Matthew Ch16v13-28 - Who is Jesus?

So, again, if you haven't got a Bible, I encourage you to get a Bible.

You can get one as you came in.

Also, the notes, if you like to take notes, that's simply to help you focus,

focus, concentrate, and something you can take home and reflect on afterwards.

So, if you want one of these, there's some on the table.

Feel free to go and get one now, and a pen as well at the door.

Turn in your Bibles, please, to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 16.

Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 16.

And we're going to start in verse 13.

We're going to read from verse 13 to the end of the chapter.

Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 16.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,

Who do you say the Son of Man is?

They replied,

Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah,

and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

But what about you?

He asked.

Who do you say I am?

Simon Peter answered,

You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus replied,

Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah,

for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,

but by my Father in heaven.

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.

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

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples

that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders,

the chief priests and teachers of the law,

that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him.

Never, Lord, he said.

This shall never happen to you.

Jesus turned and said to Peter,

Get behind me, Satan.

You are a stumbling block to me.

You do not have in mind the concerns of God,

but merely human concerns.

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

Whoever wants to be my disciples

must deny themselves, take up their cross,

and follow me.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,

but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world,

yet forfeit their soul?

Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

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 they have done.

Truly I tell you,

some who are standing here

will not taste death

before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Well, let's pray.

Amen.

Jesus said to Peter,

Blessed are you,

for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,

but by my Father in heaven.

Lord, as we come to your word,

we recognize that we have not got the ability within ourselves

to comprehend and understand fully

the words that we read

and all that they mean.

And so we pray that just as you worked in Peter's life,

you would work in our hearts today

and reveal to us

the truth of who Jesus is

so that we are convinced

and convicted

that we would follow him,

that we would give our life

for him.

Help us now, we pray.

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Do you know Jesus?

I don't mean do you know about him,

but do you know him personally

and intimately?

Because as we get to Matthew 16,

we come to a turning point

in the gospel.

We have heard Jesus.

We have seen his actions.

We have observed his miracles.

And now Jesus confronts us with this question.

Do you know me?

Do you know me?

Three things Jesus wants us to know

that we're going to look at together.

We're going to look at his identity,

his purpose,

and the cost.

Identity, purpose, and cost.

So here's the first one.

Identity, who Jesus is.

To get to the heart of who Jesus is,

he asks a question.

We see it there.

Do you follow with me?

At the end of verse 13.

Who do people say

the Son of Man is?

Who do you say

the Son of Man is?

Now the Son of Man

was a person of great significance

promised by God.

And we can find out

all about who the Son of Man is

in Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

So if you turn with me

to Daniel chapter 7,

Daniel 7:13

verse 13 and 14.

And if you've got a page number,

you can help me out there

and I'll call it out.

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

892.

892.

Page 892.

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

Daniel is a prophet of God

and in this chapter

he has a vision.

And in his vision

he sees four beasts

which represent the

powerful kingdoms and empires,

the rulers and the leaders

of this world.

But by the end of the vision

Daniel sees something else.

We pick it up in verse 13.

In my vision at night

I looked and there before me

was one like a Son of Man.

Son of Man here just simply means

a human being, a man.

Coming with the clouds of heaven.

So he was a unique man.

He approached the Ancient of Days,

that's God himself,

and was led into God's presence.

And this man was given authority,

glory and sovereign power.

All nations and peoples

of every language

worshipped him.

And his dominion is an everlasting dominion

that will not pass away.

And his kingdom is one

that will never be destroyed.

Daniel's vision is striking, isn't it?

He's saying kings and kingdoms will come,

empires and rulers will rise up,

but they will be surpassed

by the coming

of one who is called

the Son of Man.

His rule will be with absolute power

and supreme authority.

Let's go back to Matthew's Gospel.

So with that in mind,

we can see the significance

of Jesus' question to the disciples

when he asks them,

who do you say

the Son of Man is?

Where's this man

with all power

and all authority?

Well, they answer,

verse 14,

some say it's John the Baptist,

others say Elijah,

still others,

Jeremiah or one of the prophets,

each of which

were great prophets

in their own time and age.

But what about you?

He asked,

I'm not interested

in what other people say.

