THOU ART THE CHRIST

Thou art the CHRIST…

 

Matthew 16:15-21

 

Years ago I read something that shed revelatory light on this passage, and really blessed me.  Recently, I believe additional revelation has been slowly coming to me, and finally hit home.  So I want to share it with you.

 

There really are a lot of misconceptions & misinterpretations (again in my humble opinion) that unfortunately distract from powerful divine truth that could be a part of our daily lives if we really knew what Jesus was saying here.  And that’s the POINT for all this.  We’ve been ‘robbed’ by the enemy AGAIN…of something God has intended to be a source of blessing to us.

 

And it doesn’t take a lot to get us off course.  Just this morning I heard someone on the radio I thought was of evangelical persuasion say that Jesus declared He was building His Church on Peter.  How ludicrous that Jesus would build His Eternal Church on a fallible human being.  But I can understand how someone might arrive at that conclusion…maybe.

 

You see, for years we have said that Jesus’ referencing that his name was Peter meant that, in that natural he was like a little pebble, being swept to & fro with every wave that washed over the beach.  And that’s true.  However, the fallacy comes in the next part of the statement, in interpreting it as still referring to Peter & that now Jesus was going to make him a solid rock on which He was going to build His Church.

 

I believe there are two separate thoughts here that need to be separated from each other except in comparison.  The first thought is who Peter is.  And I guess it all depends on how you interpret Peter, ‘Cephas’.  Some say the Greek means a pebble; some, a big rock.  It could actually be both & refer to both Peter’s vacillating past & the rock-solid leader of the Church he would become after Pentecost…that would still not qualify him to have the Church built on him.

 

But the second segment of Jesus’ statement is referring to Peter’s confession: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Now there’s a foundation on which to build the Church.  Jesus said, upon the ”(Gibraltor-type) Rock” of this confession, I will build my Church.”

 

So what’s in that confession that makes it qualify for such a solid foundation?  That statement embodies two powerful & central truths of the Gospel:

 

1. It declares everything about Who Jesus was & is.

 

2.   It declares everything that Jesus came to accomplish by His Birth, Life, Death & Resurrection.

 

When we as believers make that declaration (confession) over a situation, we invoke & release all the power of these truths into it to destroy the work of the enemy where he has robbed, killed & destroyed; remove his ruler-ship; & establish the Church of Jesus Christ in that area.

 

Now I’m going to try to explain something here that some people may not totally grasp.  Remember in my last article where I talked about the difference between ‘logos’ & ‘rhema’?  What I’m talking about here does not require a rhema to make that confession.  It’s part of the logos (scripture), and yet it’s a powerful truth by itself without a rhema anointing…simply by virtue of what it means: “Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

 

This is one truth of logos that can be confessed all the time, over & again, over every situation where you need God’s intervention.  But it’s still not a ‘name it & claim it’ or ‘confess it & possess it’ kind of thing.  And it’s not a rhema where you have a gift of faith that you know that you know something will happen.  It’s just a powerful declaration of confidence, releasing what you know to be true about Jesus Who has defeated satan & disarmed all his principalities & powers, made us more than conquerors & is leading us in triumphal procession of victory…that you’re believing will transpire in your specific need over which you’re confessing.

 

The big bugaboo in all this is: this confession, any rhema gift of faith, and in every aspect of our Christian walk…there are no guarantees.  Otherwise, our trust would be in the confession, or the rhema, or something else, and not in a Sovereign God.  I know this is a shock to a lot of people, but it’s the truth: there are no guarantees.

 

Let me try to explain it using my own situation.   I just know that I know I’m being divinely healed, with certain aspects of it already manifesting (the hepatitis is gone, and I knew I’d be in remission after the petscan, even seeing clear lymph nodes in my mind for several days beforehand).  But I don’t know exactly when & how I’ll be healed…maybe even IF I’ll be healed. 

 

I know that sounds totally contradictory and I say that cautiously & not in a negative confession.  What I’m saying is that I DO KNOW, from my subjective perspective & the rhema in my heart, that I WILL BE TOTALLY HEALED.  But lest my confidence be in that rhema, I must objectively TRUST God implicitly, and His sovereignty, by leaving an open door for God to be God, without taking anything away from Him. 

