to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 16, picking up the reading at verse 13. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do men say that the Son of Man is? And they said, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Let's again look to the Lord. Father, we are thankful that we can come boldly. We can come without fear to this throne of grace because it is a throne of grace. It's not a throne of justice. And we are thankful that you are a God who is so willing to dispense grace to his children. You give us grace for everyday life. You give us grace, Lord, in the midst of our trials and difficulties. And you give us grace, Lord, when we come to hear your word. We cannot understand this apart from supernatural activity. And so we ask you, Lord, not to leave us to ourselves, but show us again that you are the God who gives gifts. Give us the gift of the Spirit, even tonight, to help us understand what you say and how we ought to live in light of this. And we pray this in Christ's name, Amen. For about 30 years, he was an unknown person, a stranger, a nobody as far as the world was concerned. He lived in a small little town of Nazareth, an obscure little village. It would have been hard even to find it on a map compared to those big cities of Jerusalem or Rome But that's where he lived for those silent years. We don't know very much, do we, about those years that are called the silent years. Luke's the only gospel writer that gives us a little peek into one of those incidents during that period of time at the age of 12, where Jesus, you remember, stays behind there in Jerusalem, engages those men, those theologians there in the temple. But that's the only incident that we really have during those growing up years. All those wonderful teenage years are covered in silence. But at the age of 30, He begins his public ministry. He steps out of the shadows and he immediately heads towards the Jordan River and he's baptized and a voice from heaven says, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. And as soon as that takes place, he's immediately driven. I mean, the gospel writers use a very strong word, driven into the wilderness. for 40 days and 40 nights. And at the back end of that experience, he will be tempted by the devil. And he emerges from that conflict very much the victor and the conqueror. He returns, we are told, in the power of the Holy Spirit. And you could say from that point on, the world is turned upside down. And essentially, Jesus does it in two ways. He does it by His words, and He does it by His deeds, by His teaching, and by His healing miracles. It doesn't take all that long for people to realize this person's extraordinary. No one spoke like Jesus. You remember at the back end of the Sermon on the Mount, people are astonished. He's so different from the scribes. He speaks with a breathtaking kind of authority. And when it comes to His miracles, you find something the same in terms of response, a kind of head-shaking bewilderment. People are left there standing wide-eyed in astonishment and amazement. You might remember one of the first times the disciples get a sense of how extraordinary this man is, was when they faced that storm on the Sea of Galilee. They were experienced fishermen, but they were scared out of their wits. They really thought they were going to a premature, watery grave until Jesus stood up, He rebukes the wind, and the sea's peace be still, and those disciples, still dripping wet, look at each other and say, who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him. And that becomes really the question of questions in the Gospels. Is there a more important question than that? You find that question being asked at the front end of the Gospels. As you move more midway and even to the back end of the Gospels, that question is still being asked. And here in Matthew 16, that's the very question that is asked. And I want us to consider this question and use Matthew 16 as our template. We'll consider this incident in four ways. The searching question, the prevailing opinions, the astounding answer, and then the affirming word. So, four things that we can glean from this particular incident. The searching question, the prevailing opinions, the astounding answer, and the affirming word. First of all, the searching question. You've heard it said, location, location, location. Go to buy a house, that's what they tell you. Well, when you pick up your Bible, you should also think at times location, because location is important, or what we might call the historical context or setting. And the very first thing that Matthew zeroes in on here is location. Notice what he says. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, That would have been a northern village. It was the center of the Greco-Roman culture in Palestine. It was a very pretty place. It was very close to a mountain called Mount Hermon, which was snow-capped all year around. And probably one of the reasons why Jesus takes his disciples to this kind of place, this scenic place, was more of a retreat to get away from the rat race. the crowds and to spend some high-quality time with his disciple friends. But it will prove to be a watershed moment as far as its theological and spiritual significance. Caesarea Philippi was the center of pagan worship. Evidences were Everywhere, heathen temples off in the distance, the city boasted of an ancient shrine to the false god Baal, sometimes called the god of a thousand heads. The Greeks also dedicated a temple to their god called Pan. Archaeologists have discovered other temples to various Greek gods. There was also a massive marble-sized temple built to worship the Roman emperor Caesar. So it's a jammed pack in terms of idolatry everywhere. It didn't matter where you looked. The sights and sounds of idolatry were everywhere. And think of what that would have meant to a Jew. Every Jew was