Matthew 16:13-19

Happy Monday, y'all! :)

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Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

This passage has been pretty majorly misinterpreted, with the whole "Peter is the rock that the church is founded on" thing. No, the "rock" that Jesus is referring to is the rock of revelation. Peter had received a revelation of Who Jesus was, and the church is built on that. Revelation is a powerful thing! In this passage, we see that it is:

• a source of blessing ("Blessed are you...for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father")
• the foundation of our faith ("on this rock I will build My church")
• indestructible ("the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it")
• a key to intimacy ("I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven"--free access to the place where He lives and reigns)
• our source of power ("whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven")

We are constantly growing in our knowledge of who Jesus is. Or at least, we should be. As we walk with Him, we see Him more and more, receiving new revelation of His character and will. And as we walk in that revelation, we receive blessing, a foundation, intimacy with Christ, power, and more!

Father, I never want to be satisfied with what I know of You! Reveal Yourself to me more and more, and help me to walk in the light of Your revelation!

May the Lord bless you richly with a deeper glimpse of Who He is!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website