Faith Baptist Church
06/03/2026 Wednesday Night Service

      • Isaiah 32:1ESV

  • O Church, Arise
  • “Where did you go on your first honeymoon?” Jesus keeps his promises!

    I. The King’s Identity v13-17

    A. The world’s speculation v13-14

    The question asked
    Son of Man - Jesus’ favorite title for himself. Refers to Dan. 7:13-14 Messianic title
    Daniel 7:13–14 ESV
    “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
    Also Ezekiel - God calls that prophet “son of man” as an indication of his humanity. So immediately that title is a two-fold hint.
    2. The question answered
    John the Baptist - cf. 14:1-12 - Herod believed this, so likely others did too.
    Elijah - forerunner of OT prophecy.
    (a kind of ) Jeremiah - preacher of repentance and judgment, rejected by the people. possible Jewish expectations that Jeremiah would be reincarnated around the time of Messiah.
    Bottom line: the public failed to recognize Jesus’ true identity. Which is...?

    B. The disciples’ confession v15-16

    The question repeated
    But = de, negative here. “ego eimi” = I AM
    2. The question returned
    Christ - Messiah, anointed one, king over all Israel; humanity
    Son of the living God - high title, shares attributes of God, therefore divinity.
    Apply: Do we have such a high view of Jesus that we see him as both our King, to whom we owe ultimate allegiance and whose commands we joyfully obey, AND as our God, whose overwhelming majesty and glory cause us to worship? Do we revere him in our lives this way? How can we tell?
    How do we know if someone has made a marriage commitment? Does the ring tell us who they’re married to? What does?

    C. The Christ’s affirmation v17

    The proclamation’s blessing
    Blessed = happy. Sermon on the Mount Beatitudes same word. Matt 5. Jesus uses this word of people who have faith in him as Messiah and are members of his kingdom.
    2. The revelation’s source
    Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Son implies the existence and involvement of the heavenly Father. Only the Father could have revealed Jesus to Peter. Matthew 11:25-27
    Matthew 11:25–27 ESV
    At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
    And John 6:44
    John 6:44 ESV
    No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
    This is essentially the Gospel: that Jesus is the Savior and King of mankind. Though Peter has not yet grasped the consequences of his faith (his King Jesus will some day very soon be delivered over to be crucified by the Romans instead of overthrowing them), here he publicly declares his trust in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Though he will fail in his commitment and his faith will go through many tests, here we see Peter leading the other disciples in affirming a right trust in Christ. That is why Jesus declares his blessed state and acknowledges his Father’s hand in revealing him by the Spirit to the disciples.
    How would your unsaved coworker or friend answer this question? Who do they think he is? What would it take for them to see him for who he is? What can you do to pinpoint the areas of misunderstanding they might have? Where is the gap between their misunderstanding and their unbelief? Can you have faith without understanding? Whose job is it to teach them?
    Matthew 13:51–52 ESV
    “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

    II. The King’s Promise v18-19

    In v18-19 we encounter some of the most important words in the entire book of Matthew and arguably the whole New Testament. They are also hotly-debated words, used as proof material for some of the most dangerous and destructive heresies of our age. Let’s walk carefully through the promise Jesus makes here,

    A. His Church is confessional. v18a

    Possible meanings of “the rock”:
    Christ: While true that Christ is viewed as the foundation of the church elsewhere, this reading makes no sense in the context and contributes nothing to the point Jesus is making about Peter’s newfound point of view. This simply doesn’t make sense to the point Jesus is making about Peter’s faith.
    1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
    1 Peter 2:4–8 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.”
    "Christ is made the sure foundation”, “Chosen as His Children,” “We Are Your Church,” and “The Church’s One Foundation” are all examples of hymns that affirm this NT truth but don’t find their source material here in Matthew 16.
    2. Peter: petros, petra equation; most natural reading; apostles named as foundation of the church in scripture, and Peter leads them; doesn’t necessarily teach RCC succession model.
    Revelation 21:14 “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
    Ephesians 2:20 “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”
    3. The Confession of Faith: claims petros, petra is a pun, not an apposition; why use 3rd person when he’s talking to Peter (2nd person)? Best supports the context and point Jesus is making with Peter. The church isn’t constructed on a single fallen man, but on the confession of faith revealed to the elect by God the Father through God the Spirit about God the Son. This is how one enters the Kingdom (Matt. 5 - poor in spirit), and it is how one enters the church. Though the kingdom and the church are not the same thing, Jesus is announcing the future establishment of that pan-national assembly of saints who will one day join believing national Israel in the kingdom of which Jesus will be king. Jesus is demonstrating to his disciples that his rejection by Israel does nothing to annul his plans for them: he is still going to use them.
    2 Timothy 2:19 “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.””
    So we find all three of the possible views in scripture, and none of them is heretical. But I believe, given the point Jesus is making about the kingdom being set aside in order to make way for the church, that it is Peter’s confession which is in view here and upon which Jesus will build the dwelling place of God for the next dispensation.

