In this solo message, Piero walks through Matthew 16:21–26 to confront a central tension of discipleship: recognizing who Jesus is while resisting the way He accomplishes His mission. Set in the politically and religiously charged landscape of Caesarea Philippi, this passage exposes how Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah collides with his misunderstanding of a cruciform kingdom. Piero unpacks how Jesus rejects power defined by empire, control, and self-preservation, calling His followers instead to see reality from God’s perspective—where victory comes through suffering and life is found through surrender.

Framed around Jesus’ threefold call to give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me, this sermon challenges the assumptions of comfort-driven faith and invites listeners into a counter-cultural vision of discipleship. Piero explores what the cross meant in the Roman world, why self-denial is not optional for followers of Jesus, and how true transformation happens as we walk closely with our Rabbi in everyday life. This message presses us to ask hard questions about power, control, and allegiance—and whether we are willing to pay the cost of following Jesus on His way, not our own.