Matthew 16: Turning Point (6)
Pray Psalm 5.11, 12.
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Sing Psalm 5.11, 12.
Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised
Let those rejoice who seek You and shelter ’neath Your wing.
Their tongues shall rise to speak to Your praise; Your grace they sing.
Your people You will bless, LORD, all those who to You yield.
Preserve them with Your best Word, and guard them like a shield.
Read Matthew 16.1-28; meditate on verses 24-28.
Prepare.
1. What did Jesus say about how to find life?
2. What did He say about the Kingdom?
Meditate.
In the light of Peter’s confession and blunder, Jesus lays all His cards on the table: The way to life is through the cross, and there’s a cross for everyone who intends to follow Jesus (v. 24).
Not necessarily a literal cross, but the cross as a symbol of self-denial, willingness to suffer, love for God and neighbor, and resolute faith. Jesus suffered before He entered the joy that was set down before Him (Heb. 12.1, 2). Why should we think it would be any different for us? The greatest barrier between us and the joy of God in Christ is not the suffering we may have to endure in following Jesus. It’s the allure of the world (v. 26), the mocking voice that says suffering is for suckers and simpletons; life is for the taking.
The world looks so bright and attractive, but it is a dark and devouring snare; and the more we dabble in it—the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life—the more we are transformed into its image.
When Jesus comes again, all our works will be revealed (v. 27); and if we have loved the world more than our cross, that will be made known, and we will be exposed for the hypocrites we have been. We must stop trying to save our lives by grabbing for all the worldly gusto we can get. Instead, we must deny the world and its charms, take upon us the calling Jesus has appointed to us, and follow Him in righteousness, peace, joy, and service in the Holy Spirit.
Verse 28 is most important: It tells us that the Kingdom of God came within the lifetimes of those who heard Jesus. It came in the Son of Man, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, precisely as Daniel had predicted (Dan. 7.13-18). And it came with crosses to distribute all around.
Have you taken up yours?
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus said this to His disciples—to us—that to truly honor and glorify Him, you must:
1. Deny yourself.
2. Pick up your own cross daily.
3. Follow Me (Matt. 16.24).
And yes, many people suffer at the hands of cruel rulers—governmentally or nationally.
Others from godless dictators and doctrines. Still others from the devouring snares of the flesh.
But others carry a silent cross within their own homes or churches.
Crosses borne in the most unlikely places, and perhaps remaining forever unspoken.
These crosses are equally as devastating (sometimes more so) because they are unseen and unshared.
Often carried alone for a lifetime.
But God sees, He knows, and He cares—
and desires that theses crosses too, be carried with grace and diligence daily.
“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14.12).
“And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3.23).
Nothing is of more value than the condition now, and the future placement of our soul.
As Jesus warned: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16.26). Nothing.
So, the cross that we carry, regardless of its nature, can be borne through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If God demands it, He most surely will give us the power to do it.
And difficult as they may be, He promises that these crosses, although not good in and of themselves,
will enable us to reach for, and endure, until the end of our sanctification is reached.
“And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” (Rom. 8.28).
Which is the end-goal of every cross.
“Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living, and
does not allow our feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested us:
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment” (Ps. 66.8-12).
This truly is the Way to Life—the only life that really matters—here and now, and there and then.
And gloriously, one day, we will lay down these crosses—soul intact—to see the Son of God,
our Savior, “in His Kingdom” (Matt. 16.28). Ahh. Bliss.
“And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4.17, 18).
Reflect.
1. How would you define the “cross” Jesus has given you to bear?
2. What is involved in your bearing that cross?
3. How does you bearing your cross help to ensure that the grace of Jesus spreads to more and more people (2 Cor. 4.15)?
He taught that they should deny themselves for the sake of themselves—that is, they should not wish to be that which they had once begun to be. These things which are held close are accompanied by the enticements of gratifying joy, but they may lead to a wavering and uncertain hope. Therefore it was necessary by the authority of a real and manifest example that He teach them of the loss of present things and place these in the context of future gains. Hilary of Poitiers (315-367), On Matthew 17.1
Pray Psalm 5.1-8.
The cross awaits you today, and the Lord is with you to enable you to bear it. Dedicate your day to the Lord, and commit all your activities to denying the world and living for Him.
Sing Psalm 5.1-8.
Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised
O LORD, attend and hear me, consider how I groan.
Receive my cries and near be, great King and God my own.
By morning, LORD, You hear me; I pray, LORD, fill my cup!
I long to see You clearly, as to You I look up.
In sin You take no pleasure; no evil dwells with You.
Vain boasts earn Your displeasure, and those who boasting do.
Sin kindles Your hot anger, You crush all those who lie;
the violent live in danger of Your all-searching eye.
O LORD, Your lovingkindness escorts me in this place.
I bow before Your Highness and praise Your glorious grace!
In righteous ways You guide me; Your pathway I will know.
No good will be denied me as I with You, LORD, go.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues our readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column begins a study of the role of reason in the life of faith. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
