Who do you
say Jesus is?
That is the
loaded question, who is Jesus? His disciples
struggled with answering the question without being too assertive or assuming
by speaking what was in their hearts but instead deferred to what other people
had said about Jesus. Peter with
boldness under the unction of the Father declared that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah), the
Son of the Living God. There was no way
for Peter to have this revelation of Jesus unless it was direct inspiration
from the Father.
Jesus responded
to Peter by telling Him that “flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but
my Father in Heaven” Jesus is drawing attention away from Peter and back to the
source of the revelation. Peter is becoming aware
that there was no way He could have thought this up by on his own accord but was
speaking by inspiration.
Jesus makes
another amazing statement to Peter stemming from this revelation, He uses Peter’s
name to drive the point home “…upon this ('Petra') rock I will build my church,
and the not even death will overcome it” What rock is Jesus speaking of? In context, it is the rock of the revelation of
Jesus Christ, He is “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
It is when
we elevate the man Peter that we lose sight of Jesus and the revelation of who
He is. Jesus wants us to “...not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)
Peter demonstrated that example by speaking out what the Father had given
him to speak unafraid and with boldness.
Jesus goes
on to describe the power of speaking by the what the Father speaks, Jesus said “I
will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.” One must first understand
where the Kingdom of God (heaven) is located before one can walk in its power. Jesus stated, “…the Kingdom of God
is within you.” (Luke 17:21b)
The Kingdom resides within the heart of man, the
keys are the tools that unlock that knowledge and revelation of what we speak
with our tongue which can be of either a blessing or cursing. (James 3:8-10) Jesus said, “what you prohibit
on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be
permitted in heaven.” There is great
power in our confession and what we declare.
Jesus is
comparing what we speak in the natural does affect what happens in the
spiritual realm. We have the power to
speak blessing over others and over our land, by speaking with a voice of
blessing we release the power of ministering spirits to bring this blessing
upon all things we encounter. In like
manner when we speak cursing we release the power destructive spirits which
wreak havoc upon others and upon our land.
There is great power in the tongue.
Jesus is depicted
as a warrior King who has a sword that proceeds out of His mouth which is the
word of God (Revelation 19:15).
The word
of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all
the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come
together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) This passage does not speak of judging us personally, but of our intentions and motives. It describes the excising of the spirit from the flesh so that the man or woman of God can
walk freely in the spirit without the entrapments of the flesh and freely speaking from the wealth of the Father’s heart.
We have the
power to speak life which can bring healing, restoration, and hope to all that
we meet during our day by speaking out what the Father gives us. Herein is where our strength lies, speaking
the truth in love and releasing the power of God.
Who is Jesus, I believe He is the Son of the Living God.
Be Blessed;
Stephen
Barnett
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