1030am Sunday 8-23-2020

beginning at verse 13

now when Jesus came into the District of caesarea, Philippi, he asked his disciples who do people say that the son of man is and they said some st. John the Baptist but others Elijah until others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

Jesus said to them but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered you are the Messiah the Son of the Living God.

And Jesus answered him blessed. Are you Simon? Son of John Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. But my Father in heaven and I tell you you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not Prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on Earth you have bound will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven than Jesus sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. This is the gospel of Our Lord. I invite you to be seated if you are standing.

I invite you to pray with me.

Jay-Z broken lives be healed In This Moment Christ be revealed in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. Amen.

So before we saw I have a question. It's an important question in this one. If you have ever had to hashtag adult, you probably know the answer to this in real estate. What is the most important factor? in the value of the home or property

Katie says location location location. You probably guessed that yourself. You are correct location matters when you're going to buy a home or a rental property or even when you're choosing where you're going to work, right if I'm going to work somewhere. That's an hour and a half away or if it's not that far but it's too. Section of town that that during rush hour goes from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. Is that may affect my decision. Location matters in real estate and in life in general but it also matters in the Bible when you are reading a scripture or a story or Parable pay close attention to the location that the writer the author the narrator is providing you. Assessoria Phillipi is where our story takes place today. Location matters. So let's just real quick real quick archaeological dig into caesarea Philippi detail. Nothing complex just a few basic archaeological truce that are in the public domain of human knowledge of a quick Google search will reveal this for you. So 3 of Philip II for small is about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus Ministries happening. So the disciples and Jesus have kind of gone some distance now away from their original location the city of caesarea Philippi that Legion served in the day of Jesus and attacked before Jesus's time as kind of the administrative Hub. The power center of that region. It was established years before for just that purpose within the Roman Empire. Cuz for one primary reason is because sensory of Philip II has going through it a major intersection a major trade route and therefore because of a major military route where it connected to the major port it connected to major industry areas it connected to high-density population areas of the Empire and so not only could Commerce travel quickly through this area, but the Roman Legions the the the teeth of the empire were able to get through this region. So it made great sense to place Hesperia Phillipi under the Roman Emperor years before Jesus, but certainly well entrenched by this time of our story as the administrative can a power broker Hub of that area.

Beyond just the political Governance Dynamic there's also within this area as one might expect a religious spiritual component of this city. There's a there's a an underwater cave. There's a snatch Offspring system just outside the city, which is part of reason why they chose it because you need to have a freshwater Source if you're going to have a major population area naturally. But in this cave area the Romans dedicated that area as a Temple dedicated to the Greek God by the name of pan pan. Later on that identity that religious power was expanded and eventually even a whole Temple was built in a stand-alone area near that cave structure that was outside of the area and and that Temple was built and was dedicated to Caesar Augustus in this time. The Roman Emperor was seeing himself much as the Egyptian pharaoh was in the time of Moses as a living God a an embodiment of power and strength and Divinity right beat the title of the Roman Emperor at this time was for many people Son of God that he claimed DT and connection with a living power beyond the human normal fee that we know.

And it is to this. Isn't this area is in this place? It is in this setting is in this location surrounded by all of these elements. That Jesus questions his disciples first. If you'll notice he says who do they say that the son of man is a Messianic identity connect. The idea was that the son of man would be the the equivalent of the ancestor of David becoming a conference and freedom. Bring her to the whole of the Israelite people. That was the identity of the son of man. And so Jesus asked his disciples among all of these different Power structures who do people say that the son of man is Is it the wrong number? It is that is it the Greek god pan. Is it Commerce and money? Is it military paycheck? Brute force is that what the son of man is who do people say the son of man is thankfully none of those things. They reply back with John the Baptist or Elijah. Or Jeremiah or maybe one of the other prophets are just kind of throwing darts. Maybe it's that one day. I don't I don't know. I don't know Jesus. But then the question changes. the quaint changes quite abruptly and Jesus goes away from who do people say the son of man is and it shifts to but who do you say that I am? now here, we have a very critical piece because if you know anything about the identity of God the name of God, one of the names that is attributed to God in the Hebrew scriptures something that would Jesus and his disciples and people of this region are very familiar with is that when you hear I am your talking about God

And so the double play of the language. Should be noticeable who do people say that I am both the image of God, but also who am I to you? Jesus asks his disciples. He also goes away from who did they say that this guy is going to be to a more personal interconnected question. That's great. I can see where they're at. But I'm not asking about them now. I'm asking about you and me. What is our relationship? Who do you say that? I am? for Jesus it matters and what you know it Peter guess it Nikki Nails it he just Nails it. He says you are the Messiah the Son of the Living God.

