Home BIBLE STUDY DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult)

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult)

by Chibuzor Nwaobasi

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult)
DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult) | Lesson 37 | Peter Confesses Christ

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult)

Deeper Life Search The Scripture 18th September 2022

LESSON 37 | PETER CONFESSESS CHRIST

MEMORY VERSE: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

TEXTS: Matthew 16:1-28; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-27; 18:31-34

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult) MESSAGE

The opening verses of Matthew chapter 16 deal with Christ’s warning against sign seeking and the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, in the concluding part, Peter makes a confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Peter’s confession was in response to a question posed by Jesus to His disciples: “But whom say ye that I am?”

Jesus had initially inquired from them about the general perception the people had of Him. Their response showed that people had different erroneous thoughts of His true and actual Person. Then Jesus asked His disciples of their own opinion concerning Him. Peter, perhaps speaking on behalf of the other disciples, declared that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord then affirmed that such clear and comprehensive knowledge of Him could not have come from any human source but by divine revelation. Knowing Jesus and confessing Him as Christ are foundational to salvation and possessing eternal life (John 17:3).

Apostle Paul also agrees that knowledge of who Christ is, is fundamental to our salvation. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10). DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult)

Many people still have a confused understanding of who go to church regularly and claim to be His followers only know Him as Healer, Provider or Giver of solution to problems. They do not know Him as Saviour, the Christ and the Son of the living God. Knowing and confessing Christ only in terms of what logical reasoning could reveal Will limit our consecration and commitment to Him.

After Peter’s confession, Jesus gave the disciples more revelations concerning the building of His Church upon the rock, the suffering He would undergo before His glorification and the conditions for true discipleship. Ironically, Peter, who had made a spectacular confession of Christ, unwittingly became a stumbling block as he sought to discourage Him from the idea of going to the cross. Jesus responded with a sharp rebuke that had double reference, partly to Peter who spoke out of human empathy and to Satan who actually elicited what Peter said. Believers must be on guard at all times lest Satan take advantage of them.

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

REBUKE OF INSINCERE SIGN SEEKERS (Matthew 16:1-4; Mark 8:11, 12; John 2:18; Jonah 1:17; 3:4,5)

The Pharisees and Sadducees came with an evil intention to tempt Christ. The wonderful words Jesus spoke, the rare manifestation of God’s power through Him and the casting out of demons from the afflicted were enough signs that He was the promised Messiah. Jesus then drew their attention to the course of nature. If f a careful observation of the sky could lead them to accurately predict the weather, He reasoned that happenings around them should have pointed them to Him as the One they were expecting.

Jesus rebuked their unbelief and wickedness: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:4). Jesus reminded them of the incidents surrounding the ministry of Jonah the prophet. After refusing to obey God, Jonah was swallowed up by a great fish and spent three days and three nights inside its belly.

The prophet repented afterwards and preached a message of repentance to tine people of Nineveh. Likewise, Christ would die on the cross, be buried and remain in the earth for three days, after which He would rise again.

The miracles performed by Christ could not convince the Pharisees and Sadducees. People who are still sceptical about the lordship of Jesus despite the miracles and signs performed in His name by His servants are not different from the Pharisees and Sadducees.

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

CAUTION AGAINST THE LEAVEN OF HYPOCRISY (Matthew 16:5-12; Job 8:13; 15:34; Matthew 6:2,5,16; 23:1-5; Luke 12:1; Mark 8:15)

Jesus did not only reveal the truth about God and the acceptable standard of worship to the multitudes, He also warned them against the influence of false teachers. “In the mean time… he began to say unto his disciples first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). He described their action figuratively as when leaven (or yeast) is cast into the flour, making it to swell. In the Scriptures, leaven always stands for something bad or sinful.

The only exception was when Jesus used it in the parables of the kingdom (Matthew 13:33) to depict the spread of God’s kingdom. Like a leaven, hypocrisy in the little band of disciples could destroy the teachings of Christ they had received and eventually pollute the church.

The disciples were slow to understand the figure of speech used by Christ, so He told them plainly what He meant: “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:11, 12).

False teaching and hypocrisy are not limited to the time of Christ: they are widespread today. Erroneous doctrines are being disseminated by modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees. So, we must beware and tenaciously cling to the truth revealed in the gospel so as to safeguard our spiritual life from the leaven of hypocrisy

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

REVELATION OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST (Mathew 16:13-17; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21; Deuteronomy 18:15-18)

When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi an ideal location where He could be away from the multitude He asked the disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13). He asked the disciples this question in order to lead them towards a true knowledge of Him. “And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).

The people thought Jesus was: one, John the Baptist who resurrected from the dead (Matthew 14:2). This is especially so because the message of Jesus, like that of John, emphasised repentance from sin and harped on the coming kingdom of God.

