“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, ESV)

For many years we have prayed, believed, and labored to build Christ’s church. We have watched in wonder as God has brought various people by our side to labor with us. Some have walked with us for many years and are still with us. Others walked with us for a season and then left us. But through it all, we have seen the Lord build His church. How has He built it? He has built it on the confession of faith that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is this confession that causes people to want to be baptized and to follow Him. It is this confession that causes them to want to attend church and to serve Jesus. It is this confession that leads many to deny themselves to follow Him.

This was also true with the disciples. Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You” (Mark 10:28). Consequently, the Lord would use Peter to open the door of the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. In today’s passage of Scripture, the Lord blessed Peter for knowing and confessing who He was, and He made amazing promises to him. But Peter still had much to learn. He, like the rest of us, was still under construction. A few moments later, Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Peter wanted Jesus to fulfill the messianic prophesies. He wanted Jesus to reign as King, and he wanted to reign with Him. He did not foresee Jesus’ suffering in fulfillment of Isaiah 53, and His death on the cross for our sins. Peter wanted to share in the glory without the agony of the cross. He was thinking about the things of men but not about the things of God.

Therefore, Jesus told them all:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24–25, NKJV)

The cost of discipleship is severe, and Jesus warned us to count the cost before following Him. Too many have started on this road of self-denial and cross-bearing, only to depart when it became too difficult, or when they fell in love with the world, or when they chose pleasing self over pleasing God.

Peter would learn that the road of following Jesus was marked with suffering. While he was thinking like a man now, in the future he would think like God. While he was choosing his own way now, in the future he would follow the way of his Lord, even when it meant dying on a cross. Are we willing to do likewise? We probably won’t die on an actual cross, but we will most certainly be required to die to ourselves. Are we willing to go the distance?