5 Upon This Rock Series

Matthew 16:13-20

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[ the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rockI will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was[the Messiah.[g]

Message:

In these times of uncertainty, we look for something on which to rest our lives. The disciples found this in Jesus. Here in Matthew, He asks them who they think he is. After hedging a bit, Peter was the only one to be willing to step out in faith and he said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Last week at church I shared with you, in the midst of this crisis, we will still be the church. We will be the church to this neighborhood and community, no matter what happens. Meeting together is where we gather our strength. But who we are isn’t about sitting in the pews, it is about who we are when we walk out that door.

In this context and in this time, we are challenged as never before. We are bombarded by news. We are surrounded by fears and fearful people. And yet, at the center rings this question to us. “Who do you say that I am?”

Now, obviously, since Jesus was around before John the Baptist was beheaded, it is obvious that Jesus isn’t him. Why did people think that he was? Because John had stood fast to the truth. He had called the nation to repent. He had confronted the authorities when they were wrong. He stood fast against the King, and was beheaded for doing so.

Elijah? Elijah also confronted the authorities (Ahab and Jezebel). He predicted a drought, and a drought happened. He even challenged all of the priests of Baal to a duel, seeing which deity was real, and obviously, only the true God responded. When he fled, God came to him, that still small voice. And at the end of his days, he did not die, God sent a chariot to carry him home.

One of the other prophets? There were many. And each one was known to speak truth to power. Most were persecuted for doing so.

So, we know one thing from this answer. People thought Jesus was all of these people because he stood up for what He believed. He spoke the word of God. They recognized that he was speaking the truth. Peter alone recognized that he WAS the truth.

But Peter didn’t understand. He pictured a conquering Messiah who would come in and take out the Romans. Instead, Jesus chose to conquer death by experiencing it. The Romans would rule for many years, but death was for always. Jesus was here, not just as a temporary political fix, but as a permanent fix. Because of his choice, death was conquered forever.

As our lives are turned upside down, when everything is uncertain, the truth is still the truth. Jesus is still the Messiah, still in charge of the earth, still loving and caring for each of us. And because he chose to fight the enemy death, by dying, we have eternal life with him.

Statement of Faith: —from Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. My only comfort in life and in death isthat I am not my own,

but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.