Through Death We Find Life: Matthew 16:21-28 (Sermon)
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SEEDS
What are all of these (Pinecone, Acorn, …)? They are all seeds. Jesus said something to the effect, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it bears no fruit.” There is a poetic sense that when a seed falls off a tree that had been giving it life, it dies. The seed will travel by gravity, animal, or harvest. Someone or something may throw it out, land on the ground, be buried, and sprout over time to become a tree. Jesus used this process to talk about himself and discipleship. Another way to say it is that through death, one finds life. In our passage, Jesus will show us this in various ways. When he states something about this personally, his star disciple rejects the thought. Why? Jesus said he was man-centered in this thinking, not God-centered. His apprentice Peter did not understand that Through death, one finds life. This passage and our time this morning can help us see what Peter did not and help us move towards it.
TEXT
If you have a Bible, turn to Matthew chapter 16, verse 21. T.B. and L.C. are going to read for us this morning. Please stand with me in honor of God’s Word.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from 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, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:21–28 (ESV)
PRAYER
Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for your Word. Enlive our soul. Fix our gaze on you and your heavenly kingdom. Help us follow wherever you lead. In Jesus’s name, we pray. AMEN. You may be seated.
CONTEXT
Jesus is the king that God had promised. He came to save his people from their sins. His people and kingdom were not what those around him expected. His people were and are those who hear his words and obey them. His kingdom was and is a heavenly one. It is already here in part, yet it will be complete at the end of the age. While Jesus walked the earth, the Pharisees and Sadducees, religious leaders, opposed him and his kingdom. The crowds flocked to him. The twelve followed day and night for three years, absorbing his teaching, observing his ministry, and trying to learn what they could.
LAST WEEK
Last week, we read how the religious leaders came to Jesus and tested him. They said they wanted a sign, and Jesus said he would give them one, the sign of Jonah. What did that mean? Jonah was a prophet who was swallowed up and stuck in the belly of a fish for three days. God saved him to proclaim a message of repentance for salvation to those far off. After that encounter, Jesus left Galilee, taking the disciples north thirty-five miles to Caesarea Philippi. There, it was Jesus’s turn to offer an exam. He tested his twelve with the question: “Who do people say I am?” They answered. His second question was more personal: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered on behalf of others, “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Exactly. Because of that answer, Jesus nicknamed him the rock, not just the rock, but also the foundation of the early church. He had the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He had a message that gave access to God and one that, if rejected, denied it. In an ironic twist, in our passage, we read that Peter was not perfect and was also a very different kind of rock.
STRUCTURE
These verses naturally break into two sections, but they are intimately connected.
Section 1 - 16:21-23 - Jesus Revealed His Death and Resurrection
Section 2 - 16:24-28 - Jesus Revealed Discipleship’s Direction
Jesus told the disciples he would suffer, die, and rise as he headed to Jerusalem. Peter rebuked him for this pronouncement, and Jesus rebuked him back. Jesus turned to all the disciples and said that those who wanted to save their lives would lose them and vice versa. Remember this: Through death, one finds life.
MAIN IDEA
Jesus is on a mission that involves death and life and challenges us to join him. The author, Matthew, would listen. He lost his life following Jesus. Tradition states he died from a spear wound in a church service around AD 60. As to the other disciples, Thomas was speared to death. James, son of Zebedee, was beheaded. James, son of Alphaeus, Judas, (not) Iscariot, and Matthias were stoned. Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, and Simon were all crucified. And Peter was too, but he was crucified upside down. Through death, they entered eternal life. They were not the only ones or the last ones to die for their faith in Jesus. During the previous 2000 years, an estimated 70 million Christians have lost their lives following the Lord. Today, brothers and sisters in the Lord face the threat of death worldwide.
OPEN DOORS
According to the website OPEN Doors, 5,621 people died last year for their Christian convictions. (https://www.air1.com/news/faith/open-doors-2023-world-watch-list-what-persecution-christians-face-sobering-content-39564 ). If this trend doesn’t change, fifteen people doing what you are doing now will die tomorrow. Let that sink in. OPEN doors states;
Persecution of Christians has continued to intensify globally, reaching the highest levels….
More than 360 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.
This number represents 1 in 7 Christians worldwide.
That would be like ten or eleven of you facing persecution. The numbers are lopsided. There is little to no persecution for a part of the world, while elsewhere, it is constant. Does that mean that Jesus’s word to take up one’s cross does not matter for us who exercise our faith without reprisal? No. You and I have daily opportunities to die to self and live for Jesus. Jesus had a broader meaning than just physical death for one’s faith.
POINT 1
Let’s zoom into our verses and see this play out. Look at verse 21.
“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21, ESV).
This is a turning point. At this point in the biography, Jesus showed that he had to go to the capital, suffer, die, and rise. He will say as much three other times, 17:22-23, 20:17-19, 26:2. We repeat what is essential. This is important, mission-critical, and central to his purpose for being on Earth. Jesus was born to die and rise.
