Sermon -- 14th Sunday after Pentecost (September 3, 2023)

MATTHEW 16:21-26

THE CROSS IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Our reading begins with the words, “From that time” (Matthew 16:21), which begs the question, “What time?”  In the previous verses Peter had confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).  So, Jesus began to explain in vivid terms exactly what that meant.  Many Jews were waiting for the Messiah, but they had expected the Messiah to be one who would restore Israel to great power like the kingdom of David.  They anticipated a throne in Jerusalem resulting in power and prosperity for their nation. 

     The hopes of the Jews were not totally baseless.  When David had announced his plans to build a temple for the Lord, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to inform David that not David, but David’s Son, would build the temple.  The Lord also told David: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).  The people recognized this as a Messianic promise.  So, they expected the Messiah would restore and even elevate the kingdom and throne of David, ruling over everything from Jerusalem.  But the kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom with an earthly throne.  Jesus began to explain this to his disciples.

     “From 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” (Matthew 16:21).  Jesus did not tell them what might happen to him.  The Greek word says, “It is necessary.”  All these things were necessary to fulfill the words of the prophets, to satisfy God’s wrath, and to deliver us from sin, death, and the devil.  If Jesus did not fulfill these things, he did not save us.  The cross is necessary for salvation.

     Peter saw his hopes of earthly glory and power slipping away.  The Christ is supposed to reign in glory, not die in shame.  Therefore, “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord!  This shall never happen to you.’  But 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’” (Matthew 16:22-23).  The things of man are: What is good for me, my gain, and my glory?  The mind of man will always ask, “How does this benefit me?”  I get frustrated with a world that does not care about my well-being.  I even get upset with God because he does not fix my problems or satisfy my fantasies.  It is never as fast as I want or as good as I want.  And I usually don’t get what I want.  So, we take what we want thinking nothing of God’s will or timing.  Having your mind set on the things of man may result in momentary pleasure, but it will certainly result in eternal death.  Repent.

     In contrast, the mind of God is set on loving others and doing what is good for them.  Therefore, Jesus came into the world not for his own gain and glory, but to serve for yours.  It was necessary for Jesus to suffer shame and die an undeserved death on a cross.  This is what it takes to save you.  The cross shows us that God is serious about his Law.  The bitter sufferings and death of the Son of God show that the Lord holds nothing back from his wrath over sin.  It was necessary for Jesus to suffer rejection in a world where even the religious leaders had in mind their own power and prestige.  It was necessary for Jesus to be convicted for our lust for earthly glory so he could pay the price for it.  The cross is where Jesus dealt with our sins and shed his blood to cover them.

     The cross is necessary for salvation.  Jesus’ brutal and humiliating sufferings and death were necessary also to fulfill the Scriptures.  Isaiah had foretold: “His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind” (Isaiah 52:14).  He was a piece of hamburger after the beatings and the floggings.  King David had foretold, “I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.  All who see me mock me.  They sneer.  They shake their heads.” (Psalm 22:6-7).  Jesus’ death fulfilled the promises foretold.  It satisfied the wrath of God.  Jesus bore the guilt of all sinners; therefore, the full measure of God’s wrath was put upon Jesus.  

     The cross also shows the full measure of God’s love and how great is his desire for our salvation.  We cannot pay for even one of our sins, let alone all of them.  So, the Son of God made the payment for us.  Since God dies, his death counts for everyone and for every sin.  The cross is necessary for salvation; and salvation was completed at the cross.  Your sins are forgiven.  God’s wrath is satisfied.  These are the things of God Jesus was committed to because God is committed to saving and blessing you.

     The cross is necessary for salvation—not only for Jesus, but also for us.  Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).  When we deny ourselves, we deny any idea that we have done anything to earn God’s favor.  We are always prone to commending ourselves.  We are better than others.  We are in church more often than others.  We are nicer than some of the people we work with.  And so on.  But to trust in such claims is also to tell God that his grace is not necessary, and that we don’t need Jesus’ sufferings and death as much as others.  After all, we did our part.  But this is a lie.  By denying ourselves, we get to be honest about ourselves.  We are guilty of sin.  No matter what anyone else has done or not done, we are guilty.  We deny our worthiness.  And the crucified Savior who is risen declares, “Peace be with you.  You are clothed in my righteousness.  You are cleansed by my blood.  You are heirs of everlasting glory.”

