How Do You Know that You Know Jesus? (Matthew 16:13-20)
Questions: Who is Jesus to You? (Mt 16:13-20)
AI summary of sermon: Dr. Ben explores the deep theological question: “How do you know that you know Jesus?” Based on Mt 16:13-20, the sermon centers on the realization that knowing Christ is not a product of human effort or common sense, but a divine revelation given by God. Key themes discussed:
- Public Opinion vs. Personal Conviction: Jesus contrasts what the crowds say about him (e.g., Elijah, John the Baptist) with the personal confession of Peter, who identifies him as the Messiah and Son of the living God.
- Divine Revelation: Knowledge of Christ cannot be figured out intellectually or through “flesh and blood”; it must be revealed by the Father through the Holy Spirit.
- The Rock and the Keys: Dr. Ben explains that the “rock” upon which the church is built is the confession of Christ, and the “keys to the kingdom” represent the authority of the Gospel message entrusted to believers.
- Evidence of Knowing Jesus: The sermon argues that true belief is evidenced by repentance, obedience, and a life that seeks God above all else.
- The Holy Spirit is central to how believers come to know and understand Jesus. According to the sermon, the Holy Spirit works in the following ways:
- Divine Revelation: Knowing who Jesus is—specifically that he is the Messiah and the Son of the living God—cannot be figured out through human intellect, “flesh and blood,” or common sense. It is a revelation fact that must be given personally by the Father through the Holy Spirit.
- Inner Conviction: The Holy Spirit works on the hearts of individuals to prompt, convict, and guide them. Dr. Ben explains that he himself resisted and made fun of Christians until God began working in his heart, illustrating that becoming a Christian is God’s doing rather than a personal decision made on one’s own.
- Discernment: Spiritual truths are “revelation facts” that can only be discerned through the Spirit. Influences from the world can hinder this understanding, whereas the Spirit teaches believers how to interpret scripture and understand God’s will.
Ultimately, Dr. Ben emphasizes that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for our hearts to desire God more than the seductive and distracting things of the world
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:15-16).
Who Jesus is; How Jesus is known; What Jesus does (Matthew 16:13-20).
I. Who Jesus is (Mt 16:13-16).
II. How Jesus is Known (Mt 16:17).
III. What Jesus Does (Mt 16:18-20).
- Public Opinion (Mt 16:13-14).
- Personal Conviction (Mt 16:15-16).
- Divine Revelation (Mt 16:17).
- Divine Intention (Mt 16:18).
- Divine Gift [and Authority] (Mt 16:19).
- Divine Timing (Mt 16:20).
Divine Revelation: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀? 𝗕𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲? 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆? 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁?
- The revelation of who Jesus is is only given by the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers.
- The Bible is the universe of revelation facts; the natural world is the universe of commonsense facts. The Bible deals with revelation facts, facts we cannot get at by our common sense, facts we may make light of by our common sense. For instance, Christ is a revelation fact, sin is another, the devil is another, the Holy Spirit is another. Christ is not a commonsense fact, i.e., we do not understand Him by means of our common sense. Christ is a revelation fact. When Peter confessed Christ (Mt 16:16), Jesus knew from Whom he had received the revelation, not from his common sense, but from God. Oswald Chambers.
- “Neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe in him and take him as our Lord, unless these were first offered to us and bestowed on [granted to] our hearts by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. … But neither could we know anything of Christ, had it not been revealed by the Spirit.” Martin Luther.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you…” (Jn 15:16)
- “I am the vine; you are the branches. … apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).
- “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil 2:12-13).
How do you explain how the Holy Spirit works? (1 Cor 2:12-14)
12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
What can you practically do for Jesus to be revealed to you?
TRUST: Whom do you trust?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:5-6).
BELIEVE: What is the evidence that you believe?
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15)
LOVE: What is the evidence that you love God?
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them” (Jn 14:21, NLT).
SEEK: What do you really want more than anything else?
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7).
“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Dt 4:29).
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13).
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isa 55:6).
WORK/FIGHT/STRUGGLE: What do you really want to work for/fight for/struggle for in life?
“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil 2:12-13).
“I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Cor 9:27).
“For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col 1:29, ESV).
Blessed (Mt 16:17), a word that signifies godly felicity. It means not worldly happiness (as fortunate), but religious delight and holy joy. This knowledge is not due to human cleverness or even profound spiritual insight, but the product of divine revelation (Mt 11:25-27). Though Jesus accepted Peter’s use of the word “Messiah”; mostly he declined to use the word himself, presumably because it would arouse misunderstanding of what he was and had come to do.
This rock (Mt 16:18). As Peter has made a significant statement about Jesus: Jesus proceeds to make a significant statement about Peter. Does “this rock” mean the man Peter [Roman Catholics]? Or the faith Peter just professed? Or is it the teaching of Jesus (Mt 7:24)? Or Jesus himself?
- It is argued that the church is built on Peter’s confession of the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the truth the Father revealed to Peter.
- With the teaching of Jesus in mind (Mt 7:24-25), Jesus himself is the rock (1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 2:6-8) or the foundation (1 Cor 3:11; 2 Tim 2:19).
The keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:19) has reference to the divine rule and the church to the people of God. It was on the basis of Peter’s confession and NOT on his personal abilities that Peter was given the keys.
Reference: The Gospel According to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Leon Morris. 1992.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It’s from two Greek words: episteme, meaning knowledge or understanding, and logos, meaning study or reason. Root-wise, it means ….
Episteme: Means knowledge, understanding, or knowing how to do something.
Logos: Means a study, reason, or logical account.
-logy: The suffix denoting a branch of learning or study
Epistemology–as a core branch of philosophy—asks and studies fundamental questions about how we comprehend reality.
Matthew 16:17 is deeply relevant to epistemology. It proposes a distinct source of knowledge: divine revelation rather than human sense perception or rational deduction.
