A Confession Granted By God | Matthew 16:13-17

Scripture

• Matthew 16:13–17

About this sermon

Introduction: If you haven’t looked up the pattern, Christmas falls on a Sunday every 11, 6, 5, and 6 years. Which means that the next time we will gather on a Christmas Sunday, if the Lord tarries, will be in the year 2033. That is 11 years from now. Think about that for a moment. How much will change in the next 11 years? That little newborn baby that you now hold in your arms — if God is gracious and he or she lives, will be 11 years old. That aging parent, now in their 70’s or 80’s, may well not be with you the next time this happens. Each of us can move our age up by a decade. TIME DOESN’T STOP. The Bible is not exaggerating when it describes man’s lifespan like a breath. One day we are here, and before we know it, we are not. But one thing will not have changed the next time we meet on Christmas. In fact, it hasn’t changed for 2,000 years. Most of the world will be celebrating the birth of someone they don’t know. Most of the world will be celebrating the birth of someone whom they do not understand. Most of the world will be celebrating the birth of someone while completing ignoring who He is, why He came into the world, what He accomplished, and the role He will play in their everlasting destiny — either as their Savior or their Judge. And what else will not have changed, eleven years from now, is that there will still be ONLY ONE CORRECT CONFESSION in response to the question, WHO IS JESUS? There is no more important question for every soul in this room to answer than the question, “WHO IS JESUS OF NAZARETH?” Imagine taking a course and the final examination only has 1 question. The disciples of Jesus travel with Him, hear Him preach, see Him perform signs, and all of it is meant to prepare them to answer that very question. WHO IS THEIR MASTER, AND WHAT DID HE COME INTO THE WORLD TO ACCOMPLISH? This morning we consider that question and we will examine our verses under four headings. • THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION THE WORLD WILL EVER ANSWER (vs.13) The first thing that Matthew tells us is where Jesus and His men have gone. If you look at a map you will see that when they came into the district of Caesarea Philippi they have traveled far up to the north, right at Mount Hermon. 25 miles northeast of the sea of Galilee, and 40 miles southwest of Damascus. It would have been a cooler region; it would have been a restful region. Away from the crowds who didn’t really understand Him. Away from the Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees who are increasing in hostility. Away from Herod Antipas who has already proven to be a dangerous man in the case of John the Baptist. But in many ways, it is also a symbolically powerful region, in that it is about as far north as one could go in what was considered the promised land. From a northern perspective, you could say it is where the land of Israel met with paganism — with the rest of the world. Where the world of the Jew ended and the world of the Gentile began, Jesus asked the most important question for anyone living in any place. He asks this question while located at the nexus of two worlds that represented the whole world as the Bible would divide it. Jew and Gentile. “WHO DO PEOPLE SAY THAT THE SON OF MAN IS?” Nothing has changed about the importance of that question. Where the world of nations heavily influenced by Christianity meets with the world of nations largely absent Christianity, it is still the most important question. Whether in a land where most of the people have grown up hearing the Christian view of Jesus of Nazareth, or in a land where most of the people have heard a pagan view of Jesus of Nazareth, IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR OUR TIME, OR FOR ANY TIME. The very influence of Jesus ALL OVER THE WORLD points the seriousness of this question. The presence of mention and respect concerning Jesus in SO MANY OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS makes this question crucial. WHO IS JESUS? Who was He really? • THE NATURAL ANSWERS THAT WILL DOOM THE SOUL (vs.14) The answers the disciples give are all natural. It is probably true to say that the disciples would have heard more talk about the identity of Jesus than Jesus would have. Most people say things to others about people that they don’t say to the people they are discussing. So, it’s not surprising that more would have been said ABOUT JESUS to the disciples than to Jesus. BUT JESUS DOESN’T ASK THIS QUESTION OUT OF IGNORANCE, OR MERE CURIOSITY.