Going Public

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer.

Jesus takes the confession of faith and uses it as a conduit through which he unleashes his power in the church. One of the reasons we urge you to baptism as we know that public confession of faith comes this great catalyst for the outpouring of God's power in your life when you do with the spirit of God begins to work in your life in a new, more powerful way right. The Bible teaching ministry of Pastor legend JD Greer. I'm your host Molly minutes. According to tradition, or maybe it's just the social cues we've grown up with. There are two topics you should avoid in social conversations, politics and religion. It's so much easier and more comfortable to just keep our faith a private personal thing. But today Pastor Judy challenges us to get outside our comfort zone and to make our faith. Now you're joining us today, more than halfway through a teaching series called the whole story so if you'd like to hear any previous messages you'll find them@clear.com now here's Pastor JD with a message titled, going 60s you have your Bibles I think that the more technologically sophisticated that our society gets the more that we crave anonymity. I am certainly like that it annoys me when I go into a convenience store to buy batteries and I want to get my phone number and my email address first on what I just went off by some batteries and annuity leaves you a lot more self freedom and control. I know that a lot of us wish we had a fake social media account or we could post all the things that we really think some of you want to know who fake JD Greer is on twitter and I wish honestly wish that I knew because there are so many things I would love to say that I thought I just can't say because I'm a pastor that last I checked, fake JD has 16,000 followers which means that at some point the fake version of me is going to have more followers than the real version of me. At which point I think I will have a personal crisis, it is true, and he certainly releases you from a lot of accountability, reminds me the lady I heard about it came way to the church service in so she asked the officer. She said I know I'm late but I will like to sit on the front row and she said Mama I'm happy to do that for you but I gotta tell you, our pastor is super boring and there's a real good chance he's gonna put you to sleep and then right there in front row that might be embarrassing to you and sought you want to do that this little old lady looks up at the saucer and says young man, do you know who I am.

She said no ma'am, I don't and she said I'm the pastor's mother, man, drops his head in embarrassment. After a second. He looked at her and says you know who I am. She said no. He said thank God he walked also. Anonymity certainly releases you from certain kinds of accountability and so it's appealing to us what all I want to show you for Matthew 16 why it was the Jesus never let people remain anonymous. In regards to him to see in this passage Jesus forced acknowledgment usually public acknowledgment. The most important form of public acknowledgment is baptism. Matthew chapter 16 to get the Bible to verse 13. Let's walk to the store together when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi asked his disciples, people say that I am the Savior people say the Son of Man is now little background here that may help.

The story kinda pop in some color. Caesarea Philippi was a Roman city that had the Romans had built within the borders of Israel up on a hill overlooking the entire Jordan Valley actually been there.

It's a beautiful spot.

It's right by natural spring and one of the main features of it.

Is this huge rockface wall were the Romans had carved into the rock temple after temple after temple to God ever God ever got.

I'm Caesarea Philippi. This rockface was basically a strip mall for the gods will. The newest temple that they had built right around the time of Jesus had been built for Caesar who was now referring to himself as the son of God and the King of Kings and Lord of lords that was literally inscribed on the new temple that had been built at Caesarea Philippi. By this point in Jesus's life. We know that a lot of people are starting to form opinions about him, talk about them and so do you think he is. Jesus takes his disciples bear to this big rockface for all these temples are carved all these God to be standing right in front of that rockface and he says who do people say that I am, verse 14, they replied, some say that your John the Baptist, John the Baptist been executed by menu been reincarnated on something. Still, John the Baptist of the Savior. Elijah still others say your Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Verse 15 but what about you yes to you say that I am Simon Peter answered you're the Messiah you're the son of the living God.

Verse 17 Jesus replied. Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood real by my father in heaven. The interesting in in Mark gospel marks account of the story. This story occurs right after Jesus heals a man of blindness and what Mark is showing you is that this power to heal physical blindness is really symbolic of the power to heal spiritual blindness that what Jesus is doing is giving people spiritual sight because spiritual site is being able to see the truth with clarity about who Jesus really is and it's not something you just figure out as a human being because you're smart. It's something that that the father reveals to you. Verse 18 and I tell you that you are Peter in Greek.

That's the word Petross you are Petross and on this Petra which Greek word for rock on this Petra. I will build my church.

It's a play on words. Jesus is standing right here in front of this big rock of Caesarea Philippi and so is making this statement in contrast all these pagan temples that are carved into the rock on this right Peter on this one, not on these on this one.

