The Cruciform Way

A crossless Christianity is satanic. In Matthew 16, he shows us that the way of the cross—self-denial, sacrifice, and self-giving love—is ultimately the way to life.

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Turn with me to the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 16. The gospel according to Matthew, chapter 16.

And we'll begin with verse 21. And when you found Matthew 16:21, go ahead and stand with me for the Gospel reading this morning.

Notice these words. And you may already be, if you were here last week particularly, you may say, oh, well, this is just a continuation right where we left off. And you'd be exactly right on that. So notice. Notice.

As the story from last week really continues today. Notice these words. Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go. Go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid it, Lord, this must never happen to you.

But he turned and began and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. For you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things. Then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it.

And those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of His Father, Father. And then he will repay everyone for what has been done.

Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Jesus, thank you for this moment in your earthly life that is recorded for us in. In the Gospels and in specific, in St. Luke's words, inspired by your precious Holy Spirit. And so now, Holy Spirit, we would humbly request that you come among us and teach us and speak to us. We need your word this morning.

We need a word from you, God. Not a word from man, not another option, but rather a divine word today in our soul. Help us, Lord, that when we receive that word, we would do it. We pray in your name. Amen.

And you can be seated.

Well, you'll remember from last week, and if you weren't here, I'll give a brief summary here. I said last week that here in Matthew 16, just like in Mark 8 and also what we have in the Gospel of Luke is ground zero for our faith. It actually is at the bedrock of everything that the church is built upon. Jesus himself says as much. You remember Right.

I'm going to build my church on that right rock. And he's pointing both to Peter and the confession that Peter makes, which is this. You are Messiah. Christ. Christ, Messiah.

Same same word, really. There you are Messiah, son of the living God. And Jesus says, boys, notice right there, Peter, what you've just said, that is not the wisdom of man. You didn't get there through philosophy or through rationality. You got there because it was given to you by God.

In other words, that is only something that you can know because of grace, you understand, not because of human reason, but because of divine grace given to you. And, you know, I'm sure, Peter, like all of us, if you get the teacher's question right, you know, you're like, yeah, does everybody hear that? You know, I got that one right. You know, now I don't. Maybe he was more humble than that.

Perhaps, maybe we could argue about that later. But, you know, if it was me, I'd kind of, you know, poke the chest out a little bit. Yeah, I did get that. Well, thanks be to God, you know, and boom, we have this confession. Jesus says, this rock will build my church upon, and it still is.

What the church is built upon is that confession that Jesus who walked the earth, embodied in time and space, the immaterial, become material, united two natures, one person, you remember the divine nature, assumes the human nature and pulls it up to the divine. You understand? That's why he comes down to. To save us and raises us up with him, which is represented in baptism. Paul says it's a type of going under the waters and then rising above them to new life.

Just like when you get out of the shower, bada bing, bada boom. I'm a transformed person. This morning. I'm groggily getting into the shower. When I get out after a hot, steamy, nice.

And I feel clean and I'm completely awake, ready to go preach, just like I was. Boom. It's like a new life. And we get that symbolized through the waters. Same thing with when the Lord is wanting to baptize.

The earth is a type of what, cleansing. You remember, if he's wanting to open up the waters of the Red Sea, remember for them to pass through the waters into what new life? Remember the Promised Land. You. You know, the old life is one of slavery and sin represented in Egypt.

Now we're moving through the waters into new life, into the desert, but onto the promised land eventually. This imagery is represented even in all of the New Testament with water baptism and of course you see that we've pulled the tub out once again to baptize today, which we'll be doing shortly, for three little girls, which is precious. Remember what Jesus says. Let the little children come to me. What was Carter's little devotion to us?

No one is off limits in the kingdom. Let them come. Okay, so this confession that we have, remember at Caesarea Philippi, now Jesus turns his face and says, all right, guys, listen. Now that we finally understood that I'm the Messiah, son of the living God, now I'm going to look to Jerusalem, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm going to go to the Jerusalem, and the leaders there, the religious leaders, that's who's listed here.

