Dear church,
There are a few fundamental questions that each person must answer at some point in there life. Perhaps none is more important than this: Is Jesus Christ the one and only Son of God? Your answer to that question should impact every other aspect of your life. In fact, your answer to that question will define you. It will define the meaning of life for you. How do you answer that question?
I wonder what went through Jesus’ own mind when He was asked that question? He was asked it in several ways from different people. Some of those questioners were hostile to Him, they refused to believe the truthfulness of His answer, and they had Him killed. However, other people who asked this of Jesus were waiting for Him and longing for Him. They had given their lives to Him before they’d even known who He was. When they asked Him, it was not to convict Him in His answer or fuel their own anger, it was to ensure their worship was justified and rightly given. These two ways of responding to Jesus’ answer to this question (either by believing Him in faith or rejecting Him in anger) are shown to us in Luke 7:18-30.
From his prison cell, John the Baptizer, sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He is the Messiah. I love Jesus’ response. As you read it, think back to Luke 4:18-19. There it says that the Messiah will come and He will help the poor, preach good news, and heal the afflicted. In Luke 7:22, Jesus tells John’s disciples to go and tell John that the sick are being ministered to and good news is being preached to everyone. It’s as if Jesus asks the rhetorical question, “All the things that God said the Messiah would do 700 years ago are happening now, what do you think?”
For those who follow Jesus, there could be no more encouraging news, but for those who reject Jesus, this is a condemnation. In fact, it says in Luke 7:30 that the people who reject Jesus reject the purpose of God for their lives. Which one are you? How do you answer the question I began with? Furthermore, how does your answer affect your life? If Jesus is the one and only Son of God it should change everything for you. The way you see life, people, and what you have been given should all be leveraged for the glory of God. Do you live your life like this? Do you live like you’ve responded by saying, “Yes, Jesus is the Son of God”? We will talk about these two responses this Sunday morning as we, together, proclaim that our answer is “Yes!” I hope you will be there to worship with your church family.
For the sake of His name,
Pastor Adam
