HOFC Sermon Archive: Gospel of Mark Part 45: Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction

2. John the Baptist

3. The Baptism of Jesus

4. Temptation of Jesus

5. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I

6. The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II

7. The First Disciples

8. A Teacher with Authority

9. At the Home of Simon and Andrew

10. Jesus Cleanses the Leper

11. Jesus Heals the Paralytic

12. Jesus and the Tax Collector

13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14. Of Wine and Wineskins

15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025

16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts

17. Three Responses to Jesus

18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles

19. The Family of Jesus

20. The Unforgivable Sin

21. The True Family of Jesus

22. Parable of the Four Soils

23. How Well Do You Listen

24. Parable of the Growing Seed

25. Parable of the Mustard Seed

26. Benefits of Private Teaching

27. Jesus Calms the Storm

28. Who is Afraid of Jesus?

29. The Touch of Jesus

30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt

31. Principles of Evangelism

32. Weakness in the Seat of Power

33. The Need for Rest

34. Feeding 5000

35. Jesus Walks on Water

36. Healings at Gennesaret

37. The Danger of Traditions

38. The Source of True Defilement

39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith

40. He Has Done All Things Well

41. Jesus Feeds 4000

42. Jesus Sighs

43. Beware of Leaven

44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida

45. Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Today is Sunday. December 7^th, 2025

SCRIPTURE READING

Mark 8:27-30
^“And Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He was asking His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸And they told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹And He continued asking them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ [Messiah].” ³⁰And He warned them to tell no one about Him.”

INTRODUCTION

On the road from Bethsaida to Philippi, Jesus asks His disciples two questions.

1. Who do men say that I am?

2. But who do you say that I am?

Through the gospel of Mark, we have seen many various responses to who Jesus is. This is not unique to the time of Jesus, because we see this today as well.

· Judaism says Jesus is a historical Jewish teacher, but not the Messiah.

· Islam says Jesus (Isa) is considered to have great honor as the Qur’an describes Him as a prophet and miracle worker, born of the virgin Mary by God’s command. But they deny He is the Son of God. They believe in the end times, Jesus returns as a servant of God, not as Lord, and He will testify against those who worship Him.

· Hinduism sees Jesus as a holy man and spiritual teacher. Some a Guru or avatar.

· Buddhism regards Jesus as a wise and compassionate moral teacher.

All this proves is that you can know who Jesus is without knowing Jesus, and it should be a warning to everyone who has heard the name, yet does not truly know Him.

“Who is Jesus?” is the most important question one can ask themselves, because their response reveals their destiny both in this life and the life to come.

I. WHO PEOPLE SAID JESUS WAS THEN

a. John the Baptist

i. King Herod thought this when he heard about Jesus.

In Mark 6:14 we talked about this, “King Herod heard it (Jesus preaching repentance, casting out demons and healing people from previous verses), for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.”

ii. Herod may have even feared that John the Baptist rose from the dead to seek revenge for Herod having him beheaded.

iii. Mark 6:16 states, “…when Herod heard it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

b. Elijah

i. This was likely a misunderstanding of Malachi’s prophecy in Malachi 4:5 which reads, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh.”

1. Which Jesus reveals in Matthew 17:10-13 that this was a prophetic reference to John the Baptist.

c. Jeremiah

i. As mentioned in Matthew’s account (Matthew 16:14) of the conversation in Mark 8:27-30

1. Because some Jews mistakenly expected Jeremiah to be resurrected as a precursor to the Messiah’s coming.

d. One of the Prophets

i. Some mistakenly believed one of the old prophets had risen again

1. As mentioned in Luke’s account (Luke 9:19) of this conversation

e. Beelzebul (Hebrew expression meaning lord of the high place, but used in the mocking form, meaning lord of dung. King James Bible translates this word as Beelzebub.)

i. Some erroneously identified Jesus with Beelzebub, that is, Satan (Matthew 10:25)

ii. Some of the scribes and Pharisees thought this

Mark 3:22 “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

a. By the way, this is the unforgivable sin of blasphemy

b. Attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to the devil

2. Matthew 12:24

f. Mentally deranged

i. Who thought Jesus was mentally deranged? Some of His family!

Mark 3:21 “And when His own kinsmen heard this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

John 7:3-5 “Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. ⁴For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself publicly to the world.” ⁵For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

ii. And so did many others!

John 10:30-31 “I and the Father are one.” ³¹The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.”

g. But a few saw Him as Christ [Messiah], Son of the Living God

i. Mark 8:27 Peter said, “You are Christ [Messiah].”

ii. Matthew 16:16 adds “The Son of the Living God”

iii. Eventually, others as well.

1. Confessed by Nathanael, Martha, John, etc.

2. John 1:49

3. John 11:27

4. John 20:31

Christ is Greek for Messiah, which is Hebrew.

It means, “Anointed One”

Opinions of Jesus’ identity were diverse during His ministry. Today, it is not much different.

II. WHAT PEOPLE SAY TODAY ABOUT WHO JESUS IS

a. Fabrication, Imagination, Folklore, Myth

i. Skeptics deny He ever existed.

ii. There are writings, such as

1. Testimonium Flavianum, found in Antiquities 18.3.3

2. And Antiquities 20.9.1 by Flavious Josephus

3. The Encyclopedia Britannica which uses over 20,000 words describing Jesus, never saying that He never existed.

4. Tacitus, the respected Roman historian, wrote about Jesus in Annals 15.44 around AD 116

5. Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor writing to Emperor Trajan around AD 112, mentions that Christians met regularly and sang hymns to Christ as to a god.