Not the Romans, but the religious leaders, they're going to cause great suffering to me. I'm going to die. And then on the third day, resurrect. Now, can you get any clearer than that? Like, it's not some general stimuli.

Yeah. You know, I'm going to go and, like, something's going to happen. You know, if you ever, you know, like, watch these people that kind of predict things, right? They're always like, yeah, yeah, like something's coming in your future. These little.

You break the coast cookie fortune cook things, you know, I just ate one the other day. Well, I didn't eat the paper, but I ate the cookie. And, you know, it gives you this general fortune, right? And it's always general. This is not general.

He's listing the very people who will cause his suffering and death. He lists them, tells them exactly where it's going to happen. And also on the third day, rise again. Now, we know if you read the Gospels, you know this, too. This is the first of three times that Jesus will get that specific with his prophecy of why he's going to Jerusalem.

He's not just going to show up to hang out. He's purposefully heading now to the cross. Once they understood who he is. Now you might say, well, they understand who he is, but I don't know that they really still understand who he is. And you would be right to think that that's why you remember, I didn't deal with this last week, and I will briefly now is at the end of the text last week.

I mean, literally the verse before what we just read where we started today. What does it say? He says, okay, good. Y' all got that. Y' all know who I am now, right?

Don't tell anybody. You saying what? Don't tell anybody. Like what? And here's why that was going to shake their world once again.

You know, it's hard for us because we identify a cross as sort of a good thing. We see it and we have affinity toward a cross. In fact, many of us might be wearing earrings, jewelry of some sort that has an embroidered cross, right? And we have them in our homes and we have one here, right? Kind of an old rugged looking one.

We have one outside. Crosses represent for us something good. But you have to understand, in the first century A.D. crosses represented the opposite of that. It was, it was so bad of an execution. It was illegal for a Roman citizen to be crucified.

No matter what you did as a Roman, you didn't have to worry about crucifixion. It was illegal. But for outsiders, for the worst of the worst, the low of the low, cities would often be littered at the border of that city with corpses hanging on a cross decomposing as a sign to say, you better follow the iron fist of Rome because this is what you'll end up like if you don't. Now, we think the Persians probably invented crucifixion, which to this day many would say is still the worst way to die. But the Romans perfected it.

If the Persians gave it to us, the Romans perfected it and they had it down pat. And it was used quite successfully, if you want to put it that way, to shut people up, to get their way in certain cities. And they were brutal with it. Okay, with that in mind, when the disciples here I have to go suffer greatly. Notice it's not just suffer, it's great suffering.

I and here's what this is. Jesus words, I must do this. It's not going to be optional. And die and we learn later the type of death he even knows. Take up your cross and follow me.

That's not coincidence, that's providence. He already knows and he's tipping them off. It's the worst kind of way. The mo they would strip you. Of course, it's the most embarrassing, excruciating way to die.

In fact, that term excruciating, look up the etymology sometime. It actually is in the crux, in other words, on the cross. So excruciating pain is the pain of a cross. So it still is the kind of worst idea of pain. Now again, we can go into the grossness and all.

You know, the Bible doesn't do that, does it? It's interesting. The disciples, when they wrote the gospels under the inspiration of the spirit, could have just kept writing about the terribleness of his flesh, and so on and so forth. They chose not to. And we don't have to either, because he's overcome that.

But we do need to understand what. When he said this, it shocked them to their bones. What? No, no. If you're the Messiah, you're the conqueror.

How could crucifixion by the stinking Romans of all people, at the hands of the Jews and the religious leaders, how could that be victory? And we all admit we still have a problem understanding how that's victorious. Why did the all powerful God, if he can do whatever he wants to do, why does he have to do that?

Why does he have to suffer? I must suffer.

