(Read Matthew 16:13-16)
This morning continue our overarching series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter and our study brought us to Matthew chapter 16. We have already studied this passage for weeks. But this past Sunday I heard my Pastor (Tony Brazelton) discuss the passage in a fresh way. He breathed new life into it for me and I am now ready to address it with renewed fervor and insight. Yesterday I shared a message entitled “The Real You” from this passage. Let’s go back to it today.
The Bible says,
“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?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. When Jesus asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”, His question was one of identity. He wanted to know how the common man was identifying Him. Since the common man only knew Jesus as the son of a man, meaning the son of Joseph and Mary, Jesus was given multiple answers to the question. But when Jesus posed the same question to His disciples and Simon responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Simon was able to properly identify the true Jesus. Jesus’ true identity was NOT in Joseph (who was not His real father) or Mary (who gave physical birth to Him). Jesus’ true identity was established well before He ever came to the earth in a physical body. Guess what? The same can be said of you. When God looks at you He sees the identity He thought of for you, He sees the plans He made for you well before you ever had a physical body.
2. The people who only knew Jesus as “Joseph’s boy” or “Mary’s son” did not know the true Jesus. Jesus had an established identity before He took the form of a body and God enabled Simon to discover that identity. When Simon was able to see Jesus as the Son of God and not just the son of a man, Jesus told Simon that He would build His church on that discovery. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is built on discovering Jesus’ true identity. And once you discover who Jesus is, Jesus will bless you to discover who you really are. Once Simon the fisherman properly identified Jesus, Jesus turned around and properly identified him. Jesus looked at Simon the fisherman and told him that he was actually Peter the Apostle. Simon the fisherman was the identity he took on as the son of a man, but Jesus let Simon know that he too was a son of God. As God’s son, God had already made plans for Simon and those plans were connected to an identity that made him a fisher of men, not a fisher of fish.
3. Your true identity was established by God before you ever came in the form of a body. Before Simon discovered his true identity he always knew he loved to fish. He just did not know he was supposed to be fishing men and not fishing fish. That’s how it is with many of us. While we are living as mere sons of men we pursue our inner desires. When we discover Jesus and we learn that we are actually sons of God. God then reveals His plans to us, plans He made before the world began. In many cases, like Peter, we find that we were not too far off. We were pursuing things we always liked or desired, but we never knew why. When God reveals His purpose, we then know why and we get to walk in our true identity.
I will stop here for today. There is so much the Lord is speaking to me about this, but I don’t want to give you too much at a time. This is enough to process today.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You made plans for me before the foundations of the world. You made those plans by Your amazing and unearned grace. I was then born in the earth. I identified myself as the son of my parents. I pursued my inner desires and I thought I knew who I was. But then I discovered Jesus. When I discovered Jesus’ true identity, I was in position to discover my own. My pursuit of Jesus has taken me on a journey to find myself, the self You planned for me to be. As I discover myself I learn that in many ways I was not too far off. I was pursuing things I always wanted and I always liked, but I did not know why. Now I know why. I am not just a son of my parents, I am a son of my God. That is my true identity. And now that I know myself, I can use my faith to access Your grace to walk in my purpose and CHANGE THE WORLD! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