    B. His Church is indestructible. v18b

    2nd part of the promise
    gates of hell (Hades) = expression for death. Gates are the place of official business, position of defense for a city, and the location from which armies emerge from a stronghold. The gates of hades, the place of sinners under God’s wrath, will not be able to withstand the advance of Jesus’ church. The church will succeed not only at defending against the attacks of Satan but also at beating the powers of hell back to their own front door. This all comes to fruition when Christ returns to set up his earthly kingdom in Revelation, Daniel.
    But the meaning of this eschatological promise is not just corporate; it is individual as well. The reason that death will have no victory over Christ’s church is that he has given eternal life to each and every member of that universal body of believers. From Peter to the very last of the saints in time, every one of us possesses the gift of eternal life. And no one can take that from us—not even the powers of death and hell.
    Romans 8:38–39 ESV
    For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    This is the immediate, glorious, and hope-filled result of our trust in Jesus Christ, the founder of the church and the coming King of Israel and the world. Why wouldn’t you boldly proclaim this? Why wouldn’t this fill your thoughts all the time?

    C. His Church is representative. v19

    Finally, we see the third component of the promise: the Church has been given the authority of Christ to witness to his power to save in the world. No one else is entrusted with this sacred mission of hope; the Church alone has been equipped by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of evangelism in this age.
    meaning of the keys = authority.
    shall have been bound...shall have been loosed.
    the idea is that whatever good the Church accomplishes on earth in Christ’s name has already received heavenly approval from her coming King.
    We are emissaries and ambassadors for Christ: 2 Cor. 5:20
    2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV
    Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
    That right there is what it means to possess the keys to Christ’s kingdom. Again, people become citizens of Christ’s kingdom by believing in his name. And how can one come to believe in Jesus’ name unless he hears the Good News about him??
    Romans 10:14–15 ESV
    How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
    2. We have Christ’s authority and responsibility to deal with sin. Matthew 18:18
    Matthew 18:18 ESV
    Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
    We read this statement in the middle of Christ’s teaching on church discipline. He takes the time to outline the process of church discipline before the church is even established; that’s how important safeguarding the gospel message from tainted testimony truly is. If we are to be faithful representatives of our heavenly King on earth, we must be able to recognize those who are in the house and those who should remain outside. That’s why we have keys—we need to be able to tell who’s on the inside, and who’s on the outside.
    Dr. Saxon Baptist series- let people in the front door / let people out the back door.
    So this is a sacred trust, a divine custodianship, regarding the message of Jesus Christ. We as the Church, corporately and each individually, have the responsibility and privilege of revealing the Son who is King to those who are perishing. And as the Father reveals his Son to those we faithfully proclaim the message to, more and more are welcomed into the citizenry of that heavenly kingdom and begin to enjoy the same eternal quality of life that we who know Christ already possess.
    Can you think of a greater privilege than that? A greater responsibility? Is there a spiritually needy person in your life who needs to know the King of Kings? What are you doing to make his real identity obvious to them? What obstacles do you need to get past to demonstrate the truth to them? Are you in the way of them seeing him clearly? Are you a good representative, a good ambassador?
    If we really believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son, we are gloriously included in his church and receive all the amazing benefits of being associated with him. And we have the wonderful duty and privilege of welcoming into the fold those sheep who have not yet begun to recognize their shepherd’s voice. The promises of Christ are sure—there will be no second honeymoon, for our bridegroom is he whose name is FAITHFUL AND TRUE.
    Amen. Comments, questions, concerns, snide remarks?

      • Daniel 7:13–14ESV

      • Matthew 11:25–27ESV

      • John 6:44ESV

      • Matthew 13:51–52ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 3:11ESV

      • Ephesians 2:20ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:19ESV

      • Romans 8:38–39ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:20ESV

      • Romans 10:14–15ESV

      • Matthew 18:18ESV

Faith Baptist Church
faith@fbcocon.org
262-567-0040
http://www.fbcocon.org
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