CONVICTION, CONFESSION, AND CONSEQUENCE

THE CALL TO CONFESS

Matthew 16:13-20

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

March 2, 2008

So far in looking at the portrait of Peter in the Gospels, we’ve seen different dimensions of the call to discipleship that comes from Christ – the call to follow, the call to serve, and the call to trust. In our passage for this morning, we find “the call to confess.”

We are told that Jesus took His disciples into the region of Caesarea Philippi to give them this call. This small town was found twenty-five miles north of Galilee at the base of Mt. Hermon. Caesarea Philippi was the northernmost area Jesus traveled during His earthly ministry. It was also a region with a vast array of religious conviction and opinion. It is clear to us that centuries of history had brought many religions into this area. Over the course of time, this had been a center of the worship of Baal, the fertility god, of Pan, the shepherd god of the Greeks, and in Jesus’ day under the tetrarch Philip’s influence, the worship of Caesar as a god.

It’s in this very area of such diverse religions that Jesus asked the disciples pointed questions regarding His identity. After hearing of others’ opinions, He then more specifically asked for theirs. That, of course, is when Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter had seen enough, heard enough, and believed enough to say: “You are the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son - not of these false gods - but of the one, true and living God.”

Such conviction had not arisen because of Peter’s own insightful and intellectual abilities. Jesus makes this clear in saying to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man (literally “by flesh and blood”), but by My Father in heaven.” Such a sure and certain view of Jesus came by the revelation and disclosure of God the Father.

This event reminds us that when a person is fully convinced that Jesus truly is the Son of the living God, this persuasion and conviction comes about through the inner working of God in that person’s heart and mind. Elsewhere, in John’s Gospel, Jesus put it this way:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me … no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him. [i]

When we realize the truth of this biblical teaching, that such persuasion and certitude come only by God’s power and grace, there should first be endless praise to God for bringing us to the point of such conviction, and thus our salvation. God is indeed the “author” of our salvation in Jesus Christ.[ii]

When Peter was so thoroughly convinced of Jesus being who He was and is, he made his confession, not quietly nor in taking Jesus aside, but rather in everyone’s hearing. Jesus responded to this confession in saying, “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.”

It is commonly believed, though disputed by some, that Jesus is speaking here of Peter’s confession, not of Peter himself. This is to say that the rock is Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is in agreement with what Jesus states immediately after this: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Peter - and all the apostles with him - opened the kingdom to all who shared Peter’s confession and who believed the Good News of the Gospel. To those who rejected this confession, disbelieving the Good News of the Gospel, the kingdom was shut.

Such “apostolic authority” has been passed on to the Church to this very day. The Church ever so uniquely has this privilege and responsibility to confess the Faith to all the world. The Heidelberg Catechism puts it forth for us in this way:

The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all their sins.

The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony. [iii]

Now, one may say, “Wait a minute, pastor. It’s fine for you to do the preaching, but isn’t confessing my faith a rather personal matter? After all, didn’t Jesus then tell His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ?” Well, yes, Jesus did tell His disciples that. But such a prohibition was merely temporary. The crowds were coming close to making Jesus their King. They did not understand that His ministry would also include crucifixion and then resurrection. After His resurrection, the apostles were commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations.” That’s not keeping it quiet at all!

So, as “the call to confess” Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God came to Peter and to the rest of the Twelve, so it comes to all of us. We are called to confess our faith in Jesus Christ, to state clearly who He is and what He has done when we gather together in worship; when we join the membership of the church; when we speak out in defense of the Christian faith; when we share with family members, friends and new acquaintances; when we seek to instruct our children in Sunday School, our youth in Confirmation Class, and our adults in seeking a maturity of faith; when we hold fast our confession in times of ridicule, reviling or persecution; or when we need to hold the line in terms of church order and discipline.

You see, just as we are learning from Peter that the call to discipleship has many layers or dimensions to it, so does the call to confess – you and I have many opportunities and many means of declaring our faith in Christ before each other and before a watching world. But we must always remember that it is not ourselves that is to be the focus, but that of the message – just as it was not Peter but His confession upon which Jesus would build His Church.

Dr. John Stott, is a Church of England minister, prolific author, and world renowned evangelical. He was recognized by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” But he came to realize that the Church is built on the Message and not the messenger a number of years ago.

Back in 1958, he was invited to lead an 8 day mission in the University of Sydney, Australia. For the last night, Dr. Stott was to speak in the large and impressive hall of the university. But he caught a bug (Australians call it a “wog”) and found himself unable to speak with much of a voice.

Student leaders met with him shortly before the meeting and one of them read the words of Jesus given to Paul regarding his thorn in the flesh: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, Paul continued, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me … For when I am weak, then I am strong.[iv] Then the students prayed that these words might be applied and accomplished in Stott that night.

When they went into the hall, Stott found that the hall was packed with people. As he describes the situation,

I could only croak my address into the microphone in a monotone, unable to assert my personality or modulate my voice in any way. When the time came for the invitation, however, there was an immediate response. I have been back in Australia ten times since then, and every time somebody has accosted me somewhere, asking, ‘Do you remember that meeting in the great hall of Sydney University when you had lost your voice? I came to Christ that night.’ [v]

The Lord gave a call to confess and Peter made a great confession. This confession is the bedrock upon which the Church is built. May we remember that the confession of this great message – the Gospel of Jesus Christ – is our calling, too. May we make this confession in faithfulness, in all the arenas and opportunities the Lord provides for each of us – that His Church may grow, His kingdom may advance, and that He may get the glory, now and always!