Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Start by acknowledging Kevin and Lisa

Talk about HBCU Night - Southern University - Softball Team

Give the title of the message here: Upon This Rock

Start backstory here:

Walk through 15th chapter first:

Confronted by Pharisees about the disciples not washing their hands before they eat.

Matthew 15:1-3 “Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus.

They asked him, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition?

For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?”

Moved by the faith of the Gentile woman (possessed daughter)

Heals every single sick person in a gathering he had

Feeds the 4,000 (a repeat of a previous miracle)

Walk through the 16th chapter:

The same old Pharisees and Saducees came bothering Jesus testing Him by demanding that show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

Which is hilarious in itself because they are talking to a King and making demands.

Something don’t add up.

And after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples realize they didn’t bring any bread.

And I guess they were hangry because they start arguing about it.

Jesus is frustrated and challenges their lack of faith by reminding them of what he had already done.

The 5,000 fed with two fish and five loaves, and the 4,000 fed with seven loaves and a few fish.

And BOTH times, PLENTY was leftover, because you know EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY.

That’s just how we do it in the Kingdom!

Finally, the disciples have the epiphany and realize what Jesus was truly talking about - the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

And Jesus asks an important question to determine their readiness.

He starts by asking “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They respond by saying, “Well, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

But here’s the critical part next.

He asks, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And it was AFTER this, that you can see a joy in the way Jesus expresses Himself because of belief, and he goes on the utter the words we love “upon this rock, I will build my church” and the KJV version says “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

A few things I notice here:

The timing of the call.

I don’t think it was ironic at all that after Jesus continues to encounter the Pharisees and Sadducees, and sees the destruction they are causing to people through erroneous teaching, that he decided to commission the Apostolic grace on Peter and ultimately others to build His church.

A calling will always be preceded by a need.

This church was not just a great idea.

It wasn’t a business strategy.

It was a response to a NEED God saw in the city of San Antonio.

Upon THIS rock!

The condition of the call.

Jesus did nothing until He confirmed where they stood on their beliefs.

Which is why He needed to confirm, who do YOU say I am?

I heard what the others said, and honestly I don’t like it, but let me see what YOU gotta say.

And when Simon Peter boldly professes who He is, He knows not only that He’s heard from God (which is how He knows he will be able to sustain the call), but He also knows He’s ready to receive it now.

So the condition of the call is BELIEF.

In fact, Jesus spends a great deal of time focused on building up the faith of people to believe all throughout His journey.

So He proves Peter believed in who He was first, because He knew nothing would be built without BELIEF.

Rock solid BELIEF.

Upon this rock!

The distribution of the call.

When Jesus says upon THIS rock, there’s so many connotations here, but the first and one that is important was the clear connection to Peter.

Jesus speaks directly to Peter and says Matthew 16:18 “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

Jesus selects a leader He can trust to carry out the commission appropriately, and He knew He needed a ROCK.

And when He got ready to establish something different in the city of San Antonio and now stirring in the city of Houston, God said let me look down and find a ROCK.

Someone well capable of leading this people, a chosen, selected body, and allow he and his family to offer up their lives to BUILD HIS CHURCH.

And as mentioned before the rock was belief, because He knew whatever was built had to be built on truth.

Dissect the rock.

A few facts about the rock:

They’re hard, and capable of doing some damage.

And that’s on Goliath.

They’re not easy to break

Even when they’re broken, they just form more rocks

They’re steady and stable.

We see this when Jesus says in Matthew 7:24 ““Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

We further understand this through Luke 6:48 “It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock.

When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”

Somebody say Upon This Rock!

Now say, WELL BUILT.

But Jesus is also the rock, and that’s why building on a rock is a GREAT thing!

We see this in 1 Corinthians 10:4 “and all of them drank the same spiritual water.

For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.”

What does God want to build now?

Dissect the number 12

Well first I want to navigate us through the number 12.

Because making it through TWELVE years is significant.

It’s no small feat.

The number twelve is often referred to as the number of AUTHORITY and GOVERNMENTAL RULE.

We see so much in the bible around the number 12. Twelve disciples, twelve tribes of Israel, even in the natural systems of measurements being led by the number 12.

You know 12 inches in a foot.

The number 12 divides the day in two, and manages so much for us so on and so forth.

But it is the number of AUTHORITY and GOVERNMENTAL RULE.

There was a reason that in the twelth year, God expanded the AUTHORITY of the leader and people of this area, BUT also increased in Governmental Rule (Vice Presider), all with the understanding that HE has TRUSTED this PLACE to do MORE.

Upon this ROCK.

The 12th year was about alignment and realignment, and adjusting what wasn’t aligned to be aligned so that things can move forward PROPERLY.

An alignment on a car is necessary, because without alignment, that car will not drive forward without resistance unless it is carefully and sometimes uncomfortably steered by the driver.

So when things are not aligned, they attempt to switch the direction, and in order to course correct, they must be realigned.

God said He used year 12 to align everything appropriately because He’s ready to move forward, fast, and WITHOUT resistance in this next season.

Buckle up, because if you don’t, the speed of the next season will cause you whiplash.

Dissect the number 13

The number 13 carries multiple connotations.

There’s a view of it that highlights rebellion and lawlessness, and intensified spiritual warfare, all of which are no problem for the church built on the ROCK.

A church battled tested in spiritual warfare, and deliverance, and that thrives when devils try to show up.

Look at your neighbor and say “Ain’t no problem, ain’t no problem.”

But the number 13 also carries another connotation: Death and rebirth to the spirit, and new life.

New life!

In the new life, you know we receive a fresh start, there’s the recognition that some old things are left behind to emerge in the newness of who you’ve become.

There’s a separation from what was to embrace what is to emerge into what will be.

This season is a rebirth for new life that will be fueled by accelerated maturation to maintain the mantle of this ministry mecca being birthed through this ROCK.

(Turn to Apostle Kevin)

Begin to prophecy to Apostle Kevin: