Jonathan is currently a Master of Divinity student at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and wants to become an ordained pastor upon graduation. Till then, this blog is in honor of his Dad, the real Pastor Romig. Please do not preach this sermon, but feel free to quote it using proper attribution (aff link).“Jesus, thank you for your love and forgiveness;” I repeated, “I promise to serve you forever." It was the shortest conversion in history because two minutes later I told my brother I didn’t want to be a Christian anymore.
As I prayed the prayer I realized that if I became a Christian I would become Jesus’ slave And if you’ve seen the Prince of Egypt or the Ten Commandments you know slaves are bald. I did not want to be bald. Even at the age of four I understood there is a cost to following Jesus.
Scripture tells us the story of the man Peter who needed to learn the cost of following Jesus. Peter needed to learn Jesus’ terms for Christianity. We need to learn those terms as well. Let’s read to Matthew 16:13-20.
I like Peter. He’ such a likable guy. He and his brother Andrew grew up on the edge of the Sea of Galilee in Bethsaida. To give you an idea the type of place Bethsaida was the name literally means, “house of fish.”[1] Peter probably grew up fishing and smelling like day old fish-bait. His Dad’s name was “Jonah” so I bet his friends teased him about a big fish swallowing his dad.
When Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” Peter knew the lingo. He followed Jesus and became the ringleader of the twelve disciples. He wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus hard questions. And he had enough faith to walk on water till his fears got the best of him and he sank. Peter is human like us and Jesus loves him. So what does God do?
God reveals to Peter that Jesus is the “Christ.”
People are saying all sorts of things about Jesus (16:14). I imagine Peter heard all the different theories. Some are saying he’s a Baptist. Others think maybe he’s a prophet or the next big teacher. They think he’s Rick Warren or John Piper or James Dobson John MacArthur. The people know he’s big but they don’t know how big. But Peter knows how big Jesus is. Peter followed John the Baptist before becoming Jesus’ disciple (John 1:40). John the Baptist was all about the coming Messiah and Peter was too.
When Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter says “the Christ” it is the only recorded confession of Jesus as the “Christ”in the gospel[2](16:16). “Christ” is a term for “Messiah,” which means, “anointed one.” Samuel anointed both Saul and David before they became the kings of Israel. This means that Jesus is God’s anointed king and heir to the throne of David.
Who do you think is the established king of Israel in that day? The nation is under Rome’s imperial thumb and the people are itching for freedom. Most of the Jewish people were rather anti-Roman at that time. And if the Messiah had risen up they would have fought for him in a heartbeat. It’s like it hasn’t rained for months in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The beetle kill forest just needs one spark and it will all go up in flames.
Even Peter probably had a desire for Jesus to lead the rebellion. He knew God sent Jesus as the Messiah. But he was confused about what type of kingdom Jesus was to bring. So Jesus begins to explain the nature of his kingdom (Read Matthew 16:21-23).
The text says, “From that Time Jesus began to show to his disciples…”(16:21). Once Peter understood Jesus was the king of Israel Jesus begins to clarify what this means. But when Jesus stated who he is and what he’s about what is Peter’s response? Does he accept Jesus’ as he presents himself?
Jesus revealed to Peter the sacrificial nature of his kingdom.
The cost of Christ’s kingdom was different then Peter expected. Peter and the rest of the nation expected a conquering king. With Jesus on their side he could make loaves and they’d be just fine. They might lose a few men but that was an acceptable sacrifice. But Jesus is about a different type of sacrifice. Isaiah 52:13–53:12 foretells Jesus as the suffering servant, “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”(53:3a). Instead of conquering through violence Jesus came to conquer through the humble cross.
It wasn’t that Peter didn’t understand the price of the cross. It was that he understood all-to-well the price of the cross. The cross was a Roman torture device meant to make death slow and painful. Nothing about the cross said “conquering king.” Everything about the cross said “defeat and shame.”
God reveals the nature of his kingdom on his terms and Peter rejects it (Matt 16:22). Peter decides that God’s kingdom should not be one of sacrifice. God’s kingdom should include belief in Christ and comfort in life. Peter is unwilling to follow Jesus because the terms are bad (the cross). So Peter tempts Jesus to join the comfortable kingdom. The devil tempted Jesus in the desert this way too (Matt 4:10).
