Matthew 16:13-26
The extra fences:
Make us feel constricted & not free, and so we feel beat up by God, not blessed
Make spiritual abuse much more possible
Pride rules–self-righteousness (if I can make myself righteous, than I’m better than you)
Makes us question God’s ACTUAL rules
Hide the HEART of the Father…so we lose the ability to make our own judgment calls. It's’ hard to “grow up” like that…I try to always tell my kids WHY I make a certain rule, or decision…once in a while it’s necessary to say “because I told you so”...but even still, I always try to swing back around, and let them know the WHY’s. Because if you know WHY you are more likely to make a better judgment call for your own safety, when it comes time to do that. Aaron & I want them to know our heart and our wisdom behind the calls that we have to make.
Our relationship with Jesus must be founded on the voice of Jesus ALONE.
When we get too addicted to any ONE piece of the character of God, we miss the other pieces.
Religion can be just as powerful of a false god, as Baal or Ashtoreth.
If Satan can’t get you off of it, he may try to get you TOO into it! Too prideful in it.
SO into your hoops and rituals and religions that you miss Jesus completely.
Jesus used the word ‘dangerous’ here. Peter thought he was being helpful, and encouraging, and supportive…but Jesus called it dangerous.
This is why we need UNCOMMON sense, not common sense. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit of the God of the universe who made all things and knows all things. How could we possibly understand his heavenly plans and how we fit into all of them?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.