In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying that He was. “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets (vs. 14).’”

And then Jesus asked them the question that sooner or later all of us will have to answer. “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Maybe you are like me. On one side of my family, we come from a long line of pastors, church planters and ministers of every kind. My great grandfather was a carpenter and literally built 27 churches throughout Oregon and then pastored them until they could find a permanent minister. He was an amazing man, but his children and grandchildren could not count on his godliness for their salvation. At some point, each of us will have to choose for ourselves who we will serve.

Then, as now, people were confused about Jesus. To many, Jesus was just a great man among many other great men. Have you heard this kind of explanation before? “All ways lead to Heaven. Jesus, Mohammad, and Buddha, they are all the same, people just worship them in different ways. It doesn’t matter who a person worships, as long as they are sincere.” These are the timeless lies of Satan!

Peter answered Jesus with the only answer that will bring us to salvation. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (vs. 16).”

Christianity is the most inclusive of all of the religions. It is open to anyone of any background or station. It is literally this simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31.)” What good news!

We are so glad to have you in Bible study with us! If you miss a devotion, you can find them archived at https://comethirstyministry.com/blog/

Reading Plan–Week Four

Day One–Matthew 16
Day Two–Matthew 17
Day Three–Matthew 18
Day Four–Matthew 19
Day Five–Matthew 20