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welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our God you can turn to Psalm 32 for our call to worship psalm 32. I'll begin reading in verse 1 a Psalm of David a contemplation blessed is he whose transgression Is Forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose Spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was Heavy upon me my Vitality was turned into the drought of Summer say law I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin say law for this cause everyone who is Godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you are my Hiding Place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of Deliverance say law I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my eye do not be like the horse or like the mule which I have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you many Sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord Mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and Shout for Joy all you upright in heart amen well you can turn to Psalm 68. Psalm 68 be as in bravo will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign [Music] thank you foreign [Music] our Brothers [Music] yourself it is my first word [Music] [Music] us foreign [Music] let us pray our blessed God we thank you for this Lord's day we thank you for the Lord's house and for your people and for the privilege to gather in this place to sing your Praises we acknowledge that you are most high god father Son and Holy Spirit God who is worthy to be praised and glorified and honored we thank you for salvation that great grace that you have poured out upon us giving us that desire to draw an eye unto you and to worship you in spirit and in truth we pray that tonight your Holy Spirit would guide us and lead us promote in our hearts that reverence that is due and appropriate for such a great and awesome God and does well flood our hearts with that comfort and that joy that is consistent with the people of God who have been forgiven of their sins David describes them as blessed certainly we are blessed to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity which you have imputed to us that perfect righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ by which we have access into the very presence of God Almighty we thank you as well for that for forgiveness of sins that blood of the lamb shed for sinful wretches like us how we thank you that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and even tonight Lord God we confess that remaining corruption we confess that we don't always live in a manner that is consistent with our high calling so God please cleanse Us in that Fountain please wash us and purify us and as we come to the supper tonight may we reflect upon the the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus Christ certainly we don't come to the to the table to do this in remembrance of us but we certainly remember him who gave us who gave his life on our behalf we pray that you would be glorified in the in the families represented in this church we pray that you would help us to serve you in this present evil age and help us to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation and give us courage and boldness to hold fast to our principles to hold fast to that written word of the living and true God and to be bold old and presenting it to others in this in this Godless age as well father we pray for our sister churches we thank you for Pastor Mike in Surrey we thank you for Ryan and and Armstrong and for the brothers and Dryden as well God we pray for the work in Honduras the two churches in sigua teque we pray that those men that are leaders would be faithful with reference to the word of God that you would bless them and use them for your glory in that part of the world as well we pray for John and Milena traveling back to Honduras we pray that you would grant them safe travel and that you would continue to use our brother and to help him to be able to help the brothers and the sisters in that local body as well father we pray for naphtali of Galo and in Kenya we thank you for this brother we've grown to love and appreciate him and esteem him highly for his work's sake we pray God that you would just bless him physically and spiritually watch over his wife halita and cause them to know a fruitful Ministry there as well God we pray for the ongoing chaos they're in Myanmar God it is an amazing reality that this continues unabated this violence and these bombs and all of these things that are that are going on ravaging that country but God what a blessed testimony of your faithfulness and that you have kept that Orange Grove safe that you have protected your people there that you have put it upon their hearts to receive more orphans and to receive more needy people that they can minister to and God we just thank you for that we see that in the midst of chaos you are doing great and glorious things as well we pray for the nation of China we know that it is difficult to be a believer in Christ there we know that there are many that are imprisoned many that have their their lives basically ruined by that communistic state for their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ God give Grace to them and perseverance and cause them to to glorify you in the midst of that that that that evil as well father we pray for your blessing upon Saints all throughout this Earth we know there are many that are persecuted for the cause of God and Truth we just commend them to you and to the word of your grace and pray that you would uphold them that you would bless and strengthen and encourage each and every one God in our country we pray that you'd have mercy upon our prime minister upon the various leaders in the provinces upon all those in government we know that there is no Authority except from God and those which exist are established by God and therefore they are accountable ultimately to you and they will render uh or must give an account for the way that they have they have governed the uh governed in terms of their job we just pray that in your wrath