Jesus asked His disciples who are I?
Matthew 6:14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 6:15 “But what about you?” he asked.
“Who do you say I am?”
Matthew 6:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.
You are the Son of the living God.”
In John 1:34 B, John the Baptist said that Jesus is the Son of God.
John saying this was common knowledge.
When John the Baptist spoke it with his lips, God spoke it into Peter's heart.
Matthew 6:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah!
No mere human showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you.
When Peter's thoughts and speech lined up with the Word of God as spoken through John the Baptist, they were divine, and Peter was commended.
Matthew 6:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples what would happen to him.
He told them he must go to Jerusalem.
There he must suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law.
He must be killed and on the third day rise to life again.
This was a revelation from God, too!
Matthew 6:22 Peter took Jesus to one side and began to scold him.
“Never, Lord!” he said.
“This will never happen to you!”
Matthew 6:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “
Get behind me, Satan!
You are standing in my way.
You do not have in mind the things God cares about.
Instead, you only have in mind the things humans care about.”
When Peter's thoughts and speech opposed God's Word, it was Demonic.
During a two minute conversation, Peter was both speaking for God and Satan!
Peter was thinking at this point like a man instead of from God's vantage point, and Jesus called him out on that.
When you speak or pray from man's point of view, it is of demonic origin, and we should know better than that.
Jesus was attempting to teach both Peter and us in this passage how we are being influenced in the Spiritual realm by both God and Satan in our thoughts.
The only way to figure out which is which is to determine how our thoughts line up with Scripture.
At this time, Peter wasn't living up to his name. He was wishy washy, thinking both God's and Satan's thoughts.
Jesus previously said to Peter...
Matthew 6:18 Here is what I tell you.
You are Peter.
On this rock I will build my church.
The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it.
Peter would eventually figure it out by not mixing God's and Satan's thoughts in his speaking, praying, and actions.
He would eventually only stand on thoughts and words that line up with God's word like a rock (or a Peter), and whip Satan by doing so.
Jesus also said to Peter...
Matthew 6:19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven.
What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.”
The key that unlocks the kingdom is the will of God as revealed in the Word of God.
We lock and unlock the doors of heaven by...
1. Distinguishing the origin of our thoughts.
2. Thinking from God's point of view not Man's.
3. (Only) Speaking, Praying, and Acting aligned to God's will as revealed in God's Word.
1 John 5:14 (NIRV) Here is what we can be sure of when we come to God in prayer. If we ask anything in keeping with what he wants, he hears us.
M. H. Dennis
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