Sermon Transcript – The One Who Took Up His Cross For Us

Series A – Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost – Sunday, August 31, 2014 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota.
We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:
Intro bumper
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0:27The holy Gospel
0:29According to Saint Matthew chapter 16
0:31verses 13-28 when Jesus came to the
0:35region of caesarea Philippi he asked his
0:38disciples who do people say the son of
0:41man is they replied well some say John
0:45the Baptist others Elijah and still
0:48others Jeremiah are one of the prophets
0:51but what about you he asked who do you
0:53say that I am Simon Peter answered
0:56you’re the Christ the son of the Living
0:59God Jesus replied blessed are you Simon
1:02son of Jonah for this was not revealed
1:04to you by man but by my Father in heaven
1:07and I tell you that you are Peter and on
1:10this rock I will build my church in the
1:12gates of Hades will not overcome it I
1:15will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of
1:16Heaven whatever you bind on Earth will
1:19be bound in heaven and whatever you
1:20loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven
1:22and then he warned his disciples not to
1:25tell anyone that he was the Christ and
1:27from that time on Jesus began to explain
1:29to his disciples that he must go to
1:31Jerusalem and suffer many things at the
1:33hands of the elders the chief priests
1:35and the teachers of the law and that he
1:37must be killed and on the third day be
1:39raised to life Peter took him aside and
1:42began to rebuke him never Lord he said
1:44this shall never happen to you
1:47Jesus turned and said to Peter get
1:49behind me Satan
1:51you are a stumbling block to me you do
1:54not have in mind the things of God but
1:56the things of men then Jesus said to his
1:59disciples if anyone would come after me
2:02he must deny himself
2:05take up his cross and follow me for
2:08whoever wants to save his life will lose
2:10it but whoever loses his life for me
2:13will find it what good will it be for a
2:16man if he gains the whole world yet
2:18forfeits his soul or what can a man give
2:21in exchange for his soul
2:24for the son of man is going to come in
2:26his father’s Glory with his angels and
2:28then he will reward each person
2:29according to what he has done I tell you
2:31the truth some who are standing here
2:33will not taste death before they see the
2:36son of man coming in his kingdom
2:38this is the gospel of the Lord
2:44Jesus has taken the disciples North
2:47he’s taken him out of Israel to a pagan
2:49Gentile city known for its pagan worship
2:52of many different deities and they had
2:54the city had at one time been named for
2:56the Pagan God pan but recently at the
3:00time of Jesus its name had been changed
3:01by Philip II in honor of Caesar Augustus
3:05yeah hence the name caesarea Philippi
3:09it’s named after Caesar and then the in
3:11the Greek Philippi is of Philip so that
3:14way people can distinguish it from the
3:16other caesareas because cities wanted to
3:18be named after the Caesar so caesarea
3:21Philippi is its new name and you could
3:25literally say that caesarea Philippi was
3:27a city with many gods and many lords so
3:31it’s here that Jesus chose to press the
3:34issue and to answer once and for all the
3:36burning question who is Jesus now up to
3:41this point that Jesus has been doing
3:43things that make people go hmm this guy
3:47is more more than meets the eye right
3:49and at one point just a couple chapters
3:52early remember when Jesus was walking on
3:54the water the disciples realized that
3:57they’re dealing with God in human flesh
3:58and they worship Jesus and proclaimed
4:00him truly to be the Son of God well
4:02there’s a little bit more going on here
4:04so Jesus asked his disciples kind of the
4:06opening question who do people say the
4:09son of man is now he’s not exactly
4:12directly asking them who he is in fact
4:16in Jesus day son of man was kind of this
4:19Messianic code word okay so there was
4:22Messianic implications and so the rabbis
4:25and the different sex within Judaism
4:27would talk about this who do you think
4:29the son of man is and this is a
4:31reference back to Daniel chapter 7
4:33verses 13 through 14. let me read from
