When Jesus asked this question of His disciples, it was Peter who provided the answer Jesus wanted to hear. In what Jesus said to Peter afterwards, we learn three valuable truths.
1. Knowing Christ comes from the revelation of God - v. 17
Many today say they know who Jesus is. But what they say about Jesus reveals that they have not had the revelation of God concerning Him. The fact is that Jesus is more than a significant person of history. He is more than a good example. He is more than a prophet of God. He is more than a wise teacher. He is more than the founder of Christianity. He is what the Father revealed to Peter’s heart - the Christ, the Son of the living God! There are three thoughts from Peter’s response:
A. Longing - The Christ, the Son of the living God!
Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the one Israel had longed for; and He is also the answer that men are searching for today. Only Jesus can satisfy the longing of your heart!
B. Loving - The Christ, the Son of the living God!
Jesus is the Son of God. The Son who, because of the love of the Father, was sacrificed for the salvation of men (John 3:16)!
C. Living - The Christ, the Son of the living God!
Jesus is the Son of the living God! He is a living Savior, who is ready to enter into and make a difference in our lives today!
Unless you know who Jesus is through the revelation of God, you do not really know Jesus as you need to know Him [John 3:3 (born “from above”)]. Have you been “born again,” “born from above?” Have you experienced the work of God in your heart to make known to you the fact that Jesus died for you and rose from the dead for you? Have you come to see, by the work of the Spirit of God, that Jesus is the answer to all your questions, the fulfillment of all your longings? Have you sensed the call of God upon your heart to receive Jesus as your
personal Savior and have you said “yes” to Him?
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” – Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” – John 6:44 (NIV)
You can know Christ intellectually and you can know Him personally. To know Christ on an intellectual level is to know about Him. To know Christ on a personal level is to know Him. It is one thing to know about a sports hero, and quite another thing to be a friend of that athlete. You can read every news article on your hero, memorize every stat, and collect every piece of memorabilia yet never really know the athlete himself. To truly know a sports hero, you would have to do more than watch him play. You would have to have a relationship with him.
When we truly know Jesus, it’s on the basis of a relationship. And that comes into being by God’s revelation of Christ to you personally. When one knows Christ personally, there is full assurance of salvation.
“The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.” - Romans 8:16 (Amplified)
2. Growing like Christ comes by His revelation to us - v. 18
When Peter announced who Jesus was, Jesus declared who Peter was, “I tell you that you are Peter . . .” The Lord goes from asking,
“Who do you say that I am,” to saying, “Here’s who I say that you are.” Peter had been called Simon. But when Peter came to know who Jesus was, Jesus revealed who He (Jesus) saw him to be. He was “Peter.”
“Peter” means, “Rock,” but he was anything but rock-like. He was impetuous, hot-tempered, and wishy-washy. Peter would fail Jesus many times in many ways, yet Jesus looked him in the eye and said, “I tell you that you are the Rock.” Despite what he was at the time, and despite what others saw him to be, Jesus saw what Simon, through his relationship with Christ, could become. The same is true of us.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” - Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
A. If I know Christ, I have a new “want to” -
“Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil.” - 1 John 3:9-10a (NLT)
“The difference between an unconverted man and a converted man is not that one has sins and the other does not; but that the one takes part with his cherished sins against a dreaded God, and the other takes part with a reconciled God against his hated sins.”
- William Arnot
B. As I rely on Christ, He gives me the “can do” -
By relying on Christ, you become who He says you are! The central issue in our walk with God is not sin management but rather it is the understanding of who we are in Christ.
“God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.” - Romans 8:16 (The Message)
“The more we get what we call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take over, the more truly ourselves we become. In that sense our real selves are all waiting for us in Him. It is no good trying to ‘be myself’ without Him. The more I resist Him and try to live on my own, the more I become dominated by my own heredity and upbringing and surroundings and natural desires. I am not, in my natural state, nearly so much of a person as I like to believe: Most of what I call ‘me’ can be very easily explained. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.” - Dennis & Barbara Rainey, Building Your mate’s Self-Esteem
A child will resemble their parent. As we learn to rely on Christ, we will grow to resemble our heavenly Father more and more.
3. Showing Christ comes by His revelation through us - vs. 18b-19
Jesus does a play on words. The name He gives Simon, “Peter,” means “rock.” He then refers to the revelation the Father gave to Peter and said, “upon this rock (knowing me in personal relationship) I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” In other words, as we each confess Christ to others, God can use that testimony to tear down the gates of Hell and set captives to sin and Satan free! And He has provided us all we need by way of power and authority to accomplish this task (v. 19)!
A client wrote a company for information about their product. He stated he didn’t want a salesman to call. But the information was rather technical and couldn’t be communicated adequately by a letter, so the company sent a salesman. When he showed up, he got a cold reception. He was reminded that the letter clearly stated, “No salesman!” The sales rep was a trainee with little experience. He tried to calm the man down and assure him there would be nothing more than a simple exchange of information. The trainee aid, “Mister, I’m about as close to a ‘no salesman,’ as they’ve got.”
Maybe that’s how you feel about sharing your faith. Remember, all you need to succeed in the call Christ has given you has been provided through your relationship with Him.
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” - Philemon 6
Conclusion: There are three words which I believe can sum up our thoughts today as we have reflected on this question Jesus asked that Peter answered.
1) KNOW - Do you know Jesus? Have you had an experience with the living Savior? Does His Spirit bear witness with your Spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16)?
2) GROW - If you do know Jesus, are you growing in your reliance on Him? Are you, by His power, becoming more and more each day what He says you are in Him?
3) SHOW - If you do know Jesus, have you accepted the responsibility to represent Him to a world that is held captive to sin and Satan? Are you doing your part to make sure Heaven is as full as possible and that Hell is as empty as possible?
