In Matthew chapter 16, I'm taking
the title for the message from what is said in verse 15 and
16. The Lord said unto them, but
whom say ye that I am? Well, Simon Peter didn't have
to think. He quickly answered and said,
thou art the Christ. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God. And the Lord right away said,
you're a blessed man. You're a blessed man. You're
a happy man if you know that. If you're trusting Christ for
all salvation, you're a blessed person. You're a happy man. So
who is Jesus Christ? Peter answered without hesitation,
without reservation, he said, thou art the Christ of God. Thou
art the Christ, thou art the son of the living God. Christ
alone, his person, his work, his blood, his righteousness
is the rock upon which the church is built. He is that rock upon
which we rest. He is that rock of ages that
clasps for us, that intercedes for us right now. He is the rock. He is our salvation. Now, while multitudes have different
opinions about the Son of Man, about the man, Jesus of Nazareth,
people have a multitude opinions about him, don't they? Every
believer is so strongly convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ is
everything in salvation that we are willing to stand for the
gospel and, if necessary, die for the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. As Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. I know whom I have believed and
I'm able, I know that he is able to save all I've committed unto
Him." Multitudes of believers in the past have died over the
gospel of Christ. They've died as martyrs because
of the gospel. And all the apostles, you think
about this, all the apostles sealed their death with this
testimony. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is everything in salvation. Their salvation was totally determined. Totally dependent and totally
accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. They died saying, Christ
is all my salvation. I want to die that way, don't
you? I want to die confessing that salvation is of the Lord.
Listen to the words of Peter and John as they stand before
that Sanhedrin court who had the power to condemn them to
death over the gospel. And they were concerned about
that man who was healed. They wanted to know in whose
name and whose authority did you heal that man? You'd think
they would rejoice that that man was healed, but rather they
criticized. And Peter and John said this,
that rock, which was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner, neither is there salvation in any other,
for there's no other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved." The Lord Jesus Christ, He is God, our Savior. He is the Savior who really saves
His people from their sin. You remember Matthew chapter
1? Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sin. Verse 21. Now let's go back and
look at verse 13 and we'll work our way down to verse 20. When the Lord Jesus Christ came
into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, it seemed like he went into a
certain place with his disciples to have them exclusively alone
and by themselves so that he might teach them. That's a good
place to be, with the Lord, sitting at his feet, learning. The lesson
the Lord Jesus Christ gathered His apostles unto Him to teach
them the very important lesson about His person, about His work. And we have the privilege this
morning of listening to that conversation. What would the
Lord say to those men? Well, we have it right here.
Let's listen in. Let's listen in and see what
the Lord says. He says, first of all, whom do men say that
I, He calls himself here the Son of Man. Now, we see that
all through the scripture. He calls himself the Son of Man.
He refers to himself with this very low title. He is meek and
lowly in heart. Now, often time men, they take
great pride in putting certain titles to their name or after
their name, don't they? DD, MD, this D and that D and
every other D. They wouldn't ever call themselves,
well, I'm just SS. What is SS? Sinner Saved. Or just a plain S is OK. I'm
a sinner. I am what I am by the grace of
God. But the Lord Jesus Christ takes His lowly title to Himself,
the Son of Man. He was a real man, bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh. We know the Lord Jesus Christ
doesn't ask questions to find out information because He knows
all things. He knows the hearts and thoughts
of every man. He never asks questions for information. For there is not a word in my
tongue, O Lord, but Thou knowest it all together." He knows our
thoughts so far off. All things are naked and open
unto Him with whom we have to do. The Lord right now knows
every thought that goes through your mind. Mine too. He knows all about us. So the
Lord doesn't ask a question for information. For example, when
He said, Adam, where art thou? God knew where he was. Adam was
hiding behind his fig leaves after he sinned against God.
The Lord didn't ask Adam where he was to find out. He knew where
he was. He asked that question to get
Adam to confess where he was. I'm hiding from God. And then
when the Lord asked Cain, he came to him and said, oh, by
the way, where's your brother? Now the Lord knew that Cain killed
Abel, right? But he wasn't asking Cain for
information. He was asking that question to
expose what Cain had done in murdering his brother. The resurrected Lord appeared
to Peter and John and some of the disciples, and he said to
Peter, Peter, do you love me? Well, the Lord knew that he loved
him, but he wanted Peter to confess it. You remember Peter said,
well, I'm going to go fishing. I'm just going to quit the business.
