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Matthew 16:13-20 (Peter’s confession of Christ)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Miracles and Controversy and we have been looking a number of miracles and controversies that take place in Matthew 14-17. Today we come to Peter’s confession of Christ in Matthew 16. This passage begins with a controversy over Jesus’ identity, but there is also a miracle involved, because Jesus tells Peter that his confession of Jesus as the Christ was not revealed to him naturally by man but rather supernaturally from heaven. (Read Matthew 16:13-20 and pray)

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So, how do you build a church? Obviously, we’re not talking about the physical building, although we have some professionals within our own church who could answer that question for you. No, we’re talking about how do you build the church spiritually? How do you build a church God’s way? How do you build a church that is really a church, a church that fulfills God’s intended purpose for the church, a church that brings glory and honor to God? That’s what we’re talking about this morning.

There are a lot of organizations out there that may call themselves churches, but are they really churches according to Scripture? Can any group of people just call themselves a church and that makes them automatically a church? Or has God given us guidelines in his word about what makes a church a church? How do you build a church?

Our passage this morning gives us three key guidelines on how to build a church, and they mirror some of the same steps we take when building a physical building as well. Here they are: 1) Start with the right foundation; 2) Get the right builder; 3) Be careful with the keys. So, let’s look at these three guidelines in the context of our passage this morning.

I. Start with the right foundation (13-17)

First, you need to start with the right foundation. Every building starts with the foundation. When you get the foundation right, you are then able to move on to the other building stages. But you have to get the foundation right first. Now it’s possible to have a good foundation and then still build a terrible building. But what you can’t do is build a good building on a poor foundation. If want to get the building right, you need to get the foundation right first.

And it’s the same with the church. Once again, we’re not talking about the church building, but the church itself – the people, the ministries, the teaching, the leadership. If you want to build a church that is truly a church, you need to start with the right foundation.

   A. The right understanding of who Jesus is (13-15)

So, what is the right foundation for the church? The right foundation for the church is a right understanding of who Jesus is. Jesus is the foundation for the church, and if you get Jesus wrong, you get the church wrong as well. You cannot build a true church on a wrong understanding of Jesus. You may be building something, but it won’t be a church. You need to start with the right foundation. You need to start with a right understanding of Jesus.

And that’s what we see here in our passage this morning. These opening verses raise two very important questions. Who do people say that Jesus is? And who do you say that Jesus is?

      1) Who do people say that Jesus is? (13-14)

First, who do people say that Jesus is? That’s what Jesus asks his disciples in verses 13-14:

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.” (Matthew 16:13-14)

We have seen in our study of Matthew that when Jesus says, “the Son of Man,” he is referring to himself. This was Jesus’ favorite way of referring to himself in the gospels. So, when Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” he is really asking, “Who do people say that I am? And apparently there was some controversy among the people as to who Jesus really was. Some said John the Baptist; others said Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

      2) Who do you say that Jesus is? (15)

But then Jesus moves on and asks the disciples an even more important question: “Who do you say that I am?” Look at verse 15:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

Here Jesus gets personal with us. It’s fine to look at other people’s answers, but what about you? Who do you say that Jesus is?

This is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. If you get this answer wrong, not only do you get the wrong foundation for the church. You get the wrong foundation for your life. Who is this Jesus? There is no more important question for you to answer. Your life here on earth and your eternal destiny both depend on you getting the answer right.

   B. Jesus affirms Peter’s confession (16-17)

Which brings us to Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question and then Jesus’ affirmation of Peter’s answer.

      1) Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (16)

Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” We find Peter’s answer in verse 16:

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

This is one of the great verses in the Bible, and this is one of the great confessions in the Bible. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. It’s one thing for Jesus to be a good man or a great teacher or even a prophet sent from God. But Peter’s confession goes far beyond these understandings of who Jesus is.

First, Peter identifies Jesus as the Christ, that is, he is the promised Messiah who was to come and deliver his people. This includes Jesus’ mission to die on the cross and save us from our sins. And then he also identifies him as the Son of the living God. Jesus is the Son of God who came into this world as a man to save us from our sins.

      2) Jesus pronounces a blessing on Peter and his confession (17)

That’s a pretty bold statement! I wonder what Jesus thought about it. Look at verse 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.” (Matthew 16:17)

Jesus pronounces a blessing on Peter and his confession. Notice Jesus does not correct Peter. In the book of Revelation when the apostle John falls down at the feet of an angel to worship him, the angel tells him, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9) The angel refused John’s worship, because the angel knew that he was not God.

