Luke 9:18-24 Confess Jesus as the Christ

           “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.”  Almost every Sunday, either with those words from the Apostle’s Creed or with similar words from the Nicene Creed, we confess our faith; confess our Savior.  Here in the words before us this morning, Jesus’ disciples make confession and then Jesus instructs them and us just what such a confession means for him and for us.  Confess Jesus as the Christ – know what that meant for Jesus; know what that means for you.    

 There were many ideas going around about who Jesus was. Some thought he was simply a great prophet; other thought maybe he was one of the prophets come back from the dead. All of them spoke highly of Jesus. People recognized that he was a man of God. But none of them went far enough. None of them was willing to confess that he was the Son of God and the promised Messiah. 

 Many people today are very much the same. There really aren’t many that are unwilling to give Jesus some honor. But how do most regard him – perhaps as the most loving and selfless person who ever lived; a great example of humility and service to his fellow man, an example that should be followed by us. Some regard him as a great teacher whose moral teachings we should follow. In fact, Christmas and Easter remain two of the biggest holidays in the world, and while the world’s focus in celebrating those holidays is far from a proper focus on Jesus as Savior – his name is still connect with those holidays. Many hold Jesus in high regard – but unfortunately they fail to go far enough. They aren’t willing to accept that Jesus is the Son of God who took on human flesh and blood to rescue us from sin and damnation.

 Jesus poses the question to his disciples – “Who do you say I am?” Peter, speaking as the spokesman for the disciples gives a clear and wonderful answer – “You are the Christ of God.”

 We might ask ourselves – “Who do I say Jesus is? What is the focus of Jesus’ teaching? What is the Christian faith all about?” If Jesus is simply a great example for us to follow, then we must be perfect because that is what God requires, that is what God demands. It isn’t hard when we examine ourselves to know that we are far short of perfect. So who do we say Jesus is? May Peter’s answer also be our answer – “You are the Christ of God.”

 That term Christ refers to Jesus’ office and work. Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term Messiah. Christ means the “Anointed One.” Jesus was anointed to be the Savior from sin. He is our prophet, priest and king. As our High Priest, Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for all sin on the altar of the cross. As our King, Jesus is right now ruling all things for our good, even as he has already defeated our greatest enemies of sin, death and Satan. 

 Jesus is much more than just a great man or even the greatest man. He is far, far more than just an example for us to follow or a teacher to be listened to. He is in fact the very Son of God, born of a virgin and come to be our substitute. As true God, Jesus was able to live a perfect life as our substitute and his sacrifice on the cross was a sufficient price to pay for the sins of the entire world. If Jesus were only a man, even if a perfect man – his sacrifice couldn’t do that. He is the Son of the living God.

 Jesus explains to his disciples what that means for him – that he is the Christ. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” As the Son of Man, Jesus was our substitute. Only someone who was a true human being could be the substitute for mankind. The apostle Paul writes, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”  Jesus, as the Christ, had to suffer and die. It “must” happen as Jesus says. So Jesus would go to Jerusalem to be arrested by the Jews; put on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin. He was beaten and spit on. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate had Jesus mocked and flogged, given a crown of thorns to wear. Jesus suffered. He was rejected. Even his own disciples deserted him. And then Jesus was led out to Calvary where he was crucified – crucified for the sins of the world, for your sins and mine. All this was absolutely necessary. It was absolutely necessary that God’s plan of salvation be carried out. God hates sin and his perfect justice demanded that a price be paid for sin. That price was one we could not pay and so it was necessary for God’s Son Jesus to die to pay for sin. 

 That is what it meant for Jesus that he is “The Christ of God.” As the hymn writer says, “Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus unto thee.” Jesus Christ has paid for sin and given to us eternal life in heaven.

 We make that same confession as the disciples. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The ability to confess Jesus as the Christ, the Savior is an act of faith – faith which is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit. But what does that confession mean for us? 

 It might seem strange to us that Jesus instructs his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Christ. This was because of people’s misconceptions about what the Messiah would do. Most were looking for an earthly Messiah and Jesus didn’t want them to take him and try and make him a king. The disciples too were still infect by those thoughts of an earthly Messiah – so at this time Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone. After Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension, then they would boldly proclaim that confession to the world.

