Whoever loses his life will find it

So after Matthews declaration, I'm sorry Peters declaration and Matthew chapter 16. It's a turning point in the gospel because after this Jesus predicts, his death to his disciples three times, you'll see that in the gospel of Mark, its chapters 8 and 9 where he starts that first declaration. And in Matthew chapter, 16 is the first declaration and there's two more where he predicts his own death three times leading up to the Last Supper. So Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ and then he backtracks He says, well, the Christ I am thinking of must not suffer. You are the Christ. You are the anointed one. The Messiah. He says, what you are saying, Jesus will never happen. Notice his Zeal, far? Be it from you, Lord, this shall never happen to you the word there. That's translated. Far be it from you. Lord is actually the word mercy. So Peter saying, God be merciful to you, Jesus, you know, like like we might say in our parlance, you know, God have mercy, Peter Peter is, is in his Zeal is saying. No, I don't want this to happen to you, Lord. So, suffering and death was not even part of Peters Paradigm, not even part of his categories, but Jesus lays out the conditions for his disciples, even the word. The demand I don't think is too strong of the demand of following him, the condition for following him. And Jesus is talk this way before but we all need reminders. So Matthew chapter 10, if you go back to Matthew chapter 10 Jesus's sends his disciples out to preach in Matthew, chapter 10. And in Matthew chapter 10, at the end of that chapter, Jesus says, whoever loves father or mother more than me is, not worthy of me. And whoever loves son, or daughter more than me is, not worthy of me, and whoever does not take his cross. And follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life. For my sake will find it. Well, that's that's a pretty pretty big condition. He lays out, isn't it? But notice first 39, whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life. For my sake will find it. So it's clear that there is a cost to following Jesus, it's clear that there is a cost to being his disciple but noticed that, that paying that cost is counter-intuitive verse 39. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life. For my sake will find it. You have the same thought in Matthew, 11, 29 and 30, where Jesus says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for. I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. A yoke if you're familiar with agriculture or farming or any sort of activity, where you have to carry something heavy Oak was a wooden piece. That was that harnessed to animals together to pull a plow The Bible talks about yoking oxen together. Take my yoke upon you, it implies being harness being with Jesus bearing a weight, but he says, my yoke is easy. My burden is light. So we talkin about a yoke but he says my yoke is easy. My burden is light. Until we realized that Jesus lays out these conditions for his followers.

And they're kind of counterintuitive in a sense because the kingdom of God is on a different frequency than the kingdom of the world. You know, sometimes we need to turn off the frequency of the kingdom of the world. You know, turn off the radio, turn off the TV, turn off, turn off, whatever the chatter is of the world because the kingdom of God operates on a different frequency. That is the entrance to the kingdom of God, is by Grace not by Merit. In chapter 5 Jesus says blessed. Are you when others revile you and persecute you? You have heard it said, love your neighbor, hate your enemy but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father in Heaven. The kingdom of God is counterintuitive and countercultural. John Stott, the late John Stott Bible teacher and an author and scholar in England for many, many years, he talked about the Book of Matthew and he said he called it the countercultural kingdom, or the upside down kingdom. Some have people have referred it to because Jesus says, well, if you just love those who love you, what good is that, you're not doing any better than than anybody else? You're not doing anything more significant than anyone else. Love your enemies. The kingdom of God is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God he is the hope of Israel and All Nations and yet counter to the expectations of Peter and his disciples he is going to suffer at the hands of his own people. The Jewish leaders that's who it's referring to the chief priest, the elders, and the scribes. So counter to Peter's expectations. Jesus is going to suffer. And counter to the ways of the world. He is going to establish his kingdom, not by physical Force, by overthrowing Rome, but he is going to establish his kingdom by the power of the spirit, a revolution in people's hearts. And so today we're going to focus on what verses 24 and 25. Say this is the main emphasis that he gives his disciples when Jesus told his disciples. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for for whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life, for my sake will find it.

