The Attitude of the Kingdom
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Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.
I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
What is the attitude required for life in the Kingdom?
One must want to come with Jesus
What does want to come mean?
To want to come with Jesus is to desire, to will, to purpose, to intend. It is to make and do everything possible to follow Jesus.
One must deny themselves
Deny themselves what?
To deny oneself simply means to give yourself wholly to Christ and share in His shame and death. It does not mean to deny things. It is to renounce myself and to subject myself under the control of Christ Jesus in my works, interests and enjoyments.
The Apostle Paul refers to denial of self as one’s spiritual worship; which leads to discernment and the renewing of one’s mind (Romans 12:1-2).
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
Self-denial is to consider “all things filth” in knowing Christ, so that one may gain Christ and be found in Him (Phil. 3:8, 9).
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ —the righteousness from God based on faith.
Self-denial is to live by faith in my person because Jesus who loves me, gave His life up for me (Gal. 2:20).
For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
By whom do I live this life I have been given? Who lives in me and through me? Do I choose to live in faith, by faith and through faith in Jesus Christ? Am I indeed crucified with Christ?
One must take up their cross
What cross?
What does it mean to take up one’s cross?
To take up one’s cross is to identify with His rejection, shame, suffering and death. It does not mean to carry burdens or have problems. In light of this understanding, what does it look like for you to take up your cross for Jesus? What does it mean to identify with Jesus rejection, shame, suffering and death? To not do so, is to not be worthy of Jesus (Mt. 10:38).
And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
To be of no worth, is to mean of no value to Jesus. When we fail to identify with Jesus, proclaiming Him and our belief in Him, to the world because of fear of rejection, shame, suffering and death, we are of no worth to Jesus. Our Christianity is of no value to Him or the cause of Christ and His Kingdom. It is to bring our tithe to Him minus our heart.
One then follows
When is one ready to follow?
When he/she has taken up their cross and denied themselves. This means nothing else is worthy of the value of Jesus in my life and I am fully willing to be marked with Him in being rejected, shamed, suffering and death because of His suffering and love for me.
Most people are not willing to suffer and die. We would rather save ourselves. This was Peter’s remark. Sometimes faith involves dying. Peter did not have enough faith for Jesus to die. Do we have enought faith to suffer and die for Jesus?
The thing about suffering is that it always leads to glory. If I am willing to give my life for Christ, I will inherit the kingdom of glory. This is why Jesus includes a reference to His glorious kingdom (v.28).
Result: One will save their lives by doing so.
Do I want to save or lose my life?
Which life are we speaking about?
What do we gain? What do we lose? What can you exchange?
To lose one’s life is to pursue the things of this world. To find one’s life is to lose our life because of Jesus. Suffering, shame, rejection and death because of our belief and pursuit of Jesus is to find life.
Two approaches to life:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Thirteen: The King’s Surprise (Matthew 16)
deny yourself
live for yourself
take up your cross
ignore the cross
follow Christ
follow the world
lose your life for His sake
save your life for your own sake
forsake the world
gain the world
keep your soul
lose your soul
share His reward and glory
lose His reward and glory
Important: What is the effect of the Apostles of Jesus?
Result: A reward from Jesus for what each person has done (Romans 2:6; Ps. 62).
What is the reward?
The reward is life in the Kingdom of God
What is the measure?
The measure, the foundation, is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11)
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If man tries to build on any other foundation other than Jesus Christ, fire will reveal their work and true motivation.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
What is the foundation upon which I have built my life? My faith? A proper foundation will survive and the man/woman receive a reward (1 Cor. 3:14).
What is expected of me?
Jesus’ expectation is that we build a proper foundation, inherit the Kingdom, rewards and experience the glory of the Father.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
Assurance: The Son of Man will come in His Kingdom
Some will not taste death until they see Jesus come.
Who are the ‘some’?
The disciples who stood with Jesus will witness the coming of Jesus in His kingdom at HIs crucifixion and resurrection.
Jesus will appear to the two Mary’s and the twelve apostles.
Peter who doubts and denies Jesus, will be restored three times for three denials.
Thomas will have the chance to stick his hands in the holes in Jesus’ hands, to renew his faith.
The twelve apostles will die losing their lives to gain the Kingdom of God, by declaring the truth of Jesus Christ, the risen Messiah. They will not deny or doubt Jesus ever again. They will suffer pain, humiliation, being crucified, sawed in two, burned in fire and be worthy to follow Jesus.
