Matthew 16, and I want to speak from verses 13 to 20, it's the turning point of Matthew's gospel.
But it's also the single most important turning point we could ever come across in a discussion of religion.
The first time the question is asked is in verse 13.
You can see it's asked in really general terms.
Jesus asks, who do people say that I am?
Who do they say the Son of Man is?
What's the word on the street?
It's an out there kind of question.
But the second time he asks a question in verse 15, the house lights drop, and the spotlight shines into their eyes,
and Jesus makes everything far more personal.
And he says, what about you?
Who do you say that I am?
And I don't know what your own answer is to that question.
You don't need me to tell you that there's a wide variety of answers.
If you look at the kind of various popular and theological works of recent times, you can find Jesus the intellectual,
Jesus the Mediterranean cynic, Jesus the proto-hippie, Jesus the androgynous feminist, Jesus the clever messianic pretender,
Jesus the peasant very revolutionary, Jesus the gay magician.
There's a range of options out there about who Jesus is, who he was.
And that's the question for us this morning.
And whether you realise it or not, it is the most significant question that any of you will ever face.
I would go as far to say that your answer to this question will do more to shape your ambitions in life,
and your career, and your marriage, and your family life.
It will shape your leisure, it will shape your retirement.
It will shape even the way that you face death.
More than any other question in the world.
And that's before, isn't it, any thought about our eternal destiny.
And so the question itself, firstly, and then the answers that are given, and then the promises with which Jesus responds.
Number one, the question.
Up until this point in Matthew, we've had ringside seats.
And we've watched the way that the crowds have responded to Jesus at different points.
And we've seen that the crowds have been filled with awe.
They've been amazed at him.
They praised the God of Israel because of him.
And news about Jesus, well, it's spread like wildfire through the whole region.
And some people have taken offence at him.
But up until now, Jesus hasn't put anyone on the spot like this.
He's not asked them to nail their colours to the mask.
But now it's decision time.
And from a purely historical point of view, the identity of Jesus is really fascinating.
There's a poem that reads,
All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed,
all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that have ever reigned,
put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth,
as much as that one solitary life.
And if you want to know anything about the history of art,
or the history of music,
or the history of law,
or the history of Western civilisation,
sooner or later, you've got to engage with the question of who is Jesus of Nazareth.
But the question isn't just interesting.
But it's also the defining question for the world's religions.
When you ask who is Jesus Christ,
and you're not asking the question about opinion,
you're asking the question about objective historical fact,
about a man who really lived.
And each of the world's major religions gave a different answer.
So if you look at Judaism,
it will say that Jesus is a heretic.
In Islam, he is thought to be a sinless prophet.
In classical Hinduism,
he is one face of God amongst millions of others.
In Buddhism, he is a truly enlightened man,
but he's no different.
In potential for the rest of us.
In popular culture, you could say,
I think today,
Jesus is a good man,
a great man,
a profound teacher,
he's a charismatic leader,
that sort of thing.
That's pretty much what our culture would say about it.
But only in Christianity
is Jesus accepted as God on earth.
And that is important,
because when I come to have a clear mind on Jesus' identity,
I not only decide what I think of Christianity,
but what I think of everything else.
And so, let me ask you,
does the evidence point to Jesus being a prophet,
but no more than a prophet?
Well, if he does,
well then Islam is right.
And Christianity is definitely wrong.
Does the evidence point to Jesus being a good man,
but no more than that?
Well, if that's the case,
popular culture is right,
and Christianity is definitely wrong.
But if we just suggest that Jesus is in fact unique,
and not just a man,
but more than a man,
and not just a prophet,
but the son of the living God,
then by answering this one simple question,
you'll have demonstrated,
in this respect at least,
that Christianity is right,
and every other view of the world is inadequate.
So it's important historically.
And it's really important when you're discussing
the issue of world religions.
And even when we come to Christianity,
this is the key question.
I don't know whether you've,
we've got anyone here,
and they're looking into the Christian face,
maybe for the first time,
or they've begun to look into it.