I'm going to quit the ministry and go fishing. Back to fishing.
And the Lord appeared to him. He said, Peter, do you love me?
He said, yes, Lord. I love you. Peter, do you really
love me? Yes. I'll feed my sheep. Peter, the
third time, Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. The
Lord knew that he loved him, but he wanted Peter to confess
it, didn't he? Go feed my sheep, go feed my people. Now look at
verse 14. And here's what they said. Here's
what some people in the community were saying. They said, well,
some say that thou art John the Baptist. Now John at this time
had been beheaded. Remember we studied that in chapter
14. And you remember what Herod said of John? Herod thought the Lord Jesus
of Nazareth was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Some say
thou art John the Baptist, come back from the dead. Some say
that you're like Elijah, the prophet that would come. And
others say, well, maybe he's a prophet like weeping Jeremiah,
because the Lord stood at the grave of Lazarus and wept. And
others said, well maybe he's a prophet like Ezekiel, maybe
he's a prophet like Isaiah, or maybe Daniel, or Hosea, or one
of the other prophets. But he saith unto them, whom
do you say that I am? The opinions of people were many.
The Pharisees, you remember, they called him Beelzebub. They called him the Prince of
Devils. They called him a wicked man, a gluttonous man, a wine-bibber. They called him a friend of publicans
and sinners. They had a very low opinion of
him, didn't they? The people considered him to
be an unusual man. The officers who were sent to
arrest him came back and told the Pharisees, never a man spake
like that man. And then we read in Matthew chapter
7, when the Lord preached that amazing sermon, the Sermon on
the Mount, it says, they were astonished at his doctrine, for
he taught them as one having authority, not as the scribes
and Pharisees. So they had different opinions.
Nicodemus even said, we know that you've come from God. No
man can do these miracles except God sends him. Some had this opinion, some had
that opinion of others. Some said he was maybe John come
back from the dead. Some said he was maybe like Elijah
or Jeremiah or another prophet. The Lord Jesus Christ indeed
was God's prophet. But not like Isaiah, not like
any other prophet. He was the one who all the other
prophets spoke about. To him give all the prophets
witness. All those other prophets, they
talk about the prophet of God. that God said, I will raise up
a prophet from among the brethren, and I'll give him my words. And
those who refuse to hear him, I'll require that at your hand. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
prophet sent of God with God's message. And here's the point. People being left to themselves
and left to their own carnal reasoning will never arrive at
the truth of who he is unless he teaches us the gospel. We'll
always come to the wrong conclusion. Always, always, always. There were reasons why the carnal
mind is enmity against God. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. You see, God must take the things
of God and reveal them unto us. It takes God to reveal God. We're gonna see that in a minute,
but let's look for a reference back here to Matthew chapter
11. Flesh and blood, you don't arrive at this by flesh and blood.
You arrive at saying that Jesus is the Christ by having God reveal
himself unto you. You remember Matthew 11 verse
25. Matthew 11 verse 25. At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed
them unto babes, even so, father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my father. And no man knoweth the son, but
the father, neither knoweth any man the father, save the son,
and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. It comes by
revelation of God, the Holy Spirit, taking the things of God, the
word of God, and revealing these things unto us. Now look at verse
15. So he first asked that question,
whom do men say that I am? And then he asked them point
blank, whom do you say I am? I am, whom do you say that I
am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now here's
the most serious and personal question for us to consider.
And I want this question, I want you to take it personal. As the
Lord was asking you right now, whom do you say that the Lord
Jesus Christ is? Who do you say the Lord Jesus
Christ is called? Look what he says there, but
whom say ye that I am? Who is this I am? The same one
that appeared to Moses in the burning bush, I am that I am. All the way through the book
of John, the Lord Jesus Christ calls himself the I am, doesn't
he? I am the way, I am the truth,
I am the life, I am the door, I am the light of the world,
I am the resurrection. And then the Lord said in John
chapter 8, except you believe that I am, you'll die in your
sin. It's very important that you
believe the true Christ of God. The Christ of God that is the
door, that is the good shepherd, that is the resurrection and
the life, that is the way, the truth and the life, of which
he said, no man can come to the Father but by and through the
Lord Jesus Christ. So whom do you say that I am?
