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Matthew 16: 13-20 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. Also see Hebrews 6:23

1. The speculation we see in the passage (vv. 13-14). Jesus asked what are the people saying about him. Some say “John the Baptist” (Matt 14). Herod saw Jesus as the reincarnation of John the Baptist. Some saw him as Elijah because of the prophecy; but we know that John the Baptist fulfilled that prophecy. Some saw him as Jeremiah. The Jews believed that Jeremiah would come back before Jesus was to come.

Being right on the view of Jesus Christ is the most important question of all time. Even most Jews feel that Jesus was a Rabbi, a teacher. Even Muslims feel that Jesus was a prophet.

Jesus is not just a historical figure. Jesus is far, far more.

2. The revelation we see in the passage (vv.15-17). Peter states that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Peter had come to the correct conclusion. Peter did not know this because of human reasoning. According to Jesus, he came to that conclusion because of the sovereign work in the life of Peter. God had revealed it to him. Galatians 1:15-17. In the same way, Paul tells us that God had revealed to him who Jesus was.

3. The application we see in the passage (vv. 18-20)

• The church’s foundation is Christ. Deuteronomy32:31. God is our Rock. Psalm 118:32 the stone that the Jews have rejected.
• The church’s function. The church WILL go forth, and the gates of hell will NOT prevail against it. We are encroaching on the enemies territory, and we will prevail. We should be actively sharing the gospel. The gospel can and will save people. The Gospel is STILL the power of God unto salvation. We can live confidently and offensively knowing the power of God. The Gospel will bring the unsaved out unto salvation.
• The church’s fruit. Verse 19. The “keys” of the kingdom. Keys refers to the scribes, the teachers, whose duties are to tell of God. Matthew 13:52. We see Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost and thousands come to Jesus for salvation. Now we, the CHURCH have the keys. We have been given the keys to the kingdom. Romans 10:13. We can tell people who have called upon the name of The Lord that they ARE saved because the bible says it.