Ending at the Beginning
When we started this series a few weeks ago, we wanted to begin with the end in mind. Today, as we end this series, I want us to end at the beginning.
At the very beginning of belief there’s a question. A question that everyone on planet earth has to answer. A question that every person, no matter what language you speak, where you live, how much money you have or don’t have, no matter what position or title you hold, everyone has to answer this question.
We’ll get to that question in just a moment, but before we do I want to ask you this question…
What is the most important question you’ve ever been asked?
Questions & Directions
Here’s a question I was recently asked and in the moment, it felt like the most important question I was going to have to give an answer for on this particular day:
What kind of taco do you want?
Here’s what happened…
The other day a new friend invited me to lunch. So we’re going to lunch and he takes me to a place I’ve never been before. It’s a taco place and I’m game for any lunch spot with the word taco in it. We go in and now it’s time to order and everything sounds amazing.
It’s my turn to order and the only question you have to answer at this place is this question, What kind of taco do you want!?
My friend, being the helpful guy he is, tells me… You want the Bang Bang Shrimp Taco.
I don’t know about you, but I love shrimp. He tells me, the Bang Bang Shrimp taco, it’ll change your life! And you know what, I think it did!
Here’s what I want you to think about today: How we answer the questions we answer determines the direction of our lives.
Life Changing Questions
We all know what it’s like to face life changing questions. And I’ve had to answer more significant questions that carried more weight than, “What kind of taco do you want?”
We live in a world where these life changing questions come to us and there’s always a moment when we have to give an answer.
Where do you want to go to college?
What do you want to major in?
What kind of work do you want to do?
Will you marry me?
Do you want to have kids?
How will we have kids?
How are we going to pay the bills?
Can I have your daughter’s hand in marriage?
Do you want the job? The house? The car?
Do you want the Bang Bang Shrimp taco? YES!
We don’t face life changing, life altering, questions every day. But when we do, how we choose to answer them changes everything for us.
How we answer the questions we answer determines the direction of our lives.
One Question
We don’t all have to answer the exact same set of questions in life. But there is one question that everyone has to ask and answer. EVERYONE.
And everything hangs in the balance of this one question.
This isn’t a question I came up with. This isn’t a question that was born out of some think tank somewhere. This isn’t necessarily a popular question. In fact, depending on how you answer this question you could certainly face hardship, you might even suffer, some people in some places around the world currently and at different points in history have actually lost their life because of how they chose to answer this question.
But the first person who ever asked this question was Jesus.
And I want to share this simple yet significant question with you, I want you to hear how one of his first friends and followers answered it, and then I want you to think about your answer to this question.
Pausing to Pray
In Luke 9, Jesus has sent out his disciples on their first mission trip. He told them to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and he gave them the power to heal the sick and cast out demons. I can only imagine the kinds of stories they told when they got home from that mission trip! And then they witnessed Jesus feed more than 5,000 people with five pieces of bread and two fish, a miracle of provision and abundance that his disciples would never forget.
Jesus and his disciples have spent a lot of time with people. And Jesus loves people. He loves teaching people. He loves healing people. He not only wanted to tell everyone what the Kingdom of God is like, He wanted to show them.
So in Luke 9.18, here’s what happens…
Luke 9.18-20
18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him…
At this point, Jesus decides it’s time to take a moment so he and his disciples can catch their collective breathe. Jesus knew that in order to show people the Father he had to spend time with the Father. And he wanted his disciples to learn this as well, this spiritual practice of loving people, helping people, healing people, teaching people, being with people, and then leaving people to pray alone.
In order to show people the Father they had to spend time with the Father.
The Question before the Question
And then Jesus asked them this question. This isn’t THE question. This is the question Jesus asks before THE question that he really wants them to ask and answer.
Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
Now this isn’t THE question. This is the question before the question. But Jesus wants to know… you guys, you’re hearing the people talk about me. You were just with more than 5,000 people as they experienced the miracle of bread and fish multiplied in an unexplainable way. You passed out the food and you were hearing what people were saying. Not only that, but you’ve been with me from the very beginning of my ministry.
You’ve seen me heal the sick and comfort those who are suffering, care for the poor and brokenhearted, you’ve witnessed me welcome children, sit at a table with sinners and self proclaimed saints.
What they didn’t know, what they couldn’t know, was that they were about to make one final trip to Jerusalem. And what awaited Jesus in Jerusalem wasn’t anything like what some people thought would happen when God’s Messiah came.
Some people thought God’s Messiah would come and set them free from their Roman oppressors. Some people were looking forward to a political revolution by a king kind of like king David who would sit on the throne and restore the kingdom of Israel. Some people were looking for a powerful prophet. Others were expecting a priest to return the people to God.
You’ve heard my teaching, you’ve sat at my feet as my disciples. You’ve seen the miracles I’ve performed, you’ve participated in the miracles I’ve performed, and you’ve performed some yourselves through the power I’ve given you to heal and cast out demons. And you’ve been with the people who are experiencing the life changing affects of my ministry as I work to make things on earth as they are in Heaven.
So, WHO do the PEOPLE say I am?
Who is Jesus?
19 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”
Then Jesus dialed it in and asked them the most important question he ever asked them, the most important question he will ever ask you… the most important question you will ever have to answer…
20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
If you’ve been a Christian for 20 years, or if you started believing for the first time today, whether you grew up in church or this past Sunday was the first time you’ve set foot inside a church building in your entire life, this is the question you have to ask and answer.
This is the question that is at the very beginning of belief.
