Die! - Matthew 16:21-28 - Fourteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 16:21-28 - NIV

 

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Die!

Jesus has shown His disciples, and us as well, through Scripture, that He IS the Living God. Witness the miracles, the teaching, and His ministry, to ALL the world. Jesus, through Peter’s words, and His own actions, shows us, that He IS the Messiah, the Savior, the I AM of today, and eternity.

However, His final journey towards fulfilling the plan of God the Father, will not be like what the disciples expect, or even like what today’s world anticipates, and expects.

The I AM will suffer, die, and rise again. Why? Why, would God the Father do this to His Son? Why would God the Holy Spirit allow this to take place? Even as we think we know the answers to these questions, in this day of ours, we really don’t have a clue. Speaking for myself, I can’t fathom why God would take such action. It throws me back in time, to the little desk, in a classroom, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in front of Pastor Bergdall, reciting and memorizing, Luther’s explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles Creed…

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole catholic church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this catholic church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

Jesus, final journey towards the persecution and death on a cross, at the hands of men, just like myself, yet, intentionally done, for my salvation, from my very own sin, and death; is too far for me to grasp, in my humanity.

I can only believe this with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life, giving me the faith that I desperately need, to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I’m NOT trying to make this a “Lutheran” thing here either. I’m speaking on my own, with my own words, and my own confession before God.

In this one verse, verse 21, Jesus is speaking plainly of the necessity of His going to the cross to die. So, that seems to make God’s suffering, through Jesus, part of His death. That means that God’s suffering, through Jesus, is a part of God’s plan. Yet… as Jesus continues in His words, this suffering and death, lead to, and offers, ALL mankind, a hope, and a victory, through what God does, NOT through what I think I can do.

Finally, Jesus bids His disciples, and us, to prepare ourselves. Pay attention! Jesus’ mission is far different than what we may wish or expect, YET, the results, as well, are far MORE than we could ever imagine.

Wow! Peter, who just confessed Jesus AS THE Messiah, rebukes Jesus, for revealing how He would suffer, and die at the hands of powerful men. It appears to me that Peter expects Jesus to meet his needs; like the triumphant Messiah that Peter himself had envisioned. But here, God’s plan, may NOT BE the plan that Peter has in mind.

I sin, when I make God about what I think He should be for me. Forgive me and forgive all disciples that fall into that evil trap of Satan. I must not instruct God on what He needs to do! I am to DO HIS will, after all.

I see how Peter’s wants and desires, were for Jesus’ own earthly well-being, but I don’t think God needs my protection at all. It reminds me of that Old Testament account of the guy who reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant, as it wobbled on a moving transportation cart…

2 Samuel 6:1-7 NIV

6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. ² He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. ³ They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart ⁴ with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. ⁷ The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

Whooeee! That’s some tough stuff there! God doesn’t need me or you or even Uzzah to protect Him. Nope! Sometimes I get stuff the other way around, and am wrong about that. And like in the Gospel passage we are looking at, Jesus too, doesn’t need Peter to rebuke Him.

Human viewpoints can, and many times ARE, way off, to what God has planned. So, I need to be open to correction from God, and from Jesus. Lord, help and guide me with Your correction, I pray. I, and Peter too, are once again humbled in Your presence.

And then Jesus makes His correction very, very, clear. “Get behind Me, Satan!”

Jesus recognizes that this rebuke that appears to come from Peter, and does come out of Peter’s mouth, is really a result of the deception of Satan, in the life of Peter. Peter has fallen into the trickery of Satan, in his thinking that the cross could NOT be part of God’s plan to save all mankind.

God does NOT see the cross as defeat, RATHER, as the way sinners are forgiven through Jesus, and death is condemned and defeated.

This is the danger of my perspective, and, in this case, Peter’s perspective, that takes us away from God’s plan. Satan is good at this stuff! He loves for us to focus on our own wants and needs and desires, rather than, God’s will for us, in our lives.

