Jesus’ Big Reveal (The Blessing Of Godly Revelation)

Sermon Scripture

Matthew 16:17 MSG

17 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.

Scriptural Reading

Matthew 16:13–20 ESV

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, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Introduction- Why Do We See People One Dimensionally?

Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon? by AstroQuizzical.com

The simple answer (and one that you’ve probably heard before) is that we only see one side of the moon because the moon rotates around the Earth at the exact same speed as it rotates around its own axis, so that the same side of the moon is constantly facing the surface of the earth.  This means that one full ‘day’ of the moon (meaning the length of time it takes for the moon to rotate around itself once) is about 4 weeks long.  If the moon didn’t rotate at all, we would see all of its sides; the only way for us to see such a constant face of the moon is if it’s also rotating.

“People are like the moon: they show you only one of their sides.”

The Laws of Human Nature, Chapter 3, The Law of Role-playing by Robert Greene

“In our idealistic view of the world, we firmly believe that we possess an in-depth understanding of people's true nature.

We know their interests, their opinions, their personalities, and so we know them—apparently.

In reality, however, people are complex and multi-faceted, which means truly knowing or understanding someone is rare.”

People often only see one side to someone's personality, but there are levels.

Ross Lynch

The Blessing of Godly Revelation

If we only knew more about a person before…

The LORD is not a One Dimensional God

The LORD God Reveals His Multifaceted Nature in Scripture

What God Has Revealed to Us Regarding Himself

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Psalm 19:1–4 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

We have Heard but a Small Whisper of God

Job 26:8–9 ESV

8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. 9 He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud.

These Are But the Outskirts of His Ways

Job 26:14 ESV

14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

We Cannot Of Ourselves Find God

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

We Feel Our Way Toward God

Acts 17:27 ESV

27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

Transition To Body- What Has Been Revealed to the people in the Gospel of Matthew so far regarding Jesus?

Last Week- Testing Jesus By Asking to be Shown Signs from Heaven

Matthew 16:1 ESV

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

What Jesus Has Already Revealed About Himself

Beloved Son Of God

Matthew 3:17 ESV

17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Preacher Who Teaches With Authority

Matthew 7:28 ESV

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

Physician With Ability & Authority Heal Any Ailment & Make Demons Captive

Matthew 8:16–17 ESV

16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Matthew 9:8 ESV

8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew 15:30–31 ESV

30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Can Still Storms With a Word

Matthew 8:27 ESV

27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matthew The Revelation of the Gospel Occurs in Pagan Territory (16:13)

The Revelation of the Gospel Occurs in Pagan Territory

New Testament 16:13–20—The Christ and the Rock

Caesarea Philippi (a city distinct from the usual New Testament Caesarea, which was on the coast) was pagan territory, near a grotto devoted to the worship of the Greek deity Pan; Herod had also dedicated a temple for the worship of Caesar there. Thus it was hardly the most expected site for a divine revelation.

Body- The Blessing Of Godly Revelation

Resist Restricting (Pigeonholing) Jesus’ Expansive Ministry

Matthew 16:13–14 ESV

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, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Role of John the Baptist

Role of Elijah

Role of Jeremiah

One of the Prophets

Illustration: Origins of Pigeonholing

The word pigeonhole came into use in the 1500s in a literal sense to mean a hole in which domesticated pigeons nest or to describe the hole in which pigeons could pass through to get in and out of a dovecote.

By the late 1600s, the term pigeon-hole meant a cubby hole in a writing desk where one could place letters or other papers for safekeeping. These cubbies were small and resembled the space in which pigeons nested in a cote.

In the mid-1800s, pigeonhole became a verb that meant to put something literally away, as in a desk cubby. Pigeonhole soon became used in a figurative sense to infer the laying aside of something physically or mentally for future consideration.

This use quickly led to its use as a way to create restrictive consideration or lack of complexity in thought due to the analogy between the idiom and the small space the literal definition implies.

A Sanctified (Holy Spirit Filled )Church That:

Acts 1:5–6 ESV

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Acts 1:7–8 ESV

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Witnesses

Evangelizes

Disciples

Is An Expansive & Healthy Church

{ This Blessing of Godly Revelation is

Resist Restricting (Pigeonholing) Jesus’ Expansive Ministry

}

Recognize Jesus’ Eternal Messianic Role

Matthew 16:15–20 ESV

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Matthew 14:33 ESV

33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Illustration:

The reveal (also known as the big reveal) is a plot device in narrative structure and is the exposure to the reader or audience of a previously unseen key character, or element of plot or performance..