I'm to build my church. Now there's little theological controversy surrounding that verse. When Jesus says upon this rock I will build my church. The question is, is he referring to Peter Thursday, referring to the confession of faith that Peter just made which one is the rock on which Jesus ago to build the church as a Peter, is it on the confession of faith and the answer is if both the confessing. Peter is the rock on which Jesus build his church listen, this is a prediction of prophecy that through the apostles Peter the chief among them Jesus would write the Bible, which is the record of their confession of faith, and on that Bible record of their confessions of faith in Jesus, God is going to build his church and the gates of Hades in the Greek word for hell will not overcome it and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What that means is that they're going to be his representatives accurately recording the way that people can find salvation. Jesus when Jesus says whatever you loose on earth is to be loosed in heaven. What he's not saying is hey guys, from here on out I'm gonna let you make the decisions about who goes to heaven how to sleep that judgment to you know of course not. That would contradict too many other things.

The Bible says in different places. It simply means that they are going to lay out as Jesus's representatives. The boundaries of the faith and the way that they lay out the particulars of who goes to heaven will be an accurate reflection of what Jesus thinks it is true. Jesus did not leave a Bible when he left. There was no Bible New Testament that existed but he left a group of apostles whom he had authorized to write one and he is here promising that the Bible that they write will be accurate and that what the apostles explained to us about the way of salvation is what Jesus really thinks to make sense, reason, I point out out is because I meet people all the time like you and I think I'm okay with Jesus, but I just can't accept the Bible. Jesus here told us to accept the Bible so you can't really be okay with him if you don't accept the book but the authorized one more thing either in those verses on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades which I told you the Greek word for hell will not overcome it. This place Caesarea Philippi had been the very place where the northern kingdom of Israel.

They gigantic.

I did build this gigantic altar to bail medicine before the call Caesarea Philippi used to be as big altar to bail in bail was the God of the underworld to this literally for them was the place where bail you the demons came out and so it was literally the gates of hell. Jesus was saying that all the idolatrous confusion, not a hell itself will not be able to withstand the apostles's testimony about Jesus and we have a really strange verse. Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Messiah. Why would he do that we see for the Jews Messiah was as much a political title is a spiritual one, even more so in fact, because everybody assumed in that day that the Messiah would come as a warrior to throw off the power of Rome.

Jesus knew that once it got out that he was claiming to be the Messiah. It was on right at that point it was either revolution or execution that was no middle ground as to claim that you're keying in a world already asking special and insecure king like Caesar was treason like walking into the Vatican, claiming that you're the new pope. Jesus is not ready to die yet so he didn't want them out there claiming that because what he means by Messiah is not what they mean what Peter means by Messiah. What Jesus means by Messiah in this place are two different things.

So verse 21 from that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples what he meant by Messiah that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things in the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers a law that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Verse 22. Another great verse. At this point Peter taken aside and begins to rebuke him, every week after the first service I preacher average five live on the weekend and after the first one have a group of people to meet with me backstage after the start of her sermon and they just rip it apart and so by the time I get up to the second service. It's a fundamentally different sermon, August they hear this contact. This place is it's a bold move to give that kind of sermon critique to Jesus but it's exactly what Peter does writing is like Jesus and was liking what you talking about him and have to instruct you on a few things had like a rock, Robin, I would Jesus meant when he called the rock but still applies on me, never Lord. He said never this will never happen to you, Jesus turned to Peter and said get behind me Satan talk about a spiritual high followed by spiritual low imagine Peter talking to his wife for dinner that night was work today while Jesus told me to be the anchor of his new church and then that I reminded him of Satan. By the way, one of the reasons we know the Bible is authentic is that it records encounters like this one. Peter would one day lead the church. This little struggling church. Peter will be the leader in here in their founding documents. They include a story where Jesus calls and Satan may be honest, if you were making up stories to gain support for your religious movement. Is this the kind of thing that you would make up his imagine if you were trying to get somebody skeptical about our church to come to church with you and say that they put this story in there because it was true, not because it was a cleverly devised myth in order to help foster a movement, Jesus continues verse 23. You are a stumbling block to me you do not Peter have in mind the concerns of God you got them on really human concerns. Thinking about victory you think about vengeance against the Romans you think about prosperity on earth I'm thinking about something different. I'm thinking about something much greater and more eternal than any of those things. So verse 24. Jim then Jesus said to his disciples ever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. I would stop right there and let's look at what we can learn about the importance of public confession from this when I use the word confession. I'm referring to the public confession of what you believe. I'm not talking about confessing your sins. That's a different use of the word confession were to use okay so publicly professing what we believe the importance of it. Here we go number one we see from this passage that confession of truth is the rock upon which Jesus builds a church.

