Self Suicide

Peters Confession

Jesus is the Christ

the Messiah

V 20

Peter said that Jesus is God

the Old testament confirmed it

God the Father through God the Holy Spirit

taught this to Peter

Matthew 16:17 LSB

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Now that the fact of Jesus is the Messiah

Jesus is God

Jesus comes from God

Jesus is going to tell them something that will blow their minds

Peter will rebuke Jesus for saying this that

Jesus is going to tell His men that He will be killed

And that we are to commit self suicide

read Luke 9 22-23

Luke 9:22–23 LSB

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Voluntary, Predetermined plan

V 22

this is not Jesus looking into the future and seeing bad news

this is also not something that Jesus can avoid if He wanted to

Peter preaching at Pentecost

Acts 2:36 LSB

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

back in verse

Acts 2:22–23 LSB

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.

this is the Fathers plan from the Beginning

for the people at this time to murder Jesus on the cross

at the arrest of Jesus

in the garden when Judas leads the rabble

Matthew 26:53 LSB

“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

The arrest of Jesus \the crucifixion of Jesu

was well planned out, that Jesus would voluntarily give up his life for the sins of His people

Matthew 26:54 LSB

“Therefore, how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

BACK to our scripture

v 20 Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ

V 22 The Christ will voluntarily give up His life

why is Luke bringing us down this path?

what is Jesus teaching His disciples and us?

Take Up Your Cross

lets look at the meaning of..

you have been sentenced to the death penalty

you under the authority of the government

you have no choice in what you do

you have to carry the crossbar to your execution place

you are geered and ridiculed by the crowd on your parade route

you are on a one way trip with death at the end of your trip

you have no more plans of your own

you cant change directions

you cant change your mind

you are going to endure the worst of torture

with death as the final outcome

Jesus is saying this phrase figuratively

Take up your cross

what is this not

not next level Christianity...

a higher level of commitment

a re-dedication

it is basic Christianity

we cannot separate salvation from obedience

is Jesus your Lord?

is Jesus your boss

is Jesus your Adonai

not a trial that we have to endure… my cross to bear

it is not something thrust upon us

So what is Jesus saying

Jesus in V 23 if anyone wants to follow me ...

this is the requirement not if and when

not after I re-dedicate

deny yourself

Moses could have played the royalty card the rest of his life

but he denied that part and identified himself as a Israeli slave

he had a clean break from the life of luxury

when we think of buying something.

do we ask ourselves do I really need this or, could the money God has supplied to me be better used in India

or am I going to mortify =put to death the sin that is plaguing me. through the power of the Holy Spirit

I’m going to focus on Christ and not the things that distract

Take Up your cross

this a voluntary thing like Jesus taking up His cross

allowing himself to be under the Roman authority

you need to be under the authority of Jesus

walking a one way road and not looking back

with a possible gruesome death at the end

being ridiculed

God’s plans are your plans

so you don’t have any choice on what you do

every day when we wake up this is the decision that we make

this is not 2nd level Christianity

this is the path we chose when we make Jesus Lord

this is what being a follower of Jesus means

V 23

Jesus is going to go on and say

V 24

if you chose this life of leisure and luxury

you eventually will lose it in eternity

Moses gave up his royal life for a slave

and in eternity Moses will be in luxury

Pharaoh and his courts are in hell

V 25 - 27

for the person who decided to follow Jesus this is what it looks like

it is not a decision that you make and then go on living your life the way you want it

there is a commitment there

there is a sacrifice

daily you must deny yourself pick up your cross and follow Jesus

the rewards in eternity are enormous

but for now there is suffering

the Bible says with Joy Jesus suffered and died

for us His Bride

we also with Joy pick up our crosses and follow Him