The Rock

Matthew 16:13-19, 7:24-27;  1 Corinthians 10:1-6

"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?'  So they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'  He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'  Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' 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. 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 (or, have victory) against it. 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.' "

"Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on THE ROCK: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall for it was founded on THE ROCK. But everyone who hears these saying of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell, And great was its fall."

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that SPIRITUAL ROCK that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted......."

As Jesus spoke to His disciples, the Father revealed to Peter who Jesus is: the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Rock is every revelation from God by His Holy Spirit regarding Jesus Christ: life now because of, through, with and in Him, so we may understand what is the hope of Jesus Christ's calling; what are the riches of the glory of Jesus Christ's inheritance in the saints! (Ephesians 1:18)