Who is Jesus - Concord Church

Sermon Notes

Matthew’s Themes:

Jesus tells us who he is.
Jesus tells us what he is going to do.

1. This is who Jesus is – Matthew 16:13-19

He is the Christ
Jesus is the only one who ever has, or ever will match the descriptions of the Messiah in the Old Testament.
He is Son of the Living God (Jesus was not trapped in stone as the other deities were.)

I know something about Jesus.
I totally believe in Jesus.

2. This is what Jesus is doing

For Jesus, the Church is never just a building. But is always building.

Application:
Answer these two questions

TALK IT OUT

Christ followers have historically help others as an expression of their faith. Their aid
has often crossed ethnic and religious backgrounds. Why do you think helping other
people has almost always been part of Christianity?
In verse 15 Jesus directly asked Peter “who do you say that I am?” Why is it so
important that we know who Jesus is?
Pastor Rusty talked about how Peter moved from “knowing something about Jesus to
totally believing in Jesus.” What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and
believing in Jesus?
What does it means to believe in Jesus? Why is it important to believe in Jesus?
How can it strengthen your faith to know Jesus is the only person who has ever lived to
fulfill 55 of the Old Testament prophecies made about his identify as the Messiah?
Jesus made the point that “the law is here to help us serve God, we are not here to
serve the law itself.” Why is it important for us to understand that? Pastor Rusty takes
Jesus’ point a step farther when he says, “is this ritual helpful or hurtful to people?”
Examine your own rituals and ask if they are helping or hurting others?
Pastor Rusty made the point from Matthew 12:7-8 that “Jesus desires mercy over
sacrifice” He says, “Being helpful is helpful in our obedience to God.” How are you
putting this principle into practice in your own life?

LIVE IT OUT

If Jesus were to ask you the same question he asked Peter, “Who do you say I am,” how would you answer his question?
What does the fact that Jesus is the “Son of the living God” mean to you?
Have you personally placed your faith in Jesus? If you have not, what is preventing you from doing that today?
Take a moment to honestly answer this question, “What is your relationship with the church?” Write down your answer.
If your relationship with the church isn’t what God wants it to be, ask him to show you how it needs to change. After that prayer, write down three goals for how you want your relationship with the church to improve in the next 12 months.