The Confession of St. Peter – January 18, 2026

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Peter was an interesting disciple. At times he was bold, at other times he was very timid.

At times he exhibited a strong faith, like when Jesus told him to walk on water and come to him.

Yet at other times, he was weak in faith.

In a holy gospel for today, Peter gave a correct confession.

He identified Jesus as the Christ.

But he did not yet understand why Jesus had to go to the cross.

Later in the courtyard, Peter denied Jesus three times. But after the resurrection,

Jesus forgave him and called him to be an apostle to feed his sheep.

In the end, the apostle Peter was faithful.

He died a martyr's death in Rome under Emperor Nero.

We thank God for St. Peter. We are no different than Peter.

We are bold in our faith, yet also timid.

We confess that Jesus is our Savior And yet there are times when we don't understand

His purpose or His will for our life We are repentant like Peter And yet we

are also forgiven like Peter On account of Christ's death and His resurrection,

Even in the midst of hostility We are not ashamed of the gospel For it is our

only source of salvation.

A holy gospel for today took place at Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus asked his

disciples, who do people say that I am?

Jesus knew the answer to this question, because he knows all things,

but he asked this question leading up to a really a more important question.

And the disciples replied that some think that you are John the Baptist.

Some think that you are Elijah, and other people think that you're just a prophet.

In other words, people thought that Jesus was merely a man.

Then Jesus asked them, but who do you say that I am?

And Peter, speaking for all the disciples, said, You are the Christ.

This was a correct confession.

Jesus even commended Peter for it. And yet Peter did not arrive at this confession on his own.

It was the Father through the Holy Spirit who gave him the ability to confess who Jesus is.

And this confession that Jesus is the Christ is the foundation of Christianity,

a very important confession.

To confess Jesus is the Christ, Christ means what Peter meant too is he is the,

Jesus is the anointed one, that he is the Messiah, that he is the coming Savior.

He is like David, yet greater. He is greater than John the Baptist,

Elijah, and the other prophets.

Jesus is more than just a man.

But what about you? Who is Jesus to you?

Is he merely a man who said many good things and wise sayings?

Is he no different than Muhammad or Joseph Smith?

Is he merely a coach giving you a pep talk is he merely a moral teacher telling

you what to do in order to gain salvation.

Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God in human flesh.

As we confess this morning in the Nicene Creed, he is God of God,

light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made.

He is both God and man. He is human and divine.

And this confession of Christ, again, is foundation of Christianity because

if you misunderstand the person

of Christ, then you will misunderstand the scriptures and the gospel.

And you will also misunderstand Jesus and the source of your salvation.

Jesus goes on to talk about the necessity for him to suffer, to die, and arise again.

He said to his disciples, he put it this way,

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the

chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.

And this is exactly what was prophesied in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and other places.

Isaiah 53, for example, says that the Messiah will be a servant,

but a suffering servant.

Who will be despised by the people, that he will be stricken and smitten by

God and afflicted, that he will be wounded for our transgressions.

And this was the Father's will,

that Jesus suffer and die on the cross for you and for our salvation.

And this was absolutely necessary.

There's no other way of salvation for fallen mankind.

Peter did not like what he heard, and so he rebuked Jesus of all things. Peter rebuking Jesus?

This was not what Peter expected of the Christ.

He did not want Jesus to suffer and die, especially at the hands of the elders

and chief priests and scribes.

Peter had the identity of Jesus correct, but he misunderstood Jesus' mission.

If King Saul defeated the Ammonites and King David defeated Goliath,

then surely in Peter's mind, Jesus would defeat the Romans and restore a glorious

kingdom to Israel like at the time of Solomon.

Once again, Peter got the identity right, but the mission wrong.

His mind was set on things of man and not on things of God. It was as if Satan

was speaking through Peter.

Peter misunderstood Jesus' mission on other occasions as well.

For example, during the transfiguration, Peter wanted Jesus and the other disciples

to stay up on this mountain rather than go down to the cross.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tried to prevent Jesus' arrest by drawing

his sword and cutting off the ear of the guard.

And again, again and again, Peter's mind was fixed on the things of man and not on the things of God.

So who is Jesus?

Yes, he is the Christ. He is the son of the living God. And why did he come?

He came to die upon the cross for our salvation. In the Nicene Creed this morning,

we confess that he came for us and for our salvation.

He came to pay for our sins by means of the cross.

He did not come to defeat earthly enemies or the political powers,

but he came to defeat our true enemies of sin, death, and the devil.

