2819 Church - WISDOM AND WONDER | Rumors, Relationships and A Revelation | Matthew 16:13-20 | Brandon Freeman

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

In Season 5, Episode 3 of “WISDOM & WONDER,” Pastor Brandon Freeman teaches from the powerful passage of Matthew 16:13-20. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

Do me a favor, give yourself a hand, because it's hot. We jam-packed up in here. But I want to go to Scripture, so that's why I wanted you to continue to stand. I want to jump right into our time together. I am doing nothing more than continuing this Wisdom and Wonder series as we are walking through the book of Matthew. And for those of you who may not know or understand who Matthew is, Matthew was a Jew around the first century AD. He worked as a Roman

government official, as a tax collector, who was later converted by an encounter with Christ. And now he is responsible and known for his authorship of the book that bears his name. And not only is it the book of Matthew, but it's one of the synoptic gospels, which is extremely important for us to understand as we lean into Matthew. Synoptic just means a same-view gospel. So if you read Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they all really much read the same because in theological circles, we call it the two source hypothesis, which means these two sources come from the writings of Mark. And so you want to make sure that when you read Matthew's gospel, you jump in the mark because Matthew is responsible for taking like 92% of Mark's teachings.

So this is a really potent synoptic gospel. It's Matthew, Mark, and Luke. When you read them, read them in concert, and I think that you'll get the holistic viewpoint of what was trying to be communicated. Amen? The book of Matthew, chapter 16, going to verse 13. Once again, he gave me a good one. He gave me a good one. He gave me a good one. I'm going to be reading from the NIV and the word declares it like this. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea

Philippi, he asked his disciples, watch this. Who do people say the son of man is they replied some say john the baptist others say a lot i don't have time others say elijah and still others jeremiah or one of the prophets um and then even though they answered him he didn't pay no attention to what they said he redirected his attention and he said but what about you he asked who do you say i am simon peter answered you are the messiah the son of the living god jesus replied blessed are you simon son of of Jonah for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood 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 keys

of the kingdom of heaven whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Some of y'all need to learn how to bind. And whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Now here is the perplexity of the whole scripture. Verse number 20, he then says, He ordered his disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Messiah. I love the Bible. I want to talk to you for the next 36 minutes.

Please help me, Jesus. For the next 36 minutes, using this brief thought. Rumors, relationships, and a revelation. I want to talk to you about three things. Rumors, relationships and a revelation. Let's pray. Father, move like crazy in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. All right. So. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to start our time together by informing you of a fact that we must keep at the forefront of our minds at all times. Here's the fact that we must keep at the forefront of our minds at all times, I'd like to suggest to you that the God you serve has an expectation on how you live. Man, I'm starting early. The God you serve has an expectation on how you live. This is why, to back up my claim, you can read all throughout Scripture and you will find instructions and

principles on how the believer should believe on how the believer should live and on how the believer should behave one of those ways is found in romans chapter 1 and 17 which reads like this for in it the righteousness of God is revealed. Watch this. From faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Remember, I said he had an expectation. So one of those expectations is that if you are a believer of Christ the common denominator with me and everybody else who say that should be our faith now the problem with this is that when you are looking for faith oftentimes faith is found in the contradictions of life. Oftentimes when you are looking for faith, faith is found in the contradictions of life. Watch this, faith does not hit you when

you got money. Y'all better catch up with your boy. Faith don't hit you when you got it all together. Faith does not hit you when your marriage is straight. Faith does not hit you when your marriage is straight. Faith does not hit you when your kids are straight. Faith does not hit you when you can pay all the bills. Faith does not hit you when you are clear-minded. Faith is found in the contradiction. When you come to church and you hear one thing, but you got to live another.

That's where faith is found. And if we are honest, most of our frustration is because we hear one thing on Sunday and live something else on Monday. And it's frustrating. Anybody like me? You know, you come to church and you hear something like, no weapon formed against you shall be able to prosper. But then on Monday, every weapon formed against me seems like it's prospering. You come to church and you hear stuff like, you are the lender and not the power. And then Monday morning, the real lender is calling my phone. Oh, y'all don't want to be real? I get it.

I understand. You come to church and you hear stuff, you are the head and not the tail. Well, why do I feel like? Because faith is found in the contradiction. Faith is found in the contradiction, which means when I hear no weapon and then I see a weapon, I'm supposed to grab faith. I'm not supposed to start complaining and tripping that the weapons look like they're for me. I'm supposed to grab faith and say, I know, but his word said. I know what it seems like, but his word said, I know what you're saying,

but his word says it is where I get faith in the contradiction of life. And unfortunately, a lot of us don't like to be in the contradiction, which is why a lot of us don't have a lot of faith. Man, we don't have a lot of faith because we don't know we actually need it. You think your attendance is going to get you to heaven? You can have perfect attendance and still miss God. Because the Bible does not say without attendance, it's impossible to please them. The Bible does not say without giving, it's impossible. Without serving, it's impossible.