Look at verse 16. Simon Peter, representing the
apostles and representing all believers, Simon Peter answered
and said, You're it. You're the Christ. Thou art the
Christ. Thou art the Christ. Now we know that word Christ
there means the anointed Messiah. He's saying that you're the long-expected
Messiah. That promised seed of woman all
the way back to Genesis chapter 3. All the way back to the book
of Isaiah where it said, a child is born, a son is given, his
name shall be called Wonderful Counselor of the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Thou art the Christ
of God. Peter, without hesitation, without
reservation, said, Thou art the Christ of God, the Son of the
living God. The Son of the living God. Now, what a blessed confession
of faith this is. Peter confessed that the Son
of Man is none less than the Son of God. Yeah, He's the Son
of Man, born of woman, made under the law to redeem them in the
fullness of time. God sent forth His Son, made
of a woman. He is the Son of Man, but He's also the Son of
God. Preacher, how can that be? He's
both. He's God, fully God, fully man,
in one blessed person. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory. That Word that was with God in
the beginning was made flesh and one among us. And we beheld
his glory as of the glory of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth." Paul, when he writes to Timothy in
1 Timothy 3.16, he says, without controversy, great is the mystery
of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
spirit, seen of angels, believed on the world, and received up
to glory. You see, it's who he is that
gives power to what he did. He is the Christ of God. Believers
totally and wholly confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is God,
that he is the Son of God, that he is the Christ of God, that
he is the anointed Messiah, Son of God, to accomplish all our
salvation. Remember our Lord prayed, Lord,
I thank you that you've given me power over all flesh, that
I should give eternal life to as many as thou has given to
me. This is eternal life that they
might know thee the only true God. And he said, I finished
the work you gave me to do. He finished our salvation. He
accomplished our salvation, all of it. The Lord Jesus Christ
is anointed in all of his office as prophet, What does a prophet
do? Reveals the will of God to us.
He is that prophet. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
priest. What does a priest do? We study
that all through the book of Hebrews. A priest, the priest
of God, anointed of God, represents us to God. And he does that with
his blood atonement. He obtained for us eternal redemption,
seeing we have a great high priest that has entered into the holiest.
Let us draw nigh unto God through him. So he is the Christ of God. He is the Son of God. He is God manifest in the flesh,
prophet, priest, and king. As king, what does a king do?
A king reigns, doesn't he? The Lord Jesus Christ is King
of kings and Lord of lords. He is every man's Lord. and king,
whether they realize it or not. God said, I've set my king upon
my holy hill, Zion. He's king of righteousness, and
he's king of peace. He's king in salvation. It says
that in the book of Psalms. He's king in salvation. Now remember
verse 17, and the Lord answered Peter's confession, and he said,
well, you're blessed. You're a blessed man. You see
that? The Lord answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou. Blessed
art thou. Simon, you're a sinner. You're a son of Jonah. Therefore
he was born in sin, shapen in iniquity, in need of a Redeemer
who can redeem, in need of the Christ of God that can redeem.
Blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this unto thee, but my Father, my Father which is in heaven.
It comes by revelation, doesn't it? Peter was truly a blessed
and happy man. He didn't learn this by study.
