First Baptist Church Litchfield
April 12, 2026

      • Job 19:25–27ESV

  • All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises
  • Be Thou My Vision

      • 1 Corinthians 15:25–28ESV

  • Our God Reigns (How Lovely On The Mountains)
  • I Will Rise
  • Be Unto Your Name

  • The Most Important Question You Will Ever Answer

    There are questions in life that shape everything about you. Where will you live? Who will you marry? What career will you pursue? But none of those questions compare to the one Jesus asks in Matthew 16.

    “Who do you say that I am?”

    However you answer this question sheds light on where you understand the dividing line between life and death, heaven and hell, truth and error, the true church and the imposture, is drawn.
    We walk everyday in a world filled with opinions about Jesus. Much of our society suffers the affects of cultural Christianity, shallow religion, and self-made spirituality. It might be easy for you to defer your answer to what your parents believe, or what your denomination says, maybe even what your favorite preacher teaches. But Jesus will not let you do that. The question remains:

    Who do you say that Jesus is?

    Left to ourselves, we get this question wrong. We reduce Jesus to a teacher, a moral example, a political figure, or a religious mascot. We build churches on preferences, personalities, and programs instead of truth.
    So Jesus takes His disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a place filled with idols, false gods, and competing claims of worship, and He asks the question that exposes our hearts.
    And in answering that question, Jesus does more than reveal who He is. He reveals what the true church is.

    The true church is built by Christ on the confession of His identity, established through apostolic truth, and secured forever by His victorious power.

    If we are going to understand the true church, we must begin where Jesus begins, with the right confession.

    The True Church Confesses Christ (vv. 13–16)

    As Matthew opens this scene in verse 13, he tells us that Jesus brings His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. It sat at the base of Mount Hermon, about twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee, near the headwaters of the Jordan River. It was likely the furthest northern point of Jesus’s earthly ministry.
    But more importantly, this place was saturated with false worship, a worship that centered on devotion to the pagan god Pan. Pan was a symbol of nature and fertility. Caesarea Philippi housed a temple built in honor of Augustus Caesar, who was also worshiped as a god.
    Why would Jesus brings his disciples to such a pagan place, a place filled with idols, false gods, and competing claims to authority? Because, in the shadow of pagan temples and imperial worship, He asks the most important question in the world: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
    By asking this question, Jesus is drawing out of His disciples what they believe so that He can confront it, clarify it, and ultimately deepen their understanding of Him. He begins broadly, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And the disciples respond with what is essentially the consensus of the crowd. Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
    In other words, the world sees Jesus as significant, even spiritual, but not as the sovereign Lord. They honor Him, but they misunderstand Him. Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Others, shaped by Old Testament expectation, believed that one of the great prophets would return to prepare the way for the last days. Some connected Jesus to the prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18. Across the board, the assumption was the same: Jesus is a prophet, but He is not the Son of God.
    The problem is, brothers and sisters, left to ourselves, we are comfortable calling Jesus a prophet, a teacher, even a miracle worker, but not the Christ, not the Son of the living God. We will elevate Him just enough to admire Him, but not enough to submit to Him. It is like recognizing a sovereign king only as a wise advisor. You may respect his counsel, but you are not bowing to his authority.
    As I said before, our culture is filled with opinions about Jesus. Some call Him a moral example. Some call Him a revolutionary. Some call Him a spiritual guide. But if He is anything less than the Christ, the Son of the living God, then you do not truly know Him, and He is your judge.
    So Jesus presses the question further with His disciples. He moves from public opinion to personal conviction. “But who do you say that I am?” His question is meant to contrast the shallow opinions of the crowd with the settled conviction of His followers. The crowds had only casual contact with Jesus, but the disciples had left everything to follow Him. They had seen His works, heard His teaching, and walked with Him day after day. And now Jesus calls them to give a clear confession.
    Furthermore, He is not only drawing out what they believe about Him, but He is also correcting their misunderstandings. He wants them to see clearly that He is the Christ.
    So, in this dark and idolatrous setting, Peter confesses the truth, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus affirms Peter’s confession, and in doing so, He declares that His kingdom is greater than Caesar’s, His authority is higher than any earthly ruler, and His glory surpasses every false god this world has ever created.
    Some of you have grown up around Jesus, but you have never confessed Him as the Christ. You know about Him, but you do not know Him. Some of you admire Jesus, but you do not submit to Him asLord. The true church is not made up of people align with Peter’s confession in a pagan and idolatrous world: Jesus, you are the Christ, the soverign Son of the Living God who takes away the sins of the world. With this confession comes a surrendered life to His lordship and loves Him with a single-minded, heart-united, loyal love that expresses itself in joyful obedience.
    There is one final truth I want you to see in portion of text. Peter did not arrive at this confession on his own. Jesus says, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (Matt 16:17).” Salvation is not something you discover. It is something the Father reveals to you. If you know Jesus it is because the Father has made Him known to you.