No, my Bible says without faith, it is impossible. You can't even try to do it. So touch your neighbor and say number one, I need faith. Right? Are we good so far? Alright, here it is. You need faith for more than just belief though, you need faith for revelation. I don't have time. You need faith for revelation. Why?

Because faith becomes the entrance to revelation. Huh? Let me help you. He creates a situation for revelation. Right? It becomes the entrance by when he reveals himself to you. So he creates a situation called

broke. To reveal a situation called Jireh. Y'all missed what I just said. See, you thought this was all about you. But what do you do when you're the star of a movie that ain't even about you? He's trying to teach you something.

And by teaching you something, he's showing everybody around you, you thought they were broke. I just had them in a holding pattern. Right? Right, right, right, right, right. So he creates a situation for revelation.

He creates a situation for revelation, which means situations don't just happen. Sometimes he creates them. If he is indeed the author and finisher, this means some things I'm going through,

he authorized it. He signed his name on a dotted line. If you think I'm kidding, ask Job. Okay? So you need faith. And you need it for more than belief you need it for revelation all right here it is sometimes unconsciously we lean on information because we lack the proper revelation of who Jesus really is which

is why you can hear a bomb message on Sunday morning and by Sunday afternoon you forgot it. Because we lean on information that somebody else told us. Simply because we don't have a personal revelation of who he really is. Watch this. Not knowing that revelation is oftentimes found in the contradictions of life, we pray and sit around waiting for God to reveal himself. Okay? Now watch this.

Revelation then is not when I see, but rather when he shows. I'm setting y'all look real nice. Revelation then is not when I see. Revelation is only when he shows and he doesn't show every time I'm trying to see. Has anybody in here ever prayed this prayer, Lord, reveal yourself to me?

And you didn't get what you thought you were going to get? Has anybody in here ever prayed, Lord, make me more patient? And in the next five minutes, somebody is tap dancing on your last nerve? Because it is not when I see, it's when he shows. Let me help you.

If I am praying for patience i can only see when somebody gets on my nerve and i give them grace i don't see that when i'm praying for patience and everybody else is getting on my nerves because i don't see what he's showing. When he's showing me, I'm not always seeing. When I'm always seeing, he's not always showing. Why? Because his thoughts are not mine. Right? For us, we would say, hey, in order to teach me patience, Lord, just keep me away from everybody and just let me kind of, you know, deal with stuff alone. Let me kind of go to my cubicle and go home and just kind of live my little life. And you just give me patience. And God is saying, you cannot expect a revelation with no test. Why are you testing me? I'm testing you to see if you can see what I'm showing.

I'm testing you to see, are you picking up what I'm putting down? Y'all don't like it. Let me get to the good part. Here it is. Now that I know I need faith. It helps me understand why my awareness of him has to be keen. Because faith then is the interest to my revelation. And the revelation then is really an unveiling of another side of who he is.

Okay? We got that? Faith becomes the interest of my revelation and then revelation now is the unveiling concerning the deity of Christ simply because revelation is also tied to identity and in verse 13 a very significant part of the story is set before us at the backdrop to one of the most powerful conversations found in the new testament Jesus now about 25 miles north of the sea of Galilee in a very strange yet familiar place. And before we can get to the meat of what Jesus asked, I got to show you the meat and where he asked. Okay, here it is.

Y'all about to shout like a mother in a minute. Watch this. Watch this. I like it when they quiet. I'm about to hit them. Get them, Lord. Here it is right here. Here it is right here here it is we are now in the region of caesarea philippi it is the epicenter of pagan worship it was a place that worshiped augustus primarily this was a place of political

chaos and oppression this was a place where people had options and widely chose Greek gods as their object of affection. It is also a place known as the gates of the underworld. Caesarea Philippi was also known as the gates of the underworld. Translate underworld, Hades. Y'all still ain't got it? Okay, I'm going to keep going so you can get it. Here it is. So, Jesus could have chose to have this conversation in the temple, but he didn't.

