[Prayer]
Today’s message is from Luke 9:18-27. It’s about who Jesus is and what it means to follow him—what it means to be his disciple.
As we read the passage, remember, as always, that we are reading the word of God. Also, as always, I remind you that we need to read and study the word of God day by day so that we may continually have it in our hearts.
So let’s read today’s passage—Luke 9:18-27:
18Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
21Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22And he said, “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.”
23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:18-26)
In this passage, Jesus is teaching his disciples who he is and what it means to follow him. We are also Jesus’s disciples and the Holy Spirit of God made sure that Luke, as well as Matthew and Mark, recorded this incident for us to learn from. Since the three synoptic gospel writers each recorded this, we have to consider it very important. All scripture is God-breathed and very important, but Jesus’s teaching about who he is and how to follow him is especially important.
Verse 18 tells us that once when Jesus was praying with his disciples, he asked them who the crowds said that he was. Jesus wanted them to learn something, and we can learn something too. Verse 19 give the disciples’ response: “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’”
Most of the people didn’t know who Jesus was. They had seen some of the spectacular miracles that he did. Maybe they had heard about his raising the widow’s son at Nain. They knew that both Elijah and Elisha had raised the dead. They also believed that Jesus was a prophet and spoke the word of God just as John the Baptist had done. The people knew the history of Israel very well. It was taught in the synagogues every Sabbath when the Scriptures were read. But they were living with the hope of past glory. Their best hope was for things to be restored to the way they were in the past—maybe to time of the reign of King David or Solomon.
Yes, the people knew the scriptures and knew that the same scriptures that taught them about Elijah, Elisha, David and Solomon also told of the coming of the Messiah. But their hope was too small to really believe that they would actually see him. The best they could hope for is what Israel had had in the past to be restored. Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was. But then he asked his disciples who they said he was.
Verse 20 says: “‘But what about you,’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” You can see that Jesus did not expect them to give the same answer as the people, in general. He expected something different from them. Peter answered Jesus for them. He said, “The Christ of God.” Matthew, in his account of this incident, gives us some details that Luke left out. (Luke also tells us some things that Matthew left out.) From Matthew’s account we know that Peter answered in a little more detail and that Jesus commented on his answer. Here’s what the Holy Spirit says through Matthew:
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (Matt. 16:15-20)
Before I go on, I want to make a side comment: Luke says that Peter answered, “You are the Christ of God,” while Matthew says that he answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Which one is right? How do you explain the difference? The answer is that they are both right. Matthew just gave more details. (In the rest of the account, Luke gives more details.) Also, we say that the original language of the New Testament is Greek. We are using an English translation of the original language of the New Testament. But, while the original language in which the New Testament was written was Greek, we can say with good assurance that the words that Matthew and Luke recorded were not spoken in Greek. Greek was not the local language of Galilee and Judea. It was Aramaic. Both the words in Matthew’s gospel and in Luke’s gospel were spoken in Aramaic and translated to Greek, in one case by Matthew who was a Jew and a native of the area, and in the other case by Luke who was fluent in Greek and was probably not a native of the area. They each used different words to translate what was said into Greek. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit guided them to write as they did and to include what they included. It’s the word of God!
Now to get back to the account: Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. I think all the disciples knew it. Peter was answering for them. Jesus told Peter how blessed he was to know who he really was. No man had revealed the truth to Peter. He didn’t figure it out for himself either. Jesus said that his Father in heaven had revealed it to him. Then he said: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Some people say that Peter was the rock that Jesus was going to build his church on when he said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” But Peter means stone in Greek, that’s what Jesus named him, Stone—and rock simply means rock. Peter is just one stone, but the rock on which Jesus is building his church is the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Peter’s confession of that truth—and his disciples’ confession of that truth—and our confession of that truth also. But, you know what? Peter preached the gospel at Pentecost and 3,000 believed and were saved!
Now, to go on, the disciples knew that Jesus was the Christ, not because of their superior wisdom or even because Jesus had told them so, but because God had revealed it to them. It’s the same way we know. People can tell you about Jesus endlessly, with all kinds of persuasive arguments, but unless God opens your heart you will not believe them and you will remain in rebellion. The disciples knew that Jesus was the Christ because his Father in heaven had revealed it to them.
The Christ! Who is he? People—at least in this country—even if they don’t know him, have heard of him. The people in Jesus’s time knew more about him than people do today. They knew what was written about him in the Scriptures, in the Old Testament. Here are some examples. I won’t say too much about these or we’ll still be here tomorrow, but here they are;
First, Psalm 2:
1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
3 Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:1-12)
Jesus is the Son of the living God. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you will be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Do you take refuge in Jesus?
Psalm 45, verses 6 and 7:
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Psalm 45:6, 7)
This is about Jesus! He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. And he is anointed with the oil of joy. Did you know that “Christ” means “Anointed”? It does. That’s what it means.
