_____ Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

Matthew 16:13 - 21, MSG

13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17-18 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

19 “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

20 He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.

21 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive.

We've heard this story so many times, where Peter receives this revelation of Jesus being "the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And awhile back I was just reading this passage again, and something struck within me.

Let's go through the story. Firstly, Peter received a revelation of who Jesus is. Jesus questioned his disciples about who he was, and Peter declared, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

We need to have a revelation of who Jesus is. And it's not just a one-off thing. We must be consistently seeking God and finding out new things about who He is.

I want to share something that I have realised recently about who God is. It says in Psalm 23:1, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

You know, it's so easy to say that God provides for our needs. Most of us have enough food on the table, good clothes to wear, and a comfortable bed to rest in at night. But here's the thing: can you say that God satisfies your wants too? Because that's what the Bible says: "I shall not want," because God doesn't only satisfy your needs, but your wants too. And I think that's what it means when we sing "Christ is enough for me." His presence, the revelation of who He is, and His love is so real, that our own wants become minor to the greatness of who God is. We become so full with the presence of God–like when you're in a buffet and you've already eaten more than you can, and when your parents ask you to have more, you reply, "It's enough." When you start to realise God's presence around you, you'll start to see that you don't need much of the other things. This was my revelation I had of God recently.

Coming back to the story, it's after Peter had received the revelation, Jesus promised him this: "You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out." And finally, it's after that revelation, Jesus also reveals to his disciples the plans of the Father (verse 21), that he would have to die for our sins, so that we may have a second chance.

Do you see? It's revelations like these that build the church. It's revelations like these that show us what the plans of the Father are. And it's only after we receive revelations like these that we grow and we move.

Pray for a revelation of who Jesus is. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Even if you've had an experience of who God is, ask for a new one. Our God is infinite and no matter how much He reveals to you of Himself, there will always be something new, something that will encourage you and something that will keep you going. Today, ask God to give you this story: _____ (fill in your name) Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah. And I pray that you will declare it loud, not just by word but also by character.

- Basil