And probably if you're looking into Christianity,
you've got thousands of questions
about all sorts of things.
And it can be kind of very hard
to know where to begin.
Try and get your whole,
your head around,
a whole different way of thinking,
a whole different view of the world.
But actually,
this question this morning
is the best place to start.
This question is the domino
that sets all the other dominoes
into place.
Work out what you think about Jesus,
and who Jesus is,
and it won't be easy,
but sooner or later,
you'll find that other things fall into place.
That's why in our evangelism,
we want to talk primarily about Jesus,
and who he is,
and what he's done,
because that is the big issue.
You get that issue right,
and other things will fall into place.
If Jesus is just a man this morning,
then Jesus' opinion about your career,
and about your sex life,
and about your family life,
it matters very little indeed.
But if he is God,
if he is the God man,
then when he speaks to us
about the suffering that we face,
and when he speaks to us
about the money that we have,
and when he speaks about
the meaning of life,
well, we would do very well to listen.
And so the question is absolutely fundamental.
And if you're looking in from the inside this morning,
make this your question
before any others.
What about me?
Who do I say that Jesus is?
Secondly, let's look at the answers.
The question, and then the answers.
Let's do it.
And the first answer is spectacular,
but inadequate.
Spectacular, but inadequate.
Verse 13.
Jesus came into the area of Caesarea Philippi,
and he asked his disciples,
who do people say the Son of Man is?
That's Jesus' way of referring to himself.
They say, some say John the Baptist,
others say Elijah,
others Jeremiah,
or one of the prophets.
And we need to realize
that these different possibilities
that people are putting on the table,
they are not disrespectful to Jesus at all.
They're not meant to be.
These are the crowds
bringing Jesus down a peg or two.
In fact, by saying
about these people,
they are holding Jesus
in the highest of the seat.
So John the Baptist
is a national celebrity.
He's the first prophet
after 400 years of silence in Israel.
He's the man
that the whole of the area
went out to meet.
Elijah probably was the greatest
of the Old Testament prophets.
Jeremiah probably the most revered
and respected.
And so these three men,
they are national heroes.
They're every bit as much
of heroes to the Israelites
as English heroes are from the past.
Winston Churchill.
King Arthur.
Lord Nelson.
They are celebrated.
They are revered.
They are respected.
And if you were to open
a Sunday newspaper in Palestine
and they'd written an article
on the top ten heroes
of the Jewish faith,
you'd be pretty sure
that these three would be
at the top of the list.
And now the crowds
have come to the conclusion
that the ministry
of the son of the carpenter
is on a par with
the greatest people
in history.
And they are saying,
Jesus, we think that you
are the one of the most defout,
one of the most spiritual,
and one of the most important men
that God has ever sent
into the world.
Bravo.
And it's high praise.
But even that level of praise
does not do Jesus
sufficient justice.
So he turns to his disciples
and he asks them,
well, do you share
the popular opinion?
Do you?
Or do you think
something different?
What about you?
Who do you say that I am?
And it's very, very personal.
Jesus, Matthew,
switches here to the present tense
to make it more dramatic.
You is literally
the first word of the sentence.
You.
What do you think?
And it's really ramping up
the intensity of the moment.
And the question is addressed
to all of the disciples
but it's Peter
who's the first to speak.
And Peter says,
doesn't he,
verse 16,
you are the Christ.
The son of the living God.
That's news.
News for us as readers
but not new news.
Five times
in Matthew's introduction,
in chapter 1 and chapter 2,
Jesus is introduced to us
as the Christ.
Five times in chapter 1 and 2.
But with one exception,
the title,
Christ,
which means God's
anointed king,
has been absent
since chapters 1 and 2.
And so this is a key moment.
For the very first time,
somebody says out loud
the truth,
the voice,
which they dare to believe.
the truth that has dominated
Matthew's gospel
up until this point.
And there are two parts
to Matthew's answer,
Peter's answer.
When Peter says,
Jesus is the Christ,
every word
in that little clause
matters.
And so he's saying,
you,
Jesus,
and nobody else
are the Christ.
