Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon Scripture:

Matthew 16:24-

I struggled with the title of this sermon…though I ended up with the word of grace being “discipleship”…or more precisely put… “costly discipleship”

Discipleship is by definition: The state of a disciple or follower in doctrines and precepts.

Simply put, it is by God’s grace that we as the redeemed are made able in this present world to follow the doctrines and precepts of Christ our Lord.

That is because this world is at odds with God, and as it treated Christ, so it will treat all of those who walk and live according to His ways.

Thus, we identify with Christ in our walk not by our own effort, nor by approval of the world but by the call, power and goodness of God, and that will cost us in this world.

However, having said that, we are those who I hope have counted the cost and recognize the truth that God is good and all that this world has to offer pales in comparison to what God has for His children.

It is but dressed up ashes being prepared only to blow away.

And that brings us to our text:

THEN JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES,

Our context again is prior to the crucifixion - under the law during the ministry of Jesus.

This section is sandwiched between two sections revealing the mission, ministry, reality and plans of Jesus the Christ.

The first section launches as Jesus begins discussing who He is with His disciples in verse 13 of chapter 16.

It is here that we have Peters confession of Jesus as, “the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Note: This confession is not a confession of the flesh or that of a overwhelming amount of earthly evidence, but it is a revelation given from the, “Father who is in Heaven”.

This first section (which even includes the plan of Christ to build His church) enters into a teaching in which Jesus reveals the cost or of His work or the suffering which He must endure.

Note: That the plan of Christ should include suffering for Christ or that discipleship should have a cost for the followers of Christ in this world is something that did not make since to the fleshly reasoning of the disciples then nor does it to our flesh today.

Satan would love for us to think of this world now as where we gain the Kingdom.

He would love for us to reason that because of who Christ is that we should have no hardship.

As a matter of fact there are entire demoninations built upon this reasoning of Satan that he tries to convey through Peter in verse 23-24.

Denominations which say that if you have hardships or have to count a cost of discipleship, have sickness, poverty, death or struggle, that it cannot be due to God’s plan for you, but must be because you lack faith.

We know it as the health and wealth prosperity gospel.

I’m of the persuasion that Jesus gives the best insight and response to it in verse 23 when He says, “Get behind Me, Satan!

You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s.”

This statement is perfectly consistent with the teaching of Christ.

Remember last week we spent the entire sermon on, taking no interest in your life (as to what you will eat, drink, or wear) but seeking first (taking untmost interest in) the Kingdom of God (the Lordship of Christ) and His righteousness (the righteousness of Christ).

Here we see the goodness of our Lord in His revealed sacrifice and how His righteousness will be both freeing and become the identification of His disciples.

The second section that sandwiches our verses takes place from verse 28-17:13.

What we have here then is a text that is sandwiched between the revelation/fortelling of the sacrifice, the suffering of Christ and the revelation/witnessing of the glorious Kingdom come of Christ.

And the text which lay between these two things is discussing the cost of the disciples of Christ.

It is in this context that “JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES...

IF ANYONE WISHES TO COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF,

The best terms that I can think of to describe this teaching in, is a military one (which fits the whole Kingdom context of this).

If one wants to fall in line (come after Christ) as a disciple of Christ.

If one wants to then he must deny himself.

In other words Christ’s disciples are not made up of individualistic ideals, but rather are made up of those who are of one mind, a mind not of man, but the mind of Christ, moved by one heart, a heart not given or formed by man but by the work of Christ and one Spirit, a Spirit not birthed by man, but given by Christ.

To deny, is to disown.

We are dealing with identity and pursuit here.

How many have stood in Christ and claimed to now be free to pursue what they want.

How often is Christian life viewed as a addition to ones own life.

Well all I can say here church is Christian discipleship is no such thing.

If one is to be a disciple of Christ, then by the requirements of Christ they cannot be in pursuit of their own life.

In other words redeemed child of God, in whom do you find your life?

AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.

Now, some or perhaps most would take this to mean that you have to take up your own personal cross.

