with his Holy Angel’s he says, 455 00:35:18,260 –> 00:35:20,659 if anyone is ashamed of me 456 00:35:22,100 –> 00:35:24,540 or if anyone is ashamed of my words, 457 00:35:25,800 –> 00:35:30,459 I will be ashamed of him on that day. 458 00:35:31,959 –> 00:35:33,219 You see what he’s saying? 459 00:35:35,360 –> 00:35:37,939 If you feel that you can do better 460 00:35:37,939 –> 00:35:40,000 than trusting my sacrifice 461 00:35:40,000 –> 00:35:42,399 or you feel that that is not necessary for you, 462 00:35:44,860 –> 00:35:46,800 if you choose to hold back 463 00:35:46,800 –> 00:35:48,600 on submitting to my lordship 464 00:35:48,600 –> 00:35:50,139 because you think that life 465 00:35:50,139 –> 00:35:52,239 is all about doing your own thing, 466 00:35:54,040 –> 00:35:57,919 or if you feel free to abandon my teaching 467 00:35:57,919 –> 00:36:01,120 whenever it contradicts the culture of the day 468 00:36:01,120 –> 00:36:03,139 in which you just happen to live, 469 00:36:05,679 –> 00:36:07,060 then the day will come 470 00:36:07,060 –> 00:36:10,879 when having chosen to stand at a distance from me, 471 00:36:10,879 –> 00:36:15,120 you will find that I am standing at a distance from you. 472 00:36:17,360 –> 00:36:22,360 If anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, 473 00:36:22,540 –> 00:36:27,459 I will be ashamed of him on that day. 474 00:36:29,560 –> 00:36:34,419 So, does anything hang on your confession 475 00:36:34,419 –> 00:36:36,439 that Jesus is the Christ? 476 00:36:38,419 –> 00:36:41,860 Your eternity hangs on it. 477 00:36:42,820 –> 00:36:44,600 The world today is not so very different 478 00:36:44,600 –> 00:36:46,899 from the way it was in the time of Jesus. 479 00:36:48,719 –> 00:36:50,820 Everybody has an opinion about him. 480 00:36:53,379 –> 00:36:55,419 But through all the voices I want you 481 00:36:55,419 –> 00:36:58,379 in this closing moment to hear as it were 482 00:36:58,379 –> 00:37:01,260 the voice of the risen Lord Jesus Christ 483 00:37:01,260 –> 00:37:05,520 by His Holy Spirit asking you this question. 484 00:37:05,540 –> 00:37:08,719 As it were the voice of the risen Lord Jesus Christ 485 00:37:08,719 –> 00:37:12,219 by His Holy Spirit asking you this question, 486 00:37:12,219 –> 00:37:14,959 who do you say I am? 487 00:37:17,639 –> 00:37:19,179 And knowing what it means, 488 00:37:20,520 –> 00:37:22,780 and knowing that it matters, 489 00:37:24,600 –> 00:37:28,760 are you ready to answer this ultimate question 490 00:37:31,120 –> 00:37:34,199 by taking your stand with the disciples of Jesus 491 00:37:34,199 –> 00:37:39,199 through the ages and saying you are the Christ of God? 492 00:37:44,500 –> 00:37:46,040 Let’s pray together, shall we? 493 00:37:50,639 –> 00:37:53,639 Father, there’s a deep, deep spiritual struggle 494 00:37:56,120 –> 00:37:58,320 that’s going on in many souls right now. 495 00:37:59,139 –> 00:38:00,520 It’s about what we proudly call 496 00:38:00,520 –> 00:38:02,860 our right to intellectual independence. 497 00:38:05,959 –> 00:38:09,439 It’s about the power of the inner desire 498 00:38:09,439 –> 00:38:13,120 to be Lord of our own lives, captain of our own ship. 499 00:38:16,360 –> 00:38:18,500 It’s about the inner self-righteousness 500 00:38:18,500 –> 00:38:20,840 that says I can stand on my record, 501 00:38:22,199 –> 00:38:23,520 really a good person. 502 00:38:24,360 –> 00:38:25,620 I’m really a good person. 503 00:38:31,560 –> 00:38:33,860 We recognize that if we are to come 504 00:38:33,860 –> 00:38:35,580 to the foot of the cross of Jesus 505 00:38:35,580 –> 00:38:37,840 and to make this great Christian confession, 506 00:38:40,979 –> 00:38:42,320 then all of that must go. 507 00:38:44,879 –> 00:38:47,300 That the mind that you created and gave to me 508 00:38:47,300 –> 00:38:49,340 is now offered to become a mind 509 00:38:49,340 –> 00:38:51,580 that thinks under the authority of Jesus. 510 00:38:54,439 –> 00:38:56,979 That the life that you gave to me 511 00:38:56,979 –> 00:38:59,060 is a life that I now offer back 512 00:38:59,060 –> 00:39:00,500 into the hands of Jesus, 513 00:39:00,500 –> 00:39:02,639 for his service in whatever circumstance 514 00:39:02,639 –> 00:39:04,000 he may choose to place me. 515 00:39:07,560 –> 00:39:09,300 That none of these things are onerous 516 00:39:11,000 –> 00:39:12,699 because it’s a response to the love 517 00:39:12,699 –> 00:39:15,300 that has been poured out by Jesus on the cross 518 00:39:15,300 –> 00:39:16,739 in which he has reached out to me, 519 00:39:16,739 –> 00:39:20,280 a lost rebel with no eternal future, 520 00:39:20,280 –> 00:39:23,399 saved at a distance and in darkness 521 00:39:23,459 –> 00:39:25,439 and in torment far from him. 522 00:39:27,540 –> 00:39:30,139 And you’ve invited me into your family, 523 00:39:31,300 –> 00:39:32,719 you’ve offered forgiveness 524 00:39:33,899 –> 00:39:36,260 and you’ve said, incredibly, 525 00:39:36,260 –> 00:39:38,879 come, follow me. 526 00:39:41,000 –> 00:39:42,320 Lord Jesus, we come. 527 00:39:44,060 –> 00:39:46,040 Lord Jesus, from the depth of our heart 528 00:39:46,040 –> 00:39:47,620 with the help of your spirit 529 00:39:47,620 –> 00:39:49,020 and as best we know how, 530 00:39:49,780 –> 00:39:51,739 we want to say to you today, 531 00:39:51,739 –> 00:39:54,560 you are the Christ of God. 532 00:39:57,179 –> 00:40:00,479 Hear our prayer in Jesus’ name, 533 00:40:02,340 –> 00:40:03,159 amen.