SERMON
March 15, 2026
Matthew 16:13-20
- INVOCATION
- OPENING PRAYER
- PARENTS WAIT FOR IT….TEACHER’S LOOK FOR IT…I CAN TELL YOU PERSONALLY THAT PASTOR’S “PRAY” FOR IT.
- “WHAT IS IT?”…IT IS THAT MOMENT OF RECOGNITION…A TIME WHEN THE “LIGHT GOES OFF” AND UNDERSTANIND IS FOUND
- WORKING WITH JOELLE AND JORDAN…STUDENTS THAT I TAUGHT…OR EVEN WHEN I WAS TRYING AS A PASTOR TO CONVEY WHAT GRACE IS ALL ABOUT…SACRAMENTS…FORGIVENESS, ETC.
- MEETING SOMEONE IN A STORE…RESTAURANT AND SOMEONE COMES UP TO YOU AND GREET YOU AND YOU DON’T HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHO THAT PERSON IS…THEN IT CLICKS IN AND YOU REMEMBER WHO THEY ARE
- THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR TEXT FROM MATTHEW TODAY
- JESUS ,I AM SURE, WAS PRAYING FOR HIS DISCIPLES TO UNDERSTAND WHO HE WAS…HE YEARNED FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT HE WAS MORE THAN A GREAT PREACHER…TEACHER…HEALER…THAT THEY WOULD FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS MISSION WAS IN OUR TEXT TODAY…PETER SEEMS TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND…
- THE QUESTION JESUS SKED IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICAN QUESTIONS WE AN ASK…ASK OURSELVES…”WHO DO WE/YOU SAY JESUS IS?”
- THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION HELPS US TO SEE WHETHER A PERSON UNDERSTANDS OR NOT WHO JESUS IS?
- THREE QUESTIONS ASK ALWAYS…BIBLE…JESUS…HOW DO WE GET TO HEAVEN
- IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE DISCIPLES HAD A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT THE CROWD SAID ABOUT JESUS
- THEY RESPONDED TO JESUS’ QUESTION BY SAYING “JOHN THE BAPTIST.. ELIJAH…JEREMIAH
- THESE SEEM LIKE ODD ANSWERS…JOHN WAS 6 MONTHS OLDER THAN JESUS…ELIJAH AND JEREMIAH HAD BEEN DEAD FOR CENTURIES…
- WHY THESE INDIVIDAULS…JOHN=PREPARE THE WAY; ELIJAH & JEREMIAH WERE PROPHETS SENT BY GOD TO DO WHAT??? PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE MESSIAH…TO CALL PEOPLE TO REPENTANCE
- THEN JESUS TURNS HIS QUESTION TO ALL THE DISCIPLES AND THEIR RESPONSES…AND MAKES IT “PERSONAL.”
- THIS IS THE MOMENT OF INSIGHT THAT JESUS HAS BEEN WAITING FOR
- THEN PETER RESPONDS WITH HIS RESPONSE…MOST HAVE CALLED IT PETER’S DECLARATION OF FAITH AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AS TO “WHO JESUS IS?”
- STEREOGRAMS…PICTURE THAT HAS A PICTURE WITHIN A PICTURE AND YOU HAVE TO STARE AT IT TO SEE THE 2ND PICTURE WITHIN A PICTURE…DOTS AND COLORS…TURN INTO A 3D IMAGE
- THIS IS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHO JESUS IS
- WE CAN LOOK AT HIM…APPRECIATE HIM…AND EVEN LIKE HIM…BUT UNTIL WE HAVE SEEN HIM IN ALL HIS RICHNESS..WE REALLY HAVEN’T SEEN HIM AT ALL
- AND ONCE YOU DO SEE HIM AS THE MESSIAH…THE SON OF GOD…IT CHANGES EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE AND FAITH
- SO WHAT WAS JESUS’ RESPONSE TO PETER?
- “YOU ARE BLESSED…SIMON SON OF JOHN, BECAUSE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN HAS REVEALED THIS TO YOU. YOU DID NOT LEARN THIS FROM ANY HUMAN BEING…NOW I SAY TO YOU THAT YOU ARE PETER (WHICH MEANS ROCK)..AND UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD “MY” CHURCH AND ALL THE POWERS OF HELL WILL NOT CONQUER IT. AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. WHATEVER YOU FORBID ON EARTH WILL BE FORBIDDEN IN HEAVEN…AND WHATEVER YOU PERMIT ON EARTH WILL BE PERMITTED IN HEAVEN.”
- YOU SEE ONCE PETER WAS ABLE TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHO JESUS WAS…IT CHANGED HIS LIFE AND FUTURE…
- LATER HE STILL DENIES THAT HE KNEW JESUS PRIOR TO JESUS’ DEATH …NOT ONCE…TWICE BUT THREE TIMES
- THAT IS THE SAME BLESSING THAT WE ARE OFFERED BY JESUS..
- THEN HERE IT COMES….”THEN JESUS STERNLY WARNED THE DISCIPLES NOT TO TELL ANYONE THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH”
- WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US…YOU AND ME…
- JESUS IS GOD WHO HAS COME TO RESCUE US…ALL OF US…
- THAT IS THE SAME TRUTH THAT JESUS WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO KNOW…HE WANTS US TO KNOW ALSO
- JESUS IS UNLIKE ANY HISTORICAL FIGURE IN ALL OF HISTORY…HE IS GREATER THAN ANY PERSON THAT WE HAVE EVER MET…
- JESUS IS WHO? HE IS THE MESSIAH…THE SAVIOR FOR ALL…THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH…
- HE HAS COME TO RESCUE US…NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE…HE CAME TO SAVE YOU AND ME…AND ALL OF US
- SO THE QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ASKED IS THIS ONE:
- “WHO DO “YOU” SAY THAT HE IS?”
- IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY THE WORDS OF PETER…”YOU ARE THE MESSIAH..THE SON OF GOD!)
- YOU “MUST” NOT JUST UNDERSTAND THESE WORDS AND WHAT THEY MEAN….THAT IS HEAD KNOWLEDGE.
- BUT YOU MUST ALSO “ACCEPT” THEM AND JESUS
- THEN IN THE END…JESUS TELLS PETER AND ALL THE DISCIPLES…AND ALL OF US…THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE WORLD ATTACKS THE CHURCH…IT WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.
- YOU CAN ALMOST HEAR JESUS SAYING TO THEM AND TO US…”COME ON…BRING IT ON…BECAUSE NOTHING THAT YOU THROW AT US…THE DEVIL…THE WORLD AND OUR SINFUL SELVES…THE CHURCH…NOT OUR CHURCH BUT GOD’S CHURCH…IT WILL ALWAYS BE VICTORIOUS
- EVEN THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT HOLD US BACK!!
- SO ONCE AGAIN…”WHO DO YOU SAY THAT JESUS IS?”
- IF HE IS YOUR SAVIOR…AND TRULY BELIEVE AND ACCEPT THIS TRUTH THEN LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE JESUS HAS BUILT HIS CHURCH ON YOU
- TO RECOMMIT YOUR LIFE AND FAITH ONCE AGAIN…PLEASE TAKE YOUR ROCK AND PLACE IT AT THE CROSS UP FRONT AND SAY EITHER SILENTLY OR OUT LOUD…
- “JESUS…YOUR ARE THE MESSIAH THE SON OF GOD!”
(ABLE PLEASE STAND AND SING # 789 “SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US”