IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE GOD

It is possible to pass a religious test while still missing the point of who Jesus wants us to be. We believe the judgment will be a religious probe, a knowing judgment. That is, we have a tendency to believe that we shall be saved based on what we know rather than trust. I'm not dismissing or discouraging the pursuit of information; rather, I'm emphasizing the distinction between factual knowledge and understanding faith. Knowing that Jesus was the divine Jesus was never a problem for Peter. He had that truth ingrained in his mind.

This scenario is depicted in the Bible as Jesus summons His followers: “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:19, 20). The commitment they made that day, as Jesus’ ministry began, was a total resolve. Peter was the one who would later, at the end of Jesus’ ministry, draw a sword and cut off Malchus’ ear. Peter could have passed a religious test. Let us remember Matthew 16. The Bible says, “[Jesus] said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:15, 16). Was that not the best confession you have ever heard? Yes, Peter scored 100 percent on that confession. We know that because Jesus honoured it. He said, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

However, Jesus was rebuked by Peter at a later time—the same Peter who had just confessed Him to be the Christ. Do we have a clear understanding of Jesus' statement to Peter? "You have been preaching for many years," Jesus might say to a man of God. What would a man of God think if he said, "Get behind me, Satan?" Jesus wasn't joking, and He wasn't being cruel. He wasn't expressing rage or vengeance. He wasn't being sour or irritable. If there was ever a guy who deserved to be devastated, it was a gospel minister who was named "Satan" by Jesus and instructed to get behind Him. When Peter said, “You are the Son of God, the Messiah,” he was right in what he said. He knew Jesus was the Christ. He had no idea, however, what kind of Christ Jesus was. Peter was thinking of the wrong Jesus. It is insufficient to have God. We need to worship the right God. It's not enough to have the facts; we also need to come to the correct conclusion based on them.

This apostle was correct on the outside, but he was incorrect on the inside. That is why we must make the transition from milk to meat. It is insufficient to assert that Jesus is the Christ without ever learning who Christ truly is. Peter had to learn, and we are grateful to God that he did. He composed 1 Peter, which tells us that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This redemption was accomplished via the precious blood of the Lamb, not with silver, gold, or precious stones (1 Peter 1:18, 19). We must recognize that even if we know all of the facts, we may still fall short of what Jesus desires. "What was your uncertainty about Jesus Christ being the Son of God?" we can ask Peter. He'd say, "There was no doubt." Why, then, was he informing Jesus that He was making a blunder? The truth is that he had not understood Matthew 16's lesson. He had the facts, but he didn't know how to apply them.

Word Affirmation: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“ It is insufficient to assert that Jesus is the Christ without ever learning who Christ truly is. "

MIND THIS