“It’s Time To Lose Your Life”

            Matthew 16:21–23 ²¹From 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. ²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³But 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.”

            What are the attributes of a church and how do they differ from being the Church?  A church in at least the last 60 years, give or take a few years, has been a social gathering with the word of God being spoken in it.  Depending on the amount of social events the church primarily exists on Sunday morning.  However, with some social events the church might extend that one hour a week to another hour or two happening through the week.  Most churches grew because of family, and a lot of our churches are run by a family that has had its heritage imbedded into the very beginnings of a church.  This is actually a cross section of churches across the world.  It is very sad, but there are more churches dying across the world then ones starting up and it is easier to start a new church then it is to save a dying church, because the dying church is gripped with the fear of change.

            Peter was in his comfort zone; he had been following Jesus and truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the messiah that everyone had learned about in the Torah (O.T.).  Peter had been by Jesus’ side and was privileged to have one on one discussions with Jesus as did the other twelve apostles.  You can imagine the starry eyed apostles looking on as Jesus performed miracles, taught them to pray to God the Father, and to hear the authority coming from every word that emanated from the mouth of Jesus.  I’m sure the apostles were thinking things are good, it can’t get any better than this, and in their minds and especially Peter’s mind everything should stay this way forever and ever.  Amen!

            Nothing ever stays the same and everything changes as time changes everything.  The only thing that does not change is God and His word.  However, like Peter we think that everything should stay a certain way and never change. Of course, if you were to ask each person to describe this utopia they imagine, each utopia would be a little different.  Whether our utopia is right or wrong, still it is our utopia and we want to impose on God and expect God will keep it that way or at least the pastor will.  After all a pastor is here to do what man wants not what God wants. 

            Peter could not get the idea that Jesus did not come to stay, and that what Jesus was doing with the disciples and especially the apostles, was to prepare them for the life of the Church where Jesus was not going to be with them in the flesh, but rather in Spirit and the Holy Spirit too.  Peter’s agenda was to keep everything the same, and hang on the robe of Jesus for the rest of his life.  This is how we become a hindrance to God who is growing His Church.  Our sinful nature, like Peter’s, gets in the way trying to keep everything the same even when the world around us is changing. Maybe a church should die so that the Church can live.

            Jesus says 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.”  So then, what is the Church?  The Church is the things of God and what it is not is the things of mankind.  We were created to be children of God (The Church) not children of mankind (a church).  It is our sinful nature that turns our thoughts towards those things that are of mankind’s desires and turns us away from Godly desires.

            Matthew 16:24–26 ²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

            Matthew 6:33 ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

            We are so afraid of change and doing it God’s way because and the reason is that we don’t want to give up what we feel is our precious treasures on earth including what we call life.  We are addicted to the world and like any addict we live in denial of our addiction to the world.  If you want to save this life on earth you will lose your life in heaven.  This might sound like you have to give everything up.  Well you’re right, you do and as you put your life in God’s hands you will get everything that you have now that is good back (Matthew 6:33).  You see it’s time to lose your life so that you can gain the real life from God.  Now you have heard the law.

            Matthew 16:27–28 ²⁷For 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. ²⁸Truly, 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.”

            The apostles did see Jesus coming into His kingdom as they stood and watched Jesus ascend into heaven and sit on the right side of God the Father.  But, not until some of them witnessed their Lord and Savior die on the cross as Jesus had told them it would happen.  Jesus could have taken the easy way out and set his mind on the things of man, but where would salvation be?  Jesus set His mind on the things of God and for what reason?  His reason was to bring salvation to the creation that was separated from God the Father through sin.  And the reasoning behind saving what was separated from God?  God’s good and wise reasoning is because we belong to Him and we do not belong to the devil, and we do not belong to our sinful nature. 

            We belong in the love of God as His children and through Jesus Christ suffering and dying on the cross we are adopted back as His children.  God looks at us His children and sees our struggle with sin and through Christ He sympathized, and empathized with us to give us His love through His grace and mercy.  Isn’t this awesome and great?  Through Christ we are His body, we are His Church, and the things of God.  Amen.