I'm interested

in what you say.

Who do you say

I am?

Simon Peter answered,

you are the Messiah,

the Son of the living God.

Now we might wonder,

why didn't Peter say

you're the Son of Man

since that was the very question

Jesus asked.

But Peter's answer

is affirming

the very same thing.

Together,

with the disciples,

they recognise

that Jesus

is God's Messiah.

He's the promised King

who's come to establish

an eternal kingdom.

He is the Son of the living God.

God in human form

to reign and to rule.

this Jesus

who stands before them,

who they can hear

and see

and laugh with

and eat with

is nothing less

than the God-man

with all power

and all authority.

Of course,

Jesus has been proving this

all the way

through his ministry

as he healed the sick,

controlled nature,

overpowered demons,

defeated death.

Jesus confronted

the forces of evil

and the powers of darkness

and he was champion

over them all.

So the question for us

today is,

do you,

not talking about

anybody else,

but to you personally,

do you know

this Jesus?

Have you acknowledged

his position of power

and his rule

over all things

and all people?

Have you identified

Jesus as the God-man

who owns your life

and has authority

over your life?

You see,

for Peter,

identifying Jesus

correctly

was not just

an academic exercise.

He wasn't out

to impress

his fellow disciples.

Oh,

do you see

what answer I gave?

A.

A plus.

Or somehow

kind of

moving up

the pecking order.

No,

Peter's confession

of who Jesus is

is both

a universal

declaration

and a personal

conviction.

declaration.

First,

it's a universal

declaration.

You see,

the rule of Jesus

is not confined

to some people

in some places.

It is declared

to all nations

and all people.

Look at verse 18.

Jesus says to Peter,

I tell you

that you are Peter

and on this rock

I will build

my church.

Now,

there's a clever

play on words here

because the word

Peter means

rock.

So,

we can read

verse 18.

Jesus says,

I tell you

that you are rock

and on this rock

I will build

my church.

So,

who or what

is the rock

on which the church

will be built?

Well,

it's Peter

and his confession

of who Jesus is.

In other words,

the rock

or the foundation

is the declaration

that Jesus

is king.

So,

as the identity

of Jesus

is proclaimed,

as the authority

and power

of Jesus

is declared

over all things

and all people,

on this foundation,

the church

will be built.

And the fact

that there are people

all over the world

today,

including ourselves

right here,

right now,

giving glory

and praise

and honour

to Jesus

proves

the promise

of Jesus.

Look at the end

of verse 18.

He says,

I will build

my church

and the gates

of Hades,

literally,

the forces

of darkness

and evil,

of hell itself

will not

be able

to overcome it.

So,

as the authority

and power

of Jesus

is declared,

so the church

is being built

and it is

being built.

But it's not

just a universal

declaration,

it's a personal

conviction.

temptation.

Because for Peter

this was not

just some

abstract idea,

this was a

personal,

deep-hearted

belief.

Look at how

Jesus affirms

Peter in verse 19.

He says to Peter,

I will give you

the keys of the

kingdom of heaven,

whatever you

bind on earth

will be bound

in heaven,

whatever you

loose on earth

will be loosed

in heaven.

Now,

it's an

extraordinary

statement and

there's lots

we could say

about it and

maybe there's

more you want

to discuss

with me

afterwards.

But basically,

I want us to

get this,

that Peter

and the church

that follows

the people

today,

we are the

church,

people who

confess

Jesus Christ

have been

given the

keys

to the

kingdom.

kingdom.

That is,

the church

discerns

who is in

the kingdom

and who is

not in the

kingdom.

Jesus has

given the

church the

authority

to open

the door

and to

close the

door.

But you

say,

how do you

discern who

is in the

kingdom?

Well,

by the

person's

confession

of who

Jesus is.

As people

hear the

declaration

about

Jesus,

and as

people make

a personal

confession

of Jesus,

so they

are welcomed

into the

kingdom of

Jesus.

You see,

knowing the

identity of

Jesus is

not just a

tick-box

exercise.

We're not

here giving

answers like

we would in

school.

It's a

personal

confession,

a deep

conviction

that Jesus

is God

with absolute

power and

supreme

authority.

