Lesson 11 - Blessed in Revelation

Matthew 16:15-18 (NIV)"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Every believer enjoys this same blessing, the one given that pivotal day when Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the one anointed of God to be the Savior of the world. As believers, we are those to whom Christ has been revealed by the Father's call upon our lives.
Everyone who confesses Christ is blessed to be the church. To us, there is has been a revealing.
Revelation is described as God making his nature more fully known to humanity. Without his revelation, we are limited, and can only somewhat know him and his glory.
The Bible tells us God reveals himself through his creation, declaring his glories both day and night. God has also revealed himself through the voice of his prophets, teaching the world his unchangeable standards for morality. Through the Holy Spirit, God reveals himself most intimately, interacting personally with the souls of humanity. And finally, God fully revealed his loving nature, face to face, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the one who will come again to reveal to the entire world God's justice.
This blessing comes when we realize the fullness of God's revelation. Unfortunately, many chose to go down every other path of life except the one made available through God's revelation. By embracing evolution, they can deny God's revelation given in creation. By declaring that truth is subjective, they can deny God's revelation through Scriptures. By viewing Jesus as just another prophet, they can reject God's love given on the cross. By denying the very real power of sin over their lives, they can turn away from salvation without a guilty conscious.
But blessed is the man or woman who turns fully to Jesus Christ, declaring him to be the Christ, the Lord and savior of their lives. This is the blessing of the church. This is the blessing God offers to those would worship his name.