Matthew 16:13-18 - The History of Redemption / Matthew 16:13–18 / Matthew 28:18-20 / Acts

This week is indeed a momentous week for us. It is a moment that we will look back on in history and recognize as the culmination of what God began some years ago. When you walked in, you probably received one of our vision brochures. If you will just grab that, place it under your Bible, and turn with me to Matthew 16. I want to give you a head start because we are going to dive straight into the text.

As you are turning there, I want to extend a special welcome to those joining us live, to those at our Fig Garden campus, those watching online, and those in one of our church plants throughout the valley who are in this series with us.

The Grand Arc of Redemption

While you are flipping to Matthew 16, let us get a running start. The Bible begins, of course, with: “In the beginning, God created.” It begins with Him. He shapes mankind in His image; He handcrafts us. And the Bible, by and large, is a sixty-six-book overview of the passion of an almighty, sovereign, loving God in pursuit of His creation. It is a creation that, as early as Genesis 3, chose to pursue its own devices rather than submit to God, bringing sin into the world. All throughout the Old Testament—whether through the patriarchs, the law, the kings, or the prophets—we see the exact same story: mankind’s rebellion and failure to live in obedience to God, and God in His marvelous grace pursuing us despite ourselves.

As you come to the end of the Old Testament, if you have ever read through it, it feels frustrating because there are very few ultimate answers. In the book of Malachi, the Old Testament closes with God essentially saying, “One is coming who will finally remedy sin. For thousands of years, you have operated under a system of atonement that covered sin, but never dealt with its root issue. But I am going to send One who will.”

Then comes four hundred years of silence.

Four centuries of waiting for the Promised One. And then, in the New Testament, Jesus steps onto the scene—full deity clothed in humanity, living among us, the Redeemer finally present. In Jesus, we find the absolute affirmation of orthodox Christian belief: fully human and fully divine, two natures in one person, without confusion, without division, without change, and without separation. The author of Hebrews tells us that He was made like us in all things, yet was without sin.

When Jesus began to teach, His teaching drew the immediate ire of the religious leaders. He did not name-drop His university, His professor, or the latest books He was reading. He taught with an innate authority given to Him by the Father. The religious establishment could not comprehend that, because every other teacher simply quoted their favorite rabbi. But Jesus spoke with direct authority. He even went so far as to say, “You have heard it said, but I say to you.”

Not only did He teach with authority, but He raised the bar for everyone listening. Along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He came upon some high school dropouts fishing with their dad and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” It is fascinating that these young men were on the job site with their father, and when Jesus invited them to drop their nets and follow Him, their dad let them go. It makes you wonder what the fathers recognized about Jesus, and the incredible privilege being offered to young men who had washed out of the traditional school system.

Jesus called specific disciples, but He also extended an inclusive, generous invitation to the multitudes: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” The concept of a disciple—a talmid—did not merely mean a student or a learner. That is an oversimplification. A disciple certainly learned what the rabbi knew, but more importantly, a disciple lived as the rabbi lived. Jesus called people out from where they were so that they would pursue Him, know what He knew, and live how He lived.

Those who answered that call were the church. In the Greek, the word is ekklesia, formed from ek (“out from”) and kaleo (“to call”). Jesus began calling out a people from the world to live in passionate pursuit of Him—calling tax collectors, fishermen, prostitutes, and business leaders out of their old lives to walk in His footsteps.

The Rock and the Unstoppable Church

That brings us to Matthew 16. In verse 13, Jesus takes His disciples on a very interesting road trip. Geographically speaking, He takes them three days into the middle of nowhere. North of the Sea of Galilee, there was nothing Jewish believers would ever want to see. He brings them to Caesarea Philippi, one of the most thoroughly pagan places in the region, known for grotesque, idolatrous worship. It was the ancient equivalent of Vegas gone horribly wrong.

For three days, the disciples must have wondered, Why on earth are we walking north? Jesus brings them to this pagan backdrop to ask one foundational question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They answer with the popular opinions of the day: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” They are grasping for categories.

Then Jesus makes it personal: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter, in typical Type-A, ready-fire-aim fashion, steps up and nails it: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus responds, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not overpower it.”

Matthew 16:13-18 (NASB)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some [say] John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ’Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal [this] to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ’I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

There is a great deal of confusion about this passage. Some assume Peter is the foundation of the church. But Peter is not the head of the church; Jesus is the head, the cornerstone, and the rock. Jesus is declaring that He will build His ekklesia upon the rock of the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Notice His promise: The gates of hell will not overpower it. Gates are defensive structures, not offensive weapons. Nobody gets arrested for carrying a concealed gate or for assault with a deadly gate! Jesus is saying, “I will build My church on the reality of who I am, and the gates of hell will not withstand the onslaught of God’s people storming dark places to let their light shine.”

