The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 23 July 2026
A Sermon on Matthew 16:13-20 by The Rev’d. Robert Alan Shivers

Matthew 16:13-20 Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Holy Worship: Faith as the Foundation

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Truth

What is it that a prophet says? “Thus saith the Lord”. What is it that a pastor says? “Christ said unto them…” What is it that Jesus says? “I say unto you…” I like to imagine that St. Peter, the apostle, had something similar revealed to him by God. But before then, when Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am?” The twelve said to Jesus, “some say you are John the Baptizer, others say you are one of the prophets” Those who had heard and seen Jesus and believed He was one of the prophets or John the Baptizer. But they must not have carefully listened to Jesus. For He is one who speaks with authority as Mark chapter 1 (verse 22) tells us. He speaks as if He is God, saying “I say unto you…”. If many had listened carefully, they would have known that Jesus is more than a prophet. Maybe they would have received a hint of what Peter would confess. And because the twelve disciples had been hearing what everyone else was saying, “Jesus is a prophet”, He wanted His disciples to think for themselves. Therefore, Jesus asked the twelve, “Who do you say that I am?” He knows what will be said, but Peter must verbally confess the truth, it must be heard, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. This truth, this understanding was revealed to Peter by God the Father.

This same truth, this same understanding has been revealed to you, my dear brothers and sisters. Like Peter you have been called from the world so that this truth would be revealed to you. The truth, that Jesus is the Christ, the cornerstone and foundation of the Christian faith. This man who is both human and God, who is sinless and lived the perfect life we cannot live, is the true corner stone. Jesus should be the only one which the church looks to; He should be the only one that the church builds its foundation on. All of us, everyone that is a part of the Christian faith, should not allow Peter to be the only one to confess the truth. We are called to profess and to confess the truth along with Peter, the apostle. Not only to remind ourselves, but to tell others that there is no salvation found here on earth. We are to profess and confess that the only salvation that can be found is in Jesus Christ. And if you confess the truth, just as Peter did, blessed are you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lies, Laughter, and Disappointment

If we build our lives on anything other than Christ, we build it on a lie. And anything that is built upon a lie will crumble. We see that in some people who believed in the lies of the world, the devil, and all the empty promises that both only have to offer. Some of those who did believe the lies of the world and of Satan come to realize that the faith in Jesus Christ is not built on a lie. For they see the good that comes from the Faith. Though they do see that you and I are sinners, they are able to see the good that can come from the sinner responding to the Holy Spirit’s calling to act, to speak, and to pray in a Godly manner. They see a faith which is built on a foundation that still stands against the test of time.

I laugh sometimes when I consider the setting of our Gospel reading today. Is it not funny how Peter confesses Jesus as the “Son of the Living God” while they are in a city filled with people who believe and worship dead gods? And do we not find ourselves at times in a similar situation? Today we find many who are quite open about their belief that there is no God. We find many that openly mock God and all Christians. They surround us not just in person but online as well. We can feel outnumbered at times. But that does not mean we should not reveal the foundation of our lives. Let the world see your faith in Jesus as the foundation, not just verbally but in all your actions. My dear brothers and sisters, let us all be bold in our faith. Yes, I know, we do not want to be mocked, nor do we want to be outcasts. I understand that fear for that is human nature. But I must ask, what will we say when we are before Jesus and He says to us, “You had the opportunity to speak my name, but you did not.” All we could say to Him, all that could be uttered from our lips would be, “Have mercy on me Lord, a sinner.”

And let us remember that, just because someone confesses Jesus as the Christ, and they say that Jesus is the King of Heaven, it does not mean they follow Him in their daily life. In my thirty-one years of living, I have heard many things that make me shake my head. I have been terribly disappointed. I have heard things that anger me and hurt my heart. I have seen, and continue to see, the true nature of many people I am around. I have heard people confess Jesus as Lord, I have seen people be reverent in and outside God’s house. But when I paid attention to the words they speak about their children or others, when I heard the words people send in text messages and emails, when I watch the ways people treat customers or customers treat workers, or even the ways people treat those who are devoted servants in and outside the church, all I see is the truth about them. I see that Satan has a great hold on that person. I pray for them just as I pray for the people they come across in their daily lives. And I pray for the people they live with. What point am I trying to make here? I urge you to always keep in mind, that just because someone confesses Jesus as Lord, it does not mean that they are a true follower of Jesus. For even Satan believes that Jesus exists; Satan knows Jesus is the Christ. But his hate for Jesus shows in his actions, and it hides in many of his words.

