(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) - Good morning, church family.

Happy Lord's Day. We will now begin our service. (gentle piano music) Sing, "Just the Time". ♪ Just the time ♪ ♪ I think that I'm ♪ ♪ At peace with the world ♪ ♪ That's fine ♪ ♪ I feel at ease ♪ ♪ I feel at home ♪ ♪ And I know ♪ ♪ I'm not alone ♪ ♪ Then in my rest ♪ ♪ There comes a test ♪ ♪ That shakes me 'til again ♪ ♪ I know ♪ ♪ That what I have ♪ ♪ Is not enough ♪ ♪ And again ♪ ♪ I've got to grow ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Deep within my heart ♪ ♪ I want to know you ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you ♪ ♪ And I would give my final breath ♪ ♪ To know you in your death and resurrection ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ The full supply ♪ ♪ The full supply ♪ ♪ I find as I ♪ ♪ Move closer to the heart of God ♪ ♪ To strengthen me ♪ ♪ And to nourish me ♪ ♪ And to fill my mind with you ♪ ♪ I've truly grown ♪ ♪ But even so ♪ ♪ My hunger hasn't gone away ♪ ♪ Still I long ♪ ♪ Still I thirst to know him more each day ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Deep within my heart ♪ ♪ I want to know you ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you ♪ ♪ And I would give my final breath ♪ ♪ To know you in your death and resurrection ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Deep within my heart ♪ ♪ I want to know you ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you ♪ ♪ And I would give my final breath ♪ ♪ To know you in your death and resurrection ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ ♪ Lord, I want to know you more ♪ - All right, good morning.

Welcome to Bruin Community Church. Let me begin by welcoming those who are coming into town because of the school starting. I know this is a welcome week. And so we have a welcome table stationed outside. As you were coming in, you probably saw a canopy and a bunch of tables that are set up.

Especially if you are coming in and you want some information about our college department, meet some of our staff here. If you go to that table outside, they'll give you all the information that you need and give you the various schedules, things that are going on. There's a lot of stuff going on, especially with the college ministry this week.

So please go to that table and they'll give you the information that you need. Our membership class, our next round of membership class is starting on September 29th, which is next Sunday at 9.30. It's an eight-week course. And if you desire to be a member of the church, please sign up for that.

And they'll give you directions on what's gonna happen. Again, this is happening during this service at 9.30 across the courtyard in our youth group room, okay? So please sign up for that if you are planning to do that. And then our regional Thanksgiving dinner, they have about 25 people who have already signed up.

They said they need another about 20 to 25 people to sign up. If you are interested in hosting then serving the church in that way, there is a table outside. And again, this is not for the regular sign up for just to participate. But if you're willing to host and you can fit maybe about 20, 25 people in your house, that's happening again on November 24th at 5 p.m.

But if you're able to host and you're willing to do that, that sign up is on the courtyard. As you're going out, you'll meet the table and you can sign up there, okay? If you are at the age of 50 or over, okay, so part of the Jubilee ministry, on October 12th at 8.30, which is a Saturday in the cafe, we're gonna be having a prayer breakfast.

So all those who are 50 and over, part of the Jubilee ministry. And a fee for that is gonna be $10 for breakfast. So please sign up for that as well. And then lastly, our Volunteers for Reformation Night, which is happening on October 31st at 4.30 p.m. So if you're willing to come and set up or even help clean up or run some of the games, please sign up.

And I think that sign up for that is also at the table outside. So if you go outside and just let them know that you wanna volunteer, they'll give you directions and the meetings that are gonna come from that, okay? All right, I think that's all we have for this morning.

Let me pray for us and give you an opportunity to give online. And again, if you brought a physical offering, we have a box in the back on the way out. You can visit that box on the way out, all right? Let me pray for us. Father, we thank you so much for your continued grace.

We pray, Father God, that we would never give into just a routine or a habit, but that the worship that we give you from our hearts will be an overflow of the great work that you are doing in us. Help us to recognize what it is that we have been given in Christ, that our worship truly would be genuine, an overflow of gratitude.

I pray this morning that you would help us not to be entangled with the things of this world, whatever we have brought into this room, that you would help us to focus our attention on Christ and his word. And I pray that even in this giving, that we would give as an act of worship and maybe multiply 30, 60, 100-fold for the sake of your name.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) - Let us all rise and let's spend a few moments just to greet the neighbors around us. (audience chattering) (audience chattering continues) (audience chattering continues) (audience chattering continues) (audience chattering continues) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) - Let's sing, come behold.