Now, you might think. That's a good three-point message, you know, deny himself take up his cross and follow me. We'll talk about that a little bit later. But the main truth is, this is that The Treasure of knowing Christ. Now, which includes suffering, which he calls us to take up his cross and follow me and knowing him through. Eternity is worth more than anything. A person can accumulate here on Earth. Amen. The Treasure of knowing Christ which includes suffering. And knowing him through eternity, we won't suffer an eternity. But we suffer in this life is worth more than anything. A person can accumulate here on Earth, the word that he uses for Life, there is the word, Suka, the Greek word suit K, which is where we get the word Soul. Psychology is comes the English word comes from that, Greek root he saying? What can a man give in exchange for his life? What cat shall a man? Give in return for his soul. How much is Jesus worth to you? That's the question. Jesus is asking, how much am I worth to you? How much is the kingdom of God worth to you? Is it worth more than anything? You can accumulate in this life? I'm not just talking about possessions, I'm talking about what? People consider, making a life in this world. Whether it's accumulating experiences, whether it's accumulating friendships, whether it's accumulating possessions, whether it's a cheering certain objectives and successes

Is Jesus to you worth more than anything that would make up life in this world?

That's the question, he's asking his disciples. He's telling his disciples. If anyone notice how it's an offer to anyone who ever would come after me. the primary statement that he makes, Followed by the reason. So let's look at verses 22 and 23 Peters, objection first. And of course, we all identify with Peter, don't worry because Peter was eager to speak up and yet he wasn't always correct. And but Jesus restores him after the resurrection. So verses 22 and 23. Far be it from you. Lord this shall never happen to you but he turned and said to Peter get behind me. Satan you are a hindrance to me, for your not, setting your mind on the things of God. But on the things of, man,

Well, that seems kind of harsh for Jesus to say that, right? I mean, aren't we being a little hard on Peter here? With, here's the first lesson, the call to follow a savior, whose suffering on the cross was necessary, is a stumbling block to many people, the word hindrance there. That's translated hindrances the word for a stumbling block, Scandal on in the in the Greek. And it's the word that translated where it, where it's referencing, the Old Testament that Christ was the the stone that he's the Cornerstone of the church but he's the stumbling block to those who don't believe that's the word he's using there. Peter didn't know yet the full connections of Jesus death to his salvation. And his concern is Jesus, you're our leader. We're going to Jerusalem and you're going to be killed like shouldn't we come up with another plan Lord? This this doesn't seem like the right thing to do. But Jesus dying in Peter's place that substitution was clear to him after his own denial. Don't you think? Imagine that Peter denied, Jesus, three times. and then after the resurrection, he realizes, Jesus, Jesus died in my place.

Jesus died for me.

But now when people today, when people have been given reasons for the resurrection Abbott and have been told that Jesus died in their place because he was the only perfect sacrifice able to atone for their sins and they have been told his death was necessary that his blood was required to wash away. The guilt that they have incurred by just one small sin. When all of that is perfectly clear. People sometimes still say no to Jesus and his atoning death on the cross. His death is a stumbling block. Why? Because people think this kind of thing, it's too bloody, it's ancient it superstitious I like Jesus teaching about love and God and God's holiness and wrath and Justice. That's also demanding. You can't we just keep it on the positive. People talk like that. But Jesus mission was to go to the cross. The substitutionary atonement is a key doctrine of the Christian faith, that Jesus died in our place as our substitute. Why is Jesus being so hard on Peter here? It's because Satan tried the same Temptation with Jesus. In Matthew chapter 4. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory, and he said to him, all these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Notice Jesus reserved his harshest words for this temptation, then Jesus said to him be gone Satan. I think we have that on the next lie. Be gone Satan for it is written. You shall Worship the Lord, your God and him. Only You Shall Serve It's the same phrase. It used in Matthew chapter, 16, get behind me, be gone. Then the devil left him and behold Angels came and were ministering to him. Why is Jesus so Stern with Peter here? Is because it's it was the same Temptation Peters being the mouthpiece of Satan in the sense that he's he's trying to stop. Jesus mission to go to the cross.

And one of Satan's deceptions today, brothers and sisters, is that Christianity does not need Christ on the cross. That's one of Satan's deceptions. Another one is, well, we don't really need the Old Testament, you know, we can just focus on the New Testament in Jesus and and his teaching, well, that's there was a guy named marcion in the first couple centuries of the church who said, you know, I really don't like this wrathful God of the Old Testament. Let's focus on the New Testament. God, so that's a heresy that's as old as as the church is practically.

One of Satan's. Deceptions is that Christianity does not need Christ on the cross. Know it is essential. What does Paul say in 1st Corinthians chapter 1? He says, but we preach Christ crucified.

We preach Christ crucified.

