Verse of the Week - Matthew 16:16 - Week of March 30, 2015

Who is Jesus?
In chapter 16 of Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples,"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The disciples told Christ that some people thought he was John the Baptist, others thought he was Elijah, and still others were guessing that he was Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. 

Then Jesus asked his disciples another question," Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered him," You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus was pleased because he had not told the disciples who he was. Then Jesus said an interesting thing. He said that Simon Peter knew this information because his (Jesus') Father in heaven had revealed Jesus' identity to Simon Peter. 

God can and will give the followers of Christ personal revelations. Simon Peter knew who Jesus was. Simon Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah. He could only know this as a personal revelation from God. 

Do you know Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God? 
I would like to tell you about him.

1. Jesus is God and became human. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." 
John 1:1, 14

2. Jesus died for us on the cross. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.' 
1 Peter 3:13

3. Jesus was resurrected from the dead. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification:
Romans 4:25

If you want Jesus to affect your life, you have to receive Him by believing in Him. "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"
John 1:12

ABC's of Receiving Jesus

Admit - Admit you need Jesus and repent of your sin. Repenting is not just feeling sorry, but it means we turn our whole life toward Jesus. We want to live differently.
Believe - Believe in Jesus. You have to trust and believe that He is God, He died for us on the cross, and his death is why we will have eternal life in Heaven. You believe there is one God.
Confess - Confess, or say that 'Jesus is Lord.' For it is by your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10 You are giving Jesus control of your life. You have just become a passenger in life and Jesus is the driver. 

Pray
Jesus, you are Lord. I believe you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross and were raised from the dead. I know I have not been living right and that I need forgiveness. I am turning from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me. 

You have just enter God's family by a spiritual birth. Follow up on your commitment by:

• reading God's Word, the Bible daily
• pray  
• find a church home.  
• Communicate your faith to others.
• Share what has happened to you.

Resources used for this post

NIV Disciple's Study Bible Chapter 16 of Matthew
NIV Disciple's Study Bible Life Helps pgs. 1745 - 1748
www.biblehub.com