Opening Prayer
Lord, reveal Your glory to us. Amen.
Text: 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?” And 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 Hades2 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.”
Devotion
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, true, eternal God, and Son of Man, true Man of Adam’s race. This is the Church’s faith and confession. Such faith in the heart can only be worked by God’s Spirit and is an unmistakable seal on the Church’s members. “No one can say Jesus is Lord expect by the Holy Spirit” (1Co 12:3). We may regard Him as the highest Teacher, the greatest wise man and the foremost founder of religion, but to believe in Him “as true God and eternal life” no one can do except by the Holy Spirit. Whoever knows himself to be a lost sinner and believes that Jesus Christ, God and Man, died for us and lives for us, that person is enlightened by God and is saved. The Holy Spirit does not create loose opinions or empty perceptions, but a firm conviction about the One who is incomprehensible, a heartfelt trust in the One who is unseen, so that the soul delivers itself to Him, entrusts itself to Him, and confesses Him in life and death.
The Church is not built on the person of Peter, who in himself is weak, but on the truth that Jesus, the Son of Man, is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And since this truth is immovable, the Church is immovable against all the power of hell. Stay there, dear soul, and do not fear, though storms roar wildly on all sides. The sword of secular power and the pen of great intellects are both vain against God’s army. “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn” (Psa 46:5). By the Spirit’s grace we too shall remain inside. If the accuser could capture our conscience, then we would be lost! But we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous, and we have the office of the forgiveness of sins among us, and we walk in the light before God. You always have access to Him with the prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And when your sin is especially heavy to bear, when the dragon has bitten you again with his poisonous sting, then you can make use of the power the Lord gave Peter and the whole Church to loose sin, and you can go to the Lord’s Supper where you most clearly see the Savior on the cross (Joh 3:14-15). Then you are healed and remain among His living people. These things that are so lowly and insignificant before your eyes – Absolution and the Holy Supper – the Lord uses to strengthen our souls so greatly, that Satan with all his wrath and all his power must be put to shame. Christ, the Rock of our Salvation, is sure.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us the light of the Spirit, so that we believe in You for righteousness and confess You for salvation. Amen.
Hymn
O Jesus Christ, Thou only Son,
Of God, Thy heav’nly Father,
Who didst for all our sin atone
And Thy lost sheep dost gather.
Thou Lamb of God, to Thee on high
From out our depths we sinners cry,
Have mercy on us, Jesus!
O Holy Ghost, Thou precious Gift,
Thou Comforter unfailing,
O’er Satan’s snares our souls uplift,
And let Thy power availing
Avert our woes and calm our dread,
For us the Savior’s blood was shed;
We trust in Thee to save us!
Decius: All glory be to God on high L 11:3-4 ELH 35:3-4 tr. C. Winkworth;
tune: Allein Gott in der Höh