♪ Come behold the wondrous mystery ♪ ♪ In the dawning of the King ♪ ♪ He the theme of heaven's praises ♪ ♪ Golden frail humanity ♪ ♪ In our longing in our darkness ♪ ♪ Now the light of life has come ♪ ♪ Look to Christ who condescended ♪ ♪ Took on flesh to ransom us ♪ (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) - Come behold.

♪ Come behold the wondrous mystery ♪ ♪ He the perfect Son of God ♪ ♪ In His living, in His suffering ♪ ♪ Never trace nor stain of sin ♪ ♪ See the true and better Adam ♪ ♪ Come to save the help of men ♪ ♪ Christ the great and sure fulfillment ♪ ♪ Of the longing in we stand ♪ (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Come behold the wondrous mystery ♪ ♪ Christ the Lord upon the tree ♪ ♪ In the stead of ruined sinners ♪ ♪ He's the lamb in victory ♪ ♪ See the price of our redemption ♪ ♪ See the Father's plan unfold ♪ ♪ Bringing many sons to glory ♪ ♪ Grace unmeasured love untold ♪ (gentle piano music continues) - Come behold.

♪ Come behold the wondrous mystery ♪ ♪ Slain by death the God of life ♪ ♪ But no grave can ever restrain Him ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord He is alive ♪ ♪ What a foretaste of deliverance ♪ ♪ Our ways will bring our hope ♪ ♪ Christ in power resurrected ♪ ♪ As we will be when He comes ♪ ♪ What a foretaste of deliverance ♪ ♪ Our ways will bring our hope ♪ ♪ Christ in power resurrected ♪ ♪ As we will be when He comes ♪ ♪ What a foretaste of deliverance ♪ ♪ Our ways will bring our hope ♪ ♪ Christ in power resurrected ♪ ♪ As we will be when He comes ♪ (gentle piano music continues) (gentle guitar music continues) ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my plea ♪ ♪ I have no defense my guilt runs too deep ♪ ♪ The best of my works pierced your hands and your feet ♪ ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my plea ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my boast ♪ ♪ The goodness I claim the ground of my hope ♪ ♪ Whatever I lack is still what I need most ♪ ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my boast ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Praise the King who bore my sin ♪ ♪ To my praise when I said come down ♪ ♪ Oh how good you always were to me ♪ ♪ I will sing of your mercy ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my rest ♪ ♪ Where fears weigh me down and enemies press ♪ ♪ A comfort I cling to with my hands in dirt ♪ ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my rest ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Praise the King who bore my sin ♪ ♪ To my praise when I said come down ♪ ♪ Oh how good you always were to me ♪ ♪ I will sing of your mercy ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my joy ♪ ♪ Forever I'll lift my heart and my voice ♪ ♪ To sing of a treasure no power can destroy ♪ ♪ Jesus your mercy is all my joy ♪ (gentle piano music continues) ♪ Praise the King who bore my sin ♪ ♪ To my praise when I said come down ♪ ♪ Oh how good you always were to me ♪ ♪ I will sing ♪ ♪ Praise the King who bore my sin ♪ ♪ To my praise when I said come down ♪ ♪ Oh how good you always were to me ♪ ♪ I will sing of your mercy ♪ (gentle piano music continues) - And then, you may be seated.

Okay, if you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter nine. We'll be reading from verse 20, verse 18 to verse 27. Okay, if I can make a request, and as I've mentioned before, you know, our, this service is starting to get a little bit crowded. One, if you are planning to keep coming here to this service, one, if you can do us a favor to sit up way up in the front, so that the people who are coming late won't have to walk all the way to the front.

So if you are coming in to sit, instead of sitting, you know, a little bit away from the front, if you can pack the front first, it'll help us to manage the number of people that are coming. Then two, if you're able to go to the first service, or even the third service, but prefer the first service at eight o'clock, we ask you to transition to the first service if can, again, to make room for what's going on.

One, obviously we need more room here for the elementary department, the SEEDS department, the parking issue we need to deal with. And so if you're able to do that, I know many of you can't because you're serving or you're doing something, and obviously we're not saying that, like, not to come to this service, but if it's possible to go to first service, go to first service or third service.

And at the minimum, if you are coming to the service is to come all the way to the front, okay? So that we can make more room for people who are coming a little bit later, all right? All right, we'll be looking at Luke chapter 9, verse 18 out of the NSV, all the way through verse 27.

"And it happened that while he was praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he questioned them, saying, 'Who do the people say that I am?' They answered and said, 'John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, but others that one of the prophets of old has risen again.' And he said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' But he warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day.' And he was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it. For what does a man profit if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory, in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.'" Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this morning, the privilege that we have to come and worship you. I pray that our worship that we give you, again, would not simply be out of habit or the culture that we have accepted, but that each Sunday we come, that we come to give you the worship that you deserve.

