God’s Story, Your Story Preaching Outlines Sermon 1
Sermon 1
Who Is Jesus?
Introduction:In Mark 8:29 we read that Jesus gathered his disciples together and asked them “Who do the people say that I am?” Jesus is in the area called Ponnino, the home of the Greek god Pan. Ponnino is near Caesarea Philippi. The city was once an area of Ba’al worship, and recently as a Roman city, it was a place where Caesar was worship as a god.
Syrian gods were also worshiped in the surrounding villages. It is in this cross-section of ancient religions that Jesus asked his followers, “Who do the people say that I am?” A flurry of answers was given to Jesus by the disciples. Some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist alive from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah. Still others said Jesus was one of the great Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah, for example. Jesus, then, asked the disciples directly, “Now, who do you say that I am?” Peter answered first, saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” The question reverberates through history about Jesus: “Who is this guy?” Peter, at Jesus’ bidding, walked on water. Peter helped feed over 5000 people. He saw Jesus whip the animals out of the Temple and chase out the money-changers. “Who is this guy?” Every thoughtful person has to raise and answer this question. Just as in Jesus’ day, there were various popular answers, so there are many answers in our own time. Let’s consider some of the answers to the question about Jesus, “Who is this guy?”
I.Jesus is a decent fellow.
A.Jesus was a good person who created “the golden rule,” showing he was a friend of the poor, dependable advocate for the down-trodden, and everybody’s best friend.
B.Yet, Jesus kept asserting that he was God as he kept referring to himself as “the Son of Man.” Daniel 7:13-14
1.In the Gospels, there are 80 references to “the Son of Man,” a favorite name Jesus used for himself.
2.In Daniel 7:13, “the Son of Man” is a reference for a divine being.
C.The ‘decent fellow,’ Jesus kept using “I AM” statements about himself, a title for God in the Old Testament. John6:35; 8:12; and 9:58
D.Jesus claimed to forgive sins, to be greater than Jonah, than Abraham, than Solomon and even greater than John the Baptist, greater than the Temple and the Sabbath.
II.Jesusis a demented fool.
A.Jesus was a megalomaniac of the likes of AdolfHitler or Alexander the Great, speaking and acting crazy or mentally disturbed.
B.Yet, people were deeply devoted to Jesus, not becoming murderers like Hitler or power-hungry like followers of Stalin.
C.Jesus won the admiration of men and women and people from all levels of the social structures. No one led and taught people like Jesus.
D.Jesus did not make people into lunatics; he made them better, with common fisherman writing some of the most revered books in human
history.
III.Jesusis a deceiving fraud.
A.Jesus was a trickster and a huckster, a pied-piper who led blind followers over the cliff to their destruction.
B.Yet, the miracles that Jesus performed (over 36 different ones recorded in the Gospels) demonstrate Jesus show Jesus was not a huckster.
1.He never performed miracles to merely draw a crowd and make a name for himself.
2.He never made a profit or took a penny for his miraculous works.
3.Around 120 A.D., a historian named Quadratus wrote to Emperor Hadrian, “The works of our savior were lasting for they were genuine. Those who were healed and those who were raised from the dead were seen not merely while our savior was on earth, but also after his death they were alive quite awhile so that some of them lived even to our day.”
D.One of the greatest testimonies to the veracity of the truth of Jesus Christ is the historically documented explosion of the New Testament church.
IV.Jesus is a divine friend.
A.Jesus did miraculous things with a wonderful heart, showing that he was a tender, compassionate person who befriended and truly helped people.
B.Peter said it correctly for all of us, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
C.Jesus went to the cross on a hill named after a human skull, showing what he thought of us: he loved us deeply and gave his life for us.
Illustrations (stories, humor)
Caesarea Philippi: This city was to religion what Costco is to shopping, every variety in one place. It contained a cross-section of the great religions of Jesus’ day. When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” he is standing against the backdrop of all the religious options of that generation.
Who is this guy?
