Sermon Notes
- 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.
Opening
- Austin began with the Millennium Tower in San Francisco, which has sunk 29 inches since it was built in 2009 because it was not anchored down to bedrock. A marble set on its lobby floor rolls to the far corner.
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans 12 feet 10 inches from its center. Both show how important it is for a building to have a firm foundation.
- God wants each of us to have a faith that is "solid as a rock," built on Christ alone, so that it can endure the storms of this life.
- Three pillars: Know who Jesus is, know who you are, and know what you stand on.
- Between two series: The summer series in Acts was ending and a series in 1 Peter would begin the next Sunday, so Austin looked at Peter's life and his confession in Matthew 16.
- The most relatable disciple: Peter walked on water and then sank. He confessed that Jesus is the Christ and later denied him. "Following Jesus is about progress, not perfection."
- Peter's big moments in Matthew: Called as the first disciple (Matthew 4), invited Jesus into his home (Matthew 8), and walked on water (Matthew 14). About two to two and a half years passed between his call and this confession.
- Caesarea Philippi: About 25 miles from the Sea of Galilee, in the foothills of Mount Hermon, on the edge of Jewish and Gentile territory. Philip the Tetrarch, a son of Herod the Great, built temples to pagan gods there and named the city after Caesar Augustus and himself. Austin called it "a melting pot of worldviews."
01 · Matthew 16:13–16
1. Know Who Jesus Is
- Who do people say?: Jesus first asked the disciples as a group. They answered John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
- John the Baptist: Herod, who had sentenced John to death, thought Jesus might be John come back.
- Elijah: he never died, and some expected him to return as the forerunner of the Messiah.
- Jeremiah: perhaps Jesus' ministry reminded people of his.
- Austin pictured asking the same question while people-watching in a Hollywood coffee shop or a Berkeley ice cream line. Answers today might be a moral teacher, a wise philosopher, a good person or a spiritual leader.
- To stand firm among other worldviews, "we need to know what people believe and why they believe it."
- Who do you say?: With "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus was "cutting through the noise of the culture" and making the question personal. Austin asked everyone to answer aloud with one word.
- Peter's answer: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew Messiah, the anointed one God promised would come and deliver his people.
- Jesus is fully God and fully man, the mediator between God and men. He lived a perfect life, died, rose three days later, and will return to make all things new. There is salvation in no other name.
- The object of our faith: "It's not the strength of your faith that saves you. It's the strength of the object of your faith that saves you." That object is Jesus.
- Austin encouraged research into who Jesus is and the evidence for the resurrection. He cited C.S. Lewis: Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. "I challenge you, discover which one Jesus is."
02 · Matthew 16:17–18
2. Know Who I Am
- Peter affirmed who Jesus is, and Jesus affirmed who Peter is. Austin quoted one author: "Peter has taken his stand for Jesus. Now Jesus takes his stand for Peter."
- A new family: "Simon Bar-Jonah" is Peter's birth name and means Simon, son of Jonah; bar is Aramaic for son. Jesus acknowledged Peter's earthly family.
- "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you": Peter's confession came from the Father in heaven, not from human nature or his family of origin.
- Whoever believes Jesus is the Christ becomes a son or daughter of God, in "A new family. A perfect family. A forever family." God is our Father and the church are our brothers and sisters.
- A new identity: Jesus first named him in John 1:42: Cephas, which means rock in Aramaic, and Peter, which means rock in Greek. In verse 18 Jesus plays on the name: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. Peter would be a foundational leader of the church.
- Names carry meaning: Adam means from the ground, Abraham father of a multitude, Benjamin son of the right hand, and Barnabas son of encouragement.
- Believers are given a new identity too. In 1 Peter 2, Peter calls us living stones, and verse 9 says we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, called to proclaim his excellencies.
- "We have to let what Jesus says about us define us," not the words of this world.
03 · Matthew 16:18–20
3. Know What I Stand On
- Peter was a rock used in building God's church, but Jesus is the cornerstone and "the rock on which we stand."
- An indestructible church: A coffee thermos, a cast iron skillet, a granite countertop, even the cockroach in the garage could be destroyed if someone tried hard enough. God's church, God's people, is the one thing that cannot be.
- Gates either let things out or keep things in. Nothing hell lets out will destroy God's church, and hell's gates will never keep God's people in.
- Austin quoted C.S. Lewis: Jesus "has met and fought and beaten the king of death."
- An indestructible future: Romans 8: if God is for us, who can be against us? We are more than conquerors, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. No pain, trial, difficulty, depression, loss or fear can do it.
- The keys of the kingdom: Austin noted that there are many interpretations. His reading: the church's goal is "to bring the principles of heaven down to earth," and by God's grace to help the people of earth be represented in heaven.
Closing
- Think about your foundation this week. If you set your marble on it, would it sit still or roll? Would it stand in the storm or collapse in the sand?
- "The key to having a rock-solid faith" is to know who Jesus is, to know who Jesus says you are, and to know what you stand on.
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.