He could have chose to take them on a nice little lunch, but he didn't. He could have chose to take them little lunch, but he didn't. He could have chose to take them to dinner, but he didn't. He chose to take them to the epicenter of pagan worship. He helped myself. Jesus chooses this place to be where he asks his disciples about the rumors that might have been circulating about who he was and so he adds who do men say I am he's asking to understand where does he stand in the world full of options oh I'm about to come right down your row you ain't never

heard this before he's asking because in Caesarea Philippi, he's not the popular option. He knows this, yet still asks them who are close to him, who do they say I am? Okay, here it is. Watch this. He says, who do men say I am? Okay, not what I do because people far from me know what I do it is only those who are close to me you hear me babe who know who I am because we live in a society and and can I just go there?

This whole room is full of people, but everybody in here got activity, not everybody got intimacy. So he's asking in a room full of options, who do men say that I am? He's simply asking, what has the yeast of the Pharisees done to those people's minds? Who do they say I am?

Now watch this. I don't got time. I only got Mike. I only got time. I don't got time. But I need to say this. So they start saying, hey, some says you're one of the prophets. Some say you're Elijah.

Some say you're John the Baptist. He does not give any energy to anything that's not truth. Are y'all ready to shout? Okay, here we go. I'm on the expressway right here. They tell him the rumors. He doesn't give the rumors any of his energy. He says, mm-hmm, that's what I thought. The real question, though, is what about you? And I got to park right up around through here on the what about you. After Jesus deals with the rumors, he does not question or discuss the rumor. He gives no energy to what is not truth.

He then directs the same question to his disciples. Watch this, verse 15. Now he's going from the rumors to checking the validity of their relationship. He says, but what about you? What do you mean? In a region full of options, in a place full of idolatry and idol worship, in a city like Atlanta, who do you say I am? In a world full of perversion, who do you say I am? In a world full of greed, who do you say I am? In a world where divorce rates are high, who do you say I am?

In a world where people are full of themselves, who do you say I am? In a world full of prosperity gospel, who do you say I am? In the world where people are full of themselves, who do you say I am? In the world full of prosperity gospel, who do you say I am? In the world full of self-help gospel, who do you say I am? He's saying, I need to know. I know they don't know, but please tell me you know. And my question today, 2819, is who do you say he is? In a world full of have your cake and eat it too. In a world full of don't call me the wrong thing or I'll counsel you.

In a world full of don't say the wrong thing thing or i'll counsel you in the world full of don't say the wrong thing don't step on my toes in a world full of you got to accommodate me and i got to accommodate you in the world full of everything anti-christ did i just cuss in church because most of us are looking for the anti-christ to just kind of come in here like I'm the Antichrist. The Antichrist is anything that is not like Christ. Right? What you see in Revelation is a symbol. But the meaning behind the symbol is anything that opposes Jesus.

Your boyfriend can be Antichrist. Your relationship can be Antichrist? Your boyfriend can be anti-Christ. Your relationship can be anti-Christ. Your job can be anti-Christ. Yep. Your self-help could be anti-Christ. Your prosperity, it can be. It can be. I'm not saying that it is.

I'm just saying it can be. All right. So, he asked them this question and something amazing happens. I'm almost done. We go from rumors to the relationship. And now here we are at the climax of the conversation. Somebody hears this question and immediately has an answer. Simon Peter jumps up and says, ooh, pick me.

I know who you are. And I can just hear Jesus saying, okay, go ahead, Simon. It's on you. Simon says, it's easy. You're the Messiah. You're the Messiah. Okay, thank you. You're the Messiah you're the Messiah the son of the Living God Jesus is so blown away that he don't say that's good Simon he says whoa flesh and

blood did not reveal that to you. Parenthetically, what he's saying is you didn't get that in no sermon. Parenthetically, what he's saying, oh, you didn't get that in no gathering. You must have been on your safe. And my father saw your hunger and decided to visit you in the quietness of your home and he revealed to you who i really was watch this then he says blessed are you simon son of jonah and i tell you, you are Peter. He calls him Simon.

Then after the revelation, he calls him Peter. I'm going to say it over here. He calls him Simon. Then after this revelation, Jesus calls him Peter. He after this revelation, Jesus calls him Peter. He says, I tell you, you are Peter.

He's telling him that when you get a revelation of me, that's when you know who you really are. I stopped by to tell you, your therapist can't tell you who you are. I stopped by to tell you your therapist can't tell you who you are. I stopped by to tell you your BFF can't tell you who you are. I stopped by to tell you IG is lying to you, boo-boo. That's not who you are. It's not who you have to be.

You don't got to put on for the gram. You ain't got to fake. You ain't got to front. All you got to do is get a revelation of who he is. And when you see him, who he is, he shows you who you are. Right? So he says to him, he says to him, Hey, um, um, you are Peter. And on this rock, I'm gonna build my church. And then he says something that I don't think a lot of people see in the text. He says, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Wait a minute. What is he really talking about? What is he really talking about? Up there in verse 13, the writer says, they're at Caesarea Philippi. I just told you that Caesarea Philippi was also known as the gates of Hades. So he says, upon this rock, I'm going to build my church, and the gates of Hades won't be able to prevail against it. You still don't got it? He waited till you got to Atlanta to ask you a question. Who do you say I am?

