Lessons from Matthew 16: Confession of Faith
Peter’s Confession of Faith
As Jesus and the disciples continued on to the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus raised the question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
There were many conflicting answers. Some said John the Baptist; others said Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It seemed that the people around them were not really clear on who Jesus was.
A survey was taken on the streets of NYC a couple years ago with the question: Who is Jesus?
Some of the responses were as follows:
A white guy with a beard
He died for our sins so that we can be saved, and in my religion we can sin as much as we want, and as long as we are truly sorry, then we’re saved
A reason to believe and to do well in your life and on your journey
The long-haired dude that they show in all those pictures
Yes, there’s definitely something special about Jesus—the same thing that’s special about me and you, and well, everybody
He definitely had good morals and beliefs, and possibly had some special gift
A make-believe story that got blown out of proportion
Somebody who accepts all
I see Jesus as more like a teacher, much like other great teachers, like Buddha, Mohammed
Kid: He was born in Bethlehem in AD… I go to church every Sunday, so I should know this
A man from the San Diego area whose son has over 1000 Facebook friends did a survey of his own. He posted the question and participants answered through SurveyMonkey and here is what the 18-25-year-olds are saying:
Personally, I don’t care to think about religion a lot but I could see how to others he’s a person who offers guidance and is an example of someone to look up to and value
No one
A man who may or may not have existed and was definitely not the son of any God
Either a higher power or a mechanism to maintain hope in the world
Jesus may or may not have been an actual person
A real person who has no special powers
Jesus was the name of a man who lived many years ago whose life has become fictionalized. A group of people decided that the world needed to change and to do so, they were going to write a book full of rules with a punishment that could not be proven to be false (Hell).
There is some good news: there were 6 who answered—Son of God, Savior, My Savior!
This shows the sad state of biblical poverty that our world and our people and our children are in!
But then Jesus asked the question that all people will one day have to answer before Him: “What about you?” “Who do you say I am?”
It was Peter who answered and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus commended Peter’s faith…”Blessed are you, Simon Peter son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”
You see, even though Peter couldn’t have known that on his own, the Spirit of the living God revealed this to Peter. And Peter not only believed by faith but he was also very bold and courageous in declaring this fact as it was revealed to him.
After Peter’s bold profession of faith, Jesus stated that it would be on this foundation–the foundational truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God–He would build His church.
As Peter and the disciples held out the truth of the gospel, people’s lives would be transformed and God would declare these believers as His own. The living stones of which He Himself was the cornerstone and He promised that the gates of hades would not overcome it.
Jesus would give the keys of the gospel into Peter’s hands. He would be the first one among many who would teach and preach the good news of the gospel. Many people would be loosed from their sins because of their belief. Others would remain bound to sin and Satan in their unbelief.
So let me ask you: Who do you say Jesus is?
Confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is essential to entering heaven.
You see, the answer makes a difference not only here and now, but also into eternity.
And you may say, “Well, I still have time. I don’t have to answer that question today.” However, to not make a decision is to make a decision. There is no middle ground and you and I are not guaranteed tomorrow. In fact, we are not guaranteed the rest of today.
Yesterday, a friend said she knew a very devout Bible study leader who had left the study last week to go to the doctor. She was hit and killed by a car when she walked across the street. The good news is that she knew the truth and she had acted on it and had lived it out in her life. So we all know where she is now!
Do you have that same sense of security found only in Christ Jesus?
Hebrews 3:15 says,
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.
Instead, come to Jesus and declare Him as your Savior, the living Son of God and your life will be forever safe and secure in His!
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach