R.C. Sproul

And they responded with the scuttlebutt of the area.

Some say you're a prophet or Elijah or whatever.

Jesus said, that's fine.

Who do you say that I am?

And they again responded somewhat ambiguously.

Well, we're not quite sure, but Simon said,

gave that magnificent confession of faith when he said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And then Jesus turned to Simon and said, Blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah.

He called him by name, didn't he?

Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And you shall be called Petros, Peter.

Because on this Petros, that is, on this rock, the rock of the confession that you've just made, on this foundation,

which is the basic foundation of my whole life and my whole ministry.

On this rock, I will build my church.

And so thereafter, Simon was called Peter.

Probably the most dramatic name change that took place in the Old Testament was

was with Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.

Today, there's a nation in Palestine that is called Israel.

It isn't called Jacob.

It's called Israel as it traces its roots to the 12 sons or the tribes that came out of the loins of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.