     The cross is necessary for salvation, for it keeps us mindful of the things of God rather than the things of men.  We deny ourselves every sinful inclination that lingers within us.  And you know what these are.  We still love ourselves.  We still seek glory and gain for ourselves.  We hate anyone who stands in the way of these things.  We even despise people whose success has not harmed us in any way, but we are angry just because they have succeeded.  These are the sins Jesus died to release us from.  How could we continue in them?

     It would be like a man who drinks a cup of water with arsenic in it.  He wakes up in the hospital, having barely survived the poison he consumed.  When he is released, he goes back home, picks up the same cup, and starts drinking it again.  Or, as Proverbs says, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11).  We would be just as foolish to run back to our sins; for they will always be unfulfilling, and they still result in death and divine wrath.  Jesus released us from that!  Why go back to it? 

     Deny yourselves what your sinful heart craves.  The Bible directs us to “put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5-6).  The cross is necessary for us.  The cross is designed for killing things.  Our sinful desires are harmful and destructive.  They cannot be satisfied by giving into them a little bit from time to time.  They will always demand more.  They cannot be tamed; they must be killed.  Therefore, the cross is necessary for salvation. 

     Then the things of man must be supplanted by the things of God.  His word brings forgiveness, but it also brings direction.  How do you know what is good and right?  Jesus said, “Follow me” (Matthew 16:24).  The word of God shows us the path of righteousness.  We cannot trust our own thinking to determine what is good and right.  Peter thought the way to the cross was wrong, and Jesus called his sentiment Satanic.  So also, we set our minds on what God says in his word and remain determined to follow.  Our goal is to live as Jesus leads, for we know his path leads heavenward. 

     The cross is necessary for salvation.  Jesus tells us to take up our cross.  But we do not choose what kind of cross we bear.  Just as Jesus had a cross laid upon him, so also the cross is laid upon us.  And God is the one who puts it there.  God sends us hardships and difficulties which he calls upon us to endure.  While this seems cruel and unfair, we also know that God only works for our good in what he does. 

     Some crosses are common.  God lays upon you responsibilities with your family, your job, and in your community.  The sinful nature tells you to avoid them and spend the day scrolling through your phone.  But God knows that you serve a better purpose by getting off your chair and doing good for other people.  Therefore, he lays those responsibilities upon you.  It may feel like a cross you’d rather cast off, but the cross is necessary.  It puts to death your laziness.  It allows you to love and serve your neighbor.  It presents the good works God seeks from you.

     Other crosses are much more burdensome, and we usually don’t know why the Lord afflicts us with them.  These crosses may be a mental disorder, a physical disability, or the frailties that come with age.  Perhaps it is a financial cross from some unavoidable expense.  Maybe it is stress or strife from your own family.  Maybe it is ridicule for living a Christian life.  These crosses you may bear your whole life.  How does any of this serve your good?  Remember what the cross is for—killing things.  By bearing your cross, you put to death a love for this world and long for the world to come.  By bearing the cross, you put to death your own ideas and are forced to trust God’s promises.  By bearing the cross, you recognize your weakness and must call upon God for strength, hope, and comfort.  The cross forces you to set your mind on the things of God, and that is a good thing.  That is why the cross is necessary for salvation.

     Of course, it is not the cross you bear that saves you.  That cross disciplines you and points you to Jesus.  It is Jesus’ cross that saves you.  It was necessary for Jesus to “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” (Matthew 16:21).  Jesus’ cross was necessary to take away your sins.  His resurrection was necessary to defeat death and open heaven.  It was necessary so that the Son of David would live and reign forever on his holy throne in accord with God’s promise.  So, the Messiah is glorious after all; and his glory is that he has done the necessary work to save you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.