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MATTHEW CHAPTERS 14 - 16 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel See previous page Mat 14,1-5 (95a) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective >> False perspective in the world – Herod would regularly venture into the dungeon and converse with John, who no doubt had many stories to tell about the wilderness, living on locus and wild honey, though Herod’s ego was only paper-thin and could not endure criticism. John told Herod to repent, and nobody tells Herod to repent. All rulers live and rule by their egos, and if anyone messed with Herod’s self-image, his life was in jeopardy. In another gospel account of this story it speaks about Herod while John was still alive, “For Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him” (Mk 6-20). Helping to resolve the conflict, these separate gospel accounts refer to two different times, an earlier time when John was first thrown in prison and a time after Herod had come to know John. The people were offended at John yet honored him as a prophet, whereas Herod did not respect his position as a prophet. Herod was not a Jew and had no interest or respect for Israel’s religion and laws. We might think Herod would respect a person who receives knowledge from God, but when it comes to worldly people, the things they respect and hold dear rarely have anything to do with God. (103l) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >> Purified Through hardship – John represents the transition between the old and new covenants, the old based on the faith of Abraham in combination with obeying the Law of Moses, and the new based on the faith of Christ in combination with obeying the Holy Spirit. When we think about John, how he was led into the wilderness, being similar to the life of Abraham, who also was led by the Spirit to a land that he did not know and started a new life apart from his relatives, it must have been difficult for both of them. It seems that God took care of Abraham better than He took care of John, though John readily adapted to the wilderness. A person who is able to live in the wilderness is an amazing character in his own right. Mat 14-1,2 (18e) Sin >> False Judgment lacks evidence >> Presumptuous speculation (177k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Man’s knowledge of God is based on presumption – We can talk to a worldly person about God, either quoting Scripture to him or else getting philosophical or theological, and he might reply with reasoning similar to King Herod in these verses with a lot of speculation. If Herod really wanted to know if Jesus was John the Baptist, he could have easily ascertained that knowledge; instead, he preferred his own ideas better than the truth, which is typical of worldly people. It was fanciful to him that a man came back to life and was doing miracles, and he probably felt he deserved partial credit for the miracles Jesus was performing, since he had John murdered. Mat 14-3,4 (134j) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Physical adultery Mat 14,6-12 (85k) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Words will make you obligated (183b) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Witchcraft >> Sin is the incubator of witchcraft >> Through satanic influence -- King Herod did not have anything personal against John the Baptist; the king had him beheaded because Herod opened his big mouth and promised a pretty girl anything she wanted. He offered her half his kingdom in terms of marriage and the position of queen, but the girl who danced for Herod had a mother with the heart Jezebel. Being a witch she chose spite over greed, because she hated John the Baptist and his message of repentance. She opposed the gospel because it opposed the demons that lived in her and her deeds. Mat 14,13-21 (143j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Jesus is popular because of His works -- See commentary: Lk 9,12-17 Mat 14-14 (145c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Jesus healed them all -- This verse goes with verses 35&36. Compare this verse with Act 3,1-12, particularly verse twelve, “Why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” When Peter grabbed the lame beggar at the temple gate and pulled him to his feet, immediately his legs were made well. This caused a stir, and a large crowd gathered, and the Pharisees caught wind of what happened and tried to suppress the event. Peter denied that it was by his power or pity that the man stood in good health but by the name of Jesus Christ. In Matthew chapter fourteen Jesus said that He had compassion and healed their sick, as though the power He used to heal the people was His own, yet Jesus gave all the credit to His Father (Jn 9-4,5). He even gave credit to His Father for coming here in the first place (Jn 3-16). It wasn’t Jesus idea to come to us in the flesh; Jesus doesn’t have any ideas of His own; rather, everything Jesus did fulfilled His Father’s plan. The Father gave Jesus the power of healing and led Him to heal those who were destined to receive a touch from His hand, and the same was true with Peter and John; it wasn’t based on their whimsical desire to heal someone but on hearing the voice of God and doing what He said, that is, based on obeying the Holy Spirit. So when people lay hands on others, do they really hear the voice of God speaking to them, or are they just doing it because they read it in the Bible, treating it like a recipe book. That is not how it works. We become students of the word and disciples of prayer for the purpose of tuning our ear to the Holy Spirit; so obeying Him becomes the fruit of our lives. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 14,15-32 (147c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> God exercises authority over His creation – Although Jesus stepped away from all the glory of heaven, He still retained His authority over the creation. He simply chose not to use it in most cases. For example, He let the soldiers spit in His face, pull out His beard and mercilessly whip Him. Although He could have called twelve legions of angels, it was not the will of His Father that He should do so. It will always be a miracle whenever God does something to His creation; we will forever be awed by Him because we will never comprehend how he does it. Mat 14,15-20 (227i) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to impart His gifts into us >> To give us what we give to the world Mat 14,22-36 (187h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Spirit versus the flesh >> Deny the flesh to walk in the Spirit >> More the flesh dies, more the spirit lives – Our flesh needs to be frequently subjected to the will of God through long periods of prayer and made to understand that it is not in charge. The flesh will never benefit from salvation until the First Resurrection, but it doesn't understand forestalling rewards, much less waiting for another life to come. There will be a resurrection from the dead, and we will receive spiritual bodies, but what is a spiritual body but an oxymoron to our finite understanding? The flesh that we know in this life will not be the flesh that we will know in our resurrected bodies. Our present physical state is on a dead-end course, but our spirit has been redeemed. Our faith serves no benefit to our flesh but is destined to perish, so it has no incentive to serve the Lord. The only benefit our faith offers our flesh is righteous living, inviting us to eat right and live right and avoid abusing our bodies with alcohol and other forms of dissipation that can shorten the lifespan, but these are incidental benefits that the flesh hardly appreciates. It prefers what it wants over what it needs. If we allow our flesh to seek its own benefit, it will undermine our faith in the process of destroying itself before the time. Therefore Paul said, “I buffet my body and make it my slave” (1Cor 9-27), and this is what Jesus was doing with his flesh on the mountain, subjecting it to long hours in prayer and depriving it of sleep, a type of fasting, and then He came from the mountain spiritually refreshed, though physically deprived. Mat 14-23 (7k) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Make time to pray – Jesus often spent the whole night in prayer. Even when He prayed