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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 16, we started this section 
last week, specifically verses 21 to 23. The Lord Jesus declares 
the divine plan. Verse 21, He says He must go 
to Jerusalem, He must suffer many things, He must be killed, 
and He must be raised the third day. That is divine necessity. God the Father and the Son made 
an eternal transaction, often called the Covenant of Redemption. 
where the father specified to the son that he's giving him 
a people, he's giving him the elect, and the son's responsibility 
is to come into this world, to obey perfectly God's law, and 
to die as a substitute and sacrifice at Calvary. So what Jesus reveals 
here is consistent with that plan, as well what He reveals 
is revealed already in the pages of the Old Testament, something 
that Peter should have been aware of. So this morning we'll take 
up the rejection of the divine plan by Peter in verse 22, and 
then the affirmation of that plan by our Lord in verse 23. I'll just begin reading in chapter 
16, verse 13, and read to the end of the chapter. When Jesus 
came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, 
saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, 
some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or 
one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you 
say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, 
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered 
and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is 
in heaven. And I also say to you that you 
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates 
of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will 
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed 
in heaven." Then he commanded his disciples that they should 
tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time Jesus 
began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 
and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and 
scribes and be killed and be raised the third day. And Peter 
took him aside and began to rebuke him saying, far be it from you, 
Lord. This shall not happen to you. 
But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are 
an offense to me. For you are not mindful of the 
things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to his 
disciples, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny 
himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires 
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for 
my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man 
if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will 
a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will 
come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He 
will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to 
you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death 
till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Amen. 
Let us pray. O God, as we come to Holy Scripture 
now, we are mindful of Your glory and of Your majesty. We are mindful 
of the excellence and the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As 
well, we see our own sin and our own waywardness. We just 
sang of God. We are prone to wander and prone 
to leave the God that we love. Even an apostle like Peter does 
things like these that we read about in this passage of Scripture. 
We confess our sin to you now. We pray for forgiveness. We pray 
for mercy. We pray for cleansing in and 
through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. As well, we pray 
for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that if apart 
from Him we can do nothing, certainly understanding Scripture and applying 
it in our lives is very spiritual exercise, and we need the Spirit 
to guide us and direct us. We pray that you'd be pleased 
to send Him even now. We ask as well for any who have 
come here this morning outside of Christ. Those who are not 
thinking God's thoughts after Him, we pray that by the power 
of your Spirit and the preaching of the Gospel, you would cause 
them to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, to believe in Him who 
is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand, to follow 
the Lamb wherever He says to go. God, be gracious and merciful 
in the salvation of sinners. Be gracious and merciful in the 
sanctification of your people. and truly God be found here among 
your people, and cause us to be gladdened, cause us to rejoice, 
cause us to know the nearness and the presence of God as our 
chief good. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." So as we indicated last week, 
Jesus and His disciples are heading from the northern part, even 
north of Galilee in the area of Caesarea Philippi, and from 
the remainder of the book they're gonna work their way down into 
Jerusalem where according to verse 21, Jesus must go, Jesus 
must be betrayed, Jesus must be delivered up, Jesus must die, 
and Jesus must rise on the third day. And when they come into 
Caesarea Philippi, according to chapter 16 at verse 13, Jesus 
asks that most important question, who do men say that I the Son 
of Man am? And of course, the disciples 
of the apostles respond with some of the common ideas that 
were prevalent in that day, but Jesus doesn't simply leave it 
out there. He doesn't just say, who do those 
men say that I am? He says, but who do you say that 
I am? And this is the heels upon which 
Jesus makes this lofty confession of faith. He says, you are the 
Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus does not then congratulate 
Simon Peter for being wiser, or for being smarter, or for 
being better than other men. Simon Peter did not arrive at 
this knowledge based on his own power, based on his own ability, 
based on his own supposed free will. But rather, Jesus pronounces 
Peter blessed, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to 
you. but my Father who is in heaven." 
It's sovereign grace that caused Peter to appreciate this reality. It is grace that taught Peter's 
heart to fear. It is grace that we stand in 
constant need of in order to rightly identify and recognize 
who Jesus Christ is. So his person is described or 
identified in verse 16. He is the Christ, the Son of 
the living God. But then his work is described 
in verse 21. Jesus began to show what must 
happen. Jesus must suffer, Jesus must 
die, Jesus must be raised on the third day. Now certainly 
as we put ourselves into the same place where Peter is, we 
can understand a bit about what Peter is thinking. Peter loves 
Jesus. Peter just confessed Jesus as 
the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Peter does not want anything 
bad to happen to Jesus. Peter doesn't want anything to 
become or any harm to come to the way of this one that he has 
just confessed. But in so doing, he sides with 
Satan rather than siding with God. When the Lord Christ Most 
High says that he must do something, we are not in a position to correct 
him. When the Lord God Most High tells 
us things, we do not become His counselors. We do not become 
His advisors. We do not give Him recommendations 
for an alternate course that He should pursue. This is fundamentally 
what is at stake in Simon Peter's rebuke here. He is thinking man's 
thoughts after man. He doesn't like the idea of a 
suffering Savior. He likes the idea of triumph, 
he likes the idea of victory, he likes the idea of power and 
glory, but he certainly doesn't like the means by which God will 
achieve that for his beloved son. That's the essence of what 
is going on in this section. Spurgeon summarizes it well, 
the pith. That means the point, the specific, 
the pith of the error was that Peter looked at things from the 
point of view of human honor and success, and not from that 
grand standpoint in which the glory of God in the salvation 
of man swallows everything. Peter was a man of his day. The 
Messiah was supposed to come and bring in great victory and 
subjugate the enemies of Israel. Now certainly Messiah does do 
that, but not according to man's mind, not according to man's 
plan. Remember when Jesus feeds the 
multitude, according to John 6, they try to take him by force 
and make him a king. They quite like that kind of 
a king that's going to give them food, that's going to tend to 
their particular needs. But a king who suffers? A king 
who wears a crown of thorns? a king who was nailed to the 
accursed tree, a king who was ultimately buried in a tomb, 
that kind of a king did not register to the Jewish mind in the first 
century. And so let's go first to the 
rejection of the divine plan in verse 22. The objector is 
Peter, this self-same Peter that we just saw back in the previous 
section of the chapter. Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, 
for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who 
is in heaven." Well, things changed quickly for Peter, didn't they? 