And how does Jesus respond to Peter? “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men”(Matt 16:23).
A better translation for “you are an offense” is “you are a stumbling block”(NET). Jesus just told Peter he is the rock upon which God will build his church. Now he’s rebuking Peter by saying he is the stone that could ruin everything.
How many of us are just like Peter? Have we submitted to Christ’s call on his terms or our terms? When I choose to follow Christ my way who is really Lord? If Jesus heard our terms for following him would he say, “Get behind Me, Satan”?
One Friday night in college I joined my friends at the bar. (In my defense our senior pastor is currently at Sturgis). As the sober Pastor’s son I am I volunteered to be the designated driver that night.
One of my friends, we’ll call him Derek, bought most of the drinks. As the evening got later his stomach got fuller until he couldn’t take anymore. As I helped him recover in the men’s facilities he decided to take off his shirt. I’m not sure why he did that but it made sense to him.
That’s when I saw Derek had a giant cross with Jesus tattooed on his back. A few Latin words were inscribed above the cross. I asked Derek what the words meant. He told me what it meant but that I should know because I was religious.
Derek literally had a cross with Jesus tattooed across his back but nothing about his lifestyle or desire said he would ever give up anything to honor Jesus. He wanted Jesus on his terms and he wanted nothing else.
He knew cool Latin Bible verses but he didn’t know anything about God. Not many of us are getting sick in a bar on a Friday night. But knowing lots of Bible facts and not surrendering to Christ smells just as bad.
But Jesus’ terms can’t be that bad can they? Matthew 11:28 & 30 say, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest […] For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” God bears the burden of our sin and life but this doesn’t mean it costs nothing to follow him. Scripture tells of a specific cost to following Jesus (Read Matthew 16:24).
It costs everything to follow Christ on his terms.
The desire to give up everything and follow Jesus must come from the heart (16:24). Matthew 16:24 says, “If anyone desires to come after Me.” God is calling those who “want to become [his] follower”(NET). Giving up everything for Jesus is not about “behavior modification.” It’s about the heart.
Jesus wants us to be so enamored with him that our natural response it to deny ourselves, take our crosses, and follow him. We can only follow Christ out of love and gratitude for his sacrifice on the cross. But we have to ask ourselves what our heart motivation is. Do we follow him because we have to or because we get to?
So what does it mean to give up everything for Christ?
First, in our love for Christ we must deny ourselves (16:24). Jesus loves us so much he gave us the option to forsake ourselves. But forsaking ourselves isn’t easy. When we follow Jesus we have to stop putting ourselves 1st. We must deny our self-esteem so we may esteem Christ 1st. We must deny our self-pity so we may be thankful for what Christ is doing 1st. We must deny our self-righteousness so we may be righteous in Christ 1st. We must deny our self-pride so we that we may boast in Christ 1st. We must deny our self-reliance so we can rely on Christ 1st. We must deny anything that honors us 1st. There can only be one #1 and it can’t be us.
Second, in our love for Christ we must freely take up our crosses (16:24). The cross can’t just be tattooed on our backs. We must willingly have the cross tattooed on our hearts. The cross means complete death to self. But the cross also means complete life in Christ.
Plenty of people deny themselves but not many take up the cross. It’s not denying ourselves for the sake of not wanting anything but denying ourselves for the overwhelming desire of Christ.
The cross is not something we walk over to get into eternity. Jesus is serious about this when he said, “And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me”(Matthew 10:38).
Third, in our love for Christ we must follow him daily (Luke 9:23). Both denying self and taking up our crosses are past actions. They are a definite moment when we say, “goodbye self I live for Jesus.” We can’t live for Jesus daily until they take place. Otherwise we’re just serving ourselves again and calling it religion. Following after Christ has a beginning and is a continual pursuit. Christ doesn’t want a one-day relationship. His terms require are a lifelong relationship with you.
Mother Teresa had to learn to follow Jesus on his terms. She was twelve years old when she heard God’s call to become a Catholic nun. So she did what every twelve year old does and prayed about it for six years. She entered the sisterhood at eighteen and trained in Ireland and India.
