What Jesus Did

"The Son of Man will come again with his Father's glory and with his angels. At that time, the Son of Man will reward each person for the things he has done. I tell you the truth. There are some people standing here that will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom before they die."

—Matthew 16:27-28

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...

 

Then Jesus said to his followers, "If any person wants to follow me, he must say 'No' to the things he wants. That person must accept the cross (suffering) that is given to him, and he must follow me. The person that wants to save his life will lose it. And every person that gives his life for me will save it. It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul. A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul."

—Matthew 16:24-26

Key Thought
Up is down...

 

Peter spoke to Jesus alone. Peter began to criticize Jesus. Peter said, "God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!" Then Jesus said to Peter, "Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don't care about the things of God. You only care about things that people think are important."

—Matthew 16:22-23

Key Thought
Ouch! In just a few moments, Peter goes from a blessing from Jesus and the affirmation of his inspiration from God himself to being...

 

From that time Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem. Jesus explained that the older Jewish leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. And Jesus told his followers that he must be killed. Then, on the third day, he would be raised from death.

—Matthew 16:21

Key Thought
As Jesus' disciples, our lives are a series of transitions strung together with prayer. The quality and impact of our lives is dependent upon...

 

Then Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

—Matthew 16:20

Key Thought
One of the biggest mysteries of the Gospels over the years is why Jesus did not want anyone to tell others who he was. Some suggest it was just a psychological ploy to get the people to do just the opposite. Others suggest that he wanted to reveal his identity himself and not have it distorted by well-meaning but ill-informed people.
It seems to me that Jesus didn't want the people...

 

Jesus answered, "You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah. No person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. So I tell you, you are Peter. And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. When you speak judgment here on earth, that judgment will be God's judgment. When you promise forgiveness here on earth, that forgiveness will be God's forgiveness."

—Matthew 16:17-19

Key...

 

Then Jesus said to his followers, "And who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

—Matthew 16:15-16

Key Thought
Peter's answer is simple but profound. "You are God's Son, the promised Messiah. 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 it can depend. The central issue in our lives then becomes whether...

 

Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. Jesus said to his followers, "I am the Son of Man. Who do the people say I am?" The followers answered, "Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Other people say you are Elijah. And some people say that you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

—Matthew 16:13-14

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...

 

Jesus knew that the followers were talking about this. So Jesus asked them, "Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. You still don't understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the 5,000 people? And remember that you filled many baskets {with bread after the people finished eating}? And remember the seven loaves of bread that fed the 4,000 people? Remember that you filled many baskets {with bread after the people finished eating}? So I was not talking to...

 

Jesus and his followers went across the lake (Lake Galilee). But the followers forgot to bring bread. Jesus said to the followers, "Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." The followers discussed the meaning of this. They said, "Did Jesus say this because we forgot to bring bread?"

—Matthew 16:5-7

Key Thought
Sometimes I just don't understand how Jesus put up with them. The religious leaders were THE issue in his recent encounters with the crowds...