4:35Daniel’s prophecy Daniel writes he says
4:38in my vision at night I looked and there
4:40before me was one like a son of man
4:43coming with the Clouds Of Heaven he
4:46approached the Ancient of Days and and
4:48was led into his presence now the
4:49Ancient of Days is God the father right
4:51so here we’ve got this one like the son
4:53of man and he’s a he’s approached the
4:55Ancient of Days and was led into his
4:57presence and listen to this the son of
4:59man was given Authority glory and
5:01Sovereign Power Over All Peoples Nations
5:03and Men of every language they worshiped
5:06him his Dominion is an everlasting
5:08Dominion that will not pass away and his
5:10kingdom is one that will never be
5:11destroyed
5:13so Jesus asked the question who do
5:15people say the son of man is well this
5:17is the code word at this time and
5:19theologically speaking people kind of do
5:21this today not regarding the son of man
5:22because we now know who the son of man
5:24is it’s Jesus but in our day we like to
5:27play what I call the game of pin the
5:29tail on the Antichrist right we want to
5:31pin the tail on the Lawless one I
5:33remember years ago when I was working at
5:34a bank in Seattle we had a Vietnam
5:36veteran who would come in and he was
5:39disabled and every month he would get
5:41his disability check from the government
5:43and he’d come in to cash it and I
5:44remember one day he looked at me and he
5:46says hey Chris do you think that Nancy
5:49Reagan is the Antichrist
5:52I thought that was a bizarre question
5:54anyway so you know when people kind of
5:57the way we speculate regarding the
5:59Antichrist is the way the people back
6:00then were speculating regarding the
6:02Messiah keep in mind they didn’t have
6:04the New Testament at the time so will
6:05some say well John the Baptist others
6:08Elijah still others Jeremiah or one of
6:10the prophets no consensus right
6:13so now Jesus turns the tables a little
6:15bit but what about you he asked who you
6:18say that I am
6:21Simon Peter dancer
6:23you are the Christ the son of the Living
6:26God now there it is
6:28a few chapters earlier the discipleside
6:30confessed that Jesus is after Jesus
6:31walked on the water and calmed the storm
6:33on the Sea of Galilee that he was the
6:34son of God they worshiped Jesus as God
6:37but now the other shoe drops Peter
6:39confesses that Jesus is both the Son of
6:42God and the Messiah the anointed one the
6:46promised one the one who would redeem
6:48and save Israel the promised one
6:50promised in the garden who would be this
6:51seed of the woman and the one who would
6:54crush the head of the serpent that’s who
6:55Peter is confessing Jesus to be so this
6:58is the pivotal moment in Matthew’s
6:59gospel now before you give Peter props
7:02for his shrewd Insight keep in mind
7:04Jesus replied blessed are you Simon son
7:07of Jonah for this was not revealed to
7:09you by man but by my Father in Heaven
7:12this is direct Revelation from God the
7:14father so it’s not that Peter is so
7:15smart it’s that this was revealed to him
7:18so now this was not because Peter was so
7:21clever we got that part so what Jesus
7:24says next is has come to be one of the
7:26most abused and misapplied scriptures in
7:28all of Christendom and here’s what it
7:30says and I tell you that you are Peter
7:32and on this rock I will build my church
7:34and the gates of Hades or you can say
7:36the Gates of Hell will not overcome it
7:37so here’s the question is Jesus here
7:40saying that he’s making Peter the
7:41foundation of the church is Jesus
7:44separating Peter out and setting him in
7:46a special office as the chief of the
7:48Apostles and does this office continue
7:50to this day answer no and the Greek
7:53makes this very clear in a way that gets
7:55lost in our English translations now a
7:58little bit of a Greek lesson and I
7:59apologize for the nerdiness of this but
8:01I hope you’ll make sense okay Greek is
8:03an inflected language unlike English
8:06English is not inflected and in Greek
8:09nouns have genders okay they can either
8:12be masculine nouns or feminine nouns or
8:15neuter nouns okay and so in that sense
8:18you know Greek is similar to a lot of
8:21languages on the earth including Spanish
8:22now any of you know just a little bit of
8:24Spanish just to be dangerous yeah I do
8:26too okay if I’m lost in in Mexico I can
