Sermons

Take up your cross – Matthew 16:21-28

Intro: “What does it mean to truly deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus?”

• Jesus’ command is undeniably striking.
  • Taking Jesus’ words seriously.
  • Must be contended with.
    • Cannot ignore Jesus’ clear fork in the road.
    • Many softsell, reframing this as their “Cross to bear!”

 

[Illus] My wife, my job, my health, my mother-in-law etc. etc.

 

• Silly? Based in believing Jesus could never ask what he is obviously asking.

 

• Take up your cross always meant death.
  • Rome created this open shame, execution.
  • Roman execution in every case meant death.

 

• Jesus’ application in a literal sense, is calling for followers to make the ultimate sacrifice.
  • Dying for someone as a Martyr or witness.
  • Laying down your life for someone is what is being asked.

[Question] “Is Jesus was being literal and whether this is the command-standard?”

[Ilus] In 1559, John Calvin began a seminary in Geneva to train young church planters. We know that Calvin sent at least 88 church planters to his native country of France, possibly many more. It was dangerous to plant churches in France because of anti-Protestant sentiment. In fact, it was so dangerous that the Academy of Geneva became known as “Calvin’s School of Death” because so many graduates went out to martyrdom. If any of our seminaries today were nicknamed “The School of Death,” they would be empty!

[Key] Early church was filled with martyrs, not to mention the OT prophets (cf. Heb. 11).

• Balance this with: All Apostles did not automatically mean certain death by execution (i.e. The Apostle John, exiled Patmos).

 

• Hebrews 11 (OT saints).

[POINT] To understanding this teaching in the context of Christ’s mission, then and now, is to see that to take up your cross is first a mindset.

• You have counted the cost, made a commitment up to saying: “I would die for Christ and so I am willing to do whatever every he asks of me.”

[Question] “How can you know you have made this commitment?”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as a young Lutheran pastor and theologian wrote a book called, The Cost of Discipleship (published, 1937). Here he coined the concept called, “cheap grace” what he defined as, “preaching forgiveness without repentance” “being baptized into the church without church discipline” “communion without confessing sins.” “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ!” Bonhoeffer was clear that though grace is a free gift, following Christ always comes with a cost!

You know the story that Bonhoeffer applied this mindset in wartime circumstances joining the conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler nearing the end of WWII. Nazism had strangled the true church Germany, threatening the whole world. Bonhoeffer was found out, imprisoned in a war camp, where he experienced Christian fellowship there (recorded in another book, Life Together), and executed days before the end of WWII.

[KEY] Bonhoeffer’s decision to join this conspiracy might be debatable but do not miss his noble mindset:

“A decision must be made at some point, and it’s no good waiting indefinitely for a sign from heaven that will solve the difficulty without further trouble…to procrastinate and prevaricate [stall or quibble] simply because you’re afraid of erring…seems to me almost to run counter to love. To delay or fail to make decisions may be more sinful than to make wrong decisions out of faith and love.” 

 

[Point] Safe to say, US culture is driving the church to contend with Jesus’ challenge.

• Commitment to mindset, before threat of persecution.
• Commitment before it gets hard.

 

[Prop] The mindset Jesus models this is the mindset Jesus requires.

 

1. Jesus’ mindset as our model (vv. 21-23)

 

1. Accepting God’s will

[Context] Jesus makes a decided shift in focus where he is now openly acknowledging the task and suffering, he must undertake.

• Jesus is personally invested in his disciples, in his final cycle.
  • Will hand mission over, when gone.
    • On a walking tour around perimeter of Galilee.
      • Crossing the Sea of Galilee a few final times.
      • Preaching, healing, and delivering.

 

• Setting of intimacy lends to emotional dynamics for the news he is delivering.

[NOTE] Jesus beginning to “show” disciples is telling the story of what is going to happen.

• Painting dramatic picture.
  • Do not want to hear.
  • Do not want to believe.

 

• The language “must go” leaves no room for debate.
  • A faitaccompli.
  • Unavoidable, will soon play out.

