Commitment to Christ is first step to being saved

The following are excerpts of a sermon given yesterday by the Rev. Gary Scarborough at Ashton Baptist Church in Ashton.

The movie “The Passion of the Christ” has sparked a debate in our culture and questions pertaining to the identity of Jesus Christ. In addition, as we continue through life year after year, many in our world are still seeking and searching for answers to timeless questions of our existence and our being.

What are the reasons for life and for living? In a computer search I ran recently on world religions, I discovered over 300 world religions just in one search, and there are many, many more. Even in the Christian faith, we are split on lines that separate us in our definition of Christ and our unity in Christ.

In nearly every town and street in America, we find as many views and different descriptions of who Jesus is, or in many cases who Jesus was, as we have homes and families. Today, if you were to take a poll of 10 of your neighbors, you might be shocked to find 10 different responses as to who Jesus is. Who is Jesus? Two thousand years ago Jesus asked this very question about Himself in Matthew 16: 13-20.

Jesus wants to know who the world thinks He is. He knows what the world thinks, but He wants to hear the response of his disciples and their perception of what the world thinks about Jesus.

Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man. This was key in identifying a biblical description of who Jesus is.

Who do people say the Son of Man is? To the Jew, He was a great teacher. To the Muslim, He was a great prophet. To the Buddhist, He was one like Buddha. To the Hindu, He was someone who reached a state of nirvana.

What does the worldview of faiths say about who Jesus is?

To the Mormon, Jesus was married to three women, was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and was not begotten of the Holy Spirit.

To the Jehovah’s Witness, Jesus is not equal to God the Father, nor eternal, but himself a created being. … Jesus is not God.

To the Church of Christ Scientist, they dispel the “myth” of Jesus’ death saying his disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was still alive.

The Word of Faith movement describes Jesus’ atonement in hell, being born again in hell.

Who does your neighbor say Jesus is? To many of your neighbors, He’s your Lord, Jesus works for you, just like Buddha works for the Buddhist and Muhammad works for Muslims.

We live in a pluralist world, and our culture mandates a tolerance for all faiths. As Christians, if our view is biblical, it will be counter to this pluralism. We hold to an exclusive, not inclusive position of faith in Christ alone, and that position of faith is highly rejected, criticized and persecuted by a pluralist culture.

Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14: 6).

As children of God and believers in Jesus Christ as one’s personal savior, we must set the example of Christ. We cannot be zealots or act as fanatics, but we must live accordingly to the word of God, and grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The church must follow and live out the example of love that Jesus demonstrated for all humanity. We can’t simply ask, “What would Jesus do?” We must take it a step further and do what Jesus did.

Jesus wants to know who you think He is. The word “you” in Greek is in the plural tense. Jesus wants to know who everyone thinks He is. What about you? He asked, “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The correct answer.

Jesus came as the anointed one of God, sent to take away the sins of the world. It is sin that separates you from God, and it is Jesus Christ who has made it possible for a relationship to God to be restored. God revealed it to Peter, and God reveals it to us today. Has God revealed His son to you?

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me” (John 6: 44-45).

“You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (John 15: 16).

The church of Christ is built on the true profession of Christ. When we come to truth (the person of Christ), the church begins to grow, both numerically and spiritually.

The church of Christ is built: On the facts that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Son of the living God, on the profession of truth, on the fact that it will stand forever. Do you know Jesus as the Christ, the son of the Living God? Do you know Him as Lord and savior? Do you know Him as your king, and the king of kings?

Is God calling you today to surrender your life to Christ and accept Him as your Lord and savior? If He is and if you are willing to accept Jesus on faith, this invitation is for you to make that commitment to Him, and call Him the Christ, the son of the living God, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior.