GOD’S SALVATION
Matthew 16 v. 21 - ch 17 v. 8 Here we have :-
1. The plan of God’s salvation v. 21 Note:-
(a) The compulsion of Calvary - "He must go unto Jerusalem." - why ? Because of :-
(1) Man’s sin - Matthew 20 v. 28 "he must give His life a ransom for many"
(2) the Law’s demands - Hebrews 9 v. 22 "without the shedding of blood there is no remission"
(3) Prophesy’s fulfillment - Isaiah 53 "he was led as a lamb to the slaughter"
(4) God’s will - John 10 v. 18 "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again - this commandment have I received of my Father"
(b) The complexity of Calvary v. 21 "and suffer" - He must:-
(1) Go to Jerusalem -
the person - Christ,
the purpose - suffer,
the period - "now",
the place - Jerusalem. Genesis 22 v. 14 "Jehovah-Jireh - "in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen"
(2) and suffer many things of the elders - sanhedrin - "the rulers of this world hath set themselves against the Lord and against his Christ."
(3) Be killed i.e. murdered not legally executed - it was a shambolic trial
(4) Be raised again the third day ch 16 v. 4 as the sign of the prophet Jonah
(c) The confusion of Calvary v. 22 "then Peter"
2. The price of God’s salvation v. 22 "be it far - this shall not be unto thee"
(a) Peter’s resentment was personal. publicised, presumptious, and perverted - he was opposing Christ
(b) The reason for his resentment answer SELF v. 23 "for thou savourest not" -
(c) The response to his resentment v. 23 was rebuke "get thee behind me satan",
he saw, the source of Peter’s problem (self), the subtlety (satan), and the seriousness of it (snare), "Thou art an offence unto me."
3. The pre-requisites to salvation v. 24 & 25 - "if any man will come after me" Note:-
(a) The call to discipleship "if" - it was divine, direct - "any", distinct - "come", and deliberate "to calvary"
(b) The conditions of discipleship - he must:-
(1) Deny self, his decision - "nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling."
(2) Take up his cross - his duty - "the death march of crucifixion" "must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free, no there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me." also his delight "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross"
(3) Follow me - his direction -follow in death, in resurrection, in ascension and to glory
(c) The consequences of discipleship v. 25 "whosoever shall loose his life shall find it." we can either, live for self, gain earthly life and loose eternal life, or live for the Lord - gain eternal life and loose earthly life
4. The profit of God’s salvation v. 26 "what shall it profit" -here we have an impossible gain (world), an immeasureable loss (soul), an immaterial profit - (what profit?)
5. The preparation of God’s salvation v. 27 & 28 i.e. to stand before God. Note we have :-
(a) The promise of His coming v. 27 " For the Son of man shall come."
(b) The purpose of His coming v. 27 "he shall reward"
(c) The preview of His coming v. 1 - 8 on the mount of transfiguration note:-
what they saw v. 2 (the glory of Christ), what they said v. 4 (Lord, it is good for us to be here), what they heard v. 5 (This is my beloved Son), what they felt v. 6 (were sore afraid), what they learned v. 8 - Jesus only
