Welcome to our new project, the Daily Bible Devotional. The goal is to help you understand and apply

scripture as you go through a New Testament Bible read five days a week, Monday through Friday,

as we move from Matthew straight through to Revelation. In under four minutes each morning, we will recap the chapter,

make some application, present thought questions for the day, and offer a prayer together.

I'm excited about exploring God's word with you, so let's get started.

Thanks for joining today as we study from Matthew chapter 16. As Jesus begins to expand his ministry

towards Jerusalem, he lays out some strong and needful teachings for his disciples. Firstly, the Pharisees

and scribes are false teachers. They always seek signs because their hearts are not open to the truth.

Their teachings are unkind, unlawfully binding, and must be avoided.

Jesus then turns his attention to, quote,

Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

His point is that he is the only way, truth, and life.

His church is built upon the confession of Jesus as Christ, the Son of God.

He follows by explaining that the road to glory would require his suffering, death, and resurrection.

The disciples struggle with this, but eternal life requires his sacrifice, as well as sacrifices by all who follow him.

There comes a time when things need to be plainly spoken. Christ was patient with the Pharisees,

but it was time to warn the disciples away from their form of teaching. His church would welcome

all, but would only be enjoyed by those

who confess him as Christ and the Son of God. The path of faith would lead to heaven, but would require

extreme and total submission to God's will, perhaps even suffering and death. In the judgment,

people will be willing to do anything to get to heaven,

but the saved will have made that commitment during their lives here on earth.

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