How easily we have missed this. Too often, we treat church not as an invading force tearing down the gates of hell, but as an attempt to build a comfortable Camelot to keep hell out. That is not a New Testament church. A New Testament church is called to be light in the darkest corners.

The Mandate: Making Disciples Everywhere

Jesus accomplished His earthly work. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose triumphantly from the grave. Following His resurrection, He gathered His followers together on a mountain in Galilee.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him, and then He commissions us. The main imperative in the Great Commission is not actually “go”—it is make disciples. As you are going, wherever life takes you, make disciples. Teach people to know what the Rabbi knows and to live as the Rabbi lived. The movement of the church was designed to accelerate after His departure.

In Acts 1, the disciples watch the risen Lord and assume He is about to overthrow Rome and set up an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem. They ask, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus redirects them. He tells them it is not for them to know the times or epochs, but promises that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. And when that happens, they will be His witnesses—His martys, from which we get our word martyr—in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.

Acts 1:8 (NASB)

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit falls in power. Peter preaches, and three thousand people come to faith in a single day. The very first local church started with three thousand people—it was born as a megachurch! Look at how this community lived.

Acts 2:42-47 (NASB)

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they [began] selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. They were marked by radical generosity, sharing with anyone in need, breaking bread from house to house with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The Gospel Crosses Every Boundary

That is a beautiful picture of the church: Bible-loving, Jesus-exalting, prayerful, humble, and fiercely evangelistic. But they had one initial shortcoming: they stayed comfortable in Jerusalem through the first seven chapters of Acts.

Then, in Acts 8, persecution breaks out following the martyrdom of Stephen.

Acts 8:1 (NASB)

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Saul is ravaging the church, dragging believers off to prison. Yet as believers scatter, the gospel explodes into Judea and Samaria. By Acts 8:25, disciples are preaching Christ to the Samaritans. The gospel begins vaulting over racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic barriers because ordinary believers are faithfully proclaiming Jesus.

In Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus encounters the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. After spending time in Arabia searching the Scriptures to see how everything points to Jesus, Paul returns to his hometown of Tarsus. Meanwhile, down the road in Syrian Antioch, something unprecedented happens.

Acts 11:19-26 (NASB)

So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and [began] speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and [began] to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain [true] to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Believers scattered by persecution travel to Antioch. Some men from Cyprus and Cyrene arrive and think, Why should we only preach to Jewish people? Look at these Greeks—they need Jesus too! They begin preaching the Lord Jesus to the Gentiles, and a massive number turn to the Lord.

Jerusalem hears about this revival and sends Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas arrives, sees the grace of God, and rejoices. Knowing his own gifts, he travels to Tarsus, finds Paul, and brings him to Antioch. For an entire year, they teach the scriptures. The disciples are formed so deeply into the likeness of Jesus that Antioch becomes the place where believers are first called Christians—“little Christs.”

Look at what happens next in Acts 13. They do not say, “Look at this incredible church we have built. Let us construct a fortress, stay right here, and put a massive cross on the roof so the world knows where to find us.” Look at what the Spirit says while they are worshipping and fasting.

Acts 13:1-3 (NASB)

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was [there], prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

The Holy Spirit says, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” They lay hands on them and send them out. God says, “Do not settle here. Asia Minor needs Jesus. Macedonia, Greece, and Rome need Jesus. Go!”

Paul embarks on missionary journeys across the ancient world. In city after city—Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, Athens, and ultimately Rome—the gospel turns the world upside down. It was never meant to be a static institution or a defensive shelter. The church was an unstoppable revolution of the heart, setting loose a wildfire of grace that transformed entire cultures.

Continuing the Story in Our Valley

By the end of the Book of Acts, the gospel has reached the center of the Roman Empire. Over centuries, that same message traveled across oceans and continents until someone brought the good news of Jesus Christ right here into the San Joaquin Valley. Churches were planted, believers gathered, and neighborhoods were touched.

On February 10, 2002, a group of about forty college students asked a simple question: “What if we started a church that served as a home for the broken?” They looked at John 4, where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well—a woman whose life was profoundly broken—and extends truth, mercy, and living water.

