Learning to walk in the footsteps of Christ, even when the path is difficult.
This section focuses on the proper order of discipleship, reminding us that we are called to follow Jesus’ lead rather than trying to direct His path. It challenges us to move past our own “stumbling blocks” to embrace the sacrificial journey of a believer.
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Bible Study: Finding the Life You Were Made For!
A Heart-to-Heart on Following Jesus
Friends, I am so glad you are taking a few moments to dive into God’s Word today. We all want a life that really matters—a life filled with purpose, peace, and lasting joy. But sometimes, the path to that life looks a little different than we might expect. In this study, we are looking at a pivotal moment where Jesus shares a difficult truth with His closest friends. He wants to help them, and us, understand that the greatest life isn’t found by holding on tight to our own plans, but by letting go and trusting Him completely. It’s about moving from “my way” to “His way,” and I promise you, His way is always better.
Understanding the Journey to the Cross
In this passage, Jesus begins to pull back the curtain on what His mission is really all about. He explains to the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, and be killed. This was not what the disciples were expecting! Peter, out of a heart of love and a desire for comfort, tries to talk Jesus out of it. But Jesus reminds him—and all of us—that God’s perspective is much bigger than our human concerns. Jesus invites us to stop trying to “save” our lives through our own efforts and instead find true life by following Him, even when the road gets a little bumpy.
Matthew 16:21-28 (NIV)
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, the chief priests and the 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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Bible Study Commentary: The Path to a Life That Truly Matters
1. Shifting from Human Perspectives to God’s Priorities
2. The Heart of True Discipleship
3. The Great Paradox of Life and Value
4. Living with the End in Mind
Bible Study Commentary & Practical Application
Bible Study Commentary: The Path to a Life That Truly Matters
Practical Application: Applying God’s Word to Our Daily Lives
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Sermon: Finding the Life You Were Made For?
1. Shifting from Human Perspectives to God’s Priorities
In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus shares the difficult reality that His path leads to a cross. Peter, reacting out of a very natural human love, tries to stop Him. He wanted the crown without the cross and the victory without the victimhood. This section shows us that our biggest “stumbling blocks” often come from our best intentions when those intentions aren’t aligned with God’s heart. Jesus teaches us that we have to move past merely human concerns—like comfort, safety, and reputation—to embrace the divine priorities that God has for our lives.
My personal thoughts on this are that we are all a lot like Peter. We want God to bless our plans rather than asking Him to include us in His. It’s so easy to mistake our own desire for “safety” as God’s will. But I’ve learned that the safest place to be isn’t in a life free of conflict; it’s right in the center of God’s will, even if that will leads through a storm. We have to be willing to let God be the architect of our lives instead of trying to be His consultant.
My personal commentary on this passage is that Jesus’ rebuke of Peter wasn’t an act of anger, but an act of protection. He knew that if He followed Peter’s advice, the world would never know the grace of the resurrection. When we try to talk ourselves or others out of the “hard things” God has called us to do, we are inadvertently siding with the enemy’s agenda of convenience. True maturity begins when we stop telling God what He should do and start asking Him what we must do.
Regarding Christian discipleship, this means that the first step of following Jesus is a mental shift. You cannot follow someone you are trying to lead. Discipleship requires a “mind renewal” where we intentionally set aside our cultural definitions of success and adopt Christ’s definition of faithfulness. It is a daily decision to surrender our “right” to understand everything before we obey.
In terms of spiritual growth, this section reminds us that growth often happens in the tension between what we want and what God knows we need. We don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we choose God’s priorities over our personal comfort. Spiritual maturity is evidenced by how quickly we align our “human concerns” with His “divine concerns.”
Remember: We must stop trying to lead the One we are supposed to follow, so we can finally follow the One who is meant to lead. This means that when we flip the script and let God take the lead, we stop running in circles and start moving toward our destiny.
Ask Yourself This Question? Am I trying to talk God into blessing my plans, or am I asking Him to give me the courage to follow His?
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