The Gospel of Luke (34): Peter’s Confession of Faith 07/30/2023

Romans 6 and the Believer’s Sanctification

Pastor Jason will come and read for us today Romans 6. Now in Romans 5 we of course read about our justification by God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. And now in Romans 6 Paul is beginning to set forth how we should live in the light of that truth.

And he points to the point he points to the time when we were converted and he expresses the matter of baptism as as a signal turning point from our former way of life to the new life in Christ. And in Romans 6 Paul emphasizes the importance of our true identity.

You are now to identify yourself not with your sin your former way of living but your new life in Christ. Reckon yourself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto Christ. And what Paul is doing is setting the stage in Romans 6 for his treatment of the believer's sanctification which begins to.

Be set forth in chapters 7 and 8. Pastor Jason thank you. Romans 6. What shall we say then. Are we to continue in sin. That grace may abound by no means. How can we who die to sin still live in it. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we have died with Christ we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.

And your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under the law but under grace. What then are we to sin. Because we are not under the law but under grace.

By no means. Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves you are slaves of the one whom you obey either of sin which leads to death or of obedience which leads to righteousness.

But thanks be to God that though you were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed and having been set free from sin having become slaves of righteousness.

I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed for the end of those things is death.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end eternal life. For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let's pray Lord God we do. Thank you for the encouragement of this passage. It is no longer our sin that defines us but you define us Lord we are your children. We belong to you and we are your slaves.

And we pray Lord that in our lives our lives would reflect that our actions would reflect that our thinking would reflect that we belong to you. And we must pursue righteousness in the power of the spirit we must pursue obedience in the power of the spirit.

We must live our lives according to the standard that you have set. And Lord we thank you that you have equipped us and helped us to do this very thing and now Lord as we continue our worship we pray that as Lars preaches your word we just pray Lord that the word would go forth and that it would hit us right where it needs to hit us.

That we would understand and have more clarity about who you are what you've done and what we need to do in light of this truth. So we pray that you would bless the preaching of the word and we pray Lord that we would receive it and that we would live it out.

Thank you Lord in Jesus name amen. Well let's.

Luke 9:18-22 and the Confession of Peter

Turn to Luke 9. Once again we're at a very important passage in Luke's account of Jesus Christ and his disciples. I have to admit a little bit of frustration here because the passage that I would have liked to treated would have taken about two hours.

Luke 9 18 through verse 27. Obviously that's not possible and so I had to divide it up and today we'll address verses 18 through 22. It really however sets the stage for what we'll be addressing next time.

And that's what it is and how we're to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. And so this is a very important passage here our Lord elicits from the 12 a confession of his identity as the promised messiah of Israel.

This is another point of emphasis in this portion of Luke's gospel. We mentioned this last week that the point of emphasis is our Lord is training his 12 training training his disciples. There is a an emphasis a focus on this training directly with those who would perform ministry after his departure particularly the 12 apostles.

Now here in Luke 9 our Lord's ministry in Galilee was nearly completed. It would be perhaps three years of ministry between Luke chapter 3 and here at Luke chapter 9 and before long they would begin their final journey to Jerusalem where Jesus of course would suffer and die and be raised from the dead.

And really it's at Luke 9 51 where that transition takes place. He sets his face to go to Jerusalem. And so this is really a concluding of the first major section of Luke's gospel here in Luke chapter 9.

Of course his death and resurrection at Jerusalem are the major purpose and accomplishment of Jesus the promised messiah. And so here the Lord Jesus was instructing his disciples in advance of what awaited him and them.

And so here is Luke 9 18 through 22. And it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and he asked them saying who do the crowds say that I am. So they answered and said John the Baptist.

But some say Elijah. And others say that one of the old prophets has risen again he said to them but who do you say that I am. Peter answered and said the Christ of God. And he strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one saying the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day.

Now these words in these verses are preparatory for a major setting forth of the nature of discipleship to Jesus Christ and his suffering and dying in Jerusalem were not only the experience that Jesus himself would encounter but it was a model for the nature of life for all his disciples following him.

That's very critically important. And again we'll emphasize that next time we might read the verses however right now to help us to maintain the full context. And so here are the verses immediately following those that we read verse 23 to 27.

And then he Jesus said to them all if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost. For whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in his father's and of the holy angels.

