Who Do You Say?

 

Who Do You Say?

Today as we continue our survey through Matthew’s gospel, I’m taking my text from the 16^th chapter.  I want to look closely at verses 13-18, but before we go there, here is the context, beginning in verse five of chapter 16:

 

“And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12)

 

I’d thought about unpacking this vignette for today’s sermon and in so doing, make application to our lives in 2023. But it fits so well in the context of the text following this section that I thought it better to speak only briefly about it.

 

So, if I were to spend time with these verses, we’d look at the question what is the ‘leaven’ of today’s Pharisees and Sadducees? What IS leaven, anyway? And why is it so necessary to be alert to the subtle and not-so-subtle false teachings of so many pastors, bishops, priests, and deacons – along with their Sunday school teachers and catechists – in so many churches across the globe?

 

Some of you might remember Jude’s warning in his short letter: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)

 

Did you catch that? Certain people had crept into their fellowships, ingratiating themselves with both the leadership and those in the pews. But before long they were sandwiching their theological poison between what otherwise was biblical truth.

 

And you also might remember St Paul had the same warning for the church as Ephesus. Here is what told the elders of that church: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert.” (Acts 20:28-31)

 

So, there is much application of this text to our lives today and our walk with Christ, because there is a LOT of leaven out there being sprinkled – and in some cases poured – into the minds of the Biblically illiterate both in churches and outside their doors.

 

But I want to turn our attention to my primary text for today because it flows perfectly with the Lord’s warning about leaven mixed in with the purity of God's truth. AND, this text we are about to examine also provides the antidote to the poison many of today’s church leadership and so-called ‘Christian’ authors sandwich between full biblical truth.

 

So, here is today’s text, beginning at verse 13 of Matthew 16:

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:13-18)

 

The disciples told the Lord that some were calling Him John the Baptist, risen from the dead – for by this time John had been murdered. Some were saying He was Elijah – who did not die but was taken up in that fiery chariot. Others were thinking Jesus was, in accordance with some of their traditions, Jeremiah or one of the Old Testament prophets who were to rise again before the coming of Messiah.

 

Of course, if Jesus’ question had been more specific – “Who do the clergy say I am?” the disciples would have correctly answered saying they call Him a great deceiver (Matthew 27:63); Others believe He leads people astray (John 7:12); Or, He is possessed by Beelzebul (Mark 3:22); Still others call Him a blasphemer, requiring death under Mosaic Law (Matthew 26:65).

 

During this verbal exchange, Jesus will then ask His Twelve who THEY think He is. But before we look at their answer, I want to link what St Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus with what Jesus is about to ask the Twelve. Paul wrote:

 

“In (Christ), you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise . . .. ” (Ephesians 1:13).

Why do words impact people so differently? How can a passage like John 3:16 generate hope in the hearts of some, and mockery in others? Why does a promise like Matthew 11:28-30 in which the Lord offers all who are weary to come to Him for rest – why does that text draw some to Christ’s side, while those words push others away?

I don’t know the full answer, but I do know this from personal experience and watching it work in the lives of others: Only the Gospel of Christ can change hearts, heal broken lives, restore relationships, shatter addictions, wash away even the most grievous sins. But the gospel message does those things ONLY for those who believe the message.

So, back to today’s text. The Lord Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do YOU say that I am?” And for the next two thousand years Jesus has asked the same question of EVERYONE who has heard the gospel message.

 

Listen, please. You and I will never, ever, be asked a more important question in all our lives. And we can never give a more important answer, if our answer from the heart is the same as St Peter’s: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 

It is that answer ALONE – if from the heart – it is that answer alone that has the supernatural power to impact AND inform our emotions and passions, our philosophies and politics. It is that answer when spoken with the heart that will determine what gives us courage and what causes fear. It will set our course on what we find amusing, and what breaks our heart. It will dictate how we live -- and especially how we die.

 

“You are the Christ. You are the Son of the living God.”

