Loudmouth – Rock-Solid Identity

‘When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ‘ Matthew 16:13-15

This week, Pastor Jeremy, from Crosspoint Church in Niceville, FL, continued the sermon series, Loudmouth, a character study of Peter. Below are the posts from the previous messages:

We find Jesus in Caesarea Philippi, and He is asking the disciples some questions about who He is.

The first question that He asks is: Who do others say I am? He gets a few different answers from John the Baptist and Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or possibly other prophets.

One of the things that will happen when we venture down our path for spiritual growth is what others say about Jesus. And more important than what they say is how their lives are lived out in their knowledge of Jesus.

If people around us claim to know Jesus, but this relationship does not change their life, they may only know about Him and may not know Him at all.

Then Jesus lays down the question that every human being who has walked on this earth will call an account for: Who do you say I (Jesus) am?

‘Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ‘ Matthew 16:16

Peter being who he is, comes up with the answer.

When we come to know Jesus in this intimate way, He will go to work redefining our identity in Him.

‘Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 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. 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.” ‘ Matthew 16:17-19

The first thing to take notice of is that Jesus gives credit to who credit is due, “for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in Heaven.”

We don’t find Jesus; He finds us. God chooses us. He provides us the faith to accept Jesus as our Lord and savior. And from there, He goes to work on us. He accepts us as we are but loves us too much to leave us there.

Jesus changes his identity, “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.”

Jesus changes Peter’s purpose. Furthermore, Jesus gives Peter the power to accomplish his purpose. And the Christians today are a result of that purpose and power.

Being a Christian, the only place we should seek out our identity is in the Word of God.

Look at the headlines, and you can see the false gods that the “world” would like to measure us by:

• Sexuality
• Race or ethnicity
• Patriotism
• Success
• Prosperity and stuff
• Politics and power
• Addictions and past

Until one decides to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, these will be the things we will be measured against.

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ‘ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of the world.

‘He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. ‘ 1 John 2:2

When we accept this saving grace from God, we are now considered Children of God with an identity in Jesus. But this is a progression; it doesn’t happen all at once but over our lifetime.

The degree to which the change happens is in God’s hands, and it is directly related to the lengths that we go to get to know who Jesus is.

Peter later writes this in his epistle:

‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ‘ 2 Peter 1:3-11

As we start to work out our salvation, we enter into an upward spiral that begins with:

Faith moves to goodness, from goodness to knowledge, from knowledge to self-control, self-control to perseverance, perseverance to godliness, godliness to mutual affection, and mutual affection to love.

‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’ 1 Corinthians 13:13

‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ‘ John 15:13

Keep this in mind: The more I get to know Jesus, the more I get to know who I really am.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for your grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

I pray that You keep working on our hearts, drawing us closer to You.

I pray that You come soon. This world is getting more challenging to navigate, but Your Word tells us it will be this way. I pray that You give us the strength and courage to face the challenges with Jesus centered in our hearts.

In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️