Two, Elijah -the Jews believed and expected that one day, Elijah would return to the earth after his translation (Malachi 4:5).

Three, Jeremiah Jesus was a much-rejected preacher like Jeremiah. Therefore, certain people confused Him with the prophet. Four, one of the prophets. Many people considered Christ as a random Prophet. However, they failed to recognise and accept Him as the Messiah and the Son of God. But if other people had a wrong perception of Christ, He expected His own disciples to know Him.

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

Therefore, He asked them who they thought He was. Simon Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). This is an acknowledgment of Jesus as the anointed One of God, the great Prophet, Priest, King of kings, Bridegroom of the Church, the long awaited true Messiah and the Son of God (John 11:27; Matthew 14:33; John 6:69; 11:27; Hebrews 1:2,5; John 4:19,29).

Jesus commended Peter and pointed out that this revelation was divine and not derived from mere reasoning or natural observation. People may find it unreasonable to call Him Lord and accept His deity merely by looking at His appearance because, “…he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). But it takes more than natural knowledge to know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Anyone who comes to Him must accept Him as Lord and Saviour to be saved.

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

REVELATION OF HIS PURE CHURCH (Matthew 16:18-20; Ephesians 2:19,20; 1:20-22)

“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” (Matthew 16:18). Peter’s declaration of Christ as the Son of the living God, is the foundational truth upon which the universal Church is laid. Regardless of any weight of opposition against the Church, it shall continue to stand. When Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build my church”, He did not mean He will build His Church on Peter or that he will be His vice-regent on earth, as some people claim.

The rock upon which Christ builds His Church is the solid truth that was expressed in Peter’s confession. The Church is built upon Jesus the Lord, the Rock of our salvation, the Stone rejected by the builders, which has become the chief Cornerstone; the gates of hell can never prevail against it.

Those who fight against the Church by opposing the truth, corrupting gospel ordinances, persecuting Christians, and persuading by craft or forcing by cruelty, shall not prevail. “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” (Matthew 16:19).

Authority is given as “key” to all faithful Christians and not only to Peter, to bind and to loose, to shut and to open, to uproot and to plant, to pull down and to build (Jeremiah 1:10). We are to bind and loose people from sicknesses, diseases, Satanic operations, infirmities and sin, whether in the family or workplace or the church. DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6). Christ charged the disciples not to tell any man that He was the Christ as at that time because it was not yet time for them to do so (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Two, He wanted the people to find out by themselves and be convinced of His messiahship. “Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?” (John 18:34).

Three, preaching Christ to others at that time would have generated premature persecutions for which the disciples were not adequately prepared or equipped to handle. They were to wait until they had the convincing proof of Christ’s resurrection and be endued with power from above.

Four, it would bring distraction and undue opposition to the earthly ministry of Jesus before the appointed time. After Jesus rose from the dead, He commanded His disciples to spread the news and be His witnesses everywhere. Now, we are free and required to preach Christ and make Him known everywhere.

DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

REVELATION OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST (Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-38; Luke 9:22-27; 18:31-34; Romans 6:11-13,16-23; John 10:26-28)

No sooner had Peter made his confession of Christ than He began to foretell His death and resurrection. This was necessary to disabuse the mind of those who held the notion that Jesus was the Deliverer who would redeem them from the dominion of the Roman Empire and set up an earthly kingdom. “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord’ wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

At this time, Jesus knew that faith of His disciples had grown enough to accept strong doctrinal teachings like His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, Second Coming and eternal reign. Young converts need the milk of the Word and not strong bones. A time comes, however, that they should be introduced to the deep mysteries of the kingdom of God. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21).

However, Peter began to rebuke Him because he did not understand the necessity of the crucifixion. He was ignorant of God’s redemptive plan for humankind. But Jesus turned and retorted: “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23).

Satan was using Peter’s love and concern for Christ to cause the Master to stumble in His mission to the cross. Today, some friends and family members try, like Peter, to use their influence to discourage men and women from doing the will of God. Jesus went further to reveal to them the cross-bearing life of true disciples. They must be willing to endure the same sufferings as their Lord. When we live after the manner that Jesus prescribed for us, persecution will arise (2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 2:21; 4:16). DCLM Search The Scripture 18 September 2022 (Adult), Lesson 37

When Christ “shall come in the glory of his Father there will be reward for believers with his angels…”, there will be reward for believers while sinners and backsliders will be judged according to their works. We need to examine ourselves and be sure to live according to the standard of the word of God so as to be qualified to be with Him in His kingdom.

Questions for review:
1. Why did Christ warn His disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees?
2. Why is it important to have a proper knowledge of who Jesus is?
3. Why was Jesus Christ called Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist or one of the prophets?

  1. Mention some proofs that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
  2. Explain what you understand by “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” 6. What was the aim of Satan in using Peter to rebuke Jesus?
  3. Mention those that will be judged and the way out of sin?

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