Primary Text: Matthew 16:5-28
Memory Verse: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:18-19
Introduction:
Jesus did not openly declare to the general public that He was the Son of God. Prior to His appearance on earth, a number of persons had claimed to be the promised Messiah and had made attempts to subvert Roman rule. The Romans were watching for any Jews who made similar attempts, ready to kill them. Jesus knew that this was the prevailing situation. In fact, at one time He perceived that they were coming to take Him by force and to make Him king, and He immediately left (John 6:15).
After many of the miracles He performed, He instructed those who witnessed and experienced the miracles to not tell anyone. This was to avoid precipitating the crisis prematurely. However, privately Jesus did reveal to His disciples that He was the Christ.
In this week’s scripture passages, He asked His disciples who men said that He was. They replied that some said Elijah, some said John the Baptist, still others thought He was a prophet like Jeremiah. But Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”. What rock? Certainly, Peter’s name meant “rock” and it was a name given directly to Him by Jesus. But was it upon Peter that Jesus intended to build His church? Rather, the Rock was Himself and the revelation that Peter had—the revelation that Jesus was the Christ. This revelation about who Jesus truly was is the basis upon which Jesus has built His church. It was a revelation from God about the divine nature inherent in Jesus. Peter didn’t receive the knowledge from any man, it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, and Peter accepted it by faith.
God directs the same question to the soul of every man. The saving power of God comes through knowing and accepting Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- Why couldn’t the Pharisees interpret the signs of the times? 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; 2 Peter 1:5-11.
- Explain Jesus’s warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:5-12; Galatians 5:9; 1:6-9; 1 Timothy 1:3-11; Jeremiah 50:6; Isaiah 56:12.
- How are we able to identify false doctrine? Colossians 2:6-8; Hebrews 13:9; 1 Peter 1:13; 2:1-3.
- How do false teachers deceive God’s people? 2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-19; Titus 1:10-11.
- Does God care about our physical well-being? Psalm 30:2; James 5:15; 3 John 1:12.
- What was Peter’s revelation, that Jesus said the entire church is built on? John 1:1-2; Mark 5:7; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20; Isaiah 28:16.
- For what purpose did Jesus come to earth? Matthew 16:21; John 9:4; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14.
- What hope does Jesus promise to us? Matthew 16:27-28; Philippians 3:20-21; John 14:30; 1 Peter 5:4.