Matthew 16 - Take Up Your Cross!

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26.

Peter's wonderful revelation of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God was somewhat short-lived. As Jesus began sharing His future persecution and death on the cross, Peter used his natural thinking, as all of us would under the circumstances, and was understandably confused. In a moment of pride, Peter turned to Jesus and rebuked Him. Jesus, in turn, spoke back to Peter and rebuked Satan, claiming that he had in mind the things of man and NOT of God.

Satanic thinking always desires righteousness with God based on MAN's WORKS and not on GOD's WORK. God's righteousness comes from Jesus' final and complete work on the cross!

At that moment, Peter was speaking from his natural thinking and not from his newfound spiritual revelation. Because he wasn't yet born again, he had no true revelation of the coming spiritual kingdom, and so Jesus' death and resurrection made no sense to him. The natural mind cannot understand the things of God, because God is spirit and requires spiritual revelation.

The plans of God are always better than anything we could plan for our own natural lives. At the time Peter rebuked Jesus, the cross sounded like the worst plan in the world! But the reality is that it was the BEST plan in the world! It would establish the church and bring forth a multitude of born-again children of God filled with His Holy Spirit!

To be part of this wonderful spiritual kingdom, all of us must lay down our earthly dreams and desires and live the life the Heavenly Father has planned for us. When we "lose our lives" and take up our cross to follow Jesus, we FIND our spiritual lives. The spiritual life is what matters, for it will live on forever!

Matthew 16 - Authority to Bind and Loose

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:15-18.

Jesus begins sharing with His disciples the deeper revelation of who He truly is. While the Pharisees and the multitudes offered possibilities of Him being John the Baptist, Elijah, or even Jeremiah, the Heavenly Father wanted the disciples to know that Jesus was more than the promised Messiah; He is God's son, the very essence of God in the flesh. Revelation knowledge from the Holy Spirit came over Peter and he proclaimed this truth by saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" This is a revelation that does not come from intellect or learning, but by divine revelation from above.

Jesus proclaimed that upon this rock (which is the revelation knowledge of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the living God AND the proclamation of such truth), He would build His church. Don't be fooled into thinking that the church is built on the man Peter, because it is not! It is built on the Savior Jesus! We see this explained by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans 10 - if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead AND you confess Him as Lord, you shall be saved. Revelation and proclamation are the keys to being born again!

The gates of Hell did not, cannot, and never will prevail against Jesus' church. People who are trapped in sin, guilt, and condemnation need deliverance and the church has the authority and power of Jesus Christ to deliver the message and set the captives free. What an awesome privilege and responsibility!

Matthew 11 - No Shades of Gray!

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. Matthew 11: 25-26. 

Chapter 11 reveals a very tough Jesus who upbraids and rebukes the villages in Israel who saw His miracles, yet refused to believe. He pointed the finger in judgment and claimed that some of the surrounding, evil cities like Sodom would've repented long ago had they seen the signs and wonders that Israel had seen. He even insinuated that those wicked cities would fare much better on the day of judgment.

Can you imagine the Savior speaking such words? But He did. He was very serious about belief, and He still is today. Israel was harshly judged in 70AD and the temple system and the city came literally and figuratively crashing down. Jesus wants all men to come to Him and believe. We are to follow where the evidence leads and believe what truth reveals. The Gospels clearly show that Jesus is Messiah!

Fortunately, since the cross and resurrection, we who have been born again IN Him are not subject to judgment, since He took our sin away when He died on Calvary's hill. That is very good news. We have to come to Him like a little child, trusting in His word, and then a fuller revelation of what all that entails comes as we walk out our faith.

That is exactly what happened to the disciples. When Jesus sent them out to minister, they marveled that they, too, had authority over demons in His name. He rejoiced to the Father that this wonderful revelation of the power of Messiah had been revealed to little children.

Wise, learned theologians try to understand the things of the heavenly father and the Holy Spirit, but they will always come away looking like fools. The truly wise will receive in faith, trusting as a child.

Colossians 2 - Completeness IN Him

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:9-10

Join us as we continue to look at the Apostle Paul's words to the Colossian church.

Just like today, there was much false teaching in the first century church that tarnished the pure Gospel of Grace given by the Lord Jesus Christ to Paul. As a result, he was vigilant in encouraging the believers to hold fast to the sound doctrine and truth that they had originally heard and come to believe. Most of us Christians know that this takes diligence and discipline, especially when surrounded by negative circumstances and negative people!

Paul tells us that Christ is the fullness of the Godhead bodily AND that we are complete IN Him! Just meditate on that a while and let it change you from the inside out! This takes spiritual eyes and ears to fathom!

There are so many more wonderful truths shared in this magnificent letter. Read it and be blessed!

God's Protection in Troubled Times

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalms 91:14-16.

All of Psalms 91 has been a comfort to me and my family over the years. There are many verses in this Psalms that I love, but lately, I have been drawn to the last two, especially during this day and times when wars and rumors of wars abound. As we remember 9/11 and the tragedies from the past, we are reminded by our president and the nations that future tragedies await the world. We even know this truth from reading Bible prophecy. And why is this part of the earth's future? Because the millennial/Messianic age is fast approaching, and the Lord is getting "His house in order," so to speak. Basically, a determination of who really believes and who doesn't is about to take place. Many of us don't truly know our own hearts or our strengths and weaknesses until they've been put to the test. When heat and the pressure of fear, pain, and worry come, we will either fall away and be consumed or we will bear up and believe God's promises in His Word, speaking them out of our mouths until we see manifestation. In these situations, our faith is growing and becoming strong. The Lord knows our heart, but sometimes it is good for us to see it for ourselves.

America, this time has come upon all of us. Church, now is the time to believe - truly believe and have no doubts - regarding the Holy Scriptures and what the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Abba has promised us in His Word. Claim the promises - they are yours! Lottery winners claim their prizes, employees claim their salaries, bonuses, and stock options, heirs and widows claim their inheritance. If all that is true (and it is), then Christian, claim what the Lord has given you through His death and resurrection! Don't let the enemy talk you out of what is yours! God has given you the blessing of Abraham which includes His Holy Spirit! Galatians 3:14. And what is the blessing of Abraham? It is God Himself. He is our shield, our exceeding great reward! Genesis 15:1. Selah! Think upon that!

If God be for us, then who can be against us? Romans 8:31.  Many of us believers will see great things done by the Lord in these last days, and it will be exciting! We will be a part of it all, and that will be a thrill! But some will not. Some will shrink back in fear and will not have the joy and pleasure of fulfilling their assignments and taking part in this last great ingathering of souls! If you are reading this, then don't shrink back in fear. Meditate on how much you are loved and fear will dissipate, for perfect love casts out fear! 1 John 4:18.

We have protection in the name of Jesus, deliverance, favor, blessings, and a long, satisfactory life in this Church Age. And then when He returns, the best that God has to offer will be waiting for us! What a glorious day that will be!