Blessing and Offence

"13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Matthew 16

I. Blessed Revelation - "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

I have often suggested that the moment a person comes to the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah then this is the moment of salvation for them. The revelation comes from the Father, not from empirical evidence, not from rational deduction. It seems logical to my finite mind that if God chooses to entrust a revelation to me then it must indicate a favorable standing with God, right? If the revelation alone was proof of salvation then why is Jesus calling Peter the devil in verse 23 of this passage? Also, in chapter 18 Jesus comments that the disciples are not converted yet. I will expound on Matthew 18 about some serious misconceptions in that chapter in another post.

Matthew 16:18-19 is a proof text of the Roman Catholic church to support that Peter was the first pope. I have mentioned before that proof texting is often used by cults to establish false doctrine and lure people into its hellish clutches. There is absolutely NO scriptural basis to support that Peter was even in Rome. He was the apostle to the Jews. Read both of his epistles and this is clear. If anyone should be given the title "Pope" it should be Paul. He lived in Rome for 3 years, wrote some of his epistles from there and evidence exists that one of his converts was the first to preach in the British Isles. But these arguments are for another post.

"Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Well, the gates of hell surely prevailed against Peter not only in the context of this conversation when Jesus called Peter, Satan but hell most certainly prevailed against Peter when he denied the Lord 3 times. There is only ONE rock and that rock is Jesus. Paul refers to Christ as the "cornerstone". In ancient times the corner stone was a chiseled and fashioned rock. The revealed Christ is the rock. Never forget that "church" is not an organization but an organism. Upon this rock I will build my "assembly of the called out".

II. Baneful Offence-"thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

In verses 16-19 Peter must have been feeling rather good about himself knowing that the Father was revealing spiritual truth to him. That all changes in verse 21 because Jesus tells his inner circle what great things He will suffer and the death he will face. Peter rebukes the Lord telling him this can't be. Peter was probably clutching his sword when he made this rebuke. Apparently the revelation that Jesus is the Christ must have some qualifiers to it. Jesus said that Peters desires were not those of God but of men. Peter perceived that Jesus would be a conquering king. After all, in fulfillment of prophecy, Christ is to take the throne of King David his ancestor. As is with most people even today when you tell them a story they focus in on one thing they hear or read that they don't agree with and ignore everything that is being stated. This happened to me recently when my friends refused to see the whole of what I had written and zeroed in on something they did not like. Peter completely ignored that Jesus told them He would die and rise again the third day. That's a very important piece of information amidst the suffering and killing.

There are certainly varying degrees of revelation. Some people are given the ability or insight to perceive spiritual truths that is not as obvious to others. The 12 apostles were the inner circle of Christs disciples and not the whole. There are numerous occasions where Jesus challenges their inability to understand spiritual truths i.e. Matt. 17:17. I can almost envision Jesus shaking his head in disbelief at their disbelief (pun intended). There are certain people that God chooses to reveal things. Sometimes He chooses to use me to shed light on His revelation, not offer new revelation. I trust that is happening as you read this blog. The 12 apostles were the inner circle and they were privy to spiritual things that others were not. In this age of equality I remind you that all things are not equal in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The revelation that Jesus is Christ may not be indication in itself that one is born again. But this revelation is most certainly a necessity. Consider that the disciples had witnessed all of Christs miracles and sat under all of His teaching. Christ also gave the disciples authority and power to heal the sick, cast out demons and perform other miracles yet they still did not believe. At the beginning of this chapter Jesus warns the disciples to beware of the leaven of the scribes and Pharisees. The disciples reasoned among themselves that Jesus was talking about bread because they did not bring bread for their journey. They were actually worrying about how they may get bread when in the previous chapter they took up baskets of food left over from Jesus feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000. This miracle was fresh in their minds but they still worried about their next meal.

Divine revelation is a necessity but not a stand alone faith factor. Jesus elaborates on this at the close of Matthew 16
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

One would think that the disciples would have a grasp of this by now but they do not. Here we find another reference to the things of man or the world. Though one have a true revelation of God and yet still walk in the ways of fleshly delights that revelation does not profit them but only adds to their damnation.

Righteous Hatred

"16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.21Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139

In this politically correct world we live in hatred has been redefined to mean that any idea contrary to political correctness is hate. The infamous Southern Poverty Law Center claims there are over 900 hate groups in America. Many years ago they were the authority on identifying and monitoring the activities of such groups as the KKK, Neo-Nazis, Skinheads, Nation of Islam and the likes. These groups should be monitored. But this legitimate platform from which the SPLC began morphed into a monstrous beast of unfounded hate labeling of God fearing, bible believing Christians. If they remain true to their pattern of slander it’s inevitable that the bible will eventually appear on the SPLC list of hate. In reality, the SPLC has become the very thing they claim to oppose, hatemongers.

