I wrote this blog 2 weeks ago…but did not release it.  Perhaps God wanted it released tonight.  I pray that it blesses and inspires you.

Where do you go when you want to declare who you are and what your plans are?

The disciples thought that Jesus was going after the Romans and that victory over the Romans was inevitable.  When Jesus tore up the temple in a public display of calling out the religious scribes it probably made them even more confident.  And the battles that He fought?  Jesus won those battles decisively.

He won in the wilderness.

He won in the temple.

He won in the synagogues.

When Jesus picked a fight—He won it decisively.  He couldn’t be tricked.  He couldn’t be bought.  He didn’t care how things “looked”.  He was bold and decisive and true and unfailingly correct.

But what must have shocked the disciples is who, when, and what He chose to fight.

And though Peter’s “graduation present” was announced on the day described in Matthew 16, he did not open it until Jesus had been brutally executed.

Matthew 16 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Caesarea Philippi has another name.  The “Gates of Hell”.  And for good reason.  Pan was worshipped there.  All kinds of evil were practiced there.  It was probably a terrifying place for people to go … and yet, here was Jesus declaring that He would build His church HERE.

Undaunted by what had happened there, Jesus declared that it was HERE He would build His church on the ROCK.

And so, at the Gates of Hell and with a man who would run in fear when the battle truly came, Jesus declared victory.

What a sight it must have been!

So what do we do with this?

As I think about this today—I would say this.  We can hang our eternity on THREE UNFAILING TRUTHS:

He OWNS The Victory.  And in His time on earth, He would do it again and again and again.  Nothing would sway Him.

No Evil Practice Will Stand.  It is discouraging to see some of the things we see, but God owns the endgame.  When Jesus decided to declare Himself King and Peter the head of the church, He did it at the most evil place on the planet.  And He sealed it by dying—and then raising from the dead.  In Jesus, No Evil Practice Will Stand.

He Has Come That You Might Have Life.  NEVER forget the destiny that He has put over your head.  He wants to give you LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.

John 10  10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Do not bow down to the ways of the world.

Do not cower at the power of those who do evil.

Do not negotiate or compromise with an enemy who rejects the Living God.

You are not small.

You are not powerless.

You are not without hope.

You are just the opposite.  You are a child of the King of the Universe and powerful to STAND.

When you pray … Pray with BELIEF … and FAITH … and the POWER of Jesus.

At the place where evil reigned, Jesus promoted a cowardly, back-sliding fisherman to carry and build His church.

And now, in 2021 in the Year of Our Lord (AD), we are still reading about it.

Walk in the promises of your Savior.  He is worthy.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J