WHAT IS DISTRACTING YOU TODAY FROM FOCUSING ON GOD? – MATHEW 16

BIBLE STUDY CHAPTER SUMMARY

1.)The Demand for a Sign – Verse 1-4

2.)The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees – Verse 5-12

3.)Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah – Verse 13-20

4.)Jesus Predicts His Death – Verse 21-28

LESSONS FROM THE CHAPTER

What I want us to see today is that there are three things that can block us from seeing Jesus clearly and hearing his teachings properly so that we can follow him.

First, we can be blocked from seeing Jesus because we do not want to see him, we are not willing to see him. We think God should come to us on our terms and we are unwilling to investigate the signs and sayings of Jesus. God has given you an important sign that you must reconcile. Jesus rose from the dead. You must explain how this did not happen if you want to reject Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

Second, we can be blocked from seeing Jesus properly because we are listening to the wrong teachers. Just because a teaching is spiritual does not mean it is the truth. Just because a teaching comes from a spiritual or religious person does not make the teaching true or from God. There is so much religious noise today. There are so many spiritual sounding proclamations today. But we need to scrutinize every teaching and see if it matches what God’s word says. There is a lot of leaven that is proclaimed as spiritual that is actually a corrupt poison that spiritual kills those who accept it. Jesus called it Yeast of the pharisees.

Finally, we can be blocked from seeing Jesus properly and hearing his teachings because we are distracted by our own circumstances. We can get stuck in the physical and focus on the mundane. We lose so much time that can be spent listening to God, praying to God, meditating on God, seeking God, and serving God because we are focused on bread. What is distracting you today from focusing on God? What is pulling you away from listening to his teachings? What are you worried about that is blocking you from hearing and enjoying God’s blessings in your life? Jesus will take care of your bread if you will focus on him. Jesus will handle the physical concerns in your life if you will give those concerns to him and have a laser focus on your spiritual life and his teachings.

Thank you for Reading!