Month: May 2021

Reflection on Matthew 16:13-21

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Scripture

“Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Observation

Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about His identity. They report that some are saying He is John the Baptist, others Elijah or one of the prophets.

Jesus then asks them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter says that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus tells Peter that his confession about Jesus was a revelation from the Father, and not the result of human reason. Jesus then says that Peter will now be known, not as Simon, but as Peter- the Rock. Jesus will build the church, and the power of hell will not prevail against it.

Application

Here is the question that we must all answer for ourselves, and it is the question that determines our eternal destiny: “Who do you say i am?”

It is not enough to parrot other people’s opinions- He is Elijah. or a prophet, or a good man or a teacher. It is your confession, your belief, your understanding of Jesus’ identity that determines your salvation.

This is not a question that allows for an intellectual opinion. The answer must come from the heart.

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” This is an all or nothing answer to an all or nothing question. If Jesus is who He says He is, then I have to give Him everything- my life my ambition, my desires.

Alternatively, I give Him noting and continue living for myself.

This was the understanding that I came to when I first had a vision of Jesus in 1976. that revelation from the Father changed everything for me. I had to choose between a salvation that would cost everything or reject the whole christian story as a myth. There was no grey area. There can be no following of God as a part-time hobby.

“Who do you say I am?”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, for you my salvation cost everything. Help me to give back everything in joyful gratitude. Amen.

Ephesians 4:20-21

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:20-21. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:20-21

“You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.”

In verses 17 to 19, Paul describes the depravity of the Gentile unbelievers. living in darkness and ignorance, and therefore slaves to every form of sensuality with a lust for more.

Now Paul says, ”You did not come to Christ that way.” In other words, their knowledge of Christ is the light that broke through their ignorance and changed their thinking and behaviour.

Before we were saved, we may not have had any knowledge or interest in the person of Jesus Christ. His name, the Name above all names, may have just been a meaningless swear word. If we thought about Him in anyway, we might have assumed he was just a person like us.

But, Paul reminds us, Jesus was not a person just like everybody else. He certainly was not a person who lived in the depravity of thinking that Paul has described.

As we get to know Jesus, as we are taught in him, so our understanding of Jesus grows. We see a life lived in simplicity and holiness.

Paul now offers us a choice of two lifestyles – that of the unsaved Gentiles marked by sin and self-direction, or the life of Jesus marked by holiness and God- direction. These two diametrically opposed and cannot be mixed together .

To follow Jesus is not to adopt some kind of religious ideology or theory. Christianity must never be understood as merely a set of dogmas. Following Jesus or being “ in Christ” means that our lifestyle and worldview must undergo radical changes so that we live, speak, and think in a way that is consistent with the way of Christ.

To be “taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” means firstly, a teaching of facts. The historic Creeds were an attempt to describe the basics of what Christians believe.

The facts, by themselves are not enough. We need to remember that we are following a person. This truth that is in Jesus must be seen in the words and actions of Jesus. in particular, we must absorb the reality of his death on the cross. The gospels show this clearly with each one describing incidents from the life of Jesus in the first half, and then moving to detailed descriptions of his trial, death, and resurrection in the second half.

To be a Christian, we must first know who Jesus is and why his death is important for us.

To follow Jesus we must also learn to have an ongoing personal relationship with him. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, given to us when we are born again.

Christianity is about imitating Christ, becoming like the “Son of Man.” To do this, we need both the truth about who Jesus is and a personal connection with Him so that He can direct our daily walk.

Key points in this verse:

  • We did not come to know Jesus as a sinful person, but as the divine Son of God
  • Christianity is more than a set of doctrines
  • We need an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus in order to follow him.

Reflection on Matthew 16:1-12

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Scripture

“Watch out!” Jesus warned. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Observation

Some Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus, demanding that He perform a miraculous sign to prove His authority.

Jesus says, “Only an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign.” Later He warns His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples begin to argue among themselves because they had brought no bread with them. Jesus rebukes them because they have so quickly forgotten about how He had provided food for the crowds. Then they understand that the warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was not about food but about deceptive teaching.

Application

The deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees is all around us still, but we often fail to see it.

The Pharisees were the legalists who took the Law of Moses and made it more extreme. If the Law said, “Do nor work on the Sabbath,” they took that law and defined carefully what actions were allowable and what were not.

They believed that if they were good enough, God would bless them and raise them to eternal life.

There are people in every church who think that they have to prove themselves to God. Just say the prayer the right way, be a good person, and so on. This is the yeast of the Pharisees.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They were the people of unbelief, the “liberal” wing of the Jewish leaders. They believed in maintaining the traditions and co-operating with the pagan Romans.

If you believe that God does not heal people or perform miracles any more, you have the yeast of the Sadducees.

Prayer

Lord please deliver me from all forms of legalism and unbelief. I thank you that you love me, and that by your grace you have saved me. Amen.