Our passage is well known to many of you. We read here about Peter’s confession of faith that Christ is the Messiah and our Lord’s declaration about how He will build His church. Let’s see what we can learn about becoming kingdom people as followers of Christ from this passage.
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1. What kingdom people do - vs. 13-17
A. They seek to clarify who Jesus is - vs. 13-16
Jesus asked: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (v. 13). The disciples said: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (v. 14). In other words, people were confused about who Jesus was. They’re still confused.
Here are five popular American perceptions of Jesus, based on recent Barna Group research (Spring 2015).
1. The Majority of Americans Believe Jesus Was a Real Person.
92% say Jesus was a person who really lived. 87% of Millennials, born from 1982 (33) to 2002 (13) agree Jesus actually lived.
2. Younger Generations Are Less Likely to Believe Jesus Was God.
56% believe Jesus was God; while 26% say no, he was just a spiritual leader like Mohammed or Buddha. 18% aren’t sure if Jesus was divine. Millennials, born from 1982 (33) to 2002 (13) are the only generation where fewer than half believe Jesus was God (48%). 35% of young adults say Jesus was just a spiritual leader, while 17% aren’t sure.
3. Americans Are Divided on Whether Jesus Was Sinless.
52% of Americans believe that while he lived on earth, Jesus was human and committed sins like other people. 46% believe Jesus was sinless and 2 % aren’t sure.
4. Most Americans Say They’ve Made a Commitment to Jesus.
But the younger you go, the smaller the percentage. 46% of Millennials born from 1982 (33) to 2002 (13), say they’ve made this commitment, compared to 59% of Gen-Xers, born from 1965 (50) to 1981 (34), 65% of Boomers, born from 1946 (69) to 1964 (51); and 71% of Elders, born before 1946 (69+).
5. People Are Conflicted between “Jesus” and “Good Deeds” as the Way to Heaven.
Overall, two out of five Americans have confessed their sinfulness and professed faith in Christ (a group Barna calls “born again Christians”). Many believe, however, they will go to heaven because of their good works. This is the most common perception among Americans who have never made a commitment to Jesus - and it is also quite common among self-identified Christians.
Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” (v. 15). The “you” is emphatic and plural; He asked this of all the disciples. So Peter spoke on behalf of them all when he answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” “The Christ” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew “the Messiah,” meaning, the anointed one. Peter and the rest of the disciples was convinced Jesus was the Messiah.
Our Lord stills calls on His disciples to clearly identify who He is.
Renowned theologian Karl Barth was lecturing to a group of students at Princeton when a student asked him, “Sir, don’t you think that God has revealed himself in other religions and not only in Christianity?” With a modest thunder he stunned the crowd, replying, “No, God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed himself in his Son.”
We must clearly point others to who Jesus is.
B. They seek to lead others to experience God as they have - v. 17
Jesus reminds Peter of his human parentage, that he is the earthly son of Jonah; but now affirms that Peter has a spiritual parentage, that he is now the spiritual son of God, and God is his Father. This is exactly what God has done for each of us who have come to faith in Christ.
“But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name - who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth - they are born of God - spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].” - John 1:12-13 (Amplified)
And now, we want to see others to experience what we have, through a genuine work of God in their hearts.
So, in our effort to clarify for people who Jesus is, we want them to understand that He is alive and by His Spirit can make a mighty
transformation in their lives if they will allow it.
Why should we preach the gospel to the ends of the earth? To the “down and out?” to the “up and out?” Because we know how Christ has touched and transformed us and believe He can also touch and transform others. Therefore, our passion, our prayers, our efforts, our energies, are all focused on one thing - the salvation of others!
2. How kingdom people do it – vs. 18-19
A. By depending on the Lord - v. 18
This statement by our Lord is a pun on the name of Peter. The Greek translation is Petros, meaning, stone. But the saying “on this rock” uses the feminine form of the word, petra, meaning rock. The meaning is that Peter (and by extension the other disciples) is a small stone, but what is the rock on which the church if founded? I believe it is the confession that Peter and the other disciples had just made.
As people clearly indentify Christ as their one and only Savior, and allow God to touch and transform them, the church grows!
Thinking of Peter and the disciples as “stones,” I find it interesting that when speaking of the church, it was Peter who said:
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 2:25 (NIV)
But the point that I want to make is that it is the Lord who builds His church. As David tells us: “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain,” (Psalm 127:1 NIV). But how does the Lord build His house? Through our sharing the Gospel with others!
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:47 (NIV)
“I love churches of all shapes and sizes. But I get excited when I hear of a church experiencing growth at any rate because it means more people can be rescued for eternity. Don’t apologize for it, minimize it, or shame anyone for sharing the victory of growth. I want my church to grow, your church to grow, and every church that honors Jesus and teaches a biblical gospel to grow.” - Brandon Cox (Church Planter)
Because our world is still lost; our church must never stop growing.
B. By staying faithful to the truth - v. 19
Jesus makes this statement to Peter and the other disciples. But what exactly is He referring? “Binding” and “loosing” were common terms used by the Rabbis in biblical times. When the rabbis “bound” something, they “forbade” it, and when they “loosed” something, they “permitted” it. The Greek scholar, A. T. Robertson, wrote about binding and loosing: “To ‘bind’ (dêsêis) in rabbinical language is to forbid; to ‘loose’ (lusêis) is to permit.”
This verse, literally translated, says: “Whatever you bind (forbid) on earth will have been bound (forbidden) in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit) on earth will have been loosed (permitted) in heaven.”
Heaven has declared that for one to enter the kingdom, they must acknowledge Christ as their one and only Savior and Lord. Any other way to enter the kingdom is false and forbidden. Therefore, we, who have the keys, must use them to open the way, to make the Good News clear - that Jesus isn’t a way to God; He is the only way!
A plane had its fuel tanks filled with gas that was badly contaminated with water. Unfortunately, the discovery of the polluted fuel was not made until they were 600 feet off the ground. The engine coughed, lost power, and the plane crashed.
Kingdom people don’t compromise the truth of the Gospel. They want to make sure people know the truth - which is that they must repent of their sin and trust in Christ alone for salvation. We need to tell them the truth now, least they learn the truth when it is too late.
Conclusion: So this is the focus of kingdom people: to reach others for Christ. Depending on God, they do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until as many as possible understand who Jesus really is, experience the touch and transformation of God.
“So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does.” - Oswald Chambers
“A believer is ready to serve everybody wherever he can. He cannot but profess the gospel before men, even though he foresees that he can reap nothing but ridicule and scorn for it; yes, he is ready also to give his life for the gospel.” - C. F. W. Walthers