And Isaiah 61:1-3. This is Jesus speaking through the prophet, Isaiah:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
We also have Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
53:1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
This is about what Jesus did for us. He bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressor. He made intercession for us—and he still does. Because he shed his blood on the cross for us, we can freely and boldly come before God’s throne of grace. Remember all these things as I read them. This is the word of God.
We have Isaiah 9, verses 6 and 7:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6, 7)
And Isaiah 11:1-5:
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (Isaiah 11:1-5)
These Scripture passages are all about Jesus. This is what God revealed to the disciples about Jesus—some of what he revealed. And they didn’t remember it very well right away, especially what was in Isaiah 53 about the Messiah, the Christ, suffering. But eventually they did, and they went out and began to spread it to the ends of the earth. God revealed to the disciples who Jesus was.
Who do people say that Jesus is now? Well, some say that he is a good man with good teachings just as they said about John the Baptist in Jesus’s time. The Unitarians said that back in the 19th century. The Unitarians have, since, pretty much forgotten about Jesus from what I can tell, and have gone after New Age and similar teachings.
Some people say that Jesus is one more prophet, just as the people of Jesus’s time thought that he might be Elijah or one of the Old Testament prophets who was brought back to life. The Muslims think that today. The Muslims also think that they can earn their salvation. But there is no salvation through the death and resurrection of any of the prophets. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
Some people say that Jesus is just one of the many ways to God. The Hindus say something like that, but we know that Jesus is the only way to God. There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
Jesus is our Savior.
He is our Lord.
He is the Judge of all the universe.
He is Almighty.
He is the Wonderful Counselor.
He is the Mighty God.
He is the Prince of Peace.
He is the Everlasting Father.
He is Jesus.
Just as God the Father revealed Jesus to the disciples 2000 years ago, he has also revealed him to us. We don’t say who Jesus is, we know!! We know who Jesus is because God has made him known to us—drawn us to him—enabled us to love and trust him and entrust ourselves to him.
We’ve seen what people said about Jesus and what the disciples said, now let’s go on to see what Jesus said about himself. After he warned them strictly not to tell anyone who he was, he told them (in verse 22), “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.” This is what Jesus had to say about himself. We already read about it in Isaiah 53. He had to suffer many things. He had to be rejected by the religious leaders—the experts on the bible—those who were supposed to be experts on the Messiah, the Christ. And, finally, he had to be killed—and be raised again on the third day. He had to live a beautiful life of complete self-sacrifice and finally be put to death so that we could live. He rose from the dead and we will too.
Now let’s look at verse 23 in today’s passage. In verse 23 Jesus says to all of them—and to us also, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus wants us to be like him—to follow him. That’s the purpose for everything that he has done.
The word “would”, in “if anyone would come after me,” means “to want to”—if anyone wants to come after me. If you want to be like Jesus, you have to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus. Do you want to follow Jesus? Of course you do. God is calling you to follow him.
But what does it mean to deny yourself? What does it mean to take up your cross? To deny yourself means to disown yourself—disown who you think you are. To take up your cross means to take up the instrument of your death—that which will put who you thought you were to death. It’s not something you do once, but something you must do daily—deny yourself and take up your cross daily. Jesus says in verse 24, that whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for him will save it.
To lose your life means to destroy it. Does anyone know who Apollyon is? He’s mentioned in Revelation chapter 9. The footnote in the NIV says that his name means “destroyer” in Greek. The Greek word for lose is apollymi. It comes from the same root as Apollyon. Jesus says that to save your life, you have to lose your life—to destroy it for him. If you try to save your own life, you will wind up destroying it. How often we see people doing this.
In verse 25, Jesus goes on to say this: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” The life you must lose is your life in this world—your life of trying to gain the things of this world. What you save if you lose your life in this world is your very self. You lose what will certainly be destroyed in a very short time anyway in order to keep your very self forever. Would you pay a 150,000 dollars for a house that you knew would be destroyed in a few days and you would have nothing to show for it? Or will you invest in something that you know will last forever?
Jesus says that we have to follow him. Let’s look at a few of the things he did.
One time, when there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and the disciples did not have time to even eat, he invited them to come with him to a quiet place to get some rest. The disciples had just returned from traveling around from town to town preaching the gospel and healing the sick, and Jesus himself had just heard the news that John the Baptist had been put to death by Herod. They got into a boat and went to a private place to rest. But the crowds saw where they were going and went there on foot ahead of Jesus. When Jesus arrived, they were there waiting for him. When Jesus landed and saw the crowd, it says, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, so he began teaching them many things. At the end of the day, he also fed them. He didn’t get his quiet time with his disciples.
When other people were still sleeping Jesus was praying. Just before he chose the twelve disciples, he stayed up all night to pray.
