Peter's Confession

Introduction

Video: We are the Body of Christ.

Again, Good Morning Church, how are we? How is the Body of Christ this morning? Because that is what being the Church is. The Church is not a building. I am not saying “Good Morning” to a building each week. The Church is the body of Christ, called out and assembled in His name to be doing His work.

Tension

We are continuing in our “CHRISTOS” Series this morning where we are diving deep into the life of Jesus, knowing that all of us have more to learn from Him. That no matter how much we might already know, none of us have reached the fullness of Jesus’ perfect life and so we can all learn more.

But the Bible Scholars among us know that the life and teachings of Jesus are primarily found in the Gospels or the first four books of the New Testament, but the formation of the Christians Church is found in the rest of the New Testament. So how are we going to continue to learn from the life and ministry of Jesus while He was here on earth and focus on the Church that seems to begin after he died, rose again and ascended into heaven?

That is a great question and I am so glad you asked.

Well the truth is that we find Jesus mentioning “the Church” by name only twice in the Gospel record. Once in Matthew 18 where Jesus gives instruction on Church discipline - showing the importance of that neglected aspect of Church life (that is probably worth noting) - and secondly in the text that we are going to look at today a couple of chapters earlier in Matthew 16 verse 18 where we find Jesus saying:

“I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18b

And what do you think Jesus meant by “My Church”? What was that distinction all about? Are their “Churches” that are not Jesus’ Church? There certainly are, and this was particularly true when Jesus said these words.

Typically when you or I use the English word “Church” we are assuming a Christian Church of some sort, but that would not have been true of the Greek word that Jesus used for “Church”. The Greek word Jesus uses is the only word for Church that we have in the New Testament, and it is the word ἐκκλησία (ekklesia). This was the common Greek word for “assembly” or those who were “called out to assemble” and it could refer to an assembly of citizens, a legislative assembly, or a religious assembly of some sort.

Even in Scripture we can find this word “ekklesia” referring to an assembly that was not the Christian Church. If we were to turn over to Acts 19 , we find there an “ekklesia” of idol makers who were rioting in Ephesus.

Acts 19:32 ESV

32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

This ἐκκλησία (ekklesia), this assembly was not a reference to the Christian Church, but a pagan assembly that was quickly degrading into riotous mob that was there to oppose the Christian Church. The Apostle Paul had just caste out a demon from a little girl who these idol workers were exploiting for financial profit. They were making money off the presence of a demon in this girls life and now their business was threatened by this young girls freedom, and so they gathered, assembled, ekklesia to oppose Paul.

When Jesus made this distinction of “My Church”, it was in contrast to an assembly much like this. Last week we followed Jesus as he brought His disciples into the less populated area of Bethsaida to get some rest - but the crowds followed after him and then he fed them with the 5 loaves and two fish. Now, it appears that Jesus is still trying to get some alone time or rest time for His disciples as He leads them into the region of Caesarea Philippi.

The crowd of 5,000 that were following after Jesus last week were primarily Jews on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. But here in Caesarea Philippi, there were very few Jews as the crowds were primarily gentiles who were on their way to the pagan temples of this region.

Some of you might remember a few Easters ago we went through a series called “Who Do You Say That I Am” where I showed you these pictures of the place where Jesus said these words. This first picture is what this spot looks like today if you were to go visit it. It is in a nature reserve that hosts extensive archeological ruins that show how this area has a long history of pagan religious significance.

Currently this place is called Banias, most likely a Arab corruption of it’s original name which was “Panias” after the Greek false god Pan. You remember him? He is the half goat half man creature. Well you can see in this carved out “grotto’s” that would have held pagan idols and then this huge opening to a cave. This cave goes down into a hole in the mountain where you can hear an underground river rushing by. Pagan Mythology claimed that places like this, where waters flowed out of caves were entry points to the underworld or the abode of the dead.

If we go to the next picture you can see an artists depiction of the temple that would have stood here, based on the archaeological discoveries that have been made in the area. You see the cave at the back of the structure and the grotto’s there carved in to the face of the mountain. Then if we go to the next picture after that you can see the whole pagan complex. Pagan idolaters would pilgrimage to these temples to practice all kinds of demonic idol worship which included , ritualistic dancing, drunkeness, orgies and even human sacrifices to these false gods that supposedly went in and out of this cave. To them, this place was a gateway to the realm of the dead. The gate of hades or the gates of hell.

So to understand what Jesus was talking about here, you have to under the context in which He was saying these things. He is looking around at this “ekklesia” that is full of destruction, debauchery and death and He says - “My Church will prevail over these things...

