Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord. Praise the Lord for the seasons in the life of the Church. The season of Lent begins on February 7, 2008. We will celebrate Easter on the March 23. This is one of the earliest dates on which Easter falls. I was told that the next time Easter falls on such early date in March will be after another 100 years. The first Sunday of February is Transfiguration Sunday. Just a week before the Transfiguration Jesus was in the region of Caesarea Philippi. We read about this glorious event in Mathew 16.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" [14] They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." [15] "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. [18] 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. [19] 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.”
Caesarea Philippi was located some 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee and 40 miles southwest of Damascus, on a beautiful plateau near the headwaters of the Jordan River. A few miles to the north, snow-covered Mount Hermon rises to a height of more than 9,000 feet above sea level. On clear days the majestic mountain can easily be seen from northern Galilee towns such as Capernaum, Cana, and Nazareth. Caesarea Philippi had been considered the northernmost boundary of the Promised Land; it was the last outpost of Israel and had always been especially susceptible to pagan influence. This location offered Jesus and the disciples welcome relief from the hot Galilean lowlands and from the pressure of the Jewish leaders and the threat from Herod Antipas.
From Luke 9:18 we learn that Jesus posed His all-important question to the disciples just after He had spent time praying alone, and from Mark 8:27 that the group had not yet arrived in the city of Caesarea Philippi proper but were passing through some of the villages on the outskirts. At the crossroads of paganism, heathenism, and Judaism, the story begins when Jesus had taken his disciples into a remote area to spend time alone with them. They had been together, at this point, for about two and a half years. They had heard His teachings and had seen Him work hundreds and hundreds of miracles. And now, as they were alone with Him, He asked them a question. (13) “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (14) “They replied, "Some say, John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
It’s interesting that Jesus was compared to these three men. Many people believed that Jesus was one of these great men raised from the dead. His preaching was similar to the preaching of these great prophets. People who believed Jesus might be one of these great prophets were paying him a compliment and setting him in a high place, but the place was not high enough. He was more than a prophet. So Jesus asked his disciples a pressing question. He said, (15) “But what about you? ... Who do you say I am?”
When Jesus asked His disciples “Who do you say I am?”, it was Peter who spoke up. He said, (16) “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said,That’s exactly right, Peter. That’s who I am.”
This is the question that Jesus asks each one of us, “Who do YOU say that I am?” It’s a question we all must answer, because it determines our destiny not only for this life, but for all eternity as well. The Christian life begins with this confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
In the book of Romans, Paul explains, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) When you make a declaration of faith in Jesus Christ -- when you proclaim him as your Lord -- God will use you to build his church, he will use to change the world, and You are Entrusted with Blessings.
(19) “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.” Jesus entrusts the blessing to us by giving us the keys to the kingdom. Jesus is telling Peter--and all of us who are believers---that we have been made stewards of God’s kingdom. We have been given the keys to the kingdom in order to open the door--to unlock it--so that others may come in.
Binding and loosing - Scholars debate about how these phrases should be translated. The verbs are written in the future perfect passive tense, and therefore, can be translated "whatever you bind on earth SHALL HAVE BEEN bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, SHALL HAVE BEEN loosed on earth." In other words, we are doing the "binding and loosing" in response to God’s will, not our own whim. It is at HIS DIRECTION that we bind and loose. As we act in obedience to His will we are entrusted with His blessings.
This is another example of our stewardship responsibility, or the spiritual management of our life. He has given us the authority and the responsibility to do his will; it’s a job we must take seriously. New Testament scholar Craig Bloomberg said it this way, “God has delegated his authority to the church, such a glorious blessing, in which He entrusts His power to us as we take the initiative to bring more and more people into His eternal kingdom...” Craig Bloomberg
We therefore must understand this spiritual truth, We have been entrusted with an eternal blessing, and as a result, we MUST take the initiative to introduce as many people as we can to the LIFE OF Jesus CHRIST in order that they may choose to say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and join us in personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
In His Blessings,
Brown
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