Revelation by the Spirit

Matthew 16:13-19 says, When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked

his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
The name Peter otherwise called Cephas means a fragment of rock and it is erroneous to claim that Jesus was directly referring to Peter as the rock upon which the church would be built. There is more to that statement as it is an incontrovertible fact that no man can lay claim to being the foundation of the church because Christ alone is the true foundation (1 Cor. 3:11) and the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22). He is the one who died on the cross and made the existence of the church possible in the first place. The foundation of the apostles and prophets mentioned in Ephesians is a reference to the fact that they were the pioneers of the early church and we are being built on them as it were. Apart from Jesus Christ being the rock upon which the church is built there is also another rock that we need to focus on in that verse of the Scriptures and that is revelation, for Peter spoke according to what was revealed to him. The church is nothing without revelation by the Spirit as how else do we want to show that we are different from those who do not have the Spirit of God in them? The keys of the kingdom of heaven represent the authority that we have in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and in using this authority, whatever we permit will be permitted in heaven and whatever we refuse to permit will also be refused permission in heaven. Using the keys of the kingdom of heaven we now have, heaven will only respond to whatever actions we take here on the earth. No verse of the Scriptures teaches us to bind the devil but to resist him (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9) but that is what many Christians spend time in prayer doing. The devil is already defeated but that does not stop him from making moves anyway as his work is already cut out for him (1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10).

The Holy Spirit will teach us all things, remind us of all that we have learnt, guide us into all truth, speak only what he hears and tell us of things to come (John 16:13-15, 14:26). From a close look at the preceding Scriptures, we can conclude that it was the Holy Spirit who revealed the truth to Peter as that is his work. All that belongs to the Father also belongs to the Son and this, the Holy Spirit reveals to us believers (1 Cor. 2:11). Every believer needs the Holy Spirit in the same way the natural man needs oxygen to survive (John 7:37-39, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8, Acts 2:38-39). If you have not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, then you are operating below Gods best for you as a believer. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not as difficult as anyone may make it look as the simplest way to receive the gift of the Spirit is to ask God (Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13). God is interested in giving you what he knows you want to have (Matthew 7:7). It is also important to state that the Holy Spirit baptism is not a one-off experience as we need Him always (Ephesians 5:18, Acts 2:4 and Acts 4:31). The place of revelation in the life of a believer Instruction in the word - If believers will sit down with their Bibles and invite the Holy Spirit to help them, he will give to them revelation knowledge, revelation understanding and revelation wisdom of the word of God (Galatians 1:11-12, 1 John 2:20, 27, Ephesians 3:3). It is his responsibility to teach us all things and to remind us of everything we have learnt in our Christian faith and walk with God. Rights and privileges - The Holy Spirit reveals to you all your rights and privileges as a believer and son of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-12). He knows everything that God wants us to have and he reveals it to us so as to enable us run this race more effectively and accomplish Gods will for our lives (Ephesians 1:3). Intimacy with God - When you have revelation by the Holy Spirit it helps you to have unrivalled fellowship with God and to desire him more than ever before (Ephesians 1:17, Philippians 3:3, Romans 8:26-27). The more of God you know the greater your love for him will be and this will greatly increase your desire to have fellowship and to be intimate with him (Philippians 1:9).

Authors note: This message was first preached at the Parish Youth Chapel, Church of the Pentecost (Anglican Communion), 21 Road, Festac Town, Lagos on Sunday, 25th November 2012 at both 7am and 10am, in my capacity as Coordinator, Parish Youth (2011/2012). All Scriptures are from the New International Version (NIV).