TOPIC: WHO DO PEOPLE SAY YOU ARE?
MEMORISE:
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” - (Matthew 16:13)
READ: Matthew 16:13-16
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
MESSAGE:
Today’s topic is a question you must be conscious of. In today’s Bible reading, Jesus asked His disciples whom people said that He was. He wasn’t confused about His identity; He knew who He was, but He was concerned about how people perceived Him. You must be conscious of how people perceive you too. People will only relate with you based on what they think about you and not what you think about yourself.
When my father in the Lord was alive, company executives would come to him for his opinion whenever they needed to hire staff for their company. They would say things like, “Sir, Brother so and so in your church has applied for a role in our company, what do you think about him?” Sometimes, he would cleverly reply, “That brother? Well, he says he is a Christian.” However, when they ask about someone who is truly born again, he will say, “That brother is a Christian.” There is a difference between who you claim to be and who you really are.
There are two kinds of people whose perception of you, you must take seriously. The first are people who know you but are not in your inner circle. They may not be close to you, but they are observant. They can build a perception about you from the things you say and do. Their perception may not be true, but as far as they are concerned, that is the true you. Therefore, you should endeavour not to make a mistake that will give them a wrong impression of you.
The second set of people are those in your inner circle. In today’s Bible reading, the fellow who knew the real identity of Jesus was one of the people in His inner circle - Simon Peter. This tells us clearly that those who know us the best are the ones closest to us. Who does your spouse say you are? What about your children? These people know you more than anyone else, and their opinion must be very valuable to you. I have always said it, the reason some ministers’ children are wayward is because they know who their parents are. They hear them preach one thing on the altar but see them do something else at home. This confuses them and draws them far from the God their parents claim to serve. You can pretend to people outside, but you cannot pretend to your family members.
ACTION POINT:
Look for people within your inner circle who will not lie to you. Let them tell you their perception of you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PROVERBS 1-3
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 23 - TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE
1 Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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