We are a forgetful people in a land of distractions. Our minds are easily captivated by trivial and temporary inducements. New things quickly become old. In our mind’s eye even glory tends to fade and warnings tend to wane. It is no wonder that we who are invisibly united to Christ and visibly in and not of this world live in constant need of renewal. And what is true for the Christian is true for the church. This is a series that seeks to renew the mind of the church. Not so much by reviewing what she is called to do as much as what she is called. As with the Christian so with church, her God-given identity defines her. We who are the church are a people for God and none other.
Before we return to the book of Romans, we will be looking at the what scripture says about the Church, in its nature, how she expresses herself in song, and how the church cares and equips for its members.
The messages from this series can be found here:
Manny Pereira - August 30, 2020
Cross Before Crown
Momentous is the scene. It captures the rest of Matthew’s narrative in miniature. Peter has just confessed Jesus as the divine Christ. In the immediate wake of the divine disclosure of Christ’s person, Christ reveals His plan. His church and cross are tightly linked. The cross will cast a vast shadow, but its shame sharply ends at the brilliance of heavenly glory. Here we look more closely at this ominous mystery once concealed now revealed. It is Christ’s first direct prediction of His crucifixion and resurrection. It occasions an opportunity for Him to remind and urge His disciples to follow Him. True discipleship goes the way not of man but of God. And God’s ways are sometimes paradoxical to us. In the economy of God’s gospel, losing equals gaining when it is from and for Christ. To be sure, God’s ways lead to glory. But service and suffering will mark their path. Peter’s misconception prompts a marvelous lesson: the cross must come before the crown.
Scripture References: Matthew 16:21-28
