Theme: Who do you say that I am
Text: Ex. 2:1-10; Rom. 12:1-8; Matt. 16:13-20
The life of a believer is often compared in Scripture to the construction of a building. Every person knows you cannot start a building without laying a foundation but see nothing wrong with building their lives without one. The Christian life can only be built on one foundation, Jesus Christ, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”. (1 Cor. 3:11) Today many people are being deceived about the foundation of the Christian life. Some people are deceived to believe it is becoming a member of a Church, good works, or “holy” lives. Other people are deceived to believe it is trusting miracle workers or people who place themselves in the place of God. There are still others who believe it is trusting in one of the many gods recognised by different people groups or cults under various names. In much of our society today even Christians avoid the name of Jesus in an attempt not to offend other people or their religion. The truth still remains that the only foundation on which our Christian lives are built is Jesus Christ and this is why He is still asking the question “Who do you say I am?”
The name Jesus Christ tells us who He is. Christ means the “anointed One” and refers to the Messiah. We cannot view Jesus as a good man, a prophet sent from God, or a man of great power. We have to know Him for who He really is, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Every person needs to know the identity of Jesus Christ as it determines our eternal destiny. He is the One who has eternal life for “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son”. (1 John 5:11) He reveals spiritual truths to the discerning. Jesus only revealed His mission to His disciples after Peter had proclaimed His true identity as the Messiah. This profession of trust and belief was necessary for Jesus to disclose His coming rejection, suffering and death.
Most people take great care when building their homes. Architects are paid to design and draw up plans and make sure the buildings are properly constructed. We, however, do not take so much care when it comes to building our lives and we end up building lives that are easily destroyed. The proper foundation for our lives is to respond to Christ as His disciples did. A direct personal confrontation of the disciples by Christ led Peter to acknowledge Him as the Messiah. Every person today is still being confronted in the same direct personal way that Peter was confronted. This confrontation leads to a revelation about the person of Christ from the Father for “no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” 1 Cor. 2:11. Even today no one can come know Christ without the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy can reveal the divine, eternal, unchanging Son of God. This same Spirit who gave this revelation to Peter is the same Spirit who reveals Christ to us today. The foundation of our Christian faith is our individual and personal experience of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Have you acknowledged and confessed what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Christ by answering His question “who do you say I am?”
Jesus Christ wants us to take a stand for Him by obeying His Word. Our confession of Christ as the Messiah begins our Christian journey. The map for the journey is His Word and the Holy Spirit makes sure we read it correctly. Christ’s eternal life gives us a new status as children of God and gives us access to His presence and blessings. The presence of the Holy Spirit testifies that we are sons of God and have come under His grace and divine favour. As children of God we have access to the grace and promises of God. The grace of God is not only God’s undeserved favour but also His empowerment to live the abundant life.
Our Christian lives are built on the divine, authoritative and perfect revelation of God. Our attitude towards God’s Word reflects our attitude towards God Himself. We cannot love God more than we love His Word; neither can we obey God more than we obey His Word. Our love for God can be measured by our love for His Word. God means as much to us as His Word means to us. The rock upon which Christ builds His Church is not referring to Peter but to his confession that Christ is the Son of the living God. This is the truth on which the church is founded. Let us lay the proper foundation for our lives to the admiration of all and to the praise and glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The exercise of spiritual authority requires a renewing of the mind. Our thinking must be in line with the Word of God as we accept everything the Word of God says. We renew our minds through the hearing, reading and study of the scriptures. We renew our minds as we worship, pray and fellowship with other Christians. Knowledge of the Word of God is only of benefit when it is applied. Christ’s victory over Satan and death only benefits us when we stop yielding to the enemy. Christ has given us authority and the appropriate weapons to enforce our authority. Christ’s victory over Satan, sin and death has freed us from captivity to them. The gates of Hades refer to the organized power of Satan and death and they cannot prevail against us as believers. As citizens of the Kingdom we have access to the power of heaven and have authority over all evil forces.
Christ has given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys speak of access or entrance and the keys of heaven bring heaven to earth. The keys that open the door to bring heaven to earth are all found in the Scriptures and they are the words of faith that declare the truth about what God has said. The Scriptures simply put it “the just shall live by faith”. We should be moved by what the Word says and not allow anything else to come against our faith. A policeman can stop traffic or make an arrest. He has no power in himself but he has the power of the state behind him. In the same way the believer has been given authority. He has no power within himself but has the power of almighty God behind him. When Moses was born his mother put him in a basket made waterproof with bitumen remembering the ark of Noah and placed the mini ark on the Nile. This was at a time when all male offspring’s of the Jews were being drowned in the river Nile. His mother had faith that God would preserve his life in the basket on the Nile as He did Noah and his family in the flood. God preserved Moses and his mother was paid to look after her own child. The life of faith gives us access to the grace of God that allows us to partake of His favour although we do not deserve to.
Who do you say Jesus is? Is He your Saviour and Lord? As believers we can exercise Christ’s authority backed by all the power of heaven. Unfortunately, many believers do not believe in their authority and very often do not expect anything to happen when they exercise their authority. We forget we are dealing with the devil who does not abide by the law. When a police officer meets resistance he does not just give up. He has the power of the state to assist him enforce the law. It is the same with the believer. He has the power of the government of heaven to assist him. However, just as the police officer is under authority, obedient to his superiors and goes where he has been assigned and not outside his jurisdiction so believers must be under authority to Christ, be obedient to Him and do His will. Just as a police officer must stay in contact with his superiors and follow directions so the believer must stay in contact with Jesus Christ and follow His directions. Who do you say Jesus is? Is He one of the masters or is He one of the prophets? Or is He your Saviour and Lord? If He is your Saviour and Lord, then you are a joint heir with Christ with authority to bind the works of the devil and release the promises and blessings of God to the praise and glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