you would remember Mercy she would turn their hearts in the direction of of righteousness that they would legislate in a manner that is appropriate with with what the law of God most high says as well father we pray for the church from sea to see in this nation that she would be faithful and persevering that she would be bold and courageous and that she would know the Nearness of God as her good bless our brothers in this community we pray for pastor coopman we pray for pastor champ we pray for pastor Schumann we just thank you for these men and for their faithful stand for the cause of God here we pray father that you would be glorified in this and that you would continue now with us as we worship you we pray that your Holy Spirit would attend the preaching of the word that you would cause us to reflect afresh upon the life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ and the necessity laid upon him in that Covenant of redemption to die for his people and to be raised again that third day and we pray this in his most blessed and wonderful name amen you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 543 543 will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign [Music] pray before us [Applause] [Music] ing them I am [Music] foreign [Music] well you can turn in your Bibles to the gospel of Matthew for our study tonight before we take the supper Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16 our Focus will be verses 21 to 23 the necessity of Christ's passion but I want to read the entire chapter beginning in verse 1. then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and testing him asked that he would show them a sign from Heaven he answered and said to them when it is evening you say it will be fair weather for the sky is red and in the morning it will be foul weather today but this guy is red and threatening Hypocrites you know how to discern the face of the sky but you cannot discern the signs of the times a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah and he left them and departed now when his disciples had come to the other side they had forgotten to take bread then Jesus said to them take heed and Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the reason among themselves saying it is because we have taken no breath but Jesus being aware of it said to them o you of little faith why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread do you not yet understand or remember the Five Loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up how is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread but to Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees then they understood that he did not tell them to Beware of the leaven of bread but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees when Jesus came into the region of cesarea Philippi he asked his disciples saying who do men say that I the son of man am so they said some say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets he said to them but who do you say that I am Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the Living God Jesus answered and said to him blessed are you Simon barjona for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven and I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not Prevail against it and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you but he turned and said to Peter get behind me Satan you are an offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men then Jesus said to his disciples if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it for what prophet is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul for the son of man will come in the glory of his father with his angels and then he will reward each according to his works assuredly I say to you there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom amen well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ the comprehensiveness of it we know that he satisfied all of the obligations all of the the stipulations laid upon him in that Covenant of redemption we praise you that he set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem in order to suffer and to die and to be raised again and we know God that was not because of his own crimes or his own sins but it was our sin our crime it was our wickedness our lawlessness for which he died and we praise you for that we praise you that he satisfied the penalty of divine Justice we thank you that he was raised again that third day that he now sits enthroned at the right hand of the father and we look forward to his return again in glory to judge the living and the dead again please wash us from all sin and impurity cleanse Us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and guide us by the Holy Spirit and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen well from this particular point in Matthew's gospel the movement is toward the cross not just theologically but geographically so notice in verse 13 they're in caesarea Philippi that's kind of in the northern regions there in Galilee and then we see in verse 21 from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem we see the movement From Galilee to Jerusalem and we see the cat the cross casting its shadow over the entirety of the narrative Christ came to save his people from their sins Matthew 1 21 announces that the manner in which he does that is through his life through his death and through his resurrection he's already hinted at least informally that this is in fact the case to his immediate disciples we'll see that in a few minutes and here formally he announces that he must go this is a a Divine necessity this is an up for grabs this isn't optional this isn't you know plan C if you're so inclined but he must do what he does in terms of the Salvation of his people so he identifies the specific character of his Messianic role the role that was just confessed by the disciples notice in chapter 16 at verse 15. but who do you say that I am Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the Living God well that title that confession that declaration comes with a lot of Old Testament baggage as