8:30ask where the bathroom is and I can also
8:31insult your family that’s about all I
8:33can do in Spanish okay yeah talk to my
8:37wife if you want the details on that
8:38okay now in Spanish the word for Amigo
8:42or friend is Amigo or it’s Amiga okay so
8:46Scott Erickson you’re my amigo right
8:49right
8:51Judy sanus you’re my Amiga okay so
8:55that’s the idea if we’re talking about a
8:56friend depending on who the friend is
8:58male or female it’s either Amigo or
9:01Amiga right
9:03okay that’s the big language lesson so
9:07um
9:08now if I were to say this sentence okay
9:10listen carefully
9:12Scott you are my amigo and on this Amiga
9:16I’m going to build a dog house
9:20okay
9:21you hear the sentence let me read again
9:23Scott you are my amigo and on this Amiga
9:27I’m going to build a doghouse
9:31well you all immediately know that
9:33because of the change in gender that I
9:35wasn’t planning to build a dog house
9:37with Scott okay but was planning to
9:39build a doghouse with a female friend of
9:41mine right
9:42and this is what I said okay so a
9:45similar use of words is used in this
9:47text in the Greek and here’s what it
9:49says Jesus says you you are Petros and
9:54on this Patra
9:56I will build my church
9:59now notice Jesus did not say you are
10:02Peter you are Petros and on this Petros
10:05I will build the church
10:06he says you are Peter you are Petras and
10:10on this Patra feminine I’m going to
10:13build my church so what is the Petra
10:16referring to well answer it’s Peter’s
10:19confession that’s the referent in the
10:21text Peter has confessed that Jesus
10:25Christ is the son of the Living God
10:28so those people who are saying that this
10:30text is saying that Peter Jesus is going
10:33to build his church on Peter
10:35well they’re not paying attention to the
10:37Greek
10:38you are petross and on this Petra I’m
10:42going to build my church yep so the
10:45church is not built on Peter it’s built
10:47on the confession that Jesus is the
10:50Christ the son of the Living God and
10:53then Jesus continues I will give you the
10:55Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven whatever
10:57you bind on Earth will have been bound
10:59in heaven notice I’m using putting the
11:01perfect passive same thing with the
11:03Gospel of John chapter 20. okay whatever
11:06you bind on Earth will be have been
11:08bound in heaven whatever you loose on
11:09Earth will have been loosed in heaven
11:11this is what the text says so this is
11:14referring to what is called the office
11:15of the keys and this is the church’s
11:18unique authority to forgive as well as
11:19retain sins
11:21and then Jesus does this something weird
11:23he warned his disciples not to tell
11:25anyone that he was the Christ now the
11:28Christ means the Messiah so Christos is
11:30kind of like the Greek word of Messiah
11:33the the Hebrews say mashiach the Greeks
11:36say Christos but this they’re synonymous
11:38that’s the anointed one so Jesus then
11:40makes it clear that the thing that he’s
11:43just that has just been revealed to
11:44Peter that he is the Messiah Jesus is
11:46the Christ he doesn’t want anyone he
11:49doesn’t want them telling anyone yet why
11:51well because the people of Jesus’s day
11:54had all kinds of ideas regarding the
11:56Messiah but none of them understood that
11:58the messiah’s mission was not to conquer
12:00like a king but to die a shameful death
12:03for the sins of the world what Peter
12:05does next actually Bears this out in no
12:08uncertain terms the text continues so
12:10from that time on Jesus began to explain
12:12to his disciples that he must go to
12:15Jerusalem and suffer many things at the
12:18hands of the elders the chief priests
12:19and the teachers of the law and that he
12:21must must be killed and on the third day
12:23be raised to life so now we know who
12:27Jesus is he’s Son of God he’s the
12:29Messiah and Jesus from this point on
12:31explains what his mission is the mission
12:34given to him by the father and his
12:36mission is this to go to Jerusalem and
12:39die on the cross for our sins and then
12:41be raised again on the third day
12:43this is the mission of the Messiah
12:45now Peter has nothing to do with this
12:48he’s scandalized by the thought so Peter
12:51took Jesus aside
12:53that means wow the audacity here he
12:56takes Jesus aside and rebuked Jesus