Deny self? Well, that’s what Jesus does, and that’s what God calls us to do as well. God came to us in and through, the flesh, blood, and spirit of Jesus. Now, it seems, Jesus is telling, not only the twelve disciples, but anyone, that if they want to follow Him, they need to deny themselves. What does that look like?

Daily we must look in the mirror of God and His teachings, and commandments, see our sin, and notice how God has already moved us to face Him and His glory. Why does this happen? God calls us His Children, and He calls us to leave our wants and desires, for ourselves, and our world behind, TO, go with Him, doing His will in the way He has called us, and directed us. We deny our will, and DO His will. But, again, why?

As we live with God, He will protect us, and lead us into His Kingdom. A Kingdom NOT of this world, or a Kingdom of our own will, rather, a Kingdom in which we live with Him in the Paradise that He has planned for us, and ALL people since before the creation.

Our commitment to God is a daily thing. Daily we re-live our baptism. Our baptism that is a gift from God, where He comes to us in Father, Son and Spirit, to claim us as His, and adopt us as His Children forever. So, what’s the cost of all this?

Look at what it cost God, through Jesus His own Son. His life! And that’s what Jesus is trying to get across. Jesus is going to that cross to die, in the Great Substitution. Jesus dies for our sin, and puts death and hell under Him. Yes, Jesus defeats the powers of death and hell, to give us eternal life with Him.

But first, we must be willing to face our Creator, our God, and follow Him into what ever dangers and evils this world tosses our way. It wasn’t easy for Jesus, and it won’t be easy for His disciples as well. Just look through the Acts of the Apostles, and the letters of Paul, and on to other letters. This awesome gift, MUST be declared to all the world! And ALL the world won’t accept that gift, and just may, and probably will, and already have, persecuted people all along the way, as they show what Jesus has done, in forgiving, even people that other people don’t want forgiven. That there, is a whole bunch of stuff to reflect upon. But what happened was that the Power of God, turned into a threat for individuals and earthly kingdoms, that they lose control over themselves and their kingdoms, TO God’s grace. And there we are, in a long circular path back to the “deny” yourself stuff, and live FOR God, serving Him and all those He gives to you, each and every day.

So many, WILL NOT, want to serve God or others. So many, want to only serve themselves. And in serving self, THEN, sin, death, and the deceits of Satan, enter into our lives.

And Jesus says in Mark 16:25…

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

So, saving yourself, at any cost, just won’t do. Only God can save! And witness HOW God saved us, through what Jesus did at that cross, and in that tomb.

Jesus took up the cross, so expect to take up the cross yourself, IF you choose to believe and follow Him. Even though God comes to us, many people will choose to turn and run. However, if you receive the gift of faith from God, you will believe, and do the hard stuff anyway. Why? Because God shows you how it’s done for you, SO THAT, you respond in love towards Him, and towards those God places in your life, each and every day.

This is a challenge to the worldly way. To find life in Christ, you must be willing to lose all of your selfish desires and ambitions. This is NOT about you. It’s ALL about what God has done for you, and calls you to do for Him, and your neighbor. Yep! Even that neighbor you can’t stand!

Galatians 5:14

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Yea, well, I know that sounds like more than one word, but that one word is LOVE. And that’s just what God set up from before creation… LOVE.

So, if you think you can gain the power, wealth, strength, and honor of this world on your own? Big deal! In the finality of it all, all of that stuff amounts to NOTHING! So, give that up, and exchange it ALL for the love of God, in, and through, Christ Jesus.

Yep! In the end of it all Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of Man, will come IN HIS Father’s glory with His angels, to repay each one according to what he has done. And what did YOU, or I do? We gave ourselves to God just like He called us to do. And none of that is about keeping score of any goody-two-shoe stuff. It’s about seeing the God as He spins us around in our sin, to receive His forgiveness, and life, SO THAT we may live with Him in His Kingdom forever, ALL in the LOVE of God. Talk about a GIFT!