It's

admitting

and submitting

to the

fact that

Jesus is

king of

the universe

and rules

over every

aspect of

my life.

Do you

know

this Jesus?

So,

we've looked

at the

identity.

second,

the purpose,

why Jesus

came.

Having made

his identity

clear,

Jesus now

tells us

his purpose,

verse 21.

From that

time on,

Jesus began

to explain

to his

disciples that

he must

go to

Jerusalem and

suffer many

things at

the hands

of the

elders,

the chief

priests,

and the

teachers of

the law,

and that

he must

be killed

and on

the third

day be

raised to

life.

This is

where everything

is headed in

Matthew's

gospel.

This is

the mini

mission statement

of Jesus.

Jesus,

why did

you come?

I came to

suffer,

I came to

die,

and I

came to

rise again.

Jesus

must

suffer,

verse 21.

He began

to explain

to his

disciples

that he

must go

to Jerusalem

and suffer.

Now,

hang on a

minute,

you say.

Jesus is

God's

king with

supreme

power and

sovereign

authority.

He's the

son of

man that

everybody

was

expecting.

He rules

over

everything,

and you're

telling me

he's going

to Jerusalem

to suffer?

Doesn't

sound very

kingly to

me.

Sounds

more like

weakness

than power.

Peter's

response is

understandable.

It's perhaps

how we

might respond.

Verse 22.

Peter took

him aside

and began

to rebuke

Jesus.

Never,

Lord,

he said.

This shall

never happen

to you.

You can't

suffer.

You're the

son of

man.

You can

overthrow

anyone and

overcome

anything.

No,

Jesus

must

suffer.

You see,

through the

sufferings of

Jesus,

he identifies

with our

suffering,

and he

helps us

in our

suffering.

That's what

the writer of

Hebrews makes

clear.

You can read

it there on

screen.

Because

Jesus

himself

suffered

when he

was tempted

or tested,

it's the

same word,

he is able

to help

those being

tested

and tempted.

it literally

means that

Jesus suffers

with us.

Jesus is,

if you like,

our co-sufferer.

It's a

heart-to-heart

solidarity.

Jesus is

saying,

your struggle

is my

struggle.

Your burden

is my

burden.

Your pain

is my

pain.

Jesus

feels

for us

in our

suffering

as if it

was his

very own,

even though

it isn't.

Jesus

must

suffer

so that

we might

have one

who understands

us in

our own

struggles

and trials.

But one

who merely

suffers

is not

enough,

is it?

As the

suffering

God-man,

he not

only knows

what it

is to

suffer,

but he

helps

us

in our

suffering.

No matter

what depth

you may

descend,

no matter

what darkness

you may

enter,

Jesus is

not just

with you,

but he

is under

you,

strengthening

you,

and upholding

you.

Jesus

experienced

the full

effects and

consequences

of living

in a

fallen

world.

He

literally

clothed

himself

with

human

weakness.

His

mind

and his

body

struggled

just like

we do.

He

suffered

so that

he might

understand

us

and give

to us

what we

need.

Jesus

must

suffer.

But more

than that,

Jesus

must

die.

We can

understand

Peter's

objection,

but they're

wrong.

Jesus

must

suffer

and he

must

die.

Look at

verse 23

with me.

Jesus

turned and

said to

Peter,

get behind

me,

Satan.

You're a

stumbling

block to

me.

You do

not have

in mind

the

concerns

of God,

but

merely

human

concerns.

From

being the

foundational

rock,

Peter

now

becomes

the

stumbling

block.

Without

realizing

it,

he's

become

an

obstacle

to

what

Jesus

must

do.

But

to

stop

Jesus

from

dying

is

to

be

on

the

side

of

Satan.

Jesus

must

die.

die.

Now

while Peter

struggles

with what

it means

at this

stage,

he would

later come

to understand

that Jesus

must die.

Peter

himself

would

write this

in

1 Peter.

Follow

with me

on the

screen.

He

himself,

that's

Jesus

himself,

bore

our

sins

in

his

body

on

the

cross

so

that

we

might

die

to

sins

and

live

for

righteousness.

By

his

wounds

you

have

been

healed.

