Matthew 16: God is a CONFRONTER
God doesn’t let stuff go. If you are going to stand in His way, He WILL confront you. If you are going to ignore His commands He will NOT let it go un-recognized. When we try to keep God from what He wants to accomplish in us, for us, through us or without us it is going to be CONFRONTED.
I know “Christians” who say “I don’t feel guilty about what I am doing” even while living in outright sin. I would say how “Christian” are you because the Holy Spirit would MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY if you HAVE Him? GOD CONFRONTS. I’m getting off track here though. Forgive me (I feel guilty, lol)
Matthew 16:21-28 says 21 From then on Jesus[j] 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. 22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
WOW! Talk about confrontation. Satan? Does it get any worse than that. Notice what Peter was confronted on too. “Seeing things from a human point of view.” OUCH. How often do I do that? No wonder I feel confronted a lot! Lord, help me to see things from YOUR point of view. Continuing.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
He kinda calls them out here. He wasn’t talking about some random person “needing” to turn from their selfish ways. He was basically saying “YOU need to turn from your selfish ways. This whole following Me thing is not about YOU! That’s why it’s called following ME!”
You know what needs to be said to a lot of us? CHRISTIANITY IS NOT ABOUT YOU! CHURCH is not about you! JESUS is not about YOU! I know I need to hear that a TON! And I do hear it, because God is a CONFRONTER.
What parts of your life is God confronting that you need to address? Where are you ingoring God and you KNOW He’s trying to say something? Is following Christ becoming more about YOU and less about HIM? If so, what needs to change?
Confronted (often),
Jeff