John 4:1-30 (NASB)

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, ’If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ She said to Him, ’Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? ‘You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.’ He said to her, ‘Go, call your husband and come here.’ The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ’You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.’ The woman said to Him, ’Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. ‘Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you [people] say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ’Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ’You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ’But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. ‘God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am [He].’ At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why do You speak with her?’ So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I [have] done; this is not the Christ, is it?’ They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

They asked, “Can we build a church that shows relentless love and grace to broken people, while calling them into the life-transforming truth of the gospel?” And The Well Community Church was born.

For five years, we rented from the German Evangelical Free Lutheran Cross Church at Palm and Gettysburg. We had a ton of fun and no budget. When the North Campus facility became available, we needed a million dollars to secure it. God provided an outside donor who said, “You are reaching young people and college students, and I want to get behind that.” He wrote a million-dollar check. We moved in and grew by a thousand people in three weeks.

Over the past sixteen years, God has done the miraculous in our midst. Today, we are seeing unprecedented growth in our children’s ministry. Hundreds of students are packing out our youth gatherings. Our marriage ministry has waiting lists stretching multiple semesters out. We are privileged to have deep kingdom influence across our city, and adult attendance continues to climb.

That leaves us with a great challenge: we have completely run out of room. We have life groups meeting in broom closets on Monday nights. We run six gatherings every weekend at North Campus, wearing that facility thin. We have reached a crossroads where we must make room for the next generation.

The Vision of Cultivate

For months, our leadership has been praying, researching, and planning. We are entering into a three-year journey we call Cultivate, designed around one overarching mission: to strengthen this generation and grow the next into a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus.

Psalms 71:17-18 (NASB)

O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when [I am] old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to [this] generation, Your power to all who are to come.

Cultivate is built around three specific goals over the next three years:

1. First Fruits ($500,000 Kingdom Investment): As a demonstration of gospel generosity, we want to take the first $500,000 raised and reinvest it directly into kingdom, gospel-centered initiatives across Fresno and Clovis—supporting local leaders and ministries that are bringing spiritual and social renewal to our community. If only $500,000 came in, that is where every penny would go.
2. Renovation of Fig Garden Campus: Our historic Fig Garden campus possesses rich roots, beautiful stained glass, and deep community equity. However, built in the 1960s, its kids’ facilities are constrained. We plan to add 7,000 square feet of renovated kids and student space to serve the thousands of families walking distance from that campus, creating vital space for our English-speaking student ministries and our rapidly growing Spanish-speaking ministry, La Fuente.
3. Relocation of North Campus: After searching extensively for property, God opened an extraordinary door at the Smittcamp property on Clovis Avenue and Nees—a 50-acre site strategically situated where 26,000 young people live within a two-mile radius. Our goal is not to build an isolated monument used only on Sunday mornings, but a vibrant ministry hub that actively serves our region throughout the week.

This is not about building buildings; it is about cultivating faithfulness. It is about preparing room for the tens of thousands of souls God desires to reach.

Our Next Steps Together

To move forward together, we are establishing several crucial rhythms:

• A Season of Prayer: Prayer is the engine room of Cultivate. In your brochure, you will find a weekly prayer guide and details on upcoming prayer walks at both the Fig Garden campus and the new Smittcamp property. I encourage you to place this reminder on your refrigerator or desk and pray diligently.
• Vision and Backyard Gatherings: Over the coming weeks, we will host backyard and campus vision events to share detailed renderings, timelines, and stories of what God is doing.
• Leader Commitments (October 12): Our leaders will go first. My wife and I, along with our leadership team, will make our financial commitments first because we will never ask our church family to sacrifice in ways we have not modeled ourselves.
• Celebration Sunday (October 21): We will gather as one combined church family at the Fresno State Red Lot for an outdoor worship service and celebration, bringing our three-year commitment cards and initial first-fruits offerings.

This initiative is not about equal giving; it is about equal sacrifice. Whether your capacity is large or modest, we are asking every person who calls The Well home to seek the Lord and ask, What does faithfulness look like for me?

Remembering Christ at the Table

As we close our time, we turn our attention from what we are called to build to the finished work of Jesus Christ.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of Me.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NASB)

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way [He took] the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink [it], in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are invited to come to the tables, take the bread, dip it in the cup, and remember His sacrifice on your behalf. If you have not yet trusted Christ, we invite you to simply observe and consider His extraordinary love for you.

As we take communion together, let us remember that our mission has not changed. The methods may adapt, our facilities may expand, but our heartbeat remains the same: we are disciples called out of darkness to proclaim the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ to every neighborhood in our city.

Let us pray.

Father, we thank You for Your faithful hand upon our church. Thank You for calling us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. As we remember the body and blood of Christ, anchor our hearts in Your grace. Give us courage to step out in faith, generosity, and obedience so that generations to come might know Your power and Your salvation. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.