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Text: Matthew 16:16-18 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by men, but by my Father in heaven. 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. If you gave people today an outline sketch of the Rock of Gibraltar in Spain along the Mediterranean coast and asked them to mention the first thing to come to mind; don’t be surprised if you get the response – “Prudential.” Why? It’s obvious, isn’t it? For years Prudential Life Insurance Company has used the Rock of Gibraltar as its trademark. And some years ago General Motors picked up on the idea of a rock and used three short words to sell its Chevy trucks – “Like a Rock!” Why use a rock for a trademark or a slogan? Well, can you think of anything that better symbolizes stability, trustworthiness and safety than a rock? Neither can I. No wonder the Bible writers have taken the solidness of a rock and applied it to the Lord God. In fact “Rock” is one of the many names for the Lord. “Exalted be God, the rock, my Savior!” “O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” “I say to God, my rock!” The picture is natural. The Lord, our Savior-God, is rock solid! What is unusual is when Jesus in our text turns to Simon son of Jonah and calls him “Peter” which is Greek for “rock.” Actually this wasn’t the first time that Jesus called Simon, Rock or Peter. The first time came shortly after Peter had come to know Jesus by faith. And now in our text, Peter gave evidence of his rock-like character as a believer in the Lord, his Rock. In contrast to many in Galilee who offered wrong opinions of Jesus, Peter spoke from his heart this sterling confession of Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was truly the confession of a rock-solid Christian. It shows the kind of character that Jesus the solid Rock is looking for in all his “rocks and pebbles,” that is, all who believe and confess his name. Today we ask you: ARE YOU A ROCK SOLID CHRISTIAN? 1. Not, if you’re confident in yourself. 2. Only when your confidence rests with Christ. After Peter’s brief, but rock solid confession, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah … 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.” It would be a mistake not to mention a distortion that some make of the original Greek text thinking that Jesus was referring to Peter as the rock on which Christ’s church would stand. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is Peter wasn’t a rock by nature. Nor did he always show himself to be rock solid. Strong in character, yes, but not a rock. Peter’s true colors came out whenever his commitment to Jesus was misguided and misinformed. Whenever he placed confidence in himself, it resulted in his being impulsive and overconfident. For example, he objected when Jesus predicted his suffering and death. “So, Jesus, you’re worried about having to suffer and die? Don’t worry, Peter’s here to protect you!” Then he proved it by cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Or by following Jesus into enemy territory, only to cowardly back down when his cover was exposed! Even after Peter became a fearless confessor of faith, he showed himself weak with pride when he compromised the truth of the gospel in order to please false teachers. It never failed. Every time Peter was confident in his own strength, he crumbled. Thank goodness the church is not built on Peter, the sinfully weak man, but on solid Rock of Christ and his word of truth. Peter wasn’t as rock solid as we might imagine, especially when his confidence was in himself. It’s part of our human nature to project an image of toughness and strength. Coaches encourage players to be aggressive on the ball field. Society encourages people to be aggressive in the job market. There are programs to boost our self-esteem and pride in ourselves. Christians are not immune to the pressures of such slogans as: “We’re number 1!” or “You deserve the best.” Inherent in all of this is our tendency to “lean … on [our] own understanding.” But putting ourselves forward can easily mean putting others down, including Jesus. Sometimes God’s Word goes against what we might think is best. Just to save face, our wisdom may tell us to resort to lying and defaming the reputation of someone else. Just to appear stronger, our wisdom may tell us to put down the gifts and abilities of others. And just to escape some of life’s unpleasant situations, our wisdom may tell us to resort to cowardice and denial of Jesus. Such “solutions” are no solutions at all. That’s pride and overconfidence standing in for Christian rock solidness. Paul warns, “If you think you’re standing firm, be prepared for a hard fall.” And more padding is not what’s needed, but confessing our weakness, seeking Jesus’ forgiveness and realizing our strength can only be found in Jesus who is the “rock of our salvation.” For all his glaring weaknesses, Jesus had much use of Peter in his kingdom. Right from the start, Jesus saw great potential in Peter. He was enthusiastic, bold and extremely devoted. Through much time and patience Jesus did make Peter into one who was more deserving of the name Peter. Jesus alluded to that when he said of Peter’s beautiful confession, “Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” “Peter, there’s no way that you could have known this about me without the Father enlightening you with the gospel.” And what Peter believed in the heart came pouring over his lips in a glorious confession. As Peter relied on his “Rock of Gibraltar,” Jesus Christ, he was rock solid, like in his daring attempt to walk on water. He was included among the inner circle of three disciples who witnessed such memorable events as the raising from the dead the daughter of Jairus, the transfiguration of Jesus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. After Jesus’ resurrection Peter became the leader and spokesman of the group. He accomplished much in the spreading of the gospel by preaching and performing miracles in Jesus’ name. Only through child-like faith and implicit trust in Jesus’ life and death was Peter the rock solid Christian that Jesus expected. All who share Peter’s faith and confession are rocks as well. Jesus is the Rock that makes us small, weak pebbles, rock solid. When an earthquake rocked a certain village, people marveled at the calm and peace of an old woman. “Weren’t you afraid?” someone asked, “No,” said the old lady. “I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the world.” Now that’s the confession of a rock solid Christian. And what’s believed in the heart pours out not only through the lips, but in actions as well. When our confidence is in the Lord our Rock, great things can be accomplished through us to God’s glory. You may be the one the Lord uses to motivate St. John’s family of faith to works of service. You may be the one the Lord uses to keep St. John’s family of faith true to its goal of winning the lost for Jesus and nurturing believers for lives of discipleship through Word and sacraments. You may be the one whom the Lord will use to lead St. John’s family of faith in the years beyond with the shield of faith and the sword of the Gospel. Don’t be surprised if those things do happen through you because after all the Lord is the Rock of our salvation. It’s just as we sang: “Built on the rock the church shall stand.”