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July 04, 2004
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 9:18-24
Pastor Ben Berger

Christ Offers Life

Heather and I have begun registering for our wedding; I say begun because I don't know if it's ever going to end. The process has been a little frustrating to me. One would think that registering is fun because you get to ask for whatever gifts you want. Heather seems to want anything as long as it's new. I'm a little different; I'm not sure we NEED everything. There are some gifts I really don't want or need. Maybe you have received a gift that you don't want or don't think you need. You might very well appreciate the thought but you end up pushing the gift off to the side; it doesn't have much value to you. Today Jesus offers us a gift. Christ offers life. The question is, "Do we want the gift that Christ offers?" Christ offers 1) his life of sacrifice and 2) your own life of sacrifice.

Jesus is trying to spend some alone time with his disciples. Away from the crowds and the commotion Jesus wants to be alone with his disciples so that he can teach them and prepare them for what's ahead. In this particular case Jesus teaches by asking questions.

First, Jesus asks, "Who do the crowds say I am?" (18). Jesus didn't really need them to tell him what the crowds thought. In fact, at this point he wasn't even that concerned with what the crowds thought. Jesus simply wanted to give the disciples a chance to digest the question, to think it through for themselves and to contrast their answer to popular opinion.

The disciples told Jesus what the people were saying. "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life," (19). The people of that day really didn't know what to think of Jesus. They knew that he spoke with authority; they saw his miracles. Jesus had authority and power that could only come from God. The people related him to others they had seen or heard of before - John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets. In any case, they did not acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God or the promised Messiah; he was only a man from God.

What do people today think about Jesus? I'm not really sure. I think it would be interesting to ask them. Perhaps they would look at Jesus as a really good man. They might even say he is a good example to follow. Maybe they would praise him as a great motivational speaker. Some might go so far as to call him prophet. Either way, my guess is that most people think the same way the crowds did at Jesus' time. He's just a man but not the Son of God.

Then Jesus gets to the point. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God," (20). Peter answered correctly. In contrast to all of the false ideas about Jesus, the disciples acknowledged him as the Christ. Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Savior. He was not just a man; he was the Son of God. God sent him to redeem the world. We agree with Peter. We too believe and confess Jesus as God's only Son, our Lord.

Why then does Jesus strictly warn his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Christ? Because not everyone understood what it meant to be the Christ. Even the disciples who confessed Jesus as the Christ did not understand what it meant to be the Christ.

The people of that time had false ideas about who the Christ would be. The Jews were waiting for a Christ that would restore their earthly kingdom. They wanted to restore the early days of King David. They were waiting for someone to restore the glory that once belonged to their nation. Even the disciples thought that Jesus was going to be such a ruler. They thought that they would be his right-hand men. They were so excited to be a part of the new nation.

People today also have false views about the Savior, even us his disciples. What exactly do we want the Savior to do for us? Many of us are hoping that the Savior will make us feel good. We're tired of being angry, depressed or lonely and all we want is someone to make us feel better. Others want the Savior to give purpose to our lives. We don't feel satisfaction or success and we are hoping he'll give it to us. Some want the same earthly kingdom the Jews were looking for. We want the Savior to take away all of our pain and struggles.

Jesus acknowledges that he is the Christ, but he is not the Christ that the world seeks. Jesus goes on to explain who the Christ really is. "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life," (22). Jesus is the Christ, but he did not come to make life on earth easier. Just the opposite, he came to earth to sacrifice his life. All he had to offer was suffering, rejection and death. That is his gift - his life of sacrifice.

So, do you want this gift, this life of sacrifice? Many people at that time did not want it. It was the Jews, Jesus' own people, that rejected him first and most. Jesus didn't want his disciples telling everyone that he was the Christ because he knew he wasn't what they wanted. He knew they would reject him and kill him; it wasn't time for that yet.

Many people today don't want Jesus as their Savior either. Actually, there's a part of all of us that doesn't want him. No sinful human nature wants a Savior that offers suffering, rejection and death. No sinful human nature wants a Savior that can't stand up for himself, that willingly gives himself to die. No sinful human nature wants a life of sacrifice, even though that is exactly the gift we need.

When Christ offers us his life of sacrifice, he gives us exactly the gift we need. He was willing to suffer so that we would never have to face the pain of hell. He was willing to be rejected by men and even by his Father so that his Father would accept us. He was willing to die and give up his life so that we could live eternally. Let's not forget the last little phrase, "(the Son of Man must) on the third day be raised to life." Even though Jesus suffered, was rejected and died, he did not lose. In fact, by his suffering and death, he won the war. He defeated sin, Satan and even death. Jesus is not some poor sap of a Savior that gives us only sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life to give us the victory. That's what God sent his Son, the Christ, our Savior to do.

We pray that the Holy Spirit would lead us to appreciate what a gift the Christ gives. Sometimes parents give their children gifts that the children don't appreciate until they're older. For example, parents might put some money away for college. The child probably won't appreciate that until it's time to pay for college. Christ has given us a gift that we can't always cash-in right now. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead us to appreciate the value of Christ's gift for our eternal future.

Not only did Jesus need to teach his disciples what it meant to be the Christ, but he also needed to teach them what it meant to be disciples. When Christ offers his life of sacrifice, he also offers us our own lives of sacrifice.

Jesus explains what it means to be his disciple. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me," (23). A disciple is someone who learns what his master teaches. He then learns how to put his master's teachings into practice. What does a disciple of Jesus learn to practice?

First, a disciple of Jesus denies himself. You remember when Peter denied Jesus on Maundy Thursday. Three times he declared that he did not know the man. Peter broke all ties with Jesus; later Jesus would have to rebuild those ties with forgiveness. A disciple of Jesus denies himself. That means that I no longer pay any attention to myself. I forget what I want. I stop thinking about what makes me happy. I stop looking to myself for answers. Instead, I turn to Christ. I ask what he wants. I ask what makes him happy. I look to him for answers and direction.

Second, a disciple of Jesus takes up his cross daily. Understand what a cross is. Sometimes we think that a cross is any difficulty we face in this life. That's not what Jesus is talking about. A cross is something we suffer because we are his disciples. A cross is losing a promotion because your faith will not allow you to step on others to climb the corporate ladder. A cross is being labeled a loser because your faith keeps you from having sex until your married. A cross is getting rid of the cell phone or buying a used car because generous offerings and a Christian education are more important.

Jesus says that his disciples will pick up their crosses daily. I can expect that I will suffer in this life because I follow Christ. I can expect the same suffering, rejection and even death that my Savior endured and I can expect it every day of my life.

So, do you still want this gift of life, your very own life of sacrifice? That's what it means to be a disciple. Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it," (24). Again, there is a part in each of us that does not want this. We don't want to lose our lives on this earth; we want to save them. We don't want sacrifice; we want glory. That's not how it works. If we want to save our earthly lives, we will give up our lives in heaven.

On the other hand, Jesus also said, "whoever loses his life for me will save it," (24). That's not to say that we can earn heaven. We know that we cannot be saved by keeping the law or anything we do. At the same time, when we are willing to give up our lives on earth, when we are willing to deny ourselves and follow him, Jesus gives us the gift of his life. Again, we ask the Holy Spirit to give us faith to forfeit our lives on earth and trust solely in the Christ who gives us his life in its place.

I pray that the Holy Spirit has helped all of us understand better what it means to call Jesus our Christ and Savior. I also pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to strengthen us all to receive the gift of a life of sacrifice that Christ offers.