6. Suetonius, writing in the early second century, refers to disturbances in Rome “at the instigation of Chrestus.” Most scholars think this points to Jesus and the tensions His message created among the Jewish community in Rome.

7. The Babylonian Talmud contains several references to Jesus, though they are often hostile. Even so, they acknowledge that Jesus lived, had disciples, and was executed.

8. Mara bar Serapion, a Syrian writer from the first or early second century, mentions the execution of “the wise king of the Jews,” whose teaching lived on in the lives of His followers. He does not name Jesus directly, yet the description is widely understood as a reference to Him.

9. All of these sources come from writers who were not Christians and had no theological motivation to uphold the gospel. Their testimony gives strong historical grounding that Jesus lived, taught publicly, gathered disciples, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and left behind a movement that grew rapidly despite persecution. These secular witnesses firmly establish that Jesus is not a mythical figure but a real person who shaped the history of the ancient world.

b. A “Good Man”

i. Many say He was simply a good man and teacher, like Gandhi

ii. Yet the Biblical claims do not leave us this option.

iii. C. S. Lewis said, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

c. A “Prophet”

i. Many may even believe He was a prophet of God, but not the Son of God

1. Such as Islam

d. Christ [Messiah], Son of the Living God

i. But some of us, a few of us, have found the narrow gate and profess Jesus Christ to be the Son of the Living God, and in Him alone is forgiveness and salvation!

After the Conclusion, you will find a list of 100 Biblical Names and Titles of Jesus!

CONCLUSION

We have seen who people say Jesus is. Then, during His earthly ministry, and now, by atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and even believers.

But the KEY question Jesus asks in today's verse is this, “Who do YOU say that Jesus is?”

According to Matthew 10:32-28 and Acts 17:30-31, your answer will determine your eternity.

And according to Matthew 28:18-20, your answer will also determine HOW you live today!

My prayer is that you will join me, with Peter and countless others, to confess Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Why not confess Jesus now, as you obey the gospel of Christ (Acts 8:35-38)

For you will either confess Him now, or you will confess Him later when it is too late! (Philippians 2:9-11)

CHOOSE TO CONFESS NOW!

Advocate (1 John 2:1)

Almighty (Rev. 1:8; Mt. 28:18)

Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8; 22:13)

Amen (Rev. 3:14)

Apostle of our Profession (Heb. 3:1)

Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins (1 John 2:2)

Author of Life (Acts 3:15)

Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)

Author of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)

Beginning and End (Rev. 22:13)

Blessed and only Ruler (1 Tim. 6:15)

Bread of God (John 6:33)

Bread that comes down from heaven (John 6:50)

Bread of Life (John 6:35; 6:48)

Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15)

Capstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7)

Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)

Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) Christ (1 John 2:22)

Creator (John 1:3)

Deliverer (Rom. 11:26)

Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)

Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)

Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5)

Faithful and True Witness (Rev. 3:14)

First and Last (Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)

Firstborn From the Dead (Rev. 1:5)

Firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15)

Gate (John 10:9)

God (John 1:1; 20:28; Heb . 1:8; Rom. 9:5; 2 Pet. 1:1;1 John 5:20; etc.)

Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)

Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)

Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23)

Head of the House (Mt. 10:25)

Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)

High Priest (Heb. 2:17)

Holy and True (Rev. 3:7)

Holy One (Acts 3:14)

Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)

Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)

Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)

I Am (John 8:58)

Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)

Immanuel (Mt. 1:23)

Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)

King Eternal (1 Tim. 1:17)

King of Israel (John 1:49)

King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev. 19:16)

King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11)

King of the Ages (Rev. 15:3)

Lamb (Rev. 13:8)

Lamb of God (John 1:29)

Lamb Without Blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)

Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)

Life (John 14:6; Col. 3:4)

Light of the World (John 8:12)

Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)

Living One (Rev. 1:18)

Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)

Lord (Rom. 10:9; Phil. 2:11)

Lord of All (Acts 10:36)

Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)

Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)

Lord and Savior (2 Pet. 2:20)

Lord of the sabbath (Lk. 6:5)

Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:48)

Master (Lk. 5:5; 8:24; 9:33)

Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15)

Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)

Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)

Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)

Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)

Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)

Our Holiness (1 Cor. 1:30)

Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)

Our Peace (Eph 2:14)

Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)

Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)

Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)

Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)

Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

Precious Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6)

Prophet (Acts 3:22)

Rabbi (Mt. 26:25)

Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)

Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5)

Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)

Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)

Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)

Ruler of God's Creation (Rev. 3:14)

Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)

Savior (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:20)

Son of David (Lk. 18:39)

Son of God (John 1:49; Heb. 4:14)

Son of Man (Mt. 8:20)

Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)

Source of Eternal Salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:9)

The One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24)

The Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)

The Teacher (John 11:28, NIV)

True Bread (John 6:32)

True Light (John 1:9)

True Vine (John 15:1)

Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)

Way (John 14:6)

Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

Word (John 1:1)

Word of God (Rev. 19:13)

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Thursday, December 11, 2025

Gospel of Mark Part 45: Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

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