2.9.13 2.21.2021 Matthew 16.13-28 Church A Place of Submission

Start

Entice: They had come to rest and found themselves face to face with a sight awesome in many ways.

The mountain was imposing.

The religious atmosphere renowned.

Here In Caesarea Philippi Empire collided with colony. Along with Imperial economics and military might one of the bonds holding everything together was a slurry of shared and cross-bred gods and goddesses with their grottos, shrines, statues, and rites.

Grotto

Central was the grotto of Pan a yawning cave filled with fresh snow melt opening deep into the mountain reminding everyone of the shared aversion to Hades—Sheol. It opened into the earth like the gates of Hell.

Engage: Jesus did not conduct a ministry of happenstance and accident. He brought His closest companions here for a defining moment of His work and their lives. We read these words with an understanding born that day and carried throughout the sprawling history of the Church. For the disciples that day in that place at that time it was exactly what Jesus told Peter it was.

Revelation.

A revelation which was both simple and complex, liberating and including us in the shared work of Kingdom.

Matthew 16:13–28 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. 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.” 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? 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.”

Expand: In this passage

Context is critical

Jesus came to this spot, at this point in His ministry at this point in the Disciples understanding to empower their Kingdom obedience in a spot which screamed at them of power, majesty, might, wealth and diversity of Pagan Empire. It was the moment when Jesus clarifies the task to its barest, most essential, most consequential elements.

Excite: One of my tasks in preparing to preach this passage and one of the obstacles to understanding it is recognizing how it fits together. Why is the location significant? How does Peter’s confession and ours relate to our faithful Kingdom obedience? How do our efforts at being the Church reflect, build, and extend the Kingdom. It was there at the “gates of hell” that Jesus defines His rule over us. His sacrifice establishes the Church and compels our submissive obedience.

Explore:

The Church built on the foundation laid by Jesus requires the faithfulness of we who follow.

Explain: Let’s see how Jesus clarifies the focus of Church from our fallen state to faithful focus on Mission.

1. Focus of the crowd. 16.13-14

1.1 Power of (Pagan) Empire.

1.2 Comfort of tradition.

2. Focus of confession 16.15-20

2.1 Realization.

2.2 Revelation.

2.3 Restoration.

3. Focus of Christ 16.21-23

2.1 Way of the Cross.

2.2 Thinking the thoughts of God.

4. Focus of the call. 16.24-28

3.1 Accepting the unacceptable.

3.2 Understanding the unthinkable.

3.3 Embracing the unseeable.

Shut Down:

1. I find it interesting that no one thought of Jesus in terms of a Gentile competitor to Caesar. It is also intriguing that none of the answers aligned Jesus with royal heroes from Israel’s history. Not David. Not Solomon. None of the Judges. Friend and foe knew that Jesus was like and unlike the prophets. They just could not put their finger on the source of the difference.

2. By revelation Peter did. To this day when we lead someone to the Baptistry to immerse them into Christ we have them repeat those words of confession, to join in the long acknowledged proclamation of the divine Sonship of Jesus. Perhaps it is time for you to take that step away from the yawning grotto of the grave to join Jesus in resurrected life.