Did you see how Jesus ties all of his power. All of it to the confession of faith. When Peter makes this confession.

Verse 17 Jesus tells them many things are not real really about flesh and blood.

In this figure this out only the spirit of God can give you this kind of vision, only the spirit of God can give you spiritual site. I'm not up here trying to out reason you into the faith. I'm up here, depending on God to open up blind eyes to be able to see what God reveals about Jesus that the only way there have become described like this to you before, imagine a guy who is up on top of a mountain, rockface, and he's clinically insane. He thinks he is a bird in it so we can fly so you come up behind this guy you like hey don't jump you offer him a free choice. You can jump if you want to, but will die or you can come back down with here with me to safety net. He's he's insanely think she's a bird.

What you get to choose freely every single dime is used to jump right every metal how you asked a question using a jump I so say that you had the ability on it may be a Leica shot that you given that had an antidote. It would restore insanity in the city you are able to stick them with the needle and restore sanity to MNU asking the exact same question given the same choice say the exact same way now with his sanity restore what you got to choose to choose every single time to come back down the differences and not in how eloquently you asked the question. It's not in how well you presented the problem. The differences solely in the sanity of the heart that received was in the same way. I know that ultimately I'm not up here trying out reason you in the face as if on the smartest guy in the room for you to see what I see that everything to be okay. I depend on the spirit of God to be able to open eyes, which is why a tie myself so closely to the word of God. Why because the word of God is like that needle that restore sanity to people the word of God is the power of God that is taken by the spirit of God and its use, not to make dumb people smarter, but the big blind people see dead people alive right so all of Jesus's power he puts on that confession. Furthermore, verse 18 Jesus says upon this rock I'll build my church, Jesus takes the confession of faith any uses it as a conduit through which he unleashes his power in the church. One of the reasons we urge you to go to baptism as we know that public confession of faith becomes this great catalyst for the outpouring of God's power in your life when you do with the spirit of God begins to work in your life in a new, more powerful way. It's like we saw when Jesus was baptized. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven on him like a dove not work exactly the same way for us, but that shows you that at your baptism. The Holy Spirit begins to slide him work through your life in a new and more powerful way. Jesus is uniting of his power, this confession of faith is also why we are careful as much as we can be here to not change the confession we see our temptation today some churches to reshape our message, according to what we think will work in our society to make Christianity more appealing by altering it in those places where it's most offensive people never believe people will never believe you said is only one way of salvation, owner what you Christianity good then change his views on sexuality then it's going to die.

I hear that all the time and on telling us so appealing is so appealing to alter the confession. But when you do that you cut yourself off from the accompanying power of God. This confession was unpopular in those days to think about where Jesus was standing. He was standing in front of a gigantic monument to Roman pluralism Rome in the Empire run said you can worship whatever God you want to worship the back of our God here got it represented up here will you can worship a new God make up your own.if you want one thing you can't do is you can't say that your God is the only God and you gotta worship God under the rubric of this emblem of Caesar be the King of Kings and Lord of lords church history at the toward the end of the first century. One of the emperors were the Roman emperors on asked that Christian leaders this and we would like to put a statue of Jesus and the Pantheon Pantheon was a place for the Touches all the room got really think that we were leaving the disciples that you think are like are you kidding me I'm here. We are all backwards movement bunch of fishermen and now will be invited to put statue the Pantheon with how far we can't get out we got a statue in Congress now it not amazing. Now there like if you put a statue Jesus in their working to tear down because were not put in him is one among many of the gods were certainly not put them in a place that has a symbol on it that says Caesar is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He's the son of the living God, the disciples would not change it even though it was wildly unpopular because they knew that the change that confession they would lose the power of God now described it before having to another way. I guess imagining a high school guy who years got design some girl and so the works of all his courage said good talker one day at school and in negative towards us. Hey would you like like to go out right. And he's thinking she's never to say yes in 100 years, but to his utter surprise, she says that sounds great. So he's not prepared for what's next. He hasn't thought about what's next. You just brace himself to be shot down so he is I will want to give your phone number and I'll figure out what I'm inviting you to and I and she says sorry that's great Pete yes and right with that he gotten so is I just tell it to me and I'll remember it and so she's like okay my number is 9999195551239. The site never deny you confusion and I see what we make it 555-1234 that's easy to remember which one she says you call five 551-2340 want to but the person answers. On the other end of the line is not going to be me if you want me you're going to dial 919551239.

