“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.” 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.”
In this year 2021, God wants to reveal his mysteries to us. Everything God does today is done through his son because his son is the exact nature of God. Hebrews 1: 1-3 “On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” This should not be a surprise to a believer who understands what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. Without Jesus we are nothing, in him we are everything he says we are, and through him the glory of God shines and reveals the very nature of God. Therefore, anyone who is in Christ shines forth and displays the glory of God in their daily lives.
Matthew 16: 14-19 provides an interesting view of the person of Jesus Christ. Those with ordinary views and those with Spiritual views. In the world today, we have similar narratives about who Jesus really is. There are questions I like to ask us: Where do you fall? Are you on the other side or a discipline like Peter? What is your understanding and knowledge of Christ? What is revelation to you? Do you have the proper knowledge of Christ?
As Born-again believers, our understanding and knowledge of Christ affects our daily WALK and WORK in the Kingdom of God and the ministry of reconciliation. The revelation knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ plays a vital role in our understanding of the mystery of God. If we lack in the understanding and knowledge of that revelation of who Christ is, it creates a difficult position of the reality of God in our lives and likewise affects our ability to access the blessing of God as well. This is because our blessing has been packaged IN CHRIST according to Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”.
To have any kind of understanding about the revelation of God, we must come to terms with how this revelation is channeled. Jesus is the way to the father in every aspect and there is no any other way. It is important therefore that we have this clear understanding. If therefore we desire God’s revelation, we must first ask ourselves one fundamental question, how much of Jesus do we have and know? Furthermore, if we desire to grasp the revelation of the mysteries of God, we must begin with the prayer of Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”. This must be our daily prayer. This sounds so easy and many will say they can quote this verse or they know this verse very well. The question is if the verse is well understood, we will not be where we are today spiritually. Knowing him sounds so good but we must also understand what it means. There are three parts: understanding the resurrection, participation in his suffering, and becoming like him.
In Mathew 16: 14-19, Peter as well as other disciples had been with Jesus for a while and I think personally it would have been embarrassing to imagine that they knew what others were thinking but themselves did not know the one with whom they had been with all this time. Peter revealed in verses 16 and 17 “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded to him in verse “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven”. This is the same issue today. We have so many thousands of those identified as Christians but lack the understanding of the revelation of the son of God.
God through the Holy Spirit spoke to Peter. Peter was connected to the spirit of God and this was easy to pick up what the spirit of God was revealing to him about Christ. Most often believers will say they cannot hear the Lord when he speaks. This is related to so many factors not only limited to the fact that most often we expect some loud voice and something out of the ordinary. God still speaks through his word and it is channeled to us by the Holy Spirit. God is not a man so any business with God is done through the Holy Spirit as in John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Therefore, we must be in line with the spirit of God and position our spiritual antennas to be able to perceive God’s voice when he speaks.
Furthermore, after the Holy Spirit ministered to Peter and Jesus confirmed the spoken word, Jesus said this to Peter from verses 18-19 “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”. This is the confirmation of the call into the work of the Lord. Everyone of us called by God, confirmed by the Holy Spirit is the church and upon us He is building his kingdom and the enemy cannot prevails against it. He has on top of that given us the KEYS and AUTHORITY to BIND and LOOSE. We will be looking deeply into the meaning of all of these in 2021.
The mysteries of God are revealed in the secret place. Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed”. This is the place of one on one with God. The place where one can speak and express every deep secret to God. This is that place of confidence, safety, security, freedom, courage, openness, nakedness, and no shame or fear. We can create this kind of a place or atmosphere and invite the Lord for fellowships and surely, he will be there with us. We need this kind of a place if we must function spiritually.
In summary seek the Lord in the following ways:
Determine to trust the word of God for what is it: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work”.
Believe: 1 John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him”.
Create and devote time to understand and digest the meaning of Philippians 3:10
Create time to spend in the word, in his presence, in worship, and in prayer. Philippians 4:6
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”.
Finally, in 2021, we will trust God to reveal to us and give us an understanding of Mathew 16: 14-19 and address the questions raised and many others that you may have. Please read and take time to write down your questions and be available through our different methods of communications for a time with the Lord in 2021.
Ennette Heaggans