He didn't learn this by education. It wasn't that some man taught
him or revealed to him that he was the Messiah. It didn't come
by flesh and blood, but rather by the Holy Spirit of God revealing
these things unto him. Let me read this to you. Don't
turn. You're familiar with this. The
Apostle Paul. One time Saul of Tarsus, the
Pharisee who hated the Lord Jesus Christ, until he met him on the
road, when Paul was going, Saul of Tarsus on his road to Damascus,
persecuting believers, and he said this, When it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace
to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the
heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. He
didn't confirm with flesh and blood, it came by revelation. Now, I want you to turn to this
one, the Gospel of John chapter 1. Be familiar with this, but
let's read it again. The same is true of all who are
born of God by the Spirit of God. They all have the same spiritual
understanding. In John chapter 1, Verse 10, said, he was in the
world and the world was made by him. John 1 verse 10, and
the world knew him not. He came into his own, his own
received him not, his own people, set away with him, crucifying
him. We have no king but Caesar. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power, right or privilege to become sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born. They're born of God. not because
of any flesh or blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God." The reason a sinner believes
the gospel is because he's been born of God. Whosoever believes
that Jesus is the Christ, he is born of God. We know the Son of God has come,
and He's given us an understanding that we might know Him that is
true, and we're in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus
Christ. This is the true God, and this
is eternal life. Peter was given spiritual life
in Christ that comes with a spiritual revelation of who he is and what
he has accomplished. He was blessed. blessed of God
by God's divine purpose and decree. We are bound to give thanks to
God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel. That's a blessed man. He was
blessed by divine decree. He was blessed by divine and
sovereign distinction, distinct in grace. God said, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. Paul said, I am what I am by
the grace of God. He commanded the light to shine.
Every believer, and that light shines in our heart, that we
might see the glory of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ. He was blessed by divine decree.
He was blessed by sovereign, distincting grace, the distinction
of grace, love, and mercy. He'll have mercy on whom He will.
And whom He will, He'll harden. Now look at verse 18. Here's
a blessed foundation. not only a blessed confession, but a blessed foundation. Thou
art Peter, Thou art Peter, I say unto thee
also, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock, here's this blessed
foundation, upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates
of hell, and that word there, hell, can be rendered death,
the powers of death, shall not prevail against God's church. Why? He builds the church. He
builds the church. The church is compromised or
comprised of all believers of all ages. The Lord Jesus Christ
His church is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who is that
solid rock, who is that solid foundation. The foundation that
God has laid out in his eternal purpose and grace, given us in
Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. This is the foundation
that God has laid for us. in that eternal purpose. You
remember Isaiah 28. He said, Behold, I lay in Zion
for a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone. He that believeth
on him will never be forced out. Turn to the book of Ephesians,
and let's read this together. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians
chapter 2. Just over from Galatians there. Ephesians chapter 2. Look at
verse 19. Talking about this blessed foundation
we have. Ephesians 2 verse 19 Now, therefore,
you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints in the household of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets. What is that foundation
of the apostles and prophets? Jesus Christ himself being the
chief cornerstone, in whom all the building, fitly framed together,
groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also build
it together for habitation of God, through the Spirit of God. God inhabits His people. He inhabits
His church. So there's that blessed foundation
that we have. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back to Matthew
chapter 7. Remember this, the Lord gives
this to us. He gives us an illustration of
a house. Matthew chapter 7 verse 24, Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I liken him unto a wise
man that buildeth his house upon the rock. And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat upon the house,
and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock. Everyone that
heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened
to a foolish man which buildeth his house upon the sand. The
rain descended, the floods came, and the wind blew, and it beat
upon the house, and it fell. Oh, it's a great fall. You see,
Christ is that foundation upon which we rest all of our salvation. All of our salvation upon Him.
Now, a blessed man, a blessed foundation, and then a blessed
promise. Verse 18. He said, I will build
my church. and nothing can prevail against
it. Here's a blessed and sure promise
to his church, his body, his bride. All the promises of God
in him are yes, and in him, amen. The Lord said that he will build
his church, and nothing can prevent that from happening. Now, what
is a church? Now, this building is not the
church. A denomination, they often, different
denominations say that they are the church. No denomination is
the church because salvation is not in any church. Salvation
is in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. But this word here, church,
it's used, it means I will build, I will build my church. That
word there, church, means those who are called out. He's talking
about the church of the firstborn. He's talking about the church
of his elect, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world. This church is not talking about a local assembly, a local
church, or a body of believers. We assemble together as a body
of believers, and we call ourselves Ziblon Grace Church. We've been
called out, but that's But again, salvation's not being a member
of a local body, because salvation's in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not in any particular denominational organization.
