WEBVTT 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:08.080 Every Sunday at Northwest Church of the Desert in Columbus, Ohio, our congregation is challenged to grow spiritually. 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:15.519 This podcast shares the sermons, insights, and messages that encourage our congregation to mature spiritually. 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:17.920 Amen. 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:32.159 Well, today we're going to be talking and continuing, uh studying the uh word of God through the book of Matthew as we are in a new series called Build Series. 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:43.359 And we started a few weeks back, and what we're trying to do is continuing with our work on finding a way that we can make disciples. 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:45.439 We are equipping to make disciples. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:51.359 We began about a few months back with Belong. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:01:02.240 And we had series on Belong, we spoke about Belong, we have classes on Belong, lessons on Belong, and we learned on how to be welcome. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:12.319 So we talked about welcoming those who sometimes needed a place and needed to belong to a place where they could find Jesus. 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:17.439 And that taught us how to welcome people and being sure to do so. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:31.840 Then we be uh started working on become, and that's where we worked on become Christ-like and disciples. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:38.640 So we become Christ-like disciples, and hopefully I can spell correctly. 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:41.120 And I'm sorry about my chicken cratch. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.599 No, chicken scratch. 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:46.000 Oh, English. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:48.000 I'm just gonna blame it on English. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:54.719 But now with our kingdom people, we are working on build. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:06.719 And throughout the last few weeks, we've been working on kingdom people, and what we are working on is making disciples. 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:29.520 So we spoke first about how God was preparing us to build a kingdom, and then Pastor Preston spoke about how we were to look for the opportunities that God was opening, and then last Sunday we spoke about the difference that we have when we look at people and how we embrace people. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.879 And today we're gonna be talking about Jesus. 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:39.680 So we are going to have the same thing we did last Sunday, which I really enjoyed. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.639 But uh the title for today's message, and now let me go back here. 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.400 The title for today's message is Who Do You Say Jesus Is? 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:50.080 So I'm gonna put Jesus. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:55.520 I'm not gonna draw his face because I don't know what he looked like. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.479 So I'm just gonna write here Jesus. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.319 But if I would ask you, who is Jesus to you? 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:13.199 And I know we're gonna be looking into a question that he asked the disciples, but in your mind, when you hear about the word Jesus, when you think about Jesus, what comes to mind? 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:14.719 Who is Jesus? 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:19.520 All right, I I heard a God. 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:20.479 That's good. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.400 What what other words? 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:23.759 Father. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:27.599 What was that? 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:30.400 Son of God. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:32.560 Yes, son of God, correct? 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:36.960 What was it? 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:39.520 Friend Redeemer. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:13.360 Wonderful. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:26.399 That's a good one. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:49.360 What else? 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:51.680 Comforter. 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:10.319 All right, so we have a few a few words, and this is good to start, because every time we talk about Jesus, people want to know who Jesus is and who Jesus is to us. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:21.360 And today we're going to be talking about when Jesus came to the disciples, spoke to the disciples, and asked this very question: Who do people say I am? 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:35.120 And when we look into that passage, we will see what he has in store for us to not only learn and glean from, but how can we grow out of the Word of God? 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:42.800 So Jesus was with his disciples, and we read in the book of Matthew that he goes to a place called Caesarea Philippi. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:58.399 Now, Caesarea Philippi is about 25 miles north of the Galilean Sea, and is a place that is on the border of the ancient Gentile world. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:02.720 So it's out of their custom to be in that town. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:14.240 But what that town or that area was known for is that they had a large temple for the Greco-Roman god Pan. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:30.319 And that temple was so big that they built a cave underneath it and called it the Cave of Death, also known as the Cave to the Wonderworld. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:34.079 And this is at the bottom of the Mount Horeb. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:40.480 They also had a temple for Julius Caesar, built by Herod the Great. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:46.480 And they also had several shrines for Canaanite gods, mostly Baal. 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:56.879 So it's an area that is very, very filled and very powerful for knowing of the different religions and the different things that people believe in that time. 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:14.000 So in that setting, in that place that is a little bit pagan or a lot pagan, a place where Jews would not go very often, it's a place where it's known by the many, many deities and many gods. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:19.759 Jesus takes his disciples and asks them a question. 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:28.560 So if you stand with me today as we read the word of the Lord and hear what he has in store for us as we consider his word. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:34.639 And we're going to be reading out of Matthew chapter 16, verses 13 all the way to 20. 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:37.120 And thus said the word of the Lord. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:12.160 Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:22.800 Now Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven. 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:32.960 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:40.960 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bind in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth we lose in heaven. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:45.679 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:59.600 Father, as we pray and as we prepare to hear your word, we ask that you would speak, that you touch, that you transform, that you renew our soul. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:03.279 And we ask these things in your Son Jesus Christ's name. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:04.080 Amen. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:05.039 Thank you. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:06.559 You may be seated. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:15.279 So in this passage, we find that Jesus' question was looking for an answer. 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:22.080 And this answer, this ask, is not an opinion, but a confession. 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:24.159 He was asking for a confession. 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:27.039 What do you believe? 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:34.799 Not what other people think, not what you have heard, what do you believe that I am? 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:44.399 And he and our our belief, our answer determines how we leave, how we live for Jesus. 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:53.600 Because when we answer the Lord, when we say you are this to me, it reflects on how we are living. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:58.320 If we say you are Lord, then we are living as if He is Lord. 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.320 If we say you are God, we're living as if He is God. 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:06.399 But if we say you are a teacher, we're living as a student. 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:11.600 If you are a Savior, we live as someone who has been saved. 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:16.159 If you are the Son of God, then we come before you and kneel before you. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:18.960 If you are a friend, then we journey with you. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:25.919 So however we come before Him, He's telling us how we are walking with Him. 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:32.080 A young boy wanted to play basketball, and he went to his dad and said, Dad, I want to play basketball. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:35.519 And the dad looked at him and said, Son, you're not tall enough. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.000 He goes, but I really want to play basketball. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:39.519 I love the game. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:42.000 He goes, but you're not tall enough. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:44.879 You're not going to be able to get any rebounds. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:46.879 He goes, but I really want to. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:48.879 He said, All right, I'll talk to the coach. 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:55.840 So you went to the coach and said, Hey, coach, my son wants to play basketball, but clearly he's not tall enough. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:06.480 And the coach, as a joke, said, Well, you can go to the museum and they have one of those torture stretchers and try to see if you if if he if he grows any. 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:14.240 And then went on the coach later on saw the father and said, So, how did that work? 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.480 You know, jokingly, and the father said, Well, actually I did that. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:23.120 And we tried stretching him, but he didn't grow any. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.320 But man, did he confess to a lot of things? 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:34.000 Many times we think about confession as something that we have to be coerced for. 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:39.679 It's something we have to, you know, either we say it now or we're gonna get in bigger trouble. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:44.080 And a confession is something that we do not always willingly do. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:47.279 Why is it so hard for us to confess? 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:56.639 Especially when we make a mistake, or when we uh fail, or when we why is it so difficult for us to confess? 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.960 And this is where the word of God comes. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:04.480 Because when Jesus was asking, he was asking for an opinion. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:16.559 He was not asking for them to say what they thought it was, his question was for them to really look into their lives and saying, Who is Jesus to me? 