it were in other words what we find in the Old Testament tells us or Clues Us in with reference to the mission of the Son of God now obviously Peter didn't see that at this particular point we'll notice that in a few minutes as well the Jews by and large didn't see the necessity of a crucified and resurrected savior they were looking for political relief they were looking for the subjugation of the Roman Empire they were looking for Earthly or geopolitical Prestige they were looking to be restored in a sense to what they enjoyed under David and Solomon they didn't see the emphasis primarily upon the spiritual nature of God's kingdom and the reality that he's come to save his people from their sins interestingly and we won't get to this tonight but if you notice in verses 21 to 23 Jesus teaches a very important lesson he teaches that the cross precedes the crown and that's not the only place that we find this particular lesson in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ the cross precedes the crowd in other words we don't just wander into heaven without some degree of difficulty and hardship and it's on the heels of that that he then issues this challenge in terms of discipleship in verses 24 to 27 you not you as disciples must undergo the cross prior to the crown as well it is not the case that the health wealth Prosperity so-called gospel is valid or is legitimate no there is a pattern there is a paradigm set forth for us by our blessed savior savior notice in verse 24 if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me we cheapened that we make it seem as if a cross in our lives is a difficult child across in our life is having to ex spend a little extra time and you know overtime at work boy I'm under such a cross I'm under such a burden people that work don't don't love me that's not the cross and view here and these particular disciples would understand all too well the implications of the statement you need to be willing to die for Jesus you need to be willing to be crucified for Jesus Now by and large he doesn't ask that of any of us he doesn't specify that that's the only means by which we serve him but certainly there ought to be a willingness on the part of God's people to follow the Savior wherever he bids and if that means crucifixion if that means torture if that means jail if that means whatever it means we follow the lamb wherever he bids us go so Christ sets forth the Paradigm and that Paradigm is for his people as well the cross always precedes the crown as I said we won't get to that tonight but I wanted to make sure we did get to it at least in some small sense so I'm going to look first at the Declaration of the divine plan in verse 21 secondly the rejection of the divine plan in verse 22 and then finally the affirmation of the divine plan in verse 23. now notice in terms of the Declaration in verse 21 there's this continual emphasis so verse 21 from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem again a geographical shift we're moving From Galilee down to the city of Jerusalem but there is a theological necessity laid upon the Son of God in terms of the Covenant of redemption and even in terms of the city of Jerusalem what takes place in Jerusalem according to the Old Testament what takes place in Jerusalem is sacrifice what takes place in Jerusalem is the day of atonement what takes place in the uh city of Jerusalem is when the the just substitutes for the unjust and the wrath of God is appeased if you go back to chapter nine again you see some informal statements concerning his impending death notice in Matthew 9 specifically at verse 15. and Jesus said to them can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with that but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast now obviously Jesus is the one in view here so he's alluding to and foreshadowing and at least informally announcing the fact that he's going to die notice in chapter 10 specifically at verse 38 chapter 10 verse 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me again another lesson in terms of disciple people ship the disciple follows the master and if the disciple takes up the cross to follow the master that must imply that the master himself has taken up a cross as well and then notice in chapter 12 specifically at verses 14 and 15. notice the Sabbath Wars that's the context in verses 1 to 8 and then again in verses 9 to 14. notice how the Sabbath War ends in verse 14 then the Pharisees went out and plotted against him how they might destroy him verse 15 but when Jesus knew it he withdrew from there not because he was a scaredy cat not because he was filled with cowardice but it was not yet his time so he withdrew from their knowing their purpose and intention to destroy him it's not without great Merit that then we see this appeal to a suffering servant passage in the prophet Isaiah so had the disciples been listening to these informal announcements perhaps they would not have dropped the ball so severely when Jesus makes the formal announcement in chapter 16 at verse 20. verse 21 but then notice not only this formal announcement but again in chapter 17 you can turn there verses 22 and 23 22 now while they were staying in Galilee Jesus said to them the son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him and the third day he will be raised up and they were exceedingly sorrowful it's an interesting thing not that they were exceedingly sorrowful but they were exceedingly sorrowful even after he had announced he'd be raised up they loved him they were devoted to him they didn't want him to be hurt they didn't want to see him suffer they didn't want to see him die and then again notice in chapter 20. chapter 20 specifically at verse 17. now Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the 12 disciples aside on the road and said to them behold we are going up to Jerusalem the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will down him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to Mock and discourage and to crucify and the third day he will rise again it's intriguing that on the heels of this two disciples then