No Cross. No Life.

If you have a copy of the Word of God turn with me to Matthew 16. I have titled the message this morning No Cross. No Life. Pray with me.

So here we are on Easter Sunday gathering together to worship Jesus Christ and remember his resurrection, and as I was looking at what to preach this year this text by the sovereignty of God was the next text to be preached.

Only God knew that when we started this series in Matthew in late 2023 that this text would fall on Easter, and I believe this is the perfect Easter text, because when we think about Easter we may think about many things, but one of those things we must think about is the cross. And when we think about the cross we may think about many things about that as well, but one thing we must never forget is the man who hung on that cross which is Jesus Christ, but when we think about the man who hung on the cross and his death and resurrection, we should also think about our response to that, and in the text we are in today we must think about all those things. On this Easter Sunday.

If you are one to take notes or follow along with your bullitin main idea of the sermon is this.

We wouldn't have eternal life if Jesus hadn't died on the cross and risen from the dead, but since he did, we ought to take up our cross and live for him.

Long main idea but to me that is a proper understanding of Easter and how we understand it and apply it. With that in mind let me read you todays text.

Matthew 16:21–28 ESV

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Several points to think about this morning the first is this.

Jesus had to be crucified and resurrected.

I have stressed this before but words truly matter and it starts with this idea that Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go.. This is not the first time Jesus alluded to his death, but its the first time he openly discusses it with his disciples. The gospel of Mark says he beings to speak plainly about it, he is telling them this is what is going to happen. I am going to go to Jersualem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and I am going to die, but on the third day I will rise again.

Don’t miss the fact that Jesus said he must go. the cross had to happen the resurrection had to happen it was in God’s divine plan that Jesus would have this kind of death.

Listen to some scriptures that tie along with the text.

Acts 2:22–23 ESV

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Even in Matthew up until this point we have seen Jesus do all these mighty works and signs. and yet lawless men killed and crucified Jesus, but notice even though evil men carried it out it was all apart of God’s plan. Why? To save us from our sin. To show us the Glory of God to show us the holiness of God and how sin must key word be dealt with.

IN the gospel of Luke Jesus says Luke 24:7

Luke 24:7 ESV

7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

Now these sinful men where the quote on quote leaders of the day and Jesus makes it clear in the place where maybe millions of offerings have been made he will be the sacrifice there in place a place where atonement was sought to be found they would kill the messiah.

Isaiah written hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus Christ prophesied this event speaks of Jesus in chapter 53.

Isaiah 53 (ESV)

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all. ( We have all sinned, yet we have a savior who came to save us.

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.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death, ( we see that after he had died )

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth. ( Jesus Christ the God man was the purest man to ever live because not one time did he he sin. )

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt, ( Jesus is the perfect sacrifice unlike all those sacrifices in Isreal that were made before him he is the only sacrifice which can satisfy a Holy God because he was without blemish. No amount of good works can keep you from the wrath of God, but the Holiness of God and our sin can be atoned for because Jesus was crushed for us )

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus Christ dying on the cross makes intercession for those who believe. He had to go to the cross. And its the man on the cross alone who saves us nothing else.

I mentioned these verses a couple of weeks ago. 1 Cor 1:18

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

When we look at the Cross we know the power of God in it because Jesus went on that cross, and died on Cross, and because he died on the cross and suffered the wrath of God on that cross and rose again we can have life.

One of my commentaries made this note. Oddly enough, "Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) is what the religious leaders of our day oppose, and not just religious leaders in general, but those who gladly check the box for "Christian" when filling out a religious survey. Here I mean not only liberal Protestants who deny the deity of Christ, his substitutionary death, his bodily resurrection, and the exclusivity of salvation —that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. Yes, I mean them. But I also mean evangelicals who have declawed the lion of Judah and pulled the bloody cross out of the side of the Lamb of God,

"Christians" have done remarkably well in writing books that have sold well, even making the New York Times bestsellers list. But find me a bestselling Christian book in the past ten years that has made such a list that is exclusively about the cross of Christ. Or find me ten books right now in the top 100 best-selling Christían books in Christian bookstores that mention the cross of Christ. Or, easier still, just find me ten churches in 10,000 that preach two times a year on the cross. Nearly every evangelical church today has on its website or sign "Christ-centered," but how many are cross-centered?