Where this gathering is all about hopeless chaos, My Church will be about truth!

Where this gathering is all about reckless self-harm, My Church will be about peace.

Where this gathering is all about temporary pleasures that lead to pain, My Church will be about eternal contentment.

Where this gathering is all about certain death, My Church will be about true life!

Where this gathering is all about working hard to try and appease some god you don’t know, I will build My Church on the foundation of who I am and the work that I have done for you.

This is Jesus’ vision for His Church and so we will dive into it this morning, so if you haven’t already, turn with me to Matthew chapter 16…it’s on page 822 in the Bibles in the Chairs. I am going to pray for us and then we will dive into these things together.

Truth

Our first theme for the week is that...

1. We become members of the Church when we confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 16:13-17).

Matthew 16:13 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?”

You might remember that “the Son of Man” is Jesus’ favorite way of referring to himself as it is found through out the Gospel record. It is a Messianic reference from the book of Daniel, where Daniel propheically declares that he saw “one like a son of man” who was presented before the “Ancient of Days” You can check that out in Daniel 7:13. The point being that this was not a confusing question for the Disciples, they knew that Jesus was asking them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am”.

You see up to this point in Jesus’ public ministry He had been doing many signs and wonders among the people so that they would recognize His identity. His works alone should have point them all to His being the Son of God - but as we even saw last week, the people seemed just interested in the signs and wonders and not in the message that they were designed to communicate. They were not looking for Jesus because they saw in His signs that He was the Christ, they were looking for Jesus because they wanted more of His stuff.

So Jesus asks His disciples, as you have been walking around what are you overhearing the people say? How are things going when it comes to the acceptance of my message through these signs? Who do they say that I am?

Matthew 16:14 ESV

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

This was the general conclusion of the Disciples. The people did not really know who Jesus was, but they thought that He must be one of these men returned from the dead.

John the Baptist seems like a weird guess, since the two of them had been seen together when John was still alive, but this was probably something that king Herod propagated because as it tells us in Luke 9, Herod was fearful that John, whom He beheaded, might come back from the dead to avenge his death. (Luke 9:7-9)

Others thought He might be Elijah which wasn’t a terrible guess, but Jesus taught clearly that the promised return of Elijah was already fulfilled in John the Baptist. So that wasn’t right either.

Those who said Jeremiah or one of the Prophets might be the award for being the closest - without actually being right - because Jesus did do similar things to the prophets of old and was in fact a prophet of the unique sort - but seeing Jesus as just “a prophet” does not go near far enough.

Of course, Jesus knew all these things but wanted to hear how His disciples would answer Him, especially in light of His next question...

Matthew 16:15 ESV

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

This point marks a turning point in the public ministry of Jesus, in His relationship with the crowds and His relationship with His disciples. From this point forward, the crowds who were confused about Jesus’ identity and were only after Him for His stuff would begin to be disappointed, even antagonistic toward Jesus. His popular season of ministry was coming to an end, but the training of His Disciples was just beginning to really get going.

That is why Jesus asked the questions that He did. He wanted His disciples to verbalize their answer to His identity seperate from what they knew of the crowd. Jesus wanted to know if His students were ready to take on the next leg of the journey. To go on to the next level of training. To forget what anyone else might say and answer for themselves, so..

Matthew 16:15–16 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.”

This declaration of Peter is a pivotal moment in the ministry of Jesus with His disciples. The other two Synoptic Gospels end this story right here, and certainly the profoundness of this proclamation by Peter on behalf of all the Disciples is the bulk of the message here, but Matthew goes on to give us more of the story. He gives us the part that includes Jesus’ mention of what “His Church” will be built on.

This brings us to our second theme for the week:

2. We can trust Jesus’ guarantee that His Church and its mission will never fail. (Matthew 16:17-18)

Matthew 16:17–18 ESV

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.

So Matthew gives this additional part of Jesus’ teaching where Peter’s name is used to illustrate what He is talking about. First of all, Jesus speaks a blessing over Simon Peter for speaking up in such a way. This truth is not something that Peter was convinced of in a material or physical way but God the Father had revealed it to Him. It was a supernatural blessing.

And then Jesus goes on to use a play on words with Peter’s name.

When Jesus first called Peter to be one of the 12 Disciples, his name was Simon, but John tells us that when Jesus called him…He changed his name to Peter. Peter personal name is the Greek word Πέτρος (Petros) which means a stone or a part of a large rock, but the “Rock” that Jesus is going to build His Church on is the Greek word, πέτρα (petra) which means rock, bedrock or foundation.