jockey for position in the kingdom of God again Brethren I don't want to pick on the stifles here I didn't think the representative of all of us but they're just a bit tone deaf aren't they he announces that he must go to Jerusalem he must suffer at the hands of Godless men he must be delivered up to the Gentiles and he must be crucified so what happens the mother of zebedee's sons come and says hey can my little precious boys sit on your right hand and on your left when you come in the glory of your kingdom do you not hear yourself he just announced that he's going to die and Jesus handles this beautifully not that he needs my Commendation not that he needs my approval but notice the nature of her request verse 21. she said to him grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom now look at how Jesus responds Jesus answered and said you do not know what you ask he's going to preach again the message that the cross precedes the crown you don't just shoot into a position of glory on the right hand and on the left hand of the blessed savior without some sort of difficulty along the way that's just the nature of the way it is and people have problems with that well why is it why is there suffering why is there hardship why is there travail why is there Affliction why in the world is there any good in a world that is in defection and rebellion and transgression against God C.S Lewis wrote the book and wrote the pamphlet booklet the pla the problem of pain John gerstner followed it up with a better question the problem of pleasure Lewis is saying well you know trying to deal with the perennial question why do bad things happen to so-called good people gerstner flips it on its hat why does anything good ever happen to bad people we've got the wrong framework we've got the wrong point of reference we've got the wrong frame of mind when it comes to these things so Jesus says you do not know what you ask are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink that's a reference to the Wrath and the Fury and the Judgment of God you can see that in Gethsemane when Christ prays according to his Humanity that if it is possible let this cop pass from me but nevertheless not my will but thine be done it's the cup of God's Wrath are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with why does he say that well Luke 12 50 specifies for us the words that teacher doesn't mean sprinkling he doesn't say I'm going to be sprinkled with a bit of distress I'm going to be sprinkled with a bit of problems I'm going to be overwhelmed I'm going to be immersed I am going to be submerged in the Wrath and fury of God most high you don't know anything about the cup you don't know anything about the baptism that I'm about to undergo your question is wrong-headed but then notice they said to him we are able do you ever do Monday Morning Quarterback when you read your Bible and say you know Brothers you probably shouldn't say that or you've been in a situation where you're with somebody that's not as bright as somebody else and they're not as bright as somebody else is challenging the brighter than they and you just kind of secretly think you should stop this it's not going to end well it is not going to demonstrate your prowess and Savvy but rather it's going to demonstrate just the opposite so notice these men say we are able and again I'm not picking on these men Brethren I'm really not I mean I think they're representative of all of God's people notice what he says in verse 23 so he said to them you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with in other words there will be a cross before your crown James is beheaded in Acts chapter 12 by Herod and then John is famously exiled on the island of Patmos for the word of God in the testimony of the Lord now Patmos wasn't a retirement place it didn't have you know several nice Lush 18-hole golf courses Patmos was a rock out in the Aegean Sea it was a place where you sent criminals so these men would know something of the cup they would know something of the baptism unto suffering and death and notice but to sit on my right hand middle of verse 23 and on my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my father now notice verse 24 this is intriguing and when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers why do you think they were greatly displeased with the two brothers I cannot believe your lack of virtue I cannot believe your lack of etiquette I cannot believe that on the heels of his announcement that he's going to die you're jockeying for possession no probably because they themselves wanted to be on the immediate right hand and on the immediate left hand if these two edged them out then they're out on The Fray I doubt it was a virtuous contemplation a a virtuous displeasure in these men and their lack of Savvy in the situation and then notice how Jesus responds verse 25 Jesus called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you that that's a lesson that needs to be proclaimed in every age of the church we're not supposed to have celebrities lead us we're not supposed to have T-shirts with our favorite guys face on it yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant and whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many this further defines describes and declares the nature of the Divine necessity laid upon him for him to move into Jerusalem now back to chapter 16. verse 21 from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must don't miss the significance of this word it highlights the absolute necessity of the mission of Christ there is divine necessity a theological necessity involved here and when it comes to the Lord Christ he understood that so he shows to his disciples that he must and intriguingly the various infinitives that follow are passive which indicates that God is the act of agent the father is the reason why Jesus must do this I've mentioned the Covenant of redemption that's the backdrop that's the background that's the pre-temporal intra-trinitarian Covenant between the persons of the godhead to save his people from their sins the father who lacks a miserable lot of