In a city full of options, in a city full of idol worship, y'all don't want to mess with me, in a city full of options in a city full of idol worship y'all don't want to mess with me in a city full of everything else going on but me I need to know do you know who I am although you are inundated with all these influences every day now here it is he says upon this rock I'm gonna my church. Not upon Peter the rock. It's upon the rock's revelation that I'm going to build my church. And then he says,

and the gates. What he's really saying though is, you won't be able to swim in Atlanta unless you get a good revelation of who I am he says it is only my God it is only when you get the right revelation of who I am that the gates of hell wherever you are will not be able to prevail against you

that means you can walk in the city with principalities and not be faded. You can walk in the city where options are and you can still choose him. All right? Everybody that's standing, keep standing. I'm getting ready to go home right here. If I could afford to pay for this mic, I'd say this and drop it. But I ain't got it.

So let me just behave myself. Here it is. So he says, I'm going to build my church on this revelation and the gates of hell won't prevail against me. Then he says, then I'm going to give you some keys. Fam, you're not excited? What are you doing, bro? He said he's going to give you keys. Oh, I know why you can't be excited.

You don't have a revelation yet. You only get keys when you get revelation. So this is why some of y'all are trying to break yokes, but you can only bend them. You ain't got the revelation. This is why some of y'all are still stuck in relationships you can't get out of them you ain't got the revelation this is why some of y'all still stuck in relationships you can't get out of you ain't got a revelation this is why some of y'all won't sow won't give won't serve you ain't got a revelation you still think it's about you right can i prove it to you in the scripture he said I'm gonna give you a key and whatever you bound I got you and whatever you lose I got you so if you bind to something that ain't been bound

check your revelation if you lose this stuff that ain't been loose check your revelation all right remain standing all y'all I'm to assume the people who stand in other people who got the revelation. All right. I'm just gonna make that assumption. She was like, let me send her. She said, no, don't, don't make that assumption. Okay. Y'all ready?

Lean in, lean in, lean in. Here y'all. I'll let you go. Hey, this is my last Sunday with y'all. Lean in. Here it is he says whatever you Bind on earth. I'm a bonded in heaven, which means if it's bothering you and you asked me to take it away

I'm gonna take it away. Not just in your lifetime it's different when he does it on earth than when he does it in heaven when it's done in heaven it's forever done and that means what i dealt with you better shout your babies and they babies and they babies and they babies and they babies they ain't got to deal with it because he bound it in heaven okay i think a couple more people got the revelation i'm gonna do this thing so hard that even if they grow up the same place you grew up

they're not going to experience the same thing you experience man where are y'all at whatever you bound on earth I'm going to bind it in heaven then he takes it a step further he said and whatever you bound on earth, I'm going to bind it in heaven. Then he takes it a step further. He said, and whatever you lose, I'm not just going to take stuff away. I'm also going to add.

So if you lose freedom, your kids gonna be free. If you lose debt cancellation, they ain't gotta have no debt. He says, whatever you lose, I'm gonna lose. And when I lose, it's gonna be loosed. Now here it is, y'all. Okay, I'm done. With eight minutes to spare. Here it is.

Out of all that good jumping, running around, sweating in these tight jeans. I did all of that to build up your anticipation to tell you what I really came to tell you. Here's what I really came to tell you. The revelation was cool. But what about the silence of the eleven? Bible starts off by saying he asked his disciples. I asked all of y'all are the other 11.

When he's trying to see who do you say he is, you don't have the revelation of one. Yeah, but what about the silence of all the others? They all were with him. I like you in the back. I like you now. Man, they all were with him. They all saw him do miracles.

They all saw him heal. They all saw him touch. They all saw him deliver. They all saw him touch. They all saw him deliver. They all saw him provide. They all saw him come to the rescue. They all saw him draw crowds. They all saw him go in the rooms. They all saw him change everything around him.

But only one person could answer the question. My prayer for everybody in this room, I would like to think we all Peters, but there is a strong truth and I I'm not condemning you, yo. I'm hyped at the fact that you don't have a revelation. My concern is when you think you do and you don't. Because if you just don't, oh, we can work with that all day. But if you don't and think you do, now I got a battle against your self-allegiance to try to prove to you

that just because he ain't fixed it don't mean he forgot about you. Because the truth of the matter is revelation is also found at the point of your faith. And faith is found in the contradictions of life.