with His disciples, they prayed many hours, but when He went alone, He sacrificed his sleep. He returned from the mountain after a day and a night of prayer and began ministering for days after that. Instead of preparing for ministry with a good night sleep, knowing they wouldn’t get much once the journey started, He did just the opposite; He prepared in prayer. The physical aspect would take care of itself. What He needed more was His connection with God. (82g) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Where to pray – Where we pray is significant. It can mean the difference between breaking though or spending a boring session feeling like we're talking to ourselves. Jesus had special places where He went to pray, and all those places were outdoors in beautiful settings, such as in the mountains or in flower gardens. He preferred surrounding Himself with natural beauty, perhaps to remind Him of his origins. It is good to have a handful of favorite places and switch from one to another. The idea is to maintain balance between moderate distraction and none at all, so our prayers are not hindered by over stimulation or boredom. Mat 14,24-33 (164f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan’s system of authority >> He is the prince of the power of the air -- Yes, it was just a storm, or was it? Perhaps it was Satan attempting to destroy Jesus' chosen men whom He had already invested much time, effort and patience. Mat 14-24,25 (215a) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God Has Good Timing >> God is always right on time -- If the disciples could have chosen when Jesus came to their rescue, they would have decided on an earlier time. The same with us, when the world is in turmoil like the storm the disciples faced; we expect Jesus to come immediately and save us, but according to this passage, we could be waiting a lot longer than that. Why does God wait so long to show up when He is needed? He is enjoys pulling as much faith from us as He can, as He shapes us into the image of Christ. Mat 14,25-31 (122l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to rebuke the Church for unbelief -- After Peter boldly jumped out of the boat after Jesus, at first glance it appears all He got for his faith was reproof for sinking. However, maybe he got something out there on the water that the other disciples didn't receive, something indescribable. Peter could do more than tell about his experiences with the wind and the waves; He could tell what it was like to face the storm in the middle of the sea without a boat, standing on the waves holding Jesus' hand. Abandoning the boat in a storm is not easy, but when we see Jesus beckoning us to come, he suddenly realized he was safer with Him than in the boat. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,26-33; 206i KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 14,26-33 (206i) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to doing the works of Jesus -- It was a great thing Peter did, leaving the false security of the boat, believing it was safer with Jesus. Jesus offered no vessel of security except faith, which made a better vessel than that old wooden bucket; but when Peter's faith failed, Jesus wasn't any better an alternative than the boat. Although it was noble of Peter, spiritual principles cannot be violated, not even for nobility's sake. God operates by faith alone, not by good intensions. We quit believing God, we sink. Spiritual principles are like the laws of gravity that pulled Peter into the water, but Peter had something greater than faith in Jesus; he had Jesus Himself, and so do we when we realize our beliefs are actually true! See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,26-32; 232e Mat 14,26-32 (232e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> Assess the property before you buy it -- Peter counted the cost and assessed the boat's value and determined it was safer standing next to Jesus, so he abandoned ship and found his way to Jesus, though he tripped on the way there. Peter received mounds of criticism for sinking, but none of it is warranted, for he alone had courage to venture from the flailing craft. It was his greatest triumph! See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,27-33; 122j Mat 14,26-28 (70c) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Being sensitive to the Spirit >> Test the spirits -- The disciples had seen many strange things while walking with Jesus, and though Peter was confident that it was Him, he wasn't interested in jumping into the sea after an aberration. Mat 14,27-33 (122j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness in adverse circumstances >> Do the will of God in the face of adversity – Peter stepped from the boat, leaving the others in the safety of the craft. We give Peter a hard time because he was an impulsive blowhard, always wanting to be the leader, but great leaders have the gift of leadership. Many people want to be leaders but are not gifted as such, and whether Peter was a good leader is questionable. What we know for sure about Peter is that Jesus loved him and even respected him to the point of being one of His three closest disciples. Peter loved the Lord with all his heart; there is no questioning that either, but for the rest of Peter and His foibles, this one incident makes up for them all. He climbed out of the boat and walked on water; with Jesus there all he needed was His permission. Had Jesus said ‘no’, that would have been the end of it, and it also would have indicated God's intension of limiting man's divinity with Himself, but Jesus’ invitation meant that God intended to make man in His image in ways that no one can even fathom. Peter knew he could walk on water with Jesus there, and he also knew if he couldn’t, Jesus would save him, so it was a no-risk opportunity to miraculously walk with the Lord. There is only one thing we need to know before we venture into ministry: we need to know that God is calling us to do it, so that if we hesitate, He will make up the difference for our doubts. See also: Peter's faith; 146j (146j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Purpose of Miracles, Signs And Wonders >> Proof that Jesus is the son of God >> That the Church may believe – Peter never walked on water again to our knowledge; instead, people brought the sick on cots, and when the apostle Paul walked past them, even His shadow when it touched them made them whole. How were Jesus’ miracles greater than the miracles of the apostles? How were Peter and Paul able to perform miracles? We understand how Jesus performed miracles; He was the Son of God, but how did Peter walk on water? They were just ordinary men. Peter and John grabbed a lame man saying, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -walk!” (Act 3-6), and the lame beggar was healed. For everyone who has performed miracles, whether Jesus or the apostles or someone from the 21st century, we know that God was at work in them. See also: Peter's faith; 254d (254d) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live because He is life >> God gives life to our faith in Jesus – Walking on water with the Son of God was something Peter took with him the rest of his life; it became his badge of honor. It wasn’t Peter’s faith that powered him to do this; it was God that enabled him, and he accessed this power through faith. Do we actually understand faith? No, absolutely, we do not, but we do know that if we take a shortcut and say faith alone enabled Him to walk on water, we step into a mud puddle of theology. What is the essence of faith? From a human standpoint, of course we understand that faith is a sense of conviction, an act of our volition to believe something is real. However, the faith Peter used to interact with God that night was not human faith, for walking on water is not normal human behavior. Rather, he received a God-given faith. He didn’t walk on water because he believed in certain doctrines, nor because of certain convictions, though conviction led him to step from the boat. Peter interacted with Jesus while he stood on the lake and made baby-steps in His direction. He walked on water knowing God as He is and not as we perceive Him. God as we perceive Him is a person who resembles us in a way, but the revelation that Peter received transcended His perceptions. He saw God as One who could do anything, who created the heavens and the earth, who was presently with him, in whom nothing is impossible. This makes God a unique person, someone we can believe when He tells us we can walk on water. Peter believed He could walk on water because Jesus invited Him to come, and He invites us all to believe in Him to change the world in ways that bring His kingdom that much closer to fruition. It may not always be the will of God that we walk on water, but if we believe in God that He can do anything, a day will come when He will beckon us from the boat and prove that in Him all things are possible. If we come to Him with the intension of fulfilling His purpose, whatever He is calling us to do we can do. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,28-33; 107a Mat 14-27 (23l) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of the unknown >> Fear of miracles KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 14,28-33 (107a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Receiving unction from God -- Peter did it right; he didn't just jump out of the boat, he first asked permission and affirmed the will of God before he jumped. The power of this story is in the fact that when Jesus permitted Peter to come to Him, Peter immediately knew that he could walk on water; and that if he sank, it didn't matter, because Jesus was there to save him. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,28-31; 78e Mat 14,28-31 (68g) Authority >> We have been given authority to be the children of God – Peter came to the conclusion to walk on water from the very teachings of Christ, which revolved around this statement: ‘Whatever I do, you can do’ (Jn 14-12), which means, ‘I am the Son of God, and you are all sons of God’ (Mat 5,43-45). Jesus taught that once He goes to heaven, this authority still belongs to us. Of course the problem is, most people don’t have that kind of faith, and there is a reason for this; there is a lack of unity in the Church. With unity everything Jesus said becomes possible. We should be growing both spiritually and numerically; signs and wonders should be relatively common, and faith should abound, but none of these things are happening because of a lack of unity, which has led to a lack of faith. We should become salt and light and the world's conscience, so that many would see and believe, and we should cause others to think twice about sinning, and it would be a better world because of us. As it is, we live in a world where the Church has lost its solidarity, and for that reason it has lost its faith. There are still pockets of faith and many believers are greatly committed to Christ, but their numbers are fearfully decreasing. See also: Unity; Mat 17-20; 213b (78e) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Taking God to heart >> Having pure motives and desires – If Peter had little faith, how little faith had the other disciples who didn't leave the boat? It makes us wonder what was Peter's motive for wanting to walk on water? Knowing him, a blustery fellow and highly emotional, he must have been at least partially motivated by pride, but there was something that Jesus admired about him. Peter no doubt had the feeling he was in the will of God to climb from the false security of the boat toward the safety of Christ, probably figuring it was a no-lose situation, so long as Jesus was with him. There was no mention of anyone walking on water again. Miracles were prevalent after Pentecost but no more walking on water. The disciples didn’t have the advantage of the Holy Spirit prior to Pentecost, and by the time they received it, Jesus was gone, so there was never a time when Christ was present with the anointing in His people. We will just have to wait for heaven before we experience both at the same time. See also: Peter's faith; 96e (96e) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude toward Jesus – Peter had a positive attitude about Jesus; He knew what would please the Lord. There was no other purpose for Peter climbing from the boat than to simply demonstrate God's faith, for he knew it was the Lord’s will when Jesus beckoned him on the water. We no longer see signs and wonders and some say miracles are no longer the will of God, but they are just making excuses for the Church’s lack of faith. We are living in an age of apostasy, and God is unwilling to perform miracles even among those who are faithful, because He doesn’t want to associate with the Church’s sin. If God performed miracles among those who believed in Him, though the Church as a whole lies in a state of apostasy, the next day those in the world would see other Christians behaving badly and wonder why God would endorse such behavior, when in fact He doesn’t. "Christians" think they are getting away with their bad behavior, but they don't know that the absence of miracles is a sign that judgment is coming. Peter walked on water because he was a good man and because his fellow disciples were faithful; they each paid with their lives as martyrs, except John and Judas Iscariot. A day is coming when signs and wonders will return during a Great Endtime Revival. God will re-institute the true doctrines of the faith through his Jewish witnesses, and God will endorse them through the working of miracles. See also: Peter's faith; 121h (114g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Implementing the revelation of the Holy Spirit -- It is one thing to get a revelation from heaven, but it is quite another thing to implement that revelation, because it always does battle against the natural elements and with spiritual forces of wickedness in high places, whether those forces be of men or of sea. We must dream the right dreams, and then see them fulfilled. In this way we will grow as the people of God. (121h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Expecting good things based on God’s character >> Expecting good things because He is God -- Peter learned to expect nothing but good things from Jesus, regardless of the circumstances. Peter could even get out of the boat during a storm that threatened their lives, and it would somehow be okay. Peter believed in Jesus' proven character, that He was both big enough and good enough to never let him down. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14-30,31; 227j Mat 14-28,29 (70jb) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have been given authority over all creation >> We have authority over the elements KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 14-30,31 (29d) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> Delivered from adversity (198i) Frustrating the Grace of God (Key verse) (198j) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating Jesus through unbelief -- Jesus takes our unbelief very seriously. It is like telling God He is incompetent, worse, it demonstrates our distance from Him, and how little we know of Him. This is a direct insult to Him of which there no excuse, except that we are weak, fleshly creatures and faint at the slightest test of faith. God is made of faith, while man is made of dust. (227j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to fulfill His purpose in us -- God calls us to do and to be certain things with a purpose and then ultimately does most of the work to complete His purpose in us. God calls us to be Spiritual creatures and to live accordingly. Look at Peter in this example, Jesus called Peter to believe in Him, yet Jesus did most of the work to keep Peter from drowning. Did Peter do something wrong? He doubted, otherwise no, Peter did his part, he got out of the boat, and then it was up to God to do the rest; after all, how could God ask Peter to walk on water? God does not expect a lot from us; He just expects us to believe in Him enough to climb out of the boat. To us that sounds like a lot. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14-30; 171l Mat 14-30 (171l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance of circumstances – This is an amazing statement, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” It means that doubt was the reason he began to sink. He started looking at the wind and the waves, and they reminded him that he cannot walk on water, but this was not about Peter; it was about God permitting Him to perform miracles. This was the fisherman’s greatest fear to be in the middle of the lake during a storm. Throughout their adult lives they navigated the lake and fished for a living, and they knew storms could suddenly appear from nowhere and swamp their boat, and they could drown. He began to recall his fears, and before long past experience started eating into his faith, and then he couldn’t recall how he was standing on the lake. Faith suddenly became a very nebulous, intangible and theoretical concept, while the wind and the waves grew very large in his mind; but while he first stood on the water, the rolls were reversed: faith was tangible and the wind and the waves were speculative. He must have looked at Jesus and thanked God He was there, His presence being the reason he left the boat in the first place. This was the plan: if and when he failed, Jesus would save him. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,34-36; 146k Mat 14-31 (20f) Doubt (Key verse) (20g) Sin >> Doubt is the consequence of the fear of death (203b) Denying Christ >> Dishonor God >> Dishonor God by your unbelief Mat 14-33 (252d) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Worship Jesus for what He does through the Father -- Jesus reproved His disciples every time they got out of line (see 178j); He never held back from correcting them because they needed to know the truth. (Who else was going to tell them?) However, when His disciples fell down and worshiped Him, He did not rebuke them or tell them they were out-a-line, why? It wasn't a mistake to worship Jesus, for He is God in human flesh! Mat 14,34-36 (146k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Purpose of miracles, signs and wonders >> Get peoples’ attention to hear the word – How does faith work? Regular people were reaching out their hands and touching Jesus, knowing that if they could just make contact with His garment they would be healed. It was a fallacy that His garment had any power, but they believed it anyway, and it was enough faith and truth to heal them! How could this be? It was no different from Peter walking on water, believing he could do it because Jesus was there and gave him permission. Regular people accessed the power of God because Jesus gave them permission, whose dedication to God was nominal and their knowledge of the truth sparse. Touching Jesus’ cloak was just a point of faith they arbitrarily used to believe for a miracle. In a way, touching His garment was like a prop for their faith. His cloak was no different from any other garment, and because Jesus was in that cloak didn’t make it special. It was the fact that God the Father approved these miracles, and the point of touching Jesus associated the miracle with Him. It wasn’t the cloak and it wasn’t the act of touching Him, it was the association to Jesus that the Father approved and sent the healing virtue into their bodies through Christ to heal their diseases. It was like asking, ‘Who is the source of all truth from God,’ and then walking over and touching Jesus. They were in effect pointing at Him as the source of all truth, so when Jesus spoke the word of God, they knew it was the truth because of the miracles He performed. They made a direct connection between the miracles and the word of God, so they could believe the truth when He spoke. See also: Peter's faith; Mat 14,25-31; 122l / Proven faith; Rom 6-20,21; 153g Mat 14-35,36 (145c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Jesus healed them all -- These verses go with verse 14 _________________________________ MATTHEW CHAPTER 15 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 15,1-9 (79l) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word as a sword in spiritual warfare >> To defend yourself from religion (177d) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Doctrines of the precepts of men -- People invent false doctrines and other people live by them thinking they are beneficial. For the inventors, the rewards are monastery (excuse me, I meant "monetary"), while the believers of such doctrines seek easy access to heaven without giving their heart to Jesus. That's right, every false doctrine requires nothing from the heart. See also: Hypocrisy; Mat 15-2,3; 173c Mat 15-2,3 (173c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the catholic faith >> Catholic doctrine versus the Bible -- These verses go with verses 7-9. The Catholic religion parallels the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and believes similar to Jesus' complaint about requiring the disciples to wash their hands before eating as one example. If Jesus expressed His disapproval of this particular Catholic doctrine, what else do the Catholics believe that Jesus disapproves? Did Jesus condemn the Pharisees for washing their hands before eating? No, in fact, hygiene it is a good thing, but where our doctor and the Pharisees part ways is in the conviction that it finds favor with God. This is what Jesus was addressing as a man-made teaching. Jesus taught that we should cleanse our heart before our hands, for we could wash our hands and still hate our neighbor. What good then are man-made rules fabricated to regulate the flesh that ignores the will of God? See also: Distorted priorities; Mat 15,10-20; 74j / Hypocrisy; Mat 15,3-9; 9k Mat 15,3-9 (9k) Responsibility >> Strengthen one another >> Tend to the widows – As usual, Jesus would not answer the Pharisees question, but asked them a question instead, which they could not answer. The Pharisees taught the people to give their money to the Church, money they could have (and should have) used to help their parents, including their mothers who lost their husbands. Of course the motive of the Pharisees was to pilfer the treasury. See also: Hypocrisy; 179b (179b) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Jesus rebukes the Pharisees >> Rebuked for loving money -- What could be more evil than tampering with religious doctrine to direct the flow of unrighteous mammon into their pockets? What hope did the Pharisees have of entering the Kingdom of Heaven? They were a true form of the reprobate mind. See also: Hypocrisy; Mat 15,7-9; 173c Mat 15-5 (166a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature >> Man’s wisdom rationalizes his sin Mat 15,7-20 (96l) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having an attitude of unbelief Mat 15,7-9 (74d) Thy kingdom come >> The heart is the location of man's truth – We have many thoughts throughout the day, but not all of them stir our heart, only those that mean the most to us. If the heart is corrupted, our truth will be corrupted too, so our thoughts that mean most to us will be evil in the eyes of God. In that case, everything they think, say and do becomes corrupt to the point that even their prayers become sin (Psalm 109-7). They teach as doctrines the precepts of men, otherwise known as religion, which is man’s rendition of God. Ironically, religion is the reason so few people make it to heaven. Most people are too lazy in heart to seek God for themselves; instead, they choose a religion and use that to represent their faith. Their attitude about it is that it may not be exact, but it is close enough, meaning that if their religion is off a little, it doesn’t matter. When they begin with that attitude, where will it lead in the end? Religion bumps the telescope that was aimed at the Andromeda Galaxy, so that when we look though the eyepiece, it is nowhere in the field of vision, though it is only a millimeter away. What does a millimeter mean in light-years? The problem with religion is that it rarely seeks God, but uses a formula to do that for them, and that formula consists of various doctrines that man has contrived that he calls “truth”. Religion is man’s summary of what the Bible says, and when we compare the average church service to the Bible, we can’t find it on the page. Man has slowly and inevitably wandered from God’s Truth and invented his own truth in place of the Bible, so when they read the Bible, they see their religion on every page, though it is really not there. What did Jesus call them who perpetuate this type of worship? He called the hypocrites! The hypocrite’s problem is that he knows better; he just doesn’t do what he knows, preferring his religion instead. Churches in America were once filled to capacity, but go to