Christ,
and you are
the Christ.
It's not,
might be the Christ.
You're not,
could be the Christ.
You're not,
one day,
you may well be the Christ,
but you are the Christ,
present tense.
And you are,
the Christ.
You're not,
one among many,
but you are the one
and only.
You are the only Christ.
Christ.
And Christ is not
a surname,
but a title.
The Messiah,
God's anointed king.
The king of the universe.
The one whom the prophets
had spoken about.
And whom God's faithful people
have been waiting
thousands of years.
The one who will bring in
God's new age.
You are the Christ.
The second part of Peter's answer
is no less significant
in acknowledging Jesus
as the son of the living God.
He's making a statement
not just about
Jesus' office,
that he is the king,
his role,
but also about this person
who he is.
Are you right?
That he's realised
Jesus is not just
the anointed king,
but he is the divine
and eternal son
who alone knows the father
and has come from the father.
And if this all sounds like,
well,
theology that uses fine words,
but it's quite distant
from real life,
I want you to see
that Peter's confession
comes laden with deep
and practical circumstances.
Consequences.
And the key,
which I've not really seen before,
is where it happens.
Matthew's quite keen on geography.
And where did it happen?
Look at verse 13.
It happened in Caesarea Philippi.
And Caesarea Philippi
was right in the north of Israel.
Right on the boundary line
between Israel
and the rest of the world.
Kind of overlook
the rest of the world.
And it's as if Matthew
is nudging us.
It's as if Matthew
quietly is pointing us,
isn't it?
To the end of the book,
isn't it?
Where all authority
in every place
is given to the Lord Jesus
over everywhere.
Do you realise
he's saying
what is about to happen?
But what is about to happen
to the Lord Jesus
is not of significance
just for the people of Israel
to one little group
in the Middle East
and one little place
but it's for the whole world.
And Matthew's readers
would have known
what we're not so familiar with
that Caesarea Philippi
had been a centre of worship
to the Syrian god Baal.
There'd been a great temple there,
a big temple
and the Greek god Pan
was worshipped there.
And the city was called Panea.
Not long before this time.
But the city had been
recently renamed
to honour Augustus Caesar,
the Roman emperor.
And to honour
Herod's son Philip.
And so in a place
which used to worship Baal
and was called Panea
after the great Greek god
and now would be renamed
in honour and adoration
of Caesar
and Herod's son Philip.
Peter says it's in that region.
In that particular place,
Jesus,
you are the Christ,
the son of the living God.
And his words come with
inevitable religious
and political traits
because Peter is saying there,
Baal is not God.
and Pan is not God.
And Caesar is not God.
And Philip is not God
because Jesus of Nazareth,
you are God.
And you are alive.
And I hope that that begins
to explain some of the relevance
of Peter's confession.
Because it's not just
a little personal truth
for me and you,
but it is truly cosmic
and global in its scope.
because it announces
that Jesus Christ
is Lord of all.
Perhaps it would help us
to think of different places.
Where you're from.
The Dutch theologian
Abraham Kleiker famously said
there is not a square inch
in the whole domain
of our existence
over which Christ
who is sovereign over all
does not cry.
mine.
Think of different people.
Think that by the end
of this century
we're told that the global
population will have reached
11 billion.
And whether or not
that is right,
every single one of us
will belong by right
to Jesus.
The earth is the Lord's
and the fullness thereof
and all who dwell in it.
And on a much more personal level
you can think of the different
parts of your life,
couldn't you?
Your ambitions.
And your hobbies.
And your me time.
And your family.
And your friendships.
Here's Kuyper again.
wherever man may stand,
whatever he may do,
to whatever he may apply
his hand in agriculture,
in commerce,
and in industry,
or his mind in the world
of art and science,
he is,
in whatsoever it may be,
constantly standing
before the face of God.
is employed in the service
of his God.
And he has strictly
to obey his God.
And above all,
he has to aim
at the glory
of his God.
And that's the inevitable
implication of what Peter is.