Illustration: Examples of the Reveal or Big Reveal Moments

Dictionary definition of reveal

To reveal means to make something that was previously hidden or secret now known or open to view. A second definition is to make known through divine inspiration. The corresponding noun for both uses is “revelation,” not “reveal.”

Note the location of this Godly revelation and the pagan worship & statues of Caesar

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Pan (/pæn/;[2] Ancient Greek: Πάν, romanized: Pán) is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs.[3] He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr. With his homeland in rustic Arcadia, he is also recognized as the god of fields, groves, wooded glens, and often affiliated with sex; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring.[1]

Compare with our times and the church

Prophet, Priest, & King!

Living & Active Word of God!

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Blessing is:

Luke 12:32 ESV

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

1) On this Rock I Will Build My Church!

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

it is not Peter simply as Peter but Peter who has confessed Jesus as the Messiah who is the church’s foundation on whom the church is to be built. We must not separate the man from the words he has just spoken

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

we should put the words in the context of Matthew’s Gospel as a whole. They point out that Jesus likens the person who hears his words and builds on them to a man building on rock (7:24–25).

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

Throughout this whole Gospel the teaching of Jesus is taken with the utmost seriousness, and there is never a hint that his followers can take it lightly.

2) Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

gates were important parts of fortifications in the first century and were usually flanked by bastions. Wooden gates would be overlain with bronze. They thus lend themselves to the imagery of strength. The gates of Hades were probably regarded as especially strong (did not they keep in all the dead?).

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

Jesus is then saying that the gates of Hades are not strong enough to prevail against his church; that church will never die

3) Jesus Authorizes His Agents to Admit People to the Kingdom i.e. This Is How We Do It (How we build the church)!

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

Jesus spoke of the scribes and Pharisees as shutting up the kingdom before people and thus preventing them from entering (23:13). Peter, by contrast, was to open the way. We see him doing this in Acts 2 and 3, where his preaching brought many into the kingdom, and in Acts 10, where he opened the way for the Gentile Cornelius to come in. We should see another aspect of the use of the keys in Acts 8:20–23, where he is excluding an impenitent sinner.

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

while the gift of the keys indicates that Peter is clearly given a certain primacy, we should not exaggerate this. The right to bind and loose, here connected with the gift of the keys, is given to the disciples as a whole in 18:18; thus we are not to think of Peter as elevated to a plane above all the others.

4) Regulation of Conduct & Admission & Exclusion

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

it seems that the right to “bind” and “loose” refers primarily to the regulation of conduct, while the keys point to admission and exclusion

{ This Blessing of Godly Revelation is

Resist Restricting (Pigeonholing) Jesus’ Expansive Ministry

Recognize Jesus’ Eternal Messianic Role

}

Prioritize Christ’s Cause Above Personal Ambition

Matthew 16:21–23 ESV

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Illustration: President Joe Biden’s Reason for not continuing the seek a 2nd term

“I revere this office,” Biden said. “But I love my country more.”

Do the Exposition of the text

Setting one’s mind

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. φρονέω

take someone’s side, espouse someone’s cause

{ This Blessing of Godly Revelation is

Resist Restricting (Pigeonholing) Jesus’ Expansive Ministry

Recognize Jesus’ Eternal Messianic Role

Prioritize Christ’s Cause Above Personal Ambition

}

Transition To Close- Jesus Goes From Showing His Disciples To Telling His Disciples (Hence we should be obeying) …

Matthew 16:24–26 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

The Son of Man Coming in the Glory of the Father

Matthew 16:27–28 ESV

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

We Have Seen His Glory…

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

No One Has Ever Seen God…

John 1:18 ESV

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Jesus the Image of the Invisible God

Colossians 1:15 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Jesus Was Sent To Redeem Us That…

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

God Speaks To Us By His Son Jesus Christ

Hebrews 1:1–2 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Jesus Is the Radiance of the Glory of God

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus Opens Our Minds To Understand Scriptures

Luke 24:44–45 ESV

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

It Is Also Jesus Whom The Gates Of Hell…

The Gospel according to Matthew 1. Peter’s Confession, 16:13–28

though Hades is strong and the dead do not come back from it, it is not strong enough to contain Jesus and it is not strong enough to contain the Christian dead.

Close- Setting Our Mind On Christ

Do Nothing From Selfish Ambition…

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have The Mind of Christ- Emptied & Humbled Himself

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God Has Highly Exalted Him

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Be Transformed By the Renewing…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.