M16: Deny Self Series

M16: DENY SELF

MATTHEW 16:24-28

#m16sermons

INTRODUCTION

For the past few weeks, we have been digging into Matthew 16:

In 16:1-4, we saw that the proof of Who Jesus is comes by His death, burial, and resurrection.

In 16:5-12, Jesus taught us to check our heart to make sure we don’t have infectious hypocrisy.

In 16:13-20, we talked about Peter’s confession: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

In 16:21-23, we see that Jesus predicted His death, but Peter argued with this and did not submit that this should happen to Jesus and caused problems.

Now we are at the end of this particular chapter, and we will dig into 16:24-28 which in my opinion is a continuation of the thought from last week. Last week we talked about how in a relationship with God, God does all of the initiating and acting and causing and it is not for us to have an “equal and opposite reaction” to anything that He does. We cannot and should not want to react to God with our own action or our own will. Peter did that and he was a stumbling block for Jesus and tried to dissuade Jesus from accepting that He would die. Our response to what God does and wills should be…

… submission and change.

… obedience and humbleness.

… following and not putting our will above God’s will.

The passage we are about to read digs deeper into what it means to be submissive to God and humble in the Word and obedient to the Spirit. Let’s read from the end of Matthew 16:

READ MATTHEW 16:24-28 (ESV)

“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.”’

TRANSITION / THE PASSAGE OVERALL

As I read the passage, several important phrases and parts of the verses come right to the forefront and as I was reading and praying about what to share.

Verse 24 has the key phrase: “

Verse 25 has the key thought: “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Verse 26 asks the great question: “what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Verse 27 has the reminder: “He will repay each person according to what he has done.”

Verse 28 looks forward to what is about to happen at the Transfiguration in chapter 17.

I could not help it, probably because I see the connection with the previous section, that we focus this morning on verse 24 which has the key phrase: “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

KEY WORDS: DENY SELF

The first and very deep concept that Jesus shows us in this verse is that following Him means we deny ourselves: “deny self.” It means we disown ourselves. That doesn’t even sound like it is possible. It also does not sound like fun. Here’s the absolute truth: We often get in the way of our life with God. Our “selves” are what lead us to trouble and hardship and mistakes and life being harder than it needs to be.

The Apostle Paul describes it this way in Romans 7:

READ ROMANS 7:15-21 (ESV)

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.”