Putting Jesus’ Agenda First (Part 2)
Matthew 16:21-28
March 11, 2007
I think if we were all honest with ourselves, we’d have to admit that we all want a life with meaning to it, right?
We want to know that our life actually counts for something beyond just our ability to consume oxygen and create carbon dioxide.
We want a life that’s fulfilling. A life filled with significance and meaning. Because a life filled with these things brings happiness, and while I don’t think Scripture says that happiness is what we’re supposed to strive for as the ultimate goal of life, the lack of happiness in life can have devastating consequences.
One of the loudest cries of our society is the cry for a life of meaning and significance.
Have you ever gone to Amazon.com to find books and stuff?
It’s probably the largest on-line seller of books in the world, and they’ve expanded to other lines as well. You can toys, books, DVDs, and all sorts of stuff.
I found a tool that allows you to smash your car window and cut your seat belt so you won’t be trapped if you’re in an accident.
I wonder if they offer a refund if you’re in an accident but your arms are broken and you can’t use it…
They even have a “Kids and Baby” section. I’m not sure that’s legal, but oh well…
If you were to go to Amazon.com, you would find almost 76,000 different titles just in their self-help section, ranging in topics from spirituality to having successful relationships to enjoying your work, to becoming rich.
Why would there be so many of these books? Because these are where most people look to find meaning and fulfillment in their life.
People will pay huge bucks for books, retreats, seminars, and all sorts of things to help them find meaning and fulfillment.
People join cults because they think that the leader and his followers offer real meaning in life.
People want their lives to be full and mean something. We all want that.
And when we don’t find fulfillment in life, we can easily slip into despair and hopelessness. And no one wants that.
I’ve mentioned in the past how I struggled early in my adult life with wondering if my life would really count for anything when it was all said and done.
And I thank God that He has shown me that my life does count.
But it’s not because of anything like my job or even the fact that I’m a husband and father.
It’s because of what Christ has done in me – He has given me a life worth living. A life filled with significance and meaning.
Our Scripture passage for today addresses the question, “How do I find a life filled with meaning and significance?”
As you will see as we go through the passage, the answer is found in putting Jesus’ agenda ahead of our own. In other words, living for Jesus instead of ourselves.
Matthew 16:21-28 (p. 694) –
The focus of our time today is found starting in verse 24, but I want to start at verse 21 so we can keep in mind what had just happened before Jesus spoke these words.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
There is so much in these verses, and there’s no way we can cover it all today, so we’ll be revisiting it next week, and possibly the week after that before going into Easter Week.
But here’s what I think is the bottom line of this passage:
Fulfillment in life is not found in focusing on ourselves, but in focusing on Christ.
That is contradictory to our natural tendencies, isn’t it? It just doesn’t make sense.
If we want to be happy, then we should focus on what makes us happy, right?
Not according to Jesus. Jesus says that when we set aside our agendas for the sake of living for Jesus we find the full and abundant life Jesus came to bring us.
That full and abundant life is where we find a life that’s really worth living.
We’re naturally selfish people – and that’s not a good thing.
The world, and even some churches and preachers will tell you that you’re supposed to look out for number one at all costs, even if it means neglecting and hurting those around us.
Some put this really religious spin on it by saying, “God just wants me to be happy.”
But you’ve heard my response to that, haven’t you? “Murderers get their kicks killing people – it makes them happy. So is that okay? After all, God just wants them to be happy, right?”
Or, “recruiting kids to sell drugs makes dealers happy. So is that okay? Because remember, God just wants them to be happy!”
Or, “Making fun of the Kansas City Royals makes me happy, so can I do that? God just wants me to be happy!”
Actually, that last one’s probably okay…
But the truth of the matter is that Jesus says that selfishness has no place for the follower of Jesus, and that in reality it’s a roadblock to the life Jesus wants for us.
Selfishness is a roadblock to the life that benefits us beyond what we could ever hope to get from the world and being selfish.
Folks, the world and its promises will fade away. One day they’ll be shown for the empty shells they really are.
And countless numbers of people will find that in the pursuit of their own happiness on earth, they lost out on the real life they could have had on earth, and even more importantly, they’ve lost out on the hope of eternal life in the presence of God for eternity.