just about any church today and we can readily find a seat. People are sick of man’s religious hypocrisy; they can see through their thinly veiled vanity, and now people are beginning to seek truth again; religion has run its course and is about to be expelled like vomit. However, when those seeking to escape man’s religion and finally uncover the truth and try to apply it in their collective worship, they turn it into just another religion. It is inevitable. (173c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >> Catholic doctrine versus the Bible -- These verses go with verses 2&3. The worship of Mary and other false doctrines within the Catholic Church, Purgatory, the Sacrament, the Eucharist, erroneous teachings on Baptism, these are only a few tenets that are simply made-up teachings that we cannot find support in Scripture. See also: Hypocrisy; Mat 15,10-20; 177a KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 15,10-20 (74j) Thy kingdom come >> Heart of man is sinful >> Sin is conceived in the heart – The Pharisees emphasized washing their pots and pans, because it was easily observable whether or not a person practiced the Law, hence easy to enforce the law. Jesus' point was that what comes out of our mouth is dirtier than what we put into it. According to the Law, the only commandment that pertained to the words of our mouth was lying: “Do not bear false witness.” Jesus was making the point that sin is a process that originates from the heart, so whatever a person is thinking becomes the content of his speech, and whatever a person says, he will eventually do. He was saying that before we use our bodies to sin, our words have already done it. Murder is hate; even talking about it is evil. He addressed this concept in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mat 5-27,28). Jesus is saying much the same thing here; if a man talks about hating someone, he has already committed the act of murder in his heart, and if He continues to entertain those thoughts, he may literally commit murder. See also: Distorted priorities; 177a (177a) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Distorting Scripture from a lack of understanding – Although the Pharisees claimed to be following the Law of Moses, how they lived was not what Moses taught. Eating from dirty cups and saucers can bring disease, but it doesn’t spiritually defile a person the way our words do. The Pharisees distorted the Old Testament by placing tremendous emphasis on certain aspects of the law and totally ignoring matters of the heart, having lost touch with the law's intent. God commanded Moses to wash their dishes, not telling them why, just telling them to do it, for the nations surrounding them were filthy and ignorant. They didn’t have God telling them how to avoid germs that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time. The lesson in hygiene took mankind many thousands of years to learn. For example, civil war doctors, operated on patients with the same instruments they used on previous patients without washing them, because they disregarded the word of God. As a result, more people died from infection and gangrene than from wounds incurred on the battlefield. However, it was words that emanated from the mouths of politicians that started the war in the first place. See also: Distorted priorities; Mat 15,17-20; 171h / Hypocrisy; Mat 15-13; 159c Mat 15,13-20 (128n) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Evidence of your fruit >> Bad fruit is proof that God is not working in you – Jesus was talking about the Pharisees as though they were weeds, just as we weed a garden, so God will weed the wicked from His Church. This could also refer to the individual; God desires to weed the garden of our heart, so the good fruit can grow. Mat 15-13,14 (47h) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Prison of the bottomless pit (169c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> Blinded by Satan’s thoughts >> Blinded by a false sense of sight -- In today's world we try to stop people from teaching in error; why didn't Jesus try to stop the Pharisees? Their proselytes who were attracted to their brand of truth wouldn't be interested in what Jesus had to say anyway, and the . Jesus wasn't looking for people who wouldn't listen to Him but those who would. This suggests there are two kinds of people in the world: those whom God is calling and choosing and those who want nothing to do with Him or His kingdom or his plan and purpose for mankind. Of the second group Jesus did not try to reach them, and He didn’t instruct us to waste our resources on them either; instead He said, “Let them alone.” The worst part of this is that they are blindly guiding other blind people off a cliff, and we are not to bother them, for those who would follow them are just as blind, deaf and dumb as their teachers. Jesus healed many blind people, but He was unable to help those who intentionally closed their eyes and ears to God's truth, it was their right to reject Christ, but those whom He is calling and choosing have the right to become the children of God. Mat 15-13 (159c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit Christian – This goes back to the parable of the tares and the wheat, He said, “An enemy has done this” (Mat 13,28-30), meaning that the Pharisees are tares, which is a weed that looks like a stalk of wheat. He said, “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest [at the end of the age] I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” See also: Hypocrisy; Mat 15,17-20; 171h Mat 15,17-20 (4k) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your thoughts (85c) Thy kingdom come >> Your words can lead to your own demise >> Your mouth defiles the rest of your body – The fact that our words originate from the heart is what defiles us, indicative of a poisoned well, meaning that if it didn’t originate from the heart, we could trace the bitter water to its source, and then drink above that, but if the headwaters are poisoned, then the spring is useless. The heart represents man’s thought life, his treasure chest, his central value system. The heart of man represents the headwaters of his soul. God has other thoughts that He would have us think and believe that would produce the fruit of His kingdom and become a blessing to everyone around us. (171h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate the inside >> Simulating the outer man to portray the inner man – The Pharisees thought they could break the Law and still please God, because they washed their hands. When you put it into words, it sounds crazy! When we look at the list Jesus provided, most of the entries pertained to the Ten Commandments that the Pharisees violated such as: murder, adultery, theft and false witness. Hand washing was also an ordinance of Moses, but it was an sundry law, nonessential compared to the Ten Commandments. God wanted His people to observe hand washing, so they wouldn’t contract diseases, but the Pharisees were breaking God’s primary laws, and that was a big deal to Jesus. “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” is something the Pharisees would say, and it is something we hear to this day, but it is wrong. They figured they were obeying the Law of Moses by washing their hands; meanwhile they were thieves, adulterers and murderers, breaking much greater laws than the ones they kept. They chose laws that were easier on their flesh to keep and ignored aspects of the greater Law that spoke directly against their sin, and for that reason they misinterpreted the entire word of God. They strained out gnats and swallowed camel (Mat 23-24). For the same reason they didn’t recognize Jesus as their Messiah, and when He spoke the word of God to them, they didn’t recognize that either. The only things they were willing to recognize were their own ideas and beliefs. See also: Distorted priorities; Mat 15-2,3; 173c / Hypocrisy; Mat 15,1-9; 177d Mat 15-19 (250j) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of traits of the heart – Sin comes from the heart and defiles a person. If someone were forced at gunpoint to repeat a certain phrase, it wouldn’t defile the person, since it wouldn’t come from the heart. Defilement refers to conscience; if we could extricate evil from our heart, we could wash it off our lips too, and by that we would keep the more egregious sins from seeing the light of day, but what did James say about this? “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well… The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell (Jm 3-2,6). Good luck controlling the tongue, for it is attached directly to the heart, the battlefield of good and evil. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 15,21-28 (82d) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Our approach >> How to pray – Even when we ask God for something and He is unwilling to give, He will grant whatever we ask if we have faith like this Canaanite woman. What was in her faith that implored God to grant her desire but knowledge? She had the discernment to understand that He came to the Jews only, and she knew this through Israel’s Old Testament, which she believed and honored more than most Jews at the time. She publicly demonstrated her faith by tenaciously imploring the Lord. Her child was sick and she sought the healer, and she wouldn’t leave until she got what she needed from Him. It didn’t take much faith to believe in Jesus as a healer after He healed so many people. The faith Jesus applauded in her was trust that He was willing to help her against the current that pushed in the opposite direction. Abraham also believed against all odds; he could have listed a thousand reasons to return to his homeland or not go at all, yet “he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom 4-20). Why did this Canaanite woman know Jesus would help her? She knew He was a good person, that he had a tender heart and could not help but respond to genuine faith. Mat 15,22-28 (3i) Responsibility >> To the Family >> God addresses both genders >> Women leaders (146f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Deliverance from demon possession >> Casting out violent demons (210hb) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> The Jew first >> Jesus ministered to gentiles by exception – A few chapters earlier (Mat 12,17-21) gives an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus that He would fulfill, saying, “He shall proclaim justice to the gentiles… And in his name the gentiles will hope,” yet in this passage Jesus is refusing to minister to the Canaanite woman because she was a gentile. What we must understand from this Old Testament prophecy is that the ministry of the Holy Spirit that would come later was a continuation of the ministry of Christ, and that this particular incident where Jesus grudgingly ministered to the Canaanite woman was an exception to a rule set by the Father that He should minister only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The reason for this is that He wanted the gospel to disseminate to the gentiles from the Jews. That was His original plan. He didn’t want the gentiles getting the idea that this gospel was theirs, for the gospel of Jesus Christ belongs to the Jews, and we have been invited to share in the blessed inheritance of Israel. The gospel that we gentiles believe belongs to the Jew first; if we get this wrong, we won’t accept the Great Endtime Revival that is coming through the Jews. God will execute His plan in the last days, and the Jews will bring the gospel to the world. As it was, though, the gentiles spread the gospel throughout the world, because the Jews rejected God’s purpose for themselves, which was a travesty, and so God accepted that the gentiles should manage the gospel, since the Jews didn’t want it, but it was not meant to be this way. By the third century Christianity turned into religious Catholicism. The gentiles were no more faithful managing the new covenant than the Jews with the old covenant, but God has His ways which will be fulfilled. See also: Great Endtime Revival (Jews expected to return to the faith); Mat 9-16,17; 185a Mat 15-28 (226k) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> God rewards us for obeying Him >> Rewarded for believing in God -- This verse goes with verse 32 Mat 15,29-31 (145c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Jesus healed them all (253h) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Father and Son glorify each other >> Father and Son represent each other – The people glorified the God of Israel because Jesus came from Him, meaning they knew God sent Him. This was the correct response, and in many cases the Israelites did what God wanted them to do; they worshipped and served the God of Israel through Jesus Christ. This was the message that Jesus wanted them to understand (Jn 3-16), and they understood it through the miracles He performed, associating them with the word of God that He spoke. Mat 15,32-39 (147c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> God exercises authority over His creation – Compassion is one of the great human expressions, being perhaps the greatest fruit of Christianity. Therefore, a person without compassion should not be construed as a Christian. The Holy Spirit longs to produce compassion in each of us who are born of God, for it is a form of love. God the Father had compassion on mankind and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, because we are not able to come to God on our own. We are like the homeless man sitting on the curb begging for a handout to get him through the day. Without Christ we would be futureless, hopeless and incapable of pleasing God. Had the Father not sent His Son, He would have had to terminate mankind immediately after Adam sinned, because not a single person could have been saved. It all would have been for nothing, and God does nothing in vain. Without compassion life is in vain. He let man continue over the millennia and chose from the sea of people a remnant who would be His worshippers, and He did it from compassion. Mat 15-32 (123c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Compassion is the emotion of the Spirit – The Good Samaritan found a man beaten and robbed on the side of the road, gave him medical care and provided all of his needs until he was able to get back on his feet and start supporting himself again (Lk 10,30-37). The same principle applies in this situation where Jesus temporarily supplied their needs. They stayed with Him for three days and had nothing to eat the whole time. This was their Messiah, and He was there for them, and they were doing what God intended, and so Jesus rewarded them for their obedience by filling over four thousand bellies with only a picnic basket of food. Compassion is the emotion of the Spirit; it is a type of spiritual affection that is based on love. Compassion starts as an emotion, but if it doesn’t end in some kind of action, then it remains in the emotional realm and is not true compassion. (226k) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> God rewards us for obeying Him >> Rewarded for believing in God -- This verse goes with verse 28. _________________________________ MATTHEW CHAPTER 16 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 16,1-4 (20f) Sin >> Nature of sin >> Seeking a sign -- After all the miracles, signs and wonders Jesus performed, the Pharisees still asked for another sign that they might see and believe. Jesus answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign," because the faithful believe without needing a sign, much more with one. Unbelievers will not believe no matter what God does for their unbelief. They knew Jesus was their Messiah, but they were unwilling to believe it, much less confess Him because of their deep-seeded unbelief that the Jewish race had cultivated over the centuries. They didn't need another sign, because Jesus had already performed thousands of them that another one would not have changed anything. They were trying to make Him dance at their command, the first step in establishing control for the purpose of destroying Him. Jesus followed the principle that miracles are a sign to the believer and not to the unbeliever (1Cor 14-22; Lk 8,49-56). See also: Faith; Mat 16,8-12; 147a (70g) Authority >> Sin of familiarity >> Familiar with the truth-enemy of discernment >> Familiar with Jesus in the flesh -- The Pharisees could not judge the signs of the times because they were busy judging sins in people that were also in them; meaning, w hat we are able to discern (and unable to discern) says a lot about us. For example, if we