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TRULY SAVED (1): YOUR FINAL ANSWER TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTION

(Luke 9:18-20)

Intro One day with Mom and Dad gone, brother Jon, age 15, got ahold of
the car keys and helped himself to a ride in Dads brand new Ford station
wagon. Naturally, his sin found him out when he backed into a fence and put
a heavy scratch on the rear fender. When I found out, we connived to save his
miserable skin. Somehow we found a fast body shop, but it cost us every
penny we could find. We learned deep holes means big costs! Now, the Bible
teaches mans been in deep hole since the Fall. We get sin as our birthright,
and make our own daily contributions. Theres a solution, but its very costly.

With the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus ministry reaches its apex. His popularity
is at an all-time high; they want to make Him king. But when Jesus insisted on
repentance, John tells us in 6:60, After this many of his disciples turned back
and no longer walked with him. He came to seek and to save the lost, but a
lot of the lost didnt want to be saved. Salvation is costly.

This passage, vv. 18-27, teaches the cost of being truly saved. The crowds are
still there, but enthusiasm is waning. Soon, when its clear they cant control
Him, they will kill Him. Knowing this, Jesus changes focus to His disciples.
They go 40 miles north to Caesarea Philippi and get a critical lesson in saving
faith. Without help, without outside invervention, mans fallen condition
leads straight to an eternity in hell. Salvation is costly. Jesus here insures that
everyone understands the price. I t costs God; it costs J esus; and it costs us.
We will address these costs with three questions Who is Jesus? What Did
Jesus Do? What Must I Do?

I. Who is Jesus? (What is the cost to the Father?)

V. 18, Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with
him. And he asked them, Who do the crowds say that I am? Historys most
significant question. Who is J esus? It reminds me of the movie where Butch
Cassidy and Sundance Kid are being chased by a posse. Usually no big deal.
But this time, at every glance over the rocks, the posse is right on their trail.
Butch begins to ask, Who are those guys? Who are we dealing with? That is
historys great question about Jesus. All must answer, Who is that guy?

Luke constantly raises this question for Theophilus, Who is this? Lukes
account of the miraculous virgin birth of Christ begs the question Who is
this? When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic in Lu 5, the Pharisees asked,
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Who Who can forgive sins except God alone? When He attacks Sabbath
traditions they ask, Who are You to change the rules? John asks from prison,
Who exactly are you? Jesus calms a storm causing disciples to ask, Who
then is this? (Lu 8:25). Herod asks in 9:9, Who is this? And now J esus
Himself raises the question. Why? Because it differentiates! How we answer
that question determines where we spend eternity. It is the greatest question
you will ever answer. It is a life changing moment when you say, Final
answer. You cannot afford to get it wrong. So use your lifelines, or anything
else you have to get it right. Dont screw this one up. So Jesus asks it in two
ways. First, Who do the crowds say that I am? What does the man on the
street say?

A. Jesus is a Man

Mid v. 18, And he asked them, Who do the crowds say that I am?
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they answered, John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one
of the prophets of old has risen. The crowds werent sure. Most said John the
Baptist, or even a resurrected prophet but still just a man. Theyd seen him
eat, get tired, get jostled around and knew he was a man. A great man, but
only a man. And they were partly right. J esus was a man. Not any they
suggested, but He was a man. One of the amazing things about Jesus is that
He was a man. If He was also God, why become a man? Three reasons.

1. To Qualify as a Sacrifice for Sin We may not like
the word sin these days, but its the reason were in the hole were in, and
Jesus came specifically to deal with that issue. Sin violates the character of
God and, thus, cannot go unpunished not even the tiniest thought. It must be
paid for. And we can only pay by eternal separation from an infinite God.

Substitution is the only answer. But the substitute must be perfect. The last
plague that finally freed Israel from Egypt was when all firstborn were killed
unless the blood of a substitute lamb was on the doorpost? Exod 12:5, Your
lamb shall be without blemish. Not just blood, flawless blood. Not the runt of
the litter or the one that broke its leg yesterday. It had to be perfect. The word
without blemish (tamim) is found 51 times in the OT emphasizing over and
over the demands for perfection. Sin means sacrifice; the sacrifice must be
perfect. That is what the life of Christ was all about. Before He could ever die
for sin, He had to live without sin. That qualified Him as the Lamb of God.

