Who do you say jesus is?
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus strolled into a town in Israel named Caesera Phillipi. He asked his closest followers about who people said He was. Like today, many people thought Jesus was a good guy, a profound teacher, and perhaps even a prophet.
Then Jesus asked a question that every single person must wrestle with in life, "Who do you say that I am?" This is the most important question anyone, including you, will ever answer. The answer to that question will define everything else in and about your life.
Peter answered Jesus’ question and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." In that moment, Peter’s response became the confession of belief that would forever define what it means to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus isn’t about how good you are or how much of the Bible you believe. It isn’t about how bad you think you are or how bad you know you are. It is about one question: who do you think Jesus is? Do you believe that he died for your sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day? The Apostle Paul said it this way:
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
Following Jesus isn’t about finding religion.
Religion emphasizes rules and rituals. Jesus was different. Jesus saw religion as an obstacle that kept people from God. Religion takes what God intended to be incredibly simple and clear and makes it muddy and complicated.
Religion offers an invitation to behave. Jesus offers only one invitation — believe.
Jesus didn’t come to begin a religion. He came to offer people a personal relationship with God. The message of Jesus was clear — God loved the world so much that He sent His son into the world to save the world from sin. He did this by dying on the cross for our sins. He took our place so that after his resurrection we could be right with God.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."
John 3:16-18
The question is: do you believe?
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
The first step of following Jesus is believing.
Now what?
If you've decided to follow Jesus, or if you still have questions, we'd love to talk with you about it and help you take your next steps. Fill out the contact form below, give us a call at 606-877-9682, or visit one of our campuses this Sunday.
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