We pray that your word would go forth and will not return until it has accomplished what you have ordained it for. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, so to introduce this morning's text, I want you guys to kind of get a feel of what's happening here as Jesus is confirming for them his identity, okay?

If I asked you, Trump is, right? Donald Trump is. And what is your opinion of him, right? People get nervous already. People get nervous already, right? Because at least in my lifetime, I've never seen anybody who was so polarizing. We have opinions of him, and some people say that if he gets elected, he's going to save the world.

And then you have some people say he's a next coming Hitler, so he needs to be assassinated. And people are saying that his two assassination attempts, you know, too bad it didn't work. And so it's almost like if you mention anything about Donald Trump that it's going to cause controversy.

So you have to be cautious who you say what in front of who, right? Now, I'm saying all of this not to stir you up about Donald Trump this morning, right? But one, whatever opinion that you have, I want to ask you, how did you come to that conclusion, right?

Because it is so polarizing, a lot of the information that's coming through to say, well, he did this and he said this. How did you get that information? And how do you trust that information? Was that true? Did he actually say that? Did it come through a filter of somebody who wanted to make sure that he was seen a certain way?

So depending on where you get your information, how you got your information, you're going to have very differing opinions because none of us know him personally. You don't have any personal experience with him. So if you are listening to whatever information, whatever website, right? Whatever news channels that you're getting from, you either say you trust that or don't trust that.

But how did you come to that conclusion? And we need to be careful, especially now in the age of information where even just a formula of if you watch certain videos or you read certain articles, that leaning article is just constantly being fed. And so part of the reason why our society is becoming more and more polarizing is because the information that we're getting is very deliberate and targeted.

Even Google search, there's a very particular angle that you're going to find with a chat GPT. If you ask any questions, who created that? Who's allowing the information to come through? So again, we live in an age where whatever opinion that you may have of him, we need to be very vigilant in asking, how did I come to this conclusion?

And it is foolish to just simply say, everything I know is true and everything they know is dumb. We have to be careful. And I say all of this, not simply because I wanted to talk about Donald Trump. I wanted you to get a sense emotionally what it was like in the first century when the name Jesus Christ came up.

Because the opinion of this man was so polarizing. Some were ready to forcefully make him king, especially after the feeding of the 5,000. He gave his credential of who he was. And so people are beginning to come to the conclusion, he must be the Christ. And then there's a group of people who said, if he does it, if we don't get rid of this guy, he's going to ruin our nation.

And so even though he gave plenty of evidence, people came to the conclusion that must be demonic because clearly miracles are happening. And since we've concluded that he is not from God and there's some supernatural power in him, it must be demonic power. So even though he raised Lazarus from the dead, the end conclusion was he needs to die in order to save our nation.

It is in that context that Jesus is asking this question, who do people say that I am? But ultimately, the real question is, who do you say that I am? And how did you come to that conclusion? Now, as a Christian, he lays out three things in this text that I want to cover.

And first one I'm going to cover today and the next two, hopefully I can cover next week. But the cost of discipleship, what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? That we live in a culture where because we live in a post-Christian culture, many of you came from Christian homes, maybe parents are Christian, maybe there's a pastor or an elder or deacon in your family, maybe you're second, third, fourth generation Christian.

And maybe some of you were raised in a home where you can't remember when you didn't go to church. And because we live in a post-Christian culture, there's a confusion as to what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Well, if I go to church, if I make these confessions, if I do certain things, if I was baptized, so therefore I'm a Christian.

So we have to be careful. How did you come to that conclusion? Is it coming from culture? Is it just from heritage? Or is it actually coming from the word of God? What does the Bible say? So three things that he mentions here. One is, in order to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we need to know that the one that we follow is the Jesus of the Bible.

Not culture, not your parents, not your denomination, but from the Bible is the Jesus that you know. And people often say, you know, the God that I know would never do this. The God that I know would always do that. Is that based upon the scripture of what you've studied?

So first and foremost, which is what we're gonna be covering this morning, is a true follower of Jesus Christ must follow the Jesus of the Bible. Not of the culture, not of our heritage, not of our tradition, but of the scripture. Two, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you have to actually follow Jesus Christ.

You have to go where he went. You have to do what he did. And that's what he says in the text that we're looking at. As I've denied myself and picked up the cross, he said, you must also deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow me. So one, right understanding of Jesus.

Two, we must go where he goes. And three, we must proclaim what he proclaims. And so those are the three things that are outlined in the text that we read. And so we're gonna be going over the first one today and then the next two hopefully we'll cover next week.

First and foremost, who is he? Jesus asked a question. As he was praying, he turns around to his disciples. And the reason why he's asking them this is because he's about to head to the cross. His public ministry is starting to wrap up after the feeding of the 5,000.