 

• Possibly more troubling is idea of who is driving this mission.
  • “Is it God the Father demanding this outcome?”
  • “Is it Jesus himself who is set on leaving his devotees?”

 

• “And to what is he going into?”
  • Hostile territory.
    • Jesus knows his questioners have come.
    • Pharisees and Sadducees.
      • Two unlikely Jewish parties.
      • In collusion, conspiring, banding together.
      • Common cause to snuff out Jesus.

 

• Jesus knows they are there ready and waiting to do him harm.
  • Jesus in Jerusalem will mean he:
    • “suffer many things” (v. 21).
    • “from the elders and chief priests and scribes” (v. 21).

 

• Not stop at suffering, but Jesus will “be killed…” (v. 21).

[Edwards] The prediction of Jesus’ passion conceals a great irony, for the suffering and death of the Son of Man will not come, as we would expect, at the hands of godless and wicked people…it is at the hands of “the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law” …Jesus will not be lynched by the enraged mob or beaten to death in a criminal act. He will be arrested with official warrants and tried and executed by the world’s envy of jurisprudence.

[KEY] What stands out most is how Jesus finished his statement in verse 21.

• Final prediction of what will take place, that “on the third day [he will] be raised” (v. 21).
  • What Peter says next, it appears means disciples could not hear the former and believe the later.
    • Events do not go together.
    • Jesus’ death must cancel out Jesus’ resurrection.
      • Events leading up to Jesus’ death are logical and pragmatic.
      • Jesus being raised soon after is not.

 

• Former taken as fact while the later must be embraced by faith.

[Appl] If you embrace Jesus being raised then the sting of his betrayal, suffering, and death (still horrible) at the same time survivable.

 

• You move from hopeless to hopeful while Christ’s cross looms.

 

 

1. Rejecting God’s will

[KEY] Next verse is what you do not want the Lord to say about you. Ever.

• Easy to become self-righteous to believe the Lord would only say this about Peter.
  • But this indictment is applicable to all of us.
  • Applies by the categories that we may all may slide into.

[TRANS] What happens when you reject God’s will.

 

1. Insubordinate

[KEY] First, being insubordinate.

• Peter’s approach at first blush is anything but being insubordinate and in fact it could easily be cast as being supportive.
  • Hearing Jesus is allowing himself to be executed on false charges appears to be anything but God’s will.
  • Peter is taking Jesus aside and this to protect the Lord from what he just allowed to slip out of his mouth.
    • Jesus needs life coaching, away from his other disciples.
      • Peter is willing to stick his neck out there and do this.
      • The word “rebuke” is to warn or censure Jesus.

 

• Peter uses of flattery saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!”
  • This shall never happen to you” (v. 22).
  • Peter’s approach is to try to get Jesus to see, he is above this kind of treatment.

 

• Appealing to Jesus’ pride.
  • What is so tricky about Peter, is to remember Peter by prompting of the Holy Spirit just pronounced Jesus as “The Christ, the Son of the living God!”

 

^ESV  Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter replied, ^a“You are ^bthe Christ, ^cthe Son of ^dthe living God.”

¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, ^a“Blessed are you, ^bSimon Bar-Jonah! For ^cflesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^dbut my Father who is in heaven. (Mat 16:16-17 ESV)

 

• Peter’s action is based on knowing Jesus is both divine as well as the fulfillment of all Messianic prophecy.

 

• Jesus is worthy of worship, not prosecution.
  • Worthy of glory not shame.
  • Worthy of life not death.
    • Jesus cannot die because he is here to rule and reign.
    • This is what all the prophecies promised!

 

• Messiah being here means he is to ascend his throne, here and now.
  • Jesus’ strong response clouds our judgment on how sound Peter’s initial claim about Jesus really is.

 

• But Peter missed that Jesus must first come as the Lamb before he fulfills the second half of prophecy as the Lion.   

 

1. Impediment

[KEY] Jesus’ response to Peter reveals what else is involved when you reject God’s will.

• Jesus “…turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ (v. 23).
  • This is dramatic to say the least.
  • The single most dramatic rebuke to a believer that is ever laid on anyone.