13:01never Lord this shall never happen to
13:06you
13:08yep so here we have Peter who just
13:11earlier it was revealed that Jesus was
13:13the Messiah and now the true mission of
13:16the Messiah is also being revealed to
13:18Peter through Jesus and Peter’s
13:20scandalized by this
13:23think about it
13:24Peter here is rebuking the very God who
13:27made him
13:28that’s who Jesus is
13:30and in some senses he’s becoming a
13:32tempter just the way the devil tempted
13:34Jesus in the wilderness with power
13:37so he says I’m not going to have
13:38anything to do with this
13:40yep
13:41think about it Peter knows what Jesus
13:43can do Jesus heals the sick
13:46he multiplies Loaves and Fishes and
13:48feeds a multitude he gives sight to the
13:51Blind and Jesus can walk on water and
13:54calm a storm with a word imagine what
13:56Jesus could do to the Romans hmm
14:00yeah imagine what Jesus could do sitting
14:03on the re-established throne of David
14:05imagine Peter as Jesus’s right hand man
14:09talk about power talk about Authority no
14:13nation in the world would be able to
14:15defeat the armies of Israel once and for
14:18all idolatry and perversion and
14:20wickedness could easily and decisively
14:22be dealt with and Peter would be Jesus’s
14:25right hand man
14:27nations would stream to Jerusalem to see
14:30Jesus and Peter would be Jesus’s
14:32right-hand man
14:33Kings would come and pay homage to Jesus
14:35and Peter would be Jesus’s right-hand
14:38man
14:39Peter would never be in want of anything
14:41ever again and would have a position of
14:44privilege and power within Jesus’s
14:46Administration in Jerusalem
14:49think about it right
14:52but Jesus reveals for the first time
14:54with the true mission of the Messiah is
14:56not to slaughter
14:58the mission of the Messiah is not to
15:00conquer and to judge Sinners his mission
15:03is to die for them to redeem them and
15:06reconcile them to the father and the
15:08death chosen by the father is the most
15:10horrific
15:12ugly painful scandalous death that you
15:15could imagine
15:16crucifixion
15:18it was a terror technique used by the
15:22Romans to Keep Those whom they’ve
15:23conquered in submission
15:25the Romans used crucifixion to basically
15:27say you oppose us this is what happens
15:30to people that oppose us
15:32terrible it’s scandalous it’s
15:34Unthinkable yes it’s all of those things
15:36and the cross reveals God’s love and his
15:41Mercy towards us
15:42miserable Sinners to kind of get a
15:45glimpse into the scandalousness of the
15:48cross I think a good cross reference
15:49here is First Corinthians chapter one
15:51starting at verse 18. here’s what it
15:53says
15:54Paul writing to the church in Corinth
15:56writes he says for the message of the
15:58Cross is foolishness to those who are
16:01perishing but to us who are being saved
16:04the cross it’s the power of God for it
16:07is written I will destroy the wisdom of
16:09the wise the intelligence of the
16:11intelligent I will frustrate so where is
16:14the wise man where is the scholar where
16:16is the philosopher of this age has not
16:20God made foolish the wisdom of the world
16:23for since in the wisdom of God the world
16:26through its wisdom did not know him God
16:28was pleased with the foolishness of what
16:30was preached to save those who believe
16:33now Jews demand miraculous signs and the
16:36Greeks well they look for wisdom but we
16:39we preach Christ crucified and it’s a
16:43stumbling block to Jews and it’s
16:45considered foolishness to gentiles but
16:48to Those whom God has called from both
16:50Jews and Greeks Christ is the power of
16:53God and the wisdom of God for the
16:55foolishness of God is wiser than man’s
16:57Wisdom and the weakness of God is
16:58stronger than men’s strength Brothers
17:00think of what you were when you were
17:03called not many of you were Wise by
17:04human standards not many were
17:06influential not many were of noble birth
17:08but God chose the foolish things of the
17:11world to shame the wise God chose the
17:14weak things of the world to shame the
17:17strong he chose the lowly things of this
17:19world and the despised things and the
17:22things that are not to nullify the
17:24things that are so that no one may boast
17:27before him it is because of him that you
17:30are in Christ Jesus did you hear that
