Pastor Shawn lead us into our next week of the series, The Read Letters, as he taught from Matthew 16 about "Things Jesus said about Identity."
Pastor Shawn began by jumping back a few verses in Matthew 16 to help give context for the anchor text of today's message, Matthew 16:24-26.
In Matthew 16: 13-23, we see that Jesus had taken his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, a region very close to the Old Testament city of Dan. Here, King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon, was faced with a decision to make about how he would rule the people of Isreal. A group of advisors suggested he "muscle up, let them know who's boss, and rule with absolute power and authority." Another group of advisors suggested, "If you serve them, they will serve you all the days of their lives" (1 Kings 12:7). Pastor Shawn continued, "Rehoboam had a choice: be a servant leader or a bullying politician. And unfortunately, he chose the route of controlling, authoritative bully that ultimately led the people to rebel."
Now, in Matthew 16, at this very same spot, we see Jesus has to decide if he is going to listen to his disciple Peter, who goes from one minute calling him the Messiah to the next rebuking him. He's so off-base that Jesus calls out Satan's influence in his words. Jesus chose to be the servant leader and not the bullying politician. Up until that point, the world had only known the latter. Now Jesus would model a whole new way.
If we want to live and lead like Jesus, we must begin with denying ourselves.
1. Live for God and Others
It is easy for us to make life all about ourselves, but to follow Jesus is to do the opposite. When we live for God and others, it is anything but comfortable, but it is worth it. The best stories we'll tell the generations after us are not the ones of comfort and ease, but the ones where we overcame adversity because of what God did while we pursued Him and others.
Pastor Shawn then challenged us that comfort is what stands in the way of us doing things for others and with God: joining a group, pursuing reconciliation, turning a blind eye to injustice, and shying away from inviting a friend to know Jesus. But, with Jesus, there is another way...
2. Embodying Love and Sacrifice
Pastor Shawn said, "The cross isn't merely what Jesus did for us. It is what he modeled for us. Being a follower of Jesus is not just about receiving what Jesus did; it's imitating how He lived." In a world that takes, Jesus invites us to give. In a world that condemns, Jesus invites us to forgive. When we are radically loving, we are mirroring God's radical love. We reflect that "for God so loved the world that He gave..." Our love and sacrifice is a reflex in response to His loving sacrifice first.
This radical love is not just for the individual but for society as a whole. As Jesus died to atone for our personal sins, so we die to reverse the effects of sin in our society, families, and communities.
If we confess Jesus as Lord, we are obligated to follow His example.
3. As We Follow Jesus
Following Jesus means choosing His ways over our own. It means surrendering to His leading even when it doesn't make sense.
Pastor Shawn made a powerful illustration. He placed the Bible on the ground and suggested that if we are not careful, we can see ourselves as the authority over God's Word. He then held the Bible over his head and said that if we are honest, oftentimes there is a conflict between our lives and what the Word of God says. If we submit our lives to Jesus, then our lives must adjust to His word, not the other way around. "If God never challenges you or your thinking in any way, it is very possible that you are making God into your image instead of submitting your life to be formed into His."
In conclusion, Pastor Shawn read Matthew 16:25-26, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"
Following Jesus is the path to everything that matters for eternity, and it is a bad trade to gain the whole world and forfeit your soul. It isn't easy. The best things in life are most often on the other side of the hard, the difficult and the sacrifice. Even still, we can live for God and others, embodying love and sacrifice as we follow Jesus.