But I tell you there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God. So our passage is preliminary and preparatory to these practical words of instruction that are found in verses 23 through 27 how we're to live as Christians as disciples of Jesus Christ ordering our lives and following him.

But again we'll have to address these words next time. But for our study today we'll look at verses 18 through 22 which is really the foundation of his following instruction. And so in looking at these few verses verses 18 through 22 we'll consider this outline.

We have first Christ described in private prayer verse 18a. Then Christ in public opinion he has his disciples who do the crowds say I am. Thirdly Christ in apostolic confession who do you say I am. And then fourthly we have Christ's apostolic instruction basically don't tell anybody about this.

And so let's work through these verses. First Christ in private prayer Luke 9 18 verse a we read and it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him. This account of Luke immediately follows his record of the miracle story of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000.

That's what we addressed last Lord's day. Now if we were to turn to the parallel accounts in the other two synoptic gospels of Matthew and Mark and if we were to repeat if they were to be regarded as chronological records we would discover that other events took place between the miracle of feeding the 5 ,000 and the confession voiced by Peter that Jesus was the promised messiah.

Luke bridges that gap. But you look at Matthew and Mark and there were a number of things that occurred. Let's just consider these details in Matthew and Mark's gospels from the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 to the confession of Peter.

Several events transpire that are not recorded by Luke. After Jesus had fed the 5 ,000 we read that Jesus had immediately sent his disciples away in a boat on the sea of Galilee while he had gone up to the mountain to pray by himself.

A storm arose threatening the lives of his disciples in their boat but then Jesus came to them walking on the water in order to rescue them. Luke doesn't recount that episode. We then read of Jesus the next day healing many people at which time he was challenged by the Jewish religious leaders regarding his disciples failure to observe the customary Jewish traditions Jesus responded to them by accusing them of setting aside the authoritative word of God in order to keep their human traditions.

Matthew and Mark next recorded Jesus healing the daughter of a Gentile woman Syrophoenician woman. And then our Lord spent another day healing many people that came to him. And after this we read of Jesus duplicating the miracle of feeding the multitudes.

This time however feeding 4 ,000 rather than 5 ,000. And it was after this event Jesus again engages in conflict with the Jewish leaders. Matthew and Mark then record Jesus traveling with his disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi a beautiful region in northern Galilee.

My son-in-law Darren and I were able to visit there. There's a grotto there kind of the water the river actually comes out of the mountain. It's been an underground for many many miles it comes out there's a grotto there and then a really beautiful stream.

And I remember when we were there there were some school groups that were there young elementary school children and it was quite significant that the teachers were carrying machine guns with them you know to keep protect their children.

It's quite remarkable. But that grotto was actually used throughout many centuries as a pagan worship site by the pagans and even by the Greeks and the Romans. And it was here in Caesarea Philippi that the Lord Jesus drew this confession from his apostles that he was indeed the Messiah.

Well it's here then that of course we have the confession according to Matthew and Mark and so we see that at least several days had transpired between the event of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 and the confession of Peter that Jesus was the Christ but the Holy Spirit led Luke not to include the details of all those events in his gospel.

And so the gospel of course inspired by the Holy Spirit the writers penned what he would have them pen for his own purposes in setting forth the story of Christ. But notice how Luke in his narrative ties the event of Jesus praying alone with the flow of this story.

We read last week that after the apostles had returned from their short-term mission trip that our Lord desired to travel to a place to be alone with them in order to pray. Recall that Luke 9 verses 10 and 11 and the apostles when they had returned told him all that they had done and then he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city of Bethsaida called Bethsaida.

And so at that time Jesus wanted to be alone with his apostles so that he could speak with them probably about their short-term mission but also to pray for them and with them. But of course we considered last week how the crowds prevented him from doing so.

The crowds prevented him from retiring to a private place and so we read in Luke 9 11. But when the multitudes knew it they followed him and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing.

But after our Lord had taught the multitude and we had read of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 through his the apostles distribution. It's then we read the passage before us today and it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him.

You see how Luke tied these two episodes together even though in the other Gospels we see a number of different events lying between them. Earlier the crowds had prevented Jesus from being alone but after he had taught them and fed them and sent them away then we read that he was alone praying.

In other words his earlier desire to be alone with his disciples had been delayed for a time. But here we see that desire had come to be realized. Jesus is now alone with his disciples. Of course our Lord was often in prayer.