are able to discern the truth (unlike the Pharisees), it means we have some truth in us. Conversely, if we are unable to discern the truth but can discern certain faults in other people, it only means that those same faults also reside us, which is probably the cause of our inability to discern the truth. We can only discern the things that are in us, for how can we discern what we don't know? The Pharisees could not discern the signs of the times because there was no basis of truth in them. This is also why forgiveness is so important; if we don't forgive, we will victimize other people with the sins that victimized us. See also: Slowness of heart; Mat 16,5-12; 178j / Discernment; Mat 27,3-10; 186h (178l) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for having no love for God Mat 16-1 (180a) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people for sordid gain -- This verse goes with verse 6 Mat 16-2,3 (169d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> Blinded by Satan’s thoughts >> Blinded by false judgments Mat 16,5-12 (178j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy of the Church is rebuked >> Jesus rebuked His disciples -- These verses go with verses 22&23. We can scoff at the disciples' slowness of heart, but what spiritual condition is the Church in today? They were dense, and it concerned the Lord after they had spent years walking with Him. Jesus often spoke in riddles, requiring the Holy Spirit to interpret what He was saying. In this way the Kingdom of God would remain closed to the stubbornness of man's unbelief. They should have known what He was saying since He had already proven just a couple days earlier that there is no need to worry about bread while they were with Jesus, because He would always take care of them. See also: Slowness of heart; Mat 16,6-12; 182f Mat 16,6-12 (175l) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Lack of knowledge (182f) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they do not understand the Scriptures -- There is no excuse for the disciples acting like such blockheads after spending three full years with Jesus, unless understanding the Scriptures is more difficult than it appears. Comprehending the word of God is not a simple matter of reading the Bible once, and then declaring that we know all the mysteries of the Kingdom. The disciples thought Jesus was here to stay, so what He was saying didn't matter, since He was in charge, as though they were merely along for the ride. They didn't know He would leave them with the full responsibility of establishing the Church in the world through the Holy Spirit. What flaws are in our own understanding of the Scriptures? In order to have a working knowledge of the Bible, we must devote our life to it. The Bible is not like any other book. Biblical truth is "heart knowledge" as opposed to "head knowledge," and the difference is vast as the gulf between the rich man and Lazarus. See also: Interpreting the Bible; Act 18,14-16; 239k KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 16-6 (180a) Wo rks of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people for sordid gain -- This verse goes with verse 12 Mat 16,8-12 (147a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Remember Jesus’ miracles -- Note here that Jesus equated faith with properly understanding what He said, suggesting that the cause of misinterpreting the Bible is due to unbelief. It shouldn't have been that hard to remember the miracles Jesus performed, feeding the masses with a single basket of bread and fish, since after the meal the disciples personally went through the crowd and picked up scraps that filled many baskets. This is also a great lesson in being responsible with God's blessings, not to waste His resources. Also, remember the manna of the Old Testament that God supplied the children of Israel; they were not allowed to waste it. They were instructed to collect the manna each morning, only what they needed for the day; if they tried to store it, the manna would rot. Jesus rebuked His disciples because He was trying to make them understand that when He is with them, it was a sin to worry, and what did Jesus say? "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mat 28-20). See also: Faith; Mat 16,13-19; 108h Mat 16-8 (20h) Sin >> Doubt replaces faith Mat 16-12 (180a) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people for sordid gain -- This verse goes with verse 1 Mat 16,13-19 (108h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation >> Revelation of His identity -- We either have a mere factual knowledge of Christ, or we have a revelation of Him. Those with mere facts may not be saved, but those who personally know God are definitely saved, and if we have a spiritual revelation of Jesus Christ, He calls us blessed. See also: Faith; 129k (129k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Single minded >> Determination – It would be easy to prove that Paul wrote to promote unity more than anybody else; in fact, all his letters to the churches were for the purpose of unity, and in this unity Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, and He responded, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” This indicates that God is willing to demonstrate His power through His people when they are in a state of unity, and we obtain unity through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Many times we have seen in Scripture God moving with power among His people. The Roman guards threw Peter in prison with the intension of the next day martyring him, but an angel of the Lord came and released him. In other instances God performed miracles to free His people from the hands of their enemies; this occurs only when the Church is acting as one. See also: Faith; Mat 16,13-18; 109h Mat 16,13-18 (109h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit teaches us about the word – Peter, the supposed mascot of the Catholic Church, bore witness against Catholicism in this passage. Jesus called him Peter (literally translated ‘stone’). Jesus said, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” The Lord was saying that He (flesh and blood) did not reveal to Peter that Jesus was the Son of God; rather the Holy Spirit revealed it to Him. Upon this foundation, upon the spiritual revelation of God’s word, He would build His Church, not on Peter. This suggests that if the Holy Spirit doesn't reveal God's truth to us, we don't know it. Nevertheless, Catholicism picked Peter from the twelve apostles and figuratively built their Church around him, and literally built Saint Peter’s Basilica over his supposed bones. In 1Pet 5,1-3 Peter testified against the Catholic Church saying, “Shepherd the flock of God” commanding the leaders and the elders to exercise oversight over the people. However, this is not how the Catholic Church does business; it is not even how the protestant Church operates. Church clergy of organized religion doesn't oversee the ministry; they are the ministry! The Bible in no way teaches this as the proper church structure! See also: Faith; Mat 16,13-17; 150f / Catholicism; Mat 16-18; 140g / Building the Church on Peter instead of Christ; 1Pet 2,6-8; 141b Mat 16,13-17 (150f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Confessing Jesus as the son of God – Peter made the great confession; Jesus also made the great confession that got Him killed as Savior of the world. Peter proclaimed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter was the first believer on record to have said this. To understand this is to understand everything, but to not understand it is to understand nothing. If we don’t believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we are wasting your time in a false religion, but if we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we have already received eternal life and an inheritance that is "imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1Pet 1-4). See also: Faith; Mat 16-17; 144f KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 16,13-16 (86f) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Mental ascent (believing a set of facts) Mat 16,15-18 (173c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the catholic faith >> Catholic doctrine versus the Bible Mat 16-17 (144f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >> It