You're not just a coming conquering King who's going to overthrow all of this power structure and authoritarianism and dictatorship and oppression. You are more than that. It's not just one strong man. Overcoming another strong man. You are overcoming with the true power of the I am you are going to overcome as the ordained and claimed son of the Living God not the god of the emperor. Not the. Of power or money, but the living.

And Jesus's response to Peter is hopefully maybe well-known if it's not I'm going to go ahead and read it for you again.

Jesus says to him.

I tell you you are Peter and on this rock. I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not Prevail against it. Now when we think of St-Pierre, which is kind of the image that we have at this point in our corporate Collective Consciousness. We think of Peter at the Gate of Heaven, right it comes right to this scripture. This is where this image comes from and Peter's up there right you got a little poem is got a little checklist. And if people are coming up name.

Josh Tucker I don't know. I don't know where you are. Alright Josh Tucker. Come on Inn.

That's the image we have of a Peter Wright. that the GateKeeper But that's not the image. If you go to the original language and you go into the direction that is actually happening here. That's not the image that is being portrayed. Jesus isn't giving Peter the keys to the gates or to the building. He's giving him the keys to the car. He's giving him the keys to the mission to the journey. It's very different meaning one stationary and stagnant and there's a hurdle you have to get over to get in and the other is missionary is is is kinetic is movement. When Jesus says to Peter at the gates of Hades will not Prevail against it. They're not talking about Peter the person. We're not talking about this man there Talk. Jesus is talking and referencing the proclamation that was given by Peter that Jesus acknowledges. You didn't come up with that that is not your doing that is a gift of God and God has chosen to reveal that to you. And so to that Proclamation Peter the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against

That face. Hope that determination that graceful truth. Hades will not Prevail against it. Will not Prevail against the church that it will create the assembly the people that will inhabit this truth. It will not Prevail against them.

in time of pandemic

of economic uncertainty a heightened emotional tension of political unrest the likes of which we have never seen. From the biggest institutions all the way down to the church.

This Proclamation that Jesus gives to Peter in response to his proclamation of Faith still stands true today in in the shadow of structures of power in the shadow of our fear in the shadow of our anxiety of our in certainty of economic collapse of uncertainty of Health in the shadow of these things. the truth remains

and the Hope remains and the promise remains

the gates of Hades your fear your anger your anxiety your financial uncertainty your sleeplessness.

your frustrations

The powers and principalities that assail you daily. The overwhelming sensory overload that is happening to you today. And for the month that have been and for the months that will come those will not prevail. For there is one who is greater than the mole?

Where things happen in the Bible matter? the setting matters wherever your setting is today wherever you find yourself today. In the shadow of of wolves who are circling to the Bauer or in the shadow of uncertainty or anxiety or fear or in the shadow. things that you cannot control

you can still control. Who you say Jesus is? For God has revealed it to us in the midst of our darkness in the midst of the chaos in the midst of our fear the light shines as our praise team declare today with our song.

What we say as Scholars what we say as theologians what we say as church people. About who Jesus is is irrelevant. Does it matter Jesus didn't care? Who do the people say that I am who do people say that the son of man is? We could speculate. Say all the things we want to argue. Logically this be a logically that biblically language says, this Jesus doesn't care at the heart of things about that peripheral those ancillary details what Jesus cares about in this scripture on what Jesus cares about right now is in the midst of your Wilderness journey in the shadow of the things threatened to devour and destroy you Who do you say that? Jesus is? Who do you say that? I am Jesus asks us today.

And sometimes it's hard to say in the shadow of those things. Only one disciple was able to declare out of 12. Not a great success rate. Maybe you're not Peter. Maybe you're one of 11 who aren't able to get there yet because of your pain because of your hurt because of your fear because you just have different priorities right now.

But wherever you are, whatever Wilderness Journey you found yourself in today know that the question persists and because the question persists the invitation persist. Because we invitation persist his love for you persists.

Who do you say that? I am?

osprey gracious God we give you thanks today that you have revealed yourself to us. In the places of power and Prestige you show us the lowly work that is found in you but slowly not in because it is devoid of power loli because of its heart and its Center and its core to serve and love its neighbor. Got to feel it to us who you are to us reveal. It not only in our hearts but in the relationships that we share. God help us to reveal that we believe that you are the Christ and the way we treat our friends and the way we treat our enemies in the way we treat strangers. Darby ask you to help us confess with our tongues that you are Lord. Not because we feel like we have to avoid damnation and hell, but because it invites us into a new reality a new way of living being and seeing that brings life in the midst of the Shadows of this world.

Stubby pray that you will help us to Clara's Peter does. You are the Messiah the Son of the Living God. I'm in that confession. Turn off to action. Recognizing that you give us not the keys to the gate, but the key is to a vehicle to bring about the Grace and Truth and Love and salvation of others. We pray this in your son's name the Great. I Am.