REACTION
How did the disciples receive this? It was not what they were thinking. Why do I believe that? In another biographical account, James and John asked Jesus to sit at the places of honor when he came to power. They thought he was going to rule like a king. They wanted to be his right and left-hand men. Jesus corrected them. They got it wrong. They didn’t understand his kingdom.
PETER
Peter got this wrong, too. We see it in our passage. Look at verse 22.
“And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you’” (Matthew 16:22, ESV).
Peter didn’t want Jesus to suffer. Who really would, other than the Pharisees and Sadducees? The brutality he faced was utterly unjust. It was evil. It was the worst atrocity in all of human history. However, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will bear no fruit. Suffering was part of the plan. God sovereignly ordained this path. Why? Through death, one finds life.
JESUS
Notice what Jesus said back in verse 23.
“But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matthew 16:23, ESV).
You may recognize the irony if you were here a few weeks ago or read this context. Jesus had praised Peter a few verses before. Then, in verse 23, what does he name him? [Satan.] He was a hindrance or, in other words, a stumbling block. The rock was a tripping hazard for Jesus, not a foundation for the church. In these couple of verses, we see that Peter was not perfect. He was not the Savior; Jesus was.
What was Peter’s problem? Jesus explained,
“But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matthew 16:23, ESV).
Peter did not recall the prophetic texts of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. He forgot about the sign of Jonah that Jesus used to explain himself at the beginning of chapter 16. He may not have understood the signal. I don’t think I would have.
This interaction seems similar to Matthew chapter 4. Satan offered Jesus the world, and Jesus rebuked him back. Jesus came to earth to lose his life and gain the souls of all who would repent and believe. It was his plan from before the foundation of the world. He explained that Peter’s problem was his focus. He was looking at the things of men, not God. What did that mean?
This brings us to the second scene and an answer to our question.
BACK TO THE BASICS
Look at verse 24.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it’” (Matthew 16:24–25, ESV).
He said something similar in chapter 10.
“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38–39, ESV).
This is the upside-down kingdom. What seems risky, dangerous, and costly can be the best decision and direction, even though it may not look like it. Through death, we find life.
Keep a marker in chapter 16 of Matthew. Let’s go to one of Paul’s letters to the church in Colossae. The letter of Colossians parallels the two contrasting pursuits. Look at Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1–2, ESV).
If we keep reading, Paul contrasts things of the earth and things above using putting-to-death language. Look at chapter 3, verse 5.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another. (Colossians 3:5–9, ESV)
These are earthly. They are like the house of Slytherin from Harry Potter or the dark side from Star Wars. That being the case, thinking this way can include selfishness, pride, worry, gluttony, lust, and complaints. What do you seek? From last week’s message, are you pursuing your kingdom or God’s? What does it look like to seek the things above or have a Godward perspective? Paul continues his thoughts in verse 12.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV)
Peter focused on the wrong mission and vision. It is easy to do. Let me illustrate from a spoof news article out of Indianapolis, Indiana, dateline September 4th, 2022:
“Local woman Sabrina McKenzie asked her husband to please go on an epic quest of mythologic proportions, since he was already up anyways to go to the bathroom.
“Babe, since you’re up already,” began Mrs. McKenzie, as her husband froze in fear. “Can you grab me a glass of water? Oh, and while you’re at it, follow this ancient map across many leagues to Fire Mountain, climb the treacherous peak, and retrieve a feather from the Hawk of Destiny, of which the old legends speak?”
Mr. McKenzie begrudgingly took the ancient map, well aware of the rules surrounding out-of-bed errands. “I learned early on in marriage that if the husband gets out of bed, no request is off limits. I brought this on myself,” said Mr. McKenzie as he packed rations for the journey. “It always starts with asking for a glass of water, then next thing you know it’s ‘honey, can you build an extension on the garage since you’re already up?’ Better get to it.”
Sources say Mr. McKenzie did in fact return several months later with a feather from the Hawk of Destiny, but Mrs. McKenzie quickly informed him that he was supposed to get one from “the other Fire Mountain.” (https://babylonbee.com/news/wife-asks-you-to-get-her-a-water-nail-clippers-and-magical-feather-from-mythical-bird-atop-fire-mountain-as-long-as-youre-up )
That is hilarious and yet relevant. God challenges us to join him on a mission to die to “self.” We husbands can joyfully do this, even if it seems extreme. Being extreme means we might evidence Jesus’s love better. This isn’t just for bedtime sacrifices or men. We can demonstrate Christ’s self-sacrificial love daily to our children, bosses, employees, customers, students, neighbors, and enemies. Friends, the gospel is seen through loving sacrifice. Set your mind on the things above. When we struggle to obey, it is an opportunity to see where the Holy Spirit has work to do. We are all works in progress. None of us have arrived. God is not finished refining us and making us increasingly into little Jesus’s ambassadors of humility and grace. Paul wrote in Philippians.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3–8, ESV)
God calls us to remember that Jesus died, not because we are perfect. We are sinners who will continue to sin. Yet, he loves us. He died to forgive us, equip us, and slowly transform us as we move toward him.
