“WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE?MARK 8:27-30

INTRO: Life is filled with questions. Some important and some not so important. Some questions we face make our lives difficult. We read in this passage of Scripture this morning about two questions that will determine where every one of us will spend eternity. I want you to consider what these two questions say to us today and what your response is to each one. Notice the Lord asked…(1) POWERFUL QUESTIONS

MARK 8:27-29—“And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of

Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, sayingunto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered,

Johnthe Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; andothers, One of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom

sayye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art

theChrist.”

A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. Friends, these are two of the most important questions that have ever been asked. Every person needs to know the answers. Jesus asked His disciples—“Whom do men say that I am?” and “But whom say ye that I am?” The answers one gives to these questions will determine how they live their life. Jesus knew that people were talking about Him and He also knew what they were saying about Him. People were constantly talking about Jesus and watching the things He did. Many praised Jesus with the lips but their lives betrayed them. Jesus said in Matthew 15:8—“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” B. INCREDIBLE QUESTIONS. The Lord knew that people were talking about Him. He is omniscient. He knows what every person thinks about Him. The Bible tells us in John 2:23-25—“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew

what was in man.” When Jesus asked, “Whom do men say that I am?” look at the varied responses He got:

SOME SAID NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM. When the Lord asked this first question the disciples told Him what others were saying about Him. Some people said He was:

1. JOHN THE BAPTIST —We can understand why some thought this. The preaching of John and Jesus both were about repentance and righteousness.

2. ELIJAH —Many believed that Jesus was Elijah raised from the dead because of the many miracles He did.

3. ONE OF THE PROPHETS —The prophets spoke of the Messiah so naturally they may have thought He was one of the prophets. These were some great men of God and to be mistaken for one of them was a nice and positive thing. But as complimentary as it was to be mistaken for John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets was, they people were wrong. Their answer was one of mistaken identity!

ILLUS: There is a book titled Mistaken Identity by Mark Tabb. The book poses this question: “Imagine if your daughter came back from the dead, How would you feel? Shocked, angry, ecstatic?” These were some of the emotions the Cerak family felt when they received a call from the Grant County coroner telling them that their daughter might be alive— five weeks after her funeral. Their daughter and a female friend were in a tragic car accident that left both of them unrecognizable. After the Cerak family had been grieving over their dead daughter they found out she was not dead, the other girl was. The girls had been mistaken for each other in the aftermath of a tragic accident.SOME SAID NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM but also…

SOME SAID NOT SO NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM. People can really say some hurtful things some time. Our Lord was not immune to being hurt by cruel words. Hebrews 4:15 says He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Some said:

1. HE WAS DEMON POSSESSED —The Pharisees and the religious crowd of the day said—“…He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?” (John 10:20).

2. HE WAS A DECEIVER —The Scribes, men who were viewed as great teachers of the Law, said—“He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.” (Mark 3:22).

3. HE WAS A DENIER AND BLASPHEMER —The Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jewish religion, said—“…He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his

blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?” (Matthew 26:65-68).

4. HE WAS DEMENTED —His own family and friends said—“He is beside himself.” (Mark 3:21).

5. HE WAS DEFEATED —Even as Jesus hung on the Cross, giving His life a ransom for sin, the religious crowd continued to express their evil opinion, opposition, and distaste of Him. “Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes. He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” (Mark 15:31-32).

That’s what some of the people in that day were saying about Jesus. They did not really know WHO HE WAS! Many today still have not the slightest idea of WHO HE IS!

THE MORMONS believe that Jesus was the first baby born to God in Heaven, when God, in a physical body, had sexual intercourse with Mary, His own daughter. He is the spirit brother of Lucifer.

THE JEHOVAH WITNESSES believe that Jesus was once the Archangel Michael before He came to earth. In their view, Jesus is not God in the flesh. They talk about Jehovah, but the Jehovah they talk about is not the Jehovah of the Bible.

SOME SAID NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM, SOME SAID NOT SO NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM, and…

SOME SAID NOTEWORTHY THINGS ABOUT HIM. These are some things we do well to remember and reflect upon:

1. JOHN THE BAPTIST RECOGNIZED HIM AS THE LAMB—“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).

2. THE ANGELS REPORTED HIM AS THE SAVIOUR—“And , lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour; which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:9-14).

3. THE DYING THIEF REPENTED AND RECEIVED HIM AS LORD—“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42).

4. THE ROMAN CENTURION REMARKED THAT HE WAS GOD’S SON—“And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39).

5. THE BLIND MAN REJOICED THAT HE WAS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN—“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” (John 9:38).

6. THE CROWDS OUTSIDE JERUSALEM REJOICED THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH—“Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord..” (John 12:13).

7. THE DEMONS REAFFIRMED THAT HE WAS ALMIGHTY GOD—“And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.” (Mark 5:7).

