What makes Jesus different then any prophet, was he was the Messiah, the one preached about, the one coming to save the world from sin, to be a deliver, a teacher, a healer, Emmanuel(God with us), our Redeemer, born of virgin, and many more titles only the Messiah could carry. Peter a true Israelite, and lead disciple would face and deal with the blindness of who Christ is for a moment during the time of crucifixion, until the rooster would crow three times, but before this time, he recognized Jesus as the anointed and as the Messiah. For this moment when Jesus ask Peter "who do you say I am", he whole heartly tells him the Christ the Son of the lIviing God. Jesus says on this will I build the church, and it would be on this one fact that Jesus is the Son of God.

The concept here is not hard to understand but if the church was built on Peter, or any of the disciples the church could not stand. However we are built on their teaching about Jesus. Jesus is consider the chief corner stone and all other stones are built on the chief corner stone. I am reminded how some ministers love quoting some of the giants of faith through books they read that these giants wrote. Yet they are not the chief cornerstone and must be examined for content of what they write about concerning Christ. This morning I got to listen to several messages online, because online is beginning to get flooded with ministers preaching online. It like a new past time for ministers, a new outreach directive to keep the church family together. I am happy to see it, because there those that are disabled and those that can not get out that are forced in their normal world to rely on kindness of their church to provide media to their viewers. Yet I also aware of the fact that some churches will leave the media world after things go back to normal, and others will remain.

Where I am going this morning we talking about Jesus being Christ(the anointed) and Jesus said that only one that could reveal that to Peter was God, in other words no one else could have convinced Peter of that fact. He was a true Israelite looking for the promise Messiah. Yet we know the hour of his blindness would come, so that scripture would be fulfilled that Jews would be blind to who Christ is. We know that Peter after the resurrection would come to a place of repentance, but it had come with the the prophetic words of Jesus coming to pass as the rooster crow 3 times. Story found in Matthew 26.

We can understand all prophets called of God are anointed by God, but what makes Christ special he is the Son of the living God.Yet he is apart of God, He is the word of God, but he is also the Son of God in human flesh coming to minister to the people of the world. People from all over would be drawn to Jesus including the greeks who came seeking Jesus and gentiles around Israel were drawn to Jesus.

Did the people understand fully who Jesus was, if they had they never would of question Jesus and sought to kill him. Yet all these things had to take place for our sins to be taken away. Christ still cried out Father forgive them despite his suffering and pain. Non of us can do that, despite our willingness to on understanding who Christ is to us, the Savior of the world.

We to come to a place of willing to follow Jesus to that cross and discovering what the cross is all about, how it took away our sins, how Christ was willing to forgive even unto death. What did it mean to be a child of God. We claim to be children of God and Christ is called the Son of God, but we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. What does it mean to deny ourselves and take up that cross? It something most people I think struggle with. We say if came to denial of our faith or our life, we hold to our faith. Yet the words are not simple. It more then dying for faith but forgiving those that would persecute you. None of us live well under the idea of persecution even if we know it for Christ, our humanity does not on its own allow our desire not to fight back, but it is the Holy Spirit that untakes for us in our weakness, as he did Christ on the cross. How can we hold our peace, I think when I look at the Jewish life of holding their peace in the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel as they left their homes going into exile, as they were called by God to do, it took more then many of us today can endure. It is holding our heads up even when all is taken from us. I remember the day the last piece of wood was removed from my old house to build a house the size of a garage in its place. As that last piece of wood was removed I wanted to cry. I should of been rejoicing because a new one was going to be built. Yet the pain the feeling of abandonment of what had brought nine years of security to my life was gone in a moment. Now imagine what it was for the disciple to see Christ on the cross and the comfort they had known was gone and yet would be returned to them after three days. A time of abandonment only to be restored. Israel at the time Jeremiah and Ezekiel had the hope of being restore, but it would be seventy years before they would return to the promise land under foreign rule. Their faith never taken. But was Peter's faith taken for a period of time, the answer yes.

The moment of the cross and the cost Jesus spoke of was now fully realized. The cross of suffering for doing right, for believing, for faith fully grasped. Yet it easy to say I will fight, I will draw my sword and cut off the soldier ear like Peter, only to say yes Lord, i will lay down the sword and take up my cross and follow you even unto death. Peter would be crucified upside down for his faith saying he was unworthy to hang in the same position as his Lord. He was said to have had a vision before his crucifixion of walking out of Rome, only to go back in to be crucified after seeing Jesus going back into the city. This story found in other books not in scripture.

Yet what we can understand is that Peter had laid his sword down and followed Jesus to the cross. What we can understand is Peter had come to terms of no longer fighting for his faith, but fighting by his testimony, his life and his what he preached to the world. He had become like Jesus in going to his cross. He had come to terms he was will to suffer for faith Jesus. We look at the laws of our country on religion and wonder is persecution still today and if so where is it coming from it coming from devil and anyone in opposition to our faith in Christ Jesus. Yet are we willing to keep sharing our faith. Will the law protect. There is police brutality in our land? We have to ask are we willing to work in areas not always friendly toward believers despite our laws? Are we willing to give the same dignity to those in opposition to our faith. Kentucky woman that refuse to give service in the courthouse to a gay couple getting married, because of her faith, was she in violation of what Christ taught? It is questions we have to ask ourselves are we in violation and persecuting those in opposition to us. Did Christ who had all authority persecute his enemies while on the cross. There is however a judgment day coming when he returns.

Everything in God's timing not ours. If we going to follow in Christ example of taking up our cross we have to respect others different then ourselve or we become the bully, we become the crucifier of our Lord who said forgive them, for they know not what they do. We come to place like Peter where we draw our swords and rebuke our Lord. Yet Jesus enabled Peter to deny him, so he would understand the world that was in denial of who he was. That he could help them repent and turn and believe despite the cross and persecution of Jesus. Are you there yet? Are you struggling with the cross you called to carry like Peter. Do you want to draw sword and not bow to the opposition. No in our land we have freedom and to not stand up is just foolish, but if a time comes when that law is revoked, we need to know that cost in our life, to know we need to go like the lamb to the slaughter as Jesus did. Holding and still testifying of our faith in him.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to know the cost of your Son going to the cross as well as what it means to pick up that cross and follow Him. Help us to be like Peter and many of disciples and willing to carry our cross. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Hebrews 11:33-40 KJV
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.