You are a Winner!
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You are a Winner!
You are a Winner!
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 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.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Intro:
I really believe that the Church must come to the realization that it is impossible for us to be defeated!
It’s extremely important...........
As believers in Christ.......
As a community of faith........
.......it is so important that we understand this
(pause)
Now.....I know what some of you may be saying,
....because we all experience life situations that leave us feeling as though we are defeated
And.....
....sometimes even in the Church we can feel as if we are defeated
Optional Barrels of defeat
(pause)
But there is a difference between.......
......points being scored in a game and the final score of the contest
(slight pause)
And I just believe that the Church needs to know it is impossible for us to be defeated!
(pause)
Look at it now...
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
In other words....
Who do men say the Son of Man really is?
And as aI thought about this question that Jesus is posing to the disciples.....
.....I thought about our context now and how this question would sound today, and heres what I came up with...
Because in my spiritual imagination I hear Jesus asking the question....
“Baker, what are the people saying about the Church?”
(pause)
In 2019.......
.....what are people discussing when it comes to the Church?
.....what are unsaved people saying about the Church....?
.....and then what are believers saying about the Church…?
....what does that conversation sound like?
(pause and expound)
Look at it now....
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
According to the text.....
.....the disciples respond by sharing what is being said in the community concerning Jesus.....
Some say that you are........
John the Baptist
Herod Anitipas said it in Matt.14.2......
and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.”
and there were others who thought this as well....
Elijah the prophet
Because.....Some believed that Elijah would return prior to the day of final judgement.....
Jeremiah or another prophet
(pause)
Now here is the phenomenal common thread with everyone that was suggested to be who Jesus is....
.....everyone that the disciples named as who people thought Jesus is......
.........is dead!
Nobody thought Jesus was somebody alive among them........
..........they all compared him to someone who was dead......
And so that prompted another thought for me.....
(pause)
Are people relating the Church to the things of God?
And....
Are they considering the Church to be dead?
(pause)
And I don’t know about you.......
........but it’s amazing to me how people would think Jesus could be someone who couldn’t overcome death!
(pause)
And so....
What do we say to those in our community and families that believe the Church is dead?
(pause and expound)
Well what Jesus does in the next verse is paramount....
Look at it now....
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
In other words....
What about you? What do you say?
(pause)
And so what I believe Jesus is doing is.....
.......trying to see if the disciples share the same opinion of these others who compare him to a dead thing
.........or do they see him differently
(pause)
Because Jesus knows........
.......that if they can’t see him right..
........they will never see themselves appropriately
(pause)
And don’t you let nobody fool you........
.....there is a moment in every one of our lives when we have to personally articulate who Christ is to us
Because I hear Jesus asking.......
.....How do you/we see the Church?
(pause and expound)
Look at it now......
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16.16
According to the text...
Simon describes what scholars call the full formula of Christ’s description........that’s only found here in the New Testament
In we hear Jesus referred to by God as my beloved son
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
In we hear the disciples saying truly you are the Son of God
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
But in this passage we hear another part of the formula that scholars call the full formula because Simon Peter adds one more word........
“Son of the Living God!”
(pause)
And so while others defined Jesus as someone who had died.......
Simon says.....
.....that’s now what I see!
(pause)
And he affirms that God possess life and is the source of all life......
(pause)
And he confesses that Jesus shares in that life, and has power to impart life into others!
(pause)
And.....
I wonder if there’s anybody in here with an anwser
that sounds like Simons!
What say ye?????
Is your Christ dead or alive!
Is your Church dead or alive!
(pause)
Is your Christ
And.......
....I don’t know about you but I am just as convinced as Simon.....
“Who do you say that I am?”
(slight pause)
“You are the MESSIAH.....the Son of the LIVING GOD!”
(pause)
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.
Here it is.....
No human being revealed this to you...
In other words...
You didn’t hear this as second hand information or from some other limited source of human understanding.....
As a matter of fact........
You didn’t even learn this on your own!
But......
…this truth came from my father who is in heaven
(pause)
God in God’s.......Unlimited Power........
downloaded awareness into your consciousness....
.........that walked past what you could think.....
......and stood in a new place in your mind and showed you
........who I really am!
(pause and expound)
......and I don’t know about you but that’s why I don’t listen to any and everybody with limited power!
......and I don’t know about you but that’s why I don’t listen to any and everybody with limited power!
Because.........
........there’s nothing worst than somebody getting you into something that they can’t get you out of!
But.......
........God has never gotten me out on the limb and didn’t know how to get me to the other side!
(pause and expound)
Look at it now......
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Watch this.....
Now......
I know Jesus says you are Peter! I heard it just like you did.....
....but in my spiritual imagination what I really hear Jesus saying is.....
“You are a WINNER!”
(pause)
And here is why I keep hearing this.........
Peter in the Greek means....
Petros which is the masculine form of the word meaning ROCK........
and........
Jesus says...
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church
.......now this other word rock in Jesus’s sentence is the feminine form of the word rock.......Petras
(pause)
....it’s the type of rock that’s usually beneath the surface of the earth......
Now think about it.......
......when you’re building a house they usually dig beneath the surface to secure what’s called the FOUNDATION........
(pause)
The reason this is done is to assure that no matter what comes against the house........
........because of the foundation the house may shake but it wont be able to fall.........
(pause)
Jesus tells Peter........
Peter.........you are a ROCK and on this FOUNDATION......I’m going to BUILD..........my CHURCH - (congregation, people, community)
(pause)
And .......
Peter.......
....the gates of hell shall not prevail against you
(pause and expound)
........that word prevail means overcome or to defeat
(pause)
You know.........
I never thought to give death credit for having power.........
But if we would be honest..........
..........if we are not careful we will end of living our lives as if we are scared to die.........
.......if we aren’t careful we will live our life as if we are not a winner.....
(pause)
But Jesus says to us as the community of faith.......
Jesus says.......
“NO ENEMY.........shall be able.........to destroy you.......even unto death!”
(pause)
Look at somebody and holler.........
“You are a WINNER!”
(pause)
Look at it now.....
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.”
Jesus says....
“I’m giving you authority!”
.....and whatever you tie up or restrict/prohibit on earth will be tied up in heaven..
AND........
..........whatever you untie or release/permit on earth will be loosed in heaven........
(pause)
Church family.......
THIS IS HOW I KNOW.........
This is how I know
…You are a WINNER!!!
Closing Illustration:
Closing Illustration:
Casey Obrien - Minnesota University football player
Defeated cancer 4 times
Winners take over the game........
Over 300 nights of hospitalization
Minnesota was only University to clear him medically
Played in his first game recently
When he shared his story he said.......
“It was all worth it!”
And I believe Casey Obrien discovered he was a WINNER!
And I came here to tell the CHURCH
“YOU
ARE
A
WINNER!”