[But listen, you can't be Christ-centered without being cross-centered.

Christ crucified is the crux of Christianity. The summary symbol of our faith is not a fish or a shepherd or a dove or a shamrock but a cross— "that old rugged cross, so despised by the world.... that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine.

Jesus had to be crucified and resurrected so you would have eternal life.

second point is this.

The Cross shows us that God knows more than we do.

If you were with us last week Peter made this incredible profession of faith that said Jesus you are the Christ the Son of the living God, and now just a matter of possibly moments later the rock had become a stumbling stone according to the bible. .

He went from the top student to the devil himself. What a shift am I am right? See while Peter got it right when he professed Jesus as the Christ he got it wrong with how he was going to show the world his Lordship over it. Remember the Jews had this idea that the messiah would come and conquer physically the enemy. But as God shows us through the cross the enemy that God defeated was not the roman army though he could have the enemy defeated at the cross was the power over sin itself. and Peter said No Jesus this will not happen to you.

Isn’t it funny how we think we know a little bit about God and then because of that knowledge we think God should do it this way or that way or better yet we know more than he does, rather we see through the cross that God does not answer to man he knows more than we do. And though we can to confess that Jesus is the Christ that he is the messiah we like Peter cannot know more than Gods will . We only know his will through this book. See Peter shows us something that we need to see that when we profess Christ listen to this its a call to follow him not to correct him. Many of us if we are honest do not want to follow God because he does not fit our standards, That was Satans problem that is why he was cast out of heaven that was Peters problem in the moment and its many peoples problem today.

SO many of us Try to correct God by the way we follow God. Ouch right. See when Peter tried to correct God in the flesh Jesus Christ what did Jesus say. Get behind me Satan. Strong language.

why would he say that well remember what happened as recorded in Matthew 4. Satan tempted Jesus to be king without going to the Cross. Without being obedient to the will of God and the Word of God. and what makes Peter like Satan here is he is asking him to do the same thing .Satan offered kingship without the cross, Peter is doing the same.

And Jesus knows the perfect will of the Father and anything other than going to the cross does not follow the will of God. If Jesus came up with a plan b it would be him rebelling against God.

When we look at the cross behind me or see it on the top of churches or in your homes or on your neck or on my ring like I do we remember that God knows more than we do, and to think other wise is actually satanic. Because the Christian life is rooted in the fact that Jesus is Lord not me. That Jesus made the sacrifice not me, that he is God, and not me. That he is Holy not me. That he knows more than I do.

And while Jesus said get behind me Satan in the moment he did not give up on Peter in fact has not given up on anyone in this room who has said I know better than God and his plan ill just do things my way. In fact listen to this.. God is patient with Peters, not wishing that anyone like him should perish but rather come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), Return to Jesus after dumb denials ("you can't die like that") and even after devious denials ("I do not know the man"). God is patient with Peters.

What I like about Peter (what I think we all like about Peter) is that he never seems to arrive. Not just in the Gospels, but also in Galatians. In Galatians 2:11-14 we learn that Peter has gone off course in his teaching. He has taken the B out of the A, B, C's of the gospel. So Paul opposes him to his face. Peter never seems to arrive. But through the ups and downs we do see him slowly moving up, not perfectly sanctified, but steadily sanctified ethically, theologically.

God was patient with Peter as he is patient with all of us. Let that gracious patience encourage you. Let it encourage you, in Peter's own words, to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"(2 Peter 3:18).

Later in Peters life and ministry he would say a few things one of them is this. 1 Peter 1:10-12

1 Peter 1:10–12 ESV

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

So even though Peter was quick to say no Jesus because he did not understand he did not say that once he saw and experienced the life giver who died on the cross.

Later he says this. 1 Peter 2:24

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

One whom Jesus called the rock then he called the stumbling rock and even called him Satan himself was transformed by Jesus because his own sins were forgiven.

which leads to my next point.

In order to live for Christ you must take up your own cross.

To start off this point for you I have this short quote. “ Listen, here’s the work I have to do for you to save your souls, he doesn’t next say.” So sit back and enjoy my finished work. Instead he say’s get to work. If you been with us on Wednesday Nights faith works.

The Easter message is not just about Jesus dying on the cross rising from the dead saving your from your sin seeing the holiness of God.. its what you do with it. It would be a shame of we came to church or read our bible and say thank you God without doing something with this good news of the gospel.

