Revelation Means Transformation - Pastor Dragoon

'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 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.”' Matthew 16:13-19 Notes: One of the marks that God is moving in your life is change. We ought to be changing from glory to glory in His likeness and His image. Just like the 1st law of thermodynamics, we won’t move (change) unless an outside force acts upon us. Revelation brings transformation. Wrong answers to the question “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”: Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah or one of the prophets - the world’s opinions are all wrong, never taking the steps to examine who He really is. There are many wrong answers to who Jesus is, but only one right answer. Truth is singular in nature - absolute, not relative. It doesn’t matter who the world says He is, only who we say he is. Peter’s answer to Jesus demonstrates that he’s received revelation - something revealed to him by God. Revelation is what’s missing from the lives of most Christians. There is a direct connection between revelation and transformation in our lives. The day that Peter expressed the revelation he received, Simon (little pebble) transformed into Peter (foundation stone). In the Bible, a change of name means a change of character. Abraham, Sarah and Israel had their names changed after a revelation of who God is. If you know who Jesus is, He will change who you are. The greatest change isn’t a top-down, cultural or global change where new laws are forced on the population; it’s personal change. We are, by nature, resistant to change. When Jesus says He will build His church “on this rock”, He’s referring to the transformation that comes from revelation. Jesus isn’t able to bring His transformation to a place where no one is willing to change. When we allow Jesus to change us, He will build His church. Why does Jesus say “the gates of hell” won’t prevail? We’re often reactive to Hell’s attacks. Jesus is describing the church attacking the devil’s fortress. This is a different mindset; not “how do we defend and maintain?” But “How do we win?” Want to receive text updates from our church? Send the keyword VBPH to 757-665-2410. Please let us know how this message has influenced you using one of these options: Email: [email protected] Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/vbph-sermons/message Thanks for listening! Has this message been a blessing to you? Please consider giving a generous donation