Are you familiar with a children’s Bible song based on Matthew 7:4 ? It goes like this, “The wise man built his house upon a rock, and the rains came tumbling down. The house on the rock stood firm.” The second verse of that song talks about the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, and when the rains came, his house “went splat.”
If you are going to take the time and effort to build something, it is important that you build on a solid foundation! You don’t want to construct the foundation of your home, your business, your ministry, or your church on anything that could shift when the storms of life hit.
Jesus’ Questions Teach Valuable Truths
In the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus taught about the foundation of the church and what stands behind the power of our spoken words. He began by asking His disciples a question. Remember, when Jesus asks a question, He already knows the answer; His questions serve to teach us valuable truths.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:13-16)
Peter often gets a “bad rap” for being impetuous and for being the one who denied Jesus three times. However, if you read the above verses carefully, you’ll see that many of His disciples heard Jesus’ question, but only Simon Peter offered a response!
The Blessing of Revelation Knowledge
Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ. The wordChrist means Messiah or One that is anointed by God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17)
Jesus told Peter that he was blessed; that’s a word that we often skim past without understanding its full impact. When Jesus told Peter he was blessed, the Lord was saying, “Peter, you are favored, happy, and fortunate because you have received revelation from the Father about who I am.”
What made Peter favored, happy, and fortunate? It was the revelation knowledge of who Jesus is ! The word revealed in Matthew 16:17 means to take off the cover. In other words, God the Father took the cover off and disclosed Jesus’ purpose and power to Peter.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)
The Massive Rock
The word (or name) Peter in Greek is Petros. It means a piece of rock. When Jesus said, Thou art Peter, He was saying, You, Peter, are a rock-like man. You are a piece of a rock.
The word that is translated rock in Matthew 16:18 is the word petra. It means a massive rock. Jesus was not saying that Peter was the foundation upon which the church would be built; Peter was only a piece of the huge rock. Let’s read Matthew 16:18 with our understanding of these two Greek words, petros and petra— Peter you are a rock. You are a small rock. But there is a massive rock, and upon this rock I will build My church. The word build means to construct, to confirm and to edify. The massive rock on which the church is built is the rock of revelation knowledge. Therefore, the more revelation knowledge the church gets, the stronger and bolder it will be.
The Greek word epignosis is often used to describe this kind of revelation; epignosis is full discernment, knowledge, or acknowledgment.
Peter used the word epignosis in the opening of his second epistle; this epistle was written when Peter was at the end of his ministry; he knew that he would soon be crucified, and was about to transition from this natural earth and into glory. Most people’s last words are carefully chosen; they want their loved ones to remember what was most important to them. Peter opened his final letter teaching about the power of epignosis (revelation, recognition, knowledge, or acknowledgment).
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord , According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. (2 Peter 1:1-3) here are nineteen different meanings to the word grace, but in short, grace is the supernatural empowerment of God. I don’t know about you, but I depend on the grace and peace of God to do what He has called me to do!
See it and Say it
Grace and peace are multiplied through the revelation, recognition, knowledge, and acknowledgment of what God says, but revelation, recognition, knowledge, and acknowledgment are not simply mental exercises.
Think back to what Peter did in Matthew 16:17. When the Father revealed who Jesus was, Peter didn’t keep it to himself. He didn’t ponder the idea or offer “silent prayers;” He spoke it!
As God gives you more insight into whom He is and how to operate in His anointing, don’t keep it quiet. Speak it. See it in the Spirit and say it with your mouth. Get the revelation from God of what He has called you to do. See it and then say it. Speak what the Lord reveals to you, and you will be building your future on a firm foundation!
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