We Confess Christ, the Son of the Living God
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But you, who do you say that 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 flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower 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 commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
The world has many ideas of who Jesus is. Some consider Him a gifted teacher, or a great prophet. Others see Him as a philosopher. And still others see Him as a really good person.
Back in New Testament times, it's clear that people also had their own ideas of who Jesus was. People speculated that He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.
But all these speculations fall horribly short. As you know, Jesus is way more than that. He is the true God. He is the Holy One. He is the Promised Messiah.
Today, we see that Peter's confession of who Jesus is, is also our confession. It's a confession that means everything to the church, and who we are as Christians. Therefore, along with Peter, We Confess Christ, the Son of the Living God. This confession is the Church's Rock, and it also assures us that our sins are forgiven.
Peter said this to Jesus: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And Jesus was very happy with this confession. We see this in Jesus' reply. He said "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it." Peter's confession is the rock upon which the church is built.
The word for "rock" in Greek is "Petra." It means a rock or large stone. A large stone withstands the test of time. Rain can't wash it away. The wind can't remove it. It's so heavy that people can't lift it. It sits there and remains still.
The church's immovable, rock solid confession is in the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. It was confessed in the Old Testament. It was Peter's confession. And it's also our confession, here at Abiding Word.
When we, as a church, confess the Christ, we're using a very special word. The word "Christ" means "Messiah," or "The Anointed One." In the Old Testament, kings would be anointed with oil to symbolize the giving of the Holy Spirit. This was all pointing forward to the true King: Jesus. At His baptism, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. And Jesus was anointed to carry out His work as the promised Savior of the world.
The Messiah is God's Son. He is true God, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is one with the Father, and yet He also remains a separate and distinct person.
God is life. And He is the one who grants life. John chapter one states that through Jesus "Everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind." In Acts seventeen verse twenty eight the apostle Paul explains "For in him we live and move and have our being." It is only God alone who can grant not only physical life, but also eternal life to our souls.
All of this about Jesus is revealed by God in Holy Scripture. It is only by the Holy Spirit creating faith through the Word and sacrament that people can truly understand who Jesus is. In our sermon text, Jesus asks "Who do you say that I am?" He's looking for the answer that faith gives. So cling to God's Words. Cling to the Words that declare Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. To the world, this appears as foolishness. It doesn't make sense. But it is truth. And all who confess Christ have life in His name.
Peter's confession was bold. It was confident. But we don't always want to confess Jesus in our words and actions. That's because of our sinful nature. Because of our sinful nature, we are afraid to pray in public before a meal. Because of our sinful nature, we throw around Christ's holy name as if it's useless, and doesn't mean anything to us. Because of our sinful nature, we ignore parts of who Jesus is as true God. Maybe we ignore that He hates sin. Or maybe we ignore that He, as true God, can truly forgive our sins.
It's hard to confess Jesus perfectly. We fail. That's why the Promised Messiah came. The Messiah, the Christ, saves us. Because Jesus is who He says He is, His holy life in your place counts for you. Because Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the blood that dripped down from the cross gives eternal life to you. He suffered and died so that you have life in His name. That's why our confession of Jesus is so important. That's why our confession of Him is the churches rock. Founded upon Him, the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. We will weather any storm, because we have Jesus. You have His forgiveness. You have the assurance that even death cannot take you away from Him. You have the assurance that as part of the church, you will one day be in heaven.
This confession of Jesus assures us that not only do we have an immovable rock, but also assures us that our sins are forgiven. As the Son of God, Jesus has divine authority. And He has given His church the authority to forgive and retain sins. This is called "The Office of the Keys." In the Small Catechism, Luther explains "The Office of the Keys is the special authority which Christ has given to His Church on earth: to forgive the sins of penitent sinners, but to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent."
Because of the Office of the Keys, the church has the authority to forgive people's sins through Jesus. Repentant sinners are assured this morning that their sins are forgiven. The keys are exercised publicly by the called servant of Christ, And so in His stead and by His authority: "I forgive you all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The Keys assure us that the Christ we confess here at church forgives our sins, Sunday after Sunday, at the start of every service. The Keys assure us that we have eternal life with the living God.
When we receive absolution, we are confessing our faith in Jesus, which lasts forever. This faith is stronger than the gates of hell. Jesus defeated the devil upon the cross. The gates of hell cannot hold you captive! Therefore, trust in the churches confession! Trust in Christ, and that He is stronger that your sins. Trust in the God who isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. Trust that the church has authority to forgive through Him.
As forgiven children of God who believe in Christ, we join Peter's confession of faith. We gladly acknowledge our Savior before meals, even when we are eating out in public. We are careful with how we use His name, and want to treat it with respect. We also acknowledge that Jesus is a just God, who doesn't not take sin lightly. We also acknowledge that His death upon the cross truly forgives all of our sins. We confess our faith in Jesus every Sunday, when we say the words of the Apostles and Nicene creeds. Day by day we confess with our words and actions that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"
To all those who confess Christ, Jesus says: "Blessed are you." You have good favor with God. He is pleased with you. By your confession, you receive an abundance of spiritual blessings. This means you can come before the Father with anything upon your heart. You have the forgiveness of all your sins. You have the guarantee of a good conscience before God. You have life, not only life now, but eternal and everlasting life in heaven.
The world has many ideas of who Jesus is. But without faith, it's impossible to really know Him. Peter's confession of Jesus is a confession of faith, faith in the promised Messiah, who takes away the sins of the world. This confession is the churches Rock. It's stronger than the gates of hell. It's stronger than the stormy winds of life. Lift up your hearts! Your sins are forgiven. You have a rock solid confession. And in Jesus' name and by His authority, you are assured that not only are you forgiven, but you belong in heaven. All of this we have by faith in Christ, the Son of the Living God. Amen.
9/3/23
Pastor Samuel Johnson