Back in Luke 5 16 we read. So he himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. There's an emphasis of prayer in the Gospel of Luke. And then in Luke 6 verse 12 we read. Now it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.

And later in the chapter we're considering here Luke chapter 9 Jesus will again depart from most of his disciples in order to pray the mount of transfiguration. Luke 9 28 reads. Now it came to pass about eight days after these saints he took Peter John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

Luke emphasizes prayer and particularly the prayer of Jesus. Now Jesus prayed of course in order to have and enjoy communion with his father but he also had prayed to his father for wisdom and direction in his ministry even though he is of course eternal God the Son of God.

He assumed our human nature and in his incarnation he trusted God his father. He trusted the Holy Spirit to inform his human nature as to the nature of his mission how he should proceed. And he was probably praying to the father to give him wisdom and direction.

He spent the night in prayer before selecting 12 of his disciples that they would become his apostles. Back in Luke chapter 6 verse 12. We can also surmise that Jesus was principally praying what Jesus was praying about on this occasion.

In Matthew's account of Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ the son of the living God Jesus responded to him. Blessed are you Simon bar. Jonah son of Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven.

We can probably assume that the father had answered the prayer of his son offered the previous night. Perhaps our Lord had prayed father. Please reveal to my disciples my true and full identity and help me instruct them as to the implications of how they should think and live as my disciples.

The Lord Jesus always prayed in advance of what he said and what he did as we should. Richard Lenski wrote. The importance of what Jesus now does with his disciples appears from the fact that he prays before he proceeds.

We may be sure that he prayed for his disciples that their faith and their confession might be true. And so the confession of Peter and the other apostles we read here chapter 9 was probably the result outworking and the answer of God the father to the prayer of his son the previous night.

Well may the Lord move each of us to go aside privately into a deserted place to pray following his example. May we take delight in communing with our savior and with our father in heaven. And may we also pray for wisdom and daily decisions we make with view to the daily interactions that we have with family and friends or strangers.

And when you pray please pray for our church family for me for the other elders that we may be prepared and equipped to face and address what the Lord may be bringing us to encounter and experience no telling what's coming down pray that he will enable us to be wise and faithful to him and to his people.

Christ in Public Opinion

Well after Christ in prayer we read Christ in public opinion. And so our Lord first asked his disciples what the multitudes of people believe respecting his identity. And it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples join him.

And he asked them saying who do the crowds say that I am. So they answered and said John the Baptist. But some say Elijah. Others say that one of the old prophets has risen again in Matthew's account the recorded speech of Jesus is slightly different.

There Jesus asked the question who do people say the son of man is. Luke didn't express it that way. The Lord commonly referred to himself as the son of man. And although he did not do so here in Luke's rehearsing of this conversation Luke recorded our Lord's use of this self-designation elsewhere.

In fact here in Luke chapter 9 we see it used four times. Luke 9 22. The son of man must suffer many things be rejected by the elders chief priests and scribes be killed and be raised the third day. Jesus again in Luke 9 26.

For whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him the son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in his father's and of the holy angels. And then verse 44 let these words sink down into your ears.

For the son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. And then the last instance is verse 58 Jesus said to him foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

And so even though Matthew recorded who do the people say the son of man is. Luke doesn't use that expression. He uses that expression a number of times here in this chapter. Nevertheless now in the past we had explained the meaning of this term the son of man.

But it would do as well to do so once again because of course it's most popular. It's most common to say that the son of man is a reference to Jesus's humanity just as the expression son of God is a reference to Jesus's deity.

But this is not accurate. This is not what the scriptures teach. Jesus did not tell people that he was the son of man to convince people of his humanity. Everyone knew that he was a man. That was not necessary.

Rather the term son of man was our lord's self-designation of himself as the Christ the messiah. In fact only he himself used the expression son of man in reference to himself. It speaks of his messianic identity.

But it was a term relatively unfamiliar to the Jewish people to whom he ministered granted. It's used repeatedly in the book of Ezekiel as used once in Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14 from which the meaning of son of man in the gospels is probably derived from.

But no other person other than Jesus himself used this expression of him. Jesus did not claim openly that he was the Christ or the messiah for there was great misunderstanding about the coming of the messiah and what he would do.

Jesus did not declare himself to be the messiah during his earthly ministry lest he be cast by his own followers in a role which was contrary to the true purpose of God. Rather Jesus went about referring to himself as the son of man thereby avoiding misconceptions.

