Suffering Leads to Glory

Intro

Open with the story of M’s broken wrist; from not believing him to wishing I could do something to make him feel better (alleviate suffering)

It is natural to want to lessen the suffering of those we love the most

Even more natural to lessen the amount of suffering we endure personally

Both of these factors are in play as we see an intriguing interaction between Jesus and his disciple Peter in Matthew 16:21-23.

Read Mat. 16:21-23 and pray.

The (Short Story)

Verse 21 signifies an important shift in the life of Jesus and gospel of Matthew

From here on out, Jesus is oriented towards Jerusalem

More specifically, He is oriented towards the cross

This shift is marked by the first time Jesus specifically tells His disciples that He must die and be raised to life again

How would His disciples respond, after having thrown in their lot with Him?

Peter, for one, does not take it well

And as usual, he speaks before he thinks

Re-read Matthew 16:22.

“Far be it from you Lord” = “May God be gracious to you” = “God forbid!”

Peter cannot understand that Jesus’ suffering and death could be part of God’s plan

He wants to protect his friend

He wants to protect his own interest (as disciple of the Messiah)

Jesus has a, uh… firm response

Re-read Matthew 16:23a.

Jesus isn’t accusing Peter of being Satan; he is accusing Peter of falling prey to thoughts that Satan is using to tempt Him

“Get behind me Satan” = similar to how Jesus responded to the tempting of the devil in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry

Cf. Matthew 4:10.

This is yet another temptation; to forgo the suffering and shame of the cross

We see Jesus wrestle with this all the way to the Garden on the night he is arrested

Cf. Matthew 26:39.

“If it be possible” = is there any other way?

The temptation was very real, and Peter’s words were a hindrance (stumbling block) to Jesus and His saving mission

Why so firm a response? Because the stakes are so high

Jesus knows that the suffering He is about to endure is necessary for the salvation of all people from their sin and death

This has eternal consequences! It is about so much more than just Peter, the disciples, Israel and their sovereignty

It is about deliverance for all people, past present and future

Peter does not yet know this, which is why Jesus points out the problem with his thinking

Re-read Matthew 16:23b.

Peter’s problem was that he was not thinking about things from God’s perspective, but from man’s perspective

Or, as we can frame it, he was thinking about the kingdom of the world, not the kingdom of heaven

Start Thinking Upside-Down

Jesus is inviting Peter (and all of us today) to start thinking upside-down

This has been an idea laced throughout all the sermons in our series so far:

The kingdom of heaven will teach things that go against conventional wisdom and conclusions we draw based on our own experience and understanding

The kingdom of heaven and wisdom of God is counter-cultural, and counter-intuitive

All of these lessons have encouraged us to renew our minds and approach our priorities and relationships with the upside-down kingdom in mind

I am blessed when I’m hungry, because I have been promised satisfaction

I need to love my enemies, not just those who love me in return

Real treasure is found in the things I cannot yet see

God can take my small faith and accomplish great things in His power

Jesus makes it possible for us to start thinking upside-down

Cf. Colossians 3:1-4.

“Set your mind” = “To be intent on”

Refers to a single-minded focus

Share about Malachi asking for something he wants repeatedly; even after we have told him “no” (specific instance?)

Where is your single-minded focus? On things below (the kingdom of earth) or things above (the kingdom of heaven)?

Sounds easy; right until you realize there are moments when the way of the kingdom of heaven just doesn’t make any sense to you at all

Cf. Isaiah 55:8-9.

Clearly, this is what had happened to Peter

He wasn’t dumb; he loved Jesus; he worshipped God… and he completely missed the point

This is why we refer to the kingdom of God as upside-down; because it appears so differerent to the world around us

There will be times when we just do NOT understand something that God is calling us to do

Talk about my conversation with a youth at camp about tithing

Perhaps there is no greater time that we do not understand what God is up to than when suffering is involved

Peter could not understand how Jesus needed to suffer and die

I could not understand why my Mom had to get sick

Beyond just saying “God knows and you don’t” there are lessons about suffering we can draw from this story and the rest of Scripture

Sometimes, Suffering is Necessary

The uncomfortable truth that the example of Jesus gives us is that sometimes, suffering is necessary

It says in verse 21 that Jesus MUST go to Jerusalem and suffer

The suffering and death that Jesus endured was required in order to carry out God’s plan of salvation

Which is why the temptation to avoid this suffering (offered by Peter) was met with such a strong response

Jesus fully understood that not all suffering is to be avoided

It is this upside-down perspective that we are called to follow today

Of course, human beings are experts at avoiding suffering whenever possible

We do this in life

Technology, security, health care, guarding relationships, etc.

We do this in religion, too

Talk about the goal of Buddhism being to eliminate suffering… which also eliminates all passions and emotion

Not just limited to Buddhism, we can buy into a “brand” of Christianity where suffering has no place

God only wants good things for you! He wants to bless you! He loves you!

All of these statements are true; NONE of them mean that we will not experience suffering

Sometimes, beyond our understanding, suffering is required in order to receive the good things that God has in mind for you

Share about Karen missing the water in her naan bread recipe; necessary ingredient

Instead of trying to avoid suffering at all costs, we can lean into hardship

It is often easier to experience God in the valley than on the mountaintop

Suffering Leads to Glory

This all sounds fatalistic if we make the same mistake as Peter, and only focus on the suffering

Jesus DID tell His disciples He would suffer and die… He also told them He would be raised back to life!

In his response, Peter got fixated on the negative and missed out on the positive

More than anything, Jesus shows us that suffering leads to glory

This is truly upside-down!

He gave His disciples a glimpse of the picture: suffering, death and resurrection

We get the complete picture: ascension and glory

Cf. Philippians 2:6-11.

Christ was humbled, emptied, put to death on a cross (shame)

Yet the Father exalted Him, glorified Him… suffering was only a small part of the plan and the promise

When you decide to follow Jesus, you sign-up to partake in both His suffering and His glory

Paul describes this as being “heirs” with Christ; we get to share his eternal inheritance

Cf. Romans 8:16-18.

“Provided we suffer” = remember, suffering is necessary

“in order that we may also be glorified with him” = suffering is NOT the end result

Verse 18 is the truth that changes everything: “For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

We endure suffering because the end result is SO. MUCH. BETTER.

Kind of like how the SBF baseball team FINALLY won a game (0-20), except times 1,000

And following the model and example of Jesus once more, it is sharing in the resurrection that puts it all into perspective

The biblical view of things is resurrection - not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory even greater. (Tim Keller)

Conclusion

When you endure suffering in your life, I invite you start thinking upside-down

Embrace the hardship; ask God what He might want to teach you in this time

Lean into the promise that suffering has a greater end; the promise of glory and restoration

This entire lesson is modeled from the experience of Jesus, who followed through with His prediction in Matthew 16.

He did go to Jerusalem, where He suffered, died and rose again

Why was it necessary? So that you and I could be restored in our relationship with God

As we take communion, let us remember the suffering Jesus took on our behalf, and the glory He eagerly shares with us

Segue into leading communion