Pre-conceived notions will blind many people. We take a particular view of things, and it causes us to miss out what is actually happening around us.
The disciples in Christ's day had a pre-conceived notion about the coming of the kingdom. They were so preoccupied with a physical kingdom brought in by Messiah, that they failed to hear or understand what Christ was actually saying and teaching and promising.
They believed He must bring in immediately a tangible, physical kingdom, involving great power and the destruction of Israel's foes and the restoration of the scattered of God's people.
Yet Christ constantly taught about righteousness and self-righteousness and judgment and death and eternal life. He constantly stressed that He came to save lost men. He cried out salvation to everyone who would trust Him. He promised a great resurrection for His people.
Yet the disciples seemed scarcely interested. To them, the kingdom now was the thing. And when Christ began to teach them of His death and resurrection, Peter rebuked Him!
Peter loved the things of man and not the things of God. He loved the earthly kingdom now, and not Christ's Gospel of redemption by His blood.
To Peter, talk of Calvary got in the way of the kingdom and jeopardized it.
But Christ meant to invert the priorities of His disciples. The glories of this life must be surrendered in exchange for that eternal life He offers to those who trust in Him.
Salvation, forgiveness, and resurrection were far more important than any preoccupation with an earthly kingdom. Indeed, Christ's power to forgive, cleanse and raise the dead far outshadows the glories of the preconceived kingdom.
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John Pittman Hey was born in 1961 in Jackson, Mississippi, to Godly parents who from the beginning raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. With child-like faith he came to Christ on his fourth birthday at his mother's knee. He received his education at church...
#11 - Top Played Sermon (48-Hours) on 1/16/2011
