Matthew 16:1-28 – The King Must Die
… coming to terms with the reality of just who Jesus is?
Another attempt to trap Jesus
… the sign of Jonah.
Matthew 12:39-40, “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
…trying to trap him, not discern who he really is.
The danger of false teachers
…be on their guard against the yeast of the Pharisees
… because it will infect the message of the kingdom
Who do you say I am? – Matthew 16:13
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”.
Matthew 16:18-19 … terribly twisted over time.
About … Peter’s role in the early church.
… the gospel of Jesus = the key to the kingdom
The cost of following
Verse 24ff
… we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.
…to concentrate on the needs of others ahead of yourself in a way that is costly
… to make your way towards your place of execution with the beam of the cross on your shoulders.
For us today
Are you convinced as to the identity of Jesus?
Western Christianity tacks Jesus on
… rarely deny ourselves much at all.