The church here is all God's elect, loved in Christ from eternity,
called his bride. He loved the church and gave
himself for it. The Lord Jesus Christ is called
the head of the body. He's the head, we're the body.
That's his church. That's his elect. That's his
bride. Believers made up of the elect
of God, out of every tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue, in all the
world, in all ages, that's his people. That's his bride. Those
are the ones for whom he died, and those are the ones for whom
he had chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the
foundation of the world. It's called the Church of the
Firstborn that were bought and redeemed with his precious blood.
He loved the church and gave himself for it. This church is
called out of darkness into his marvelous light. This church
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the body and bride of Christ, is
clothed with his perfect righteousness. Blessed is that man to whom the
Lord imputes righteousness without works. He's called the Lord our
righteousness. He shall be called the Lord our
righteousness. What shall she be called? The
Lord our righteousness. What's true of him, true of us.
We're clothed in his righteousness, called out of darkness, bought
with his blood. We are his people. We are his
church. were preserved and kept by the
power of God. That being so, he said, I will
build. Now, if he builds it, will it
last? Will it last? He said, it will. A blessed promise. I will build my church. I'll
establish my body, my elect, my sheep, and the gates of hell. Hell and death, or anything else,
demons, principalities or power, shall not prevail against God's
purpose. God has a purpose to redeem His
people. Can it be foiled? Can it be changed, altered? Maybe
it will happen, maybe it won't. No, salvation is of the Lord. It must happen. Nothing can prevail
against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has promised
to secure it. He's the surety of the everlasting
covenant. He's promised to secure it and
protect it. We're kept by the power of God.
Not even death can prevail against it. Remember we studied in Revelation
chapter 1? He said, I'm he that liveth and
was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore.
He has the keys of hell and death. Our Lord said, because I live,
you shall live also. The powers of death cannot prevail
against it. Even the wiles and trickeries
of the devil cannot prevent it. Put on the whole armor of God
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Nothing can prevail against the success of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God and the salvation.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God
who justified, it's Christ who died, who can separate us from
the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing.
We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Shall not prevail, verse 19. I've got to wind this up. I'll
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom. Now, what would you
say that key is? What's the key of salvation?
Well, the Lord Jesus Christ, obviously is the key. I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom. The gospel is the gift
of God. The gospel is the good news,
how God saves sinners in Christ. That's the key. That's the key
of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. The power of Christ
is the power of God unto salvation. I will give unto thee the keys
of the kingdom, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on the earth
shall be loosed in heaven." Here's a blessed gift given to the church
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of Christ, that's the
power of God unto salvation. These apostles were sent to preach
the gospel and were sent to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ is the key that unlocks
all the mysteries of God concerning how God can be just and justify
the ungodly. And then he says, whatever is
bound on the earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever is loosed
here will be loosed there. What does that mean? I want to
know what that means. Well, because I'm a simple man,
and I can only understand simple concepts, whatever is bound here,
we are bound with Christ in union with the Lord Jesus Christ by
God-given faith. We've been made one with Him.
We're bound with Him now, and we'll be bound with Him forever.
And then what has been loosed? Whatever is loosed here will
be loosed there. What have we lost here? We've
lost sin, haven't we? He put away our sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. We've been loosed from the bondage
of our sin. We've been loosed from the curse
of our sin. And we'll be loosed from it there
too, right? We'll sing unto Him who loved
us and washed us from our sin in His own blood. To Him be all
the honor and glory, both now and forever and ever and ever. The question for us, what do you think of Christ?
We're going to see that again in Matthew 20, 22. What think ye of Christ? Well, to the believer, he's everything. He's everything. He's everything. Christ is all and in all. In him, we are complete. What
think ye of Christ? Everything. He is the Lord, our
salvation. One old preacher of the past
said this, if He's not your Lord, He's not your Savior. If He's not your Lord, He's the
Lord, our Savior. If He's not your Lord, He can't
be just your Savior and not your Lord. We confess with Thomas,
He's my Lord and my God. I confess He's all of my salvation. He's both Lord and Christ. He's everything. He's everything
to the believer.