A Look at Matthew 16 The Bible Speaks to our Condition

Introduction Mt 16 focuses on a pivotal point in the life of Christ His opposition is becoming more aggressive Personal questions provoke recognition and confession he is Messiah He speaks of the establishment of His Church and its undying nature He begins to speak openly about His death and resurrection which is a fulfillment of OT prophecy The chapter concludes with a declaration concerning His ultimate glory

Our Motives are Highly Important (vs 1-4) Those who came testing the Lord with selfish and malicious motives did not receive favorable response to their questions This should help us recognize if we are to enter into a conversation with God, we must do so an open mind and heart ready to do His will

God Provides us all we Need (vs 5-8) As Jesus warned the His disciples of the erroneous teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He reminded them of the manner in which God provides for our material needs He reminded them of how provisions had been made for the multitudes and then asked how many baskets were left God provides us with all we need (Not necessarily what we want) When we ask God for the right things, He gives in abundance Jam 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

God’s Divine Truth = Revealed Truth (vs 13-17) The real truth about God and His will cannot be discovered without the aid of the revelation of His Word This truth is revealed to those who desire to study His Word and know more of His will and act upon it 1 Cor 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Peter clearly desired a deeper understanding of the nature and purpose of Jesus God opened Peter’s mind to show him the truth that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, the Son of God in human flesh One of the greatest gifts we can receive is searching the scriptures and allowing God open our hearts and minds to His will

Jesus Predicts His Death & Peter’s faulty Thinking (vs 21-23) Peter could speak a word of warning to all of us from these verses Just a moment ago he had shown he was open to the truth and revelation from God Now he has fallen back into his own reasoning concerning what the purpose of God’s plan should be concerning Christ If the thoughts of humans and the thoughts of Satan could enter the mind of the apostle Peter, we need to be alert to this danger as well We must never make the fatal assumption that because we are right in one thing, this guarantees we will be right about all other things If Satan could infiltrate the mind of Peter, he can infiltrate our live as well and cause us to think thoughts that are erroneous and harmful

Take up Your Cross and Follow Him and Receive Profits that do not Evaporate (vs24-28) Christ extended an invitation for His disciples to follow Him in a life of faith and faithfulness Christ warns against living a life of selfishness which produces profits that perish Christ encourages us to find abundant life by losing our life in service to God and others Christ encourages us to take the at look at the long-term and live with the ultimate values of an eternal kingdom foremost in our minds and actions

Conclusion We must all continue to search out heats and motives We need to trust God to provide adequately for us throughout the day Let us all open our minds to and wills to receive His divine truth and avoid the false ways which lead to disappointment As we consider this lesson let us ask ourselves, “What can we do to glorify Him today?”