The Blessing Where Does Your Information Come From?

 

The Blessing

Where Does Your Information Come From?

Jesus asked, Who do men say I am?

Then He asked, Who do you say I am?

The blessing comes to those who get

their answers from the Father in Heaven.

Information that brings Blessing

Information without it, life is impossible.

Information has never been more available and accessible.

The development of electronic computers began in the 1950s.

The US Department of Defense awarded

contracts in the 1060s for packet networks.

In 1986, several universities provided interconnectivity.

Since the mid-1990s the internet has had

a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce.  

The internet super highway can get information

from around the world in seconds.

Search engines like Google have an answer for everything.

What if Jesus was to ask 12 people today the question,

 “Who do men say I am?” like He did His disciples?

I can just imagine these 12 people pulling out

their IPads, smart phones and other internet devises.

The information would be staggering.

 If we can’t live without information,

who is the most blessed?

The one with the greatest computer skills?

The one with the fastest computer?

Or, maybe the largest screen to display the information?

Jesus asked a second question, Who do you say I am?

Peter’s answer gets this response from Jesus,

"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,

for this was not revealed to you by man,

but by my Father in heaven.”

Jesus’ emphases was the importance

of where our information comes from.

If our information does not found in God,

it is only opinion.

I guess that is why they say you can’t believe

everything you hear on the internet.

Peter learned two valuable lessons that day,

 the one was seek God first for the answers to life.

The second lesson came just moments later

 when Peter relied on his own understanding.

Peter rebuked Jesus,

 

“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

"Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

We must all remember how quickly we get

confused about where our answers comes from.

Be slow to speak.

 Give time to hear from God.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 16:13-23 NIV

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 Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, 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 warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."