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:36.240 After all these years with him, after walking and journeying with him, who is so the statement that Jesus that Peter gives, and he said in verse 16, Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:43.360 Well, one of the things that we have to recognize about the disciples is that we are a little bit of a disadvantage. 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:50.159 Number one, they were Jews, so they were very much aware of the word Messiah. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:58.960 The word messiah for us is a word that we like to sing during Christmas time with Handel's Messiah. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:05.840 Because it's not a word that we use every day, it's not something we look forward to one day to have the Messiah, but they did. 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:20.879 And as a child, they begin to read the Torah and they begin to read scriptures and they understand the scriptures, they understand what kind of a messiah is going to be, they understand the significance of the Messiah. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:27.519 So when Peter says you are the Messiah, he's saying you are the fulfillment of everything we've ever studied. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:33.840 Now, many of us don't grow up learning the scriptures and don't grow up memorizing the scriptures. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:42.639 So we do not have an understanding of all that it comes into the significance of Jesus being there. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:50.000 So when he says that, it wasn't just because he had learned as a child, it wasn't just because he knew the scriptures. 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:56.480 The reason he said that is because the Holy Spirit, according to this passage, revealed it to him. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:18.399 The Father revealed it to him because when he saw, when he was asked the question and he saw what Jesus has done, all the healings and all the miracles, and when he saw everything that he has studied being fulfilled in that, he knew he was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.840 And that changes everything. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:25.279 That is not an opinion, that is a confession. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:30.399 And what we see in this passage, we start with verse 13 with an opinion. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:34.240 Jesus is asking them, What are people's opinion of me? 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:36.399 What are people saying about me? 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:41.200 And then he goes from that opinion into a confession. 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:43.919 What do you say that I am? 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.240 Who do you say that I am? 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:50.000 And he's looking for the confession. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:58.240 And then Peter answers and he says, This is a revelation from the Father, because you did not learn this from flesh and blood. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:02.159 You learned this because the Father has revealed it to you. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:10.159 And then he moves into a community and says, I will build my church on this confession. 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:13.519 I will build my church on this statement. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.480 I will build my church. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:20.799 And then he continue finishes with a mission. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:25.039 And the mission is when he says, Here are the keys. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:33.679 Now, the keys that he gives, these orders that he gives to Peter, he also gives to the rest of the disciples later on. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.399 This is not unique to just Peter. 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:54.399 This is something that he said, in this moment, among all these gods, among all these religions, among all these places that surround us, you have the keys. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:16:02.159 And then he says this not even the gates of hell or Hades will prevail against it. 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:20.000 And here's the funny thing, or the interesting thing, is that they thought that the gates of hell, the gates of death, the caves of despair were right there, right behind him. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:22.480 In the background. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:24.960 Because they will not. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:34.399 The only thing that can prevail if we stand on the foundation is Jesus Christ. 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:37.440 And this is what he said. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.480 And then he asked the second question. 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:46.080 Well, what about you? 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:49.200 And this is a question that I also ask. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:52.320 I already asked today, what about you? 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:54.639 Who is Jesus? 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:56.879 Who is Jesus to us? 00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:59.279 Who is Jesus to me? 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:15.279 A professor brought a jar of beans and put it on top of the of the table and passed out cards and said, I want you to write down how many beans you believe are in this jar. 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:23.200 And the students wrote a number that they thought was close to that number of beans. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:28.880 And then he said, Well, I would like to gather all those cards, and then he got all the cards. 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:32.720 And then he said, All right, let me pass uh new cards again. 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:36.000 I want you to write down your favorite song. 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:42.000 And they wrote their favorite song, and it was a song about you know whatever they liked. 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:45.440 You know, you had different kinds of likes, as we all do. 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:53.039 You know, if I would ask everyone to write their favorite song, probably everyone would have a different song or a different version of a song. 00:17:53.359 --> 00:18:05.279 So he gathered all those cards and then he put all the cards together and said, All right, I had this many beans in this jar, in this particular jar. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:12.960 And the right answer is, and then he gave them the right answer. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:15.359 And they asked, So who has the right answer? 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:20.319 And no one had the right answer, but that one was the closest number. 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.119 He goes, Well, that is the closest to the truth, isn't it? 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:25.279 They're like, Absolutely. 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.200 He said, All right, so let me look at all these songs. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.680 So which one is the right song? 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.039 And they all said, Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.440 What do you mean which one's the right song? 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:39.759 Yeah, which one is the right song? 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:41.920 There's no right or wrong song. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:44.079 This is what we like, it's an opinion. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:48.000 You ask for our opinion, not what is the right song or the wrong song. 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:51.119 What can what kind of parameters did you give us? 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.480 He said, Okay, so let me ask you about faith. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:19:07.440 When people are looking for faith, are they asking how many beans are there, or what song do I want or do I like? 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:19.839 When they are asking about their faith, are they looking for the truth by looking at the beans, or are they looking for the opinion of what feels good? 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:24.480 And to his dismay, many said, We're looking for a song. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:26.640 We're looking for what we like. 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.880 See, and this is where Jesus wanted to differentiate. 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:34.960 He did not want them to look at what people are saying about Jesus. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:39.759 You may be Jeremiah, you may be John the prophet, you may be Elijah. 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:49.519 And during that time, Jesus just came out of being rejected, being set aside by all the religious leaders. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:55.119 So all the people in authority said that Jesus was a hoax. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:03.839 He was just another charlatan, was another person that was just trying to find believers and followers. 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:28.559 In that midst, among the religions of the world, among the rejection of the Jewish leaders, and among the difficulty in knowing the fact from opinion, Jesus asks, Who am I to you? 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:37.440 And that's when Peter said, You are the Messiah, the fulfillment of everything we've read, the Son of the Living God. 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:44.000 And that is a truth that could not veer. 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:56.960 And that's when Jesus said, on that statement, on that on that confession, I can build my church. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:08.960 So when we look at the question, who is Jesus to you, we have a revelation. 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:26.000 And the revelation, just like Peter, comes out of our study of scripture, comes out of our experience with Jesus, comes out of our uh observance, comes out of the teachings we have received, comes out of the word of God. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:44.480 And after we look at all this, we can profess Jesus is my God, is my Lord, He He is my my friend, He is my Redeemer, He's my teacher, my Father, my Savior. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:49.920 And we can say that because we have known Him. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:57.119 But unless He is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, all we are giving is opinion. 00:21:58.000 --> 00:21:59.119 So what are we to do? 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:03.519 We are See that this is not about an opinion, it's about a confession. 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:06.079 We already see that he's asking us that question. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:07.599 So, what are we to do? 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:11.519 Well, we get to know the foundation. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:13.599 We know the foundation. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:25.279 And Jesus begins by saying that on this Petra, which is the Greek word for stone for rock, I will build my church. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:30.400 And he makes like a pun with Peter's name. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:35.519 On this stone, Petra and Peter, you are the stone. 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:42.160 Now many think that Jesus was saying that Peter is the stone of the church. 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:44.400 But he is not the stone of the church. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:52.799 He cannot be the son of the church because for the rest of Scripture, he talks about the church as being his bride. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.079 And Peter cannot be anyone's bride. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:07.200 He made a statement that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:11.599 And on that statement, he builds the church. 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:18.799 The foundation of the church is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:22.319 He's the Son of the Living God. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:27.519 The foundation of the church is Jesus. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:33.759 And because of that foundation, that's why the gates of heaven cannot prevail. 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.160 Because the foundation is not on Peter. 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:40.240 The foundation is not on someone in particular. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:42.720 The foundation is on Jesus. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:48.960 But it's very easy for us to look at this passage and thinking, oh, Peter must be the most important person in the world. 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:51.759 That's why we find him at the pearly gates. 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:59.200 Well, that's a very interesting concept. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:03.759 I I've never heard of that until I came to the States, and I'm gonna be honest. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:07.920 And the first time I heard that, I was confused. 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:11.680 And then I that was before Google. 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:16.240 So I asked some people, hey, what's the deal with Peter being in a pearly cage? 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:24.079 Oh yeah, he he has like a list and and he has the keys, you know, because Jesus gave him the keys to the gates. 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:27.759 And I was like, What? 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:36.720 And I kept asking, and they said, Well, the problem is is that you know, when we go to heaven, Peter is there, you know, at the gate. 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:41.039 I was like, no, the gates of hell don't prevail. 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:55.359 And I'm trying to figure out in scripture, and then I found out, yes, there are pearly gates, and that that's in Revelation chapter 21, and talks about the pearly gates, but these are the 12 gates for the 12 tribes of Israel. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:08.079 And I'm I'm trying to figure out how that come up, and and and I guess later on I found out that in the Renaissance, you know, the painters were painting Peter with the keys. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.039 And the keys, you know, they just said, keys for what? 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.880 Well, I guess the gates. 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:22.720 So they just made Peter and the gates and they just put it together, and it's a folklore thing, which is fun, you know, and there's a lot of jokes. 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:27.839 I have told jokes about Peter and the pearly gates because it's pretty funny. 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:38.400 You know, you just have this gatekeeper that, you know, lets people in or not, and you know, and and it's just interesting how how all that came up. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:50.559 But it's very easy for us to look at scripture and thinking, oh, Jesus told Peter that he's not gonna only be the rock, but he's gonna build a church on him, so he's probably the most important person there is for the church. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:56.079 He's like the ultimate leader, I guess, and not only so, but he gave him keys. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:57.920 So keys open what? 00:25:58.799 --> 00:26:18.720 And when we start looking at scripture from a completely detached way, we lose and miss the significance that Jesus had with that statement, because the keys weren't handed to Peter, the keys were handed to the disciples. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:23.039 And guess who are the disciples? 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:28.000 We are, and guess what we are to do with those keys? 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:39.759 Make disciples because this is not a sermon about someone else, about Peter, and about an event with Peter. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:58.079 This is a sermon that Jesus asked his disciples as he's asking us as disciples on the foundation that he laid that he is the messiah, the son of God, he builds the church. 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:04.079 We are the church together, the bride of Christ, the beloved of Jesus. 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.640 And he has given us the keys to make disciples. 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:17.359 He gave us the keys to continue to move the work of God in our world. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:18.240 C.S. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:30.160 Lewis said in Mere Christianity, either you call Jesus a fool or fall at his feet and call him Lord. 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:39.680 But do not patronize or call him a teacher or or a great prophet or a great human man, uh great human. 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:43.759 He did not left that open to us. 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:51.759 He did not leave it open for us to attribute any other kind of word. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:56.559 He's either Lord, he's either God or a fool. 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:59.119 There's no other in between. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:20.960 So today we find in this passage that the church is built on the foundation that Jesus is Lord, and we confess our love. 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.039 I love love stories when they confess their love. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:29.759 You know, you know, you watch one of those movies and you know the ending. 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.039 You know they're gonna fall. 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:38.640 And if you know if you watch one of those Hallmark movies, I can tell you the ending, I can tell you the whole plot. 00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:57.359 But I love those stories, you know, Romeo and Juliet, you know, all these beautiful romantic stories that they confess and they proclaim their love, and and everything is so beautiful and it's so emotional, and we love it. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:13.759 We love a good love confess confession, but when we are looking at Jesus Christ and we confess our love, we're confessing who he is to us. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:24.640 Because we're not saying, Lord, I love you as a teacher, I love you as a as a as a as a friend, I love you because you are my Lord, you are my God. 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:33.839 And I cannot live life without you, I cannot move forward without your love, your grace, and your touch. 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:39.680 So today we confess our love, you know, from the heart. 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:45.440 It's not an intellectual achievement, it's not the right answer for a quiz. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.200 This is who are you truly to me? 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:54.640 What has been revealed by your love, by your grace? 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.160 You know, every organization has a purpose. 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:02.000 Every organization has has a mission. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:11.440 You know, Apple is to sell electronics, Amazon is to sell products, insurance agencies is to make money. 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:16.079 I I don't know any other purpose that they have but to make money. 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:19.680 Well, Apple and Amazon also make money. 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.960 But the mission, the purpose of the church is not to make money. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:31.359 The purpose of the church is not to sell products, the purpose of the church is not even to teach. 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:34.079 Purpose of the church is not even to gather. 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:47.039 The purpose of the church is not even to be together, the purpose of the church is not even for fellowship, the purpose of the church is not even for, is not even for getting together and feed the poor. 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:54.400 The purpose of the church is not even to help the orphan, the purpose of the church is not even to go and bless our community. 00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:56.160 That's not the purpose of the church. 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:58.240 The purpose of the church is one. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:11.680 Because if we look into the Great Commission, go into the world, which is an action, go into the world and make disciples. 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:24.079 Go to the church and build new churches, go into the world and and and gather with people, go into the world and attend, go to the world and and learn about my word, go into the world. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:27.200 No, he says, make disciples, and how do you make disciples? 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:35.759 By baptizing them, by teaching them, by by being with them, by investing in them. 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:47.200 And when we look at every single action that the church is called to do, it only has one purpose. 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:51.519 So why do we struggle as a church to make disciples? 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:55.920 Because we think disciples are made for someone else to do. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:59.680 Because when Jesus asked, What do people say that I am? 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.559 He didn't follow up with the question, is and what does your pastor say that I am? 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:08.240 You know, what does your your church leader say that I am? 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:10.960 What does your small group leader say that I am? 00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:14.559 What does your your denomination say that I am? 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:17.200 He's asking, what do you say that I am? 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:22.799 Because who you say I am is who you are going to share with others. 00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:31.359 And when we share with others, doesn't mean that we go to people and saying, you know, if you were to die today, were you going to heaven or hell? 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:33.519 And what are you doing about it? 00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:37.359 And for many, that may be a threat. 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:39.039 Are you threatening me? 00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:40.640 Is this a threat? 00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:45.039 He's not asking us to go and start and start cornering people. 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:55.920 He's asking us to go and love them, embrace them, welcome them, to be Christ-like, to be disciples to them, because that's how we make disciples. 00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:01.599 It's by being a disciple, by following Jesus that others see Jesus in us. 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:12.400 It's by mentoring, it's by investing, it's by welcoming, it's by making them a part of our lives in such a way they see Jesus in everything we do. 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:15.519 And the more they see Jesus, the more they desire him. 00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:21.519 But the more they see of ourselves, the more they see the world. 00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:30.160 That's why we have to turn around and say, I do not want to have Jesus as someone that I like. 00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:36.079 I want to g I want to have Jesus as everything for me. 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:42.240 I want Jesus not to be the center of my life, I want Jesus to be my life. 00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:58.240 So we confess our love and we go from belonging, making others belong, and then we become Christ-like to them, and then we build the kingdom by making disciples. 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:03.680 And when we do that, God is gonna use us to build a kingdom. 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:08.880 We will see salvations, we will see people who were lost finding Jesus. 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:17.760 We're people we will see people in darkness finding the light, and all that because we know who Jesus is. 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:25.440 So I have a challenge for you this week, and the challenge is to ask someone who do you say Jesus is? 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:31.280 Just ask someone, hey, I've known you for a few years, but I never asked you that question. 00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:33.280 Who do you say Jesus is? 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:35.920 What's your concept of Jesus? 00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:41.519 And it's not a problem to ask that question. 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:43.360 We've known each other for a while. 00:34:43.440 --> 00:34:49.679 You know I'm a Christian, and if you don't know I'm a Christian, shame on me, but you know, what is Jesus to you? 00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:51.679 And let him answer. 00:34:52.800 --> 00:35:03.280 And they may say, well, he's a prophet, he's a he's a good man, a teacher, or and and he and they they may say that he was someone that they admire. 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:19.280 And then in the silence, in the silence, you wait until they ask you, and what do you say Jesus is? 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:40.480 And that's when you say, Oh, he's the Son of God, he's my savior, he's my friend, he's my redeemer, he's my love, he's my shepherd, he's my prophet, he's my word, he's my helper, is my teacher, my father, my God. 00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:52.159 And when we start expressing who Jesus is to us, we start sharing about this love affair we have that will open doors. 00:35:53.840 --> 00:36:00.480 So when we ask someone who Jesus is, and maybe they will not ask us. 00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:13.760 So just let that dangle, just let that be the uncomfortable pause, the uncomfortable silence until they'll come to you and ask you, What do you say Jesus is? 00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:22.559 And that's when you share about Jesus, and that's how we make disciples by sharing, by journeying together. 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:31.360 Disciples were not made for us to tell them about Jesus and and leave, they're made for us to embrace, to meet. 00:36:34.159 --> 00:37:10.079 But before I conclude, if you feel today that you don't really know who Jesus is, if you feel today that you are not sure what he is to you, because you never felt it, you never felt him, you never felt such a passion for him that you're not even sure that you know who he is. 00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:12.480 Really deep. 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:16.960 I'm not talking about knowing about Jesus, like who he is. 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:27.840 Don't leave today without praying that the cornerstone, that the foundation it's him in your life. 00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:32.480 You pray that he will reveal himself to you. 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:54.960 You pray that he will become your God, that all the things that you have in your life that that you know he doesn't like, all the mistakes and all the things that we call sin, he will forgive, he will restore and give you a new life. 00:37:56.079 --> 00:38:06.880 So if you don't know him as your savior, as your God, don't leave today without praying that he'll come into your life. 00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:12.559 And if you want to come to the altar and pray, someone will pray with you. 00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:19.360 If you wanna if you wanna ask, uh you can ask me or even Pastor Preston, and I'll pray with you. 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:36.159 But do not leave today without knowing who Jesus is, not just by a mental or intellectual knowledge, but in your heart, in a way that changes everything. 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:41.039 I'd like to ask the worship team to come forward as we conclude with a word of prayer. 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:49.920 And as we journey together as a family, as we journey together as as people of God, we are here for one another. 00:38:50.159 --> 00:38:53.679 And and as any family, we're not perfect. 00:38:53.920 --> 00:39:06.320 No church is perfect, no family is perfect, but we do love each other, and by loving each other, journey together and see God being fulfilled in our relationship. 00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:21.440 Father in heaven, we thank you for the joy we have in being in your presence, and we thank you that you have descended today and made yourself among us to be a part of our family. 00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:27.840 And Father, we're not just gathering because this is a church, we're gathering because we truly want to be with you. 00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:42.320 So lead us, speak to us, encourage us, enable us, empower us that we may go and make disciples, pouring our hearts into others, pouring our lives into others that they may see Jesus. 00:39:42.480 --> 00:39:53.280 And Father, I pray that today, as you are the cornerstone and the foundation of our church, that you too will be the foundation of our lives. 00:39:53.519 --> 00:39:58.320 And we pray this, Father, because you are Lord, because you are God. 00:39:58.559 --> 00:40:04.960 And today, as we go, be with us and lead us and become our everything. 00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:07.440 And we pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:08.320 Amen. 00:40:10.559 --> 00:40:21.920 As it is known in our community, Northwest Church is committed to discovering and engaging in a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, with inspired worship and intentional ministry. 00:40:22.400 --> 00:40:26.079 People from all walks of life are welcome and received as family members. 00:40:26.639 --> 00:40:32.719 Our family is diverse, multicultural, and although not perfect, in love with Jesus. 00:40:33.280 --> 00:40:39.840 Join us online at nwnat.org or by visiting us in Columbus, Ohio. 00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:41.039 God bless you.