    Friend, who do you say Christ is?

    Once the confession is clear, Jesus moves to the source of the church itself.

    The True Church Is Built by Christ (v. 18a)

    “18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18).
    Now this verse has been the subject of much debate. The Catholic Church has historically interpreted Jesus’s words to mean that Peter himself is the rock upon which the church is built, using this as a basis for papal authority. But that reading presses the text further than it will go. Jesus is not establishing a line of popes.
    At the same time, we must be careful not to overcorrect and remove Peter from the verse altogether, as if the rock is only his confession. The text will not allow either extreme.
    Some have thought that verses 17-19 were added later as a correction. As R.T. France observes, there is no textual evidence that this passage was added later. In fact, the strongly Semitic character of the language points to an early origin in a Palestinian setting. You can be confident that this is not a later insertion, but is in fact the authentic voice of Jesus.
    Now notice what Jesus does. He pronounces a blessing upon Peter. While the other disciples may have shared in the understanding, Peter is the one who speaks. And as Matthew often shows us, Peter stands at the front of the group. He is the spokesman, the one who steps forward and gives voice to what others are thinking, for better or worse.
    Do not misunderstand Peter’s prominence in the text. It is not rooted in his personality or even his position. It is rooted in what has been revealed to him. Jesus makes that unmistakably clear: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” What sets Peter apart in this moment is the truth God revealed to Him, which leads us directly into Jesus’s response. “And I tell you…” The language is emphatic. Peter has declared who Jesus is, and now Jesus declares who Peter is in God’s redemptive plan: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
    As R.T. France points out, this is a deliberate wordplay. Jesus takes Peter’s name, Petros, and connects it to the word for rock, petra. In Aramaic, the connection would have been even clearer. The meaning is unmistakable.
    Jesus is not redefining Peter’s character as if he were unshakable, because we know he is not. This is the same Peter who will deny Jesus three times. Rather, Jesus is defining Peter’s function. He is identifying Peter as a foundational figure in the building of the church.
    So we must hold both truths together. It is on the basis of Peter’s confession that he is given this role, but the role is given to Peter himself as a representative of the apostles. This fits with the broader witness of Scripture, where the apostles are described as foundational to the church, while Christ Himself remains the ultimate cornerstone.
    So what we see here is not the elevation of one man for all time, but the establishment of the apostolic foundation upon which Christ will build His church.
    And that is the key.
    Peter is not the builder. Christ is. Peter is not the cornerstone. Christ is. Peter is not the Savior. Christ is.
    But Peter, by grace, is used by Christ as part of that foundation.
    And that should humble us. Because the same God who revealed Christ to Peter is the same God who reveals Christ to sinners like us and then uses weak, inconsistent, imperfect people for His unshakable purpose to build his church, to joyfully advance His kingdom by making much of Jesus.
    Now this leads us naturally to our second point, because once we understand the foundation, we must understand the builder.
    Jesus says, “I will build my church.”
    In other words, the church is not ultimately built on Peter. It is not built by pastors. It is not built by people. The church is built by Christ Himself.
    But how does Christ build His church? He builds it on a an apostolic foundation.

    The True Church Stands on Apostolic Foundation (vv.19)

    Matthew 16:19 says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
    Now when Jesus speaks of the keys of the kingdom, He is giving the apostles authority rooted in the gospel to open and close the door of the kingdom through the proclamation of truth and the practice of discipline.
    The true church stands, then, on two pillars of apostolic foundation: the keys of the kingdom and the faithful exercise of church discipline.
    And we see this authority worked out in two clear ways.

    a. The Apostles Proclaim Entrance into the Kingdom

    The keys symbolize the authority to declare who enters the kingdom. This is important. Some have mistakenly believed that you can enter the kingdom by special preference or even by birth right. But Jesus says you can only enter the kingdom by believing His gospel message.
    When Peter stands in Acts 2 and proclaims, “Repent and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” he is using the keys. He is opening the door of the kingdom. And, in that case, three thousand new saints walked into the kingdom becoming the church.
    But when that same gospel is rejected, the door remains closed, not because Peter has the power to save or condemn, but because he faithfully declares what the Father and Christ has already made clearly known.
    When my father was in the Navy, we had to enter the base through a Navy Military Police gatekeeper. The MP guarding the gate didn’t decide the criteria for us to enter. He didn’t create his own preferential list of favorites. He simply enforced what the Navy already been established. If you had the proper ID, you could enter the base. In the same way, if your name is written in the Book of Life, the door opens. If not, it remains closed.
    That is the role of the apostles, and now, through the Word, the role of faithful pastors. We do not decide who is saved. We declare how one is saved.
    Have you repented of your sin? Have you trusted in Christ alone as the Son of the living God? If so, welcome to the kingdom of God.
    Because the keys of the kingdom are still turning every time the gospel is preached. The door is open, but only through Christ.
    The keys do not only open the door, however. They also guard the house.

