Declared by Many
February 14th spells LOVE. Father, in all things many our love for you and one another grow stronger…In Jesus name. Amen.
Please stand for the reading of God’s Word found in Matthew 16:13-28 (NLT).
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”*
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,* the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit* on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
20 Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From then on Jesus* began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him* for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?* Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus takes his 12 disciples to a remote place north of the Sea of Galilee in what I believe today is Syria to ask them a question. Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?”
Rick Stewart the minister of Southeast Christian Church in Salt Lake City Utah lives among a people group that largely has a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. Many in this State have already determined in their minds who Jesus is and for the majority of these people their definition of Jesus is not the same as God’s, Peter’s, and Mary’s.
God’s view of Jesus …Matthew 3:13-17 (NLT)
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Peter’s view of Jesus…Matthew 16:16 (NLT)
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,* the Son of the living God.”
Martha’s view of Jesus …John 11:27 (NLT)
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”
Furthermore, what has Jesus said about himself?
What Jesus has said about himself…Matthew 11:4-6 (NLT)
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.*’ ”
“Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?”
HOW DO I LIVE FOR JESUS?
I believe that our identification of Christ determines how we choose to live. Take for example the following verse.
Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
This means not only confessing but also living a life that represents Jesus as Lord.
Yes, I believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God and I choose to daily live for him!
When was my 1st confession of Christ? 1979 on “Mother’s Day” @Countryside Christian Church and then later when I became a man after September 11, 1992 @ Waioli …now North Shore Christian Church.
I continue to stumble and fall this is why I am thankful for Christ’ grace and mercy!
When was your 1st confession? And have you decided? As the old hymn goes, “I have decided to follow Jesus.”
God (John 17:11) and his church will help you live for Christ both now and for eternity.
I have recently gotten back from studying at Fuller Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs …tough I know. J What we were studying was how to live for God more fully. There is a song that I would like to play “You Said” by Hillsong http://s0.ilike.com/play#Hillsong:You Said:1554160:s4308921.8118707.5007123.0.1.58,std_90ba63e833fc7d277fac6fdc917dfac3
and then I will have some final words of application.
After Jesus gave the announcement of his death and resurrection Peter then took Jesus aside to rebuke him. However what did Christ say?
Matthew 16:23 (NLT)
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
To me Peter like most of us have the mind of man rather than the mind of Christ. Having the mind of man means … wealth, pleasure, and reputation are foremost in our lives.
These must be surrendered! Has not Christ laid them down for us?
Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)
6 Though he was God,*
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges*;
he took the humble position of a slave*
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,*
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
For the purpose of seeking God with all my heart I have decided to take that next step. And in so doing I will be leaving Arcadia Christian Church.
Friends and I do mean friends I leave you with these words.
Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT)
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!