Saturday, September 01, 2018

2018.09.01 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 16:18-28

Questions for Littles: What name does Jesus give Simon (v18)? What does Jesus say He will build upon the rock of Peter’s confession? What won’t prevail against the church? What will Jesus give to Peter (v19)? What will have been bound in heaven? What will have been loosed in heaven? What were the disciples not supposed to tell yet (v20)? What did Jesus begin to show the disciples about Himself in v21? How did Peter respond (v22)? Now what does Jesus call Peter in v23? Of what is Peter not being mindful? Of what is he being mindful instead? What does Jesus say we must take up in order to follow Him (v24)? What will happen to the one who desires to save his life (v25)? What will happen to the one who gives his whole life up to Christ? Suppose that, by living for yourself, you could gain the whole world—what does v26 say about whether or not that’s worth it? According to what will we be rewarded on the last day (v27)? What did Jesus say some of those standing there would see before they tasted death (v28)?
From the Scripture for this week’s sermon, we learned what Moses and Elijah already knew, and what Peter, James, and John would find out—that the eternal glory of Christ, and the privilege of knowing and enjoying Him in that glory… that these things are worth infinitely more than anything and everything that this world has to offer us.

We easily forget this. Peter takes four verses to go from being commended as the one whose confession of Christ is exactly the foundation upon which Christ will build His church to the one whose counsel to Christ comes from the very pit of Hell.

Let that get through our thick skulls and cold hearts: the temptation to live for comfort comes from the pit of Hell.

Just as Jesus insisted that He would go to the cross to pay for our sins, so also He insists that in order to follow Him, we would take up the cross of our own. We must do works that correspond to reward for which we hope.

That is to say: the days of living for myself are done, and from here on, I will live only for Christ. That old way is crucified. Now, I live only by faith. Jesus’s way by Jesus’s life. Who cares what I might miss out on in this life? I shall have, instead, not only the wellbeing of my eternal soul, but its immeasurable pleasure in His unimaginable glory!
In what part of your life is obedience to Jesus most uncomfortable?
Suggested Songs: ARP32B “Instruction I Will Give to You” or TPH541 “The Son of God Goes Forth to War”

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