Sermon Tone Analysis

Building the Church – Jesus’ Identity & Purpose

Matt.

16: 13 – 18

/When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked.

“Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

/(NIV)

 

!!! /        /INTRO:  Caeserea Philippi

* *

*1: Gentile Territory*

·        120 miles from Jerusalem

/  /Following the Jewish exile pagan nomadic people settled there

·        Mix of Syrian & Greek god’s worshipped there

 

*2:  The Disciples*

·        Forsook family, friends & jobs to follow Jesus

·        Now in a place where strange god’s were worshipped

·        They must have had at least some sense that there was something special @ Jesus

* *

*(vs.

13)*

/        /*JESUS ASKS: Who do men say that I am?*

Why did he ask?

--  Did it matter what the answer would be?

 

*(vs.

14)*

*            THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION THEN:*

/     /*John the Baptist – *(Mt.

14:2, Lk 9:7) Herod was concerned – He had just beheaded John and some claimed John had risen from the dead.

/         /*BUT* people noticed John did no miracles as Jesus But everything John said about Jesus came       true – (Jn.

10:41)

*Elijah – *(Mal.

4:5) Elijah is prophesied to come back before the end times.

*Jeremiah – *Extra biblical books claim he would proceed Messiah revealing location of the Ark of the Covenant, Tabernacle and alter of incense.

Legend says Jeremiah hid them in Mt.

Nebo.

*THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSION STILL TODAY!!!*

*Have you ever noticed?

- *The primary confusion in all religion centers on who Jesus and is.

Islam – He was a great prophet BUT Muhammad was greater

JW’s – He is “a god” but not The God

Mormon’s – He is an example for man to become a god himself

Atheist’s Buddhist’s & Hindus – No actual person of God at all

!

·        PLAY MOVIE

!  

! “Fragments Of Truth In Each”

“The World Council of Churches has suggested that Chairs of Buddhists, Hindu and Muslim scholars be appointed in Christian universities and Muslim, Hindu and Buddhists universities have a Chair of Christian studies.

Ecumenicists believe that divine truth is so rich and many-sided that only fragments are found in any one faith.”

[1]

 

* (Vs.

15)*

*BUT IS THIS TRUE?*

*2: WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?*

”/A momentous inquiry!

upon which hung the foundation of the Christian Church.

Their knowledge of the real nature of Jesus was now to be tested.”/

[2]

 

*(vs.

16)*

*            /“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”/*

*            **PETER’S ANSWER:*

-         The Christ – Messiah

-         Son of the living God:

·        Distinction of living God among dead god’s where they were

·        *Many will ask: *If He is the son of God how can He be God?

 

/The idea that "son of God" means inferiority is faulty based on context and an understanding of scripture.

If we look at /*1 Kings 20:35 (sons of prophets)*/ and /*Neh.

12:28 (sons of singers)*/ we begin to understand that this doesn't mean a literal son BUT could more appropriately be translated as "of the order of".

When Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God He was claiming to have the exact essence of the Father.

He was claiming full deity.

We know this by the context of /

/John 19:7.

*READ: *"We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God."  (this law is from Leviticus 24: 16)/

 

*(vs.

17)*

!!!!! “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah”

*            **JESUS’ ACCEPTANCE OF PETER’S CLAIM:*

-         In this area of many god’s Peter calls Jesus THE GOD!

-         Jesus obviously accepts this bold assertion from Peter

-         Some question if Jesus saw Himself as Messiah *– THERE IS NO QUESTION HE DID!*

 

*OTHER CLAIMS OF JESUS:*

*Jesus makes Himself the object of faith*

* He says things like: "He who believes in me believes in the father who sent Me", "Believe in me", "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for *My sake*"

* A good Rabbi is expected to say something like "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for *God's sake*"

Dr. Gregory A. Boyd, Edward K. Boyd, /Letters From a Skeptic/ Cook Communications Ministries, 1994 pp. 112

o        *John 14:6 - */I am the way, truth, and life: no man comes to the Father, but by me./

 

*Jesus makes Himself the authority of faith and truth*

* "You have heard it was said to men of old...*But I say*..." (Matt.

5: 21-44), "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," (Matt.

28:18) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but *my* words will not pass away" (Matt.

24:35) If He said these things But He’s NOT God:

/"I'm trying here to prevent anyone saying...'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'

That is the one thing we must not say.

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.

He would either be a lunatic-on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice.

either this man was, and is, the son of God; or else a madman or something worse.

You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.

But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher."/

\\ C. S. Lewis, /Mere Christianity/ Harper Collins, 2001, p. 52

 

• Several times in the Old Testament the expected Messiah is referred to as God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.

\\ • The prophet Isaiah writes that the Messiah will be titled, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

\\ • The name Jesus or Joshua can be translated, “God saves.”

\\ • Jesus is called Emmanuel, or “God with us.”

/ /

!!!! “For this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father”

!! GOD IS WORKING TO REVEAL HIMSELF

*1 Cor.

12:3 (NKJV)-* “no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

*            *

*(vs.

18)*

*            “/You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”/*