08/21/2026
Good morning, friends in Christ!
There is an online quiz for everything these days. And there are two kinds of people in this world: those who know exactly who they are and those who have to take an online quiz to find out. With these quizzes, you can find out what kind of personality you have, what kind of vacationer you are, what kind of coffee you are, and even what kind of dog you would be. I would like to think that I would be a golden retriever…but I am pretty sure I’m way too uptight to be a golden!
Of course, we all want to know who we are. We want to know that our lives matter. We want to know that we have value and purpose.
And often times, we look for those answers in all the wrong places. We can define ourselves by what we do, what we have accomplished, what we have, or what other people think about us. We can even allow our mistakes and failures to define who we are.
But as Christians we believe that discovering who we are begins with knowing who Jesus is.
The bottom line for this Sunday’s message is simple: When we know who Jesus is, we know who we are. Our scripture focus is Matthew 16:13–20. In this passage, Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying that He was. They gave Him several answers. Some said John the Baptist. Others said Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
But then Jesus made the question personal. He asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Peter wasn’t simply answering a question. He was making a statement of faith. He was saying, “This is who I believe Jesus really is. This is who I trust Him to be in my life.”
And that is something each of us has to answer for ourselves. We can know what other people say about Jesus. We can know what our parents taught us about Jesus. We can know what the church teaches about Jesus. We can even know all kinds of things about the Bible.
But eventually, we each have to decide who we believe Jesus is for us in our own life. Who do you say Jesus is? That question matters because our answer changes everything.
If we can say with Peter, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” then we are doing more than agreeing with a statement of theology. We are placing our trust in Jesus. We are embracing Him as our Savior and our Lord. We are saying that Jesus is not simply someone we know about. He is the One upon whom we are building our lives.
And that is where everything else begins. When Jesus becomes the center of our lives, we no longer have to build our identity on our successes or failures. We don't have to spend our lives trying to prove our worth to God or to anyone else. We don't have to let our past determine our future.
We belong to Christ. We are loved, forgiven, and given a new life with a purpose. And our identity is rooted not in what we have done, but in what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
When we know who Jesus is, we begin to understand who we are.
So I hope you will take Jesus’ question seriously for your life. Don't just ask, “Who do other people say Jesus is?” Ask yourself, “Who do I say Jesus is?”
For me, I can say with confidence that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is my Lord and Savior. And because I know who He is, I know who I am. My life belongs to Him, and that gives me a foundation that nothing else in this world can give.
That is what happens when we place our lives in His hands. We don't have to spend our lives trying to figure out our worth or prove that we matter. In Christ, we know that we are loved, forgiven, and claimed by God.
If you are searching for faith or have questions about Jesus or what it means to follow Him, you are welcome here. You don't have to have everything figured out before you come. Sometimes faith begins simply by being willing to ask the question, “Who do I say Jesus is?” and then taking one step closer to Him.
And if you are looking for a church home, I would love to invite you to come worship with us. There is a place for you here.
I love being your pastor. If there is something going on in your life that you would like to talk about, or if there is something you would like me to pray about, please don't hesitate to reach out. I would be honored to listen, to pray with you, and to walk alongside you.
Together, our goal is to live simply, love generously, serve faithfully, and leave everything else to God.
In the blessed assurance that Jesus is mine,
Dr. Eric