The disciples understood. Yes, we can alter this to make it easier and more appealing. But what we will do when we alter it is we will lose contact with the presence of Jesus in every culture there is a temptation to compromise something in order to become more acceptable to the culture in our day. Maybe one of the biggest is to remove what Jesus teaches about sexuality culture change that. Just change that and you won't be so hated in society. One thing about revelations who were Jesus talks about a church that was faithful in every other way except they tolerated those who taught and practiced sexual immorality and because of that Jesus removed his presence from that church people say well if you'll soften your stance on this, you lose people from was like I was humbly speaking. I'd rather lose people to lose the presence of Jesus.

Any day you keep your CNN pundits I'll take Jesus when you confess faithfully, you gain the power of God, the power of God, the power to give sight to the blind and heals a leper and makes the lame walk and raises the dead begins to flow in the church and in your life. That's what we need, not a Christianity that restates itself the fit society and gain the approval of the Romans. We need a we need a confession of faith that comes within the power and the healing live site giving power. The Almighty God would lead me to number two, number two if we confess faithfully we are unstoppable, we confess faithfully were unstoppable to verse 18 on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell itself will not overcome it. People usually treat this verse like it promises that Jesus will protect us from all of Satan's vicious attacks on us were in the church is that because the gates of hell will not overcome you but this verse is about Satan's inability to keep us from plundering his kingdom, not his inability to plunder hours.

Let me ask you are are are dates in offense of weapon here attack somebody would dictate the beat him over the head with again no gates are a defense of weapon dates are designed to keep people out. Jesus is saying that when we confess faithfully.

Not only will he preserve and protect our church. He will enable us to advance God's kingdom into Satan's most well fortified strongholds. God has grown this church tremendously.

I we baptized 5424 people in the last 14 years. Praise God for that. Are we satisfied with your excited but hard to roll side, are we satisfied with that. You huddle up and say okay God now protect our summer families who got the candidates this year for president are terrible in America is going to hell how we ever survive. Jesus did not promise that he would enable us to survive a slow retreat in our culture. He promised us that if we be faithful in our confession he would let us advance deeper and deeper into enemy territory. They reminds me of a true story I heard about Abraham Lincoln. He was meeting his war council one day and I read the middle of the Civil War when he one of the couriers comes in whisper something to one of the generals and general stands up and says Mr. Lincoln, I'm very pleased to be able to tell you that we have finally pushed the enemy out of our territory and back into his own link looks at all the other generals and he said when my generals learned that the whole country is our territory.

Jesus is not content to simply be Lord of the church.

He died to be Lord of all we want to be the Lord of our life. But how do we live now practically, this is been a powerful image of the Lordship of Jesus from pastor JD Greer and you're listening to Senate life to hear this message again or to catch up on previous programs. Visit us@jdgreer.com a great way to start surrendering our lives is by knowing the word of God better. After all, that's why we're here every day on your radio station. So in this teaching series. The whole story JD, but the main thing that you're helping listeners will take away from this study are one of the challenges of studying the Bible is at 66 individual books written on. I think it's three different continents by 40 different authors. Sometimes it's hard connecting them all to this one story because the whole Bible Jesus. It was all about him was all about how he was coming his love for us in his salvation plan. I'm hoping that through this series, you'll get a picture of the whole story here and realize that everything really connects that these are not primarily stories of of saints that were supposed to emulate their stories about a Savior. God wants us to hope in and and a door to go along with this and help them out were giving you something here with the series called the books of the Bible cards. It's a set of cards that will help you as you read to make connections between whatever book your study and with the big picture give you historical context but even more importantly how this particular book for this story. Jesus is a wonderful resource produced by our friend Mary Wiley getting keep your Bible study the Bible that help you make make sense to get these in your hands are connected to the resource that may help you@jdgreer.com we like to get you a set of the books of the Bible cards as our way of saying thanks for your support in his ministry, you're invited to request and when you give a donation at the suggested level $XXV and your support helps to keep this program going. When the good news of the gospel for the very first time through this right you were generous possible are so great.

Today is the last date cards are available so don't wait too long. Give us a call right away that the Bible cards 335-2866 524 if it's easier you can get and request the cards online.com model, even if it is not happy with and be sure to come back tomorrow when Jeannie continues his series on Senate life Jeannie Jeannie