Seth Denney is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church. He is passionate about seeing lives radically transformed for the glory of God.
Who Do You Say He Is?
Matthew 16:13–25
Hello Church Family,
This past Sunday, we stepped into one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture. In Matthew 16, Jesus takes His disciples to a place that, quite honestly, no one in their right mind would go.
He takes them to the district of Caesarea Philippi.
Now, you need to understand something about this place, or you will miss the weight of what Jesus is doing.
Caesarea Philippi was not just another stop along the way. This was not a quiet retreat. This was not a scenic overlook where Jesus decided to have a spiritual conversation with His disciples. This was one of the darkest regions in the Roman world.
It was a place filled with pagan worship. It was a place where false gods were celebrated. On the edge of the district was a cave system that people believed was connected to the underworld. Many referred to it as the gates of Hades. It was a place marked by fear, darkness, and spiritual confusion.
Around that area, people worshiped a false god named Pan. Pan was associated with fertility, immorality, and deeply wicked practices. This was not casual religion. This was spiritual darkness on full display.
People avoided this place.
Families did not vacation there. Religious people did not hang out there. This was the kind of place where everything felt off. Darkness was not just present there. Darkness was celebrated there.
And guess who goes?
Jesus.
While the crowds who had been following Him stayed behind, Jesus walks straight into this dark place with only His disciples. That is not accidental. That is intentional.
And right there, in the middle of spiritual darkness, false worship, fear, confusion, and brokenness, Jesus asks the most important question anyone will ever answer.
“Who do you say that I am?”
Our God Is Not Afraid of Dark Places
Before we even get to the question, we need to see where Jesus is standing when He asks it.
Jesus is not nervous. Jesus is not afraid. Jesus is not pacing the floors of heaven wondering what He is going to do next.
The things that keep us up at night do not keep Him up at night.
The problems that overwhelm us do not overwhelm Him. The situations we cannot control are not outside of His authority. The darkness that scares us does not scare Him.
Psalm 121:4 says,
“Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
That means God is not panicked by your situation. He is not confused by your pain. He is not intimidated by your past. He is not scared of the darkness around you, and He is not scared of the darkness within you.
That is good news for everyone reading this.
Because every one of us knows what it is like to deal with dark places. Some are external. Some are internal. Some are in our families. Some are in our past. Some are hidden so deep that nobody else even knows they are there.
But Jesus does not avoid dark places.
He walks straight into them.
Following Jesus Will Not Always Feel Safe
Here is something else we need to understand. If Jesus goes into dark and uncomfortable places, then sometimes following Him means He will lead us there too.
We love the idea of following Jesus when it feels safe, clean, easy, and predictable. But the Bible never promises that following Jesus will always be comfortable.
Jesus did not say, “Follow Me, and I will make your life easy.”
He said,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Mark 8:34
That is not comfortable language. That is not convenient language. That is not the language of casual Christianity.
That is surrender language.
C.S. Lewis gives us a helpful picture in The Chronicles of Narnia. When the children ask about Aslan, the great lion who points us to Christ, they ask if he is safe. The answer is powerful. Of course he is not safe. He is a lion. But he is good.
That is Jesus.
He is not safe in the way we often define safety. He will not always protect your comfort. He will not always preserve your plans. He will not always let you stay where you are.
But He is good.
And because He is good, you can trust Him wherever He leads.
Jesus Goes First
One of the most beautiful truths in this passage is that Jesus does not send His disciples somewhere He is unwilling to go Himself.
He goes first.
He steps into the darkness first. He moves toward the brokenness first. He enters the dangerous place first. Then He invites His disciples to follow.
That is why Christians should be missional people.
We do not go into the world because we are brave. We go because Jesus is already there. We do not serve hard places because we think we are strong. We serve because Christ is strong. We do not take the gospel to the broken because we are the Savior. We go because the Savior has sent us.
Matthew 28:18–20 says,
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Notice that Jesus does not send us out alone. He sends us with His authority and His presence.
That is why the church cannot be content sitting still. We have been sent.
Into our neighborhoods. Into our schools. Into our workplaces. Into our families. Into our city. Into the nations.
The mission of God is not reserved for pastors, missionaries, and church staff. Every follower of Jesus has been called to live sent.
The Most Important Question You Will Ever Answer
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asks His disciples:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
The disciples answer quickly.
“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 16:14
In other words, people thought highly of Jesus.
They compared Him to courageous men. Faithful men. Powerful men. Prophetic men. That sounds like a compliment.
But Jesus was not looking for compliments.
He was not asking if people admired Him.
He was not asking if people respected Him.
He was not asking if people thought He was inspiring.
Then Jesus makes it personal.
“But who do you say that I am?”
Matthew 16:15
That is the question.
Not what does your spouse believe? Not what does your grandmother believe? Not what does your pastor believe? Not what does your church believe?
Who do you say Jesus is?
Because one day every person will stand before God, and that question will matter more than anything else.
Romans 14:11 says,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
You can borrow someone else’s faith for a season, but you cannot stand before God with someone else’s confession.
The question is personal.
Who do you say He is?
The Right Answer Changes Everything
Peter answers:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
That is not just a statement of admiration.
That is a confession of surrender.
Peter is saying, “Jesus, You are more than a teacher. You are more than a miracle worker. You are more than a good man. You are the Christ. You are the Messiah. You are the Savior. You are the Son of the living God.”