That Jesus died on the cross and now everyone who follows Him has their own set of sufferings.

Some will get ill, some will have loss, some will have poverty and whatever your suffering is, you have to own that and in that you will be like Christ.

I just don’t see that in the text.

It doesn’t seem to line up or be consistent with what is being said.

I don’t see how the language could be to deny self and then take up something of self by ones own self will.

The cross that we are speaking of here is not sickness or poverty but Christ.

It is the fact that we are allied with Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the cross.

Too often we would like to do it ourselves, but you see there is nothing that we could do.

Jesus had to die in our place…He took our suffering, He bore our shame, in Him is our identity.

The Christian cannot “do” anything, Jesus Christ “did” it all, He suffered, dentifies.

Now Jesus says, if your going to follow this, if you are identified with me, there will be suffering.

It is part of the identity.

Think of the soldier who is proudly marked by the flag of His country and a defender and servant of all that it stands for.

He knows that in His identification as a soldier there will be suffering.

There will be hardship in both preparation and war.

Nobody joins the military and says, “why should I have to suffer now that I am in the US Military.”

No they join and the first thing that is expected by them and everyone else is the suffering, the trial and discomfort that will be made known to them by the same military that they just joined.

It is that military that will require that they leave all personal belongings, all desired forms of personal appearance and follow their order and their ways of doing things.

In other words, the individual does not create the military, but the military creates an individual of many.

(you have heard it as: “an Army of one”)

We are willing to accept such things of an earthly and corrupt government, but how do we not see it when being enlisted as a follower of Christ, and are we not willing accept both the identity and the trial, the suffering and the blessing of such rigid training?

Isn’t there an honor in being called as one of God’s children to follow Him? Isn’t there an honor in being enlisted in “the Lord’s army”.

Isn’t there an honor amongst us who are service brothers and sisters even if those who are not enlisted don’t see it?

FOR WHOEVER WISHES TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT; BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT.

Let me continue a little with the military.

If you go into the military attempting to do your own thing, then you will not be in the military for very long (it’s called dishonorable discharge).

In the same way, the Christian life is not one made for personal pursuits.

FOR WHAT WILL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD AND FORFEITS HIS SOUL?

FOR WHAT WILL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL (LIFE)?

Now this sentence ends with the word “soul”.

It is because of that, that this verse is used a thousand times in evangelistic meanings with the conotation that one gains the world and goes to hell.

I suppose that we can read that into here, but that is not what it says.

The word here translated soul is life.

It is the english “cardiac” or “the heart”…the chief organ of physical life.

He gains the whole world and then looses his life…he dies... Again, literally, gain the whole world and loos your life.

You accomplish all of your earthly pursuits and die.

You cannot take any of it with you, not even a claim of accomplishment.

You die and it’s done, it is lost.

What good is that?

What am I saying?

I am saying redeemed that this passage could be referencing one of God’s children.

It could be spoken to you who know Jesus and be addressing what you are currently spending your life in pursuit of.

We don’t seem to realize that some of God’s children do not faithfully follow Him.

You are God’s child because you are born by the will of God, not because you did anything…this is just as true as to say that your parents are not your parents because you did anything.

You are God’s child because Jesus Christ died in your place.

If Jesus Christ died in your place then you are one of His sheep.

If you are one of His sheep then you hear His voice.

Now, you may not respond very well - but that is what it means to be delivered or to be saved…it is to trust Him, but you don’t have to trust Him.

That is why in that past we have said that not all of God’s sheep are delivered or saved in this sense.

Your opportunity for deliverance from the toilsome ways of this world in which you gain the world and loose your life is found in trusting Christ.

I could ask it this way to the redeemed…What honor is there in gaining all of the life of this world that you desire while ignoring the voice of God or while displaying a hate or loveless life for God only to die and stand before the God whose voice you spent life ignoring?

What profit is in that?

Truly our hearing and heading has to do with our trust of Christ.

You either trust what He has said that He is doing in you even through suffering or you don’t.