He turns his attention on his disciples because they needed to know his identity because they're gonna be shaken up. They're gonna be tested. Their life is gonna be threatened. And they're gonna see Jesus beaten and crucified on the cross. And they're gonna be confused. And at least in a smaller scale, they're gonna fail.

And Jesus knowing all of this is prepping them to go to the cross 'cause he knows that the biggest test in their life during the time that they were following Jesus was gonna happen in a few months. He's about seven or eight months away from being crucified on the cross.

So now he needs to make sure, do you really know who I am? And how is your opinion of me different from those who are the people who have been following me? And so he said, "Who do people say that I am?" He says, "Some say you're John the Baptist.

"Some say you're Elijah "and some say you're a prophet." In other texts, it says, they actually even add in Matthews that maybe you're Jeremiah because of the message that you're giving. Right? Now, first and foremost, we need to make clear, being sincere doesn't make you a Christian. Being sincere doesn't make you a Christian.

I've met so many people who have fallen out of an Orthodox, traditional evangelical church, a Protestant church. And I would ask them, "How did you end up becoming a Mormon "or Jehovah Witness or local church movement? "And how did you end up at these churches?" And they said, "Well, I was raised "in a Lutheran church "and the people there weren't that sincere.

"I don't think they took their faith seriously. "So then I met a bunch of people. "I was on campus "and they shared the gospel with me. "Or at least they shared "about what they believed the gospel to be. "And they seemed very sincere. "And because of their sincerity, "they came around, loved them, "took care of them, "invited them to the home "and they feel loved.

"And as a result of being loved "and taken care of, "I thought that this is the group "that I want to be in." But it wasn't a conviction of truth. It was because they felt loved. They wanted to belong. And they seemed sincere. But sincerity in itself could lead you to what's false.

That's why the Bible keeps warning us that at the end times, Antichrist is gonna come as an angel of light. And so if we're not paying attention, if we don't know what the scripture says, in your sincerity, Satan can lead you astray. And that's why we're constantly told to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Who is he? Who is he? What does the Bible tell us about him? Why did some people think he was John the Baptist? One, they were cousins. So maybe, maybe, there was some similarity, right? But ultimately, it wasn't simply because of that. It's because John the Baptist did such a great job that when Jesus came on the scene, he said the same thing.

His authority, how he preached, people were coming to him. Thousands of people came to John and then all of a sudden, Jesus shows up and thousands of people are going to Jesus. So they've never seen anything like this. Remember, there were hundreds of years where a prophet of God did not come.

So all of a sudden, John the Baptist appears. Six months later, Jesus appears and it's like, is that, are they the same people? And John the Baptist just kind of disappears. And then Jesus just kind of steps in. It was such a smooth transition that some people thought that maybe that's John the Baptist.

But there are some other reasons why people had a difficult time letting go of John the Baptist. Remember, the people who are the most loyal to John the Baptist had the hardest time to let go and to follow Jesus. It tells us in John chapter 3, 28 and 30, that some of his disciples were beginning to get concerned that all these people, all this ministry that they built up, thousands of people coming out to see John the Baptist and he's become a local celebrity.

Even the kings know who he is. And so the disciples were following him, were beginning to rise socially. And then all of a sudden, the snap of a finger, Jesus shows up on the scene and everybody that was following Jesus, all of a sudden, about face, he points the finger and then they all begin to go to him.

And so the ones who were the closest to John the Baptist were wondering, why are they all going to him? So they asked John the Baptist, what do you make of this? And then he answers in verse 28, you yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him.

He who has the bride is the bridegroom and the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. When we read this, we say it obviously, right?

John the Baptist is just a man. Jesus, the son of God shows up. Obviously he must decrease. I mean, it's increase that he may increase. But humanly speaking, right? If you were in his position and if you're a follower of follower of John the Baptist, maybe you sacrifice it.

Maybe you left your boat. Maybe you left your job to follow John the Baptist. And all of a sudden, at the peak of his success. He just says, I must decrease what? Even Jesus's followers had a difficult time when Jesus went to the cross. They were concerned about who's going to sit on the right, who's going to sit on the left.

And so when Jesus went to the cross, it didn't make any sense. They were thinking about, there's got to be some payoff for this. So you think John the Baptist's disciples didn't struggle with that? My guess is they did too. And so they were clinging to him. Now, the reason why I'm highlighting this is because there's always a temptation as human beings to idolize other human beings.

And so we put them on a pedestal. And then when the person that we admire and we quote and we follow, fall from that pedestal, it ruins our faith. I know some of you probably already read that somebody that again, that many people in our church admire has fallen because of his sin.