Now, this is probably why. My hunch is probably why. When Job asks, why am I suffering when I'm righteous, I haven't done anything wrong, and yet I'm. There's no way God's ever going to get that across to him.

No way. Not until this happens. And you know, I think Job at least had the wherewithal. I know he did. I know my redeemer lives and he will stand upon the earth one day.

Yeah, he will. And he'll secure my redemption. And here's what. Here's what Job says. Interesting that he would have thought this.

He says, and though I. My flesh is dead, I will see him with my own eyes.

Resurrection, perhaps? Abs. Absolutely. You see, resurrection is our end as humans because it was Christ's end and he was the perfect human. And just as Adam, in Adam all die, so too in Christ, all will rise again.

You say, Pastor, are you saying universalism? Not exactly. But I am saying that revelation is quite clear. That all will rise. Some to everlasting destruction, others to everlasting life.

But you will rise. Your destruction, your punishment in the end, eternally will be embodied. Not a bodiless existence.

Well, so. Yeah, not yet, guys. Don't tell anybody yet because you don't fully get it until I go there. And even then the horror of the moment, even the idea is a scandal. And that's actually that term, stumbling block.

It's like scandal. And Jesus says, listen, Peter, you got the first part right, buddy. You know who I am, but you don't understand my way and my way. Hear me, brothers and sisters. Here's what Jesus is saying.

My way is the way of the cross. There is no other way of salvation but through a cross.

There is no cross, less salvation.

The way of the cross is the way of life for us. Why? Because our Lord, that was his way. And if we're going to Follow him. What?

Deny yourself? We often call this theologically mortification. Mortify the deeds of the body, or put it more specifically, the flesh, which is our sinful nature. Mortify that. Deny it.

You know, to follow all of your impulses, you. You would become a monster. I mean, have you ever just thought for a minute, like the scary thought, that if I pursued what I wanted in this situation all the way to the max, I would literally become the demonic. And Jesus identifies it immediately and says, get behind me, Satan. He just had told Peter, I mean, just out of his.

I mean, this is the same moment. There's no time gap here. This is literally the, like, seconds after get behind me, Satan. After he said, I'm building my rock upon this church, right? My church upon this rock.

And then now you're thinking, well, that's gone. So much for that. That didn't last long.

No, he still builds the church upon the rock of that confession and upon Peter. Notice at the end of John's Gospel, remember, Peter has denied Jesus, I don't know the man, to a girl, a little girl, apparently at a bonfire at the courts. He's not even able to stand up and identify himself with the Lord in that moment. And he denies him three times, cursing even, right?

And, you know, quite frankly, all the disciples denied him. They all ran away, except for perhaps John. And that's why I said the other week, he's like, maybe you should have picked John, you know? But no, Jesus knows exactly what he's doing. And guess what?

He does. Peter and the disciples go back fishing after the resurrection, after they've seen the appearances, after the Lord has appeared to them, they go back fishing. And who's on the beach? And who restores Peter not once, but three times? Do you love me?

Then feed my sheep? Do you love me? Then feed my lambs? Do you? Yes, Lord.

You know that I love you. Then feed my sheep, Peter. Okay, Lord, he restores him. And thanks be to God he can. Because here's the larger point.

Peter is an example of all of us. And the Lord wants to build his kingdom in you, in me. But then we say dumb things, don't we? I'm just going to include myself here, okay? We do.

And we have to say, oh, Lord, that was actually demonic and I didn't even know it. I believe, like you, that Peter's intentions here were good. I mean, I can imagine he's like, lord, if you are the son of living God, you know, and Messiah the conqueror, who we've read about in the old Testament. There's no way I'm going to let them do anything to you. I mean, you know, I conceal carry.

I've got my little sword here ready to go. Remember, he cuts the guy's ear off. We know he did. Okay? And Peter's like, that's never happening, man.