17:32it’s because of God that you’re in
17:34Christ who has become for us wisdom from
17:37God that is he is our righteousness
17:39Holiness and Redemption therefore as it
17:43is written let him who boast boast in
17:45the Lord
17:46so when I came to you Brothers I did not
17:48come with eloquence or superior wisdom
17:51as I proclaimed to you the testimony
17:53about God for I resolve to know nothing
17:56absolutely nothing among you
18:00except Jesus Christ
18:02and him crucified
18:06hear those words again I resolve to know
18:08nothing while I was with you except
18:09Jesus Christ and him
18:12crucified
18:14as John says in his gospel chapter 3
18:17verse 17 for God did not send his son
18:20into the world to condemn the world
18:22but to save the world through him that’s
18:26the mission of the Messiah
18:28so are you looking for a Jesus who will
18:29be your life coach who will train you to
18:32be at the top of your game so that you
18:34can be successful
18:35you’ve got the wrong Jesus
18:37are you looking for a Jesus who will
18:39help you find your purpose give you
18:40health and wealth and worldly accolades
18:43you’ve got the wrong Jesus if that’s
18:45what you’re looking for there is no
18:47Jesus except for the crucified Jesus
18:51for I resolve to know nothing
18:53while I was with you except Christ and
18:56him crucified
18:59so now
19:00that we got this the mission of the
19:02Messiah is to save us to die for us he
19:05has set his chin Like Flint to go to the
19:08cross for us because of God’s great love
19:11for us
19:12we are in Christ and we are his
19:15disciples we have been baptized cleansed
19:18washed fed with his body and blood here
19:20to hear his word we’ve had our sins
19:22forgiven we are in Christ so then Jesus
19:25talks about how this then plays out in
19:27our lives if anyone would come after me
19:30he must deny himself and take up his
19:32cross and follow me
19:34so if you are in Jesus then you are
19:36already his disciple and that means you
19:39are a dead man or a dead woman walking
19:43the one who’s taken up his cross this
19:45was the parade that the Romans would put
19:47on those who were sentenced to death
19:49they’d make him carry their cross and
19:51they’d March them through the town look
19:53these are the ones condemned to death
19:57Jesus says that’s you
19:59Jesus says that’s me why because that
20:02was him right
20:04whoever wants to save his life will lose
20:07it whoever loses his life for me will
20:10find it what good is it for a man if he
20:12gains the whole world yet forfeits his
20:15soul
20:17think about it
20:20billions upon billions of dollars
20:22sitting in your bank account
20:24maybe you can become the most powerful
20:26man in the world by becoming the
20:27president of the United States
20:30all of this is for nothing
20:32and it can’t save you
20:34and these things cannot they’re only
20:36temporal anyway your life is a vapor
20:38what good will it be for a man if he
20:40gains the whole world yet forfeits his
20:42soul or what can a man give in exchange
20:43for his soul the answer is you can’t
20:45give anything in exchange for your own
20:46soul
20:48but Christ the very Son of God exchanged
20:51his life for yours that’s the good news
20:55so we are sojourners here in this life
20:57sojourners
21:00carrying our crosses
21:02dead people walking knowing that we’re
21:04sentenced to death
21:06Hebrews 11 kind of talks about this in
21:08the hope that we have in chapter 11
21:10verse 13 it says all these people all
21:12the people mentioned in the Great Hall
21:13of Faith passage who did all these great
21:15things by faith all these people were
21:17still living by faith when they died
21:19they did not receive the things promised
21:21they only saw them and welcomed them
21:23from a distance and they admitted that
21:25they were aliens and strangers on Earth
21:28people who say such things show that
21:30they are looking for a country of their
21:32own if they had been looking of if
21:34they’ve been thinking of the country
21:35that they had left they would have had
21:37opportunity to return instead they were
21:39longing for a better country a Heavenly
21:42one therefore God is not ashamed to be
21:44called their God for he has prepared a
21:46city for them
21:48that’s right if anyone would come after
21:51Jesus he must deny himself
21:54take up his cross
21:56and follow Jesus now you’d be maybe
21:58asking what does that look like
22:00what does it look like to deny yourself
22:02and take up a cross and follow Jesus
22:04well remember you are forgiven you are
22:07washed and the Waters of your baptism
22:09you are buried with Christ in his death
22:11and you are raised with Christ in his
22:12resurrection God has regenerated and
22:15saved and redeemed you and you are in
22:17Christ because of that you are now free
22:20from slavery to sin death and the devil
22:22and our epistle text this morning from
22:25The Book of Romans gives us a glimpse of
22:27what life looks like for one who is
22:30carrying a cross and following Jesus
22:32here’s what it says
22:34love must be sincere
22:37hate what is evil
22:39cling to what is good
22:43be devoted to one another in brotherly
22:46love
22:51because we are forgiven we can forgive
22:54because we are forgiven we can devote
22:56ourselves to one another and brotherly
22:58love honor one another above yourselves
23:01never be lacking in Zeal but keep your
23:04spiritual fervor serving the lord be
23:06joyful in Hope patient in Affliction
23:09faithful in prayer
23:11share with God’s people who are in need
23:14practice hospitality
23:17here’s the fun part
23:20bless those who persecute you
23:24Jesus was persecuted
23:26the only sinless man who lived among
23:28Humanity he was persecuted and crucified
23:30on a cross
23:32and when he was crucified he did not
23:34defend himself
23:36he called out from the cross father
23:38forgive them they know not what they do
23:41and you too can share that same love
23:44even when you’re being persecuted
23:46because you have been forgiven
23:48bless those who persecute you bless do
23:51not curse Rejoice with those who Rejoice
23:54mourn with those who mourn live in
23:57harmony with one another do not be proud
24:00but be willing to associate with people
24:02of low position
24:04do not be conceited
24:06do not repay anyone evil for evil be
24:09careful to do what is right in the eyes
24:11of everybody if it’s possible as far as
24:13it depends on you live at peace with
24:15everyone
24:16do not take revenge my friends but leave
24:20room for God’s Wrath for it is written
24:22it is mine to avenge I will repay says
24:25the Lord on the contrary if your enemy
24:27is hungry
24:29feed him
24:34is it me or does anyone else have a hard
24:36time with this
24:39our first inclination when we have an
24:41enemy is to get back
24:43they’ve hurt me I’m going to make them
24:46pay
24:48this is not the way of the cross
24:51deny yourself take up your cross you’re
24:54already dead in Christ
24:56if your enemy is hungry you feed him if
24:59he’s thirsty you give him something to
25:01drink we don’t fight people we fight for
25:06people our battle is not against flesh
25:08and blood our battle is against the
25:10spiritual powers and authorities of this
25:13Dark World
25:16and if Christ is bled and died for them
25:18and forgiven them then who am I to not
25:20forgive
25:26if your enemy is hungry you feed him if
25:28he’s thirsty you give him something to
25:30drink and doing this you will heat
25:32burning coals on his head do not be
25:35overcome by evil
25:37but overcome evil
25:39with good
25:42that’s exactly what Jesus did
25:45the most notorious sinful act ever
25:48performed by Humanity was the
25:50crucifixion of the only innocent man who
25:53ever lived Among Us and yet God took
25:56that crucifixion the most evil thing
26:00ever done on this planet and he flips it
26:03and he flips it so that that becomes the
26:06very means by which we are all purchased
26:08redeemed forgiven by God
26:12Jesus himself did not overcome evil with
26:16evil he overcame evil with good
26:19this is what it means and this is what
26:21it looks like now
26:24to take up your cross and follow him
26:27so how do we do this
26:30Hebrews 12 2-3 gives us the answer
26:33let us fix our eyes on Jesus
26:36who is the author and the Perfecter of
26:39our faith who for the joy set before him
26:42he endured the cross and scorned its
26:45shame
26:45and now he sat he’s seated at the right
26:48hand of the Throne of God consider him
26:50who endured such opposition from sinful
26:53men
26:53so that you will not grow weary
26:55and lose heart
26:57in the name of Jesus Amen
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