Of what Peter is saying.
that if Jesus
is the Lord
of all,
then he has to be
the Lord
of my all.
I'm thinking in those terms,
it's added some real bites
to Jesus' question
for me this week.
I've known for a while,
42 years actually,
that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the Living God.
But do the details
of my life reflect that?
Does my diary reflect
the Lordship of Christ,
which means that Jesus
is in charge,
and Jesus is Lord,
and Jesus is Father?
The things that I choose
to do with the time
that is my own.
Does my parenting,
my bank account,
my plans
for the future,
are they marked
by the Lordship of Christ?
It's a little bit
like a watermark,
isn't it,
on a banknote.
You know a banknote,
isn't it?
And you hold up a banknote
and there's a watermark
in it.
There's
a picture of
Jane Austen,
isn't it,
on the £10 note.
And so,
how do you know
whether it's a proper
banknote?
It's not so good,
but you hold it up
to the light,
and you see there's
a watermark of Jane Austen
on one side,
and the Queen
on the other.
Because the watermark
shows that it's genuine.
It's authenticity.
And so,
the Lordship of Christ
should be the watermark
that runs through our life.
It might not be
immediately obvious
to people,
but actually,
as they dig a bit of detail,
and they see our lives
in the light,
they see Jesus Christ
as Lord
in everything.
It should be obvious
in everything I am
and everything I do,
but what about you,
Jesus says?
What about you?
Who do you say
that I am?
Have you got a
compartmentalized
little Jesus,
isn't it?
Jesus is certainly
in the morning
Sunday mornings,
you're here.
What about school?
What about school
those children
and young people
that are in school?
Does the Lordship
of Christ,
do people see it?
Or is Christ,
no,
God of school?
What about our work?
What about our homes?
And if Jesus Christ
is not Lord
of all,
he's not Lord
at all.
What the question
for the answer?
Thirdly,
let's see the promises.
It's only found
in Matthew
and he includes it
to show us
that Peter's confession
is not only right,
but it also is
the foundation stone
on which the whole
church of Jesus Christ
and his mission
is to stand.
I'm going to come back
to this again
at another time.
But there are
three promises here.
There's one promise
about Peter,
there's one promise
about the church,
and there's one promise
about the church
and the gospel.
So first up,
verses 17 and 18,
Peter is given
a unique role
in the church.
Verse 17.
You are the Christ
and Son,
the living God,
and Jesus answered him,
Blessed are you,
Simon Barjona,
for flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you,
but my Father
who is in heaven.
And I tell you,
you are Peter,
you are the rock,
and on this rock
I will build my church
and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.
Peter is given
a unique role
in the church.
The point of Peter's
confession in verse 17,
his answer in verse 16,
it's not only telling us
something about Jesus,
which it has,
but it's also telling us
something about Peter.
It's also saying,
it's that only God,
the Father,
can give the secrets
to the kingdom of heaven.
We know that,
don't we,
because we've read
Matthew's Gospel,
chapter 13,
has said that.
Only God,
the Father,
Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
can open someone's eyes
and help them
to see who Jesus
really is.
So when Peter gets it
right in verse 16,
it is proof that God
is at work in him.
And it authenticates him
as someone who is fit
to play a key role
in the early days
of the New Testament church.
Now,
you will know
that 16 and 17,
if you know the Bible
and you know church history,
it's probably the most
disputed verse
in all of the New Testament.
And there's an argument
about which rock
Matthew is talking about.
And Roman Catholic
commentators want to say,
well,
Peter is the rock himself.
And that Jesus
is here
appointing Peter
as the first
in a long line
of popes.
Protestant commentators
have said,
no,
the rock is not Peter,
but his confession
of Jesus the Messiah
in the words
that he said.
I think
we need to look
very closely
at the text.
The verse
is not legitimising
the ongoing
office of
the papacy,
the Pope.
I can't see
how you can get that.
I can't find that
in there at all.
But I do want to say,
and I think Protestants
will underplay this,
I think it is clear
that Peter is being
given a unique role
in salvation history.
