06/07/2026
Sunday worship June 7, 2026 - Hi Folks! Today we continued our study of Matthew 16:13-28. Today our focus was on verses 24 to 26 where Jesus says; “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” In this verse, the Greek word translated as “life” is the word “psyche” which also means “soul.” In Greek the same word is used for both “soul” and “life.” On this basis we looked today at ways we can understand what the soul is.
We determined that our body is like a vehicle that transports our soul through the world. Our soul is the true, inner person, the part of us that does not change even as the body changes year by year. We also looked at how the two contrasting depictions of Peter in this passage match the contrast between losing our soul and gaining it. In verses 15 to 19 Peter states that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In verses 21 to 23, Peter is in an argument with Jesus because he wishes to prevent his return to Jerusalem and subsequent death. This mirrors the ways we can lose our true selves, our souls, or “lives” by becoming too attached to the worldly concerns our physical world can lead us into. In the end, we gain our lives, our souls, by letting go of them and trusting by faith that our lives, or souls will continue to exist after death.
I hope this message brings you a blessing. Blessings and Peace
Pastor Steve