 

Some will find this hard to reconcile, but I have no conflict with it whatsoever. And it does not change the rhema in my heart or my confidence in my healing one iota.

 

The other truth in this passage is this…

 

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the confession).”  Most believe, regardless of how they interpret what I previously explained, that this means that we have protection against satan making inroads into our lives…in a defensive stance.  Whereas this may be true to a certain extent, the greater truth here is that when we identify areas where satan has robbed/killed/destroyed & we make this confession as Jesus intended we should make it, it is an offensive strike against the enemy over these areas to reclaim them back for the Kingdom…and as we do so that he has no power to defend himself & resist against the power of this confession.  

 

Sooner or later, he needs to give up that territory.  We believe that the truth of this powerful confession is manifesting in some way in that situation whether it is evident or not.  We do not set the time frame of when it will happen, how it will happen, or even IF it will happen.  Our responsibility is to ‘just do it’ & trust God with the rest.

 

Here’s where a lot of believers struggle.  They pray believing.  They confess this truth believing.  And yet they see no results…sometimes for a lengthy period of time. I agree that is difficult to understand & accept.  But that’s just part of no guarantees & trust.

 

I want to share an example of what I mean by no guarantees that hopefully will bring things into a more understandable perspective for some.

 

A very prominent minister with a huge church, a debt-free campus worth 33 million, and an extensive TV ministry, was diagnosed with lymphoma in October.  He was one of the more balanced Word/Faith movement ministries, and had hundreds of thousands of people praying for him.  But in a matter of weeks he experienced complications & died.  And here am I, a mere nobody, still kicking & well on my way to total healing & restoration.  Go figure.

 

Here’s a word from Luke 18:1-8 about the persistent widow coming to a judge to deliver her from her oppressors.  He refused at first because he had no reverence for God or consideration toward men.  But because of her persistence he finally agreed to do it lest she wear him out.  Verse 7-8 state…

 

“And will not (our just) God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?  I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find (persistence in) faith on the earth?”

 

That’s our part.  To believe that Jesus IS “the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, and everything that means, confess it over every of situation of need we run into, believing it will happen.  But  we cannot dictate God’s part as to how speedy He responds.  Time is not a factor with God…just us.  Our part is to trust him implicitly….and allow Him to do whatever, whenever, IF ever.

 

And that’s all according to Mike Bernadsky.

 

 

P.S….                          Speak It Out Loud

 

An important aspect of making the confession that “Jesus is the Christ”…along with all our praying, praise, worship, intercession, etc., is that it be vocal…verbal, audible.  We are instructed to meditate on the Word day & night & thereby be successful & prosperous.  By confessing it audibly takes it to a whole new level, releasing a powerful dynamic into the atmosphere around & above us.

 

In Ephesians 3:9- Paul talks about the “mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in (the mind of) God …(the purpose is) that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.”

 

Now it goes without saying that the means by which the mystery of God would be accomplished would be through the audible, public reading of the scriptures and the preaching of the gospel to all the peoples of the world. 

 

But he refers to something very curious here, including the angelic rulers, authorities, principalities & powers in the heavenly sphere.  This normally refers to satan & his angelic hordes that have been relegated by God to the upper atmosphere of the earth. 

 

The dynamic here is that as we verbalize our confessions, and as they travel to the throne room of God, they pass through the demonic abode in the upper atmosphere of the earth, causing them to hear the TRUTH we’re declaring.  That in turn weakens and/or destroys their stronghold over the situation we’re confessing.

 

A beneficial side effect to all this is that WE also hear our audible expression of truth, which enters into our minds & spirits, encouraging us & building up our faith.

 

Some of you are not accustomed to verbalizing your prayers or worship other than through public singing of hymns or reciting the Lord’s prayer in church.  So this will obviously be a stretch.  But there are many who have become comfortable in the quiet meditations, and the Holy Spirit is prompting you to break out & start speaking out loud.  It’ll take some courage & practice.  But you’ll be amazed how much spiritual power it releases.