You

see,

sin

is not

just

rejection

and

rebellion

against

God.

Sin

is

replacing

God

with

self.

It's

saying,

I'm

the

king,

I

rule

my

life,

and

I'm

going

to

live

as

I

please.

It's

taking

the

crown

of

sovereign

authority

that

belongs

to

Jesus,

taking

it

off

his

head

and

putting

it

on

my

head.

It's

declaring

war

on

Jesus.

It's

what we

all

do.

But

Jesus

says

there

will

only

be

one

outcome.

Either

Jesus

is

going

to

die

for

you

or

you

will

die

for

your

sin.

What's

it

going

to

be?

Either

Jesus

dies

or

you

die.

You

see,

the

king,

with all

power

and all

authority,

came not

just to

suffer

with

us,

but he

came to

suffer

for

us.

He

would

become

our

sin

for

us.

Every

word

of

rejection,

every

act

of

rebellion

would

be

borne

by

Jesus

as

he

hung

on

the

cross.

He

died

my

death.

He

suffered

my

condemnation.

He

endured

my

punishment

so that

I

could

be

healed,

forgiven,

welcomed,

and

treasured.

Jesus

came to

die for

you

and for

me.

To

quote

one old

preacher,

if we

trust in

Jesus,

he

says,

you

now

stand

before

God

as

if

you

were

Christ,

because

Christ

stood

before

God

as

if

he

were

you.

Jesus

must

suffer,

Jesus

must

die,

and

Jesus

must

rise.

That's

what he

says in

verse

21.

This

is my

reason

for

coming,

that

I

would

be

killed

and

on

the

third

day

be

raised

to

life.

Jesus

came in

weakness.

He

would

suffer

and

he

would

die,

but

only

so

that

he

would

display

his

greatness

and

his

power,

because

through

the

resurrection

Jesus

proves

his

authority

over

death

and

the

glory

that

is

yet

to

come.

Again,

Peter

was

struggling

to see

how

any

of

this

could

be

true,

but

as

he

became

a

witness

to

the

death

of

Jesus

and

a

witness

to

the

risen

Jesus

it

would

all

become

clear.

Come

with me

please

to

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1.

Follow

with me

in this.

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1.

And

again,

if you've

got a

page

number,

shout

it out

and I'll

call it

out.

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1.

1.217

There's the

teacher for

you,

always loud

and clear.

1 Peter

1 Peter 1:3

chapter

1

verse

3

So here's

the promise

that we

have because

of Jesus'

resurrection.

And note

again,

it's Peter

having

witnessed

the death

and

resurrection

of Jesus.

He now

writes

these things.

Follow

with me

verse 3.

Praise

be to

the God

and Father

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

In his

great mercy

he has

given us

new birth

into a

living hope

through

the

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ

from the

dead

and into

an inheritance

that can

never perish,

spoil,

or fade.

Our bodies

will perish.

Our possessions

will spoil.

Our world

will fade.

but the

glory of

the

eternal

kingdom

will never

perish,

never spoil,

never fade.

Verse 4

This

inheritance

is kept

in heaven

for you

who

through faith

are shielded

by God's

power until

the coming

of the

salvation

that is

ready to be

revealed in

the last

time.

I wonder

if you can

see there

in verse

4 and

5 how

the

resurrection

is our

security

and our

safety.

On the

one hand,

verse 4,

heaven is

kept for

us,

beginning

of verse

5,

and we

are kept

for heaven.

We are

shielded

by God's

power.

Heaven

is kept

and we

are kept.

Those

who trust

in Jesus

have this

living hope

because

Jesus

suffered

for you,

Jesus

died for

you,

and Jesus

rose again

for you.

Of course,

facing death

is still a

struggle.

And you

know why

death is

always so

hard?

death is

because death

takes from

us the

things we

cherish,

the people

we deeply

love.

Yet

they're always

temporary.

The things

of this

world will

perish,

spoil,

and fade.

But yet

in God's

hands,

they are

gifts from

God to

prepare us

for the

greatest gift

of all,

God

himself

in his

eternal

kingdom.

Jesus

came

to suffer

for you,

to die

for you,

to rise

again

for you.

but there's

something else

Jesus wants

us to

know.