This is what I reminded myself this week when one of my kids asked to do something while I was in the middle of work. I didn’t have a great attitude. I didn’t have a joyful heart. I was anxious about whatever I was working on and angry at being interrupted. But God loved me so much that he died for my sinful nature. He knows the future. I don’t surprise him. Yet he loves me still. And I am convinced that he loves you, too. Why do I say that? He loves you to death. Through death, one finds life.
Matthew and Paul don’t want us to stay fixated on living our best lives now.
They want us to focus on God. Where is your focus?
Are you more like Jesus, living in a compassionate, kind, humble, patient, loving, and thankful way, or like Peter, living in an earthly one?
God gives us help in the Colossians, reminding us of what he did. We can forgive because he forgave. We can show mercy because God has shown us mercy. We can love because he loved us. I need reminders of God’s grace daily, do you?
THREE REASONS
God gives us help in verse 26 of chapter 16. Although we don’t want to live our spiritual lives only on a cerebral level, some cognitive truths are vital for us to recall. Here are three.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:26–27, ESV)
First QUESTION
The first in the form of a question.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
The answer: there is no profit. Suppose you gain the whole world and lose your soul. Jim Elliot was a missionary who lost his life sharing his faith with the Auca Indians in Ecuador on January 8th, 1956. In his journal, he wrote, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” You aren’t a fool to sacrifice something of little value to gain something of more excellent value. You are smart. Let’s play this out. Imagine the Devil offers you sole proprietorship of Amazon or Walmart or the most recent Powerball ticket of 1.72 billion dollars. Would you take him up on that at the price of your soul? You would be a fool to do so. Don’t bargain with the Devil like Robert Johnson or Faust. Satan is a liar, and souls live or die forever. You don’t profit from gaining the whole world.
SECOND QUESTION
As to the second question Jesus posited was, “Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Answer: Nothing. Psalm 49 answers this in part,
Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
that he should live on forever
and never see the pit. (Psalm 49:7–9, ESV)
You can’t give up your life to save another’s soul. Is there a way to secure heaven through your self-denial? Was that what Jesus was getting at? I don’t think so. Why do I say that? The letter to Romans eliminates this works-based salvation interpretation. It tells us that the wage of our sin and rebellion against God is death (Romans 6:23). We are debtors to God, living on spiritual death row. We need mercy and grace. We can’t pay anything to secure heaven. We have broken his rules. We can’t undo what we have done. We can’t pay the price of our soul. So, what are we to do? There is someone who can. Through death, we find life. The rest of the Romans verse states, “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We give up our lives because he gave up his. I think Jesus wanted us to recognize that souls are so valuable that what he offers is something no one else can. You can’t pay for the price of your soul. We have life everlasting by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
LAST STATEMENT
Then, we get to Jesus’s last reason to help us weigh the value of taking up a cross or forfeiting our prerogatives.
“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27, ESV).
Let this statement sink in.
“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27, ESV).
That is good and bad news for us. God’s justice is good when it comes to the evil in the world. Who doesn’t want to see those who have abused children and women face wrath? However, regarding my sin, I want lenience, not repayment. I want mercy. Mercy is mine because, through Jesus’s death, I have life. God’s justice was satisfied at the cross. God will repay all at the end of time as we know it. He rewards acts of righteousness and justice done in secret. Some, he will repay with punishment and others with bliss. Ultimately, this is not a way one works to get to heaven but an out-pouring response to the mercy and compassion given to us through Jesus. Is this payment good news for you or a bit scary? It doesn’t have to be. Jesus invites us to be meek, poor in spirit, mourn our sinful past, hunger, and thirst for rightness with God. Jesus died so that all who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let’s take a quick moment to look at verse 28. Some of Jesus’s disciples would see him come into his kingdom. What does this verse mean? This one puzzled me. I changed my mind on the interpretation this week. I read a couple of scholars and now think this refers to the transfiguration, which we will read next week. Even the pastors disagreed with each other over this. Some experts believe it is the resurrection, others Pentecost, and others think it refers to the second coming of Jesus. More options exist with varying degrees of merit. Let’s stick with what we know and what is evident. Jesus suffered, died, and rose. He calls us to join him. He came to save us from sin and reward those who follow him. He is coming back. Time is running out. He wants us to be God-centered rather than man-centered. Through death, we find life. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. Will you?
HAITI - INTERVIEW - ANNOUNCEMENTS -
To illustrate that through death, we find life, I want to have L. H. come up here and share something with us. In 2017, L. was the president of a ministry called HSM, the Haitian Support Ministry. L. took a team to Haiti from our church. I was there. I know that some of you went at other times. Fred went once. Haiti is ⅓ the size of Michigan but a little larger in population. They have about 11 million people. More than half that population lives on less than one dollar a day. The Voodoo religion and corruption plague the country in unspeakable ways. In January 2020, we planned a trip to Haiti and canceled it because our government told us not to travel there. On July 7th, 2021, armed men entered the Haitian president’s home and assassinated him. Since that time, the country has been run by gangs. On July 27th of this year, the US State Department ordered the non-emergency embassy staff to evacuate. Two weeks ago, L.H. a and I got this text.
L., tell us about this person.
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