monotheistic in the sense that he believed there was one God, only one God. This would have been repugnant. If there was ever a place You would have wanted to scream at the top of your lungs as a Jew and say, there's only one true God. It would have been here in Caesarea Philippi. But Jesus will ask a question, a very searching question about Himself in Caesarea Philippi. Notice how He identifies Himself by that title, the Son of Man. It was his favorite designation. And to identify himself, it was something of a humble self-designation. It was a title ascribed to humans. But I'm sure you know that there is a Old Testament reference to the Son of Man. It's found in Daniel chapter 7. And you remember that this person who is the Son of Man, he descends on clouds. And He's given an authority and power over all nations, and they worship Him. The Son of Man has that connotation, and Jesus knew that. I don't think the disciples did. I don't think they were thinking of Daniel 7 when Jesus asked the question, who do men say the Son of Man is? They were probably only thinking on that human level. But my question here might be asked is, why is Jesus even asking the question? Well, I think Jesus asks the question because He sees the clock on the wall. If you look down to Matthew 16, verse 21, it's obvious that Jesus knows He's going to the cross. And He tells His disciples, about His impending death and crucifixion. Verse 21, from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed. How do you prepare someone for that? It would have been the most difficult time in the disciples' lives. It will shake their faith. Will they stay on course? Will they remain loyal? When everything they thought they believed about Jesus almost seems like a joke. Will they hold on? Will they persevere? Maybe even Jesus was wondering that himself. And you know the key to perseverance? You know what the major key is? Your knowledge of Christ. In the knowledge of Christ, Hebrews 12, looking unto the author and finisher of our faith, we persevere. Do they really understand who He is? Have they grasped that? They've been chosen to be His disciples, but will they stay His disciples? You remember earlier, at least in John's Gospel, we're told that many of His disciples forsook Him. Well, a lot will depend, will it not, on how they answer the question. So, you have the searching question, but now secondly, notice the prevailing opinions. The prevailing opinions of the disciples give two answers here. The first is what you might call a stock answer. They give an answer that represents or reflects the public opinion of that day. Now, you should know that the public opinion of that day was constantly vacillating. It was like a yo-yo or a stock market. And Jesus, in terms of his popularity, was up and down like a yo-yo. from one week to the next, and as you move to the midway of his public ministry, and more to the back end is where we are here, people were having more doubts about Jesus. People were becoming more disillusioned about Him. Is He really the Messiah? We expected a Messiah who would deliver us from Rome, and Jesus doesn't fit the mold. And so you can well imagine People were having all kinds of doubts about this man, Jesus. But I want you to notice here, at least, it does appear that most people were thinking quite positively or favorably of Jesus at this point. Notice how they answer the question. They obviously put Jesus right up there with the great prophets. A few of them are mentioned, you notice, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and some others. I was talking to a Muslim over Thanksgiving, and he was letting me know that he'd been exposed to Christianity. He'd even gone to church a few times. And I asked him, do you know the difference between the Muslim faith and the Christian faith? And he wasn't quite sure. I said, well, let me ask you, who do you think Jesus is? Well, he's a prophet. That's what most people think. That's still the popular opinion in our day. And that initially appears to be quite a compliment, wouldn't you think? I mean, if you were a tennis player and people compared you to Jimmy Conner, maybe, remember Jimmy Conner? Maybe so. Roger Federer. College football, you're a player and you're just going to You know, go through your first year of college and they were comparing you to LeBron James. I mean, hockey, I can give you a few hockey players. You know, you compare you to the best. That'd be flattery. That'd be complimentary. But Jesus, you could say, is getting rave reviews. And the fact that several prophets are mentioned here, several, not just one, is even a greater compliment. Right? I mean, there's a wide diversity of opinion. Elijah! Wow! Jeremiah! John the Baptist! You see, Jesus had so many strengths, and so many gifts, that he kind of captured them all. They couldn't really peg him. He's like John in terms of his boldness. He's like Jeremiah in terms of his tenderness and his pleading. He's like Elijah. I mean, he'll confront anybody. And the disciples don't tell Jesus what everybody's saying. Because there were a lot of negative things being said about Jesus too, weren't there? He's a blasphemer, he's a glutton, he's a wine-bibber. They don't put any of the negatives into the ears of Jesus, but it's very clear that the public perception of Jesus was that he was a great prophet. And prophets, I mean, they were special people. They were the men that God had chosen to speak the very words of God. They were singularly chosen and anointed by God. But notice how Jesus responds. He doesn't even pause and say, thank you very much. It doesn't put a smile on His face. He doesn't say, wow, that's great, that's a wonderful thing. No, He simply turns to His disciple friends and asks the question, but who do you say that I am? And it's put very strongly in the original. You have what is called an emphatic you. But who do you say that I am? And