Explore the interaction between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 16:21-28, emphasizing the importance of aligning our desires with God's will and understanding the depth of Jesus' sacrifice.
Good morning, family of God. Today, we're gonna dive headfirst into a powerful exchange between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 16:21-28. This passage is packed with meaning, showcasing both Peter's rebuke of Jesus and Jesus revealing His divine plan. Throughout it all, we'll uncover the deep significance of this interaction.
As we delve into this, I am reminded of a quote by A.W. Tozer. He once said, "Outside of the will of God, there is nothing I want. And in the will of God, there is nothing I fear." This quote embodies the essence of what we will be exploring today.
Let's read our passage:
"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.' Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.'" (Matthew 16:21-28 NIV)
Let us pray.
Father God, as we dive into your word today, open our hearts to receive the wisdom and understanding You have for us. Help us to grasp the depth of this passage, to see the love and sacrifice of Jesus, and to learn from Peter's experience. May your words guide us, and may we always seek your will in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now let's get to it.
Peter's rebuke of Jesus is a significant moment in the New Testament, one that offers a lesson about the human tendency to resist God's will when it doesn't align with our own expectations or desires. Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, had just confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Yet, when Jesus began to reveal His divine plan - a plan that involved suffering, death, and resurrection - Peter's response was to rebuke Him.
Indicative of Peter's human perspective: He had a perspective that was limited and unable to grasp the full scope of God's plan. Peter, like many of us, was looking at the situation from a worldly viewpoint. He saw Jesus as the Messiah, the one who would deliver Israel from Roman oppression. The idea of a suffering and dying Messiah didn't fit into his expectations. His rebuke was an attempt to protect Jesus, to prevent the unthinkable from happening. But in doing so, he was resisting God's will.
A lack of understanding about the nature of Jesus' mission: He had yet to comprehend that Jesus' kingdom was not of this world, that His mission was not about political liberation but spiritual salvation. Jesus had come to conquer sin and death, not Rome. His path to victory involved the cross, a path that Peter was not yet ready to accept.
The danger of letting our human concerns/desires hinder God's work: Jesus' response to Peter was sharp and direct, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Jesus recognized that Peter's resistance was not merely a personal misunderstanding but a spiritual attack, an attempt by Satan to divert Him from His divine mission.
In our lives: We too can become stumbling blocks when we allow our human concerns to override God's will. We may resist God's plan because it involves suffering, sacrifice, or stepping out of our comfort zones. We may try to impose our own expectations on God, expecting Him to act according to our desires. But when we do this, we are acting like Peter, rebuking Jesus instead of submitting to His will.
A reminder of our need to surrender our desires/expectations to God: It's a call to shift our perspective from a worldly viewpoint to a heavenly one, to seek God's will above our own. It's a challenge to trust in God's plan, even when it involves suffering and sacrifice, even when it doesn't align with our expectations.
In this passage, we witness a pivotal moment in the ministry of Jesus Christ as He begins to reveal His divine plan to His disciples ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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