 

• Jesus’ body language connects with what Peter is doing.

[Illus] Peter’s trying to usher Jesus away from his disciples, as if to stand between, like a cop waving him back, saying, “Nothing to see here!”

• Jesus, spins around so as to say, I am in the lead not you! In essence, the Lord saying, “Get behind me…” is commanding Peter to “Stand down.”

 

• Get out of the way.
  • Connects with next phrase, “You are a hindrance to me” where Jesus uses the word, “hindrance” or “stumbling block” [skandelon].

 

• Veiled admission by Christ, to the intensity of Peter’s influence or external temptation to Christ.
  • We remember Jesus at Gethsemane appeals for the very thing that Peter is tempting him to believe.

 

• Peter’s flattery is met by Jesus’ rebuke but later Christ’s desperation with be met with sweat and blood, leading to final Christ’s final submission.

^ESV  Matthew 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on his face ^aand prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^bthis cup pass from me; ^cnevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Mat 26:39 ESV)

^ESV  Matthew 26:42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^ayour will be done.” (Mat 26:42 ESV)

^ESV  Luke 22:42-44 saying, ^a“Father, if you are willing, remove ^bthis cup from me. ^cNevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

⁴³ And there appeared to him ^aan angel from heaven, strengthening him.

⁴⁴ And ^abeing in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.¹ (Luk 22:42-44 ESV)

 

[Appl] We are called to do the hard work of submission to take up our cross.

[Question] “How ferocious was Peter’s temptation?” Answer is summarized by the name Jesus uses for Peter.

 

• Satanic

[Question] How is it that Peter can call Jesus “Satan?”

• Peter’s a believer, so Satan would be unable to enter Peter’s heart, unlike entering Judas Iscariot.
  • Peter, not channeling Satan (cf. 1 Jn…Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world).

 

• Bible is clear Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers, his demons may possess unbelievers, inspires and rules through all false religion, inspires false teachers to lead people astray, is setting the world’s ideologies as the god of this world.

 

• “But what can Satan do to or through a believer?”

 

• One thing, tempt you into a wrong mindset.
• Spiritual warfare is always the battle for your mind.
  • Why warnings against believing false doctrines (i.e. Doctrines of Demons).
    • Why Satan called, the father of lies and a deceiver.
    • Why we are commanded to resist the devil.

^ESV  James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. ^aResist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jam 4:7 ESV)

• Why Paul tells us that while we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities, he calls us to do so by putting on the armor of God, to include girding our loins with truth and to where the helmet of salvation (cff. Eph. 6:12-17).

^ESV  Ephesians 6:12 For ^awe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against ^bthe rulers, against the authorities, against ^cthe cosmic powers over ^dthis present darkness, against ^ethe spiritual forces of evil ^fin the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12 ESV)

 

• Why flood our minds with truth, to resist and fight of the devil.
  • Nothing can separate us from our salvation, from the love of God, not angels nor principalities.
    • “What fellowship has light with darkness?” (ie 2 Cor. 4).

^ESV  2 Corinthians 6:14 ^aDo not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For ^bwhat partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or ^cwhat fellowship has light with darkness? (2Co 6:14 ESV)

 

• Nevertheless, can be tempted into misguidance by Satan’s sophisticated strategies.

 

• Think about Satan’s play on Peter.
  • “Peter, you need to protect Jesus from himself!”
  • “He is being so noble that he is missing the fact that sacrificing himself contradicts his purpose for coming!”
  • “Serve your Master by reminding him how truly worthy he truly is!”

 

[Illus] Remember this was the same play Satan made directly to Jesus in the wilderness. Turn stone to bread because you can do that! Throw yourself off the tower because Scripture promises angels will catch you. Bow to me because you deserve all the kingdoms of the world. You need to eat for health, You need to trust God’s Word, You’re destined to be King of Kings. 

 

• Element to truth all around.
  • All disqualify Jesus from being Messiah.
  • All to cancel his mission.
  • All undermining the call to have a “Pure and simple devotion to Christ” (cf. 2 Cor. 11, “Angel of light”).

