This Sunday, February 22, 2026, Pastor Rutz opened the Bible to Matthew 16:13-27 to ask you a question that is simple, yet dizzying: when you look at your life, your choices, the trials that come your way, your relationships, do you look at them with the eyes of the flesh, or with the eyes of the Spirit? When you pray, when you decide, do you set your mind on the things of man, or on the things of God?
Jesus rebuked Peter for exactly this. The closest disciple, the one who had just confessed the most beautiful truth in the whole Gospel, was called "Satan" only minutes later. Why? Because he judged events according to his own human logic, even while believing he loved Jesus. This sermon walks that same ridgeline, and you are invited to walk it too.
1. At Caesarea Philippi: "Who Do You Say That I Am?"
Jesus arrives at Caesarea Philippi after multiplying loaves, opening the eyes of the blind, performing a long series of miracles across Galilee. The crowds are talking about him everywhere. And there, he turns to his disciples and asks, "Who do people say that I am?" The disciples answer: John the Baptist for some, Elijah for others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
Then Jesus narrows the question: "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter speaks up: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answers him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
This confession did not come from Peter's own human reasoning. It came by revelation from the Father. It is the rock on which Jesus will build his church: the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus adds, "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
2. The Keys of the Kingdom: Spiritual Authority Entrusted to Weak Men
Jesus continues: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This is an immense spiritual authority that he places in Peter's hands, even though Peter remains, at this very moment, a weak man who will soon deny his Master three times.
But the Lord does not only look at who you are today. He also sees you as you will become once you have passed through the cross, through Pentecost, through sanctification. He already sees in you the man, the woman, that he is in the process of shaping. This should comfort you: when you disappoint yourself, when the people around you disappoint you, Jesus keeps the whole journey and its outcome in view.
This authority takes on its full meaning when Jesus returns to it in Matthew 18:18-20: "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." When you pray in the name of Jesus, united in heart with other believers, heaven opens over the earth. Miracles happen because what is normal in the Kingdom comes down into the middle of a world where it is impossible.
3. The Turning Point: Peter Rebukes Jesus, Jesus Calls Him Satan
No sooner has this glorious confession been made than Jesus begins to speak plainly about his Passion: going up to Jerusalem, suffering greatly at the hands of the leaders, being killed, and rising on the third day. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him: "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
Jesus' answer falls like a blade: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Other translations speak of a trap laid, an obstacle placed in the way. Humanly speaking, Peter is full of good intentions. He loves Jesus, he does not want to see him hurt. He is even older than Jesus, and he speaks with a certain concern that is almost fatherly. And yet this movement of human tenderness becomes a spiritual trap.
Why? Because the Passion is the very heart of God's plan to save humanity. Everything Jesus did over three and a half years (miracles, teaching, revealing the Kingdom) points toward the cross. To want to push the cross aside is to want to undo salvation. Jesus is true God, but also true man. He dreaded what awaited him, to the point of praying in Gethsemane, "Let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but yours be done." Every human word that encouraged him to avoid the cross was, in fact, a temptation.
4. How Many of Our "Good" Prayers Get in the Way of God's Plan?
This passage forces you to ask an uncomfortable question. Many non-Christians do good things, with good intentions. And many Christians, too, pray and act on the basis of human values, common sense, "what seems right to me." But what comes from man, even when well intentioned, can be an obstacle to God's plan.
Just because you think something is good does not mean it is good in God's eyes. Often, human intuition and God's plan are even opposed to each other. That is why, before acting, before praying insistently, you need to stop, be still, and ask the Lord, "What is your thought on this?"
The problem is that we often already know the answer, and we would rather not hear it. In our hearts, we have already decided what we want to do. God never forces the issue. When our hearts are already set elsewhere, he stays silent. He does not want to let you fall further into a disobedience he already knows is coming.
5. Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, Follow Me
Jesus then continues with the words that define every disciple: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Denying yourself means setting down your plans, your ambitions, your own assessments, in order to first ask what the Lord wants. It is not a renunciation of life, it is a renunciation of being the center of your own life.
Taking up your cross means identifying the particular weakness that pulls you down (a tendency to judge others, anger, pride, covetousness, fear), and nailing it there each day with Jesus. Everyone carries a different cross, but the promise is the same: victory.
Without this foundation, you can spend ten, twenty years in a church and still remain stuck in an unhealthy faith. Jesus is unequivocal: "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The very thing you want to preserve at all costs (your success, your comfort, your reputation, your plans) is precisely what you need to let go of in order to find eternal life.
6. What Interests God, and What Does Not
What the Lord cares about, above all, is that you receive eternal life. Your salary, your diplomas, your house do not interest him for their own sake. He wants your salvation. Of course, he also wants you to live in good health, in peace, with a certain abundance. God does not enjoy seeing you suffer. But your salvation matters more than your comfort.
This is why he sometimes allows trials that he could otherwise turn away. He does not send them; it is often our own choices that open a breach the enemy exploits. But he allows them, because through them you can return to him, recognize what needs to be broken off, and recover the holiness that unites you to God.