But Jesus accepts Peter’s confession and even attributes it to divine revelation. Here is the miracle in this passage. Jesus says, “This was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” Jesus pronounces a blessing on Peter and puts a heavenly stamp of approval on his confession.

So, how do you build a church? You need to start with the right foundation. And that right foundation is a right understanding of who Jesus is. Peter got it right. Who is Jesus? He is the Christ. He is the Son of God who came to save us from our sins. That is the right foundation. That is the first step to building the church. Start with the right foundation.

II. Get the right builder (18)

And then secondly, get the right builder. What good does it do if you start with the right foundation but then get the wrong builder? You may have a strong foundation, but if you do not build properly on it, you will still not have a church that fulfills its intended purpose.

So, who is the right builder? Jesus! “Wait a minute,” you say, “I thought you said Jesus was the foundation.” That’s right! Jesus is both the foundation and the builder of the church.

Look at verse 18. Jesus has just pronounced a blessing on Peter for his confession of Jesus as the Christ. Now he continues in verse 18:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18a)

There is a word play on Peter’s name here. Peter’s name literally means, “a rock or a stone.” So he has a nickname that means “rock.” Think of Rocky in the movies or Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. Well, here we have Simon “the Rock” Peter. Jesus says, “Peter, your name is rock, and on this rock, I will build my church.”

Well, what rock is Jesus talking about when he says, “On this rock I will build my church.” Some people say that Jesus is talking about Peter himself, that Jesus is going to build his church on Peter, that Jesus is making Peter the first Pope here.

But when we look at the Scriptures as a whole, we see that Jesus is talking about Peter’s confession. Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and so Jesus turns to him and says, “You are Peter, and on this rock, that is, on the solid rock of your confession, I will build my church.” That’s why the right foundation for the church is a right understanding or confession of who Jesus is. That’s the foundation upon which Jesus says he will build his church.

   A. The church belongs to Jesus

I want you to notice a few things from this verse. First of all, notice the church belongs to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t say, “And on this rock I will build ‘a church,’ or even ‘the church.’” No, he says, “And on this rock I will build my church.”

The church belongs to Jesus. The church does not belong to the pastor, or the deacons, or the members, or those who have the most money, or even the people who have been at the church the longest. No, the church belongs to Jesus. It is his church.

Now, we still call it “our” church in the sense that it is the church to which we belong, the church that we attend and that we support. And it’s good for us take “ownership” of the church in the sense that we are committed to the church and that we take responsibility for our part in the church. But we should never take ownership in the sense that we act like we own the church, that we get to make all the decisions for the church, that what we want takes precedence over what others in the church may want.

I don’t even take that attitude as the pastor of the church. You might think the pastor just decides whatever he likes the best or how he wants the church to go. But the pastor doesn’t own the church either. Jesus does. And so, as your pastor my job is to prayerfully seek what Jesus wants for his church. It’s the same with your deacons. Your deacons pray constantly for Jesus to guide us in the decisions that we make for the church. We don’t want what we think is best for the church. We want what Jesus wants.

Why? Because it is his church! The church belongs to Jesus. Jesus said, “I will build my church.”

   B. Only Jesus can build his church

And then secondly, notice that only Jesus can build his church. Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Only Jesus can build his church because only Jesus can grow us spiritually and guide us and strengthen us and equip us to do his work in the world. Only Jesus can build his church because only Jesus can bring us together and unite us in his name to be a fellowship of believers who bring glory to God by our love for God and each other. Only Jesus can build his church because only Jesus can open blind eyes to the truth of the gospel so that new people will believe in Christ and become a part of his church.

   C. What Jesus builds will not be overcome

Which leads us to the third part of this verse. What Jesus builds will not be overcome. Look at what Jesus says at the end of verse 18:

“I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18b)

All the forces of Satan stand opposed to Jesus and his church, but what Jesus builds will not be overcome. The more the world and Satan fight against the church, the more Jesus defends it. The church will outlast every attempt to strike it down, because what Jesus builds will not be overcome. If we try to do these things without Jesus, we will surely fail. What we build will not pass the test. But what Jesus builds will last forever. What Jesus builds will not be overcome.