Folks, I’ll take the promises of God and the Lord Jesus over the promises of the world in a heartbeat.
The world lies to us everyday, selling us a bill of goods that says if we’ll just live for ourselves we’ll really live.
But Jesus never lies. He means it. He wants us to really live, and He died to make it possible.
I’ll guarantee you that those who promote the “live for yourself” philosophy will only promote it as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. And you can bet the farm that they wouldn’t sacrifice themselves for your happiness and fulfillment.
But Jesus did.
So who should you believe? The Madison Avenue gang who, when it comes right down to it, doesn’t really care whether you live or die, or the One who set aside heaven to suffer and die so you could have forgiveness of sins, a home in heaven, and fulfillment in life on earth?
One wants to sell you something, One died for you. Hmmmmmmm.
And if Jesus felt you were worth dying for, then isn’t He worth living for?
Let me give you a quick equation that might help you remember this:
Dying to self + Living for Jesus = Fulfillment in life.
Another way to look at it is this way: Live for yourself, you lose. Die to yourself, you gain. Live for Jesus, you win.
So how does this look in the everyday grind of living that really means something tomorrow when you wake up and get ready to face the world?
Next week we’re going to get into more detail and depth about some actions we can take to become people who actually live as though we love the Jesus we claim to love and worship.
But for today I just want to lay out one thing:
Take time between now and next Sunday to get with God and say, “Show me where I’ve been seeking fulfillment outside of You and help me shed that.”
Ask God to really show you how you’ve put yourself and your agenda ahead of Christ and His kingdom.
Maybe you’ve put your schedule ahead of Christ and His kingdom.
Maybe you’ve put making money ahead of Christ and His kingdom.
Maybe you’ve put entertainment ahead of Christ and His kingdom.
Maybe you’ve put comfort and convenience ahead of Christ and His kingdom.
If you’re serious about finding fulfillment and meaning in life, you’ll do this. Get past the lip-service and allow God to speak to you through the Holy Spirit and the Word to really show you where you’ve been chasing the empty promises of living for yourself.
When you realize that you’ve been looking in all the wrong places for the wonderful and abundant life God wants for us, it opens up your heart and spirit to receive all that Christ has for you.
And I can tell you, along with some others in here, that there’s nothing like it.
My life has more meaning and significance and fulfillment and success than I ever thought possible 15 years ago.
So do it. For your benefit.
But you know what? And this is very sad, but I need to bring it up.
I can offer a challenge like that, straight from the Scriptures. I can tell you that Jesus Himself says this is something we should do.
But the truth of the matter is that few people will take the challenge. Few will actually take Jesus at His word and do something with it.
Most will look at something like this passage of Scripture or listen to a message like this and just ignore it.
“That’s only for religious nuts. I don’t have time for that ‘living for Jesus thing.’”
“Give me a break, Pastor. You tell us this all the time – that horse is dead and it’s time to get on another one.”
“You can’t seriously believe that a person should live for Christ nowadays. It’s not realistic.”
“Brian, do you realize that if I really decided to live for Jesus the way He says I should my friends would drop me so fast it’d make my head spin?”
I didn’t say it would be easy. It’s not easy.
Jesus didn’t say, “Take up your pillow and follow Me.” He said, “Take up your cross.” He says that living for Him will be tough at times. He didn’t hide it and He didn’t sugar-coat it.
But He also said it’s worth it. He promised that it would be worth it. He died to make it worth it.
So how will you respond? Will you take Jesus up on His promise, or will you disregard it like the vast majority of those Christians who only follow Jesus when it’s convenient?
My hope for you – for every single one of you – is that you’ll jump all over this and discover for yourself that what Jesus says is true.
My hope is that the people of this church will buck the trend of self-centeredness that defines the world and infects the Church of Jesus Christ.
My hope is that you’ll find the fulfillment in life that you’ve been searching for but have never really found because you’ve been looking everywhere except in Christ.
And my hope is that when you do find that Jesus is the way not only to heaven but to real meaning in life, that you’ll let others see that you’ve found it, so you can help them find it as well.
My hope is that this church will be seen as a church full of people who take Jesus seriously – by dying to themselves and living for Jesus, and finding the wonderful life that can only be found in Christ.
Will you join me in that hope?
