Weekly Sermons

The Hard-Headed Disciple
Many of the most serious Christians also have a problem with being hard-headed when Jesus starts speaking about making the necessary sacrifices in life it will take to be seriously involved in becoming fruit bearing Christians.
Read Matthew 16:13-27        The Hard-headed disciple        Let's Pray!  
The Importance of getting initial faith right                    V. 13-20
"Unless you believe that I Am, you will die in your sins."     -John 8:24
Christ is the cornerstone, the foundation of our faith. We in the church are like Peter and those first Christians, living stones being joined together by the Holy Spirit and serving God in our generation.
The keys represent spiritual authority based on what the Bible teaches. It certainly involves our prayer lives, but it also allows us to assure people that God will do for them what He has promised to in the Bible.
So when a person refuses to call sin what the Bible calls sin, they aren't confessing right or repenting right, and they are not right with God. You have the authority to say that with love and respect.
The importance of getting ongoing sacrifice right                V. 21-27
Let me give you some advice as a Christian - Never ever start your prayer time by saying "No, Lord!"
Satan is opposed to God, and so are we when we set our mind on the things of men instead of God!
Now I don't know what caused more shock among the disciples - hearing Jesus speak about suffering and dying or calling Peter Satan. Actually it doesn't matter - because what He says next should be what really shocks us into action!
Jesus wasn't just saying that He would have to suffer so that God's will could be done; He was also calling us to be "living sacrifices" for Him.
You have to get ongoing sacrifice right to be a fruit-bearing disciple. Christ sacrificed His life to actualize salvation for all who will believe. We make sacrifices to get others access to that saving message.