But it is unsafe to quote people It is unsafe to quote articles of people that you got your theology because you went to some conference, that you got your marching order from a particular individual. It is not safe because anybody who stands it between us and Christ eventually will get in the way.

Anybody who speaks for God is simply a servant. And just like John the Baptist, he points to Christ and when his job is over, that you disappear. John disappears and he's never even mentioned again. He gives his life proclaiming Christ and he's never even mentioned again. You know, be careful.

You know, sometimes we get in discussion with theology and how did you come to that conclusion? And you say, well, he said this and he said that and he said this. That has absolutely no authority in the Bible, in the church. Quoting a man has no authority in the church, only scripture, only Christ.

And so there are men that God brings into our lives to encourage us, to challenge us, to inspire us. But they are just men. They must decrease so he must increase. And it is a danger to put anybody on a pedestal that doesn't belong there outside of Christ. John the Baptist was a man, he did such a great job.

But his time was done. If their view of Jesus was that he was the John the Baptist resurrected, would they have been saved? No. They would be in their sins. They would be dead in their sins. So it is a dangerous thing to say he was John the Baptist.

Secondly, he said, well, maybe he's Elijah then. Because of the many miracles that he was performing. Elijah was known as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament because of the powerful miracles that he performed. He even raised people from the dead. So they saw Jesus' miraculous work and they said, maybe that's Elijah come back from the dead.

And Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, actually ends the prophecy by saying Elijah will come and it's clarified for us in Luke chapter 117, it is he who will go as a forerunner, talking about John the Baptist, in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedience to the attitude of the righteous.

So as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. They thought that he, maybe he was Elijah, because of his power. Now, what I want to highlight here is sometimes we kind of give people a pass if great things are happening around them, right? They wrote a book and it was very influential.

So they must be using, being used by God. So they must be from God. The church is so big. So many people came to Christ through his preaching. So they must be from God. And we excuse so many bad things in the church simply because they're bearing a lot of fruit.

But I was so touched. I came to faith. Now, it's a danger to put somebody in that position that shouldn't be. Right? We test all things through scripture. Now, even God, there's instances in the Bible that God even used donkeys. Right? But there's no calling to be a donkey.

And we say that all the time. We say, well, God can use donkeys. Yes, God can use donkeys. God can cause the rocks to praise him. But there's no calling to become a rock. Right? We should never try to be a donkey. If they thought that Jesus was Elijah because of his many power and many great things that are happening through him, they would also be dead in their sins.

So even though it may have seemed like, well, he's a great man. He's a great prophet. But if that's where they stayed, they would still be dead in their sins. And third and finally said, well, he's a prophet who come back from the dead. Then I can't say exactly who he is, but clearly he was a man who was from God.

A prophet can represent God. A prophet can do what God has ordained him to do. But a prophet has no ability to save someone's soul. All three of these things, including Jeremiah, would have been a huge compliment to any other human being. But to declare that Jesus was there would have been the difference between life and death.

So Jesus turns around and says, that's what they say, right? And many people may be thinking in their hearts that that was a compliment to Jesus. Not realizing that was heretical if they stopped there. Jesus turns around and asks his disciples, who do you say that I am? Right?

This question is the most important question in anyone's life, right? More than who you're going to marry. More than what major that you're going to choose if you're starting out school. More than what job you're going to get. Most important question and how you land on this question, it will be the difference between where you spend your eternity.

Not what do your parents believe? What is the community believe? What is your denomination believe? But what do you say? Who do you say that I am? To declare his identity the way that the Bible says it has consequences, right? It has consequences because it's going to affect the way you live your life.

It's going to affect what makes you happy, what you pursue. I don't know if you've heard it this week, but Pope Francis came out and made a statement that's completely heretical. He said, "Every religion is a way to arrive at God." Now, if you haven't read it, right? I'm not asking you to trust me.

Go look it up. Now, this has been the soft position of the Catholic Church since the 1960s. So if you've been paying attention, you probably already know this. But if there was any question as to what the Pope and the Catholic Church believes, at least from the top, he says, "Every religion is a way to arrive at God.

There are different languages to arrive at God, but God is God for all. My God, but my God is more important than your God." Is that true? There's only one God, and each has a language to arrive at God. Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, they are different paths. Now, he's just one man, but the problem with this one man is he speaks according to the Catholic Church ex cathedra, which means when he speaks in an official capacity, his words are infallible.

It is God's words. It comes with God's authority. What he says is law in the Catholic Church. Now, there are Catholics who may reject this. There are Catholics who claim to be Catholics and say, "We don't believe that." But the Catholic Church's official position is what this man says.

And by these words, he basically said, "All, all those who have been martyred for the name of Christ, proclaiming Christ's death and resurrection are a bunch of fools." They didn't need to do that. All the people who are suffering to gather together in North Korea, just even owning a Bible can get them executed, bunch of fools.

They didn't need to do that. All the people who are suffering trying to share the gospel in remote villages in India, bunch of fools. They don't need to do that. If all roads lead to God, whether you're a Muslim or you're a Buddhist or any other religion, it doesn't matter what you think of Jesus because as long as you say God and you believe in some God that that leads to eternal life, then all we are doing is for nothing.

First Corinthians chapter 15, 17, 19, it says, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are all men most to be pitied." If Jesus isn't who he said he is, if he wasn't crucified for our sins, if he wasn't resurrected from the dead, he said we are to be most pitied.

And the more seriously that you took your faith, you are to be more pitied than anybody else. That's the position that this Pope took. And he will be judged for that, for leading people astray. Where you come down on this question, "Who do you say that I am?" is going to either cause you to hate this Jesus.

How can a man have deceived this many people? So many people have ruined their lives because of me. Every single one of the disciples, their life was ruined because of this confession. People was crucified upside down. Some men were beheaded. Some were torn apart by animals. Some were put into boiling oil.

Some took their children to the remotest parts of the world and died in starvation. Every single one of them who made the correct confession of Christ died and were martyred in the context of this. The problem that we have in our generation is that becoming a Christian has become so easy.

We made it so easy so that all you need to do is just raise your hand. Anybody want to try Jesus? And, oh, you want to raise your hand? Just come down to the middle of the aisle and I got some Bibles to hand out to you. So since you raised your hand, repeat some words that I say, then now you have eternal life.

There's a reason why the Bible says that you must count the cost. What does it mean to make this confession? What does it mean? Because in the first century, Christians, to make this confession meant that they're going to, many of them, die as martyrs. They're going to be dragged into Colosseum.

They're going to get stoned. They're going to, at the minimum, be rejected at the synagogue. They wouldn't be able to do their business. Some of them, their wives thought that they went crazy and just left them. They lost everything because of this confession. So this confession cannot be made flippantly.

Even though we don't live in the first century, God's word and his standard has not changed. So who do you say that I am? Peter confessed, "You are the Christ of God." "You are the Christ of God" in the Greek is a possessive term, meaning you are the Christ that belongs to God.

The word Christ, as you guys know, is from the Hebrew word "mashiach." And the word "mashiach" just literally means "the anointed one." And it was referred to as the king that was coming. And this king who's going to come, who's going to be the savior of the world. So he's the king, the anointed one who will come to save us.

Jesus himself reads the prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 61. He opens up this text and he reads it in the synagogue. He says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me "because the Lord has anointed me "to bring good news to the afflicted. "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, "to proclaim the liberty of the captives "and freedom to prisoners.

"Proclaim the favorable ear of the Lord "and the day of vengeance of our God "to comfort all who mourn, "to grant those who mourn in Zion, "giving them a garland instead of ashes, "the oil of gladness instead of mourning, "the mantle of praise instead of the spirit of fainting.

"So they will be called oaks of righteousness, "the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified." Jesus reads this and then he says, "Today, this is fulfilled in your presence." This Messiah, this king, the anointed one, the savior that you've all been waiting for is here. Jesus made that very crystal clear.

When Peter says, "You are the Christ of God," he's saying, "This is you." Can you imagine the elation of the people who've come to realize that this is the case? Anybody who's hungry, Jesus feeds them. People who are lame are healed. People who couldn't see had no hope to live.

He opens their eyes. Even death, even a child who dies, he brings hope back into their life. Those who are in prison, he says he's gonna open the doors, they're gonna come. The year of jubilee is going to be gifted to you. So can you imagine the jubilation of the disciples, of the people?

That king, that Messiah has come and it was the right confession. And he says, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but God has revealed this to you." But if their confession stops here, they will also die in their sins. Many people came to the conclusion that he must be the Messiah.

When Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, shaking the palm branches, "Hosanna, hosanna. Messiah has come, Messiah has come. Save us, save us." Soon turned around and yelled, "We don't want him as our king." So many people come to Christ because they see this promise. That if I become a Christian, he's gonna give me purpose.

If I become a Christian, he's going to fix my life. If I become a Christian, he'll answer my prayers. He's gonna be my refuge. I'm gonna have the living water, the living bread. And so, yes, I want that. But if your confession of Jesus stops there, you would not know the Jesus of the Bible because he says something very strange.

Right after he says this, in Luke chapter 9, 21 and 22, he says, "He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone." That's just weird. If the Messiah has come that they've been waiting for, for hundreds and hundreds of years, and he's gonna solve all your problems, why would he tell them not to tell anyone?

