Shift Week III SUNDAY

SUNDAY
Philippians 2:5-11

Kathleen J. Crane, Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Cranbury, New Jersey, tells the story about flying to Wisconsin to see her oldest son wrestle in a college tournament. She says, "On my way back, two Sikhs, men from northern India, with their heads in turbans, sat down beside me. We had a pleasant conversation, but I didn't force my beliefs on them. I helped the older man next to me with his dinner tray, and I told him about a friend I had from India. I told him the bishop of South India had visited the Princeton campus. Our professor had asked us to befriend him, because his wife had died a tragic death, and he was very lonely. I baked him some cake and took it to him, and he invited my husband and me to his home for an Indian meal. As I told my neighbor on the plane this story, he seemed to have tears in his eyes. Then he went to sleep. As we neared Newark Airport, he opened his eyes and turned to me and said, 'Tell me about Jesus Christ.'"

You have twenty minutes before you land. What would you have said? If someone honestly asked you to tell them about Jesus Christ, what would you say? Who is Jesus Christ? That is one of the most profound and important questions of life. Who is Jesus? It's the most important question in the Bible. Christianity is named for him. Who is this person who is at the center of our faith? Who is Jesus?

That is a question that has been answered many times. In our text, the question is "Who do you say that I am?" It comes at the half-way point in the book of Mark, but for Jesus the time left on earth was short. He wanted to know before he set out for Jerusalem whether anyone understood. He didn't ask the question directly, he led up to it. He first asked, "Who do people say that I am?" They replied: some say John the Baptist, other say Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

When Jesus asked this question of his disciples, there must have been a moment of silence. Suddenly, Peter responded, in his impetuous, loving way, "You are the Messiah!"

In John 21, we find Thomas' wonderful answer to our question. You remember that Thomas doubted the resurrection and said that he wouldn't believe it unless he saw the mark of the nails in his hands and put his finger in the wounds. A week later, Jesus appeared to Thomas and asked him to touch his wounds. Thomas answered, "My Lord and my God!"

I love this description of Jesus as "My Lord." I want to suggest to you that Thomas' answer is the best one of all. Who do you say that Jesus is? That word "Lord" is an important one in the Bible. In Philippians 2:5-11, we are told that everyone will one day call him "Lord." This is Paul's answer to that question, "Who do you say that I am?"

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

I believe this is the central confession of the Christian life. "Jesus Christ is Lord." What does it mean to make Jesus Lord? I quickly notice that this is not a particularly doctrinal statement. It says nothing about the classic definitions of the virgin birth, the Resurrection, Jesus as God and man, as the Son of God, or even as the Messiah. To make Jesus Lord is not a doctrinal position, it is practical one.

To make Jesus Lord is to say that Jesus is not just another great leader. It is to say that we have decided to change the direction of our lives because of him. Instead of doing just what we please when we please, we suddenly are asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" And we feel compelled to do the same.

Jesus is Lord when he influences the decisions we make and the direction of our lives. When we are obedient to the demands Jesus makes on our lives, he is Lord. When we respond to the leadings of the Spirit, he is Lord.

Jesus is Lord when we confess that he is the one to most clearly reveal God to us. Jesus is Lord when we say with the Disciples, "Where else could we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Who do you say that Jesus is? I hope you can make the confession from Philippians, "Jesus Christ is Lord."

PRAYER
Jesus, I want to thank you for being my Savior and Lord. Please work in every level of my life and help me to be a witness of your love to others!