1st Corinthians chapter 1, I think we have that a stumbling block to the Jews. That's the same word Peter, you are a hindrance to be a stumbling block to the Jews and Folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Church family. Jesus Is Our Shepherd. He is the one we follow. Why? Because he is the one who laid down his life for the Sheep. Amen. He is our Shepherd, why? Because he is the one who gave his life for us. And so, may the message of the Cross and the beauty of the Cross be magnified in our lives, amen. You've never read it before. I wouldn't suggest the book by John Stott, I think it's called The Cross of Christ, and he goes through different aspects of Jesus, mission to go to the cross and his death on the cross and how much it is Meaningful to us as Christians.

But our world doesn't want to deal with that, does it doesn't want to deal with Jesus on the cross? Well that's the number to hear lesson number two, is that true abundant life? Eternal life is renowned senior focus on self and I'm putting that in all capitals are there. Trusting in Jesus Christ, and following obeying him, that's what the word follow means. It means to obey too far to follow. Until Jesus makes this clear. Then Jesus told his disciples. If anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. This isn't step one. Step, two, step three. Now, I'm done, or I'm finished with step one now, on to step two. Now, on the step 3, no, Jesus is talking about an entirely different set of priorities. What about life is most important? Actually, which life is most important to life here or the life Everlasting. Notice verse 25 and 26 supports verse 24:4. Whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life, for my sake will find it. Again, there's that counterintuitive, aspect of the kingdom of God 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 its his soul.

What's Jesus saying? He saying it's tragic and it's foolish to focus only on this life. That's what he saying. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? You can't give anything in exchange for your soul, if you spend your energy and your commitment on the temporary things of this world, if you ignore God's voice and live only for yourself, then you lose eternity. That's what Jesus is saying.

Scholar Matthew Henry. Hundreds of years ago, wrote this, he said whatever the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which Satan buys their souls. Whatever the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which Satan buys their souls. All Satan has to do is convince you. That something here and now is more important than Jesus Christ. The Eternal risen Son of God who intercedes for us. Now, what does that mean? It could be possessions which take your time and your attention away from God. It could be ideology or political views, or philosophical ideas, which you value more than Christ. It could be goals or Ambitions, education, career, whatever you consider success. More important than Jesus, it could be relationships. It could be friendships, family marriage, which are very biblical in one sense, but when those Good Things, become ultimate things, then they turn into idols. Prince the word for lose their for whoever would save his life, will lose it. The word for loses, the same word for Parish.

Jesus emphasizes in the next verse that you cannot barter with God. What shall a man? Give in return for his soul? Nothing, there's nothing you can give. This is made clear several times in the Old Testament. Psalm 49 verses 7 through 9, truly. No man, can Ransom another or give to God the price of his life. For The Ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice that he should live on forever and never see the pit, And then Psalm 89 verse 48. What man can live and never see death, who can deliver his soul from the power of sheol. The power of the grave

Who can deliver a person? There's nothing we can give only the God, man. The mediator Jesus Christ. Can Ransom us from the bondage of sin. No, accumulation of Good Deed. No amount of money. No amount of people that you've led to the Lord. No amount of nothing of that sort can pay for your life. And so it is by renowned seeing our life, which is focused on self that we find life in Christ. Amen.

It is Byron housing, our life focused on self that we find life in Christ, brothers and sisters.

We are, we need to repent some times of Our Lives that are focused on self. Now, what does it mean to deny himself? Cuz we think of denying has, as a negative thing. Renounce self. And again, this is not that this is not an exchange, where Jesus is saying, if you do these things denying yourself. If you have this accumulation of deeds in, which you're denying yourself and following God, then that merits you salvation, He said it's not a linear equation of saying you, you do this this this this and this and then you have eternal life. He's he's talking about pronouncing thing, Lord, you are the one who can save me. I can't save myself.

So what does that mean? For our lives practically? I hope this helps you. It's it's I spent some time trying to think about this.

When we renounce self, we renounce any focus on sinful desire. So sometimes we have desires that are sinful desires. We have to pronounce those deny those You don't deny that you have them but you say no Lord, I will not focus on that. I want to focus on you, I want to focus on something else. You renounce, the things that are so important in your daily thoughts, that they draw you away from Jesus.

You renounce your claim to the things you quote, want to get out of life. I think that's our culture's biggest. Stumbling block is that we have our lives and of course, of bucket list. There's nothing wrong with having a bucket list, but when The Bucket List becomes the main objective, it's saying I want to focus on the things of this world. I want I want to get these certain things out of life.