- He walked off the mountain onto the beach out into the bay and did not sink in the middle of the storm. Who is this guy?
- He took the boys picnic lunch and turned it into an all-you-can-eat buffet for thousands of people. Who is this guy?
- He wove leather strips together into a whip and purged the temple of money changers and hucksters. Who is this guy?
Demented Fool: Theologian James Stalker, who lives 100 years ago, wrote this about how Jesus made people better (and therefore could not be a demented fool):
The first followers of Jesus stand like a row of noble pillars, towering far across the flats of time, but the sunlight that shines on them and makes them visible comes entirely from him, from Jesus. He gave them their greatness and their greatness is one of the most striking evidences of his.
Deceiving Fraud: Quadratus, in 120 AD, wrote a letter to Emperor Hadrian defending Christianity. His apologetic included this statement, which refutes the notion that Jesus was a deceiving fraud:
The works of our savior were lasting for they were genuine. Those who were healed and those who were raised from the dead were seen not merely while their savior was on the earth, but also after his death they were alive for quite a while so that some of them lived even to our day.
Special Features (visuals, audience engagement)
Popular answers to the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
Prepare a horizontal flip chart by slicing the left 12 inches off of four pages, and mounting both parts of the pages side by side. Write the answers so that the first letter the D and the F) is on the 12” side, and the rest of the word is on the large part of the page. For each new option, rip off the right part of the page, leaving the D and the F in place, and write the last parts of the next words on the next page.
- Jesus is a DECENT FELLOW.
For being such a friendly, affable guy, Jesus had a curious habit of declaring his divinity. His favorite self-designation was Son of Man, which infuriated the religious leaders because they knew exactly what he meant by this (Daniel 7:13-14). His claims of divinity are not the claims of a decent fellow.
- Jesus is a DEMENTED FOOL.
When lunatics attract a following, they create other lunatics. Hitler created disciples of murders. Stalin turned people into power addicts. Charles Manson turned people wacko. But Jesus made them better. People didn’t just like Jesus. They loved him. They left their homes and their businesses to follow him. Impulsive people like Peter, studious people like Thomas, methodical people like Matthew, visionary people like Phillip. Prostitutes to philanthropists, from one extreme to the other, he inspired people. They were the better for being with him. He took common net casters and dock workers and turned them into the authors of history’s greatest book and the founders of history’s greatest movement.
- Jesus is a DECEIVING FRAUD.
If there had been no one to give testimony to the miracles of Christ, the early church would have died a stillborn death. A fraud couldn’t have pulled off all those genuine miracles. And, he couldn’t have done those remarkable things with the love that he showed while doing them. Jesus came to the defense of the adulterous woman and forgave her. He befriended a shamed Samaritan woman, and she became a missionary to her own people. He befriended the swindler Zacchaeus, who became Jesus’ disciple.
- Jesus is a DIVINE FRIEND.
Where does that leave us? Decent fellow? Decent fellows don’t get by with claiming to be God. Demented fool? His teachings were lucid and his followers devoted. Deceiving fraud? His followers were living proof that he was the real deal. Besides, if his intent was to trick people out of money and worship, he did a poor job because he died broke and allow alone. The conclusion I reach is the same as Peter’s, “You are the Messiah.” The Messiah is a divine friend. With that confession the question changes from what do we think of Christ, to, “What does Christ think of us?” The answer is found on a hill outside Jerusalem, in the hour of darkness.
Application
Any serious student of life has heard Jesus ask this question, “Who do you say that I am?” Maybe that’s where you are today. Maybe you know the name of Christ. Maybe you have read about the life of Christ, but down deep you don’t really know what you think about Christ. You’re trying to come to grips with him and understand who he was. Who is this man?
Go to your own Caesarea Philippi and let Jesus ask you, “Who do you say that I am?” Set against the backdrop of our generation with all its different options from secularism to atheism, materialism, to Mormonism to Buddhism, whatever background in which you find yourself considering, look closely at Christ and let him ask you the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
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