And that is what
happened.
It was Peter
who preached
the sermon
that led to the
conversion of
3,000 people
in the establishment
of the church
in Jerusalem
at Pentecost.
It was Peter
who in Acts 10
when God
poured out the
Spirit on the
Gentiles.
It was Peter
who was preaching
along with the
other apostles
that Paul describes
as the foundation
of the church
in Ephesians 2
with Jesus himself
as the chief
cornerstone.
So that doesn't
mean that Peter
never made another
mistake.
It can't.
We know Peter
made lots of
mistakes,
don't we?
He made plenty.
It doesn't mean
that Peter
had an authority
that could never
be corrected
or challenged
because we know
that happened too.
But it does mean
that just as God
the Father
revealed him
the true identity
of his son
Jesus
so he entrusted
to Peter
a key role
in his church.
That's promise
number one.
Promise number two
is about the church.
Verse 18
I tell you
you are Peter
and on this rock
I will build
my church
and the gates
of hell
shall not prevail
against it.
The gates
of Hades
the gates
of hell
it's better
in the gates
of death
the powers
of death.
So this
remarkable promise
is that
Jesus
here
is promising
that he
personally
will establish
and build
the community
of his followers.
And he will do
that in such a way
that not even
death will be
able to
afford it.
It may well
be that
two thousand
years of
church history
and gospel
advance
slightly obscures
to us
the magnitude
of what
Jesus
is saying
here.
The statement
as he
said it.
Remember that
when Jesus
was speaking
he had a
band of
followers
who were
not only
limited
in number
but certainly
in ability.
and in fact
Peter's
confession
is quite
shocking
in Matthew's
gospel
because it's
the first
thing
that the
disciples
have got
right.
they've
been great
to kill
things
wrong.
And you
can add
into that
that Jesus
knew that
soon he
himself would
be killed
as we'll
see next
week.
And that
is the
context.
And if you
are a
betting
person you
would not
put a lot
of money
on the
success of
Jesus'
enterprise
at this
moment in
history.
And yet he's
making a
promise that
despite his
imminent death
that despite
the incompetence
of his followers
he personally
will work in
sovereign power
and he will
turn this
bunch of
half-baked
disciples into
a movement
that will be
more powerful
than death.
And it
makes that a
truly staggering
promise.
And once again
history proves it
true.
Where are we
now?
We're just
under 2,000
years on
from that.
We're over
3,000 miles
away from it
and yet when
Jesus said
these words
here we are
today.
What are we
about 140
or so this
morning?
Gathered
together to
listen to
his words.
And no
one has
made us
come.
We're here
freely.
And there's
groups like
this meeting
all over the
world.
Some of them
won't be as
big as us
but many
of them
lots of
them will
be much
bigger and
there will
be hundreds
and hundreds
of millions
of people
in church
today worshipping
the Lord
Jesus Christ
as the
son of the
living God.
And the
world has
changed
beyond recognition
in 2,000
years.
You think
about transformation
even brought
about by the
advent of the
printing press.
You think
of the advances
in modern
medicine,
modern
transportation.
You think
of the empires
that have
come and
have gone
but the
church of
the Lord
Jesus Christ
has stood
firm.
I've told you
the illustration
of mine so
many times
you're bored
of hearing it
but let me
tell you
again about
Lord Reith,
the first
general director
of the BBC
and he goes
into the
director's
meeting and
they're talking
about it.
Lord Reith was
a professor
and Christian
and they're
gathered around
the table
and they
be quiet.
He says,
what are you
talking about?
They wouldn't
tell him.
What are you
talking about?
They wouldn't
tell him.
And then somebody
says, we were
planning a BBC
programme on
the funeral
of the church
and Lord Reith
fangs his
hand on the
table and
says the
church of
Jesus Christ
will stand
at the
graveside of
the BBC.
And it
will.
And you
can think of
the future
can't you?
And there's
so many that
want to write
the obituary
of the church
and there are
certain grave
threats to it
today.
Chief among
them are
heresy from
within and
opposition from
without.
