FOLLOW ME: MADE BY JESUS › MESSAGE 5
MESSAGE 5 · Matthew 16:13–20
Confession: You Are the Christ
Big Idea: Everything about following Jesus depends on rightly knowing and confessing who He is.
In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the disciples who people say He is, then presses them for their own answer. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ and Son of the living God, and Jesus speaks of building His church and entrusting kingdom service. The confession is true, but Peter has not yet grasped the path Jesus must take.
READ THE TEXT
MATTHEW 16:13–20 | NASB95
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org
RIGHTLY KNOW HIM. BOLDLY CONFESS HIM.
Teaching Outline
- Jesus Reveals Who He Is — Matthew 16:13–17
- Jesus Builds What Belongs to Him — Matthew 16:18
- Jesus Entrusts His Work to His People — Matthew 16:19–20
What We Covered
- Jesus moves His disciples from public opinion to the Father’s revelation of who He is.
- Peter confesses Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Jesus gives Peter a genuine foundational apostolic role while declaring, “I will build My church.”
- The gates of Hades will not overpower the people Christ builds.
- Christ entrusts Peter with real but delegated kingdom service under the authority of the King.
- Peter correctly knows who Jesus is before he fully understands what the Christ must do, preparing us for Matthew 16:21: “From that time…”
Choose the resource you need
Use the participant handout during class. Review the completed notes afterward, or open the teaching slides for a visual summary of the lesson.
Didn’t attend the class? Start with the Completed Notes for the fullest public study resource.