Hating the things of God will invite the wrath of God. And those who are born from above must not stand by and allow this wicked institution to attack the innocent and the righteous. Righteous hatred will always favor the innocent and bring honor to God. I hate Mark Potok and Morris Dees but this does not mean that I wish evil upon them. I pray that these men repent of their wickedness and surrender their hearts to God. I wish no violence upon them because the only true violence that will mean anything is that violence God Himself will bring on their unrepentant souls. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.

A perfect hatred is pure and holy. God hates evil and so should we. David, the warrior king, cries out to God to search his heart and see if there be any wicked way in him. We must always take a position of humility lest we be guilty of wickedness that we accuse others of. The bible does not tell us its wrong to judge others. People take Christs words out of context and make a universal application that is not in the text.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?" Matthew 7

The context of Christs statement is in reference to judging your brother in the Lord and does not apply to our judgements of the wicked. What does universally apply is the measure whereby we judge someone else we ourselves will be measured. The fact is that our own personal judgement is vital to our survival. If you choose to associate with people of questionable behavior then be prepared to face the same fate as them.

Which brings us to another word that is misused or misunderstood…wicked.

In American culture the word wicked is often reserved for those involved in the occult or those who have done incredibly horrible bloody crimes against people such as; Hitler, Stalin or Abraham Lincoln. These men indeed were wicked because they butchered innocent citizens of their own countries. Wickedness is not limited to such acts of depravity but is far more encompassing. All sin, no matter how “harmless” it may seem is wickedness. Even the act of hating can be wicked.

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” I John 3:15

He who hates his brother is a murderer. In verse 14 John is addressing the brethren. The context of this hate is in reference to a Christian hating their brother in the Lord. This principle does not apply to hating people in general. I do not suggest that we should go around hating people whom we do not like. Even Jesus said that we could be angry with our brother if we had a good reason to be angry.

“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” Matthew 5:22

Hating your brother or sister in the Lord is murder but hating those who hate God and righteousness is another thing and may be just.

How do we hate the wicked and love God at the same time? Jesus did this quite often especially when talking with the religious leaders of His day. He called the Pharisees and Scribes snakes, white washed tombs full of dead men’s bones and even told them on more than one occasion that their father was the devil. Can you see yourself going down to the local church and publicly telling the pastor and his church board they are a bunch of snakes and children of the devil? This is precisely what the church reformers have done down through the ages. They have stood up against the wickedness of Church tyranny and proclaimed those corrupt people in authority to be children of the devil. This is what makes Martin Luther a real hero of the faith. Men like this are hard to find today.

Paul said that one way to defeat our enemies is to heap hot coals of fire upon their heads through kindness. Being kind to those who hate you can be a tremendous weapon though not easy to use. I have seen this weapon work. And I have seen the wicked only take advantage of this to assault the innocent even more. There are times we must take a stand for righteousness in the defense of the innocent. This is the most overwhelming characteristic I see in the cause of the Confederacy that evokes my highest adulation. The South was fighting an army 3 times its size to defend their homes and families. In the face of overwhelming odds they fought valiantly for the innocent. God rewarded them beyond what they expected.

For nearly 3 years spiritual revivals were occurring throughout the Southern armies beginning in 1862. It was a spiritual awakening on par with the first great awakening in early 18th century New England. The effects of these Confederate revivals were far more reaching and longer lasting than any other spiritual awakening except going back to the day of Pentecost or since. For proof one only has to consider that the late great Bible belt of America is comprised of the Confederate States of America. The Southern Baptist Convention has been the largest denomination in the country for many years. Consider that the population of the Southeastern U.S. has always been less populated than the North and yet it has the larger concentration of Christians and churches in the U.S. Three days ago I was at a local state park that is off the beaten path. This park is situated along the Lumber river in N.C. I was talking with a park ranger when a van with a large Orthodox Jewish family pulled up asking about the park. I was talking with the young father of 8 children and learned they evacuated from Miami to escape hurricane Irma. He made the comment that he never saw so many churches, “There are more churches than homes”. I explained he is in the bible belt. I also explained that most of those churches he saw were not so much spiritually oriented any more rather they are social hubs of the community. The spiritual awakening in the South was the result of Christians defending the innocent.
It is the duty of the Christian to defend the innocent and those who are defenseless.

