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The Christ of God

Who do you say Jesus is? Luke 9.18-22

Luke 9 Part 1 (5)

Pray Psalm 22.23-25.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
All you who fear the Lord, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.

For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
Nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!

Read Luke 9.1-22; meditate on verses 18-22.


Preparation

1. What did Jesus ask His disciple first?

2. What did He ask them next?

Meditation
It is important that we be clear about who Jesus is. Many people will agree that Jesus was a good man, a very clever and interesting teacher, and even an excellent moral example. Many who call themselves Christians will go no further than that. It’s nice to think of Jesus in noble terms, like “the crowds” of His day, who considered Him in the same category as the prophets and John the Baptist (vv. 18, 19).

But if we stop there, we’ve missed the point. And everything else. Peter got it right: “The Christ of God” (v. 20). The “Christ” is the “Anointed One” of Psalm 2, Whom God declares to be His Son and Whom He has exalted to the highest place of honor and rule (cf. Phil. 2.5-11). The Christ of God is God, the very Word and Wisdom of God, Whom God appointed to redeem and gather His people from the far corners of history and the world.

But to do this He must suffer by bearing the sins of His people and enduring God’s wrath on their behalf (vv. 21, 22; cf. Ps. 22.1-21; Matt. 1.21). But God would not leave Him to His suffering and death. He would not allow His holy and anointed One to endure the corruption of death (Ps. 16.10), but would raise Him on the third day and exalt Him to glory.

Jesus is the Messiah of God, the Anointed One, the Son of God and the Savior of His people, the Ruler of all creation and every person. If we don’t get this right, nothing we might say positively about Jesus will bring us any lasting value. Who do you say that Jesus is?

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The answer to that question is the Great Divider. It is what makes one group of people Christians,
and the other group not.

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 53.1).

But “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10.9).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16.31).

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (Jn. 14.6, 15; 15.14).

That Jesus asks you, “Who do you say that I am?”

The Savior. The Christ of God.

What are you going to do with Him?

To Christ the Lord be given all
who humbly embrace Him and on Him call.
Be wise, be warned: His judgment comes
to break the prideful, sinful ones.

Rejoice with fear in Jesus’ grace,
and worship before His exalted face!
Beware His anger and judgment grim.
How blest are all who rest in Him!
(Psalm 2.9-12)
(Moore, The Ailbe Psalter)

For reflection
1. What does it mean to say that Jesus is “the Christ”?

2. Why is it not enough to believe in Jesus as a good man or an excellent teacher?

3. Do all the people in your Personal Mission Field know Jesus as the Christ? Do you pray for them?

Oh! how full of meaning is that word you! He separates them from all others, that they may also avoid the opinions of others. In this way, they will not conceive an unworthy idea about him or entertain confused and wavering thoughts. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444), Commentary on Luke, Homily 49

Pray Psalm 22.27, 28.
Thank and praise our Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, and call on Him to advance His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, in you and throughout your Personal Mission Field.

Sing Psalm 22.27, 28.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
All nations shall repent and hasten to the Lord.
All those to whom His truth is sent shall praise His Word.
The Lord is King! His sovereign rule on high now we His people sing!

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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