By referring to himself as the son of man he was able to disclose himself and the true nature of his work as the messiah to his disciples over the course of his ministry. But here in Luke 9 it was now time for Jesus to draw from his disciples their understanding of the nature of his person and ministry.

And therefore he first first he asked his disciples who do the people say the son of man is. And Matthew recorded his question. Or as here in Luke 9 18. Who do the crowd say that I am. The disciples answered Jesus in verse 19.

So they answered and said John the Baptist. But some say Elijah and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again. It would seem that many of the Jews had believed in some form of reincarnation which is strange and bizarre when you think about it.

They believe that the spirits of notable people who had lived in the past could reappear or live again in history embodied in other people how the person of John the Baptist who had only been dead a matter of months who lived at the same time as Jesus could be seen as reincarnated in Jesus is really defies logic and understanding doesn't it.

But it is though the Jews believe the soul of a dead person could possess or animate another human being much like the personality of a demon could possess the body of a human being. This belief is nowhere taught as true in the holy scriptures.

But it was a common belief among many Jews. Some thought that Jesus was Elijah. Of course many thought that Elijah would appear before or at the coming of the Messiah. The last prophet of the Hebrew scriptures declared forthrightly in the last words of the old testament that Elijah would come.

Malachi 4 verse 5 and 6 read. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart to the father to the children heart to the children to the fathers lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

And there are those Christians today many. In fact it's probably a majority of evangelicals who would style themselves as literalists in their interpretation of scripture who teach that the prophet Elijah will indeed appear before the second coming of Christ.

But the scriptures show that Jesus Christ himself taught that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this prophecy of Malachi. We read of this in Matthew's gospel. As they departed Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John.

What did you go out in the wilderness to see a reed shaken by the wind. What did you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments. Indeed those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses. But what did you go out to see a prophet.

Yes I say to you more than a prophet. How was John Baptist. More than a prophet. Because he was prophesied to come. For this is he of whom it is written. Behold I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.

And then Jesus solidified the matter. Assuredly I say to you among those born of women there is not risen one greater than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent taken by force for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. If you're willing to receive it he is Elijah who is to come.

And there's a lot of people still not willing to receive it. But this is what Jesus taught. He who has ears to hear let him hear. John the Baptist had come in the spirit and garb of Elijah proclaiming boldly the judgment of God.

The need to repent of sin for the kingdom of God was at hand. The disciples also said to Jesus. You know what are the crowd. Who do the crowd say I am. Others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.

Interestingly Matthew's account of this conversation has the disciples giving the name of one of the dead prophets that some people had thought was animating Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew 16 16 reads. So they said some say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah are one of the prophets.

Luke didn't include that. Well now let's consider Christ in the apostolic confession. After the disciples answered our Lord's question of what the people thought regarding his identity. He then asked them what they believed to be true.

He said to them. But who do you say that I am. And Peter answered and said the Christ of God. Our Lord posed this question to all of his disciples present with him not just Peter. And Peter answered on behalf of the 12.

By the way it's clear he asked all his disciples this question from the plural pronoun used in the Greek text. But who do you. And it's a plural not singular. You as you as an individual you collectively.

Who do you say that I am. And one wrote of this. This is the main question with its emphasis on who maced. That's the Greek word plural pronoun for you over against coy octaloid. That's a definite article with the Greek word for the crowds.

Jesus is asking for an open confession from his disciples with legate. This was a Richard Lenski and he his commentary on Luke is quite good but he gives a great deal of emphasis on the Greek words terms and verbs and so he uses the Greek words in his commentary with legate.

In other words the Greek word for you say he asked for confession of the lips but of course only as a true expression of their heart's conviction. Any other confession is falsehood. Jesus could see the heart.

We cannot must accept the confession of the lips. Our only aid is the conduct the acts of the individual the practice of a congregation or of a church body. This too is a confession and should harmonize fully with the confession of the lips when it clashes with that.

The confession of deeds is the real confession by which we must judge deeds and practice always speak louder and more weighty than words. Amen. Lenski. I thought that was a good word that I would relate to us.

There are many opinions of people today regarding the identity of Jesus. Some say he was a good man only such as the Unitarians across the parking lot. Some say he was a prophet only as Muslims. Some say that he was a son of God a creature of God such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.

What is important however is not who. Others say that Jesus is with regard to your soul. It matters not what I say or what your parents say. But what do you say. Jesus asked his 12. Who do you say I am.

