The Church’s Beginning

So if you have your Bibles tonight, if you would take them and turn to Matthew chapter 16.

Now, We believe that this event that is recorded in Matthew chapter 16 took place probably in the late spring or early summer of the year A.D. 29.

And we're in the year 2026.

So we need to take our time machines and we need to go back 1997 years to the year A.D. 29.

And we're going to be in the land of Israel, actually north of Israel in a place called Caesarea Philippi.

And what we're going to find there is a conversation that Jesus has with his disciples.

And the reason I'm stopping here with our time machine is because I want us to see Jesus make a promise about the church that he is going to fulfill when the church is born.

So if you look at Matthew chapter 16, verse 13, you can see there that Matthew is talking about the fact that Jesus and his disciples are traveling up north to Caesarea Philippi.

And on the way, Jesus asks his disciples a question.

He asks them, who do the people say that I am? Who did the people say that the son of man is? And in verse 14, the disciples give an answer.

Well, some people say you're Isaiah and some people say you're Jeremiah and some people say you're John the Baptist or you're one of the prophets.

And then Jesus in verse 15, he asks his disciples a really important question.

It's a question that every one of us needs to answer.

And that is, who do you say that I am? And then Peter gives this answer in verse 16.

He responds and he says, you are the Christ.

That's a word that means Messiah or Savior.

You are the Christ, the son of the living God.

And that's the right answer to that question.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Those who know and love Jesus, they say he is their savior and he is God's son.

And then Jesus responds in verse 17 and he says to Peter, that's right, Simon Barjona, Simon son of John, that's Peter's sort of full name.

And that's right.

And he goes on to say, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And then look at verse 18 of Matthew 16.

Jesus says, I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.

Well, we talked about rocks this morning, right? That the wise man builds his life on the rock.