bears witness of the Holy Spirit -- Jesus testified of Peter that he had a working knowledge of Israel's Messiah by a revelation of the Holy Spirit, which is the goal of faith. Peter finally struck gold! To bear witness of -- Jesus testified of Peter that he had a working knowledge of Israel's Messiah by a revelation of the Holy Spirit, which is the goal of faith. Peter finally struck gold! To bear witness of Jesus by the Spirit is to bear witness that the Father sent His Son, and God is Spirit. See also: Faith; Mat 16-18; 140g Mat 16-18 (46k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to the Church through Christ -- Throughout the centuries the Church has been hit by every known attack but never sunk. Jesus is in her boat; it may have filled with water but it remains afloat on humanity that works with the devil to conspire against God's elect. If the devil ever destroyed the Church, the world would die soon afterward in a mournful whimper of human depravity, which the Bible prophesies in the last days will happen, except that God will protect His Church. (137b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is the rock of the Church’s foundation (140g) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Christ builds the temple from the bricks of the Church -- Catholicism thinks the Church is built upon the foundation of Peter, the screw-up. The name "Peter" means "Rock," of whom Peter is a microcosm of the Church (an exemplary member of the body of Christ), and the Church is built on what he proclaimed, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. To understand this by revelation of the Holy Spirit is the rock of truth to which Jesus was referring, and God's hope is that His church will walk in that faith. See also: Catholicism; Mat 16,13-18; 109h / Faith; Mat 16,1-4; 20f Mat 16-19 (116d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> Through His authority -- These are the keys of the kingdom: believing in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit and the word). If we don't believe God by the Spirit, then heaven is bound and gagged, but if we do believe God by the Spirit, there are things we can say and do that will open the windows of heaven, and we will see the hand of God move in our lives. Mat 16-20,21 -- No Entries Mat 16-22,23 (178j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy of the Church is rebuked >> Jesus rebuked His disciples -- These verses go with verses 5-12 Mat 16-23 (79b) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Satan will control your mind if you don’t (94p) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective >> False perspective in the Church -- Although the disciples were wild about Jesus, they still didn't have a clue about what He came to do. They all had visions of Him taking over the religious institutions of their time, and ultimately the Roman Empire and becoming King of the nations as prophesied in the Old Testament, of which Israel would be the center, and all the nations would come and worship their Messiah. In return, all good things would emanate through Him to the rest of the world, and everyone would live in peace and prosperity for a thousand years. That would put the disciples right at the top next to Him. It was so fun and easy to believe in Jesus that way; they were looking at being top governors of a new world empire. No wonder the disciples never understood Jesus' plan until after the resurrection; they didn't want to let go of their dream until Jesus gave them a better one. Although they had to suffer (most of them died as martyrs), it was still better than their hope of ruling next to Jesus, why? Their dream was deferred to a time set by the Father to become top-ranking officials of a kingdom after they had inherited a resurrected body that can never get sick, feel pain or die. See also: See also: Slowness of heart; 247j / Millennium (Expecting the Kingdom of God to appear immediately); Mat 17,15-18; 198j (247a) God’s Intere sts (Key verse) (247j) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God’s interests are not man’s interests – Jesus called Peter Satan for trying to protect Him. This incident arose from Jesus telling His disciples that He would go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed, and on the third day rise from the dead. Rising from the dead would have sounded fine to Peter, except that he never heard it, according to Jesus' parable about the sower, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road" (Mat 13-19). The enemies of Jesus knew more about Him rising from the dead than His own disciples, because they were in a better place to hear Him say it (Mat 27,62-66). We think His disciples would have heard Him better than His enemies, but that was not the case. It all goes back to motive; we know what we want to know; we believe what we want to believe, and we hear what we want to hear. All Peter heard was that Jesus was going to suffer many things and die; he never heard Jesus say that He would rise from the dead; those words turned to static in his ears. Peter’s apparent attitude was that if he could keep Jesus from dying in the first place, He wouldn’t have to rise from the dead. This is how Peter and all the disciples treated Jesus throughout His entire three-year ministry: they took very little of what he said to heart. Instead, they merely considered what He said, weighed it against their preconceived notions and dismissed what contradicted, instead of believing in Him and accepting everything He said as the word of God. See also: See also: Slowness of heart; Mat 16,1-4; 70g KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 16,24-26 (56g) Paradox >> Opposites >> Seek God’s life by subduing your flesh Mat 16-24 (5h) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your loyalty >> Your commitment to follow Jesus -- For commentary see: Mk 8-34 Mat 16,25-28 (47e) God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of the dead – If a man doesn’t go to heaven when he dies, then he goes to Hades, and where that is no one knows. It exists in another realm; it is not a physical place that we are aware, but one day hell will certainly be a physical place. When we look at the book of Revelation and see how it ends, with God establishing the thousand-year reign of Christ, at the end of it He will release Satan from his prison, and there will be an attempt made on Christ’s throne (Rev 20,7-10), proving to man and demon that so long as sin is allowed, it will continue to seek God’s throne until it is put in its place. He will give them every possible chance, so when they blow it, God will be able to tell them that there is no solution to sin except hell. God will put sin and death literally under His feet when He destroys this present universe and makes a new heavens and places hell at the center of the new earth. Mat 16-25,26 (55j) Lose By Gaini ng (Key verse) (55k) Paradox >> Gain the world to lose your soul >> He who saves his life shall lose it -- Whoever wants to hold onto this life in the flesh will lose everything, but whoever is willing to let go of this life and adhere to the kingdom of heaven, one in which the human soul living a temporal life will gain eternal life in paradise, will become kings and priests of the entire universe! There is another life waiting for us just beyond our mortality that is better and one that is permanent, where we find our true life hidden in Christ that God had prepared for us from all eternity. Mat 16-27 (48e) Judgment >> Levels of judgment >> Judged according to your deeds >> In the day of judgment Mat 16-28 (26ba) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is hell >> Rejecting Christ has the sentence of hell -- It seems that people residing in hell will be able to witness the return of Christ and the establishment of His thousand-year reign on earth. Zech 12-10 says, "They shall look on him whom they pierced." The actual people who killed Christ will see the return of Christ from their location in hell. Also, Rev 1-7 says, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail [mourn] because of him. Even so, Amen." Those in hell will not taste the full brunt of their anguish until they see what they have lost when God establishes His kingdom on the earth. (48n) Judgment >> Jesus’ enemies are destroyed >> Enemies of His glory See next page