July 3, 2025
Confessing the Faith - Part 4
Matthew 16:18-19
07/03/2025
18 ``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.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.'' (ESV)
Jesus asked His disciples, ``But who do you say that I am?''
Simon Peter replied, ``You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.''
Saint Peter's great confession is the confession of the
Church. Jesus said:
``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. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.''
Peter, whose name means ``Rock,'' is not the one upon whom
the Church is built. His rock-like confession, however, is the
foundation of all we believe, teach, and confess. The entire Old
Testament proclaims God's mercy that the Messiah, the Christ, the
Anointed One, will pay the price of the sins of iniquities of all
people. Peter's confession declares Jesus as our only hope of
salvation, the One who defeats sin, death, and the power of the
devil. As Jesus lived, died, and rose again, so we too shall
rise from the dead.
The Church exists to proclaim that message to all people, to
you and your family. It is in the Church where you will be told
of the forgiveness of your sins, and be declared holy and
righteous before God. There is nowhere else to turn for the
comfort of God's grace.
May our Lord grant you the desire to learn more, to hear the
good news of the Gospel as proclaimed at 9:00 each Sunday morning
at Trinity Lutheran Church. Amen.