DOING THE DIFFICULT THINGS
March 5, 2006 Jay Davis Robison MATTHEW 16:21-28
Have you ever asked yourself Why does it have to be so hard??
Why does marriage have to be so hard? Raising Kids so hard?
Why is being honest, losing weight, growing in Christ so hard
If doing right is the right thing, why is it so hard?
We all have a natural revulsion to suffering.
No one likes pain or irritation.
Our natural inclination is to avoid suffering at all costs.
There is a lot of hardship in the life
We’re not free from physical & mental sickness, poverty, worries, anxieties, death of those dear to us, failing a test, daily frustrations monotony boredom, being misunderstood,
Lent spiritual renewal to Easter Doing the Difficult Things
Do you have to do any difficult things? At work or home?
Intro idea from Matthew 16 3 truths about difficult things
1. Following Jesus is HARDER THAN YOU THINK
Notice Vs 21 NCV From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem, where the older Jewish leaders, the leading priests, & the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. He told them he must be killed and then be raised from the dead on the 3rd day.
Take a look a the musts in this verse
Must go to Jerusalem, center of life for the Jews to heart
While there will Jewish leaders, priests and teachers of law
Will make him suffer he will be ridiculed scorned by society
Must be killed not just that he would die but be killed
In Jerusalem show love which they could accept or reject
Peter just like us, when he hears about suffering no don’t do it
Vs 22 NRSV & Peter took him aside & began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.
NCV Peter says “God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!”
Word rebuke is in infinitive mood.
It keeps going, and going, and going… Peter just kept rebuking, & rebuking, & rebuking
And verse says Peter TOOK Him. Greek word proslabomenos. Verb carries implication of having a right to do something. When God’s plan contradicted Peter’s idea of what was best, Peter rebuked Lord. No way God allow death of good man
Jews believed messiah would inflict suffering on enemies
Vs 21 From that time, turning pointing the story, now Jesus is preparing to go to Jerusalem, and die.
He is inviting his disciples to share in the suffering
Vs 13-20 Peter said Jesus you are messiah Son of living God
Yes Jesus said on this truth build my church
And gates of hell not prevail against it
Now Peter called Satan or tool of devil humble warning
Even those closest to Jesus most spiritual, can fall
Far and fast
Peter and his group could not believe Messiah would die
Peter saw Jesus’ words as unnecessary pessimism
Peter shocked to think such terrible things come on Jesus
The disciples said no way.
They wanted an easier way.
Most of the worthy things we do in life are difficult
Staying married, being honest raising kids difficult
2. Following Jesus is NOT WHAT YOU THINK
That is what Peter learned & what we need to learn as well
God doesn’t have to ask us or please us
Really The greatest test of your commitment to God is when God’s plan is different than yours.
One saves life only by losing it
The cross is a way of death,
but it is for Jesus and his followers the way of life thru death
Jesus compelled to suffer the cross not by outward compulsion but by inner. Moved by redeeming love, to cross
26:53 he could have called 10,000 angels to release him
but would not do it example of redeeming love
Vs 24 NKJV Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow Me.
Denying selves is not fun nor is it optional not just denying some material thing from us but life given to God
Saying God you are in charge submission to God’s thinking
Deny and take up are aorist past action, decision before
while take up is present now I must, decision then now
And cross can be painful
But The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks
Someone once said "A Good people are like a tea-leaf:
Their real strength comes out when he is in hot water"
Cross went from being a symbol of shame,
to being a symbol of salvation
Some say in order to be happy do the easiest thing
that makes me feel best.
God says in order to be happy do the right thing
3. Following Jesus is BETTER THAN YOU THINK
Sometimes when God is going to do something wonderful,
begins w\difficulty. John Chapman explained
"You are the block, God is the sculptor. You cannot know what he is cutting you for and you never will in this life.
All you want is patience, trust, confidence, and he does it all"
Before becoming statue will have to receive many a blow
God will redeem\transform our sufferings but will be suffering
Jean Rasmussen I complained about this thorn, prayed that it would be removed, forgetting that my Lord’s thorns were shaped into a crown
Listen Jesus said you are not suffering for a useless cause
This is the heart of life what will you suffer for?
What makes such a difference do difficult things for
To save you life, will really lose it
But if lose your life for me really save it Paradox of life
So important vs 26 what give in exchange for soul? Nothing!
Listen to Vs 27 NCV The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward them for what they have done.
Our human understanding of worth=everything that person has
God’s measurement of worth is very different.
God says worth=all person can become thru my power\grace.
Our material possessions will one day be gone forever
Every person has a limitless value in the eyes of Christ because they were given an eternal soul
Given our soul value will we do difficult things for God?
If it’s easy everybody is there
if it’s safe you’ll find a big crowd
if it’s hard or risky
you’ll find little or probably no competition
We don’t like hard things but best comes when challenged
George Dantzig during depression Math student UC Berkeley . 1 wk before graduation but unemployed & in bread lines. Rumor was job as Assist to prof for highest grade
Dantzig studied day & night, so hard was late for the final. Ran in picked up test saw 8 questions on it, as finished saw
2 more on the board! to solve one than the other no luck. Bell rang, I had to do my best. I asked prof for more time, “There are a couple of problems I did not finish”. You have until Friday at 4 p.m. put it on my desk. I knew other smarter students in class, would solve all 10. So worked on one than other then 1st. Finally solved 1 then the other. Friday 4 left 10 answers to test on desk. Very unsure of future.
Sunday 7 a.m. loud pounding on my door woke George up
It was my professor George you made mathematics history!
You came into the test late didn’t you? Yes, I am sorry. 8 problems were on test paper I wrote other 2 on board saying for the rest of your life if you want to have little fun play w\ these 2 famous unsolved problems. They were not part of test, even Einstein up to his death could not solve them but you did!
If had been on time I wouldn’t have even tried to solve them.
Mathmetics committee by President of US.
What difficult thing are you trying to do now?
It’s harder than you think
But the reward of God is greater than you think
DOING THE DIFFICULT THINGS
March 5, 2006 Jay Davis Robison MATTHEW 16:21-28
Why does it have to be so hard??
1. Following Jesus is
From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem, where the older Jewish leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. He told them he must be killed and then be raised from the dead on the third day. Vs 21 NCV
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you. 22 NRSV
2. Following Jesus is
The greatest test of your commitment to God
is when God’s plan is different than yours.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Vs 24 NKJV
The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks
3. Following Jesus is
I complained about this thorn, prayed that it would be removed, forgetting that my Lord’s thorns were shaped into a crown Jean Rasmussen
The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward them for what they have done. Vs 27 NCV
If it’s easy everybody is there,
if it’s safe you’ll find a big crowd,
if it’s hard or risky you’ll find little or probably no competition