He goes, on the one hand, from being called blessed, having 
been the recipient of divine revelation, having been given 
a blessed view of our Lord Jesus, to now being identified with 
and being called Satan himself. Peter is the spokesman for the 
other disciples. He was when he confessed that 
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Probably he's 
functioning this way here as well. Peter has the objection. Peter makes the rebuke, but probably 
it is common to all of the disciples. Again, they love this man Jesus. They didn't want to see anything 
bad happen to Jesus. I mean, this is really a bad 
thing, isn't it? Here's a man that went about 
doing good. What have we seen in Matthew's Gospel? Jesus fed 
people. Jesus healed people. Jesus raised 
people from the dead. Jesus cast out demons from those 
who were possessed. All good things are what we are 
told concerning Him. And now He says He must go and 
die. And so Peter takes Him aside. 
It's a sign of respect there. He doesn't do it in front of 
all the others, he takes Jesus aside. He cannot reckon with 
the idea that Christ would go to die. Then Peter took him aside 
and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this 
shall not happen to you. Now the translation of this verse, 
it could be, God, be merciful to you, Lord. May this never 
happen to you. Sort of a prayer. Somebody were 
to say to you, I think I'm going to die next week. We might pray 
for that person and say, God, be merciful to this person and 
heal them and alleviate them of their particular malady. Or 
it could be, as the New King James translates, and I think 
this is probably more correct, far be it from you, Lord. He is saying, may this never, 
ever happen. May this never, ever transpire. This idea is not only something 
that's unwanted, but it's unthinkable that our blessed Savior, the 
Lord Jesus, would go and to die. Frantz says the strong negative, 
translated above by never, conveys that it is not just undesirable, 
but unthinkable. It blew Peter's mind, we might 
say. Consider the situation. Consider the scene. It's easy 
for us to look at Peter and say, how could you ever do what you 
did? I hope you'll see yourself in Peter in this particular chapter. 
I don't think the case of Peter is as uncommon today as we might 
think that it is. We may not deny the idea of the 
Lord going to the cross because we live on this side of the cross. 
But how many of God's commands, how many of the mandates of our 
beloved Savior, how many things written in the Scriptures come 
to us and we say, far be it, we're not going to do this, we're 
not going to go through the particular path that you've ordained for 
us. There is a close connection between what's going on here 
and this demand of discipleship that follows in verses 24 to 
27. You see, you ought to be really, really concerned if you 
have trouble with the demand of discipleship in verses 24 
to 27. If you struggle with that, you've 
missed verse 21. Shall the Messiah himself suffer 
and you're going to have nothing but ease? Shall the Messiah wear 
a crown of thorns and all you're ever going to do is bask in the 
sunshine on a beach? Shall the Messiah be spit upon 
by godless men? Shall he be slapped by godless 
men? And shall everybody always only 
ever speak well of you? You see the connection? Jesus 
must suffer, Jesus must die. When Jesus issues this call of 
discipleship, what does he tell his would-be followers? You must 
suffer and you must die. This kind of discipleship that 
is so prevalent in Canada and in America will have Jesus insofar 
as our lives are good. We'll have Jesus insofar as we're 
blessed. We'll have Jesus insofar as we 
prosper. But as soon as the going gets 
tough, as soon as there's any trial, as soon as there's any 
sorrow, we say, you know, we tried Jesus, but it didn't work 
out. It's like saying, I tried a new 
hair care product, but it didn't tame my mane. We cannot reduce 
the God of heaven and earth to a utility, to a device that is 
there simply to benefit our lives. So while we may not say to Christ 
before the cross, far be it from you, Lord, we certainly might 
say it after the cross saying, far be it from me, Lord, to suffer 
and die for you. Far be it from me, Lord, to actually 
take seriously the demands of discipleship." And we will certainly 
get there, but notice what he says in verse 24. If anyone desires 
to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross 
and follow me. You see, that's what discipleship 
looks like. Sometimes, especially with young 
people or teenagers, they say, how do I know if I'm a believer? 
Well, first of all, you believe. It's the identifying mark of 
a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not that we do better. 
It's not that we try harder. It's not that we're perfect because 
we're not. It's because by God's grace we've 
laid hold of Jesus. We have believed on Him. We have 
received pardon for our sin. We have received the imputed 
righteousness of Christ and that is received by faith alone. But 
those who have this saving faith in the Lord Jesus are those who 
will come and die Those who will take up their cross daily and 
follow the Lord Jesus. You see, it's not always the 
case that everything always goes our way as it typically does 
in North America. We've had cause to reflect upon 
the great calamities going on to the Muslims or to the Christians 
living under Muslim rule. They probably know verse 24 a 
whole lot better than we do. I mean, certainly, cognitively, 
we both read the words on the page. Cognitively, we both understand 
the implications concerning the words on the page. But experientially 
and practically, we're all going to go home this afternoon to 
our homes. It's not the case that Sharia 
has been imposed, or it's not the case that our houses are 
sealed up. It's not the case that there's 
going to be a poster on our porch saying, convert or die. You see, 
this is the demand of discipleship, children and young people. Discipleship 
is not picking and choosing what things concerning Jesus you're 
going to follow. Discipleship isn't a buffet. We're going to go up here in 
a few minutes and we're going to pick and choose. That sandwich 
looks good but this one doesn't. This particular salad looks good 
and this one doesn't. I'm not trying to be mean to 
any of you dear sisters that have put together sandwiches 
and salads that might be overlooked. You see, discipleship isn't a 
buffet. You see, I like seven of the 
Ten Commandments, but those ones dealing with sex, I don't want 
God to speak to me in that regard, because He wants me to be happy. 
No, He doesn't. He wants you to be pure. I mean, 
He does want you to be happy, but happiness comes through purity. 
You see, you don't pick and choose the commandments. You don't pick 
and choose what you're going to obey. You don't pick and choose 
what portion of God's thoughts you're going to think after Him. 
You need to submit to the Lordship of our Blessed Redeemer, the 
One who suffered and died and set forth a pattern. After the 
suffering and the death, there is resurrection. It's not always 
going to be miserable. There's aches and pains and sorrows 
and trials and calamities and difficulties in this lower world, 
but you know where we're heading? Do you know our final destination? 
We're going to be where the Lamb is. There will be no more sorrow 
in our lives. There will be no more hardship 
or heartache. There'll be no more suffering. 
There'll be no more pain. There'll be no more hunger. There'll 
be no more thirst. That's our destination. That's 
what God has for us. That is what's laid up for us. 
We ought to therefore gladly take up our cross and follow 
Christ because there's a blessed crown waiting for us in the future. Doesn't Paul say that? in the 
section that Pastor Cam read, there is laid up for me the crown 
of righteousness, which the Lord, the Judge, will give to me, and 
not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing. 
You see, what Christ says in verse 21 is fundamentally connected 
to what He says in verses 24 to 27. Back to Peter. Peter says, far be it from you, 
Lord, this shall not happen to you. Think about that. God's plan for you shall not 
happen to you. The covenant of redemption shall 
not happen. The decree of God shall not happen. The means by which you save my 
soul shall not happen. You like to think if Peter had 
thought through this a bit more, he certainly would never say 
that. Peter's salvation depends upon verse 21. Peter's redemption, 
Peter's forgiveness, Peter's righteousness that avails with 
God is absolutely dependent upon Christ going to the cross. He 
says, far be it from you, Lord. Wait a minute, Peter, don't say 
that. Ryle says, there may be much spiritual ignorance even 
in a true disciple of Christ. I don't want to pick on Peter 
this morning. I really don't. I think all of us would probably 
answer in this same way. We want crowns, we don't want 
crosses. We want glory, we don't want 
trial. We want rejoicing, we don't want 
sorrow. You see, it's Peter's mind that 
is so tied to this world. It is Peter's mind that is so 
tied to the means by which kings in society are treated. You see, an earthly monarch wouldn't 
ride into a city on a donkey's back. An earthly monarch wouldn't 
be handed over to be crucified. An earthly monarch reigns and 
rules with power and authority and with glory. And so what Peter 
says is, far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to 
you. Carson makes this perceptive 
observation. He says, Peter's strong will, 
Peter had a strong will. He isn't suggesting. He doesn't 
say, Jesus, can I talk to you for just a moment? Maybe you 
want to reconsider. Far be it from you. This will 
never happen. It's not going to happen. Peter's 
strong will and warm heart, linked to his ignorance, produces a 
shocking bit of arrogance. He confesses that Jesus is the 
Messiah and then speaks in a way that implies he knows more of 
God's will than the Messiah himself. He just confessed that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He just confessed 
that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Messiah 
now indicates, I must go, I must suffer, I must die, I must be 
raised. Peter doesn't hear the must be 
raised bit. He only focuses upon the cross 
and the suffering, and he says, far be it from you, Lord. Peter 
has postured himself as the one who knows better than the Messiah 
of God. Again, I don't want to pick on 
him. I want us, hopefully, to see ourselves in this. Do we 
not think at times we know better than God? Do we not at times 
think that we've got it all figured out? Lord, I know that suffering 
and trial and sorrow and woe work to sanctify some people, 
but you know, for me, it's comfort, ease, and pleasure. I will grow 
in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ if you 
just cause everything to go well for me. You know, I'm married 
to this particular man or woman, and they're a real pain in my 
neck, and if they were... you know, not such as the way 
they are, I'd be godly. Don't we love to blame everybody 
else about our lack of godliness? Am I preaching to myself alone 
here? You all tracking? You see yourself 
in Peter? Far be it from you. I don't like 
this. I don't want it this way. I object. Look at Paul in Romans 11. So 
we get an idea of what it is to understand who God truly is. Not the figment of men's imaginations. Not the God who can be tamed 
and controlled and the God who can be put into a box. The God 
of modern Christianity, not all modern Christianity, but in some 
factions and sections, looks like a god like you see in a 
Chinese restaurant. You ever been to one of those 
restaurants where they have a Buddha in a place and they put food 
before it? Well, the food never gets eaten, 
does it? I mean, if you go on a Monday and you go back the 
next Monday, as long as they didn't tamper with the food, 
the food's still there. Buddha's got a mouth, but he 
can't eat. You see, he's like one of those 
idols in Psalm 115. This God of modern evangelicalism, at 
times, not always, but he's treated more like Baal. As long as we 
manipulate Baal, as long as we do the right things for Baal, 
as long as we put in the proverbial quarter and pull back the handle, 
Baal will spit out the blessings that we desire. You see, brethren, 
we have got to disavow ourselves of that conception of God. We 
have to understand that He is wholly other, that He is transcendent. that He is only wise, that He 
is immutable, that He is glorious and majestic. He is the God described 
by the Apostle in Romans 11 at verse 33. Oh, the depth of the 
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable 
are His judgments and His ways past finding out. Do you realize 
you may not ever get a satisfactory answer for the issues that you 
suffer in this world, at least in this world? Why does God do 
some of the things that He does? Because He's God, and He's infinitely 
wise, and He knows precisely what we need. Sometimes pastors, 
or parents, or Christian brothers are asked this question. Why 
did God allow this to happen? What does the Apostle tell us? 
There are certain things the creature is not consulted in. Nothing is he consulted in, but 
certain things he just may not know. How unsearchable are his 
judgments and his ways past finding out? For who has known the mind 
of the Lord? Prophet Isaiah quoted here. or 
who has become his counselor, or who has first given to him, 
and it shall be repaid to him, Job 41, for of him and through 
him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever and 
ever. Amen. You see, brethren, Peter's 
problem happens to be, at least some of us, our problem as well. Go back to the section in Matthew 
16. Let's pick up Jesus' response. 
What I've called the affirmation of the divine plan. You see what 
Peter is doing here is tempting Jesus. Peter is tempting Jesus. You say, well I don't like to 
think of it in that way. Peter says exactly what Satan 
says in Matthew chapter 4 at verses 8 and 9. We have no problem 
saying what Satan does in that section and calling it a temptation. What is Peter saying? The way 
of the cross must not happen. The way of suffering must not 
happen. The way of death must not happen. That is a solicitation to Jesus 
to reconsider His path, to reconsider His ways, to align Himself differently 
so that He will not have to undergo the shame that is associated 
with Calvary. Notice what Jesus does. Verse 
23, He turned and said to Peter, Now, Peter took Jesus aside to 
rebuke him. Perhaps Jesus was still with 
his face steadfast, like a flint, to Jerusalem. You've ever had 
that before, right? Somebody pulls you aside and 
they want to talk to you, but you're not looking directly at 
that. Maybe you're pondering something, you're thinking about 
what they're saying. I don't think Jesus is gazing 
off into space. He's pondering what Peter is 
saying. Not in terms of actually giving 
it any weight or consideration, but it says that he turned to 
Peter. He turned to Peter. He is not 
going to entertain this thought. He is going to rebuke Peter. 
He is going to, and I say it graciously, let Peter have it. Notice, get behind me Satan. That's a strong, sharp reproof. Ryle says, the air that drew 
from so loving a Savior such a stern rebuke to such a true 
disciple must have been a mighty error indeed. Think about it. Jesus bore long with the ignorance 
of his disciples. There were seasons, instances, 
times where he would say, have I been so long with you? And 
yet you do not understand. That's a walk in the park compared 
to this rebuke. Get behind me, Satan. Ryle goes 
on. He says, error on many points 
is only a skin disease. Do you realize that Baptists 
and Presbyterians and Reformed, like Dutch Reformed people, we're 
all going to sit before the marriage supper of the Lamb? We're going 
to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Isn't that a wonderful 
thought? Biblical Catholicity. The church triumphant will be 
gathered before the Lord Jesus and it will be men from every 
tribe and tongue and people and nation. Error, Ryle says, on 
many points is only a skin disease. Error about Christ's death is 
a disease at the heart. This is what drew the sharp reproof. You see, Peter has gone to the 
core of Christianity. Peter has gone to the sum and 
substance of Christianity. Pastor Kim was right this morning. I don't mean that he's not typically 
Paul says to Timothy, preach the Word. Be ready in season 
and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all longsuffering. Do you realize the primary responsibility 
of the minister is not to fix society? The primary responsibility 
of the minister is not to fix you individually. The primary 
emphasis of the pastor is to preach the Word of God. That's it! That's what he's supposed 
to do. He is to pursue that task so 
that his progress may be evident to all. He ought not to be more 
chatty as the years go by. He ought not to use more golf 
illustrations to use Pastor Cam's illustration as the years go 
by. He ought not to be more soft 
and more subdued and more tender and more Now, he's supposed to 
be faithful to preach the Word of God. And under the rubric 
of the Word of God, you know what the chief point of doctrine 
must be? The cross. That's everything. That is it in Christianity. That is what sets us apart. It 
is the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus. 
Several religious systems, several philosophical systems have correctly 
identified that we ought not to murder each other. So it's 
not the ethics first and foremost that sets us apart, it's the 
Christ, it's the cross, it's the suffering, it's the death, 
it's the resurrection. This is why Jesus says, get behind 
me, Satan! You are seeking to confound, 
you are seeking to distract, you are seeking to sideline the 
grand purpose, the main thing, the primary emphasis. You've 
got Christianity of the cross and there's no more Christianity. 
It is a redemptive religion. It is about God, in Christ, saving 
people from their sins. Not their societal woes, not 
their financial burdens, but He saves us from our sin. See, 
it's always frustrating when these health, wealth, and prosperity 
guys preach health, wealth, and prosperity as all there ever 
is. Like what Beal says, the Bible 
tells us there is health, and wealth, and prosperity in the 
New Jerusalem. Right? It's not how we ought 
to interpret. No more sorrow, no more tears, 
no more hunger, no more thirst. We'll stand in the presence of 
the Lamb. There could be no more healthy place. There could be 
no more wealthy place. And there could be no more prosperous 
place than to be in the presence of Emmanuel. but to bring that 
into this age and say that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, 
and prosperous. That has more connection with 
Benjamin Franklin than with the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Franklin 
who said, getting up early makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. 
When Christian preachers take that tact and preach that to 
you, stop your ears. Get out. Find somebody that's going to 
open the Bible and preach and tell you the way of salvation 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's everything. That's it. That is what we are here for. The rebuke that is issued here, 
get behind me Satan, already mentioned, was used already in 
Matthew 4. You can look there. Matthew chapter 
4 verses 8 to 10. The Lord Jesus in the 40 days 
in the wilderness, He was led by the Spirit to the wilderness 
to be tempted by the devil. And here Jesus is fulfilling 
what Israel failed. Israel spent 40 years in the 
wilderness. Israel was supposed to learn 
dependence upon God. Israel was supposed to know experientially 
that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
proceeds from the mouth of God. Of course, Israel fails miserably. Jesus, the true Israel, which 
Matthew takes pains to describe to us, goes into the wilderness 
for these 40 days. And this is a direct assault 
upon him by the devil. In other words, Israel faced 
temptation, Israel faced trial, Israel faced difficulty, and 
no doubt the malevolent forces of evil were behind those things, 
but this is a one-to-one, this is a head-on confrontation between 
the devil and Christ. Notice in Matthew 4, verse 8, 
again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain 
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory. 
And he said to him, all these things I will give you if you 
will fall down and worship me. You see, this is the devil's 
agenda. Glory, power, kingdom, but no 
suffering. Glory, power, kingdom, but no 
cross. Glory, power, kingdom, but no 
resurrection on the third day. You see, the devil says, I will 
give you these things if you bow and worship me. Notice what 
Jesus says in verse 10. Away with you, Satan! For it is written, you shall 
worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. So what is Peter doing? Peter 
aligns himself with the adversary. That's the fundamental meaning 
of the word Satan. He is being adversarial to the 
Lord Christ. The Lord Jesus has a mission. 
The Lord Jesus has a purpose. The Lord Jesus has somewhere 
to get. And Peter is putting up obstacles. Peter is saying 
no. Peter is standing between him 
and the cross. France says the same Peter who 
had just spoken what God revealed to him is now speaking for Satan. I don't think it's as if Jesus 
looks through Peter and sees the devil with his pitchfork 
behind him. I don't think that's it. And 
I don't think he's actually identifying the Apostle Peter as Satan. It's just like in verse 17. He is the rock foundational with 
reference to the church insofar as he confesses the truth as 
it is in Jesus. But when he aligns himself with 
the devil, when he confesses something that is anti-God to 
the core, he receives this sharp reproof or this sharp rebuke. 
Again, back to France, just as the third temptation in chapter 
4 had been to achieve worldly power by accommodating himself 
to Satan rather than attacking him, so now Peter's vision of 
Messiahship represents the easier way to power and authority. He 
says, the gains without the pains. Again, do we see Peter? Or do 
we see ourselves there? We want it the easy way, don't 
we? We dropped you at the foot of 
Mount Cham this morning and said, you need to climb that mountain. 
First, is there a helicopter? Because that's probably the most 
choice way that I'd like to shimmy up there. If not a helicopter, 
then I want one of those scooters that's all-terrain and is going 
to get me there. Not the Walmart scooters, but 
those Rhino scooters that can take you out into the bush. I 
want one of those. No, you just have to walk. What 
do you mean, I just have to walk? That sounds most difficult and 
unpleasing to me. Don't we typically choose the 
path of least resistance? I think it's human nature. We 
want it, and we want it easy. And this is what Peter is doing. 
Carson says, Jesus recognized the same diabolical source behind 
the same temptation. For him to acquiesce would be 
to rebel against the will of his father. You see, Jesus isn't 
going to do that. The notion of a suffering Messiah, 
misunderstood by Peter, so that he became a stumbling block to 
Jesus, itself becomes, after the resurrection, a stumbling 
block to other Jews. It's interesting, if you compare 
this with 1 Corinthians 1. For Peter, the idea of a suffering 
Savior was a stumbling block. He writes about this later in 
1 Peter 2, verses 4-8. But in contradicting the Lord's 
purpose, it is Peter who goes from the good rock, the confessor 
of Christ's Messiah-ship, and the fact that he is the Son of 
the Living God, he becomes a bad rock, a stumbling block. Paul 
tells us, after the resurrection, that when we preach Christ crucified 
to the Jews, it's a stumbling block. The idea of a crucified 
Messiah simply did not compute with the mind at that particular 
time. And this is what's going on. Peter is now identified as 
a stumbling block. Peter could not conceive, along 
with the rest of the Jews, the necessity of a suffering Messiah. You say, well, he didn't know. 
Yes, he did. The first promise of the Savior 
in Genesis chapter 3 indicated that that Savior would suffer. Certainly in comparison with 
the devil, it wasn't the same. But you shall bruise his heel. You see, Israel was taught from 
Genesis, taught from the garden, that the victor, the champion, 
the deliverer, the redeemer, the Savior would accomplish victory 
through suffering. Again, he crushes the head of 
the devil, to be sure, but in so doing he sustains a bruised 
heel. What about the idea of death? 
Is that in the Old Testament? Again, suffering and death are 
twin concepts in the prophet Isaiah. You cannot read Isaiah 
53 and not see suffering. You cannot read Isaiah 53 and 
not see death. You can't read Psalm 22 or Psalm 
69 and not see suffering and death. The psalm of the cross, 
Psalm 22, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? They pierce 
my bones, or you can count on my bones. They, like dogs of 
Bashan, have circled me and surrounded me. This is why the gospel writers, 
when they cover the Passion material, or when they speak to the Passion 
material, they cite heavily from the Psalter and from the prophets. The implication is that Peter 
should have known this. Peter should have understood 
this. Peter should have thought God's thoughts after him rather 
than his own thoughts after himself. What about resurrection? Does 
the Old Testament tell us something about that? Certainly Jonah, 
Jonah was typical of the Messiah himself. Just as Jonah is three 
days in the belly of the whale, so will be the Son of Man three 
days and three nights in the belly of the earth. What about 
Psalm 16? It is that Psalm to which Peter 
turns when he is proving the resurrection of Christ on the 
day of Pentecost. You see this information was 
available and again I ask you to see yourself here with Peter. 
So many of the things that we reject, so many of the things 
that we have trouble with, so many of the things that we would 
rather redefine and change are things that are clearly specified 
and clearly written. We don't have a right to change 
God's plan. The Apostle adopted man's thoughts 
as the means by which Messiah would triumph. If you've ever 
read in apologetics, the area of defending the faith, you'll 
see that, especially in the writings of Cornelius Van Til, thinking 
God's thoughts after him. I think it probably originated 
with Augustine. I think. I need to check on that. Maybe one of the other brothers 
can give me a nod if they think that's true as well. No, no nods. 
Okay, I'll have to look that up and see where it originated, 
but you get the idea. We are to think God's thoughts 
after Him. That's the safest and surest 
place to be. What happened in the garden? They didn't think 
God's thoughts after Him. They succumbed to the pressure 
and the temptation of the devil. They did not think God's thoughts 
after him. God said, the day you eat, dying 
you shall die. So what do they do? They take 
and eat. That's not God's thoughts. This is Peter's problem. This 
is how Jesus describes it. Get behind me, Satan, you are 
an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of 
God, but the things of men. You want the path of least resistance. You want the crown before the 
cross. In fact, you want the crown with 
no cross whatsoever. You want ease, you want pleasure, 
you want triumph, you want glory, you want majesty, but you don't 
want to take the steps necessary to get there. Messiah cannot 
be deterred. The Lord Jesus covenanted with 
His Father. The Lord Jesus comes as the surety 
of a better covenant. The Lord Jesus will not be persuaded 
against doing the will of Him who sent Him. That's the point 
in the passage. In conclusion, I want to draw 
out just a couple of lessons and then we'll close. First, 
the mindset of Peter. We have visited this along the 
way, but I want to offer three more suggestions concerning the 
mindset of Peter. First, the case of Peter is probably 
much closer to home than we imagine. The case of Peter is probably 
much closer to home than we imagine. And before you start to think, 
yeah, I know my wife, and I know my husband, and I know my kids, 
and I know that brother sitting down from me in the pew, he doesn't 
think God's thoughts after him. He's like Peter in this. Think 
about you for just a moment, please. Just give me a minute 
here. Is it ever the case that you 
don't think God's thoughts after him? Is it ever the case that 
you say, you know, I want the path of least resistance? The 
older I get, the more I am convinced that the battle in Christianity 
is fought and won in faithfulness. That means doing what you're 
supposed to do whether you feel like it or not. We have a generation 
that caters to feelings. Well, you don't feel like it? 
Fine. Parents put broccoli before their 
children. The child says, I don't feel 
like eating it. Okay, sonny. Ram it down their 
throats graciously, gently, and kindly to be sure because they 
need cruciferous, I think that's the term, vegetable. I don't feel like it. Who cares 
what you feel like? Paul tells the Corinthians concerning 
stewards in the church, moreover it is required of stewards, that 
they be found faithful. What does Jesus say in his life 
and ministry? He was faithful in little, will 
be faithful with much. Just be faithful in what God 
calls you to do. John Gill says concerning Peter, 
this change shows the weakness of human nature, the inconstancy 
and fickleness of frames, and the imperfection of grace in 
the best of saints. In light of that, aren't we thankful 
for a God who is not fickle? A God who is constant? A God 
who is immutable? A God who is impassable? A God 
who is a rock? A God who is unchanging and unchangeable? A God who always remains faithful 
to his people? Aren't we thankful that from 
this chapter we go to the Mount of Transfiguration and who is 
there with our Lord? Peter. Jesus doesn't say, my 
love for you has ended. You are Satan. You're dead to 
me. You're gone. It's over. It's 
done with. He pronounces him as Satan and 
then takes him by the hand to the Mount of Transfiguration 
and says, look at my glory. Look at what lie in your future. 
Look at what you'll enjoy in Emmanuel's land. That's what 
the Transfiguration is. It's a down payment of the eschaton. It is the revelation of the glory 
of Jesus Christ our Lord. And who goes with Jesus? Peter 
and James and John. Secondly, the case of Peter ought 
to promote caution in the way that we judge our fellow believers. 