And new
threats emerge
all the
time but
for as
long as
Jesus
delays,
his church
will stand.
The final
promise very
briefly is about
the power of
the Christian
message.
Look at
verse 19.
The power
given to the
church.
I will give
you the
keys of the
kingdom of
heaven and
whatever you
bind on
earth shall
be found
in heaven and
whatever you
loose on
earth shall
be loosed
in heaven.
And then he
strictly charged
the disciples to
tell no one
that he was the
Christ.
The last
bit is because
they haven't
really fully
understood who
Jesus is yet.
The idea is
much the same
as chapter 10.
He says to
them whoever
receives you
receives me
and what he
means is as
the church
proclaims the
gospel message
that you
proclaim the
apostolic
gospel and
as people
receive that
message from
you, they
are receiving
Jesus Christ.
And so he's
building on that
idea, this
gospel I am
now appointing
you to
proclaim is
very, very
powerful.
And if
someone were to
accept it,
God as it
were will
unlock the
gates of
heaven and
allow them
to enter
in.
But if
they reject
the message
you proclaim
then God
will bar
the doors
and lock
the gates
and ensure
that you
never gain
entry.
it's a
promise that
is made
in the
first place
to Peter
and then
the apostles
but it
holds to
the preaching
of the
gospel today.
And so
realise afresh
what we
do here
Sunday
morning and
Sunday
evening,
Sunday by
Sunday
is
significant.
What do
you do as
God gives
you the
opportunity to
speak with
your friends
about Jesus?
And it's
very easy
isn't it to
think about the
biggest decisions
in life.
What are
they?
What are
they going
to be
about?
What would
be the
big decision?
What job
do you
do?
Who you
marry?
The house
that you
buy?
Though by
far and
away the
most
significant
will be
how you
respond to
the question
of who
Jesus is.
And that
means that
as we talk
to people
about the
Christ,
the son
of the
living
God,
it's our
privilege
isn't it to
be involved
with them at
the most
significant
point of
their whole
eternity.
Because as
we proclaim
the gospel
found in
the Bible,
written by
the apostles,
inspired by
Jesus,
so we
hold before
our friends
the gates
of heaven
and hell.
And the
way that they
respond to
that message,
not in one
conversation but
in life,
will determine
whether they
walk through
and some
will be set
free,
some will
be loosed
from their
sins and
others will
be bound
in their
sins forever
to the
judgment of
God.
Christ,
but it
will turn
on what
they make
of Christ.
I think we
do need to
apply this
more corporately
because it's
spoken to the
church through
Peter.
It makes
what we do
Sunday by
Sunday more
significant.
what we do
Sunday by
Sunday is
more significant
than any
golf tournament
or any
football game
or any
social
engagement.
But what
happens Sunday
by Sunday,
you see the
keys of the
kingdom are
used to
unlock the
door of
heaven to
speak the
message.
church or
you reject
the message
of the
gospel which
you've
heard this
morning and
you've sung
this morning
and you've
confessed this
morning,
you reject
that and
the door is
locked.
The
confession says
the keys of
the kingdom
are given to
the offices
of the church.
That's what
we're doing
Sunday by
Sunday.
We're
opening up
and closing.
It demonstrates
to you how
important Jesus
is.
For hundreds
of years,
God has been
promising the
arrival of the
one who will
reign over the
whole world
forever,
who would
destroy evil,
who would
establish God's
new heaven and
new earth,
a place without
pain or
suffering or
tears or
death,
and the
faithful people
of Israel
had longed
for his
coming.
They'd longed
for the
Son who
would be
called
Wonderful
Counselor,
Mighty
God,
Everlast,
and Father,
Prince of
Peace.
And now
Peter realised
he was
here.
You are
the Christ,
the Son of
the living
God.
But now
this morning
the spotlight
turns away
from Peter.
And on to
us.
And it's a
very, very
personal question
isn't it?
And it's the
most important
question that you
will ever answer.
What about you?
Who do you say
that Jesus is?
Let me do some
prayer.
Let's pray.