Pastor Allen Victor continued the study through Matthew 16 in a message titled “Believing the Sign, Embracing the Cross.” Pastor Allen explained that the Pharisees and Sadducees demanded another sign from heaven even though Jesus had already performed countless miracles that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. He showed that their problem was not a lack of evidence but a lack of spiritual sight. The message examined the signs of Christ’s first coming, the prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks, and several biblical signs pointing toward Christ’s return, encouraging believers to remain spiritually awake rather than constantly seeking new signs while ignoring the ones God had already provided. The sermon also highlighted the sign of Jonah as a picture of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, reminding listeners that Christ’s resurrection remained God’s greatest confirmation of His identity.

Pastor Allen then warned believers to beware of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees by rejecting doctrines that added to or subtracted from God’s Word. He encouraged the church to evaluate every teaching by asking whether Jesus taught it in the Gospels, whether the early church practiced it in Acts, and whether the apostles affirmed it in the Epistles. He reminded the congregation to trust God’s past faithfulness instead of living in fear or forgetting His provision.

The sermon then centered on Peter’s confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” emphasizing that every person must answer Christ’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” Pastor Allen explained that Jesus alone was the true foundation of the church and that God revealed His Son to those willing to receive Him. He also explained the biblical meaning of the keys of the kingdom and the authority Christ entrusted to His church to faithfully apply His Word.

Finally, Pastor Allen turned to Jesus’ prediction of His suffering, death, and resurrection, showing that Peter’s attempt to prevent the cross reflected human thinking rather than God’s plan. He challenged believers to deny themselves, take up their own cross, and follow Christ, reminding them that true life was found only by surrendering everything to Jesus. The message concluded by urging everyone to believe the signs God had already given, embrace the cross, and live with eternity in view.

Calvary Chapel West Jacksonville, under the leadership of Pastor Allen Victor, welcomed everyone to study God’s Word verse by verse.

Scriptures: Matthew 16:1-28; Isaiah 35:5-6; Daniel 9:25-27; Daniel 12:4; Matthew 24:6, 14, 32; Luke 21:11; Luke 11:30; Jonah 3:5; Revelation 3:16; Revelation 19:11-21; Zechariah 12:2; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11; Matthew 7:24.

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