Renounce. Any claims to things you believe God should or must give you. God is not obligated to any of us.

And yet, we sometimes think that, well, if we're doing certain religious things, if we're doing things that we think will please God, then he's obligated to give us certain blessings.

The pressure is off. God has given you himself, amen. The pressure's off. He's already given us everything in Christ. We need to be a little careful here again. Cuz this is I want to read an excerpt from a book by Larry crab called the pressure's off and it's an older book, but I think it was Straits. This idea that sometimes we read Jesus words, And it says, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. And we read his words and we think will, that means I've got to work hard. Well, Following Jesus involves difficulty, but working hard doesn't earn us salvation. So, here's what he says, he says there's an old way and a new way. He says, the old way involves a quid pro quo arrangement with God, or if not with God, then with the order in the universe with the rules that make life work. If you do what you should, then you get what you want. Either from Immortal, God, who rewards, good behavior or from an orderly world that you effectively use it leaves you in control of how things turn out in your life. The old way promises a better life filled with good things that make you happy but it never delivers though. It may seem too for a long time. The old way doesn't work, for one reason. You never keep your end of the bargain, not completely no one does. The second path is the new way in this Arrangement God. First plants, a desire in your heart, a longing that actually values his presents over his blessings and then he invites you to live out the that desire and to abandon yourself to him. It takes you out of control but it sets you free. The new way Promises of better hope than the good things of life. It promises nearness to God and it delivers do not right away and often through suffering. Amen. Eternal life is a gift. The Christian life living by faith is a gift from God. We exercise Faith, but we trust him, we abandon ourselves and trust him to give us the strength that we need. It's a let me be clear, no one merits salvation because they give up a certain number of selfish desires. It Is by trusting him and saying, Lord, you are everything I need. We sang that in one of the first songs, Jesus, you are everything I need. None of us earn blessings in this life by doing the right things and presenting to God. A list of these are all the actions God and which I denied myself. And he's obligated to answer.

I mean, I found, I found this in my own life sometimes I say, oh, I'm really blessed God really blessed me. And what I mean in my heart is, I think I did a really good job.

And that I deserved it.

Take up his cross. What does that mean practically? I don't think take up his cross means a specific burden unique to each person, as we might say, well that's my cross to bear. I think God can give us particular trials in our lives, but I don't think Jesus is referring to a personal unique across for each individual. I think he's talking about the ongoing choice to accept the difficulty that comes with following Jesus. And to let me again, give you a couple paragraphs that help explain this. Again, Matthew Henry a commentator from several hundred years ago on Matthew 16. He says the cross represents here. Every trouble that befalls us. We tend to think that we could bear another's cross better than our own, but that one is best, which is the one appointed to us and we ought to make the best of it. We must not by a rashness and Folly pulldown crosses upon her own head, but must take them up when they are in our way. That interesting because we don't look for suffering. We don't we don't say, oh, you know, give me another cross to bear Lord, he says, no, but if they're in our way, we take up the cross and follow Christ.

John Wesley wrote. This great crosses are occasions of great Improvement in the Christian Life and the little ones would come daily even hourly makeup in number what they want and wait, We met in these daily and hourly crosses offer our will to God. We should renounce, our own will to embrace his will. We should approve and choose what his choice warrants as best for us. Should we not consider all crosses all things Grievous, Grievous to flesh and blood. As what they really are as opportunities to embrace God's will at the expense of Our Own.

Now again, let me give a qualification here. Denying himself and taking up your cross. Deny yourself and taking up your cross. Doesn't mean that, you're that God wants you to be a miserable person. In terms of all, here I go again, I got to take up my cross the temperature for tetra. One author puts it this way. He says, sometimes we are dying to the wrong things. This is the author Pete scazzero.

He says, when we apply this verse rigidly without qualification, it leads to the very opposite of what God intends. It results in a narrow faulty theology that says, the more miserable, you are the more you suffer, the more God loves you, disregard your neat unique personhood. It has no place in God's Kingdom. He says we are to die to the sinful parts of who we are. Such as defensiveness Detachment from others are against stubbornness hypocrisy judgmentalism as well as the more obvious things. Describe for us in scripture, do not murder, do not steal. Do not bear false witness, But we are not called by God to die to the good parts of Who We Are. God never asked us to die to the healthy desires and pleasures of life to friendships and joy and art and music and Recreation and laughter and nature. God plants Desires in our hearts so that we will nurture and water them. Often these desires and passions are invitations from God gifts from him yet. Somehow we feel guilty on wrapping these presents. When I asked people tell me about your wishes hopes and dreams, they are often speechless. Why do you ask? They respond. Isn't my only wish hope and dream supposed to be to serve Jesus.

