Pastor Steve

In a sense, in chapter 16 Matthew is introducing us to Jesus Christ. He has been telling us about Jesus all along, of course, but here he gets to the heart of his introduction. Who is Jesus? Peter had the answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then, what does Jesus…

Jesus said, “…I will build my church (ekklesia – “called out assembly”) and the gates of hell [hades] shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16.18). What did he mean by “the gates of Hell” not being able to overcome Christ’s Church? Several different interpretations exist. The most common view is that “the gates of Hades”…

What did Jesus mean when he said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”? There are three main interpretations:

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”…

Good eyesight is a marvelous blessing, and in order to see better, Americans spend billions of dollars a year on eye care. About seven percent of the population is considered legally blind. Jesus faulted the Pharisees because they were unable to “interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16.3). Are you able to interpret the…

We can understand the failure of the Pharisees and Sadducees to perceive the signs of the times. They were unable to understand because they would not understand. It is exactly why people are unable to believe on Jesus Christ today: They do not want to believe. What really is incomprehensible is the dense minds of…