What Jesus Did

[Jesus said,] "For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."

—Matthew 16:27-28 NLT

Key Thought​

The story of Jesus doesn't end with the cross. Because his story doesn't end there, neither does the story of his followers. Jesus will return. Everyone will be judged by him. For...

 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"

—Matthew 16:24-26 NLT

Key Thought​

Up is down. Down is up. The high cost is cheap. The cheap cost is high...

 

[After Jesus told the disciples he would be killed,] Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!"
Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."


—Matthew 16:22-23 NLT

Key Thought​

Ouch! In just a few moments, Peter goes from receiving a blessing from Jesus and the...

 

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

—Matthew 16:21 NLT

Key Thought​

As Jesus' disciples, the major points in our lives are a series of transitions strung together with prayer. The quality and impact of our...

 

[After Peter answered that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus] sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

—Matthew 16:20 NLT

Key Thought​

One of the biggest mysteries of the gospels over the years is why, during much of his ministry, Jesus does not want anyone to tell others who he is. Some suggest it is just a psychological ploy to get the people to do just the opposite. Others suggest that he wants to reveal his identity himself and not have it...

 

Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you [that I am the Messiah]. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in...

 

Then [Jesus] asked [his disciples], "But who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."


—Matthew 16:15-16 NLT

Key Thought​

Peter's answer is simple but profound: ""You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Effectively, he was saying, "You are 'The One' God has promised for all these years. This is what I believe!"

Salvation today still hinges on fully relying on Jesus as our Savior. There is no one else on whom...

 

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."


—Matthew 16:13-14 NLT

Key Thought​

As believers, we know who Jesus is in the Gospel of Matthew. He is Immanuel, God with us. He is the Christ. He is Lord. He is Son of God.

Isn't it amazing, however, how people in Jesus' own day tried...

 

Later, after [Jesus and the disciples] crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread.


—Matthew 16:5-7 NLT

Key Thought​

The religious leaders have been THE issue in Jesus' recent encounters with the crowds. They give him a hard time. They test him and try...

 

At this [the disciples] began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, "You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can't you understand that I'm not talking about...