And this is the same question Jesus asked His disciples to answer before they start walking to Jerusalem one last time together where Jesus will face the cross.
And, this is the same question that you have to answer, that I have to answer.
“Who do YOU say I am?”
Who are you?
This is a question that, on one level, you probably answer nearly every day.
Right now I’m meeting a lot of new people for the first time. And you know how this works, you meet someone and at some point you introduce yourself. They might even ask you, “What’s your name?” And I don’t ever mind answering that question. It’s the next question that always gives me pause.
I’ll never forget being at baseball practice with my son several years ago. It’s the first practice. Nobody knows anybody and so I’m standing there with all the dads and they’re talking and they’re laughing and there might have been some colorful language used.
Then after 15-20 minutes of that, we start introducing ourselves to each other. Everybody is trying to learn everybody else’s name. And of course, everyone wants to know what you do.
I know from experience, as soon as I say I’m a preacher, this conversation is going to take a turn. Sure enough, it’s my turn, and now I’ve got a decision to make. I could say I’m a public speaker. I’m a leader of a non-profit organization in our community that helps people.
But as soon as I say I’m a preacher, that shuts the conversation down. People talk differently around you. People act differently around you. It just happens.
But the most important question you have to answer is not about you, the most important question you have to answer is about God.
Who is God?
If you rewind the story some 1500 years before Jesus, you’ll find a man by the name of Moses asking God that exact question.
God meets Moses at a burning bush and tells him that He has chosen him to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt. Moses asks God, who am I to go stand before Pharaoh? God tells him, “I will be with you.” – Exodus 3.12
But Moses isn’t sure yet, so he asks God, “What do I say when they ask me who sent me? When they ask me what the name of my God is, what do I say?” And God says, tell them “I AM has sent me to you.” – Exodus 3.14
God says, this is my name. My name is I AM. And I AM is with you. I AM the Great I AM. Whatever you need, I AM. Whatever you lack, I AM. Whatever you desire, I AM. I AM in all things, before all things, above all things, I surround all things. Moses, you do need to worry about a thing because I AM is with you.
And now this is the question Jesus is asking his disciples, “Who you say I am?” This is the question he wanted them to answer.
Why?
Because how you answer this question has the power to change absolutely everything for you.
What’s interesting about this question is that Jesus has already answered this question for His disciples.
Jesus Answers the Question
If you back the story up to Luke 4, you find this moment where Jesus has returned to his home town.
He’s back in Nazareth where he grew up. He goes to the synagogue just like he always did when he was a boy with his mom and dad. It’s time for the scripture reading and the attendant hands Jesus the scroll of Isaiah to read a passage to all who have gathered for worship.
Jesus opens the scroll of Isaiah and reads these words…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”
Luke 4.18-19
“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Luke 4.21
This is how Jesus began His ministry. He announces that this prophecy from Isaiah made some 700 years ago has just come to pass.
I AM the one you’ve been waiting on! I have come to make all things right, all things new.
What does that look like? How does that happen?
That happens when the poor hear the good news about the great love of God! That happens when captives are released. That happens when the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear. That happens when those who are living under oppression of any kind find freedom.
And now I have come, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. And here’s the Good News… the time of the LORD’s favor has come!
The people of Nazareth can’t believe it. Literally, they cannot wrap their minds around the idea that Jesus, the one they watched grow up right before their eyes, is God’s Messiah.
But then you keep reading the story and what do you see Jesus doing?
He casts out a demon from a man who was suffering tremendously.
He heals a woman sick with a fever.
He preaches the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
He calls people to follow Him.
He cures a man from the incurable disease of leprosy.
He forgives sins.
He tells a man who is paralyzed to get up and walk, and he does!
He teaches people to love their enemies and to build their lives on the solid foundation of faith in God.
He brings a dead man back to life.
He calms a raging storm.
No one has ever seen anyone do the kinds of things Jesus is doing and no one has ever heard anyone say anything like the things Jesus is teaching.
Jesus is answering the question everyone is asking with His life!
Who do you say I am?
So when He gathers His disciples around Him he wants to know, do you know who I am? Who I really am?
You’ve been with me through the ups and downs. You’ve seen the miracles. You’ve heard the teaching. We’ve sat around the camp fire night after night and walked down every dusty road in Galilee and Judea.
Do you know who I am?
“Who do YOU say I am?”
And then Peter, full of faith, responds to the most important question of his life with this answer:
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”
Who do you say I am?
You are I AM!
You are the I AM who met with Moses.
You are the One Isaiah said would come.
You are Jesus Messiah, the Great I AM!
And here’s the Good News today. This was true for Peter. It was true for those disciples who were with Jesus that day. And it’s true for disciples of Jesus today as well.
Jesus is I AM. And I AM is WITH YOU.
I AM came to set you free.
I AM came so you could see.
I AM came so you could know the favor of the LORD is upon you.
Jesus is I AM
Jesus is I AM. I AM knows you by name. He loves you, He is for you, He is with you. He is I AM. And He is still working in this world. He is still working in your world to make all things right an all things new. And He often works in invisible ways for your good and for his ultimate glory.
Do you know I AM? Did you know I AM is with you? That the great I AM wants to be with you? To abide in you? That the great I AM is FOR You?
And because He is I AM, because I AM is with you, for you, there is nothing that can stand against you!
We live in a world where people are asking a lot of different questions. But today let’s end this series with the question everyone has to begin with,
Who is Jesus?
Those first disciples believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and their belief, their faith, changed the world.
I just wonder what would happen if we believed. What will change if we believe?
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