What do I want you to take away from today’s sermon?

My dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what is the foundation of your life? What is the foundation of your faith? Do you confess Jesus as the Christ and as Lord of all? And if you do, do you act as though you have confessed it with your heart and soul? Satan says Jesus is the Christ and yet he is against Christ. Many Abusers, adulterers, control freaks, thieves, and others confess Jesus as Christ. But if we pay attention to their actions, if we pay attention to the words being said and what is truly meant by them, we will not find one who truly believes and follows Jesus, but rather one who follows only Satan, the one who steals, kills, and destroys. So, when you confess Jesus as the Christ dear ones, ask yourselves this question, “Do I live by that confession?”.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The Rev’d. Robert Alan Shivers
rshivers@stmatthewsch.org
St. Matthews Evangelical Lutheran Church (AALC)
Wilmington, North Carolina USA

Holy Worship: Faith as the Foundation

Praying

“Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen” (Sacred Hours: The Lutheran Daily Office,116).

Listening

Matthew 16:13 “…Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

St. Theodore of Heraclea (early 4th century Christian Roman general martyred for the faith): “Jesus asks this in order that we might know what opinions about him were current among the Jews…so that we might learn to inquire intently into what people are saying about him, and if it is bad, to remove the causes, or if complimentary, to increase them. But he said ‘Son of Man’ in order to show that he himself not only appears to be but in fact unchangeably is man, and again, is true God” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 14-28, 43-44).

Matthew 16:15 “But who do you say that I am?”

St. John Chrysostom (late 4th – early 5th century Patriarch of Constantinople): “He was calling them on by his second inquiry to entertain some higher mental picture, indicating that their former judgment falls exceedingly short of his dignity. Thus Jesus probes for another judgment from them. He poses this second question that they might not fall in with the multitude who, because they saw his miracles as greater than human, accounted him a man indeed but one that, as Herod had thought, may have appeared after a resurrection” (45).

Matthew 16:18 “…I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Theodore of Mopsuestia (Late 4th – early 5th century Antiochian bishop in present day Turkey): “This means he will build his church upon this same confession and faith…It was from this confession, which was going to become the common property of all believers, that he bestowed upon him this name, the rock. In the same way also Jesus attributes to him the special character of the church…’” (45-46).

Matthew 16:19 “…whatever you bind on earth …whatever you loose… shall be loosed in heaven.”

Epiphanius the Latin (Late 5th – early 6th century Bishop, of either Benevento or Seville): “For Christ is a rock which is never disturbed or worn away…The devil is the gateway of death who always hastens to stir up against the holy church calamities and temptations and persecutions. But the faith of the apostle, which was founded upon the rock of Christ, abides always unconquered and unshaken. And the very keys of the kingdom of the heavens have been handed down so that one whom he has bound on earth has been bound in heaven, and one whom he has set free on earth he has also set free in heaven” (46).

Reflecting

1. Will I confess Christ as the only Savior of the world not only with my lips but my life?

Learning

How Christians should be taught to confess [From Martin Luther’s Small Catechism]

What is Confession?

Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.

Which are these?

Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?

Doing

1. Pray for every unbaptized child and adult you know and for the child’s parents, too.

2. Pray for your unchurched loved ones and friends. Invite one or more of them to worship.

3. Discuss with your spouse, your family, or a friend the difficulty of, living your calling as child of God especially when you are dealing with difficult people in daily life and a culture hostile to God. How might you and those you love (especially children and youth) find greater support for life’s challenges in both regular worship and in spiritual friendships at church this week?

4. Read this quote daily and try to do what it says: “Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.” St. Francis de Sales

For Husbands and Wives

Repeat daily: “I (name) take you (name) to be my wedded wife (husband), to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish until death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my faith.”