DANCING WITH JESUS
Matthew 16:21-25
ILLUSTRATION:
Listen to one man’s remarkable discovery at Smokey Mountain near the Philippine capital of Manila:"A gigantic man-made mound, perhaps 100 feet high, ran on before us for a mile or more. Wisps of smoke rose from fissures all over the sides and top of this municipal dump and landfill.
‘Five thousand people live on that mountain,’ the guide said, ‘and off it, too.’ He meant they made their livelihood from scavenging useful garbage. As we walked up the side, acrid smoke stung our eyes; the stench of rotting garbage was overwhelming. Shacks made of plywood or tin lined the main street, with smaller shacks squatting farther away on the sides of the mountain. The trucks dumped fresh garbage at the top of the mound. My eyes followed the cascade of refuse down the side of the mountain to where the bulldozers were working below. Scores of women, men, and children scattered ahead of the bulldozers, then swirled back in the wake, working rapidly with homemade stick-rakes to find some salable treasure in the refuse.Then the guide took me to a larger shack that had a cross on it and the words ‘Baptist Church’ painted underneath. The guide asked if the pastor was in. A stocky small man appeared with that typical warm Filipino smile and cordial greeting. Antonio startled me with fluent, articulate English. When I inquired about his education, I learned that he was a graduate of one of the most prestigious seminaries in Asia.I though, ‘This man could be the pastor of any major Baptist church in Manila. I wonder why he’s here.’ So I asked him and heard a remarkable love story.Antonio, as a young seminary graduate, had volunteered for missionary work at Smokey Mountain. But the day came when his denomination discontinued work at the site. Antonio had a choice – take the pulpit of some established church or throw in his lot with his adopted people, live by faith, and love them to Jesus. So he moved on the mountain with his lovely wife and together they cared for a growing flock and raised their four daughters.When Antonio, his wife and their daughters stand before Jesus seated on His judgment throne they will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servants." (Moody Monthly February 1993, p. 39)
Matt. 16:21-25 (NIV)
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.
PRAY
BACKGROUND:
Before we look at the text this morning I think we need to look at some observations about what is surrounding this particular passage. The passage that was read this morning from Matthew 16:1-20 leads up to this conversation that Jesus had with His disciples. The Pharisees had come to Jesus and demanded (imagine anyone demanding something from God!) that He show them a sign from heaven. Keep in mind that Jesus had already been actively healing the sick, casting out demons IN FACT this demand follows the great miracle of feeding a people numbering in the thousands (Matt. 15:29-39).
Why wasn’t these miraculous signs enough - why wasn’t enough to the Pharisees and Sadducees and indeed all the religious leaders to prove that Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for? To understand the answer to this question we need to understand the mindset of these people making the demand. To them the Messiah would come and be the liberator of their people from the oppression of the Romans. In the times that they lived in Palestine had been oppressed and subjugate to a military rule. To the Romans Palestine was a hotspot one of those areas in the great Empire that still needed a thumb kept on it. In the eyes of many Religious leaders among the Jews their interpretation of the prophecies about the Messiah was that He would be a great King and great Ruler and great Deliverer who would come with power and with glory and with FORCE to return Jerusalem and Israel to its former splendor. But here was this Jesus who seemed to have power and yet he walked away from confrontation - he did not try to raise up an army - in fact he didn’t seem to have anything to say against the Roman empire - and there just didn’t seem this aura of Kingship about Him - YET he claimed to be the Messiah. "Show us a sign!" The Pharisees and Saducees cried out - what sign do you think they were looking for? What sign are you looking for?
Jesus reply rebuked the Pharisees perception of who the Messiah is. They were right the Messiah is the great King of Kings, He is a great Ruler and He is a great Deliverer but they missed the part of how He is a Servant, He is the Lamb of God, He is the Saviour. Jesus said that the only sign to be given would be the "Sign of Jonah". Jonah, from the Old Testament - was a prophet that spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish before he was returned "in a sense" to the land of the living on a dry shore.
