By: Pastor Brad
Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Observation
Peter is making a claim here that sets the tone for the followers of Jesus for the rest of time. By saying Jesus is the Messiah he is admitted that Jesus is the real deal and worth following. Jesus goes on to say that He will build his church and by Peter admitting that Jesus is the Christ he is able to gain access to
the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Application:
Peter’s confession comes with surrender. In my life pride has held me back from accepting what Jesus wanted for me because I thought I knew better or I just didn’t want to listen. But, when I stop and pray and from the inside out declare that Jesus is my Messiah then I am able to surrender myself to Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
My prayer for you is that you are able to take time each day throughout this next week to sit and think about what it means to surrender yourself over to Christ Jesus.