WHERE WE ARE AT
† The Sermon on the Mount.
† He and his Disciples and Apostles begin to travel from Galilee to Capernaum.
† Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant.
† He then has dinner in a Pharisees home where He was anointed by a sinful woman who had repented.
† Jesus then returns to Galilee preaching along the way.
† Jesus Calms the Storm.
† A Prophet without Honor in His hometown
† Jesus send out the Twelve
† John the Baptist Martyred
† Jesus Feeds 5000
† Jesus’ Prayer Life
INTRODUCTION
Jesus, having just spent the afternoon praying to the Father in heaven in solitude, walked on water to reach the Apostles in their boat, which was in the Sea of Galilee in a storm.
As Jesus approached, they thought He was a ghost or spirit at first and they did not recognize Him.
Many times in the scriptures we see that.
Jesus walked with two of the Apostles after His resurrection and they did not recognize Him.
When Jesus appeared to the Apostles in a prayer meeting, some recognized Him while others, such as Thomas had to have more proof to be convinced because he didn’t recognize Jesus.
Many times in our lives, Jesus appears to us in our dreams, our thoughts, He replies in our hearts, and we sometimes do not recognize it is Him.
How many times has the Lord tried to reach you, and you did not recognize it was Him?
After they returned to the shore, the Apostles knew it was Jesus.
And the scriptures say, they worshipped Him and they recognized He was the Son of God, although none had said it.
None of the Apostles at this point have confessed with their mouths that Jesus was Christ.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 16:13 – 20 Peter Confesses Christ
13 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.
I. Who do people say I am?
On the answer to this question hinges the Salvation of man.
a. John the Baptist
i. King Harod believed Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life to get him for beheading him.
b. Elijah
i. The Jews knew from the scriptures that in the end, Elijah is to return to preach.
ii. This is why they make a place setting for him at every Pessach, and not only do they mention him in the Haggadah, but the children run to the door and call out to him before the meal to see if he has come.
iii. I believe the scriptures are true, and Elijah is going to come in the end to preach, but this is going to happen in the Tribulation.
c. Jeremiah or one of the Prophets
i. Even other religions, such as Islam, will acknowledge Jesus as a Prophet of God. Anyone who teaches the Old Testament is recognized as a Prophet of God.
ii. But being a Prophet of God is not enough to save a man from the debt he owes to God under the covenant of the Law. For the penalty for sin is death and separation from the Father in Heaven.
iii. Only the perfect sacrifice could REMOVE that sin and make us right with the Lord, and giving us access to the Father in Heaven once again.
II. Who do you say I am?
a. Simon Peter exclaimed “You are Christ, Son of the Living God”
b. Jesus answered “Blessed are you, because this can only be revealed by the Father in Heaven through the Holy Spirit”
c. The Apostles had a measure of the Holy Spirit, and they had Salvation when Christ died on the Cross.
i. They were Saved BEFORE Pentecost, which took place 50 days after Jesus rose, which was 10 days after His ascension.
ii. Pentecost was ON the day the Jews were instructed by God to celebrate the Feast of the Harvest, which signified the decree given by the King which authorized God’s people to be able to use force to defend themselves against their enemies. It was a declaration of power and authority given by the King.
iii. The EXACT SAME DAY Pentecost took place, Where the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.
iv. The Decree from our King, which gives us power and authority in the Name of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.
v. Along with that Holy Spirit, we have the power and authority to defend ourselves as well against the devil and his attacks, through the whole armor of God.
vi. We also obtained the Spiritual Fruits, which is the Character of God in our lives, not by us, but produced by the Holy Spirit living in us.
vii. And the Spiritual Gifts from the Holy Spirit, which give us abilities that, Build and Strengthen the Body of Believers, called the Body of Christ, or the True Church here on earth.
d. This revelation by the Holy Spirit which brings Salvation, brings us to a point that we are a New Creature, a New Creation in Christ Jesus!
i. Jesus shows us this by changing Simon Peters name to Peter which means fragment of rock.
III. The True Church (Body of Believers)
a. Upon this rock I will build my church.
i. Not on Peter…but the Confession of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
ii. Peter is but a man, and the scriptures tell us men fail.
iii. Is Peter greater than Jesus?? Some Churches say Peter is the foundation of the Church, and it’s built upon him…but the scriptures are clear there is only 1 foundation, Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 11 – 17
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
iv. Christ is the Rock! No other foundation will do!
v. Will you build on sand or the rock?
b. Christ is building His church, the body of Christ on the foundation (HIM) by the Confession of Believers that Jesus is the Christ which is revealed by the Father in Heaven through the Holy Spirit.
c. And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!
i. Death, where is thy sting!
ii. Victory over sin and the effects of it…lost to the Victory of the Cross!
Matthew 16:24 – 28
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
IV. Power and Authority to all Believers
a. Jesus tells us what the Believers who confess Him receive.
i. Jesus will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven
1. The Kingdom to heaven is here and now!!!
2. Believers in Christ who confess Him, will have access to the Kingdom of Heaven along with all of it’s benefits, blessings, provisions, power and authority given through the Lord of Lord and King of Kings most Holy Name!
ii. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.
Mark 16:15 – 18
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (New Covenant), but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(By the Old Covenant) 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; (not bind as in tie up) they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (devils and servants of satan) and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
iii. What is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.
1. What is loosed? The Power of God!
Jesus then commands the Disciples to tell no man He was Jesus Christ…
Why?
Because the Name Jesus Christ means He is the Messiah.
And by this time in Jesus’ ministry Israel has rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus came first to the Jew, then the Gentile.
The Jews have rejected Him, and there was no use proclaiming He was the Messiah any longer to the Jews.
Now was the time for the Gentiles.
We now live in what is called the Church age.
For Jew and Gentile, Salvation is available to all!
If you have never proclaimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can right now.
Simply confess that you are sinful, we all are according to God’s Law.
Confess Jesus is the Lord, and died to pay the price for those sins.
Repent from those sins, and live for Jesus Christ.
Jesus said the greatest of all commands is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body and soul.
And to love your neighbor (unsaved) as yourself.
Jesus also says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands”
If you want to show Jesus you love Him today, right now, then obey His commands.
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