Living with a Radical Commitment
Matthew 16:21-28
Introduction
The Wesleyan Church was founded on a radical commitment to the principle that the power of Christ could change the world.
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."
Body
I. The Manifestation of Radical Commitment (21-23)
A. The nature of Christ’s commitment
Jesus shows us what it means to live a life filled with a radical commitment. Jesus had been proclaimed Messiah but no one really understood what it was that Jesus had come to do. In verse 21 Jesus reveals the mission that he had come to accomplish.
Jesus sets the example for us to follow in our commitment.
1. Jesus was committed to go where He was not wanted
2. Jesus was committed to suffer for a people who rejected Him
3. Jesus was committed to die for a lost world
4. Jesus was committed to the ultimate victory
B. The nature of Peter’s correction
Peter takes Jesus aside
The Greek here has an extremely strong meaning. The phrase “took him aside” implies that Peter literally grabbed Jesus and pulled him away from the others to talk with Him. This shows us just how completely clueless Peter truly was about Jesus
Peter “rebukes” Jesus and tells him that there is no way that he would die. In fact, Peter puts this in such strong terms that he says that heaven would not allow it. Peter’s focus was not on the plan of God but instead it was on the understanding of humanity.
2. Jesus corrects Peter
Jesus wastes no time in correcting Peter and totally shuts him down. Jesus uses some extremely strong language with Peter: “get behind me Satan.” The name Satan means adversary or enemy. Jesus understood Peter’s line of reasoning completely because it was nearly identical to that of Satan’s reasoning when he was tempting Jesus. Satan tempted Jesus to abandon the mission of the cross by promising Him the world without it. Peter is doing something very similar by telling Him that He did not need to die.
Peter messed up big time and we can look at his life and criticize him. We pass judgment on Peter too quickly because if we are honest with ourselves we have all done the same thing. There have been times when we have decided to follow our plan for life and wanted Jesus to get with our program.
II. The Mandate for Radical Commitment (24)
Following Jesus demands a price
There is no such thing as low cost grace. There is no such thing as low cost Christianity. Jesus is calling you to an all or nothing deal; He wants all of your life. Every area of your daily living, every moment that you draw breath and every aspect that encompasses your life. This sounds like an incredible cost. Following Jesus is a choice and we make it each and every day. Will you live life on your terms or will you live life on Christ’s terms?
Following Jesus costs us something incredible
The cost of all that you are and all that you ever will be sounds pretty high. In fact, it sounds almost too high but it’s the best offer you can ever be given. Following Jesus costs you a life that is dying to give you a life that never ends. Following Jesus costs you a life of bondage to give you a life of freedom. Following Jesus costs you a life that is cursed to give you a life that is blessed. All in all it doesn’t sound like such a bad deal after all does it?
B. The denial found in following Jesus
We are selfish
We are so self focused that it isn’t funny. The most commonly used words in the English language are; I, me, my, mine and myself. We are completely focused on our needs and our lives that we fail to reach out to other people.
Jesus has called us to a life of self-denial. Everyone who wants to follow Jesus must deny themselves and focus on Him. Jesus calls us to tear down the altar of selfishness that we have built and embrace His radical life of selflessness.
We are stubborn
We like to do things our way and we hate to change. Far too often we are more like babies than we would like to admit. We complain about the trivial while the essential goes undone. We want our way and we want it right now.
We don’t want to give up control of anything at any time. Our human nature is to hang on to control and keep everything for ourselves. Jesus turns the tables on us and tells us we must deny ourselves to follow Him. It is denying what we want to gain what God wants.
III. The Meaning of Radical Commitment (25-28)
Losing life to save life
The point that Jesus is making here is simply that we cannot save ourselves and we need God’s help to make it through this life and to the next. We do not have the knowledge. We do not have the ability. We do not have the strength.
The whole power of salvation rests on the efforts of Christ and not on the efforts of us. Praise God for that! Salvation rests in Christ and there is nothing that you or I can do to earn it because it is a gift.
We cannot save ourselves
There just is no way for us to do it alone and if we try we will totally fail. We make a trade with God through Christ. We trade all we are right now for all that Christ will transform us into. We trade darkness for light. We trade death for life. We trade total defeat for total victory.
The worth of a person
Our human understanding of worth sums up everything that a person has or all that a person is but God’s measurement of worth is very different. God measures worth by everything that a person can become through His power and His grace. Our material possession will one day fade or pass away and they will be gone forever. Our material possessions have a limited value. Every person has a limitless value in the eyes of Christ because they were given an eternal soul
The worth of a soul
There is no possible way for us to place a value onto the soul. It would be like having a car that never had any mechanical problems, never rusted out, and never needed gas or oil. This same car also was indestructible and could never be damaged. It would also update itself each year when a new model came out. This is impossible but the same principles apply to the human soul.
Once a soul is lost; it can never be regained. Now is our time to share Christ’s love and grace with this dying world. This is the only chance we get.
The value of salvation
Every person will one day stand before Christ and give an account of their life. Every person will have their life measured by Christ and He will pass judgment. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We will be rewarded for the life we have lived through Christ. This is not measured in isolated events but rather is measured over how we have lived on a consistent basis.
True death is not physical death but spiritual death. Physical death is merely a passing from one life to another. Spiritual death is an eternal death that is experienced in complete separation from God.
The power of Christ’s kingdom rests within the church. It is this power that brings light to those in darkness. It is this power that brings purpose to the pointless. It is this power that brings hope to the hopeless. This power flows from the strength of Christ’s resurrection from the dead!
This morning I want to close with some questions: Are you completely sold out to Jesus the Christ? Is Christ the Lord of every area of your life? Is Jesus in complete control of what you do, what you think and what you say?