 How easy for us as well to be caught up with thoughts of an earthly Messiah. We would like to think that as Christians, as children of God, that God will make our lives easy and bless us more in this life. Jesus, our Savior, is the almighty God, he has already won the victory for us, why can’t he keep problems and sorrows far away from us. But that isn’t how the Lord works. If life here on earth were nothing but a bed of roses, how quickly we would forget the Lord and lose sight of our true and lasting treasure in heaven. How easily we focus on the things of this world as it is! How much greater that temptation if life was always so glorious!

 So what does it mean for us that Jesus is the Christ? It means that the final outcome is certain. Heaven is ours. That is a certain and living hope. But it also means that we will have crosses in our lives as well. The Christian life is not always outwardly glorious. Life will not be easy and filled with nothing but joy. Jesus tells us, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”

 The Christian life will contain crosses. It is a constant struggle against sin and temptation. A being a disciple of Jesus is something on going. It’s not something that we can pick up or put down whenever we want. We can’t choose to be Jesus’ disciples when it’s convenient. We don’t get to pick which crosses we will get to carry. No discipleship, as Jesus tells us, means that a person “must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” To deny ourselves means not just to deny this or that thing, but to completely turn our back on our old way of life. It means a new set of values and ideas – those shaped by God’s word. Being a disciple of Jesus shapes and determines the way we act, speak and even think. It determines our values and rules our thinking. 

 But, truth be told, Jesus’ words are opposed to our natural way of thinking. Deny yourself. By nature, the person I am most concerned about is myself. What a struggle to overcome that way of thinking that is concerned first and foremost about myself and to instead follow the Lord and his word – to put the Lord and to put others ahead of myself. Following Jesus means our focus is no longer on ourselves and our interests but on him. Although faith and salvation come as a free gift from God, and not from anything we do, being a disciple of Jesus involves a lot of effort on our part. 

 Consider a just few examples of what it means to deny ourselves and carry a cross; how that affects our life. I don’t serve to receive thanks or praise – so when my service is unappreciated or when others take advantage of me, it doesn’t matter. I am first of all serving my Lord in everything I do. So I continue to willingly and joyfully serve. When I can’t afford everything that my neighbor has, when finances are tight and times are tough – I can still be content - I have the greatest treasure in my Savior. When all sorts of problems or sorrows come into my life, rather than complain or question God, I can truly rejoice - the Lord is disciplining me and working to strengthen my faith in him. When life gets busy, when I have so much to do, to deny myself and follow Jesus means that time with God’s word won’t get pushed aside but will be a priority.  How hard it is to deny ourselves and not to put ourself and our desires at the top of the list. 

 Following Jesus means to completely lose sight of self and your own interests and to focus your attention entirely on him. Although faith and salvation come as a free gift from God, and not from anything we do, being a disciple of Jesus involves a lot of effort on our part. Everything we do is in service to our Savior. It is a reflection of our faith.

 We will have crosses to bear as Christians. We should expect crosses in our lives and even rejoice in them. The Lord disciplines us to focus our attention on our real treasure in heaven. How difficult those crosses can be to bear. At times we grumbled and complain about how terrible our sufferings are. We may even be tempted to give in to the world to make our lives here on earth easier. But as Jesus says, “whoever wants to save his life (save it for this world), will lose it (lose it eternally).” What a foolish trade – to trade the glories of heaven for the riches of this life. 

The crosses that we bear need not get us down. They will not overwhelm us. In regard to our suffering, we have a number of promises from the Lord. He has promised that he will be with us to help us bear our cross. The Lord has also promised that everything will be for our good. The apostle Paul even rejoiced in his sufferings because he knew that through them the Lord was strengthening his faith and that through them the Lord would bring him into heaven. And we can have the same assurance. Martin Luther writes, “All the suffering of the Christians produce this benefit: they only further our Christian life and bring forth fruit in the Christian’s fuller understanding and firmer confession of the Word, in his more certain hope, and in a wider spread of the kingdom of Christ.”

 With God on our side who can possibly harm us. In time of trouble run to God’s Word for the strength and comfort that we need. We will find it there.

            Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior from sin.  That Jesus is the Christ meant that he had to go to the cross with the sins of the world loaded on himself to make payment for them.  By his cross he has rescued us from eternal death and given us eternal life in heaven.  Confessing Jesus as the Christ means that his victory is ours.  It means that glory is ours.  But not necessarily glory in this world.  Confessing Jesus as the Christ means that we too will have crosses to bear.  But as the hymn writer encourages, “So then let us follow Christ, our Lord, and take the cross appointed and, firmly clinging to his Word, in suffering be undaunted.  For who bears not the battle’s strain the crown of life shall not obtain.”