^ESV  2 Corinthians 11:1-3 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!

² For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since ^aI betrothed you to one husband, ^bto present you ^cas a pure virgin to Christ.

³ But I am afraid that ^aas the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts ^bwill be led astray from a ^csincere and ^dpure devotion to Christ. (2Co 11:1-3 ESV)

 

• Satan’s plan worked with Adam and Eve, where Satan convinced Eve to believe God was withholding his best from them, that they deserved better equality with God. All they needed to do was go rogue.

[KEY] Jesus, saw through Satan’s play and modeled for us exactly what we are to do when facing Satan’s trick.

 

• Call it out for what it is.
  • When Jesus calls Peter Satan, he is using Satan’s name as a synonym for the Satanic mindset Peter had adopted.
    • I’m sure Satan overheard Jesus’ rebuke.
    • Though Satan sowed the seed, Peter was certainly responsible for playing as Satan’s puppet.

 

• Jesus’ rebuke cuts the strings.  

        

 

1. Idolater

[KEY] Finally, Jesus diagnoses Peter’s problem as his mindset.

• Diagnosis rips the band aide off what Satan had accomplished inside of Peter’s head.
  • “For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (v. 23).
  • The word, “setting your mind” is used repeatedly in the NT.
    • “Set your minds on the things above!” (Col. 3:1).
    • Paul’s language to be of the same mind or to have this attitude (see Phil. 2 and 3).
      • Paul always pointing to the battleground for growth as the mind.
      • Setting your mind is always a moral choice.

 

• How we think will determine our actions, always!
  • On “the things of God” (v. 23), leads to righteousness and “on the things of man” (v. 23) leads to sinfulness.

 

[Appl] How you feed your thinking [mind], determines direction leading to life or leading to death.

 

• Noteworthy, though calls Peter, “Satan,” Peter is being called out for his errant mindset.
  • Peter was acting Satanic with his mind by filling it with himself.
  • Worshipping self (not obvious like witchcraft or the occult).

 

• Final level makes rejecting God’s will a form of idolatry.
  • Rejecting Christ is to say, I want me instead of Christ.
  • Self-worship, coveting is idolatry (cf. Col. 3:5).

 

[TRANS] Do not fail to see the hope set within this diagnosis.

• There is grace in the light Christ shines.
  • Grace in clarity.
  • What’s wrong with Peter is what can be made right.

“A good leader is someone who makes a bad decision and then turns around and makes a good decision.”

[Question] “What’s Peter’s way out from this hard-hitting rebuke?”

• Admit your wrong focus and turn your eyes onto Jesus.
  • Go soft, go humble, and wash your mind with Bible.
  • For something to be of the “things of God” they need to be Bible-soaked.

 

[Appl] Preaching, teaching, singing, talking, praying, serving all can be part of what God uses to transform your mind but at the center of transformation, there will always be truth.

^ESV  Romans 12:1-2 ^aI appeal to you therefore, brothers,¹ by the mercies of God, ^bto present your bodies ^cas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.²

^{2 a}Do not be conformed to this world,¹ but be transformed by ^bthe renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^cdiscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.² (Rom 12:1-2 ESV)    

 

^ESV  Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and ^areceived and heard and seen ^bin me–practice these things, and ^cthe God of peace will be with you. (Phi 4:8-9 ESV)

 

[Question] “What does will it take to take up your cross? A mindset transformed by truth?”

 

Conclusion:     You might die for the faith, most do not.

Nevertheless, Jesus’ prescribes a mindset that his non-negotiable.

The benefit to this mindset?

 

“When willing to die for Christ, willing to do whatever he asks of you.”

“What is it, he is asking of you, that you are still unwilling to do?”

 

[TRANS] Jesus expands an applies this mindset for all who are willing to follow.

Next week we take this deeper.  

 

2. Our mindset as Jesus’ disciple (vv. 24-28)

 

[TRANS – Socrates and Plato illus]

[the mindset is this requirement – mindset is explained]