The Scripture we just read is what Jesus asked His disciples. He asked, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” This is a profoundly significant question and is at the center of the faith of those who attend church. Who do you see Jesus as? This is essentially what our faith is about, and it is tightly linked to our purpose in attending church, how we attain eternal life and resurrection, and being united with God as one. In the verse we just read, Jesus was referred to as “the Son of Man,” which means the son of a man. In the eyes of people, He is the son of a man, but Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

And the disciples answered, “Some say you are Elijah!” Elijah was a famous prophet of old. “Some say you are John the Baptist!” He was also a prophet who was killed not long ago. “Others say you are the prophet Jeremiah, or the one of the prophets!” Many people regarded Him as a prophet. Then Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” At that moment, Peter answered. And his response was pleasing to Jesus that Jesus affirmed and endorsed his answer by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” He then went on to say, “Upon this faith I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it!”

Who do we say Jesus is? The answer to that is what we believe. Many people may initially come to church because the words they hear are good and they may receive the comfort they need in life. For others they may come to expand their social connections. Some may be struggling in life, facing hardships, or just miss people’s affection, which leads them to seek help in church. While people come to church with diverse motivations, it is important that we first meet God at church and be attentive to His words. To achieve this, the faith we first need to have is to answer this question, “Who do you say Jesus is?” Peter’s answer was, “Lord, You are the Christ; the Son of the living God!” Let us all say it together.

“Lord, You are the Christ; the Son of the living God!”

Two main things are said here. Firstly, “Lord, You are the Christ.” What does the term “Christ” mean? This word comes from the Greek and it means “anointed.” It means “the anointed one.” In the olden days, individuals chosen by God were anointed with oil, typically olive oil. It was poured on the person as a mark that he was appointed by God. Hence “Christ” means “the One sent by God.” “Lord, You are the Christ” means “You are the One sent by God to carry out His work.”

We call our belief Christianity. Why do we call it Christianity? I’ll provide an explanation for why it’s called Christianity as part of general knowledge. The word “Christian” comes from “Christ.” Did we say earlier that individuals call the person God sent “Christ”? So, a person who follows Christ, who belongs to Christ, is called a “Christian.” The word “Christianity” is derived from the word “Christian.” So why do we call our faith Christianity? It means faith in believing in Christ. It’s the faith of those who believe in the One God sent, which is Christianity. The Lord is Christ, that is, He is the One sent by God!’

Let’s follow this: “Jesus is the One sent by God!”

That’s right. This is our faith. Jesus is the One whom God sent, and He carries out the work God commanded. Therefore, if we want to know God, we have to know Jesus. If we look at what Jesus did, then we would know who God is — the One who commanded Jesus. For example, a boy’s father tells the boy to go outside and tell some kids standing around to move away from their door. But if the father requests the boy to tell the kids off, the kids would know that his father is angry at them just by looking at what the boy did.

So, when God sent Jesus, what did He do? Jesus came into the world and died on the cross. That is what Jesus did. He did something that is so hard to comprehend. Why did He do such work? From there, we can come to know what God is like. That is something we will be thinking about further at another time.

Secondly, when the Lord asked His disciples, they responded, “You are the Son of the living God!” “The Son of the living God.” God is alive, and He is the Creator of heavens and earth and everything visible and invisible. There is nothing that we can see that was created without purpose. Even a paper cup was made with a purpose. Nothing was made coincidentally. If anybody were to claim, “This paper cup was made by coincidence!” you would probably laugh at him. Furthermore, the human body is far more intricate and systematic structure than a paper cup. If some were to claim that such human anatomy arose from the random aggregation of single-celled organisms and evolved by change, it would be utterly ridiculous. Even if computers are so advanced nowadays, they are still not as advanced as humans. Similarly, even though cameras today are high tech, they still cannot match the human eye. Consider this: we place the parts of a camera in a box and shake it. What is the probability that after shaking the box for ten thousand years, would those parts coincidentally assemble into a functional camera? How about for twenty thousand years? Even with all the parts of a camera are inside, can they somehow assemble together by themselves into a camera just by chance? Even if you shake the box for a hundred thousand years, that would be impossible. So then, how much more impossible is it for a human being, which is significantly more complex than a camera, to be formed by coincidence? It’s ridiculous.

Someone created humans. And that someone is God. He is the One who gives us breath, and even now, He keeps our hearts beating. If you had to keep you heart pumping by yourself, you would have difficulty sleeping. What happens if your heart stops because you couldn’t pay attention to your heart while you were asleep? However, the heart keeps pumping by itself. It is because of the strength God provides. God is the One who made all things, who will eventually organize everything to the end, who sets the standards and also judges according to His own standards. Since He created all things, He is the Lord of all things. And the Son of that God is Jesus.

However, it is easy for people to think that the term “Son” is lesser than the Father. Especially in Korean culture, the son is expected to submit to the father and be obedient. However, “the Son of God” does not imply that He obeys the Father because of His status as a Son. He obeyed because He is Christ. Being the Son means He is equal to the Father. Also It means whatever God the Father owns is inherited to His Son. For example, a father possesses 100 billion dollars. He would later inherit his wealth to his son, won’t he? However, if he has two sons, he would give them 50 each. When someone looks at one of the sons, they only see half of the father’s wealth. But in the case of the only son, he inherits everything of his father’s wealth. Thus, by looking at the only son with 100 billion dollars, we know that this amount was the full inheritance from his father. In the same way, to say “Jesus is the Son of God” means He is equal with God.

So, what Peter confessed here is this: Jesus is equal with God! He is God! However, this Jesus was sent as the servant of God and is doing God’s work!” This exactly was Peter’s faith. But who revealed this to him? It was God. This is not something that people have come up with. This is the faith we should have now. I’ll try it once more. What does Jesus say? “Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God!” The One who taught us this is God. God revealed it first.

When Jesus was baptized, there was a voice from heaven saying, “This is My son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!” These words of God represent the two main points we have been talking about. “He is My son whom I love” means He is equal to God. Then, “with Him I am well pleased” means “I am pleased with Him because He has accomplished everything, I sent Him to do!” That means Christ. So, when mankind hears that, they are to respond in agreement, saying, “Yes, that is true! God’s words are true!”

This is what our faith is about. Jesus is standing in the middle, and God is speaking of Jesus to all the people, “This Jesus is My Son!” What should the people do? They are to respond in agreement. “Yes, that is true! That is true! Jesus is the Son of God!” And since God also says, “This Jesus is Christ whom I sent!” people should chime with God and respond, “Yes, the Lord is Christ!” In this way, our faith is about chiming with God and responding in agreement to what God testifies about.

Even when we make friends, we tend to get closer to those who see eye to eye with us. We don’t really want to be friends with people who always disagree saying, “Hey, I never heard what you’re saying! Hey, don’t be ridiculous! Hey, I don’t believe you!” With such people you’d probably become more and more distant over time. How much more should we respond what God says, for that is what our faith is about. Some people don’t respond at all. They have no response at all, neither in agreement nor in disagreement. Even during a sermon, if the preacher asks, “Do you agree?” although some loudly answer, “Amen!” there are others who keep silent with any response. We would develop a closer relationship with those who respond well to us, wouldn’t we?

In the same way, God is speaking to us about Jesus. “This is My Son whom I love!” So how should you respond to that? “Yes, that’s true! Jesus is the Son of God.”  And when God says, “I am pleased with Jesus! He is the One I am pleased with!”  we ought to respond, “Yes, that is true! Jesus is Christ!”

It’s truly amazing that Jesus, the Son of God, who is equal to God, came to the earth and obeyed like a servant and fulfilled everything God commanded Him. One is exalted and the other is lesser, it’s hard to understand. Think about it carefully. God could have sent an angel or a human to do His work, but instead God sent the One who is equal to Him. And what He did when was sent was to die. He died on the cross. Why is that? It was to pay the price of your sins.

This extraordinary event took place 2000 years ago. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price of the sin which prevented us to go before God — that became the fundamental boundary. It is all because of sin that our minds are filthy and our hearts are evil, and Jesus paid the price of that sin 2000 years ago. Therefore, if you agree with that, you are acknowledging this: “Jesus’ death on the cross was to atone for my sins!” Furthermore, you believe that it was only possible because of Jesus Christ who was sent by God―who is far greater than heaven.

Hence whoever believes this truth cannot help but confess, “God is love!” The God I want to introduce to you today―God who sent Jesus―is love. He is God who loves you. He is God who loved us, even to the point of sacrificing and putting His Son to death. So, I bless you in the name of Jesus to accept that love. Let us pray.

<Prayer>

God our Father, help everyone here to wholly accept Your precious love. For you are pleased with the faith that believes and confesses Jesus as the Son of God and Christ sent by God, may everyone here such faith with certainty. In Jesus’ name. Amen!