Who Do You Say That I Am: Authority, Identity, and the Imperfect Church

What do we do with the question Jesus asks in Matthew 16 -- who do you say that I am? It is not a question we can sidestep. This sermon digs into one of the most pivotal moments in the Gospel of Matthew, where Peter looks at everything he has witnessed -- the miracles, the teachings, the authority over creation and darkness -- and arrives at the only conclusion that holds together: truly, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. We explore what it means to genuinely wrestle with the identity of Jesus, and why anyone who has ever honestly looked at him cannot simply walk away undecided. The ancient argument still stands: he is either a liar, a lunatic, or exactly who he claimed to be. And if we land on that third option, everything changes. The message challenges us to move beyond a casual familiarity with Jesus and into a real reckoning with his authority -- not just as a historical figure or moral teacher, but as the living God who speaks, forgives, and holds all things together.