And so Jesus did what no person has ever done. He in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). He had to do that as a man, or
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no sacrifice for sin. Thats why Heb 9:14 says He, offered himself without
blemish to God. And thats why Peter says in I Peter 1:19 we were ransomed
the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Thats the testimony of a man who watched Jesus like a hawk for 3 years and
knew Him to be sinless the perfect and only sacrifice for sin. Done as man!

2. To Become a Sacrifice for Sin Next Jesus had to pay
sins penalty by death. Since God cant die, He had to be a man in order to die.
Do you see the beauty of Gods perfect, incredible plan? Only God could meet
His own perfect standards and qualify as a sacrifice for others, but God cant
die. The God is dead theologians of the 60s were a bit premature! God isnt
dead and God cant die, so He sent His Son in human form to experience
death for us. Exactly what the Bible says in Heb 2:9, But we see him who for
a little while was made lower than the angels (that is, became a man), namely
Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that
by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Theres no greater
love than that, friends. God became man so He could die for you.

3. To Judge Sin The day must come when those who
reject Christ must face Him in judgment. J esus must be either our Savior or
our J udge. Jesus says in John 5:22, The Father judges no one, but has given
all judgment to the Son. Peter confirms in Acts 10:42, And he commanded
us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to
be judge of the living and the dead. Jesus life equips Him to judge. No one
can say, You dont know what its like. Jesus knows exactly what its like.
Hes been where we are! You wouldnt ask a farmer to judge a teacher or a
barber to judge a brain surgeon, right? Youd say, Unfair! No one can say
that to J esus. He died to be our Savior, but if we turn Him down, He will be
our judge, and no one will be able to say when they fall short, You just dont
know, because He knows. He had to be a man to become the ultimate judge.

B. Jesus is Gods Man (Messiah)

So the crowds were right, J esus was a man, but they made a fatal error. They
came up short! They intended comparisons with ancient prophets to be
compliments. But when He claimed to be more than a man, they tried to kill
Him then and there. Like us, they were happy to have a Jesus as a great
prophet, but they wanted nothing to do with Him as more. Why? Why did
they stop short of acknowledging Jesus is God? Because if He were more than
a man, He had a claim on their life. They wanted none of that, so they denied
Him -- like people still do. They still hate accountability and so they still deny
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Christs deity. BUT denying Christs deity doesnt make it so. Denying that
snow is white doesnt change the fact, and neither does denying Jesus is God.

So Jesus turns in v. 20 and says, But who do you say that I am? You is
emphatic. But you, who do you say that I am? Jesus is not looking for info
here. He is not seeking help to establish His identity. This is not Jesus having
an identity crisis. Hes not trying to find himself. He knows full well who
He is. The question itself is a claim to be more than a man, else, why ask it?
He wanted to know that they were catching on that they knew Him for who
He really is. Thats why He prayed just prior to this. Ultimately, the answer to
this question is revealed by the Father, and Jesus was asking that the Father
make this clear. That prayer is answered. Peter jumps in as spokesman and
says, The Christ of God. You are the Christ (the Messiah) of God. And
Jesus says in Matt 16:17, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Christ translates the OT Mashiach -- the Anointed One. In the OT, prophets,
priests and kings were anointed for service. But throughout the OT, there were
vague but unmistakable references to an ultimate Anointed One who would be
all 3. In calling Jesus Messiah, Peter was acknowledging He is the seed of the
woman from Gen 3:15 who would bruise the head of the serpent, Satan. He is
the lion of the tribe of Judah in Gen 49:10 from whom the scepter of
kingship would never depart. He is the Son of David from II Sam 7:13 who
would establish the throne forever. He is the Son of Man from Daniel 7:13-14
who is given everlasting dominion. He is the Servant of Isa 61 who brings
good news to the poor, liberty to the captives and sight to the blind. He is the
fulfillment of these and hundreds of OT prophecies of a Deliverer. Peter is
saying, Jesus, you are the One. You are the Messiah of God. You do some
strange things now and then things we dont understand but we know,
Youre the One the OT looked for. Youre it. Gods man. Gods Messiah.
The disciples had heard the claims of Jesus in His preaching and seen the
verifying miracles for 2-1/2 years and they knew He was the one.

