15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16:15-20

Jesus asks His disciples who the people say He is, and Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This interaction and Jesus’ response provide us with five lessons. Adhering to these lessons unlocks a trove of blessings and the ultimate roadmap to happiness and peace.

One.
Who is your teacher? Who guides you through life? In other words, who has been your master, the one who tells you what to do and what decisions to make? We have only two counselors. That’s it. Has the Holy Spirit or human opinion guided you? Do you listen to God’s voice, or have you succumbed to the devil’s temptations? Reflect on the decisions and actions of the past. Who was your counselor? Too often, we move through life without thinking about or looking for God’s guidance. We think we know what’s best. We know what the statistics are and what commonsense dictates, but we forgot about God in all our prudence and so-called intelligent decision-making. Lesson one: who is your counselor? God or satan.
Two.
God says to Peter, “Blessed are you.” Our actions result in being blessed or cursed. There’s no wiggle room. We often do actions that we believe are innocuous, those that are neither blessed nor cursed. But that’s not the case. Whatever we do, once we choose our counselor and act accordingly, those actions will be blessed or cursed depending on the counsel we choose. Keep this in mind: when we conduct ourselves in the situations we face, those actions will result in being blessed or cursed. Lesson two: what you are doing now will have two consequences: being blessed or cursed.
Three.
Jesus says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” We build our actions on a rock or sand. If we live our lives taking counsel from God, acting accordingly, and being blessed, those actions will “build” on a rock and create a strong and solid fortress. We stand firm like a rock even as storms, waves, and harsh winds bash into us. If we follow the wrong counsel and behave in a manner that will induce God’s curse, we build our foundation on fleeting sand, wiped away by the waves and leaving no trace. Lesson three: do you want to build on a rock or sand?
Four.
Jesus says, “And on this rock I will build my church.” If we follow the right counsel, do the right things, and build on the proper foundation, we are building our church, our heaven. What is the church we should build? If we follow the wrong counsel and do the wrong things, we build for this world. So you have a choice: do you want to build your church or build for this world? Do you want to build treasures in heaven or this world? Think about the way you’re living. Are you living to succeed in this world? Lesson four: are you building your church or building for this world?
Five.
Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Following the proper counsel, doing the right things, being blessed, building on a solid foundation, and building for heaven are the keys that open the doors to prosperity, happiness, and glory. Do you feel stifled and trapped? Are you unhappy? If you are, maybe you don’t have the right keys. Maybe all the doors are shut and you have no way of getting in. Get the keys to heaven. If we follow God’s guidance, the doors keep opening, one after another, and we move along the road, getting closer and closer to God. If we don’t have the key to heaven, we’re locked out of happiness, success, and life. Lesson five: keys or locks?

Make God your absolute counselor. Choose God’s blessings. Build your church. Stand firm on His rock. Get the keys to heaven. We think our lives are uneventful, but know this: in every situation we meet rests the possibility of eternal peace or pain, happiness or despair, blessings or calamities, all depending on the counsel we choose and how we listen and respond to that counsel. If you are stuck, unhappy, and yearning for a better life, think of these five lessons and accept God as your ultimate counselor!

Click for Korean sermon https://youtu.be/CW9nEEc5POw