And we might pose to you as an individual. Who do you say Jesus is all important. How you answer that can you say with confidence and conviction. Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. Your eternal destiny hinges on whether or not you answer the question in faith and conviction.

I believe that Jesus the Christ is the Son of the Living God is the confession of every true Christian. Christ of course is the Greek word for the the Hebrew word Messiah Greek word in in the New Testament Christos it literally means the anointed one.

The Messiah is as a specific title of the coming Savior did not emerge until rather late in Israel's history it was regarded as a position a role rather than a title or an individual person. Even in the New Testament it's often a title Jesus the Christ and then over time took a few decades but it came to be of course an appellation a name of Jesus.

Jesus Christ. Through most of Israel's history there is a there was little clear anticipation of a coming Savior. Now it's true you and I see the need of a Savior throughout the Old Testament and all of Scripture points to the need and the promise of the need coming of the coming Christ the Savior.

Clearly from Genesis 315 the proto evangelium the first gospel throughout the Old Testament sets forth the promise of the coming Savior. But the people living during Old Testament times did not seem to have this hope is central to their thinking early in their history before the period of the Kings when they saw their need for specific instances of divine intervention against their enemies they cry out to God and he would send them a deliverer in the form of a judge a Savior.

Later Israel demanded and was given Kings and every descendant was viewed of David was viewed as a deliverer an anointed of the Lord. The rule of David and his son Solomon were the glory years of the kingdom and after Solomon there were years of decline defeat oppression by enemies.

But with the birth of each succeeding heir of the throne the son of David the people's hopes were raised that God through him would bring Israel to her former glory. But this of course never occurred.

The prophets as well as other writers of the Old Testament declared why this was so because of their own sin because the people of Israel had violated their covenant because they had repeatedly broken God's laws.

It was not merely a problem of their enemies being against them but that God himself was against them. That was the problem. Wasn't Babylon or Assyria it was God although God had dealt with them mercifully and graciously warning them repeatedly as to the consequences of their sin.

We read that through a out Amos they persisted in their rebellious actions. They broke their covenant and so the curse of God had come upon them. They were utterly destroyed and taken into captivity to Babylon Assyrian Babylon.

And so what gradually began to emerge in the thinking of the people was that they were not merely in need of a Savior to deliver them from their enemies their physical enemies but they were in need of a deliver a Savior who would save them from themselves from sin and its domination.

They needed the Messiah who would save them from God's great wrath that was upon them until God sent the Christ. There would not be could not be peace joy and righteousness before God. God himself would have to save them from their sins.

And so God would have to send a Savior who could alone affect their deliverance deliverance on their behalf. Hence the rise of the messianic hope. And so it grew and it crystallized particularly after the exile the return of the Jewish remnant to the land.

God would send his servant. God would anoint him or call and commission him for the task of saving his people. And when Peter confessed on behalf the Apostles you are the Christ of God they were confessing their confidence that Jesus was the anointed one sent from God to save them from their sins.

Matthew records Peter also confessing that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. Luke doesn't record the words that way. In Matthew's account Peter was confessing his understanding that Jesus is eternally begotten Son of God who had become incarnate Jesus Christ as God's eternal Son had taken upon himself our human nature.

Peter confesses Jesus to be the promised King who is also God himself even the Son of God. Peter confesses the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's eternal God. Some might argue Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of God but not God himself.

That's what a Jehovah's Witness will tell you. But when we acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of God we must see that he is the same eternal divine essence as the Father. God the Father is eternal God. God the Son is eternal God of one essence.

They are one essence as well as the Holy Spirit one God. The unbelieving Pharisees knew that this was what Jesus himself was claiming to be. It was a logical conclusion of Jesus's claims. Although they did not believe it they certainly understood what Jesus was saying about himself.

John 5 15. And following the man this was the the believe. The blind man whom Jesus had healed went away and told the Jews it was Jesus that healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus.

Because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. Yes. But Jesus answered them my father is working until now and I am working. And this is what really got him in trouble with the leaders. This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him.

Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath but he was even calling God his own father making himself equal with God. If Jesus is the Son of God his equal with God the Father there of one essence. When Peter confessed to Jesus you are the Christ the Son of the Living God as recorded in Matthew's Gospel he was confessing the understanding and assurance of the Apostles that Jesus was eternal God who had become a man and was God dwelling among them.