After leaving this crowd with His disciples Jesus warned His disciples to be on their guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees - that is be on guard against their teaching - be on guard against their understanding of who Jesus was and of who the Messiah should be. As if to emphasize his point Jesus asked his disciples who he was. And the reply from Simon Peter was "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus made it clear that this was something Peter did not see on his own but it was revealed to Him by the Father. It was through this insight that the disciples were able to grasp who Jesus really was. But it seems that they still weren’t able to grasp what he came to do and that’s when we come to our text this morning.
At a crucial moment, when Jesus first disclosed "the sign of Jonah", that his mission included death on a Roman cross and then on the third day be raised to life, Jesus’ disciples learned that there are two paths in life to follow - the path of rebellion or the path of obedience. We must choose which we will follow… I. WE MUST DECIDE TO FOLLOW JESUS’ PLAN OR OUR OWN (21-24)
The problem is…A. We want Jesus to follow our plans.Each of us has a decision to make. We’re no different than Peter of the other disciples. They were shocked and horrified at what Jesus had just told them. Think of it, the Messiah, God’ Son, the Savior, suffering and dying. This plan was so far beyond anything they could conceive that the promise of resurrection on the third day didn’t even register in their ears or on their minds.
The text says that after Jesus spoke on his death that Peter "took him aside" Let’s just picture this for a moment, Peter who had a short time ago revealingly stated that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God hears Jesus make these shocking statements. "Wait a moment here," he quickly glances around at the other disciples - sees their expressions match his feelings - and decides to himself - "well, somebody’s gotta do it, after all Jesus did say he will build his church on me - wait a minute - He can’t die or there won’t be any church to build…" Peter quickly grasps Jesus cloak (the same cloak the woman with severe bleeding grabbed when she was healed), motions to Jesus to come apart from the others a bit. "Never, Lord are you crazy?" There’s an astonishing oxymoron here, in the same breath Peter acknowledges Jesus as Lord and then try to tell Him what to do!!! Peter says to Jesus "No, Lord! Such a thing can never happen. It must not be. We will not permit it!" Peter had a plan for Jesus that did not include suffering, atonement and death. Peter wanted Jesus to follow His plan.
But Jesus is the LORD of life, the maker and sustainer of the universe. He will not bend himself to our wills nor will he follow our plans. Jesus insists that we follow His plans.
B. Jesus wants us to follow His plans.
The text says that "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."
I believe that Jesus turned so that His back faced Peter to emphasize his words. In addressing Peter as Satan, Jesus was addressing the plan put forward by Peter that Satan had already tempted Jesus with while he was in the desert. This temptation, "the cross is not necessary….". Jesus addressed the root of Peter’s plan when he said - you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." I want to make a simple statement this morning, "When our plans come from our minds they will never be God’s plans" Let’s repeat that. But on the flip side of the coin, "When God’s plans are revealed to our minds we need to let them become our plans." Let’s repeat that.Jesus wanted the disciples to submit to His will and His plan. His call to "deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me" rings through the ages and calls us today.
1. Jesus wanted the disciples to submit
Discipleship is not a life of ease or glory; it is a life that requires forsaking our own will. Jesus’ admonition to take up the cross means that disciples must deny themselves and their ambitions. In the roman Empire a condemned criminal was forced to carry his own cross. This showed that he was under and submissive to the rule he had been opposing.Jesus eventually submitted to the Roman authorities and permitted them to crucify Him because he was submitted to His Father’s will. That’s the model for us because Jesus wants us to submit.
Jesus chose to carry His cross so that we might have the choice of carrying ours.
Jesus not only wanted His disciples to submit but he wants us to submit
2. Jesus wants us to submit
Looking again at verse 25 let’s play closer attention to the first clause…"Whoever wants to save his life…" The key words in this clause are "wants to" and "save". By analyzing these words and comparing them to the context we find that Jesus was calling the disciples to submit their wills to His own.
a. Thelo means "firm resolve."
The word "wants to (thelo)" here refers to a mindset or a driving purpose. It expresses resolve or resolute willingness
b. sodzai means "preserving authority"
The word "save" can mean many different things. It can mean saving someone from death, rescue from danger, restore good health, or even prospering or getting on well! The way to tell what it means in any given verse is to look at the context.