    b. The Apostles Protect the Church

    Jesus speaks of “binding and loosing.” These were common rabbinic terms referring to what is permitted and what is forbidden. In other words, this is about establishing and enforcing the boundaries of life in the kingdom. This is what we call church discipline.
    Now that word can sound harsh to modern ears, but it is actually an act of love. It is the church, guided by the Word and empowered by the Spirit, saying, “This is what it means to follow Jesus, and we care too much about your soul to let you walk in unrepentant sin.”
    It is like a shepherd with sheep. A good shepherd does not just lead sheep to green pastures. He also protects them from wandering off cliffs or into the jaws of wolves. If a sheep begins to stray, the shepherd goes after it, to bring it back. Church discipline is the loving pursuit of straying sheep.
    In a fallen world we often resist correction, and the Western church has done a horrible job of valuing church discipline. We want a Jesus who saves us, but not a church that shapes us. But the true church does both.
    If you are in sin this morning and refusing to repent, hear this clearly: the loving thing for the church to do is to call you to repentance. Jesus Himself lays this out in Matthew 18:15–17, if a brother refuses to listen, the matter is brought before the church, and if he still refuses to repent, he is to be treated as an outsider.
    And Scripture goes even further. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:4–5 that the unrepentant person is to be removed from the fellowship, “delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” In other words, church discipline is not about punishment for punishment’s sake. It is about awakening the unrepentant sinner.
    It is not done to shame you, but to restore you. The goal is always redemption. Paul makes that clear in 2 Corinthians 2:6–8, where he urges the church to forgive and comfort the man who repented of an improper relationship, lest he be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
    So understand, Church, discipline is not the church casting you away. It is the church pursuing you, even through hard means, so that you might humble yourself, turn from your sin, and be restored to Christ and His people.
    And if you are walking in repentance, then rejoice. Because the same authority that warns also assures. The church declares, on the authority of Christ, that your sins are forgiven.
    So the church opens the door through the gospel. The church guards the house through discipline.
    And now Jesus gives one of the most powerful promises in all of Scripture.

    The True Church Will Never Be Defeated (v. 18c)

    “18… and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
    The phrase “the gates of hell” refers to the power of death. Jesus is not picturing the church under siege, as if it is barely holding on. He is declaring that death itself will not prevail against His people. There is a striking contrast here. In verse 16, Jesus is confessed as the Son of the living God. In verse 18, the greatest enemy, death, is said to have no power over His church.
    Gates, in the ancient world, were defensive structures. They represented the strength of a city, its ability to secure its people safe within and keep enemies out. So when Jesus says the gates of hell will not prevail, He is saying that death will not imprison His people. It will not hold them. It will not swallow them up.
    In fact, the church advances against it.
    Death may take the body, but it cannot take the soul. Death may close the grave, but it cannot lock it. Because the church belongs to the living God, and the living God does not lose His people to the grave.
    Think of a prison whose doors have already been shattered. Prisoners may still sit inside, but the authority of the prison has been broken. The doors no longer have the power to keep anyone. That is what Christ has done to death. The resurrection of Jesus did not merely weaken death. It broke it open.
    Some of you look at the world and feel unsettled. I get it. There is much to fear in a wicked and twisted generation. You see cultural decline, hostility toward truth, and increasing opposition to the church. It feels like everything is unraveling.
    But listen to Jesus. “I will build my church… and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
    That means no government can destroy it. No ideology can outlast it. No persecution can silence it. Not even death can stop it.
    Why? Because Christ has already defeated sin, Satan, and death through His cross and resurrection. The victory of the church is not something we are trying to achieve. It is something we are living in right now.
    As Scripture says, “Death is swallowed up in victory… O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54–55).
    We all carry the burden of a Genesis 3 world. Sin, death, and brokenness mark everything we see and experience. But that burden has been decisively answered in Christ. He entered death, conquered it, and walked out of the grave so that His church would never be overcome by it.
    So take heart. The true church stands because Christ is risen. And because HE’s risen, his power over death keeps the gates of hell from prevailing over us.

    “Answer the Question, Enter the Church”

    Who do you say that I am?
    If Jesus is merely a teacher to you, you are outside the church. If Jesus is merely a historical figure to you, you are outside the church. But if Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, your Savior and Lord, then you belong to Him and are part of the true church.
    Today you are standing before a door that leads to life, and the only key is the right confession of Christ. Many stand near the door. Few enter. The difference is not proximity to the door, it is the confession of who has the authority to let you enter the door. What must you do?
    Confess Christ. Trust Christ. Rest in Christ.
    And for those resting in Him now, take heart, He is building His church, and nothing in hell or on earth will ever tear it down. Amen.

      • Matthew 16:13–20ESV

      • Matthew 16:18ESV

      • Matthew 16:18ESV

  • Mighty To Save
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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