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Matthew 16:16 - You Are The Christ, The Son of The Living God.

Matthew 16:16 (NIV) Simon Peter answered, 
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Matthew 16:16 (NLT) Simon Peter answered, 
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living 
God." 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his followers 
a critical question: 'Who do you say that I 
am?" Peter gave his answer: "You are the Christ, 
the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16 
NKJV). 
   Every good Hebrew knew the Christ was 
coming. Someone greater than Abraham, mightier than 
Moses, a prophet higher than Elijah. The Christ, by 
definition, means the "ultimate one." He wasn't the 
final word; he was the only Word. 
   Jesus, in Peter's confession, was this 
Christ. 
   "On this rock I will build My church," 
was Jesus' reply (Matthew 16:18 NKJV). What is 
the rock he was referring to? What Peter had 
just confessed - the belief that Jesus was the 
Messiah. 
   Rulers will come and go. But the church 
of Jesus Christ, built on the person of Jesus, 
will prevail. 
   Because in the midst of all this world's 
chaos, there is Jesus Christ and his question: "Who 
do you say that I am?" And there is Jesus 
Christ and his vow: "I will build My church." [You 
Can Count On God by Max Lucado re vs 17] 

COMMENTARY

   Years ago I became friends with a 
preacher in Houston. After a wonderful meal together 
he asked me, Do you do text messages?" (I'm 
old enough for him not to make assumptions.) I 
told him I did, so we swapped phone numbers. A 
few days later I received a text from him 
saying, "I am changing your name. You are no longer 
Max. You are Mighty Max!" 
   You might think I'd shrug off such a 
title. I'm a sixty-four-year-old minister. I 
operate in the formal world of pulpits and Bible 
study. Mighty Max? That's the stuff of elementary 
school playgrounds, right? 
   Not to me. When I see his name on my 
phone, I hurry to open the text. I love to be 
encouraged. We all do. So let's encourage one another. 
   Call someone "mighty." Call someone 
"special." Call someone "Rocky." 
   Call forth the Peter from within a Simon.
   Give the gift that God loves to give: the 
gift of encouragement. [You Can Count On God by 
Max Lucado re vs 18] 

   I know it is very easy to be critical of 
the church today, and granted, there are a lot 
of things wrong with it. But dont forget 
this: When Jesus Christ walked this earth, He 
started only one organization, and it is called the 
church. And He said, The gates of Hades shall not 
prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). 
   Some might say, Yeah, but there are a 
lot of hypocrites in the church. 
   Guess what? That isnt new. There were 
hypocrites in the first-century church as well. In 
fact, one of our Lords handpicked disciples 
turned out to be a hypocrite. So yes, hypocrites 
and hypocrisy are nothing new. That is not to 
even mention that in the early church, there were 
rivalries, heresies, and some flat-out immorality. 
   Jesus told an interesting parable that we 
call the parable of the wheat and tares. In this 
story, He talks about a farmer who goes and sows 
wheat in his field, and at night his enemy comes 
in and sows tares, or weeds, among the wheat. 
Now the tares Jesus was describing are also 
known as darnel seeds, which look exactly like 
wheat initially and even through the growth 
process. But in the end, the darnel, or the tare, 
uproots the wheat. Jesus was saying, Youre 
going to have the fake right next to the real, the 
counterfeit right next to the genuine. The tares and 
the wheat will grow together, and we wont 
necessarily know who is who and what is what until that 
final day. 
   Yes, there will be hypocrites among us. 
Only God knows who they are. But lets also 
remember that every one of us has moments of 
hypocrisy. What we need to concern ourselves with is 
whether we are hypocrites and whether we are living 
godly lives. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com re vs 18] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   Peter had expressed the truth which is 
the foundation of the church's faith, and Jesus 
now honored him as the representative of the 
whole body of believers. He said, "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."  
   "The KEYS of the KINGDOM of heaven" are 
the words of Christ. All the words of Holy 
Scripture are His, and are here included. These words 
have power to open and to shut heaven. They 
declare the conditions upon which men are received 
or rejected. Thus the work of those who preach 
God's word is a savor of life unto life or of 
death unto death. Theirs is a mission weighted 
with eternal results.  DA413,4  

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Matthew 16:16 - The Planets Most Momentous 
Event. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211208-0850.html 

Luke 2:10, 11 - Good News of Great Joy for 
All People! 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20091225-1210.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/