She spent the next 17 years as a teacher. She liked what she did. She felt comfortable being godly. But one day on a train ride Jesus shook things up. He told her to “abandon” what she was doing and go to the city slums. People were dying in the streets and she was to help them. She was to meet their physical needs as she clothed and fed them. And she was to meet their spiritual needs as she told them about Jesus.
Mother Teresa had a choice. She could follow Jesus her way and do what she’d always done. Or in her love for Jesus she could deny herself, take up her cross, and follow. Mother Teresa obeyed and moved to the city to live and work in poverty. The nun from Calcutta gave her life to Christ on his terms. The world will never be the same. It costs everything to follow Christ on his terms.
Following Christ costs everything. But maybe it’s you’re honest confession that this is simply not where you are. Maybe you’re heart just isn’t ready. This is why we have to understand the consequences of our choices (Read Matthew 16:25-27).
Our desires put our souls at risk.
If our desire is for this life we will lose it (16:25a). If our focus is on this life and its possessions we’re living for something that will one day be trashed or deleted. If we do this life on our terms instead of God’s terms we will gain nothing.
If we don’t like Jesus there is always a different ruler with easier terms. Satan’s terms are quite simple. It’s an easy exchange. Your soul for your way (16:26). And for the next few years you will get it your way. Until one final day you will never get anything your way again.
If our desire is for Christ’s life we will find it (16:25b). Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we receive a heart that seeks Christ. Call out to God for his mercy in this area. Call out to God to soften our hearts. Call out to God for a fresh desire to love our Lord.
God still has terms but his are much better. It’s not just your soul for his way. It’s his son for your soul. This is not our way but his way and it’s a good way.
God will reward hearts that deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him. God redeemed Peter and out of love for his savior he became that church rock Christ spoke of (16:18). He learned just what it means to follow Jesus when he spent the next thirty years of his life spreading the gospel in faith. Tradition claims Nero crucified Peter upside-down because he felt too unworthy to be crucified like his savior.[3] Peter finished well.
Through faith and love in Christ we may begin well. Through honoring God on his terms we may continue well. And through the mercies and grace of God we will end well.
Adoniram Judson was a brilliant man from an early age.[4] He learned Latin and Greek by the time he turned 10 and he enjoyed studying theology. He enrolled in Brown when he was 16 and graduated as Valedictorian when he was 19. While attending Brown he became friends with a nonbeliever named Jacob Eames. Jacob didn’t like Adoniram’s faith and did everything he could to squelch his faith.
After graduating Adoniram tried his hands at various things but didn’t find anything that fit. Finally, he gave up and headed out west to do whatever he could. He stopped at an inn for the evening but a man upstairs was dying and Adoniram couldn’t sleep. In the morning he asked who had died, and he found out it was his friend Jacob Eames. Jacob Eames lived for himself and his desires and he died in those desires.
This was Adoniram’s wakeup call. He returned home, committed his life to the Lord, and went to Andover seminary.
While there he heard God’s call to missions. But that wasn’t the only call he heard. His family wanted him to become a pastor in Boston. He was torn between staying and serving man’s way or going and serving God’s way. So he followed Christ around the world as one of the first Baptist missionaries to Burma.
He could have given up when he worked for six years without a single convert. He could have given up when his baby son died. He could have given up when he was imprisoned for two years tied upside-down at night. He could have given up in prison as he translated the Bible into Burmese. He could have given up when his wife and daughter died. He could have given up everything and gone home.
But he could not give up anying. Because he had already given up everything to Christ. Adoniram Judson understood long before he ever crossed the sea that Christ costs everything. But do we understand that Christ costs everything?
Do we as believers have our “fire-insurance” and that’s all there is to it? If we are honestly unwilling to give everything for Christ then we must examine our hearts. Adoniram could not have lived and died as a missionary to Burma without a deep love for Jesus. We cannot live and die as missionaries to cities, schools, and neighborhoods without a deep love for Jesus. Our motivation to obey must begin in a genuine love for him.
We cannot follow Christ on our terms. We must follow Christ on his terms. And they are costly terms. Christ costs everything.
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[1] Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (196). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[1] Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (196). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A commentary on the Greek text (661). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
[3] Gangel, K. O. (2000). Vol. 4: John. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (395). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=43
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