Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."
Mark 8:27-29
Mark 8:27-29
You see, the world sees Jesus as just another god on the shelf, an emergency back-up plan in case circumstances get really bad and they need to be bailed out of something. They only see Jesus as another religion.
Then there are those who have listened to the things of the Lord but have never made a full commitment of faith to truly follow Him. They perceive Jesus to be some prophet, like John the Baptist or Elijah. Indeed, John was a reformer, calling for repentance and a change of ways from the old lifestyle. And Elijah was the national conscience. Even the king and queen feared him because he stood up for what was just and right. He was the spokesperson for God and he stood between opposing opinions.
And while seeing Jesus as a reformer and a prophet are good, they still don't fully represent who He is. Yes, we see Jesus as the One who calls for repentance and a change of lifestyle. Yes, we see Jesus as the spokesman for the Father, always doing the Father's will. But He's much more than that! He is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God! He's the Messiah who died on the cross for your sins so that you could experience a life on this earth that matters, and an eternal life with Him forever. His is our Savior!
The God we worship isn't like any other god or religion. Jesus loves you. He wants a relationship with you. He is reaching out to you and desires to be with you. Jesus is so much more than a prophet or an evangelist. He is the One who took the sins of the world away. He rescued you out of your sins.
So in your day-to-day life, don't let the enemy lull you to sleep, thinking that Jesus is just another something-or-other. Don't relegate Jesus to being just another person who walked this earth.
So…who do you say that He is?
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (Colossians 1:16-22).