What are you saying? Oh, can I say this? Get to a place of maturity where you say, God, don't take me out. Keep me in until I get the revelation. It hurts, but I ain't got it yet. It sucks, but I ain't got it yet. I'm tired of feeling like this, but I ain't got it yet. Keep me in it until I get the revelation. That's grown folk talk right there. Because I'm tired of cycles cycles are only seasons that I didn't get the revelation

once you get the revelation the season change when you don't get the revelation you repeat a cycle all right I'm done there's a rumor there's a relationship and then there is a revelation of who he is. Not to me. In the earth. Even those who are far from him know he's real. My prayer, digital disciples, everybody under the sound of my voice, please don't leave. I want to pray a prayer over your life because

whether you know it or not, you desperately need a revelation of Jesus. You can't honor your husband without that. You can't treat your wife well without that. Damn, you can't parent without that. You can't be in no relationship, no friendship. You can't go through life without the proper revelation of who he is.

Every head bowed and every eye closed. If you're in this room and you're saying, man, I don't claim to think I got the revelation. I know I don't have it, but I want it. Lift your hands. Thank you for being honest. The beautiful thing I love about 2819 is something that me and my brother, Pastor Phillip, share really close to us.

That is, you don't have to believe first. I just want you to belong. When you belong, I can change what you believe. Because people only believe what they believe because it's the belief of their heart would be enlightened. I pray that the scales on their eyes would fall to the floor. And I pray that their ear gates would be inclined to hear what heaven is saying. For those in the room who do have the revelation, I pray we live our life like we have a revelation of who he really is. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Listen, I got to get out of here, but we're going to prepare our hearts to give. But before we do, I want everybody to listen to me.

I can't leave this place. I wish we was like old school church where they just lock the doors. Y'all, do your boy a favor. Just sit still. Give me five minutes. It is important to me, number one, as a carrier of the gospel,

number two, as a brother to your pastor, that I inform you on a few things here it is number one there is an assault and an assassination attempt on pool pits across America that's number one number two you lucky you have a gangster enough pastor to stand flat-footed and declare the gospel no matter what people say. I'm never nervous when I go preach because I know it's not me. I was nervous when I came here because y'all stream all over the world and I just, I ain't all the way saved and if somebody make a comment on one of my videos I'm trying to find the IP address let me see where you stay see if you still got that same energy but but you have America's pastor

and let me tell y'all something there's no such thing as taking people members right what happens is shepherds lead sheep to greener pastures so if you've been in a pasture but the grass wasn't green all he did was send you to a place where you can eat. Okay, that's number one. But number three, it's a lot of people who don't like that. Oh, it's a lot of people who don't like it. And so, while you don't have to pay for the gospel, your pastor does.

I paid for this message. Paid for it. Couldn't sleep. Tired. Body sore. Flustered this morning. If it wasn't for Ashley doing what she do with them Jesus hugs she give, I was tripping. Because the weight of it is so heavy. So here's, I said I'll let you see this.

This is my church too, like that. Okay. I want you to do me a favor. Take out your phones they're gonna put a graphic up on the screen I want all y'all to do your boy a huge favor the gospel is free

you don't have to pay for it but you serve under a pastor who does. It cost him time with his family, time with his children, time for himself. While they're on vacation, I just thought about this. It would be super dope if his cash app just blew up with people sowing into his life just saying thank you. That's all. That's all.

That's all I'm asking. Above your tithe and your offering, I just want you to consider this is not a mandate. This is only for people who say, man, yeah, I get it. $5, $10. It's a whole lot of y'all. If everybody in here gave $20, they could go on two more vacations. But I want him to see his phone going

crazy and him thinking what is going on and when he calls me because he will call me I'ma say your people just want the love on you today thank you for those who jumped in my DM asking me for my cash app I appreciate you y'all remember that need I said I had last week? It's met. By somebody who just randomly asked me for my cash app. And you don't know what that does for my home. So I want to pray over the offering. I want to pray over the offering. I want to pray over your offering. But with your tithe and your offering,

man, will y'all join me in sowing towards your pastor? Sowing it to them. Who's going to join me? Lift your hands. I don't care if it's $1. Get that cash out. It is dollar sign Philip A. Mitchell. And just send him something. and in that memo say thank you

father we pray for every gift for every tither in the room who lives in the principle of tithing we pray right now lord that you would bless the 10 so much that the 90 will take them over and above I pray right now lord for every gift that's coming in for we understand tithing is not giving it's returning and we thank you for every offering so that this ministry can continue to go around the world and last but not least may this seed we sow into your manservanten him and encourage him in a way he needs the most. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.