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Who Do You Say I Am?

Who Do You Say I Am?
By Dennis Huebshman

In three of the Gospels – Matthew 16:13-15; Mark 8:27-29; and Luke 9:18-20 – Jesus asks His disciples who people say He is. Their reply was that some said Elijah; some John the Baptist; some Jeremiah and some said other prophets. Then Jesus got very specific and asked, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter gave his most famous confession by saying, “You are the Christ.” Jesus said on this “rock” (Peter’s acknowledgment) He would build His Church, which is everyone who believes in Him. This was before the crucifixion, and even with this stunning comment by Peter, there was still disbelief until after the resurrection. (All emphasis and paraphrase are mine)

Thomas even had his own moment which earned him the nickname “Doubting Thomas”. In his true revelation about Jesus in John 20:24-29, after Thomas saw the Savior in person, and Jesus presented His wounds to him, Thomas declared, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus told him it was well that he saw and believed, but for those who would not see Him, but would still believe, there would be special blessings. This applies to us even today, and will apply until He actually touches down on earth at the end of the Tribulation.

It was no mystery to Jesus that people would not believe He was truly the Messiah when He first came to this earth, and He knew there would be unbelief throughout all the ages. This is because of the workings of satan as he has tried to interfere with God’s plan from the very beginning. His “Did God really say?” statement started in Genesis 3 and will continue all the way to Revelation 20:10 when he is thrown into the Lake of Fire to be there forever. Satan doesn’t have to come up with new ploys as the old ones still work just fine for him.

Prophets foretold of the birth of Jesus and even where it would take place. Naturally, they didn’t specify exactly when, but all the elements were there for those who studied the texts to believe in Him when He did appear. We have the same issue today as we don’t have the exact day or hour of the Rapture, but we were given signs to watch for – which by the way are all here now. One thing was, Jesus came as an ordinary man that did not have a “majestic” look about Him as I will describe further later. When God says something will happen, it will happen!

One thing that has always been present from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry are the unbelievers and scoffers about the return of the Savior as given in 2 Peter 3:3-4. Some would rather believe the lies of satan, and not have to give up their worldly activities.

In about 730 BC, Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah in Chapter 9:6-7, “For a child has been born to us, a Son given to us (God’s Son), and the government shall be on His shoulders; and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God; Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace. (7) His dominion will be vast, and He will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne (In Jerusalem), and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness from that time forward forevermore. The Lord’s intense devotion to His people will accomplish this.” This is a referral to the actual second return of Jesus to rule from earth for 1000 years starting with the end of the Tribulation, after which will be eternity with everyone either in Heaven with Him, or the Lake of Fire with satan and his demons.

This may be one reason the Pharisees and even Jesus’ disciples expected Him to come in a blaze of glory and to establish His kingdom on the first arrival. They did not realize He had to come as the sacrificial Lamb first. This was given in Isaiah 53:2 and 5, “He sprouted up like a twig before God; like a root out of parched soil; He had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention; no special appearance that we should want to follow Him. (5) He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds (our sins); crushed because of our sins; He endured punishment that made us well; because of His wounds, we have been healed.” Only Jesus could provide the sacrifice that would be pure enough to cover all of mankind’s sins. For anyone to reject what our Savior had to endure in place of our punishment, which we deserve, the outcome for them will be separation from Him forever, and rightly so.

Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus voluntarily gave up some of His divine power, so He could be that perfect sacrifice. He became lower than the Angels for a while and became fully man, yet was still fully God. It was entirely for our benefit the creator of the heavens and the earth suffered and experienced death on a cross so that we could have an eternal paradise.

Paul says in Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the First Born over all creation, (16) for all things in Heaven and on earth were created for Him – all things whether visible or invisible; whether thrones or dominions; whether principalities or powers – all things were created through Him and for Him. (17) He Himself is before all things and all things are held together in Him. (18) He is the head of the body, the Church, as well as the beginning of the firstborn among the dead (His Resurrection), so that He Himself may belong first in all things. (19) For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in the Son, (20) and through Him, to reconcile all things to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross – through Him whether things on earth or things in Heaven.”

Going back to the beginning of this message; “Who Do You Say That I Am?” Does it make sense that with all the evidence in God’s true word (Bible) that Jesus was just a prophet, or that He will return to earth one day to serve Mohammed as Islam claims? How about there are many ways to Heaven without believing in Jesus, or you can believe in a god (other than Jehovah), but Jesus isn’t real?

First and foremost, one must believe the Bible is real and the true word from the Father to us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching or reproof; for correction and training in righteousness, (17) that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” Titus 1:2 says God does not lie, and Hebrews 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, anyone who says the Bible is not real is calling the Creator of the Heavens and Earth a liar. Quite frankly, I don’t want to witness their White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.

Personally, I take very seriously the Revelation 22:18-19 warnings about adding to or taking away from the Father’s Holy Word. So, my declaration is and always will be; Jesus is the Christ, My Messiah, one third of the Trinity, My Savior who died on the cross for My sins, My absolute best friend who I wish very much to spend eternity with, and with all who Love and Accept Him as their Savior.

ALL who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). That’s everyone who truly is concerned about their eternal soul and is ready to accept Jesus as their Savior. To wait until after you take your last breath here will be too late. We are not guaranteed another day on this earth. You can make your decision right now, and it will be the most important thing you will ever do. God is patient to a point, however, make no mistake, His patience will only go so far. Look at the world at the time of Noah where God literally washed everyone away except for 8 people. Same with Sodom and Gomorrah where He used a “scorched earth” method to put an end to those evil cities.

Look around and see what’s going on in the world in spite of the faux news being given. The world is getting meaner and more violent daily. Common sense has just about gone out the window. How much longer do you believe it will be before the Father says, “Son, go get your Church and bring them Home.” If you want to be in this group that will suddenly not be here – in the twinkling of an eye – ask Jesus to come into your life today. Nothing fancy has to be said, and no formal speech. Just talk to Him as you would a friend, because He is the best Friend you could ever have. Know this, you will be in the minority as even Jesus knew the majority would follow the ways of this world. His straight and narrow comment in Matthew 7 is very obvious when you look at the make-up of the people who are true believers. Satan would love for you to put it off until later, as this is one of his greatest lies – You Have All The Time In The World.

Call today; the time may run out sooner than you expect.

Maranatha!

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