Like, I got you, bro. And Jesus says, buddy, you don't understand what you're saying. Stop it. It's Satanic because it's the same sort of temptation that we find in the original garden. You know, the Lord asked him to sacrifice one tree, one fruit of that one tree of all the.

Think about all the things of creation. One tree. You can't keep your stinking hands off of it. Why? Because that snake slithers up, right, the serpent of old Satan.

And just simply ask a question. Did he really say that? Did he really say that? You sure about that? Maybe he doesn't want you to be like him.

Of course it's a good thing to be like God. They were pursuing something good, which is to be like God but the wrong way. It's again, trying to get to God without sacrifice.

No way. You'll never get to the true living God without sacrifice. And specifically without a cross. That's why when Jesus is tempted, not in a pristine garden, but rather in a fallen world, in the wilderness after his baptism, remember new life. Here's his new life, which is a ministry for Jesus.

He doesn't need new life like we do. He is life itself. But. But now he's beginning his ministry at 30 years old, is baptized, and then boom, the spirit drives him into the wilderness. Why?

To be tempted. To be tempted of Satan, by the way. And remember, he gives him the three temptations and all of them avoid the cross. Every one of them avoids the cross at all cost. Satan wants us to avoid suffering for Jesus and a cross that awaits us, death to ourself.

If he can get us to avoid that and buy into comfort, buy into wealth, buy into pleasure. If he can get us there for just a comfortable good life, just easing through with just the least amount of difficulty. That's satanic.

Now, again, in our good intentions, we're always praying, Lord, you know, don't let this happen to me. Don't let this happen. We must always say at the end of those prayers, it's fine to pray that way, but at the end we must say, but not my will, but thine. He knows best. Father knows best.

And that's why Satan attempts it one more time in the garden of Gethsemane. Comes and tempts Jesus where he's sweating drops of blood. He's no coward, he's no weak man. He's God in flesh. And yet his human nature doesn't want to suffer and die.

I read this book one time, Jack London, I forget who's the author was. The whole point of it is they were on a ship and like all this they're piratey like kind of people. And the guy was trying to prove a point that had like a philosopher on the boat and he's always like, you know, and I'm not a violent person, da da, da. And so the captain finally got tired of it and just grabs him by the throat and the guy's turning purple and all shades of color. Life is coming out of him.

And the guy started fighting for his life and he let him pass out. And when he woke up, he said, see, your philosophy is worthless. When your life is on the line, you'll fight for yourself. And he was trying to make a point, of course. But the human nature fights to have its way and it must go to the cross.

That's why Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered by the Nazis, 1945, Lutheran pastor, theologian. He said, when the Lord bids a person come and follow me, he bids him to come and die. There is no following Jesus without a death to yourself. Self is that human, sinful, fallen nature. Now our humanity doesn't.

There's nothing wrong with our humanity. Humanity is good. Our human nature is given by God. And good. Jesus says, I mean God says it in the beginning.

Good. All of creation good. What's evil is that sinful, twisted, fallen self seeking, curved in upon itself. Self interested self, ego. I don't know how to say it.

Lots of self in there, right? Get it? That's the point. When we're full of ourself, that is the epitome of what sin is, brothers and sisters. When we're always thinking of ourselves and not others, when we're always putting ourselves first and not others.

And that is satanic.

And I know it's hard, I get it. But here's the thing. There is a medicine, there is a panacea, a solution, a salvation that is offered to us. But it is not offered without a cross. It is not offered without suffering and sanctification.

And if you try to go around that, there is no around it. It's his way. It's the way of the cross. And the way of the cross is the way of life.

You know, I had a professor, Dr. Oswald, who had a rubric for how to write a research paper. And of course he'd written. He's written commentaries and all this kind of. So he knows, right? But he put this one little line in there that just still echoes through my mind anytime I'm working on something.

And it's not just don't plagiarize, you know? Okay, yeah, I'm not gonna plagiarize. I'm not gonna use chat. There was no chatgpt when I was in school, by the way. And he goes like this, he put this little line in there, he goes, don't use other people's work and take credit for it.

