45 minutes
- Opening
- 4
- Passage
- 5
- Questions
- 24
- Application
- 7
- Prayer
- 5
Total · 45 minutes
Sermon Study · Leader Edition
Solid As a Rock
August 30, 2026 · Austin Axen
Leader preparation · 2–3 minutes
Your aim for this conversation
Read Matthew 16:13–20. Notice the two questions in verses 13–15, Peter's answer in verse 16, his new name in verse 18, and the promise about the church in verses 18–19.
The conversation is for each person to say who Jesus is to them, what Jesus says about them, and what they are standing on.
Essential questions: Q2, Q3, Q4. Use Q1 when time permits.
Timing plan
The Big Idea
To have a faith that is solid as a rock, know who Jesus is, know who Jesus says you are, and know what you stand on.
Remember Sunday’s message
Sermon reminders
01
Know Who Jesus Is
Jesus first asked what people were saying about him, then made it personal: "But who do you say that I am?" Austin said it is not the strength of our faith that saves us but the strength of its object, Jesus.
02
Know Who I Am
Jesus called Peter blessed, named his birth family, and gave him a new name that means rock. Everyone who believes in Jesus is given a new family in God and a new identity, defined by what Jesus says and not by what the world says.
03
Know What I Stand On
Jesus is building a church that the gates of hell cannot overcome. Nothing can separate his people from God's love, so they have an indestructible future.
Wednesday’s conversation
Reflect & discuss
Read Matthew 16:13–20 together in the ESV.
1
Matthew 16:13–14 · Optional · 5 minutes
What people say
Jesus asked, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" and Austin wondered what the people in a Hollywood coffee shop or a Berkeley ice cream line would say. In the places you spend your week, what do you hear people say about Jesus, and which answer is hardest for you to respond to?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin said that to stand firm, "we need to know what people believe and why they believe it." Which of the answers you hear do you understand least, and how could you learn more about it?
- Did you once hold one of those views of Jesus yourself? What changed?
If it stalls
Read Austin's list aloud: a moral teacher, a wise philosopher, a good person, a spiritual leader. Ask which one people hear most often.
2
Matthew 16:15–16 · Essential · 6 minutes
Your own answer
Jesus asked, "But who do you say that I am?" and Austin said what saves us is "the strength of the object of your faith," not how strong our faith feels. What one word would you give as your answer today, and when has knowing who Jesus is held you steady while your own faith felt weak?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin cited C.S. Lewis: Jesus is a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. What helped you settle which one he is?
- If a friend asked why you believe Jesus is who he says he is, what would you point to?
- Optional, more personal: Has there been a time when you trusted how strong your faith felt more than you trusted Jesus himself? What happened?
If it stalls
Go around the room and let each person say their one word before anyone explains it.
3
Matthew 16:17–18 · Essential · 7 minutes
Named by Jesus
Jesus called him "Simon Bar-Jonah," his birth name, and then gave him a new name, Peter, and Austin said, "We have to let what Jesus says about us define us." Where do you most feel the pull of what other people or your past say about you, and what does Jesus say about you that you most need to believe this week?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin said believing in Jesus brings us into a new family, where God is our Father and the church are our brothers and sisters. When has someone in the church been family to you, and how could you be that for someone this week?
- Optional, more personal: What name or label from your past do you still answer to, even though Jesus has said something different about you?
Background you may need
- Christians understand "this rock" in verse 18 and the keys in verse 19 in different ways, and Austin noted the many readings of the keys. If it comes up, return to what he taught: Peter was a foundational leader of the church, and Jesus is the cornerstone and the rock on which we stand.
If it stalls
Read verse 17 slowly and point out that Jesus used Peter's birth name before the new one. Allow silence.
4
Matthew 16:18; Romans 8:31–39 · Essential · 6 minutes
Nothing can separate
Jesus promised that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," and Austin said no pain, trial, loss or fear can separate us from God's love. Where in your life right now do you most need that promise, and what would standing on it look like before next Wednesday?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Austin said the church's goal is "to bring the principles of heaven down to earth." What would that look like in one place you go each week?
- What helps you remember this promise on an ordinary hard day?
Background you may need
- Do not explain why anyone is suffering. The promise is that nothing separates us from God's love, not that hard things will not come.
If it stalls
Read Austin's list slowly (no pain, no trial, no difficulty, no depression, no loss, no fear) and allow silence before anyone answers.
Carry it into the week
Next Steps
From the sermon
- Go home and think about your foundation: if you set a marble on it, would it sit still or roll?
- Take time to research who Jesus is, what he has done, and the evidence for the resurrection.
- Discover for yourself which one Jesus is: a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
Application
Before next Wednesday, tell one person, in a sentence or two, who Jesus is to you and why.
My notes
Close in prayer
Thank Jesus that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and ask him to build each person's life on him alone.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the August 30, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.
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