When John baptized Jesus in the Jordan, God the Father said—“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). When Jesus was transfigured, God the Father said—“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” Friends, if God the Father says that Jesus is His Son, that is good enough for me!The Lord asked two POWERFUL QUESTIONS but also He asked a…(2) PERSONAL QUESTION

MARK 8:29—“And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And

Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ."*WHY IS THIS QUESTION SO PERSONAL? TWO REASONS:A. IT ADDRESSES EVERY INDIVIDUAL. After hearing the disciples’ answers to His question—“Whom do men say that I am?”, Jesus asks them what their opinion of Him was. He has heard public opinion now He wants to hear what their personal opinion of Him is—“whom say ye that I am?” He wants them to contemplate the question and He wants to hear what they say. Friends, this is their moment of truth!

EVERYTHING THAT JESUS HAS TAUGHT THEM AND SHOWED THEM HAS LED THEM TO THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

EVERY MIRACLE JESUS PERFORMED HAS LED THEM TO THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

EVERY WORD OF TRUTH THAT JESUS SPOKE HAS LED THEM TO THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

The disciples’ response to this question would show Jesus how effective His personal ministry had been to these men. And friends, the way a person answers this question shows the impact that Christ has made on their life also. Jesus asked a simple question—“But, whom say ye that I am?” It is simple, yet it is the most important question that has ever confronted mankind.

THE CORRECT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CAN TAKE A PERSON TO HEAVEN.

AN INCORRECT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CAN DOOM A SOUL TO HELL.

B. IT MUST BE ANSWERED BY EVERY INDIVIDUAL. We read in the last

part of this verse Peter’s response. Peter spoke for the group—“And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ." Peter was the spokesman for the disciples but this was what they believed. It fact in Matthew’s account in Matthew 16:16—“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is a great statement of faith! How did Peter and the other disciples come to this conclusion? Matthew 16:17 tells us—“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” God Himself revealed the Lord’s identity to Peter. Friends, this is true in every real conversion. No person can be saved unless the Holy Spirit draws them. John 6:44 makes this clear—“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” You might be here today and you are thinking, “Some day I am going to get saved and become a child of God.” Well you might and you might not, friend. If the Holy Spirit is drawing you today you ought to respond in faith because tomorrow may be too late. If you continue to reject the Holy Spirit’s invitation to become a child of God, there may come a time when the Holy Spirit will no longer draw you. Every person who is born again today is saved because the Holy Spirit of God drew them to God. People get saved when their spiritual eyes are opened unto the Lord. ILLUS: Among the Lord’s disciples that day stood a man by the name of Judas Iscariot. He probably believed what Peter said in his head, but he never acted on that belief with faith in his heart.The Lord asked two POWERFUL QUESTIONS but also He asked a PERSONAL QUESTION and finally we see He asked a…(3) PRESSING QUESTION

MARK 8:29a—“And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?...”A. THIS QUESTION DEMANDS URGENCY. It is a question of first importance. The way you answer it will determine where you spend eternity.

IS HE THE LORD OR IS HE A LIAR? IS HE THE CHRIST OR IS HE A COUNTERFEIT? IS HE THE KING OR IS HE A KOOK?

ILLUS: Oh, let us understand that the power of Christianity lies not in a hazy indefiniteness, not in shadowy forms, not so much even in definite

truths and doctrines, but in the truth and the doctrine. There is but one Christ crucified. All the gathered might of the infinite God is in that word. — HERRICK JOHNSON. (Pearls From Many Seas by J. B. McClure. The Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).

B. THIS QUESTION DEMANDS UNDERSTANDING. Salvation demands that a person is aware of three things. A person must:

REALIZE THEY ARE A SINNER. Romans 3:23 tells us—“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Friends, we are sinners by birth and by choice. No of us are good enough to be accepted in Heaven as we are—“…There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).

REPENT OF THEIR SINS. Jesus said in Luke 13:3—“…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

RECEIVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOUR. Knowing you are a sinner and knowing that the Lord is the Saviour means little if you are unwilling to repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Romans 10:9-10 tells us—“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” These words are for every person. As Romans 10:13 tells us—“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

ILLUS: Suppose Peter after his bold answer to the question of Jesus—“But whom say ye that I am?” then said, “You are the Son of God, The Saviour of the world. But I am still not going to accept you as my Saviour.” It is hard to imagine Peter saying something of that nature, but listen lost friend, You know who He is and if you are unwilling to accept Him as your Saviour, that is exactly what you are saying.CLOSING: The Lord asked POWERFUL QUESTIONS, A PERSONAL QUESTION, and a PRESSING QUESTION. The question this morning is, “WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE?” Jesus is still asking, “But whom say ye that I am?” Friend, how will you answer?PREPARED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR OF BEECHMONT BAPTIST CHURCH, BEECHMONT, KY FOR SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 18, 2009.