Jesus who?
Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Trouble in the text
Run the story:
1. Just Just fed five thousand with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish
2. On His Way to cesarean Philippi
a. Many people followed him becuase of this and other reasons. Good teacher, Good provider, Good prophet
b. Just like today all kinds of people are in churches following Jesus
c. But for different reasons
3. Asked peter who did he think Jesus was
a. Many people were not understanding who Jesus really was
i. even after seeing the things he did
ii. Even after hearing what they heard he did
4. Still had a hard time truly understanding his purpose and that was savior of the world
a. God in man
5. He gave them food (Provider)
6. He gave them a good spirit (Priest)
But they didn’t see the savior
7. They didn’t see the Christ
- Many still don’t.
Why?
It’s hard to accept
God in the form of a man?
Admitting the need of a savior.
His teachings are hard to accept
Its hard to admit guilt
Its hard to admit we need a savior
Un-Willing to turn from a poor way of life
Basically don’t want to give things up
Peter figured it out. He saw His need for a savior
Matthew 16:17-19 (NASB)
17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."
1. He blessed peter. God revealed something to him
a. He figured something out
i. Jesus is the Christ!
What did that mean? (Christ)
1. The Jews saw the comming Christ as a savior that would redeem them from the hand of the enemy.
2. They saw the Romans as their enemy
3. Not the real enemy Satan, sin and death
To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that He is the
- Anointed,
- the Messiah of the prophets,
- the Savior sent of God,
- That he was, in a word, what He claimed to be.
- This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God.
- That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God,
- and the faith of this constitutes a Christian
John 6:68-69 (NIV)
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
One should consider themselves blessed to have Jesus revealed to them
- To know we have entered into the family of God
- To be forgiven and set free
- To have eternal life
- To be part of the kingdom of God
On this rock I build my church
2. Jesus meant that Peter & Jesus were both the Rock
3. The fact and the confession and the sharing of the faith
4. Explain Rock...
a. Firm
b. Strong
c. Fixed
d. Unchanging
5. He would build His church on people who are like a rock in the faith. Not like a bowl of jelly. Being tossed too and fro.
Peter would have the keys to the kingdom.
1. The ability to show people who Jesus was.
2. Not just by telling a truth but a way of life.
We also have the keys
Story: Bible study we were talking about being rooted and established in love. It¡¦s our love for others that propels us not to just tell about Jesus but demonstrate Jesus to the world.
Many have been sharing this wonderful truth through their lives.
- Mother Teresa as she gives up all the help the poor
What a blessing it is to be a child of God
1. To know and feel truly at peace in life
2. To be able to build his church.
3. To be able to turn our lives over to a living God
To know of a destiny that awaits us
Insert scripture from peter
1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Question: Who is Jesus to you? A provider? A good teacher follow his rules? Or is he the one in whom you are trusting for everlasting life?
Have you ever come to that conclusion? If you have you have a bug obligation this year. That’s to live a life worthy of the gospel. You have the keys. will you use them? You have the confession will you share it?