In this context "saving one’s life" probably means reserving the right to exercise authority over our own lives rather than submitting that authority to Jesus. The issue is, "Who is going to run your life; you or Jesus?" We must decide; will we follow Jesus’ plan? Or will we follow our own? Jesus said, "You refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:40)
TRANSITION
The path Jesus and His followers would travel would require submission to Jesus’ will - to follow Jesus plans and not our own. That is what it means to "lose your life." It means that you voluntarily forfeit the authority over your life to Jesus Christ. But in losing your life, you truly find a better life. And this is the second truth found in this passage.
II. THOSE WHO FOLLOW JESUS WILL FIND LIFE (25).
Verse 25 of Matthew 16 seems kind of confusing at first. If you look at it apart from anything else it is hard to make sense of it. Especially the last part. I mean, if Jesus wants us to lose His life for Him than why would He want us to find it again? Maybe we could understand this better if it was put a different way - and what do you know it is, John 12:25 says "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." But this seems to raise even more questions.!
I struggled and struggled with this to try to understand what Jesus was saying. Recently I have been exposed to some teaching and some reading that has really shocked me and opened my eyes to understand something that I only understood in part. And what I learned I believe is the key to understanding what is found in this passage. Let’s just set this passage aside for a minute and think about this question. What does it mean to live the Christian life? Some would say the Christian life is living for God. Some would say it is walking in the Spirit. Some would say it is living a life free of sin. What do you say the Christian life is? I want to read a passage that is simply profound to me,
Colossians 3:1-5 (NIV)
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Certainly verse two sounds familiar doesn’t it, "set you minds…." "for you do not have in mind…". But the verses that help to bring things into focus are verse 3 and 4, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life,…." WHEN CHRIST, WHO IS YOUR LIFE….This is the key!!!! Why did Jesus say "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it"? Jesus wants us to surrender our lives so HE CAN BE OUR LIFE!!!!! Folks it is true that Jesus Christ died for us - BUT it is also important to note that when we believe in Him and surrender our lives to Him and ask forgiveness for our sins WE DIED WITH HIM AND HE BECAME OUR LIFE. Folks the Christian life is all about Jesus living His life through us. So many Christians struggle with their walk and face up and downs and feel so drained all the time because they’re still trying to live their lives for God - instead of letting Jesus live His life through them!!!
B. Those who insist on running their own lives shall miss God’s best.We can’t run our own lives!
We are finite creatures who are only dimly aware of what’s going on around us - some more dimly than others! - who struggle to understand what has happened in the past, and who don’t have a clue to what’s coming this afternoon!
Isn’t better to give control of our lives to our Maker who loves us and works all things for our good?
Illustration: Guy on bus.
Trying to live your life for God instead of letting God live His life through you or Rejecting the Sovereign Lord’s plan for your life and doing it your way is like the guy who habitually overslept every morning. One day he woke very late, bolted out of bed, dashed cold water on his face, ran a razor over it, made a hasty pass with his comb through his hair, gulped down a glass of milk, grabbed his briefcase, gave his wife a "Dagwood" kiss as he ran out the door, and raced to catch the bus. He barely got on it as it began to pull away. Dropping a coin in the meter, he lurched down the aisle toward a seat. Suddenly he looked around and breathlessly blurted out, "By the way, where’s this bus going?"!TRANSITION
Those who insist on running their own lives are like the accused who has himself as his lawyer. We would call him a fool. Isn’t it better to let the all-knowing, all powerful and all-loving God run your life? Don’t you think the One who designed you can do a better job of it than you?
Look at what the rest of verse 25 promises when we let him! "whoever loses his life for me will find it."