if anybody knew who Jesus was, it would have been these guys, right? I mean, they lived with Him 24-7. They'd seen Him in almost every situation. They'd seen Him in storms at sea. They'd seen Him in people's homes, eating meals, befriending publicans and sinners. They'd spent hours upon hours walking with Him through all of those little villages around the Galilean Sea. They saw Him under pressure. They saw Him under attack. They saw Him praying. They saw Him when He was tired. They saw how He behaved after a hard day of work. They saw him conversing with children and with women. So what is their view of Christ? Are they able to give a clear, definitive answer? We'll read on. And it's clear here, isn't it, that they've been thinking and reflecting and contemplating That brings us to the third consideration. The searching question, the prevailing opinion, the astounding answer. Now we know from several other occasions, previous occasions, I mentioned that earlier, that this question was obviously a question they were asking, a question they were wrestling with. Remember again that storm on the Sea of Galilee back in chapter 4 of Mark when Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea, and they ask the question, who is this? It's interesting, if you turn to Matthew chapter 14, they ask the question again, or at least it's obvious here, they've been thinking about who this man is. This is when Jesus walks on the water, and you remember, he comes along and he speaks to them, he tells them to take heart, do not be afraid, it is I, and Peter, Says he wants to go out and walk on that water, and he comes out to Jesus, and well, look what happens in verse 33. And those in the boat worshipped him. Again, the sea had, the wind had ceased, but when they got on the boat, they worshipped him. When he got on the boat with Peter, they worshipped him, saying, look, look what they say. Truly, you are the Son of God. That's before the question here in Matthew 16. You see, they all knew. They all knew. And all believed He was the Son of God. Now when Jesus asked the question here in Matthew 16, basically the same question about His identity, He basically gets the answer, the same answer. And Peter's the guy who at times was the spokesman for the rest of the disciples. He stands up and he gives what you could call a dual answer. First he says, you are the Christ. That's the Messiah. And again, remember, for the most part, the crowds and the masses had abandoned Jesus. He wasn't fitting their expectations as to what the Messiah should be. He wasn't conquering the Gentiles. He wasn't picking up a sword. He wasn't a political deliverer. They'd given up on Jesus. But Peter hasn't been swayed by the crowds. Peter says, you are the Christ. You are the Christ. Peter picks up the trumpet and blows as hard, you could say, as hard as he can. You are the Christ. That means you're the anointed one. Remember in the Old Testament, they would anoint those for prophet, those for priest, and those for kings. You are the king of kings. You are the prophet of prophets. You are the priest of priests. You're the one we've been waiting for. You're the one the Old Testament prophesied. You're the hope of Israel. He doesn't stop there, does he? He takes it further. You are the Son of the living God. You are related to God in a way that no one else is. You are the Son. We heard about adoption this morning. Well, we're not sons like Jesus. We're adopted sons. He's the only Son. He's the begotten Son. You are the Son in a unique and intimate way. Now, we can't be sure as to all that they understood at this point in terms of the doctrine of eternity? Did they understand that Jesus was the creator of the world? How much they understood in terms of being the eternal son of God? I still think they're on the learning curve at this point, but this is a watershed moment. They are saying that their master is different from anybody else they know. He's greater than any prophet. He is the Messiah, the Christ, the One that the whole Old Testament said was going to come and deliver us. You are God among men. You are Emmanuel. The searching question, the prevailing opinions, the astounding answer, and then, fourthly, brethren, the affirming Word. Now, at this point, I would have loved to be there to look into the face of Jesus. I really think this would have brought a big smile to his face. A real sense of joy. Excitement in his own voice. Notice that he doesn't charge Peter with exaggeration or extravagance. He says, Peter, you've gone too far here. Back off, guy. No, Jesus is perfectly satisfied. He entirely approves with what Jesus has just said. Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood is not revealed as to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Some of us call this the first creed of historic Christianity. It's the doctrine of doctrines, the truth of truths. Everything hangs on this. everything hangs on a Jesus, who he is and what he did. If you believe, if you believe what the Bible calls faith, not just head acknowledgement, but faith, if you believe as faith is set forth in the Bible as knowledge, conviction and trust, if you believe on Jesus, if you believe who he is, you have eternal life. You have a savior. But if you don't, you're lost. Jesus said, didn't he, if you don't believe who I am, you will die in your sins. This truth determines damnation or salvation. This truth determines whether you're on the broad way that leads to destruction or the narrow way that leads to life. I hope you can amen Peter's confession and say that there's no one greater than Jesus. And what I want to do in closing is just say three things to kind of reinforce how great Jesus is. I'm going to use mathematical signs. Step out of my comfort zone. I'm no engineer. Three mathematical signs here. Very simple. Children, you know these. A plus sign, equal sign, and a minus sign, right? So I'm going to make it real simple. But I want you to think of a plus sign, equal sign, and a minus sign when it comes to who Jesus is. When you think of Jesus, think of a plus sign. Is there anybody greater than Christ? Is there any creature that God made that is greater than Christ. And you would say, no, he's the greatest. He's greater than any man. He's greater than any prophet. He's greater than any angel. He always gets the plus sign. Think of the greatest prophets, whether it's David, David is said to be a prophet, whether it's Moses, whether it's a king, whether it's Solomon, Take any priest, Aaron, take any king, any priest, even take any king or any president in the United States of America, take any war hero, take any sports star, Jesus is always greater. The writer of Hebrews even compares Jesus to angels and says, which of the angel that God ever said, you are my son, Hebrews 1 says, God's angels worship Him. When you think of Jesus and think of how great He is, well, think of a plus sign. Jesus is always greater. No matter who you stand up against Jesus, He's always greater. But also, think of an equal sign. Listen again to Peter's great confession. You are the Christ. Now, some think that all he is really saying here is that you are the rightful King of Israel, a political statement, and nothing really more than that. But Peter doesn't stop there, does he? You are the Christ. But you are the Son of the living God. Peter is putting him on par with God. Remember, Jesus uses language, Son of Man. Even that put Him on par with God. You remember in the ecclesiastical trials, when they were pressing Jesus to identify Him, Jesus said to the scribes and the chief priests, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, is seated at the right hand of God. He's coming in cloud. Jesus picked up Daniel 7. And what do they say? Blasphemy! They recognize that Jesus was claiming to be God. Son of Man identifies Him as God. Son of God identifies Him as God. He is God. Equal. Not less. Equal. Take any of the attributes that make God, God. And they all belong to Jesus. Take anyone. His immutability, you'll find it in Scripture. He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His infinite knowledge. His infinite power. Jesus is God. No one greater. Then Jesus Christ, how can we be sure by the plus sign, by the equal sign, but thirdly, by the negative or minus sign? Think of all of the negatives in this world. Think of anything that makes you afraid. You know, the older I get, the more I realize that we're all scaredy cats. But most of us are afraid to admit it. But we're all scaredy-cats. And if you say, I'm not afraid of anything, well, I'd like to say this to you, my friend. You're either deluded or you're lying. Because we're all afraid. That's the most frequent commandment in the whole Bible, be not afraid. God knows us. He knows that we're going to get afraid of a lot of things in life. What are you afraid of? Well, I'm afraid I hear a little bit of death. You get older, you start to think a little bit more about death. Sufferings, trials, losing loved ones. What about your enemies? People who have hurt you and people you know want to hurt you. What about the wrath of God and the judgment to come? You take any of those negatives, all of those things that can make us afraid, sometimes keep us awake at night and fretting and worrying. And all I'm saying, my friend, is Christ is greater than all of that. He's greater than all the bad things, all the negative things, all the things that you struggle with, even maybe in your own heart, all the sins you struggle with, whether it's lust or envy or pride or selfishness. Jesus is greater than all of them because He conquered them all. He conquered the devil. He conquered death. He conquered sin by paying that price. And all the little things that can bring hurt and harm into your life, He's greater than them all. And that's why Paul can say in Romans chapter 8, no matter what it is, no matter whether it's nakedness, whether danger or distress or tribulation or persecution or famine, nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Nothing. All of the negatives. Nothing. You are safe in Christ. You are perfectly safe in Christ. There is no one bigger than Christ. No one greater. No one more powerful. No one who loves you more than Jesus Christ. I hope he can say, Not only you are the Christ, but you're my Christ. You're my Savior. Martin Luther said, only when we say personal pronouns can we really be sure of heaven. My God. My Savior. And that's the Savior who was promised to come back and take us home to a place where there will be no more tears, nor more sorrow, nor more pain. He's coming on clouds. That's right. A chariot of clouds to take us home. And until that day comes, what do we do? Well, we think of Christ. We meditate upon Christ. I hope you do. And you say, I want to see Him more. I want to know Him more. I want to savor Him more. So when I see him, when I see him, I can tell him, Jesus, I've been thinking and meditating on you day after day, and I couldn't wait to see you face to face. I hope that's how you think, and that's how you pray, waiting for Jesus until that special day. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth concerning your Son. That is our hope and our confidence. We thank you for your Son who not only came into this world, but who was prepared to die for us, conquer the grave for us, and even now intercede on our behalf. Help us, Lord, to grow more in love for our Savior. Help us as we face another week to bring Him to our thoughts, to enjoy fellowship and communion with Him. May we be found growing in Christ and growing to become more like Christ as well. Save sinners, Lord, who sit amongst us who cannot say that You are their Savior. May tonight even be the night in which they bow before you and acknowledge that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.