Matthew 16:13-20 Upon This Rock

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.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."  Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. [Matthew 16:13‭-‬20 NASB]

Jesus took His disciples about 25 miles north of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, in what is now the Golan Heights. This got Him away from the crowds, so that He had time for some more private discussions with His disciples.

He asked who people thought He was, and received a variety of answers. When He asked "Who do you say that I am?" he received the right answer. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus affirms Peter's answer. "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Peter's statement is probably one of the most important statements in the Bible, and it was said matter-of-factly. There was no thundering voice, no earthquakes, lightning, fire from Heaven, nor any other outward sign. Peter didn't fall into a trance or receive a great vision. He simply spoke from the heart.

This is how the Holy Spirit often speaks to us: directly to our hearts. Christians often go through life saying, "God has never spoken to me." More likely, God has spoken many times, but you didn't recognize His voice. The reason we don't recognize His voice could be because we don't expect Him to speak to us, or since He speaks directly to our heart, we think it is our own thoughts, rather than the voice of God. It could simply be lack of practice and experience listening for Him. And it could be that our own inner voice, our thoughts, are so busy and loud that we drown out the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Try this: when you pray, talk to God as you would talk to a friend. Just as you would expect a friend to respond, you can expect God to respond. And then - shut up.  Quiet your mind and your thoughts long enough to hear the voice of God. I can promise you this: God will speak to you, and He wants you to hear Him. You may not receive great prophetic words, but He will give the encouragement and guidance you need for your life. It won't come in a booming voice from the ceiling, but from the quiet voice where the Spirit of God lives in your heart.

Jesus goes on to say, "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." I love this statement because of what it reveals about Jesus.

First, consider the location. I've been to the area that was Caesarea Philippi. Basically, the whole area is bedrock, with a lot of stones. Jesus considers both the environment and His audience to make a play on words. He says, "You are Peter." The Greek word is "petros", or "a stone". Then He says, "upon this rock." The Greek is "petra" or "a bedrock". I can visualize Jesus with His disciples having this discussion. Jesus picks up a stone and says, "Simon, you are a stone." Then indicating the bedrock around them, He says, "Upon this bedrock, I will build my church." Peter, and all believers are stones in the church that Jesus is building, but Peter's statement - the truth of who Jesus is: the Christ, the Son of the living God - is the bedrock that the church will be built upon.

This is the first mention of the word "church" in the Bible. The Greek word is "ekklesia" and means "a gathering". What is most significant about the word is that it was a common word that had absolutely no religious connotations at the time. This tells me that the church was meant to be a gathering of believers and not a religious institution. What the church has become, what we have turned it into is, in my opinion, appalling. Too often, it has become a monstrosity that keeps people from knowing God. Much evil has been done in the name of religion.

Yet, the true church remains; apart from religion.

The gates of hell, that is the power and authority of the devil, has set itself against the church. The most blatant attacks are seen in the form of satanism, pagan and atheistic movements. The more insidious attacks are in the form of corruption within the church. Replacing faith with ritual and replacing freedom in Christ with adherence to church rules and dogma.

Jesus said, “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." [Matthew 7:14 NASB] He also said, "“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 7:22-23 NASB]

Many will face the Lord in judgement, having done the whole "church" thing, and having been faithful to their religion, but Jesus will say them, "I never knew you."

Be a follower of Jesus, not a follower of religion. Join with a gathering of fellow believers. That is the true church, not the rules and ordinances of an organization.

Let the Spirit of God guide you and lead you into freedom.