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The question Jesus asks this morning is an important one for us to ask too. Because we are Christians. In our very name it shows that we are followers of Christ. And so we should know who it is exactly that we are following.
Jesus seems to like Peter’s answer that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And we profess that the Son is not only the Son of God, but in fact one of the three persons of God.
And what sort of God is it that we have? We learn who He is through our lessons this morning.
He’s primarily a God who’s there when we need Him. He’s a God who’s here to help.
Our portion from Isaiah is written after Israel was taken over by other nations, and the Israelites were taken away from their home.
But even in these times, we are told the Lord will comfort Zion, even in "her waste places.” And we are told His salvation, His help. will be forever. His deliverance, His salvation, will be never be ended.
And David’s psalm this morning has a similar message of hope. That God cares for the lowly, as a shepherd turned king, a scrawny boy turned giant-killer like David would have known. We’re told that even “in the midst of trouble”, God will keep us safe. That God’s “love endures.” That he will not abandon us.
So we know that God is a God who will offer us help in our most dire situation. We know that God will be there in the midst of our pain, even will all else around us seems hopeless.
This is exactly who Jesus Christ is. In the midst of the hopelessness of our sin and death, He came down to be with us as one of us.And He was good to us in those times. He kept His promise of help and salvation, even when we didn’t deserve it. He continued to look after us, even to the point of taking on death through the cross so that death itself would be destroyed. He is the one who paved for us a path to salvation and righteousness just when we needed it.
As Christians, as followers of Christ, this is the path we follow. We are called, as Paul tells us this morning, to live our lives as transformed people, since we no longer are on the path of sin and death, but the one that leads to abundant life in Christ Jesus.
But being followers means that we point the way to Jesus. That we are the
signposts pointing to the path of life in Christ Jesus.
As Paul tells us, this means that we are meant to live up to a higher standard. We are meant not to live in the ways of the world but to follow the will of God. And in doing so, we are meant to work together, realizing that each and everyone of us has different gifts to offer up in service to our Lord.
God wants us to be examples that lead back to Jesus. Back to Him. And so as we try to live our lives, constantly walking towards the path of life that Christ Jesus has laid out for us, we should help others do the same. So go out from here today. Don’t allow your friends and loved ones to continue on the paths that lead to sin and death. The paths that go away from God. And instead be examples to turn them back to the life we have all been freely given through the death and resurrection or our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Paul tells us, this means that we are meant to live up to a higher standard. We are meant not to live in the ways of the world but to follow the will of God. And in doing so, we are meant to work together, realizing that each and everyone of us has different gifts to offer up in service to our Lord.
God wants us to be examples that lead back to Jesus. Back to Him. And so as we try to live our lives, constantly walking towards the path of life that Christ Jesus has laid out for us, we should help others do the same. So go out from here today. Don’t allow your friends and loved ones to continue on the paths that lead to sin and death. The paths that go away from God. And instead be examples to turn them back to the life we have all been freely given through the death and resurrection or our Lord Jesus Christ.