Upon This Rock, The Rock Is Not Peter

Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18

Jesus Asked two questions

1.    Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

2.    But whom say ye that I am?

With these questions Jesus identified himself as the Son of man. The  answer to these questions is the key to this passage. Note Jesus began by bringing attention to himself (Mat 16:13) and He ends with himself (Mat 13:20).

Mt 16:18 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.

·       Mat 16:16  .  .  .  .  .Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

·       Mat 16:17  .  .  .  . for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

·       The rock the church is built upon is what the Father in heaven revealed to Simon Peter.

·       Ask those who believe this passage Identifies Peter as the rock the church is built upon, Which gives Christ the glory, Peter the rock or Christ the rock?

1Cor 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

·       Ex 17:6; Ps 78:15-16.  .  . thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. .  .  He brought streams also out of the rock, waters ran down like rivers.

·       Deut 32:3-4,15; Ps 18:2,31; Ps 42:9; Ps 92:15; 1Sam 2:2; 2Sam 22:32 These verses identify the Lord God as the Rock

·       Matthew 7:24-25; Luke 6:48 with 1Tim 3:15-6 House built .upon the rock will not fall

1Pe 2:4-8 a chief corner stone, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

·       Rom 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

·       Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

·       Isa 28:16,  Ps 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

·       1Cor 3:9-11 Jesus Christ the only foundation laid on which our labour is to be built

What we learn from these verses:

1)    The rock the church is built upon the is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God

2)    Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church

3)    A local church built upon the Rock and empowered by the Holy Spirit will prevail. The building may be burned down, the members may be forced to scatter; when this happen the larger congregation becomes a bunch of smaller congregations of families or maybe just two because the Rock and the Holy Spirit are still in the members and will not leave them.

4)    The church is not built upon Peter. He did not place himself above other elders. Also what would have happened to a church built upon him after he died?

1Peter 5:1 ¶ The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

·       Peter was an elder just as those he exhorted. He did not claim to be above them in office.

John 4:10-11 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

·       John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water

·       John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)