Jesus isn’t making Peter the “rock” that the Church is built on - contrary to what our catholic friends might think. No, it is Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God that is this “bedrock” of the Church.

And don’t forget where Jesus is making this connection. [slide again] He is standing in Caesarea Philippi where the “ekklesia” of darkness and evil is trying to appease their so-called “gods” at the “gates of hades” which is at the base of a mountain that is full of rock!

But the connection Jesus was making here was not just about this pagan place they were visiting. Throughout the Old Testament the image of the Rock was a reference to the strength, security and salvation of the one and only true God.

1 Samuel 2:2 ESV

2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV

4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

And through out the Psalms we read things like...

Psalm 18:2 ESV

2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 62:2 ESV

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalm 89:26 ESV

26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

Psalm 95:1 ESV

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

This testimony that Peter declared is the “rock-solid” truth that Jesus will build His Church on, and Peter, the “small stone” got to be the first one to declare it, but everyone after him who confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God will also play a part. This is how the gates of hell will not prevail over Jesus’ Church. He is snatching them away from the things that belong to darkness, destruction and death. The things that belong to the “gates of hell”, and bringing them into the glorious light of the the “ekklesia” of Jesus Christ.

Of course, this confession is just the first step. Belonging to the Church is one thing, but Jesus invites us to be the Church. In other words, to participate in the work and ministry of Christ on earth.

Finally, this morning we see that...

3. We can embrace our responsibility for leading others to Christ (Matthew 16:19–20).

Jesus continued to tell Peter, and all who make the same confession afterward that we will now play a part in his work and ministry. He says to us...

Matthew 16:19 ESV

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.”

When we possess the key to a car, we can open the door, crank the ignition, and drive away. When we possess the key to a house or a building, we can open the door and enter the building, and we can invite others to enter it with us. This is a “key” just like that. Jesus promises to give Peter, as well as all future believers, the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

It is important here to realize that what is being offered here is the key to the Kingdom of heaven, not the key to heavens door. There is a big difference. No mere man will stand at heaven’s gate and decide who is allowed in and who is allowed out. Not even Peter - even though there are a lot of stories and jokes that talk about that.

The key to the Kingdom of Heaven is accessible to each of us, because it is simply faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. This is what we invite others into through the preaching of the Gospel the good news of Jesus Christ.

And the binding and loosing were common terms for the allowing or forbidding of behaviors as taught by the rabbi’s of this day. The Disciples would in fact go on to give us the rest of the New Testament through the inspired work of the Holy Spirit where we can be confident that those things that are “forbidden” by the apostles are the very things that God has forbidden - and vice versa.

But Jesus was only training his Disciples in such things at this point, so Matthew concludes this episode in verse 20 with:

Matthew 16:20 ESV

20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Peter got it right: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And on the basis of his faith in Christ, Peter became a member of the Church and spent the rest of his life telling others the Good News, the Gospel. As believers and members of the Church today, we too have the privilege and responsibility of leading others to Christ through our confession of Jesus.

Gospel Application

You know, among the unspeakable practices of idol worship that were practiced here at Caesarea Philippi was the offering of human sacrifices. When nothing else would work to please or appease their gods, they would have to go further so they would throw a person down into the black abyss of the cave hoping that these “so-called” gods that dwelled behind the“gates of hades” would accept this offering and give them what they desired. To see if this worked...

This is the kind of depravity that humans are capable of when we refuse to acknowledge the one true God and try and make up “gods” that we think will suit us better. Every “man-made” religion is an attempt to please or appease some form of a “god” through our work or efforts, and when it doesn’t work then we can find ourselves sacrificing things we never thought possible. But the relationship that Jesus offers is exactly the opposite.

But Jesus is the Son of God, so He doesn’t ask us to earn our way to a right relationship with Him, because it could not be done. So He made the way. As the Christ, the Son of God, He sacrificed himself, shed His own blood once and for all. And because of the un-calculable worth of Jesus, we could never have a greater sacrifice and we would never need one. All we need do is trust or rely on the finished work of Jesus Christ and we will be saved.

But just as Jesus asked his Disciples two separate questions, we too need to answer Him directly. It is one thing to answer the question of what others say about Jesus, but our salvation rests in who we say that He is. At the end of the day the most important question you will ever answer is “Who do you say Jesus Is?”

Do you trust in the rock-solid truth of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of God or are you content serving other gods in this world. Because Jesus is building His Church, and for those of us who are a part of it we can rest assured that the kingdom of darkness has no hold on us, we have been given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven - which is our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World. And now when we do for Him, it is not to earn anything. It is simply in rememberance and response for all He has done for us.

Let’s pray as we prepare our hearts for Communion.