But Whom Say You That I Am?
Matthew 16:15-16
There comes a time in everyone's life when they are confronted with the unavoidable question that somehow, they must answer. The question is who am I? In this everchanging world, it is getting harder to answer that question. Yet, for anyone to have a chance of some type of stable life on this earth it is important to get a true answer to this question. In the case of every human that has ever existed with an objective reality to be, the true answer must come from the true source of the human.
The word human means a person that is distinguish from an animal. We were never created to be in the image of an animal, equal to an animal or the servant of an animal. We were made in the image of God. This means that every person every born, is born successful, authoritative, and commanding great respect. This is the God given right to every human born on this earth.
The bible is very clear where humans came from and the design pattern that was followed to create them. God said that man was created to be an image of HIM! This means that humans are a visual representation of God. This means we are born successful! We are born with great authority! We are born commanding great respect! The bible says in Psalm 100:3 these very words: Know you that the Lord he is God: it is HE that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are HIS people, and the sheep of his pasture.
The problem is all humans’ past, present, and future have a supernatural enemy (satan), that is very good at distorting the truth. He hates all humans because all humans look like God! When he sees us, he sees God. Although we look like God, because of sin nature, we do not act in the way God designed us to act. The sin nature gives us the ability to do good and evil. We were never designed to operate with a sin nature, this is why the present world is so troubled.
Jesus Christ was sent into the world to give all humans that desired to be free of sin the means to do so. He came because we could never rid ourselves of something that is a part of us naturally at birth. It would take the Christ, who is God and man to pay the price for sin for all sinners past, present, and future. Once Jesus Christ paid the sin debt with his blood, that opened the door through him for all humans to make a choice to keep sin and be separated from God forever or to choose God over sin and be connected to God and his kingdom forever.
For humans to enter the kingdom of God through Jesus the Christ, by faith, each person must believe within themselves that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the living God! This must be revealed to them by God within them and not from some outside source. For you to hear Jesus is the Christ is not the same as believing in your heart that Jesus is the Lord of your life. There is an internal conformation, marked by unexplainable peace, that takes place inside a person that has truly received Jesus Christ.
When Jesus asked his disciples "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" he was asking them this question at a specific time in their relationship. He knew that every man with him should have known how the world viewed him. By now, they would have heard the comments of all the people around them concerning what they believed about Jesus. All the disciples answered him according to what they heard people with no relationship with Jesus say. They all assigned him to a person and spirit movement of the past.
After his disciples finished saying what the world was saying about Jesus, Jesus then made it personal and asked them "But who say you that I am?". Only one of his disciples spoke up with a sure voice and answered him.
The bible says that Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God". The response that Simon gave was not a natural one. Not only did Simon Peter see Jesus as someone who represented the past, but he saw him as the present and future as well. He saw far beyond what the world and his fellow disciples saw because God the Father opened his internal spiritual eyes to see and his spiritual ears to hear Jesus the Christ the only begotten Son of God.
The response that Jesus gave to Simon is very important to all who call themselves children of God. He said to him "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". Let us look a little closer at the response Jesus gave to Simon.
Jesus first blessed him by using his natural given name Simon Bar-Jona to confirm him in the natural. Know that when a word ( name ) is spoken into the atmosphere, that word ( name ) has an effect on that atmosphere. The name Simon means (A hearkening or to listen to or pay attention to). Bar-Jona means (the son of Jona). Jona means (whom Jehovah gave). When you put it all together the name Simon Bar-Jona means (to listen to or to pay attention to), the son of whom Jehovah gave).
Hearkening means to listen. Listen means to pay attention to what you hear. When you put it all together, this is what Jesus said to Simon when he blessed him using the name Simon Bar-Jona: Blessed are you, to listen to (to pay attention to) the Son that Jehovah gave!
Jesus is the Son that Jehovah gave to save his people from their sins. He is the Rock that we all must come from and stand on. We stand by listening to and paying attention to what he says and using it to live a daily life.
After the Father connected to Simon, and Simon paid attention to what the Father said to him (that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God), then Jesus said this for all his disciples to hear: " And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, ( he introduced a new name into the atmosphere ) and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
This is the first time Jesus called Simon, Peter. Jesus added Peter to Simon's name because he was now a part of the Rock that is Christ. This only happened after Simon listened to the Father confirming who Jesus is. The name Peter means stone. A stone is a piece of a larger rock. A stone contains the same things as the rock it came from. The key to the relationship of the Father and Jesus was that Jesus listened to the Father (paid attention to what he said), then did it!
Jesus used Peter as an example of a listening, living stone, that could be used as an example of what God could do with a person that was willing to listen to him and allow his church to be built inside the heart of that person. The building begins by the person receiving Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God and believing it with his whole heart. That person is now a living stone that is a part of the church that Jesus is building and the gates of hell can't stand against that person established by Jesus Christ.
Jesus also said this type of lively stone of a person would be given the keys to the kingdom of heaven with the power to open and close natural and spiritual doors as needed. This power is set aside for all who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and has an ear to listen to him with a heart that is willing to obey his will which is the will of the Father.
The question is now put to the reader of these words today to be answered honestly within your own heart; Who do you say that Jesus is? Your response will cause an instant reaction within your soul that will confirm who you are no matter what has been assigned to you by the world. The power of his word will give you the keys to unlock the chains placed on you by the enemy to keep you from your rightful seat in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. My prayer is that we all take the kingdom keys we are given and use them well for his glory!!! May His Grace Fill You Right Now and Forever!
Apostle Henry
Please use the following scriptures for bible study. Please address any comments or questions to oneaccordmin@gmail.com. If you desire to follow this blog, please do so by connecting thru blogger.com. We would love to hear from you. Know that Jesus is Lord and he lives in you! Amen!
Matthew 15:16-20 Acts 8:36-37 Acts 9:20 1John 4:15 1John 5:5-8
Ephesians 2:8-10 Matthew 18:18-20 John 20:21-23 Ephesians 2:18-22
Psalm 107:17-18
Ephesians 2:6-8
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