Dear Christian friends:

Before you can go to college you must pass an entrance examination to see if you really belong in college or not. We also have study and then examination before we permit someone to join our church. We call that the Adult Membership Class and for children we call it the Confirmation Class.

Here in our text we see how Jesus gave His disciples an examination to see if they really should be His disciples. Jesus asked them only two questions, but they are very, very important questions.

Can you answer these two questions? Do you really belong in the Christian Church? Let us attend to these two questions and see.


The first question is: Who is Jesus? In our text Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" (verse 18) They answered, "John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah, and others say that you are one of the old prophets come back to life." (verse 19) Of course these were wrong answers.

Then Jesus asked the disciples, "And You, who do you say I am?" (verse20) Today Jesus wants to ask you that same question: "You, who do you say I am?" Who is Jesus? Can you answer that important question?

I'm sure that many of you will quickly answer that question the same as Peter quickly answered it. Peter said, "You are Christ of God." (verse 20) Most of us will answer, "Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Mary, the Savior God sent to save the world from sin." This is the correct answer, but do we really appreciate it?

Peter answered correctly and Jesus accepted his answer. (verse 21) But we know that Peter and the other disciples did not yet fully understand or appreciate who Jesus was. They thought that Jesus would be the same as an earthly king or ruler, like King David and King Solomon, who conquered all of Israel's enemies and made the Jews a great and rich nation. They did not appreciate or understand that Jesus was a spiritual King who came to establish a spiritual, eternal kingdom. They did not realize that He must die on a cross in order to establish His kingdom. So Jesus tells them bluntly and plainly, "The Son of Man must suffer much, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, the ruling priests, and Bible teachers, be killed, and then rise from death on the third day." (verse 22)

Peter and the disciples did not yet understand or appreciate that death and dying and arising from death are very important for Jesus and for those who follow Jesus.

Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, the Savior God promised. He doesn't save from Romans or other oppressive governments. He is not an earthly King who promises His people a comfortable life and riches here on the earth. He is the Savior for sinners and He asks us to suffer for Him and His kingdom work here on earth. He does not promise us a good, comfortable home here on earth, but reminds us again and again that our true home is in heaven.

Do you know who Jesus is? That is the first important question in our Church Exam.

The second important question is: Will you suffer and die for Jesus?

If you really understand and appreciate who Jesus is, then you should be ready to die for Him, to suffer for Him and give your life for Him, as St. Paul did and as the other apostles did, and as many Christians of the past 2,000 year have done.

Jesus said to His disciples, and He says the same to us today: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it: but whoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it." (verses 23-24)

The soldier must be prepared to die for the defense of his country; the policeman and the fireman must be prepared to die for the protection of the people and property of the city; and the Christian must be prepared to die for the sake of His dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

St. Paul asked the Christians at Philippi, to pray for him so that he would be strong in faith and bravely preach the Gospel of Christ in spite of persecution and threats of death from the unbelievers. He wanted to have strong faith so that he could give glory to Jesus, either by his life or by his death. Then he told them, "I live for serving Christ, and if I die, that is gain." (Philippians 1:20-25)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor during the time of Hitler, wrote a book which is still very influential among church people. The book is titled, "The Cost of Discipleship". The Nazis executed Bonhoeffer near the end of the Second World War because he resisted them and preached against them. Bonhoeffer wrote in his book, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." Bonhoeffer "died" many times before he was executed by the Nazis. Same as Paul, he died to sin, to pride and greed, but he lived for Jesus to follow His humble and kind ways and to do what is right and good, even if that means risking one's life.

Are you prepared to "die" for Jesus? Today we may say that we are ready to die for Jesus' sake, but when the time comes and we are tested we may fail, the same as Peter did. On the evening before they nailed Jesus to the Cross Peter said that he was ready to die with Jesus. But when, the time came Peter was afraid and denied Jesus three times. It is comforting to not that later on Jesus forgave Peter and restored him to office as an apostle.

We can learn from St. Paul how to live or die for Jesus' sake. He writes: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

This is our Church Exam: Who is Jesus? Will you die for Jesus' sake? Daily we need God's mercy and grace so that we do not fail the test.

Amen.