Tag: The Christ
The keys of the Kingdom!
Scripture reading for July 20th: Matthew 16
Key Scriptures: Matthew 16:15-22 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered 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 tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ. From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord. This shall never happen to You.””
Peter responded to Jesus’ question for His disciples concerning Who they thought that He was. “Your are the Christ the Son of the living God” was Peter’s response that Jesus attributed to revelation from God the Father. Jesus went on to say that through this revelation, His disciples would receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven. They would obtain authority to unlock doors and shut doors in the spiritual realm on earth. On the “rock” of Peter’s confession, Jesus would build His church, a called out people of faith who would believe on Jesus the Christ by revelation through the Father. As Jesus further shared how His life on earth would end, Peter rebuked Him as He shared about his death and resurrection. Jesus then rebuked Peter and Satan for denying God’s plan for Jesus sacrificial death. We must be careful to listen to Jesus and believe, because we may be listening to another spirit instead–Satan!
Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for revealing Your Son, Jesus, as the Christ to me. I believe in Jesus Christ and want to hear His voice and obey but sometimes allow the flesh and Satan to bring confusion. Forgive me, Father, and help me focus through the Holy Spirit and Your Word on the things of God not the things of men or Satan, the fallen angel.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Faith in the face of death!
Scripture reading for April 19th: John 11, Psalm 79, Proverbs 17
Key Scriptures: John 11:23-27 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord: I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.””
Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother had died and been the tomb for four days. Jesus had purposely delayed coming so that many would believe in Him through the miracle that He would perform by raising him from death. Martha ran to meet Jesus and Jesus quickly assured her that her brother would rise again. Mary confessed faith in God’s Word concerning resurrection in the Old Testament. Jesus went further to state the He alone was the resurrection and the life for all who would believe in Him! This brought a faith confession!
Faith Confession: Jesus, I believe that You are the Christ, Son of God, and the only source of eternal life and truth.
Proverbs 17:3 “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”
The Power of God’s Name
Scripture reading for January 22nd: Exodus 3-6, Matthew 16
Key Scriptures: Exodus 3:13-14 “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” and He said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.”
God and Moses were having a conversation after God had gotten Moses’ attention at the burning bush. God told Moses He heard the prayers of His people and His planned to deliver them from slavery. Moses was concerned that the people would not believe that he had talked with God and sent him to them. God revealed His Name–I AM–to Moses for the people. The Father similarly revealed His Son, Jesus the Christ, to Peter the disciple who was having a conversation with Jesus.
Matthew 16:13-16 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am? Sim Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Prayer: Father, thank You for the revelation of Jesus the Christ, Son of God! Help me to always revere Your Name in attitude, word, and deeds. Amen.
“Who do you say that I am?”
Scripture reading for January 22nd: Matthew 16
“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.” (Matthew 16:1) The religious people of Jesus’ time struggled with the miracles and teaching of Jesus. They were not satisfied with His teaching from Scripture or His miraculous power. They had attributed the power to Beelzebub and now wanted more proof that He was from God. Jesus spoke plainly to them about their ability to discern the weather from looking at the clouds but their failure to believe His miracles! “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Jesus then left them and went away.” (Matthew 16:4)
These leaders had Jesus right in front of them and had seen miracles and heard Him teach with authority. The only sign that would be given them was the sign of Jonah. Jesus spoke of this same sign earlier when He explained that, “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) He spoke of His death, burial and resurrection as a primary sign of who He was: The Son of Man!
Later, Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Knowing who Jesus really is comes from revelation! Revelation comes from a humble and teachable heart that seeks truth. Settle the question in your own heart today! Quit seeking signs and believe the Word of God! Jesus rose from the grave and is alive today!
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Who is He?
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this day of worship and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ! I pray that all is well with your soul and that you are gathering with God’s people to celebrate our Savior and His victory over death, hell, and Satan! Nothing really replaces your physical presence with God’s people. You are needed and important to the function of His Body as they gather together. Each part is vital and completes Christ’s Body as they come together in common purpose.
As I look back on this past week’s readings, one of the key questions that Luke and the other Gospel writers sought to answer was the question of who Jesus was. Jesus, Himself, questioned His disciples about this. (Luke 9:18-21) As Jesus preached to the poor the good news and healed the sick and cast out demons, large crowds gathered to see what might happen and to try to get in on the action. There were many opinions about who Jesus actually was. In Jesus’ home town, He was just the “carpenter’s son”. To the Pharisee’s, He was a renegade teacher who broke their rules and threatened their monopoly on the people’s respect. To some, He was “John the Baptist” come back from the dead. To others, He was “Elijah” after raising the widow’s son in the town of Nain. To others, He was one of the old prophets come back to life.
The key question for Jesus’ disciples from Jesus was, “Who do you say I am?” (Luke 9:20-21) Peter answered immediately, “The Christ of God.” This is a key question for us who live in the last days. Many in the church have varying opinions of who Jesus is. Some think He was a great teacher. Others believe He is one of many ways to come to God. Others think He was just a “spirit”, not a man and certainly not the “Son of God.” The revelation that Jesus is the Christ can come only from God by the Holy Spirit as we open our hearts in faith. (Matthew 16:17) Confirm again today what you believe about Jesus Christ! Confess that with your mouth and your actions by attending public worship!
In His Love, Pastor John