In chapter 4 of John’s gospel, Jesus had stopped to talk to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well while his disciples went into town to buy some food. When they got back, they urged him to eat something, but Jesus told them that he had food that they didn’t know anything about. He said that his food was doing the will of his Father in heaven and finishing the work that he had for him to do. He was saving the life of the Samaritan woman and many others along with her. That was his food. Have you ever been so intent on or engrossed in doing something or enjoying yourself so much that you forgot to eat? Maybe some of you are saying, “I can’t remember that ever happening,” but I bet it has. It happened all the time with Jesus!
Many times in John’s gospel he reports where Jesus told people that he did not come to do his own will, but the will of the one who sent him—that he only did the things that he saw his Father in heaven doing. And that he never spoke on his own, but said the things that his Father commanded him to say. What about us? What do we do?
Finally, Jesus went to the cross. He didn’t go to save his own life, but to give up his life in order to save our lives. He prayed in agony, with sweat that was like drops of blood, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” He went to the cross for us. And now he is saying to us, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Have any of you read any of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicle of Narnia? (Who has read any of the Narnia stories?) One time I asked the kids to tell me what an allegory was. Does anyone know what an allegory is? It’s a story that demonstrates a moral point without actually stating it in so many words. The Chronicles of Narnia are allegories of the Christian life. They are probably my favorite stories for illustrating what it means to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus—to live the Christian life. I think that they all illustrate the spiritual battle we have to fight every day.
Narnia is a world where there are animals that are intelligent and talk and the supernatural is much more apparent than it is here. In the book, The Silver Chair, two children from our world, Eustace and Jill, and one of the residents of the Narnian world are sent by Aslan, who represents Christ in the stories, on a mission to find a prince who has disappeared and is being held captive by an evil witch. As they travel, the weather begins to get colder and nastier. On the way they are met by the witch, herself, who appears to them as a lovely lady. The witch tells them about a warm castle where they can stop and rest and be refreshed before they continue on their journey. Their Narnian traveling companion, who is named Puddleglum, doesn’t trust the witch at all, and tries to persuade Eustace and Jill that they must not abandon their mission, even for a short time. But the children prevail and when they see the lights of the castle and think about hot baths and soft beds, they completely forget about their mission. As a result, they almost become dinner for the residents of the castle, who turn out to be cannibals.
This is an example of the way we frequently, or even usually, or maybe even almost always do the will of God—or, actually fail to do the will of God. Have you ever done anything with your last ounce of strength and not let up and not rested until the task was completely done? There probably is some time when you have. But that’s the way Jesus lived his whole life. Jesus did not stop until the work he was given to do was completed. He said in Luke 13:32 and 33, “I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside of Jerusalem!” He went steadfastly toward the cross. Let me quote something from Isaiah 50. It says:
6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50:6, 7)
Jesus set his face like flint!
Now look at verse 26 in today’s passage. In verse 26 Jesus says, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” The purpose for all of this teaching is so that we will be able to tell other people about the great salvation that Jesus has for us. Jesus’s purpose for teaching the disciples was for them also to make disciples. What is our purpose for studying the Bible? I know that we cannot survive without continually being nourished by the word of God, but if that’s all the farther it goes, not too much is accomplished. Jesus told his disciples when he sent them out to preach the gospel and heal the sick, “Freely you have received, freely give.” I know that not everyone has the gift of an evangelist and not everyone has the gift of a pastor and teacher. But everyone has a gift to make Jesus known and to participate in advancing his kingdom. We must not be ashamed of Jesus or his words or he will be ashamed of us when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the glory of his holy angels. How can we be ashamed of the one who created us and who gives us life?
In verse 27 Jesus said this to his disciples: “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
I used to wonder about verse 27 because I thought Jesus was talking about his second coming—some of those who were alive then would not have died before Jesus came back. I thought that when he came back, that’s when the kingdom of God would appear. It sounded as though either Jesus came back almost 2000 years ago or there are some people around now that are over 2000 years old! But the disciples did see the kingdom of God during their lifetime. They saw it! They saw the Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled. They saw healing and freedom being proclaimed. They saw the good news preached to the poor. They participated in it. They saw thousands saved through the preaching of the gospel at Pentecost. They saw Cornelius and his whole household filled with the Holy Spirit. And we are seeing the kingdom of God, too.
We see missionaries leave friends and family to go out to foreign countries and endure “culture shock” in order to advance the kingdom of God. We have heard of people who were killed while advancing the kingdom of God and even their deaths saved lives, just as Jesus’s death did (but not in the same way). We have personally met people who have been imprisoned because they were advancing the kingdom of God. They were not ashamed of Jesus or of his words. Even here we have seen people deny their own lives in order to bring the word of God and life to others. We’ve seen the kingdom of God in our neighborhood when the kids came for Vacation Bible School. Jesus says, “Look around you, the fields are ripe for harvest.
Praise God who loved the world and sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Praise Jesus who denied himself and took up his cross, who did not do his own will or try to save his own life, but did the will of his Father and gave up his life so that we could have eternal life.
Praise the Lord!
[Prayer]