Suppose I sent you to the airport to pick up a friend. Hell be wearing green.
Maybe that will work, but if 250 soldiers disembark at the same time, youre
in trouble! But if I say hell have a green coat, has blue eyes, is 6-2, weighs
190 pounds, has blond hair and a beard, wears glasses, has a blue beret and
will have his 2-year old daughter with a pink ribbon in her hair you cant
miss. Thats exactly why the OT gives hundreds of prophecies of Messiah,
hundreds of years in advance, at least 300 of which were fulfilled to the letter
in the first coming of Christ. God wanted us to know Thats the One! If
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youve rejected Him before, take a closer look. God described Him in detail.
Jesus fit the bill to perfection. The disciples are eyewitnesses: Youre the
Christ of God. So before you reject Him, investigate again. Hes Gods man.

C. Jesus is the God-Man

So, Jesus is a man, and He is Gods man, Messiah. But to fully answer, Who
is Jesus? theres one more step. We must see that He is the God-man both
God and man in one person unique in history. No lesser definition will do.
The J ews missed this. They were looking for a Messiah, but it never dawned
on them He would be God in human flesh. But the disciples gradually got it,
and Peter affirms it in Mt 16:16, Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God. In calling Jesus Son of the living God, Peter was
affirming that Jesus as not just man, but God as well. Even the non-believing
Jews knew this. In John 5:18 we read, This was why the Jews were seeking
all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he
was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

It was this constant claim to be God that eventually got Jesus killed. He was
not killed for taking up the cause of justice. He was not killed for upsetting
tradition. He was killed because He persistently, purposely and insistently
claimed to be God. It happens in Luke 4, and John 5, 7, 8 and 10. The crux of
the whole illegal trial of Jesus was His claim to be God. Mark 14:61, But he
remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? (There is the question)
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And Jesus
said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of
Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
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And the high priest tore his
garments and said, What further witnesses do we need?
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You have heard his
blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving
death. So does everyone who refuses to accept Jesus as God.

If you consign Jesus to mere manhood, you have been tragically misled. His
claims are unmistakable. We read in John 10:31, The Jews picked up stones
again to stone him.
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Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good
works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?
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The
Jews answered him, It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you
but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God. They
would have Him as a man, but never as God. So they brought condemnation
down on their own heads. He must be your Lord or your judge.

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You remember C.S. Lewis summary: "I am trying here to prevent anyone
saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: Im ready
to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I dont accept His claim to be
God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man
and said the sort of things J esus said would not be a great moral teacher. He
would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a
poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your
choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and
kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great
human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Conc -- Who is Christ? Why does it matter? Jesus answered in John 17:3-5,
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent.
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I glorified you on earth, having accomplished
the work that you gave me to do.
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And now, Father, glorify me in your own
presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. To be
truly saved is to accept Gods gift of life paid for by the life of His own Son.

Imagine what it cost the Father to make him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God (II Cor 5:21). Think
what it cost the Father to crush Him . . . when his soul made an offering for
guilt (Isa 53:10). John Griffiths controlled a great railroad drawbridge
across the Mississippi River. One day in 1937 he took his 8-year-old son,
Greg, with him. At noon John lifted the bridge to allow ships through and ate
lunch with Greg on the deck. Time got away from John and shortly he heard
the 1:07 Memphis Express with 400 passengers on board, roaring down on
him with the bridge still up. He ran to the control tower to throw the master
lever to lower the bridge, but as he looked down to check for ships, is heart
sank. Greg had fallen into the massive gears that operated the bridge. His
left leg was caught between two main cogs. Desperately Johns mind sought
for a rescue plan, but there was no time. His choice was between the lives of
the 400 train passengers or his own son. Sobbing hysterically, John pushed
the master switch forward. The great bridge lowered just in time and John
watched through tear-stained eyes as the train rolled by with businessmen
reading papers, finely dressed women sipping tea, children eating their ice
cream and no one having a clue of the sacrifice John had made for them. It
recalls the words of Lam 1:12, Is it nothing to you, all who pass by?


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My I ask, Is Gods sacrifice nothing to you, all who pass by? He gave His
only Son. Now, its up to you. Who is Jesus? Your answer wont change the
reality of His person as the God-man. But it will decide eternally who is He
to you Savior, or J udge. What is your Final Answer? Lets pray.