Jesus is not just someone who teaches truth.
He is truth.
Jesus is not just someone who offers hope.
He is hope.
Jesus is not just someone who talks about peace.
He is peace.
Jesus responds:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 16:17
Then Jesus says:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18
Do not miss this.
In a place known for darkness, Jesus says He is going to build His church.
In a place associated with the gates of Hades, Jesus says the gates of hell will not prevail.
In a place where evil seemed powerful, Jesus declares that His kingdom is greater.
That means no darkness is too deep. No place is too far gone. No person is beyond the reach of Jesus.
That is why the gospel is good news for everyone.
It is good news for the church member who has grown cold.
It is good news for the skeptic who is unsure.
It is good news for the person who feels too broken.
It is good news for the one who thinks they have gone too far.
Jesus builds His church in dark places.
There Is a Difference Between Supporting Jesus and Surrendering to Jesus
From this point forward, you begin to see a clear divide.
There are people who admire Jesus, and there are people who follow Jesus.
There are people who applaud Jesus, and there are people who surrender to Jesus.
There were crowds who listened to His teaching. They watched His miracles. They enjoyed His sermons. They liked what He had to say.
But when the sermon was over, they went home.
Then there were the disciples.
They did not just listen. They followed.
They did not just admire. They surrendered.
They gave up plans, careers, comfort, reputation, and eventually most of them gave their very lives.
Why?
Because Jesus is not just worth admiring.
He is worth everything.
Luke 9:23 says,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
That word daily matters.
Surrender is not a one time emotional moment at an altar. It is a daily decision to say, “Jesus, You are Lord over this too.”
Lord over my finances.
Lord over my relationships.
Lord over my schedule.
Lord over my future.
Lord over my family.
Lord over my habits.
Lord over my private life.
Lord over all of me.
The Cross Is an Invitation to Die So You Can Truly Live
Today, we often wear crosses as jewelry. We put them on walls. We place them on church buildings. And yes, the cross is a symbol of hope and redemption.
But in the first century, the cross was an instrument of death.
When Jesus told people to take up their cross, He was not telling them to add a little religion to their lives.
He was calling them to die.
Die to self.
Die to control.
Die to sin.
Die to the belief that we know better than God.
Galatians 2:20 says,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
That is Christianity.
Not Jesus as an accessory.
Not Jesus as a Sunday morning tradition.
Not Jesus as a spiritual addition to an already full life.
Jesus as Lord.
What Areas Are Still Off Limits?
This is where we have to be honest.
Many people are willing to give Jesus some areas of life, but not all areas of life.
We want Him to save our souls, but we do not always want Him to touch our wallets.
We want Him to forgive our sins, but we do not always want Him to confront our relationships.
We want Him to bless our families, but we do not always want Him to interrupt our plans.
We want Him to be Savior, but we resist Him as Lord.
But partial surrender is not surrender.
If I say, “Lord, You can have 99 percent of my life, but this one percent is mine,” then I am still the one deciding what belongs to Him. That means I am still trying to be in control.
Jesus does not ask for part of us.
He calls for all of us.
Romans 12:1 says,
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
A living sacrifice means everything is on the altar.
Nothing is held back.
Faith Is More Than Applause
There is an old story about a man named Charles Blondin. He became famous for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
Crowds gathered to watch him do what seemed impossible. He crossed the falls. He performed stunts. He even pushed a wheelbarrow across the tightrope.
The crowd cheered. They applauded. They believed he could do it.
Then he asked, “Who will get in the wheelbarrow?”
Suddenly, the applause stopped.
That is the difference between admiration and trust.
It is one thing to clap for Jesus.
It is another thing to trust Him with your life.
A lot of people admire Jesus.
A lot of people respect Jesus.
A lot of people like the teachings of Jesus.
But Jesus is not asking for applause from a distance.
He is calling us to surrender.
This Is Good News for the World
This message is not just for church people.
This is for anyone who has ever wondered if Jesus is really who He says He is.
This is for the person who has doubts.
This is for the person who has been hurt by religion.
This is for the person who feels too sinful, too skeptical, too broken, or too far gone.
Jesus did not wait for the world to clean itself up before He came.
He came into the darkness.
John 1:5 says,
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
That is the hope of the gospel.
Jesus entered our darkness. He bore our sin. He died the death we deserved. He rose again in victory. And now He invites us to stop merely admiring Him and start following Him.
Not because He wants to ruin your life.
But because He alone can give you life.
John 10:10 says,
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
So Who Do You Say He Is?
That question still stands.
Who do you say Jesus is?
Not with your words only.
With your life.
Is He simply someone you admire?
Is He someone you respect?
Is He someone you support from a distance?
Or is He Lord?
Because if He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, then He is worthy of everything.
He is worthy of your trust.
He is worthy of your obedience.
He is worthy of your future.
He is worthy of your family.
He is worthy of your surrender.
The invitation of Jesus is simple, but it is not easy.
Come and die.
Die to sin. Die to self. Die to control. Die to the old way of life.
And find real life in Him.
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Mark 8:35
Jesus is not just someone who speaks peace.
He is peace.
He is not just someone who offers hope.
He is hope.
He is not just a way.
He is the way.
And today, the question is not merely, “What do people say about Jesus?”
The question is personal.
Who do you say He is?
And what are you going to do about it?