At the cross, Jesus was judged and condemned in our place and on our behalf.

And because of the cross and resurrection, there is the forgiveness of sins for us poor sinners.

And heaven is open for you and me and for all who believe.

The theology of glory is man-centered. It sets its mind on things of man.

But the theology of the cross is Christ-centered.

The gospel is God's work, not ours.

What would a Jesus without a cross look like?

He would be powerful and successful according to worldly standards.

He would reward the good and punish the evil. Miracles would be common.

There would be no accidents and no suffering.

Life would be full of joy and happiness.

Satan wants a Jesus without a cross. What would Christianity look like without a cross?

It would be an ethical system of rules and punishments. It would be a philosophy of life.

It would be just one religion along with many others.

And Satan would want a Christianity without a cross.

But Jesus strictly charged his disciples not to tell anyone.

Why? Because they misunderstand his mission.

They did not yet understand, not yet, not yet understand the necessity of the

cross and the resurrection.

But after Pentecost, they did.

Peter's, of all people, Peter's sermon at Pentecost was beautiful.

He talked about the death and resurrection of Christ and the suffering of Christ and the cross.

And he called Jesus his Lord and God, both Lord and Christ. And then later on,

when Peter and John were in the temple, this lame man came to them.

And in the name of Jesus, this lame man was healed.

And then the chief priests and the leaders were offended by this healing and

the miracle that they performed.

And Peter boldly confessed, saying to them, There is salvation in no one else,

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

A beautiful confession of Christ and of his mission.

Salvation is found only through faith in Christ, our Savior.

Dearly beloved, who is Jesus to you?

He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is both divine and human, both God and man.

He was sent by the Father to redeem you from sin, death, and the devil.

And he died upon the cross for you and for your salvation.

And on the third day, he rose again and he lives forevermore.

You did not create your faith in Christ Rather the Holy Spirit freely gave you

faith in Christ By means of water and word You confess that salvation is found

in no one else Other than in Jesus,

The light of Christ shines through you The baptized as you bear witness of Christ

And when you partake of the Lord's Supper You receive the body and blood of

Christ to be sure But it's also a meal that St. Paul says is that you proclaim something.

You proclaim, you confess, you show forth your faith in Christ.

Your faith in his death until he comes again.

Jesus said, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

By God's grace, deny the world's definition of success.

Deny the sinful desire for immorality, injustice, power, or pride.

Take up your cross of suffering and follow Christ.

Even when you are ridiculed, count it all joy.

You are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is your only source of life and salvation.

It gives you peace and comfort that the world can never give.

Do not follow the world, the devil, or your sinful flesh.

Rather, follow Christ, who died for you, and arose for you, and who loves you.

He is your good shepherd.

He guards you from this adulterous and sinful generation.

He teaches you how to live faithfully as a son or daughter, a husband or wife, a student or a worker.

He also teaches you how to live the Christian life and how to love one another.

If you seek to save your life according to worldly standards,

then you will lose it eternally.

If you try to gain the whole world, you will forfeit your soul.

Salvation cannot be earned. It is given by grace alone through faith in Christ.

If you live an unrepentant life, then there will be no salvation.

If you are ashamed of Christ and his words, then on the last day he will say

to you, I never knew you, depart from me.

And these are all warnings for us not to reject the gospel.

Jesus sought the cross so that you may be saved.

He humbled himself unto death for you.

And so by God's grace, receive the gospel. the forgiveness of sins.

Live a repentant life with faith in Christ and you will receive eternal life.

On Easter Sunday, Jesus forgave Peter when Peter denied Jesus three times.

Three times Jesus asked Peter, feed my sheep, and Jesus said yes.

And Jesus then sent Peter and the other apostles to preach the gospel throughout the world.

Peter's restoration stands as a testimony to Christ's mercy toward us, poor sinners.

Today, Christ restores us, and he forgives us as well. Who is Jesus?

You confess with your lips and you believe in your heart that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of the living God, both God and man.

Why did Jesus come into this world? You confess with your lips and you believe

in your heart that Jesus paid for your sins and that he defeated death and the devil.

The person of Christ and the work of Christ go together.

The person of Christ and the work of Christ go together. You cannot have one without the other.

We thank God for the ministry of St. Peter.

We thank God that he has given us faith in Christ, forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

May God use us as servants within his kingdom, pointing others to Jesus, our one and only Savior.

May we pick up our cross of suffering and follow Jesus all the way to heaven.

God grant this. Amen.