The cost.

You see,

what we

think about

Jesus will

determine how

we respond

to Jesus.

If we

understand his

identity,

if we

understand his

purpose,

then we

will count

the cost.

Look at

verse 24.

Go back

with me to

Matthew

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16.

chapter 16,

verse 24.

Then Jesus

said to his

disciples,

look,

he says,

you've got

my identity

clear.

You've got

the purpose

clear.

So whoever

wants to

be my

disciple

must deny

themselves,

take up

their cross.

and follow

me.

The

evidence

that we

understand

who

Jesus

is

and why

Jesus

came,

that if

we've

accepted it

and embraced

it,

it will be

seen,

it will be

worked out

in our

life.

And the

evidence will

be crystal

clear to

us all.

will mean

three things

very simply.

It will

mean denying

yourself.

Jesus

says, if you

want to be

my disciple,

you must

deny

yourself.

To deny

yourself is

to die

to self.

rule.

You see, we

all want to

play the

role of

sovereign

king,

don't we?

We're all

king of

our

castles.

I want

to be

the boss

of my

life.

I don't

want anybody

telling me

what I

should do

or how

I should

live.

I want

to do

things

my way.

But to

deny

yourself

is to

give up

the fight

to self

rule.

Instead,

it means

living under

his authority

and submitting

to his

rule.

It's about

seeking first

the kingdom

of God,

not the

kingdom of

Johnny Grant

that will

come to

nothing.

What will

this look

like for

us?

Well, it

starts with

the king's

word, the

king's

authority.

It means

not just

listening to

a few words

on a Sunday,

but reading

his word,

coming under

his authority

and obeying

what he

says,

because he

is king

and he

is lord.

Deny

yourself.

Second,

take up

your cross.

Jesus

says if

you're a

disciple,

then you

must take

up your

cross.

To take

up your

cross is

to lose

your life.

Remember,

the cross

was a

form of

execution.

It was

the death

penalty.

So to

take up

your cross

is saying,

I am

willing to

die for

Jesus.

Jesus.

Some of

you are

perhaps wearing

a cross

today on

a chain

around your

neck.

I have

no problem

with it,

by the way,

with that

chain,

with that

cross.

But what

does it

mean to

you if

you put

it on

in the

morning?

As you

put it

on in

the

morning,

it's

saying,

I'm

willing to

die for

Jesus.

That's

what the

cross

means.

rather

than

save

my

life,

I

will

lose

my

life

for

him.

Verse

25.

For

whoever

wants

to

save

their

life

will

lose

it,

but

whoever

loses

their

life

for

me

will

find

it.

You

see,

if

Jesus

gave

his

all

for

you,

if

he

gave

his

life

for

you,

to

save

you,

and

bring

you

safely

and

securely

to

his

eternal

kingdom,

if

Jesus

did

that

for

you,

then

we

will

give

our

life

to

him.

At

the

very

least,

it

means

embracing

a

path

of

loving

sacrifice

and

humble

service.

Taking

up

your

cross

is

going

to

mean

walking

a

path

of

suffering.

life.

If

you're

after

an

easy

life,

if

you

want

a

comfortable

life,

if

you

want

a

safe

life,

if

you

want

a

life

where

you

can

just

keep

people

at

arm's

distance,

don't

be a

disciple.

Don't

be a

disciple.

But

if

you

want

to

save

your

life,

be

ready

to

suffer

and

be

ready

to

die.

You

want

to

be a

disciple

of

Jesus?

He

says,

you

must

follow

me.

Following

Jesus

is both

costly,

costly

and

glorious.

It's

costly

because

it will

mean

dying

to

yourself

and

taking

up

your

cross.

It

will

mean

walking

a

path

of

suffering.

But

that

same

path

leads

to

glory.

After

the

death

of

the

Lord

Jesus

came

the

resurrection

of

Jesus.

So

all

who

follow

him

are

guaranteed

and

assured

of a

resurrection

to

come,

suffering

now,

but

glory

later.

You

see,

to

follow

Jesus

Jesus

is to

embrace

his

life.

It's

to

follow

his

example.

It's

to hear

the

call

as he

says to

you,

come and

die