“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82

This Psalm is addressing the shortcomings of those in authority. The word “gods” in verse one is not a reference to pagan or false gods but to kings and princes. The U.S. government today is a socialist form of government. The constitution is referenced by politicians only when it meets the diabolical needs of our wicked leaders. Our welfare society is supposed to meet the needs of the poor which raises a conundrum for the believer. If I am already giving huge amounts of my well earned income to the federal government with the expectation that they will use the money for its intended purposes am I still liable to care for the needy? As the Lord is preparing mansions for His faithful children so the Devil is preparing a special place for “public servants” who have violated the trust of its citizens and turned those citizens into subjects of the state.
Providing for the needy should not include a false sense of social or economic equality. Since the beginning of time there have always been social and economic classes in society. A classless society can only be achieved under a tyrannical government. The USSR made the best attempt at creating a classless society and at best it was a bloody, brutal, wicked failure. Classless societies will always result in masses of innocent people suffering at the hands of tyranny. Even heaven itself will have a class structure and maybe I will write more about this later. As a Christian, I will always defend the innocent even if it means losing my friends, family or my life.

The Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

No, Not in Israel

"5And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." Matthew 8

In Matthew 15 Jesus stated he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In that context He and His disciples were being annoyed by a Canaanite women who persisted in getting his attention to heal her daughter. The disciples and Jesus were noticeably perturbed at her insistence to the point that Jesus refers to her as a dog. In today's politically correct world Jesus would be labeled a bigot and probably IS considered one by ANTIFA and BLM. Pardon my digression. But the point is that Jesus was determined to remain focused on His mission for the redemption of the house of Israel and could not ignore the persistent faith of this woman. She demonstrated her faith by her humility not her demands nor insistence upon her "rights". God will always acknowledge the truly humble (James 4:10)

The Centurions faith was also demonstrated by his humility when he said, "I am not worthy that you should come under my roof". Humility like these biblical examples is lost in this current age of people "demanding their rights". Truly, the only right we have is to die and go to hell. It is God's pure grace and mercy that anyone is even reading this right now.

The encounter with the Centurion was at the beginning of Christs ministry and already those outside the house of Israel are eager to know who this Jesus is. In fact, Christs ministry began just after His 40 day fast and temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4. He left the wilderness and went to Northern Galilee. He was thronged there by people from Syria and the Decapolis. The Decapolis is ten ancient cities of which all but one were East of the Jordan river. Christs fame was more widespread among gentiles than Jews. The targeting of Christians in Syria by ISIS is striking at the very birthplace of Christianity. It was in Syria where the oldest sect of Christianity outside of Jerusalem arose. Aleppo was a major early Christian town. Antioch is where the term Christian was first used (Acts 11) Syrian Antioch is often referred to as the "cradle of Christianity" not Rome.

Christs appearance on earth was fulfillment of biblical prophecy. God and God alone knows the future and He knew that Abraham's seed would reject His word and ultimately the redemptive work of His Son. The Old Testament is a testimony to this endless cycle of Israel rejecting God, repenting and rejecting God again. Rabbinic Judaism came along about the same time that Old Testament prophecy ended. Rabbinic Judaism codified and interpreted biblical law or the laws of Moses in what is called the Mishna. Judaism today is based more upon this Mishna interpretation of Gods law instead of God's law itself. The Scribes and Pharisees were Christs biggest enemies because they led the Jews astray from the law of Moses. It was their adherence to mans interpretation of Gods law instead of the law itself that brought out the anger of our Lord, " 23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Matthew 23

The Judaism in the world today is exactly the Judaism that Jesus condemned. Judaism today is not the faith of Abraham, David or Elijah. Jesus said, "If you knew my Father then you would know me". How can we know the Father? By knowing, believing and obeying His word. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17 Jesus said,

"17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5

Israel today is the same Israel that cried out, "Crucify him. Release to us Barrabas". Jews are not brothers to the Christian. Jews today are not even walking in the path of Moses. Jesus prophesied in the passage above, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Those who are truly born again, regenerate believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be sitting down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not post second temple Jews. Some eschatology beliefs suggest there will be a regathering of Israel and many will turn to Jesus Christ. Perhaps that may be true but do not make the mistake of counting Jews as your "brothers in the Lord". A kosher Jew today is no different than the Pharisee of the 1st century. Don't be fooled if a Jew tells you he believes Jesus "was" a prophet. We should never speak of Jesus in the past tense as though he no longer exist. He is risen. Anyone who accepts Jesus as a prophet but not as God incarnate, God in the flesh, has made Jesus a false prophet and a liar.

Just to be clear, I'm not denigrating a people, I'm attempting to expose a false notion that many evangelicals have regarding Israel and Jews. Christian, do not for one minute think that every Jew you meet is going to "see the light" and accept Christ as the Messiah. In fact, most Jews are not religious Jews. And even those who observe Passover, Yom Kippur and other Jewish feasts may do so as a custom and tradition not a religious observance. Jesus said the Jews would be cast into outer darkness and exist in torment. Naturally, there will be exceptions to this. I have met completed Jews who have been converted to Christ and acknowledge Him as the Messiah.

Jesus marveled at the faith of the gentile Centurion. May my faith rise to a marvelous level.