Listen! We know from the written record of Peter that when He confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God – he was telling Jesus he was COMMITTED to Him as the Lord of his life.

Jesus is Lord. And that immutable truth ought to make us all sit up and take the most serious notice. Why? Because UNLESS Jesus is lord of my life, then I can never fully experience a changed life. I can never know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. I cannot be conformed to the image of Christ.

 

Furthermore, if Jesus is not Lord of EVERYTHING in my life, then He is not really Lord at all of my life. What does that mean by way of application?

 

Well, for example, if Jesus is not Lord of what I watch on television, then He is not really Lord of my life. If He is not Lord with what I do with my finances, then He is not really Lord of my life. If He is not Lord of my friendships and relationships with others, then He is not really Lord of my life. If I do not live my life as close to biblical mandates and commandments as I can – then Jesus is not really Lord of my life.

 

You will remember this text in Matthew’s gospel: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23).

Or this one in Matthew 25 depicting the final judgment: “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:41-45)

Peter told Jesus: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And what was Jesus’ response?

“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

 

This phrase about the Rock is one which has seen plenty of controversy over the last two millennia, and I do not expect to settle the question here. To what Rock was Jesus referring? To Peter? To Himself? To the confession Peter had just made about Jesus being the Christ, the Son of God?

Scripture is clear that Peter was one of the pillars of the early church (for example, see Galatians 2:9). But no writer of the New Testament preached about Peter. They preached about Jesus. None of the apostles pointed their audiences during their sermons or their letters to anyone other than Jesus.

Here are only a few examples. St Paul told the Christians at Corinth: And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2) – and that was, in different words, Peter’s confession: Jesus is the Christ, God's Son, crucified for our sins.

 

Listen now to what Peter boldly proclaimed to the religious leaders in Jerusalem – the same one who wanted Peter dead: “He [Jesus] is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12)

 

Now hear what St Paul wrote to the church at Rome: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

 

Again and again, ALL the apostles and writers of the New Testament trumpeted the truth to all who cared to know truth: Jesus is Lord. He is the Messiah. The Christ. The Son of God.

 

Which brings us to this next and final point in today’s message.

 

I remarked at the beginning of this message that Satan’s children have sprinkled – and in some cases, poured leaven into the minds of the Biblically illiterate. False teachers, pastors, and other liars who deceive the minds of the unsuspecting man and woman in the pew sandwich their poison in between layers of truth. But it is the poison that will destroy the souls of the unsuspecting parishioner.

 

And this text about Peter’s confession is the antidote to that poison. Why so?  Because if we are truly committed to the truth that Christ Jesus is LORD, then we will strive to obey His commandments, and we will not consider any of His commandments grievous.

 

If Jesus is really our Lord and Master, if we consider ourselves slaves of Jesus, then we will strive to make Him truly Lord of every detail of our lives, including our relationships and our entertainment and our finances.

 

Otherwise, we run the serious risk of being on the wrong side of this warning at the Judgment: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

My brothers and sisters, we must – we MUST beware of being ‘cafeteria Christians’—the kind of church-attender who picks and chooses what to obey and what to ignore or compromise away. Such an eternally dangerous philosophy makes us a CINO – a Christian in Name Only. In fact, St Paul warned Titus about such tares among the wheat. Hear is what he wrote in that first chapter of his letter: “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” (Titus 1:16)

 

In the first several verses of Matthew 16, Jesus warns us about the leaven of false pastors. In the next several verses, He gives us the sure antidote to their sweet-tasting poison. That antidote is wrapped up in Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ. The Messiah. The Son of the living God.”

 

As I said, we can never give a more life-changing answer to the question, “Who do we say Jesus is?”—if we answer the question correctly. If spoken from the heart that Jesus is Lord, then all of our emotions and passions and philosophies and politics must be governed by that answer.

 

Oh, Holy Spirit – please, we ask You – make Jesus truly Lord in our lives.