We are saved by Christ alone through faith alone but we need to do something with that faith, and to be a faithful followers disciples of Jesus we will take up our cross.

As i studied this week you have to think about like this.. Jesus says..,,*I have my cross, and you have yours." And we say, "Why so, Lord? after all you have done, why our cross too? Why not your cross and our crown? Why not reward now, suffering never? For you see. Lord avoiding suffering is a high priority to us. The pursuit of happiness is a constitutional right A comfortable lifestyle is a suburban necessity.

William Penn's famous book title of 1682 No Cross, No Crown doesn't read right to us today

No cross, no crown, oh no that slogan won't stick to the backs of our new Porsche SUVs or even our old Dodge mini-vans."

It's surprising that we have cross-work to do too! There is his cross and our cross: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (v. 24). Write that verse on your doorpost, bind it on your forehead, tuck it deep into the recesses of your heart.

One man even said.. Let me ask you: what makes a Christian a Christian or a church a church?

What are the marks of the church? What are the characteristics of a Christian?

One man Frederick Dale Bruner answers that question, based on his study of Matthew 16. He says there are two qualifications:

Confessing Jesus as Christ (Christo-centricity)

Following Jesus as the suffering Christ (Crucio-christocentricity) a

What a perfect summary! We must confess, "Jesus, you are the Christ." And we must follow him as the suffering Christ. So all theologies of glory in the here and now must be tossed out the window. "When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die" (Bonhoeffer)."' Die to self and live for Christ that's what Jesus is teaching here.

Yes, he teaches us that we must carry a cross. He teaches us what that cross is. And (thankfully) he gives us good reasons why cross-carrying is worth it.

To me its so simple yet so difficult because we look at the cross and we are reminded of God’s grace to us sinners and that should make us want to follow him to take up our cross. To see that key word. Deny yourself.

In fact one theologian said.. the sum of the Christian life" is self-denial.

And I agree with that to an an extent but we must add as well we have to follow Jesus. You can deny deny deny your self and not follow, but to follow you must deny.

How do you do this.

Simply we can look to Jesus who says in Matthew 4:19

Matthew 4:19 ESV

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

You read the word you see how Jesus operates and if you are a Christian you trust the power of the Holy Spirit to help you follow Jesus.

Colossians 3 is all about this

Colossians 3:1–17 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, ( applying the message tody having picker your cross. which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

You want to know how to take up your cross look to the scriptures.

See when the world says you find life pursuing its passions Jesus says you find life in following me. Its better to lose your life to crucify it then to spend eternity separated from Jesus Christ in Hell. AND why we are saved by faith alone every time we take up our cross Jesus is watching and he will repay all of we have done, so let us take up our cross let us follow him because he is worth it, and he is coming back again and his reign is now and after Jesus said this later on he would go to the cross, not just predict it he would go and die, and what did that death accomplish life. Life, not just in this life but the life to come.

We wouldn't have eternal life if Jesus hadn't died on the cross and risen from the dead, but since he did, we ought to take up our own cross and live for him.

I want to close quickly by mentioning that trouble maker Peter again I touched on him some but I want to again before we leave.. do you what happened to him? After he told Jesus you can’t die this way he would go on to later to deny Jesus three times prior to Jesus own death and resurrection and it crushed him, but Christ forgave him, you know Easter is a reminder to us every year the goodness of God, but sometimes the weight of this day or the weight of a text like this is to much, but if Peter could deny Jesus three times, and be forgiven you can to be forgiven for your sin, for not taking up your Cross. for every sin past present or future, and still be used by God until he calls you home. See in the book John Jesus predicted that Peter would also be crucified, and church history says he was crucified upside down because he believed that he was not worthy to put to death the same way Jesus did, and though his fate was also the cross on earth he lived for Jesus after he was changed by his death, yes he messed up along the way, so do we but he went to the cross himself professing that Jesus was Lord, and living for him have you done the same see you cannot carry the burden of the cross without being first transformed by the man on the cross, and the man on the cross wants you to know he died for those who call upon his name who repent of their sins who come to him in faith, and if you have never do that do it today, give your life to Jesus and you will never be the same.

But for the Christian in this room the message is clear. Follow Jesus because the tomb is empty and he is worth it and for those who follow him a crown awaits. Let us pray…