Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This is the most important question we'll ever be asked -- who do you say that I am?  Jesus is curious about who others are saying that he is, but what he really wants to know is what you say.  Do you join the crowd that confesses him as Savior, or do you stay on the margins, watching to see what others do?  Lurking in the shadows is safer -- you don't risk anything that way.  But you also don't get the rewards.  Jesus builds his Kingdom on the confession of Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah, as the long-awaited deliverer of his people from the imprisonment of sin and death.  Jesus is setting the captives free, but in order to freed, we are called to accept him as the King. 
  So what do you say?  Whose camp are you in?  Will you take the risk and live your life according to his grace and mercy?