It's not the way of the cross.

Don't take shortcuts and cheat. It's not the way of the cross. And I promise you, when I was ready to take a shortcut, two o' clock in the morning, trying to finish this thing up, pounding it out, I could hear him and I just simply read his words, not heard them, but I could hear him all right. Not the way of the cross.

It's a hard way. It's a hard way to die to ourself, to forgive others, to love our enemies. Brothers and sisters, this is not some easy thing, but the death of us means life. When we give our life away in love, we gain life. When we hold onto our life and grasp at life and it's just sand passing right through our hands as we try to grip it.

You try to hold on to your life, Jesus says, and you will lose it if you give it away, you'll gain it. Why? Why? Because that's what he does. That's who he is.

If we could sum up holy love, it's self giving love, like that's the very nature of God, is to give himself to us wholly, not in part, in whole. And he has done this, has he not? On the cross. He gave it all.

And you know, if we really stop and think about it, love always requires sacrifice.

I mean, just think about the things that you love. Maybe it's pickleball, you know, it's going to take sacrifice to get better. Yes. But let's think about something higher than sports people. The most valuable, the most valuable beings in our world.

What about them? Doesn't it take sacrifice to stay married? You can say yes right there. It's okay. Jessica will gladly tell you yes, it does a lot of sacrifice for this guy, right?

Like, but being for real, she's had to forgive me at times that really she didn't have to do that. But I thank God she did. And it cost her. It cost her to love me at certain times when other people were against me. And let me tell you, I knew this was gonna happen.

She stood with me, man. You know, like, in fact, in the way I see it in my mind, it was like back in the, you know, Western days. I was in a duel. I was in a duel, okay? And I lost.

And they got shot. But she comes and stands over me with a, you know, maybe an eight gauge sawed off thing. Come and get him, baby. She wasn't going to let you. And she didn't.

She protected me from certain people that I couldn't protect myself from in that moment. And I still see that as sacrificial love for me. In other words, she was willing my good over her own. Now that's one example. We do it with our children.

We do it with our friends. We do it at the level of co worker or other student. Listen, we are called to love God, which requires sacrifice, and others, which requires sacrifice. In fact, Jesus puts it this way. You really can't love God unless you love other people.

You won't be forgiven unless you forgive other people.

If you want to follow Jesus, and we all do in here, I believe, Then deny yourself. You deny yourself. Take up your cross. I don't. Your cross looks different than mine.

Your burden to bear. Those people in your life, that family, that spouse, those children, those friends, those neighbors, that is your cross to bear. It's not just dumb suffering. It's not all suffering. You know, if you have an ulcer, I mean, maybe you drank too many Coca Colas, I don't know.

But suffering, suffering for the sake of Christ, that's what brings about our sanctification. That's what's salvific in this point.

All right, Last thing here. It's the very fabric of reality. Sacrificial love. All the great movies, and I haven't watched them all, but I've watched a lot of, you know, the greats and I know the great stories, right? I promise you, you won't find a great story without sacrificial love at the center.

It's impossible. There's not one that will move you to tears where somebody runs away from the fight as a coward. Nobody says, boy, how courageous. It's ridiculous. Nobody's going to well up with tears.

But when somebody chooses to remain in a foxhole and die with their buddy just so they're not alone, oh boy, I start welling up, at least with tears. Why you talk about the Matrix Lord of the Rings, some of the great trilogies of my own time and upbringing. Harry Potter series. What's at the core? Someone who gives their life for others to be saved.

Huh? Why does that move us? Because it's the very fabric of reality. Because Christ himself set the tone. He's the storyteller.

And that's the truest story ever told. Dear brothers and sisters, if you're going to be happy, sacrificial love awaits you. Will you deny yourself? Take up your cross and follow our Lord to resurrection life? I pray we all do.

And we help each other along the way. May it be so. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen.