On This Rock!
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Readings for Today - Go to www.biblegateway.com to access online
Psalm 26, Genesis 46:1-27; Matthew 16:5-20
Psalm 26
Of David
1 Vindicate me, LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
and have not faltered.
2 Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
Genesis 46
Jacob Goes to Egypt
1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” 5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
Matthew 16
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
In today’s readings, we see two great men of God in the Old Testament: David and Jacob, and why they were such key figures in God revealing His plan of salvation. David reveals the key to his being used by God to establish the Kingdom of Israel, which was a type of what was to come in Jesus, the King of kings. David relied on God’s promises and trusted in His unfailing love, even when he failed. David was a man after God’s own heart who could utter, “Test me and examine my heart and mind and see if there is any sin in me.
Jacob was likewise faithful, despite his deceptive nature he came to realize that all of his blessings came from God. Now at the end of his life, he can go visit his son Joseph with 70 of his sons, daughters and grandchildren, knowing how God has been so faithful to preserve His covenant promise. Ultimately through Jacob will come the Son of God who is the fulfillment of God’s covenant Old Testament promises.
Finally, we see Matthew the disciple, one of the first to confess that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew unlocks the keys to the kingdom by his confession of Jesus as Lord, which will open up a new availability of the kingdom of God through the Church. The church will have the power of the keys to announce the forgiveness of sins through this same Jesus and in His name. The church will have the power to exercise power and authority in the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus will promise to the disciples upon his departure.
Importantly, David, Jacob and Matthew were all ordinary people like you and me, who trusted God’s promises and who God used mightily. Their greatest strength, which often came through the lessons of their lives, was a dependence of God’s strength and power and the call on their lives.
As God looks down at you, he sees you through the same eyes that He saw these sons of God. And as you play your part in continuing the work these men started he says to you, “Well done good and faithful servant. You are my beloved Son or Daughter, with whom I am well pleased.”
Heavenly Father in whom the world delights, we give you honor and praise. You sent your Son into the world to redeem us of our sins. Your voice still echoes, "This is my beloved Son." Thank you for the confirmation that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.
Readings for Today - Go to www.biblegateway.com to access online
Psalm 26, Genesis 46:1-27; Matthew 16:5-20
Psalm 26
Of David
1 Vindicate me, LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
and have not faltered.
2 Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
Genesis 46
Jacob Goes to Egypt
1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” 5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
Matthew 16
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
In today’s readings, we see two great men of God in the Old Testament: David and Jacob, and why they were such key figures in God revealing His plan of salvation. David reveals the key to his being used by God to establish the Kingdom of Israel, which was a type of what was to come in Jesus, the King of kings. David relied on God’s promises and trusted in His unfailing love, even when he failed. David was a man after God’s own heart who could utter, “Test me and examine my heart and mind and see if there is any sin in me.
Jacob was likewise faithful, despite his deceptive nature he came to realize that all of his blessings came from God. Now at the end of his life, he can go visit his son Joseph with 70 of his sons, daughters and grandchildren, knowing how God has been so faithful to preserve His covenant promise. Ultimately through Jacob will come the Son of God who is the fulfillment of God’s covenant Old Testament promises.
Finally, we see Matthew the disciple, one of the first to confess that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew unlocks the keys to the kingdom by his confession of Jesus as Lord, which will open up a new availability of the kingdom of God through the Church. The church will have the power of the keys to announce the forgiveness of sins through this same Jesus and in His name. The church will have the power to exercise power and authority in the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus will promise to the disciples upon his departure.
Importantly, David, Jacob and Matthew were all ordinary people like you and me, who trusted God’s promises and who God used mightily. Their greatest strength, which often came through the lessons of their lives, was a dependence of God’s strength and power and the call on their lives.
As God looks down at you, he sees you through the same eyes that He saw these sons of God. And as you play your part in continuing the work these men started he says to you, “Well done good and faithful servant. You are my beloved Son or Daughter, with whom I am well pleased.”
Heavenly Father in whom the world delights, we give you honor and praise. You sent your Son into the world to redeem us of our sins. Your voice still echoes, "This is my beloved Son." Thank you for the confirmation that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.
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