10 June 2010
Psalm [70], 71; Eccles. 11:1-8; Gal. 5:16-24; Matt. 16:13-20

There are some things we can know, some aphorisms that are mostly true, but in the end we don’t know how things will turn out. In our day, the metaphors may be slightly different for most of us who no longer plant and reap for our daily bread, they might have more to do with investing or where we spend our effort in our careers, but in the end we still can’t accurately know what the end of things will be. The market crashes and catches investors unaware, sickness or injury befall us, someone commits fraud and our company closes, the possibilities are limitless. What is our pearl of great price, where have we stored up treasure?

Amazingly, Peter knows who Jesus truly is! What a moment this must have been for Jesus, that all His work and all His teaching had not been in vain. They were making right decisions, not based on what other people thought but based on what they had seen and heard. It is similar to when we come to real, saving faith, we no longer accept it as true because our parents and teachers have told us and we have respect for them, we know in our bones and in our soul that it is true for us. It is this confession of Jesus as Messiah, son of the living God, on which the church is built and indeed we know that the gates of hell have not, in 2000 years, prevailed against the church built on that foundation. The one thing we have to remember is that it was only at that time the followers of Jesus were told not to tell anyone this great truth, we act as though we have been told to keep the secret, but we are to proclaim it from the rooftops for all the world to know.

Paul says that our lives are meant to display the Spirit of God living in us and shows the obvious distinctions between the life of the flesh and the life of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are set over against the works of the flesh in such a way that anyone can tell the difference and most people would choose the fruits of the Spirit. Who wouldn’t want to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? We have to know where to look for those things and they don’t come from the world, they come from setting our hearts and lives on Jesus. If we would have the reward we have to value Him above all else.

I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.