Are we dying on the right hill? When Jesus endured suffering did he fight back? Did He lash out? Did He stand in defiance? He would be silent to the cross and forgive men because ‘they do not know what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
Jesus could still worship His father even amongest suffering, scorn, ridicule and death. God does not live in temples made by human hands, but in human hearts given to Jesus Christ (Acts 7:48; 17:24; 2 Cor. 6:16).
However, the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:
The God who made the world and everything in it —He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands.
And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
The church of God can never be destroyed because His presence lives within each of His children that follow Jesus and His example. Are you choosing to die on the right hill? Motives and intentions can be good but are they Godly? Are they what Jesus would do? Or are we striking out like Peter, who was rebuked for cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s slave by Jesus (John 18:10)? May this be the cup that the Father has given the Church to drink (John 18:11)?
What is the significance of the transfiguration account? (Mt. 17:1-13)
The Transfiguration Reveals Four Truths about the Glory of Jesus Christ:
The Glory of His person
This is the only time Jesus revealed HIs glory on earth.
Transfigured means “metamorphosis” - change on the outside that comes from the inside.
Jesus allowed His glory to shine forth; the exact radiance of glory and expression of nature of the Father (Heb. 1:3).
What affect this must have had on Peter, James and John (who were witnesses to the event)!
Peter would have had his faith strengthened mightly having just confessed Christ as Messiah.
John wrote of beholding Jesus glory (John 1:14) and emphasized the deity of Christ and the glory of HIs person (John 2:11; 7:39; 11:4; 12:23)
Jesus has given us this “transfiguration glory” and when we surrender ourselves to God, He will “transfigure” our minds (Romans 12:1-2) and ourselves from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).
We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Have we surrendered ourselves to Jesus? As we do, we will be transformed to radiat His same glory. Do you know someone like that? Moses radiated that same glory that the Apostle Paul speaks of having descended Mount Sinai after receiving the two tablets of the Commandments of God (Ex. 34:29-35).
The Glory of His Kingdom
The transfiguration teaches us that Jesus was glorified in His death.
Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets. The transfiguration reveals to us that the Law and Prophets was indeed fulfilled and that Jesus’ promised Kingdom will indeed be established (Luke 1:32-33; 68-77; Rev. 19:11-20:6).
Why would Peter, James and John be willing to surrender their lives the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus? Because they were eyewitness to this event as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:12.
Aim I willing to surrender to Jesus’ glory? Aim I willing to accept the witness of three martyrs as to the truth of Jesus Christ in His glory?
Look forward to the coming Kingdom of Jesus!
The Glory of His Cross
The transfiguration happened so that the apostles would learn that suffering and glory go hand in hand. As Jesus experienced, His followers will experience. Suffering and glory go hand in hand.
There is no glory without pain, work or trial. A runner builds his muscles and endurance to win the race, not just participate. Run the race of this life in the same way, to achieve the life to come (1 Cor. 9:24).
What did Moses and Elijah talk with Jesus at this time? About HIs exodus from this world, His death in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Jesus’ death would not be an accident or escape, but an accomplishment.
Suffering and death is not for nothing. It is an exodus, a release, from the bondage of this world, to the world of the Kingdom of God to come. Is death an escape or release for you?
Jesus accomplished spiritual freedom for men and women from this world system (Gal. 1:4). He died not for political freedom or standing, but for spiritual freedom and redemption of the lost and dead in sin. What hill are we chosing to die upon?
The Glory of His Submission
Just as Peter could not understand why Jesus would submit himself to evil men and willingly suffer persecution, we still do not today, or else we would not take offence or give offence as the Jesus’ Bride.
We still choose to save ourselves instead of yielding ourselves unto God and His will. Jesus in His transfiguration, proved to the three apostles that surrender always leads to glory. Are we, His church, moving towards Jesus’ glory? “First suffering, then the glory; first the cross, then the crown.” -W. Wiersbe; Matthew; Be Commentary
Why would this be important for the disciples of Jesus? Because all disciples will face this truth at some time or another just as Peter, James and John would. Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that when they happen you will believe” (John14:29).
God has revealed all these things so that we might believe when these things come upon us.
What is the ‘Attitude of the Kingdom’? We are to lay down our lives, to save our lives. We are not to defend them or lash out when offended or violated. We are to expect this kind of suffering, pain, rejection and even death.
To deny ourselves, not defend ourselves, is to save ourselves and inherit the Kingdom life to come.
“First suffering, then the glory; first the cross, then the crown.”