And that’s why if you want to build a church, you need to get the right builder! Only Jesus can build his church, and so we must depend on him to build the church. Yes, we must do our part by worshiping, fellowshipping, serving, witnessing and giving, but through it all we prayerfully depend on Jesus to build his church. It’s a prayer I pray every day when I pray for our church. I pray, “Lord Jesus, build your church! It’s your church, Lord, and you have promised to build it. Lord Jesus, build your church!”

III. Be careful with the keys (19-20)

How do you build a church? 1) Start with the right foundation. 2) Get the right builder. And finally, 3) Be careful with the keys. Look at verse 19 where Jesus tells Peter:

“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.” (Matthew 16:19)

Keys come with both privileges and responsibilities. You don’t just give out your house keys to anyone. You have to be careful who you give keys to, and once you have keys, you have to be careful how you use them.

   A. Entrance to the kingdom of heaven is based on faith in Christ (19)

Jesus gives Peter the keys of the kingdom. Why Peter? Because of his confession! Because he has rightly confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus is not making Peter the gatekeeper to heaven here. Peter doesn’t get to decide who goes to heaven and who doesn’t. Peter has no keys apart from his confession of Jesus as the Christ. The church has no keys apart from the confession of Jesus as the Christ. It is the confession of Christ that makes a Christian a Christian. It is the confession of Christ that makes a church a church.

Entrance to the kingdom of heaven is based on faith in Christ. So, in what sense does the church hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven? When we rightly proclaim Jesus as the Christ, and when we rightly point people to Jesus as the only way into the kingdom of heaven.

There are so called “churches” out there who do not confess Jesus as Christ, who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who do not believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation. I can confidently tell you on the basis of our passage this morning that any church that does not teach, believe and confess these things is not a true church of God. They don’t have the right foundation. They don’t have the right builder. And they don’t have the keys to the kingdom, because they are not following Jesus and his word.

The keys of the kingdom have to do with both church membership and church discipline. We should only admit those into church membership who are trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Now, the church is not identical with the kingdom. God’s kingdom refers to his rule over all things, and the church is just one part of that. But we should only admit those into church membership who have already entered God’s kingdom through faith in Christ.

Jesus also speaks about binding and loosing in these verses. He says: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” These verses most likely have to do with church discipline. When a church member stops living or believing as a Christian, the church has a responsibility to use the keys once again. The person needs to be removed from membership until such time as they repent and believe in Jesus as the Christ.

And so, keys come with both privileges and responsibilities. As Christians we are to use the keys carefully by pointing people to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and by applying church membership and discipline in accordance with people’s faith or lack of faith in this confession.

   B. Use the keys when the time is right (20)

And then finally, we are to use the keys when the time is right. Look at verse 20 with me now, the last verse in our passage this morning:

Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:20)

You use the keys when the time is right When you’re buying a house, you don’t start using the keys until after you close. It was the same with Jesus and the kingdom. Jesus knew that he was the Christ who had come to save the world. Jesus knew that the time would come to proclaim that good news to everyone. But now was not the right time. Jesus hadn’t closed yet. The timing was premature. And so, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone about him.

Okay, well how about after Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead? Yes, now the time is right! After Jesus rose from the dead, he gave his disciples new instructions. “Tell everyone that Jesus is the Christ! Tell everyone that Jesus is the Son of God! Tell everyone that Jesus is the Savior.” (See Matthew 28:19-20.)

We are to use the keys of the kingdom when the time is right, and right now is the right time to be telling all people everywhere that Jesus is the only Savior of the world. We use the keys when the time is right.

CONCLUSION: The church is unlike any other organization in the world. It is not a social club. It is not a religious association. It is not a group of volunteers. The church is the company of believers in Jesus Christ who are redeemed by his blood, forgiven of their sins, adopted into God’s family, united together by the Holy Spirit and growing in their faith.

There is only one way you can build something like that. How do you build a church? 1) Start with the right foundation. 2) Get the right builder. 3) Be careful with the keys.

It all has to do with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is both the foundation and builder of his church. The church belongs to Jesus. It is his church, and only he can build it. We have been given the keys of the kingdom. We enter God’s kingdom through faith in Christ alone.

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Then he asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” It is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. Who do you say Jesus is? Can you say it with me: “Jesus, I believe that you are the Christ. I believe that you are the Son of the living God. I believe that you are the Savior of the world.” That is the good confession. And that is how you build a church!

© Ray Fowler

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