Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 37
‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sad
ducees.’”
12
Then at last they understood that he
wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but
about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees
and Sadducees.
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
13
When Jesus came to the region of Caesa
rea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do
people say that the Son of Man is?”*
14
“Well,” they replied, “some say John the
Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jere
miah or one of the other prophets.”
15
Then he asked them, “But who do you
say I am?”
16
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,* the Son of the living God.”
17
Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son
of John,* because my Father in heaven has
revealed this to you. You did not learn this
from any human being. 18 Now I say to you
that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),* and
upon this rock I will build my church, and
all the powers of hell* will not conquer it.
19
And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom
of Heaven. Whatever you forbid* on earth
will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever
you permit* on earth will be permitted in
heaven.”
20
Then he sternly warned the disciples not
to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death
21
From then on Jesus* 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* 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.”
24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of
RECOVERY PRINCIPLE DEVOTIONAL
DELAYED
GRATIFICATION
READ MATTHEW 16:24-26
Some of us are addicted to chaos. We may
be so used to crisis that we don’t know
how to enjoy the calm. Life in recovery
may seem boring in comparison to our old
ways. We may even miss the excitement
and danger. The rewards may seem too
slow in coming.
The apostle Paul said, “So let’s not get
tired of doing what is good. At just the
right time we will reap a harvest of blessing
if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9). Weeds
spring up quickly. Good crops grow more
slowly and must be tended steadily, even
before we can see anything sprout. It’s only
in time that we will enjoy the fruit.
Jesus suggested that we expand our perspective even further, with a view toward
eternity. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any
of you wants to be my follower, you must
give up your own way, take up your cross,
and follow me. 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. And
what do you benefit if you gain the whole
world but lose your own soul?’” (Matthew
16:24-26).
It is God’s will for us to have a rewarding
and fulfilled life. It may be easier to adjust
to our new way of life if we remember that
denying ourselves immediate pleasures
will bring a harvest of rich rewards in
this life and in the life to come. Turn to
page 1235, Matthew 25.
16:13 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
16:16 Or the Christ. Messiah (a Hebrew term) and Christ
(a Greek term) both mean “anointed one.” 16:17 Greek
Simon bar-Jonah; see John 1:42; 21:15-17. 16:18a Greek
that you are Peter.
16:18b Greek and the gates of Hades.
16:19a Or bind, or lock.
16:19b Or loose, or open.
16:21 Some manuscripts read Jesus the Messiah.
16:22 Or
began to correct him.
1223