Matthew 16:21-28 The Paradox of Discipleship
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Intro: Toddler in UPS store
Intro: Toddler in UPS store
Prophecy Update on Wednesday
On Thursday the fed released its inflation report and it rose 8% from last year
No one expected that, not even the conservative critics
That means since since Oct 2002 prices have gone up 20% or more
Last week Jesus told the Disciples He was going to build His church
Today we see him start to talk about the Cross
It’s not recieved well
In fact, we see Peter’s famous temper tantrum where Jesus essentially calls him Satan and tells him to get behind him
Jesus is telling Peter to get with the program
Last week I was in a UPS store returning a package and there was a grandma with a toddler
It was only 10 AM and she looked exhausted
The toddler was in the stroller while she shipped a package
It wasn’t long before he expressed his impatience
She let him out of the stroller and he started banging the stroller against the counter
She then picked him up while trying to sign the papers. It didn’t go well
This toddler thought everything evolved around him
What he needed to be taught was that he needed to get with the program
Sometimes as a disciple we need to be reminded to get with the program
Read Matthew 16:21-23
Read Matthew 16:21-23
Transition
We see Jesus mention two things for the first time in todays passage
We see mention his crucifixition and resurrection and His second coming
In doing so he uses something called a paradox
Paradox: a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true
Discipleship can be a paradox
The teacher lays down his life so that we can live
If we want all of the benefits of a being a disciple we must deny ourselves
To truly live we must die to ourselves
I. To Build Jesus Must Die vs. 21-23
I. To Build Jesus Must Die vs. 21-23
The first paradox we see is that to build Jesus must die so that we could live
Jesus had alluded to his death but never come right out and said it
This came as a shock to his followers
He refers to Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
The suffering and death of Jesus was a must because of two great facts: man’s sin and God’s love.
While His death was the ultimate example of man’s sin against God, it was also the supreme expression of God’s love to man.
God had no backup or alternate plan.
This must came thundering out of eternity.
It was the essential, unalterable plan of God
vs. 22 Peter didn’t take it well
He took him aside and rebuked him
“This shall never happen to you”
Sounds like a hard headed man who was just told he was the rock the church would be built on
This is the paradox of disciplehship
It rarely plays out how you think it will
vs. 23 Get Behind Me Satan
You are a hindrance
Your mind is not on the things of God
On the things of man
II. Deny Yourself vs. 24
II. Deny Yourself vs. 24
The Second Paradox is follow Jesus you must deny yourself
Following Jesus conjures up all kinds of thoughts and images
Denying yourself isn’t one of them
Jesus tells his disciples “If anyone would come after me”
This is the quintessential discipleship phrase
A lot of people like to use the term Genossis, which means student or learner, but a disciple comes after Jesus
The deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Christ
Denial is on a every level
Mouth, Hands, Feet
Mouth is the instant need like food
Hands are what you are going to do
Feet are where you are going to go
We need to deny wants in all of these areas so that we can follow Jesus
Story of Reuben
I have been going to the gym consistently since the beginning of the summer
Recently a guy name Reuben joined
Reuben is one of those guys who lights up the room
He is always smiling, works hard, never misses a day
He makes going to the gym a better experience
Most people avoid him
You can tell Reuben hasn’t had an easy life, but that’s not stopping him
One day as I walked by I fist bumped him and told him good job
Now everyday when I go to the gym I look forward to my fist bump
There’s one thing I didn’t tell you, Reuben is a parapylegic
He has in a motorized wheelchair and has no use of his legs and limited use of his hands
Daily, he is denied many of the things I take for granted but he doesn’t let it stop him
III. Find Your Life By Losing It vs. 25-26
III. Find Your Life By Losing It vs. 25-26
The third paradox we see is that you find your life by losing it
There are several ways that you can approach this verse
It’s a matter of perspective
If you try to save your life by protecting it
If you try to save your life by doing your thing
If you try to save your life by having both what you want and doing what you need for Jesus
All of those will lead to you losing your life
The way to truly find your life is by laying aside your agendas and fears and stepping out in faith and trusting the Lord
Jesus backs it up with vs 26
What will it profit a man if they gain everything the world has to offer and in the end they lose their soul
So many people have spent their whole career climbing the ladder only to discover once they got to the top that it was leaning against the wrong building
VI. Jesus Second Coming vs.27-28
VI. Jesus Second Coming vs.27-28
The final paradox is that for us to spend eternity with Jesus He must leave so He can return
Parousia is a noun form of the Greek verb behind to come and is often used to refer to Christ’s second coming, of which this is the first mention in the New Testament.