B. Those who let Jesus run their lives shall have a rich, rewarding and joyful life.
The phrase "loses his life for me.." means that we forfeit control of our lives - we surrender our lives. The reason we do so is for Jesus Christ. When we do so, Jesus is free to be our life and we find life!! Those who have served in combat know that in a life or death situation, the man who risks his life in battle has the best chance of saving it; the one who flees to save it is most likely to lose it. It’s like this:
Illustration - bomber crews
"When World War II era bombers were hit [by enemy fire], a few [extra] pounds could mean the difference between life and death…Discarding extra [weight] wasn’t so hard if it meant impersonal items like guns, seats, and so on. But if things got so crucial that staying aloft was questionable, the order would come to throw our cameras, souvenirs, and parachutes. That’s when the grumbling would begin. (Alvin Vader Griend and Edith Bajema, The Praying Church Sourcebook. "Church Development Resources, 1990" Page 14.)Application
It’s the same in the Christian life. It’s easy to throw off habits, customs and values that don’t touch us deeply. But when it comes to deeply entrenched behaviors and intensely personal things, we start to grumble.things on which we let our eyes linger.
words we use when we’re hurt or angry.attitude toward money.
how we treat others.
thoughts that our minds entertain.
feelings about others.
As you think through the domains of your life - your core values, the things you treasure, your closest relationships, the things your read and watch, how you use your time - is there a place in your life where you echo Peter’s words, "NO, LORD!"?
Whatever the Spirit of God is telling you at this moment is what you need to work on. You need to surrender your life to Jesus. Jesus promises that if you do this you will find a richness and fullness of life that you have not previously known because Jesus WILL BE your life.
CONCLUSION
A story recently broadcast on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program sums it up best. It’s the story of a lonely high school girl named Jenny.
She was not a pretty girl; jenny described herself as "ugly." Because high school teens tend to be as shallow as we adults Jenny’s life was miserable. She wen to all the school dances, but none of the boys ever asked to dance with her. The other girls teased her mercilessly and the boys often "set her up" by raising her hopes for a date and then cruelly tricking her.
One night Jenny cried herself to sleep after attending a school dance. She dressed up in her prettiest clothes, put on her makeup and went with high hopes that someone would finally ask her to dance. All through the dance she sat on a chair, next to the wall, alone. A couple of times her heart leapt when a boy would approach her direction, only to be broken when he would ask one of the other girls to dance.
Bitter tears drenched her pillow that night. Anger, bitterness and pain rocked her to sleep.
Jenny then tells the remarkable story of a fascinating dream that came over her that night. In her dream she was at a dance. The magnificent dance hall was decorated just so. Silver balls hung from ceiling, scattering flashing bits of light over the crowd. The men were dressed in tuxedos. The women were dressed in beautiful formal gowns adorned with orchid corsages. And there was Jenny, dressed in her finest, standing along the wall, alone.
Suddenly the doors swung open and in strode the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was so beautiful that all the dancers stopped in mid-step and stared at him. He made his way across the dance floor to where Jenny was standing. With a smile on his face he looked into her eyes, held out his hand and said, "Jenny, will you dance with me?"
At first she was stunned, then disbelieving. She looked around the crowd to see if it was a setup. She’d been cruelly tricked like this before. But this beautiful man looked directly into her eyes and said, "Jenny, I’d like to dance with you."
Jenny didn’t know how to dance. No one had ever asked her before. She felt clumsy and awkward as the handsome stranger whisked her to the dance floor! He took her in his arms and began to lead. She was thrilled to discover that following his lead freed her to dance with abandon. She was free as a bird, smooth as a cat. She could dance! Her soul overflowed with joy.
"I’ve wanted to dance with you for a long time, Jenny" the stranger said. She could hardly believe what she was hearing! Then she heard him say, "I love you, jenny. I love you with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength."
She turned and looked him in the eyes. She could see his passion, his unconditional love and suddenly she knew the name of this beautiful stranger who had asked her to dance. She was dancing with Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t care if you’re ugly. He doesn’t care if you’re fat or thin. He doesn’t care about the horrible sins and crimes you’ve committed - that’s why He died on the Cross. He simply loves you and wants to dance with you. If you will let him lead he will fill your life with joy.
Matthew 16:21-25 teaches us that If we surrender our lives and submit to Jesus’ authority, we will discover a rich, full and joyful life that He is just waiting to live through us and that is hidden from those who try to do it their way.
Will you dance with Jesus? Will you follow His lead?
This sermon was preached by Darren Ethier at Hanover Pentecostal Church. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Credit goes to L.E. Brown for the inspiration of his message by the same name, "Dancing With Jesus".