Jesus knew as soon as the word begins to spread and the confidence begins to spread, they're gonna force him to be king. And eventually, it's gonna lead him to the cross. And look what he says after that. "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." Wait a minute, you're the Christ of God, and you notice he doesn't say, "I'm going to suffer.

I'm planning to suffer." You notice he says, "I must suffer. I must suffer." Either you're the Christ of God or you're not. How can you be the Christ of God and tell us that you're gonna suffer and die? And that's why if you read the Gospel of Mark, it says very clearly three separate times, starting from Mark chapter 9, 10 and 11, over and over repeated again, he says the exact same thing.

That Son of Man is gonna go to Jerusalem. He's gonna be captured. He's gonna be tortured. He's gonna be killed. He's gonna be raised on the third day. And as the disciples hear him saying this, they don't understand. The very next question they give is, "Who's gonna sit on the left or to the right?" And they kept on arguing, "Who's the greatest in the kingdom of God?" He said he was gonna die.

And they're concerned about their glory. He said he's gonna be beaten and killed. They're concerned about who's gonna sit on the left or to the right. It's because they didn't understand. They saw the promises of the Messiah. But when Jesus says he must suffer, that the only way that the captor's gonna be free, that the hungry is gonna be fed, that the injustice will be dealt with, is by the cross.

That all this is going to be fulfilled through the cross. So if you take Christ without the cross, that is not the Christ of the Bible. And that's why Jesus says right after this, "The Son of Man must suffer." In Acts 4.12 it says, "And there is a salvation in no one else, "for there is no other name under heaven "that has been given among men "by which he must be saved." Again in 1 Timothy 2.5-6, "For there is one God, "there is one God, "and one mediator between God and man, "the man Christ Jesus, "who gave himself as a ransom for all, "the testimony given at the proper time." All the stuff that has gone wrong in this world is because of sin.

It's not because we have the wrong politicians. It's not because we haven't had the right organization, or it's not because we don't have the proper organization. It's not because you're in the wrong denomination. Ultimately, every problem of mankind stem from his fallen nature. And so the only way to restore a broken world is through Christ's suffering.

And that's why he says, "You have confessed correctly. "I am the fulfillment of the promises "that are made in the Old Testament. "I will set the captives free. "I will feed the hungry. "I will deal with the injustice." But the Son of Man must suffer. He must suffer. Because the only path to true life is through the cross.

And that's why he told his disciples, "Not only will I suffer, "you need to follow the path that I take." If we come to Christ, and we make the confession that Jesus is my Savior, he is my refuge, he is my comfort, he is my Abba Father, and we make the right confession, and yet, and yet, the suffering of Christ is not something that you have embraced, then you do not know the Christ of the Bible.

You just found Jesus to be another way to fulfill your dreams. You just happen to be a Christian. So the Buddhists seek Buddha for a better life. Muslims will seek Allah for a better life. The only difference for a Protestant is that if you end with your confession that Christ is the Anointed One, and he'll fulfill all the promise that he's made, it's just that you have found Christ as your way, a different way.

And so what Pope Francis says is true, if that's all it is. What they reject is the same reason why they, in the first century, rejected Christ. They didn't reject his works. They didn't reject him as a man. I mean, who would reject him? He's benevolent. He feeds the poor.

He cares for children. I mean, even the most staunch atheists would admire this man. It's what he said he was going to do. I am the way and the truth, and no one comes to the Father except through me. The gospel begins by telling us that it is our sinful nature.

It is our sin that's getting in the way of true life. And the only path of true life is a suffering of Christ and his resurrection. Now, that confession in our generation is just simple words. But when Jesus said it, every single one of these people, because of this confession, ruined their lives.

They didn't make this confession and then became a mega church pastor. They didn't make this confession and became a doctorate and wrote many books and became wealthy. They didn't become celebrity pastors and walked around and everybody celebrating them wherever they went. Every single one of them who made this confession lost everything that they had.

Every single one of the disciples, everyone that they discipled, and the more prominent they were, the more suffering that they had to go through. They were dragged into the Colosseum. Some of them ripped apart, beheaded. Why? Because of this confession. You are the Christ of God. And the disciples didn't clearly understand this until the resurrection of Jesus.

And they realized that even in death, there's true life in Christ. Even in death. And that's why Apostle Paul says, in the light of the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ, everything became rubbish. And then he is pressing on toward the goal. And he's pressing on and longing to fellowship in the suffering of Jesus Christ.

He's longing, pursuing, chasing after the suffering of Christ because he knew that the other end of that suffering was true life. See, when a cultural Christian superficially accepts Jesus Christ, it's no different than the disciples who didn't know until Jesus was resurrected. We're holding on to the glory, the benefit.

