The Pharisees asked Jesus to show a spectacular sign to prove His authority.
He said, when you see dark clouds, you say it will rain and when the sky is red you say it will be fair weather and it is so.
He repeated what He had already said in Mat 12:39, only the wicked and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but the only sign that He has given us is that of Jonah, that is, His death and resurrection. No wonder Paul cries, O That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering and being made comfortable to His death. Phil 3:10. It's unfortunate that we rarely hear about the death and resurrection of Jesus except maybe during Easter, what we mostly hear is miracles.
Death and resurrection which is the sign Jesus gave simply means as I understand it, when I choose do die to my self will, and choose to God's will every time, I will experience the resurrection power of Christ and I will become and more like Jesus, in my character, my attitudes, motives and every way from Glory to glory.
The destination that Jesus has prepared for us is that we become like Jesus Christ. If you and I are moving in that direction, we at the end of every year be able to see that we have become a little more like than at the beginning of that year. Not comfortably saying that,'that is the way I am', not but every moment pressing on and becoming better and better every moment. Have you been heading to that direction or have you lived in the same condition or moving in a different location? You can start now. Choose the way of death to your self will to do the will of God and you will experience the resurrection power of God working in you to become more like Christ every moment.
Jesus warned His disciples of the teaching of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
Lk 12:1 says that beware of leaven of Pharisees and scribes which is hypocrisy.
The Pharisees had the right doctrine but they were hypocrites, that is, they never practiced what they taught. Mathew 23:3.
We see here that the way we live is more important than what we teach. Many have an itch of teaching others but James warned us that let there be few teachers for teachers will receive a stricter judgment that the rest. Jam 3:1. Paul told Timothy to first take care of the way He lived and then of His teaching. 1Tim 4:16.
We learn therefore that we should only teach what we have practiced and this is the only way of having Gods approval and authority.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT PREACHING IS THAT GOD BACKS UP. God will not back you up if you are living hypocritical life.
Jesus continued and asked His disciples who people said He was, and then asked them and Peter answered the He was the Messiah the son of the Living God. Jesus said that He was blessed for not flesh and blood revealed that by the Holy Spirit.
On that revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of the living God, Christ would build His church and the gates of Hell would not prevail.
Note that IT IS JESUS BUILDING HIS CHURCH.
it is not the devil fighting the church but the church fighting the kingdom of Satan and overcoming it, and it will not prevail.
The church which Jesus is building upon the revelation of Him being Messiah Son of the Living God, will fight the kingdom of satan and overcome it.
Still on this revelation, Jesus would give the key that whatever we bind in heaven will be bound on earth and whatever we lose in heaven will be loosed in earth. This is the second heaven where demons and principalities and power are. Noted that we don't fight with human beings. Eph 6:10-12.
For us to fight the devil effectively, we must believe Jesus is The anointed one of God who came to deliver us from all our bondages and restore to us the glory we lost, and then decide from henceforth never to fight with human beings.
IF YOU FIGHT PEOPLE YOU WILL HAVE NO ENERGY TO FIGHT THE DEVIL .
We lose from the heavenlies the souls that have been bound by the the devil and bind all the activities of the devil hindering us from accomplishing Gods assignment for our lives.
Jesus begun to talk about His death and Peter took His aside and even rebuked Jesus and spoke sharply to Him telling him that He must never suffer. Jesus said to him, get behind me satan, for you are a stumbling block to me, your interests are mans interests not Gods interests.
Here we see how it is easy to start being a voice of God and in the next five minutes become the voice of satan. The reason is that at that moment Peter became proud that God gave Him a revelation from heaven and Jesus appreciated it. He thought that He was a very important person.
Rom 12:3 says that we should not think of ourselves more highly that we ought to think.
Gal 6:3 says that if you think you are someone important when you are a nobody, you are deceiving yourself. BEWARE OF PRIDE. It can turn one who was a mouthpiece of God to a mouthpiece of Satan.
Always remember that before you were born, God's work continued wonderful well and long after you are dead, it will continue. In the short period we are here, we should serve God with brokenness and humility and in reverence.
Another thing is that when we are thinking of our own interests and not Gods interests, we are stumbling blocks to Jesus, that is why Jesus we must love Him more that our loved one and friends and ourselves if we are to be His disciples.
You are blessed to be a blessing
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@blessed mambo
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