Matthew 16

PETER

  • Called as a fisherman, walking on water through the storms…
  • Peter was not perfect...who is?
  • He was flawed, yet he was also a follower of Christ
  • He was called to follow Christ as an imperfect person
  • He continued to follow as an imperfect person
  • God used him, flaws and all to further the Kingdom of God!
  • so all imperfect people can learn from him...who falls into that category?
  • Today I want to look at one of the biggest turn-rounds in the life of Peter
  • I want to talk about the difference between speaking in the Spirit and speaking in the flesh
  • I want to talk about how we answer the most important question that could be asked of us
  • I want to talk about being a bedrock or a stumbling block for the Kingdom of God…

Background

  • Just before this...feeding of the crowd miracle
  • so naturally to follow up this miracle the religious leaders of the time come and ask for a sign...cuz that makes sense
  • Jesus warns his disciples not to allow the “yeast” of the pharisees to enter into their hearts and minds...a big thing because all their lives they were told Pharisees = right, Jesus is now revealing to them that the Pharisees have it so backward they don’t even know who he is (and they have been waiting for him!)

Matthew 16:13-20

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked hisdisciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; andstill others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the livingGod.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this wasnot revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will buildmy church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I willgive you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind onearth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth willbe loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tellanyone that he was the Messiah.

Peter as the Bedrock!

  • Jesus knows the Pharisees don’t know who he is…

    He asks his disciples who others think he is

  • Then...the most important question – who do YOU say I am

  • Peter answers “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

  • Jesus proclaims then that the Spirit of God revealed this to Peter an Peter spoke it

  • The Spirit revealed it...and Peter spoke it

  • And because of this Simon Peter is called “Peter” meaning stable rock by the Messiah of the World

  • In the future we will see Jesus shift from “Simon” and “Peter”

  • Quick note: “on the rock” is not refering to the person of Peter (some take this passage to mean Peter is some kind of “first pope”) but the phrase “You and the Messiah the Son of the Living God”

  • That answer to the question...who do you say I am...that is what the entirety of the Church ought to be built on

  • When Peter remembers to rely on the Spirit he is called STABLE ROCK (Peter)

  • When Peter falters back into his reliance of the flesh (Jesus predicts his betrayal, he falls asleep in the garden, cuts a guys ear off, etc…) he is called “simon”

  • The most important question...

Why?

  • If we change the question of what the church is built on...if we try and build it on preaching style or music choice or decoration...or even method of baptism or communion...we fail

  • If we try and build our personal faith on anything other than “Jesus is Messiah” … on being “good enough” , on giving enough or serving enough, or getting “our way” enough...we fail

  • Even more than just failing ourselves though...we fail the KINGDOM…

  • Keeping our eye on the most important question…

  • This is vital, because in the next verses we see that the church

  • (that’s you and me and anyone who answers the question with “Jesus is the messiah”)

  • I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven

  • We have the KEYS! (Wait what is God thinking…)

  • We have to ability to be either the bedrock...the firm foundation for people to come to God...or to be something else entirely...

  • It builds our foundation

  • If you do not think Jesus is Messiah...you have no savior

  • If you think Jesus was just a great man with great teaching, then you still have to do something about your sin problem

  • If you believe Jesus was and is the Messiah...then you can be free from the slavery of sin because of what HE did for you

  • You can then be a bedrock for the kingdom of God because your foundation is strong

  • when we shift our focus from this bed rock...Jesus is Messiah,

  • God loving sent the Messiah for all people to receive SALVATION

  • Jesus as Messiah sacrificing his life for the payment of sin...that is what is required for any flawed person to find salvation

  • Jesus did not wait for Peter to become flawed to call him...God does not wait for any person to be perfect to become a recipient of their love!

  • So...we ought not wait for people to be perfect before we extend love and grace to them. And one of the best way to show that love and grace is to share how we answer this question – who do you say I am

  • YOU ARE THE MESSIAH!

Matthew 16:21-23

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that hemust go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of theelders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that hemust be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” hesaid. “This shall never happen to you!” 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are astumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God,but merely human concerns.”

Peter as stumbling block

  • *sigh* after this declaration of Peter driven by the Holy Spirit...it is disheartening to see what happens next isn’t it?

    Peter had it!

  • Why?

  • The Bedrock became a stumbling block

  • So Jesus rebukes him (note the rebuke is to Simon Peter alone, he takes him aside) calls him “satan” which means tempter

  • Jesus is Messiah! He said it

  • Peter knew Jesus was the promised one, the Pharisees had missed it, but this fisherman got it

  • Peter had seen Jesus’ perform miracles, He had heard the amazing teachings

  • He had stepped out of a boat into the storm with Jesus

  • and yet...Simon Peter here...becomes a stumbling block

  • ...his eyes came off the savior,

  • his mind stopped remembering that vital question “Who do you say I am”

  • his focus turned toward the flesh...Jesus would be KILLED?

  • This guy he thought, believed, KNEW was the messiah...would SUFFER?

  • this was not what Simon Peter wanted

  • nope...Simon would have picked another way

  • this way was hard and messy and… just frankly upside down and backward

Conclusion

  • Which will you be...a bedrock or a stumbling block

I pray that I will be driven by the Spirit, so that even when things do not go the way I want...that I will remember “JESUS IS MESSIAH”

Church we need to be this bedrock...we must be built on this AND NOTHING ELSE...otherwise we will fail, we will cause a stumbling block for those that desire to enter the Kingdom of God Christ died to open up to all

4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosenby God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, arebeing built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood,offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 2:4-5)