We're holding that Jesus is going to come. He's going to free us from our bondage. He's going to give us food to eat. He's going to deal with injustices. He's going to turn our mourning into laughter. And we cling to that. But we reject the suffering. We reject the cross.

True life is found because he suffered. And because he told us, as I suffered, you must suffer. Because they hated me, they will hate you. And some of you lose everything. But if you believe that Jesus is the Christ of God, you also believe that the greatest life is on the other side.

It's on the other side. When he said, "I have come to give life and give this life abundantly," it was on the other side of the cross. When he said that, "I will be your refuge," it's on the other side of the cross. When he said he's going to turn your mourning into laughter, it's at the other side of the cross.

That's why he says he must suffer. And the only reason why the disciples did not abandon Christ is because they believe. They didn't understand his cause. They didn't understand, but they believed. In John 6:16, but they believed. In John 6, 68 to 69, when everybody else was turning away from God, Jesus turns to his disciples, "Will you abandon me too?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God." Let me ask you this morning. I'm not asking you what the church believes. I'm not asking you what the confession that you grew up in or your parents believe or your community or friends believe.

Some of us are afraid to ask questions because we're afraid the consequence of losing friends and community. So are you a seeker of community? Are you a seeker of truth? Because if you are a seeker of truth, there are times that seeking this truth will separate you from your friends, will cause you to leave your church, will cause you to abandon and lose.

Some things that are very precious to you. Are you a seeker of community? Are you a seeker of truth? Who do you say he is? And if you answer this question correctly, there will be rewards and consequences that will come with confession. But the Bible tells us that true life, everything that God promises is on the other side of the cross.

So let me conclude with this question this morning. If you hold on to a form of godliness. With no power. You have no idea what Christ has to offer. What you have benefited from with a superficial confession is friends. Purpose. False hope. Community. Feeling loved by people around you.

Being able to live life and do life with other people or like you. But the true joy. True hope. True eternity. Is only found when we are abiding in Christ, in Christ. In Christ. Do you know this Jesus? Or are you a cultural Christian? Is a fear of losing what you have now causing you to not pursue Christ further?

Not ask difficult questions. Are you a pursuer of community? Are you a pursuer of truth? Who do you say Jesus is? Let's pray. Father, we pray that the power of your word would cut through the veneer, Lord God, that we allow to be established in our hearts. I pray, Father God, that your word and your spirit would melt.

The facade, Lord God, that we often work so hard to create. But we pray, Father, as you told us that your sheep know your voice and they follow you. I pray that your word would be made clear. That your voice is what we hear. And it is you that we follow.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's all stand up for the closing praise. (soft piano music) ♪ Come thou fount of every blessing ♪ ♪ Tune my heart to sing thy grace ♪ ♪ Streams of mercy never ceasing ♪ ♪ Never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise ♪ ♪ Teach me some melodious sonnet ♪ ♪ Sung by flaming tongues above ♪ ♪ Praise the mountain fixed upon it ♪ ♪ Mount of thy redeeming love ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ Here I raise, here I raise my Ebenezer ♪ ♪ Here by thy great help I've come ♪ ♪ And I hope by thy good pleasure ♪ ♪ Safely to arrive at home ♪ ♪ Jesus saw me when a stranger ♪ ♪ Wandering from the fold of God ♪ ♪ He to rescue me from danger ♪ ♪ Interposed his precious blood ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ O that day, O that day when freed from sinning ♪ ♪ I shall see thy lovely face ♪ ♪ Lo then in the blood-washed linen ♪ ♪ How I'll sing thy sovereign grace ♪ ♪ Come my Lord no longer tearing ♪ ♪ Take my ransomed soul away ♪ ♪ Send thy angels now to carry ♪ ♪ Me to realms of endless day ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ O to grace, O to grace how great a debtor ♪ ♪ Daily I'm constrained to be ♪ ♪ Led by goodness like a beggar ♪ ♪ Blind by wandering, hard to be ♪ ♪ Prone to wander, Lord I feel it ♪ ♪ Prone to leave the God I love ♪ ♪ Here's my one Lord, take and seal it ♪ ♪ Seal it for the courts above ♪ ♪ Here's my one Lord, take and seal it ♪ ♪ Seal it for the courts above ♪ - Let's pray.

Now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and eternal love of God the Father, ordain, strengthen, encourage, rebuke, and challenge all those who have come to worship in spirit and in truth that we may have received the word of God and be the presence of Christ in the light that he has called us to be wherever it is that you send us, amen.

♪ God sent his Son ♪ ♪ They called him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my pardon ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to fill ♪ ♪ My Savior lives ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because he lives ♪ ♪ Is beautiful beyond our highest thought ♪