Not exactly. God never asks asked us to annihilate. The self we are not to become non-persons. When we become Christians, the very opposite is true. God intends our truest self which he created The Blossom. As we follow him, God has endowed each of us with certain essential qualities that reflect and express him in a unique way and part of the sanctification process that is the growth process of the holy spirit is to strip away the false constructs. We have accumulated and enable our true self to emerge. now that help to me, because When when you, when you first read this verse and he says, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. There's part of me that thinks we'll okay if I have this desire, then that's not that's not what God wants and got and I should desire. This other thing that God wants me to desire but some of our desires are good desires. Some of our desires are things that God wants us to pursue. So, so when we deny ourselves, we are denying the sinful self, the sin nature that the desires that are caused by our deception to send. We're not denying the essentialness of who we are in our personality or who God has made us to be with our skills and talents.

Denying yourself and taking up your cross. Means evaluating your desires and your choices in light of God's word. And then asking the holy spirit for correction, remembering that you have been bought. You have been redeemed by Jesus blood, and then we are making the choice. You make the choice to yield. Any selfish will to God's will in a given situation.

So what's the third lesson here? Well, the third lesson is verses 27 and 28 the time is now The time is now, the time to know Christ is now, he will call every person to account and you cannot barter with God. There is a day when we will meet Christ and he will return in judgment. And then there will not be time to decide to lose our lives for the sake of Christ. It will be painfully obvious. That there is nothing that we can give in exchange for our souls. Numbers 28, maybe a little confusing. He says there is some standing here who will not taste death until they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. That's basically a saying of a way of saying, with in this generation, you will see God coming in his kingdom. And the question is, what what does that refer to? Does that refer to the resurrection, where Jesus rose from the dead? Or does that refer to the day of Pentecost? When the gospel was spoken and hearts were convicted and the power of God through the Holy Spirit was, was observed. I think it probably refers to the day of Pentecost, when the disciples saw the power of the kingdom of God in a new way.

but the lesson of verses 27 and 28 is the time is now The time is now, he will call every person to account.

There's nothing that we can give in our Earthly life.

In exchange for our souls. It's all by Christ work, amen. It's all by Christ's work and we can rest in that we can rest in that. Now, Jesus is obviously telling his disciples. He the road ahead is going to be hard. And we, we certainly need that reminder. Yes, the road ahead is going to be hard. We we follow a savior who suffered, who knows what suffering is like? And so we don't need to shy away from it.

But we can embrace it knowing that he endured on our behalf. And the good news is that he offers us himself, he offers us himself, we can't barter with God. We can't give God anything in exchange for our souls. And yet he has given us everything in himself.

God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. So that in him we might become the righteousness of God. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation behold. The old has gone, the new has come the promise and revelation 21:6 behold. I am making all things new, amen. Isn't that wonderful?

Cuz my body feels older day, but I don't feel newer. But God is doing something God is shaping us and molding Us by his holy spirit. God has given us his holy spirit to live within us to live by his power each day. So let us Embrace The Saviour who suffered for us because he gives us everything. He has given us everything. Let us rest in that. Jesus said, come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for. I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Friends. I just want to tell you now. It is church, family, if you want rest in Jesus, just come now to pray. Up Frontier. During this last song As we sing together. Just offer yourself to him and rest in him, if you need to repent and confess anything, I'll just do that. You can do that here. Pray right now. Don't let this moment go by without doing what the Holy Spirit has put on your heart to do. Let's pray together.

Who is a God Like You forgiving iniquity in sin and transgression?

Lord of those last verses in the Book of Micah are just so amazing to me. Who is a God? Like You, It's amazing that you would even forgive that. You cast our sins, to the depths of the sea as far as the East is from the West so far. Has he removed our transgressions from us as a father? Has compassion on his children. So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Lord, we either have a healthy fear of you and we can rest in the king's hands secure at his side.

Or we can figure everything else about life. And so, teach us.

Teach us to trust you, the Lord Delights in those who fear Him in those who trust in his steadfast love.

Lord help us to trust you now and respond to you and faith. In your name, we pray. I meant.