From: January 25, 2025
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 ESV).
After Simon confessed Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus blessed him and gave him a new name, calling him, “Peter,” or in the Greek, “Πέτρος” (“Petros”). Jesus used a play on words saying, “You are “Petros” and on this “πέτρα” (“petra”) I will build my church. In the Greek, this might be literally translated, “You are a ‘small rock’ (petros) and upon this ‘immovable bedrock’ (petra) I will build my church.”
Although Simon Peter will be important to the founding of the church, the emphasis on the word “petra” clearly points not to Peter himself, but to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. It is this confession that is the foundational bedrock of the church.
And it is upon this confession that Christ has promised to build His church. He says, “I will build my church.” He doesn’t tell His disciples to build the church. He says that He will do it. So what is our part? Our part is to confess and proclaim Jesus as the Christ. And not only that, but we are we to proclaim Christ crucified and raised up. For as Christ is recorded saying in John’s gospel, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
So Christ has said He will do the “drawing” and the “building,” if we will do the confessing and the proclaiming. In other words, if we will be the church, Christ will build the church.
PRAYER: Dear Father, strengthen us to confess and proclaim Your Son to everyone and to leave the results up to You. For You alone can save. We cannot save, but we can tell others about the Savior. Lord, empower us to be the church and to trust Christ to build the church. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 25, 2024
“But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Exodus 1:17 ESV).
Pharaoh was worried about the growing Hebrew population in Egypt, so he ordered the midwives to kill all the newborn boys at birth. But his decree had little effect because the midwives feared God more than they feared the king. In the midst of this terrible time of government ordered infanticide, God preserved the life of a baby boy named Moses. Ironically, he was rescued and adopted by the daughter of the very royal house that had ordered his death. God raised up this baby boy Moses to set his people free from slavery and death.
Centuries later, the Lord raised up our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ in similar manner. For the worldly King Herod ordered the death of all the baby boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill him. But God warned Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt and rescue his adopted son.
Do you see a trend? Those who fear God, rescue and adopt the children of humanity. They fear God more than they fear the worldly king. Those who have lost the fear of God, have lost even the basic human instinct to preserve and protect our own human offspring.
PRAYER: O Lord, we are broken hearted by those who would support the killing of babies. This is a great sin. Yet, we too must confess our own sins. We too are sinners in need of Your forgiveness and grace. Show us how to be as the midwives of Egypt who feared You more than the world’s king. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From: January 25, 2023
“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).
Jesus had many hard sayings, but the teaching concerning the necessity of His suffering, death and resurrection was the hardest for the disciples to receive. Bold Peter even attempted to rebuke Jesus for saying such things. But Jesus put him in his place with, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Poor Peter went from Peter the confessor, to Peter the transgressor in a matter of moments. One minute, he was listening to God’s voice, recognizing Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And the next minute, he was under Satan’s influence, trying to dissuade Jesus from His ultimate purpose.
Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for the cross and the empty tomb, but only the sight of His resurrected body and the sound of His voice was able to convince them of its truth. They finally understood that it was “necessary” for Jesus to go to the cross, the tomb and be raised again on the third day, in order to redeem us and reconcile us to God.
The Greek word translated “necessary” might also be translated “must.” In other words, Christ’s sacrifice was a “must” for our salvation. Now what was necessary for Christ has become a necessity for those of us who would receive His salvation.
As Jesus told Nicodemus, “So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:7).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thankfully and joyfully receive Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Doing so, You have made us born again of Your Spirit. Now we feel the necessity to tell others of this great salvation. Strengthen us to bear witness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 25, 2017
Lose to win? Jesus gave this paradoxical teaching after rebuking Peter for his insistence that Jesus should not suffer, die and be raised as He predicted. Jesus warned Peter and His disciples that if they tried in their own wisdom and strength to preserve their lives, they would instead be lost. But if they would surrender their lives to Christ, depending on Him for life, they would be saved. This same life choice is set before us. If you would choose to avoid the persecutions and troubles that the world will throw at you for following Christ, then be aware that you are choosing to gain the world at the expense of your own soul. Yet, if you would choose to follow Christ and be willing to suffer with Him for the sake of the gospel, you will find the very life you desire and more.
From: January 25, 2016
Today’s OT reading moves us from Genesis to Exodus. These two book names in the English translation of the Bible are taken from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT) and mean “Beginning” and “Going Out.” The original Hebrew names are “Bereshit” (בראשית – “In the beginning”) and “Shemot” (שמות – “Names”). In the Hebrew Bible, the names of books are taken from the first word in the book. Verse one of the book of Exodus begins with the “names” of the sons of Israel. Names are very important in the Bible. Although Shakespeare would disagree saying, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The Bible places great significance on names. Perhaps because it reveals the names throughout the generations that lead up to the revelation of the greatest Name of all… Jesus (Acts 4:12, Phil. 2:9-11).
From: January 25, 2015
Jesus had many hard sayings, but the teaching concerning His suffering, death and resurrection was the hardest for the disciples to receive. Bold Peter even attempted to rebuke Jesus for saying such things. But Jesus put him in his place with, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Poor Peter went from Peter the confessor, to Peter the transgressor in a matter of moments. One minute, he was listening to God’s voice, recognizing Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And the next minute, he was under Satan’s influence, trying to dissuade Jesus from His ultimate purpose. Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for the cross and the empty tomb, but only the sight of His resurrected body and the sound of His voice was able to convince them of its truth. They finally understood that Jesus “must go” to the cross, the tomb and be raised again on the third day in order to redeem us and reconcile us to God.