Sent Free
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What is our purpose? Do we have a role to play in Jesus’ ministry?
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
Both Satan while in the wilderness and the Pharisees demanded that Jesus do a sign. However, Jesus knew that even the greatest of signs would not change the hardness of heart that the pharisees had. In fact, even after Jesus was resurrected from the dead and even while His apostles carried on His ministry, the Pharisees remained in opposition to the Gospel message.
Why does the Gospel face opposition?
We cannot change people’s hearts, that is something that can only be done by the Holy Spirit.
What are we called to do regardless of the outcome?
2 He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
Jesus tells the Pharisees that the only sign He would give them was the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale, Jesus would spend three days dead in a tomb, but on the third day Jesus would rise from the dead. Because of this even the most wicked people would come to faith in Him, just like the Ninevites. And the Pharisees would find themselves bitterly sitting on the outside wishing that God would have destroyed sinners rather than save them, just like Jonah.
5 The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They were discussing among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”
8 Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected? 11 Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?” 12 Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
This right here is proof that signs alone are not an effective heart changer. Hearts are changed by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Signs alone does not make the list. Even though the disciples witnessed the miracles of Jesus, it wasn’t until the resurrection that they truly understood what it was the Christ came to do. And even after the resurrection it wasn’t until the Holy Spirit came over their lives that they became transformed by that information. For many of us we are the same. We walk around looking for proof that God is who He says He is when He has already proved Himself thousands of times throughout Scripture. We are looking for God to do something for us, give us health, give us a new car, give us popularity, but God has already given us the greatest gift of all: Himself. This the sign to end all signs. What else could we possibly need? God’s grace is sufficient for every desire, every need, every situation. Some of us might know all these things but their nothing more to us than useless facts kicking around between our ears. We know a lot of things about God but we have never allowed that information to change our hearts. We desperately hold on to our sin and rebellion all the while Christ is offering us rest and hope for our souls.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
There comes a time in all of our lives when we must decide what we are to do with the person of Jesus. What is Jesus? C.S. Lewis talks about this in his book Mere Christianity. He comes to the conclusion that Jesus, if He is not who He says He is, cannot be considered a good teacher. He is either
A Liar
Jesus, if He is a liar, He is the greatest deceiver to ever live. He would be responsible for deceiving billions of people, even inspiring many to give their lives for what He said. He would have had to fake every miracle He ever did, and you would not be able to trust a single word that He said. He would be the greatest sociopath to ever live, not caring about the needs of the people around Him and lying to everyone He came into contact with.
A Lunatic
Jesus, if He is a lunatic, would be like a man claiming to be an egg. He can try as hard as He can to convince people but at the end of the day, anyone who claims to be an egg is a crazy person. You can’t build your life on someone who says they’re an egg. You can’t even trust a word they say.
The Lord
Jesus, if He is Lord, is worthy of our worship. He is not a liar but instead He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the means by which we have a relationship with the Father. He is not out of His mind but instead He is all knowing. The source of all wisdom and understanding.
“You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to …. Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.” -C.S. Lewis
When Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, Peter responded with a statement that would become the foundation of the church. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In that moment Jesus changes Peters name from Simon to Peter. In Greek He was known as the pebble, but God was not building His church on a pebble, like the Catholics would like us to think. Instead Jesus is building His church on the everlasting truth, the Rock of Ages, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Who is Jesus to you?
If Jesus is Lord what implications does that have on your life? Hobbies, relationships, responsibilities?
21 From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”
Jesus instructs His disciples that He is the messiah, and as such He must die. The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah must suffer and die. Peter’s may have had good intentions in his opposition, but Jesus could not be the Messiah and avoid suffering. Jesus rebukes Peter because He must go to Jerusalem, and He must die, so that we could have eternal life with Him.
We do the same thing. We want all the benefits of following Jesus without the responsibility. We want to have eternal life but few of us are willing to disadvantage ourselves for others. To be Christian means to follow Jesus. Jesus road led to a crucifixion and so shall mine. And just as Jesus rose, I will rise with Him in eternity. My life is not mine to live but Christ’s to live through me. In order to follow Jesus we must die to ourselves so that we might live for Him.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? 27 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. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
All week we have been talking about how we should live in the wilderness of this world. In the years following World War II there was a man named Jim Elliot who led a missionary team in ministering to an unreached people group living in the wilderness of Ecuador. They began dropping gifts from a plane and slowly interacting with the tribe over the course of several months. Encouraged by their interactions, Jim and his team attempted to make contact with the tribe. In their first attempt the five men were attacked, and all five were speared to death. Jim Elliot, before he died, wrote in his journal, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” This statement captures the heart of what it means to be on mission for God. We give up all that this world has to offer in exchange for Jesus. Elizabeth Elliot, Jim’s wife, would return to the Aucan people less than two years later. This time many would come to a saving faith in Christ because of her commitment to the mission of God. If we desire to follow Jesus we must surrender everything.
What do you need to surrender?
Are you willing to be on mission for God?
What is our purpose? Do we have a role to play in Jesus’ ministry?