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Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com.

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Speaker 1: You're listening to Daily Devotions with Pastor John I'm john

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Speaker 1: Stongey and today's devotion is inspired by Matthew Chapter sixteen,

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Speaker 1: verses fifteen and sixteen, which says he said to them,

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Speaker 1: but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied,

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Speaker 1: you are the Christ, the son of the Living God.

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Speaker 1: The biggest question we're all being given the option to

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Speaker 1: wrestle with is this to you, who is Jesus in

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Speaker 1: regard to our eternal destiny? There is no greater question.

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Speaker 1: In regard to our daily walk in the present, There

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Speaker 1: is no greater question. As we well know, there are

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Speaker 1: many ways people choose to answer that question. Answers can

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Speaker 1: be boiled down to two primary categories, distant or relational.

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Speaker 1: If our answer to the question of who Jesus is

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Speaker 1: speaks of him as if he is a distant, uninvolved,

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Speaker 1: deceased human leader, that means we have chosen to forego

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Speaker 1: his help, his assistance, his empowerment, his hope, and his rescue.

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Speaker 1: It means we're on a path that leads to a

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Speaker 1: discouraging present and an unenviable future. If our answer to

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Speaker 1: the question of who Jesus is mirrors the response Simon

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Speaker 1: Peter gave, we're on the path that leads to hope, joy, forgiveness,

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Speaker 1: and an eternity in the life giving presence of our

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Speaker 1: savior and creator, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Messiah. He

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Speaker 1: is God in the flesh. He lives, and he offers new, abundant, purposeful,

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Speaker 1: and eternal life to all who come to faith in him.

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Speaker 1: He isn't distant. He wants to be part of your life,

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Speaker 1: both today and forever. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you

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Speaker 1: for your word, and we thank you for the privilege

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Speaker 1: that it is to be able to look at this

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Speaker 1: portion of Scripture together today from the Book of Matthew.

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Speaker 1: And Lord, you show us in this portion of Scripture

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Speaker 1: that we need to answer a very important question. As

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Speaker 1: you were speaking to Simon Peter, you asked him who

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Speaker 1: he said you were, and his response was that you

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Speaker 1: are the Christ, the son of the Living God. Lord,

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Speaker 1: we're thankful for what you revealed to Peter's heart, and

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Speaker 1: we're thankful as well that you've enabled us to understand

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Speaker 1: your true identity, that you're not just some distant historical figure.

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Speaker 1: You're our Lord. You're our creator, you're our savior, You're

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Speaker 1: our Messiah. And we're grateful that as we know you,

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Speaker 1: we can see your work in our lives and all

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Speaker 1: around us. Lord Jesus, we're grateful for the ways in

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Speaker 1: which you interact with us, and the ways in which

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Speaker 1: you treat us, and the doors that you open up

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Speaker 1: for us, and the power you supply us. Lord, we're

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Speaker 1: grateful for the fact that you forced us, at one

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Speaker 1: point in our lives or another, to wrestle with the

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Speaker 1: question that Peter had to wrestle with. And Lord, we

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Speaker 1: know that there are people in our day to day

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Speaker 1: lives that really need to be wrestling with that question

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Speaker 1: as well. So as you've enabled us to see our

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Speaker 1: need for you, and as you've enabled us to be

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Speaker 1: able to understand who you truly are, we pray that

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Speaker 1: you would enlighten those that we love as well, help

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Speaker 1: them to see who you are, help them to understand

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Speaker 1: their need for you, And by your grace, we pray

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Speaker 1: that they would have a deep, abiding, joyful faith in

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Speaker 1: You that cannot be dampered by circumstances. Again, Lord, We

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Speaker 1: thank you for the hope that you give to us

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Speaker 1: in the present and the promised outcome that you've revealed

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Speaker 1: to us ahead of time Regarding our future, You've blessed

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Speaker 1: us in countless ways, and we're thankful for it all.

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Speaker 1: And we pray this all in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.