The final judgment that Jesus speaks of in verse 27 is not simply about entering heaven or not. Even among those who enter, there will be differences in rewards, according to how you have lived, listened, and obeyed. The most precious gift you can ask the Lord for is a spirit of repentance: the grace to see your own sin as if under a microscope, and to truly repent of it. The Lord then wipes it away at once.
7. Kingdom Values Turned Upside Down From the World's
To help you measure just how different God's thinking is from ours, Pastor Rutz takes you into other passages.
Matthew 18:4: "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." The greatest, in heaven's eyes, is neither the learned nor the powerful. It is the one who humbles himself.
Mark 10:42-45: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve."
Mark 12:41-44: the poor widow who drops two small coins into the offering box has given more, in Jesus' eyes, than the rich who gave out of their abundance. It is not the amount that speaks to God, it is the heart behind the gift.
Matthew 18:8-9: it is better to enter the Kingdom lame than to be thrown into hell with both feet. This is not merely a figure of speech; it is a serious warning about the infinite worth of salvation set against the cost, however painful, of renouncing sin.
8. Living and Dying "According to God" Rather Than "According to Man"
Humanly speaking, we dream of ending our lives in good health, in a single breath. That is a real gift for some. But sometimes a faithful Christian is struck by a long illness, or a sudden one, and the people around them wonder: why? Is this a misfortune?
It is not necessarily a misfortune. A sudden death, with no time to prepare, can leave unresolved matters exposed: forgiveness never granted, sins never confessed, reconciliations never made. An illness, by contrast, sometimes offers time to return to the Lord, to forgive, to reconcile with loved ones, to finally have the real conversations with your family. It is a hidden grace that human logic does not perceive.
9. The Lost Sheep: God's Heart for the One
Matthew 18:12-14: the shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to go and search for the one that has strayed. And he rejoices over that one recovered sheep more than over the others that stayed safe. "So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
Humanly speaking, we sort people according to their perceived worth. God does not sort anyone. Every soul is precious to him. If you are the stray sheep today, know that he is already on his way to you. If you are among the ninety-nine, do not judge the one he is going out to find. Recognize in that very movement the heart of God himself.
Key Takeaways
- Peter's confession came from a revelation. You cannot say "Jesus is Lord" by human intelligence alone. It is the Father who reveals it.
- A good human intention can become a spiritual trap. If it contradicts God's plan, it is a stumbling block even when it is full of affection.
- Discipleship begins with denying yourself. Without that, ten or twenty years in church will not build a healthy faith.
- God does not sort human beings. He leaves the ninety-nine to go and find a single soul.
- The most precious gift to ask for is a spirit of repentance. It lets you see your sin and leave it at the cross.
Personal Application
- Today, in which decision are you imposing your own plan on God, without truly asking for his thoughts on it?
- What "good" prayer have you perhaps been praying for a long time that might actually contradict what the Lord wants to do in your situation?
- What is your personal cross right now? What weakness do you need to stop managing on your own and instead nail to the cross with Jesus every day?
- Is there someone in your life you need to forgive, a reconciliation to make, a word to say before it is too late?
- Are you ready to concretely ask for a spirit of repentance, and to obey the very next thing God shows you?
Verses Cited
- Matthew 16:13-27 (LSG) · Peter's confession, the announcement of the Passion, the call to carry your cross.
- Matthew 18:18-20 (LSG) · Agreement in prayer and Jesus' presence among his people.
- Matthew 18:4 (LSG) · The greatest in the Kingdom humbles himself like a child.
- Matthew 18:8-9 (LSG) · Radical renunciation of sin.
- Matthew 18:12-14 (LSG) · The parable of the lost sheep.
- Mark 10:42-45 (LSG) · Serving rather than ruling.
- Mark 12:41-44 (LSG) · The poor widow's offering.
- Ephesians 5 (LSG) · Christ and the church as the model for marriage.
FAQ
Why did Jesus call Peter "Satan" when he loved him?
Because Peter, without realizing it, was trying to steer Jesus away from the cross. And the cross is the very heart of God's plan to save humanity. Peter's human tenderness had become a spiritual obstacle, the same kind of obstacle Satan had already attempted in the wilderness. Jesus corrects the words; he does not reject the person.
How can I know whether a decision comes from my own human thinking or from God?
Three useful markers: the Word (does Scripture confirm this direction?), stillness before God (have you actually stopped acting long enough to ask him?), and the counsel of true brothers and sisters in the faith (people who genuinely seek God, not just church friends). When these three converge, you are generally on the Lord's path.
What does it practically mean to "take up my cross every day"?
It means identifying the weakness that keeps coming back (judgment, anger, fear, pride, covetousness) and refusing, with the Holy Spirit's help, to feed it. Nailing it, every day, to the cross of Jesus. It is a daily fight, not a one time decision. The good news: you never carry it alone.
to take notes and ask questions.