St. Matthew 16:13-20

Introduction

We ought not to be content with just knowing what He can do. We ought to follow on to know the Lord. So many of us know about Him, but the question is do we really know Him. And so many people today are settling for a shallow knowledge of Who He is. But I want to know the fullness of who He is. This makes for a strong Child of God. For they that know their God shall be strong and shall do exploits.

What Does Knowing Him Do For Me?

Knowing Him causes me to know that there is nothing too hard for Him to do. I know Him.

It gives me a healthy look at the world.

to know that Jesus is the power of God and that He is the power beyond comprehesion.

Look At The Scene.....

Caesarea Philipi

It was here in the pagan city of Caesarea Philippi that the true revelation of who He was came to light. And even in the midst of this wicked day and time, for those who seek to know Him, He will reveal Himself even in the midst the evil of the day.

The area was scattered with temples of the ancient Syrian Baal worship.
Hard by Caesarea Philippi there rose a great hill, in which was a deep cavern; and that cavern was said to be the birthplace of the great god Plan, the god of nature. So much was Caesarea Philippi identified with that god that its original name was Panias, and to this day the place is known as Banias. The legends of the gods of Greece gathered around Caesarea Philippi.
But there was something more. In Caesarea Philippi there was a great temple of white marble built to the godhead of Caesar.
And it was in the middle of all of this that Jesus asks them who men said that he was.

He Needed To Know That Someone Understood Him.

His time was short; his days in the flesh were numbered.

The problem was—was there anyone who understood him? Was there anyone who had recognized him for who and what he was?
Were there any who, when he was gone from the flesh, would carry on his work, and labour for his kingdom?
Obviously that was a crucial problem, for it involved the very survival of the Christian faith.
If there were none who had grasped the truth, or even glimpsed it, then all his work was undone; if there were some few who realized the truth, his work was safe.
So Jesus was determined to put all to the test and ask his followers who they believed him to be.

Some Say

First, it identified Jesus as the Messiah, the one who was to reign forever on the throne of his great ancestor David.
Second, and even more important, it identified Jesus as divine: “the Son of the living God.”
It is that combination of ideas that makes Peter’s confession so important, for he was confessing that Jesus was no mere man but God himself come to save his people.

He's More Than A Prophet, He Is The Christ

Those who know the real Jesus know that He is more than a prophet. For the Bible says that A virgin shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin.

If you don't know Him as a Deliverer then you don't know Him at all!
He wants you to know that He is a keeper in the midst of a wicked generation.

What I Know About Him.

That He is very God of very God.

The first and most important thing any person needs to understand about Jesus is that he is the Son of God, “very God of very God,” as one of the ancient creeds puts it.
That is because the value of his work, dying for sin, depends on who he is.
If he is not God, his death would have no more value than any other person’s death.
But because he is God his death has infinite value and is able to take away sins.
I know that he is able to bridge the rivers.
I know that he is able to bring down every mountain and exalt every valley.

What Do You Know About Jesus?