All believers are called to live for, and in, God’s glory, following His will, in His way, reflecting His Love to all the world.

Then Jesus says this!

²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

So, what’s that supposed to mean? Today, we have the advantage of Scripture unfolding before our eyes in the writings. So, if you peek ahead a little, you will see, how Peter, James and John, will be present on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Right there, you see the presence of the Law through Moses, the prophecies through Elijah, and the fulfillment of both, IN Jesus. And God the Father speaks forth declaring Jesus as His Son, whom He loves, and says to listen to Jesus!

Do you see it? Some who are standing here, that is Peter, James and John, get to see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

Sometimes it’s easy to get wrapped around the wheel, and think that Jesus is talking about some people that will still be alive at His Second coming. But we have the advantage of peeking ahead in Scripture, to see what Jesus means.

To bring it all home to us, we are privileged, through Scripture, to witness to the power of events as told to us, by eye witnesses, SO THAT, we too, can see and tell how God is active in our own lives as well. So, look for those moments when God comes to you, and like my mom always told me… “You’ve got a mouth. Use it!”

God’s Kingdom has come in Jesus, and WILL come to you too, each and every day. Talk about it! All of our hope lives in the faith that God freely gave to us, to believe the words that He shows to us, AND, we are privileged to live out God’s will in our lives, day by day.

Jesus, You came to earth, You lived, You taught, You healed, You led Your people, AND, You suffered, You died, AND You rose again! It’s beyond my comprehension; however, I give You, all the glory, honor, and thanks. Thank You, God the Father. Thank You, God the Son. Thank You, God the Holy Spirit. Thank You, always and forever!

Jesus, I pray, rescue me from Satan, from myself, and from all things that are NOT of Your will and Your way. Yes, Lord, I stumble and need You to SAVE me, not the other way around.

Be honest and sincere about your love towards God and each other. Devote your life to love God, and to love your neighbor, in a humble, serving way. Look at what God has already done, in and through, the gift of the Cross of Jesus.

So, what to make of all of this week’s study? First off, I see my need to be humble in the presence of God. Where do I see God’s presence? First and foremost, in the words given to me to read and study in the Scriptures. Secondly, I see God present in the Sacraments. I see God present in Confession, I see God present in Forgiveness, I see God present in and through the words of my pastor, Pastor Prin, as he delivers the sermon, I see God’s presence in those I gather with each and every Sunday, through and in their words and their loving actions, as they respond to the Grace of God. I see God’s presence in the waters of Baptism, I see God’s presence in the bread and the wine of communion, in, with, and under the body and blood of Jesus, Himself. And I see God’s presence as He blesses people and sends people out into the world to respond in love to Him and one another, BECAUSE of His grace freely given.

Second, I need to die daily to my sin. Yep! That’s MY cross, at least one of them. I need to die to my selfish hunger for wealth, power, strength and on and on. All those things that get in the way of God’s will in my life. I need to die to myself, to serve God in the way He would have me serve Him, and to serve all those God gives to me each and every day, in the Love and Forgiveness that God has given to me. So, yea, die daily, just like I died under the waters of my baptism as God called me His own and marked me with His seal of the cross, to live with Him in His Kingdom, forever.

So, go out and get baptized folks. That’s just the beginning! And the journey can, and is tough at times, but it’s a journey that leads away from self, and to, the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Does that all sound like church word salad? It’s not and it’s worth all of it.

As I look forward to seeing Jesus come again, in His glory, with all the angels of heaven, I look to gladly respond with works of the fruit of the grace of God… today… tomorrow… and forever.

As I fall to my knees, in the presence of God in Jesus, may I humbly, gladly, bear my cross, and live with you, Jesus! --- Amen and amen and amen!

Enjoy this YouTube Music Video that spoke to me this past week.

“Die to Self”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9hbiMgaek&list=RDMN9hbiMgaek&start_radio=1