The case of Peter ought to promote caution in the way that we judge 
our fellow believers. Ryle is helpful here. He says, 
these things are meant to teach us that we must neither regard 
good men as infallible, because they are good men, nor yet suppose 
they have no grace, because their grace is weak and small. Two 
things we need to appreciate about that quote. Two things 
that I hope that we'll all understand with reference to Peter here. 
We're not to treat good men as infallible. The best of men are 
men at best. If you lived in Israel under 
the rule and the reign of King David, you were probably one 
proud Israelite. If there was a situation where 
you found yourself in a room with persons from other countries 
or from other nations, and they started to say something about 
their king, you'd puff your chest out, you'd stand up proud, and 
you'd say, there's no king like we've got in Israel. David's 
the man. David's awesome. David's great. David, before he assumed the 
throne, struck a giant Philistine down with a slingshot. Our David 
in training would kill animals with his bare hands. I mean, 
wouldn't you brag about that? Wouldn't you boast about his 
ingenuity, his ability, his power, and his strength? And you'd see 
David, and you would want to glorify David, and then you get 
news that David committed adultery and murder in a most mischievous 
way. He sends the note with the man 
who he wants to die. happened? We thought David was 
everything. You see, conversely, we can't 
stand on the other side and say, David, David, you wretch, you 
ungodly man, you hell-bound sinner. No, the Lord forgave him, the 
Lord atoned, the Lord restored him, there were certain consequences, 
there would be trouble in his house to be sure, but God did 
not disown him. I think that's the point we need 
to appreciate. The case of Peter ought to promote 
caution in the way that we judge our fellow believers. There ought 
not to be a celebrity in your life. You ought to have the hero 
Christ. There ought not to be anyone 
that you look to as infallible. There ought to be no one that 
you say, this man is everything. The only one you ever ought to 
say that about is this man, the Lord Jesus Christ. But as well, 
Jesus doesn't kick Peter to the curb. Jesus doesn't send him 
away. Jesus doesn't say, go back to 
your nets and fish. I'm done with you. No, he takes 
him by the hand and leads him up to the Mount of Transfiguration. Proverbs say, if you faint in 
the day of adversity, your strength is weak. Matthew Henry says, 
but that's no argument that there's no grace in your heart. We're 
all weak. We all stumble. We all falter. Is there any of us who can say, 
wow, Peter, I could never do such a thing like that. We do 
it all the time. And we judge brethren. Did you 
hear what so-and-so did? Did you see what so-and-so did? Weak faith is still faith. I love what Machen says. Weak 
faith may not move mountains, but it brings a sinner in connection 
to Christ. I love that. And then a third 
point, with reference to the mindset of Peter. Again, the 
case of Peter vividly displays the graciousness of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. He said, well, that doesn't sound 
very gracious. Get behind me, Satan. You think man's thoughts 
instead of God's thoughts. The next scene, the Mount of 
Transfiguration, the fact that Peter continues, the fact that 
Peter will again deny the Lord three times, but who's the one 
who stands up on the day of Pentecost, who interprets the prophet Joel 
according to the mind and plan of God? It's Peter. There's grace. There's mercy, there's kindness, 
there's love. So our confession says He's most 
loving, He's most gracious, He's most good. He's most these things 
because He's God. And this is what Peter came into 
contact with. Secondly, we ought to appreciate 
in this passage the resolve of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, 
in Matthew 4, as I've described it, Jesus goes head-to-head with 
the devil. He knew who the devil was, obviously, 
he's Jesus. There's nothing good in the devil, 
is there? Nothing redemptive, nothing valuable, 
nothing right or righteous in the devil. Jesus knows this about 
him. You know what's more difficult? 
It's when your friends try to persuade you from not doing the 
will of God. I mean, it's one thing for the 
devil to knock at your door and say, I want you to go out and 
do a horrific thing. You say, no, you're the devil. 
I'm not going to do what you have to say. It's another thing 
on a Friday night when your buddies are saying, just smoke it. Just 
drink it. Just do it. These are friends. These are familiar faces. These 
are people that, for whatever reason, you love. And they're 
enticing you to do evil. Look at the resolve of Christ. Matthew Henry says, even the 
kindnesses, and in this case, it's not go out and smoke this 
or drink this, it's I don't want you to die and suffer, Lord. 
Matthew Henry says, even the kindnesses of our friends are 
often abused by Satan and made use of as temptations to us. You see, the foul fiend of hell 
standing before you, telling you to do something, might just 
be enough for you to say, I'm not going to do it, get behind 
me, Satan. But how about a wife, or a husband, or a daughter, 
or a son, or a parent, or a friend, or a close associate? This is 
why the mandate in Deuteronomy chapter 13, when it comes to 
solicitation to do apostasy against God, even if the wife of your 
bosom leads you astray, what's God saying? He comes first. always, in every situation, and 
we ought to see our Lord's response, or our Lord's, rather, resolve 
in doing the will of the Father. He's not going to be frustrated 
by the devil. He's not going to be frustrated by his own apostles. 
