But You, Who Do You Say That I Am

In one paragraph

The pastor opened with an honest admission: he was more nervous than usual because a visitor had mentioned bringing a seminary president to the service. That personal detail set the tone for everything that followed. The central question of the morning was the one Jesus put to his own disciples at Caesarea Philippi: not what the crowds think, but who do you say that I am? Jesus and his disciples...

Read together

1. Mark 8:27 starting point for the harmony of gospels passage on Jesus questioning his disciples at Caesarea Philippi
2. Matthew 16:27 parallel account of Peter's confession and Jesus building his church on this rock
3. Luke 9 third parallel account of the confession at Caesarea Philippi, noted as the shortest version
4. Matthew 16:18 Jesus tells Peter upon this rock he will build his church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it
5. Matthew 16:19 Jesus gives Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever is bound or loosed on earth
6. John 6 crowd after feeding the 5000 wanted to make Jesus king by force and he walked away
7. John 14 Jesus tells Philip that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father, upper room discourse
8. Philippians 2 cited for consolation in love and comfort in the love of God, and unity in the body of Christ

Talk about it

1. The pastor mentioned that people around Jesus were saying he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. They recognized something was different about him but could not quite name it. Where do you see that same pattern today, people acknowledging Jesus as something significant but stopping short of who he really is?
2. Jesus asked his disciples an emphatic question: who do you yourselves say that I am? Not what does everyone else think, but you, the ones walking with me. How would you answer that question in your own words, and how does your daily life reflect that answer?
3. Peter gave the right confession and then in the very next moment tried to rebuke Jesus for talking about the cross. The pastor said we are just that apt to go off when we rebuke God for what he is trying to do. Can you think of a time when you had a clear sense of who Jesus was and then still pushed back against what he was calling you toward?
4. The pastor brought up a LifeWay survey showing that more than half of people who call themselves evangelical Christians believe Jesus is a created being, yet many of those same people have strong opinions on political and social sides. What do you think happens to our witness when our identity is more wrapped up in a team than in a clear understanding of who Jesus is?
5. Jesus said that whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for his sake will find it. The pastor described this as not trying to turn Jesus into who you want him to be, but allowing him through his word and his Spirit to transform you into who he wants you to be. What is one area of your life right now where that kind of surrender feels most difficult?