He is not going to be stopped. He is determined to do that which 
the Father is pleased by and in. And then finally, I think 
that everything that Jesus says concerning the church in verses 
18 and 19 are intimately connected to the person of Christ and the 
work of Christ. In other words, the church will 
triumph why? because Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of the Living God, because He died and because He rose the 
third day. That's why the gates of Haiti 
shall not prevail against the church. It's not because we're 
wise, it's not because we're so good, it's not because we 
figured out the means by which we live. No, it's because Jesus 
is on the throne. It's the person and work of Christ 
that assures victory to the church. As well, it's the person and 
the work of Christ that gives meaning to the keys the church 
has been handed. Verse 19, I give you the keys 
of the kingdom. Those keys aren't, as I've already 
mentioned, to a happier, healthier life here on planet Earth. Those 
keys open heaven's door. Those keys open up glory. Those keys are about the person 
and the work of the Lord Jesus. Those keys are about Christ saving 
His people from their sins. And you know, the person in the 
work of our Lord Jesus Christ, your status, your life, your 
eternal life, is intimately connected with this as well. You see, it's 
what you do with the information concerning Jesus. You say, but 
God's gracious, and He gives the gifts of faith and repentance. 
I most certainly affirm that. The same Bible that highlights 
that God gives the graces of faith and repentance highlights 
the necessity of men who preach to plead with sinners, to be 
reconciled unto God. What do you think of Christ? 
Do you see Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God? Do 
you see the cross as absolutely essential? I was musing on this 
recently, both as a parent and as a pastor. You know, I've given 
a lot of advice in my years. And I've not always seen that 
advice taken. I know that's shocking. Some 
of it was probably bad advice and shouldn't have been taken. 
But insofar as I've actually spoken the truth from God's word, 
that is advice that ought to be taken. And I cannot consistently 
say it's always been taken. I thought about this recently. 
As much as parents plead, as much as pastors plead, as much 
as you may escape, and as much as you may reject, and as much 
as you may try to avoid, you cannot escape the judgment seat 
of Christ. Thinking about that this morning 
in preparation for this message, I read in the Prophet Amos an 
illustration of the judgment I used to use a lot preaching 
several years ago. In Amos 5, the prophet there 
condemns the people who desire the day of the Lord. You say, 
why would Amos condemn people who desire the day of the Lord? 
Because they were not ready for it. If you're an unbeliever, the 
last thing you ought to pray is, Lord Jesus, come quickly. If you're an unbeliever, the 
first thing you ought to pray is, Lord Jesus, have mercy on 
me. Notice, Amos 5.18, Woe to you 
who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the 
Lord to you? It will be darkness and not light. 
Why would you want this? The prophet says. Israel, you're 
not in a position right now to say to God, we want the day of 
the Lord. The prophet is telling them that 
they are not fit to meet their God. Notice in verse 19, it will 
be as though a man fled from a lion. I love this word picture 
that the Prophet uses. It will be as though a man fled 
from a lion and a bear met him. Now just imagine that, you're 
out in East Harrison and you're walking around picking berries 
and singing Born Free. And you meet a bear. What is 
the typical response? I don't think I've heard the 
right response. Maybe some of you hunter brothers 
could tell us. I've heard you lay down and pretend 
to be dead. I don't think I'm going to do 
that. I think the only thing that most of us would probably 
do, to the chagrin of everybody out there that has written books 
telling us to assume the fetal position, we'd run. I just think 
that's instinctual. Now you might be saying, brother, 
don't run, because they run, I've heard they run faster than 
horses. I really must confess, I find 
that hard to believe. I could be convinced, but it 
just seems difficult for me to wrap my head around. But you 
run from that bear, and there's a lion waiting for you. What 
do you do then? I have never read any information 
anywhere that says lay down and play, or assume the fetal position 
with a lion. I think the traditional response 
is, run. Better yet, get in a car. Better 
yet, get in a helicopter. Better yet, get out of there. 
So let's just imagine for a moment that you run from the lion, and 
there's a hunter's shack sitting there in the woods, and you run, 
high tail, fast as you can. You get in there. It happens 
to be a pretty sturdy one. You open the door. You slam the 
door. You say, whoosh. You lean your 
hand upon the wall, and a serpent bites it. What's Amos telling 
the people of Israel? You may escape the instruction 
of a parent. You may refuse the good advice 
of a pastor. But you will stand before Jesus 
Christ. You will give an account of deeds 
done in the body, whether good or bad. Some of you, right here, 
right now, know that you are not taking advice. You are not 
taking counsel. You are not thinking God's thoughts 
after Him. Repent! Forsake it! Lay hold of the mercy in Christ 
Jesus. Listen to the prophet Zechariah. There is a fountain. There'll 
be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. Plunge, by God's 
grace, yourself in that flood, and you, by God's grace, will 
lose your guilty stains. Judgment Day is inescapable. You can avoid parents, you can 
avoid pastors, you can avoid faithful friends, but there is 
one that you most certainly will not avoid. And it is the one 
alone that who now offers salvation? Come to Him, believe on Him, 
and you will be saved." Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
You for the Word of God, and we thank You for our beloved 
Savior and the fact that He had a resolve to do the will of the 
Father. Certainly our salvation hangs 
upon what Christ did. What He did was obey, what He 
did was die, what He did was rise again, all in accordance 
with the Father's will. Thank you for including us by 
your grace. Thank you for granting us faith 
to lay hold of Jesus Christ. I pray that others here this 
morning outside of Christ would repent, that they would quit 
thinking their own thoughts, that they would put away these 
things and come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on Him. and take 
the scriptures as their blessed guide, as their blessed rule 
and authority. God, we ask that you would just 
bless each one of us that are in Christ. Help us to refuse 
to think our own thoughts, but to guide or to be guided by the 
Word of God. Help us to be men and women of 
the book. We ask that you would continue 
with us in this day, bring us together again tonight, that 
we may worship you in spirit and in truth, and we pray through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.