Sinners gives them to the son the son covenants to the father that he'll take on our Humanity he'll go into this world and he will suffer for them and he will die for them and he will be raised again for them so there is this necessity laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ so this word must highlights that absolute necessity and then this word must governs each of those following statements notice he must go to Jerusalem he must suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes he must be killed and he must be raised the third day now he must go to Jerusalem why is that because that's where they killed prophets it's not only where they sacrificed sacrifices but that's where they killed prophets I seem to have tipped my hand this morning relative to some statements about Revelation I don't think it's in our future I think it happened and it was uh applicable to the first century situation the great city as I mentioned was Jerusalem those Saints under the altar crying out for the Vengeance of God in Revelation chapter 6 have specific reference to the conditions that obtained in the first century the first primary enemy of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ was not the Roman Empire fire they were second but the first primary enemy was the unbelieving Jews you see it with Jesus you see it with the apostles Trace through the book of Acts it's the the government the civil government doesn't get involved until later on and they're even unwilling they just play past the bar they don't want to deal with Paul this isn't our debate this isn't our dispute some of the some of them even announce as much it's just an intramural religious discussion between these Jews and and this subset of Judaism this Christianity so when you look at scripture you'll notice that Jerusalem is both the holy city but it's also the apostate City and so Jesus must go there why because that's where they kill prophets you see that in second chronicles you see it in Jeremiah 26 you see it as well in Matthew 21 you can turn there Matthew 21 the parable of the wicked Vine dressers it's simply the history of Israel and her dealings with God most high and this is intimately connected to the prophet Isaiah Isaiah chapter 5. he uses the same analogy he uses the same situation he uses the same sort of a thing to illustrate in his time Isaiah's time the apostate nature of the people of Israel and the Judgment of God that is in Pandey well notice in chapter 21 the Lord Jesus gives us that history of Israel verse 33 hear another Parable there was a certain landowner who planted a Vineyard and set a hedge around it dug a wine press in it and built a tower and he leased it Divine dressers and went into a far country now when the Vintage time Drew near he sent his servants to the vine dressers that they might receive its fruit who do you think the servants are the prophets of God sent by God to Israel to bring forth the fruit give us the fruit that the the landowner the vineyard owner has called you to Bear now notice in verse 34 I'm sorry verse 35 and the vine dressers took his servants beat one killed one and stoned another again he sent out other servants more than the first and they did likewise to them then last of all he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son Brethren this is not tough to figure out who he's talking about he's talking about his contemporaries he's talking about these religious leaders he's talking about old Covenant Israel he is applying to them this analogy to show them their disregard for the living and true God so the father says he sent his son they will respect my son notice in verse 38 but when the vine dresser saw the son they said among themselves this is the air come let us kill him and seize his inheritance so they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him so Jesus must go to Jerusalem because that's where they've killed prophets Luke's gospel he says as much Luke 13 33 he says nevertheless I must Journey today tomorrow and the day following for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem see Brethren as we move our way through John's gospel you see that antipathy that enmity Rising that opposition to our blessed savior it culminates when they say away with him away with him crucify him they fulfill all that was written concerning them they do the bidding of God even the wrath of man shall Praise You the psalmist says in Psalm 76 but as well as I mentioned it is the place of sacrifice Matthew Henry marks this connection he says he must go to Jerusalem the head City the holy city and suffer there though he lived most of his time in Galilee he must die at Jerusalem they're all the sacrifices were offered there therefore he must die who is the great sacrifice so he says I must go to Jerusalem but notice secondly he must suffer many things he says as much to that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes the sufferings of Our Lord are manifold now the Bible doesn't get into a long celebration of that vis-a-vis some sort of a a passion play like you see in romanism or on the on the big screen it doesn't celebrate the blood and the gore the way that say Mel Gibson does in his in his movie about Jesus but with reference to the suffering the son of man knew sorrow the son of man knew suffering the son of man goes into Gethsemane and his soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death now again this is written in the Old Testament when we get to Peter's rebuke of the Lord Jesus Peter is showing his ignorance of the prophetic word he is demonstrating his lack of understanding in terms of the Messianic agenda he is evidencing that he hasn't grappled with the reality of say for instance the the the the the 22nd psalm Psalm 22 talks about crucifixion hundreds of years before crucifixion Psalm 22 is basically a script for what happens in terms of Messiah the first half is the humiliation the suffering and the death the latter half is the exaltation of the right hand of the father and the blessings that accrue as a result of what the son of man suffered you've got Psalm 69 and you see that applied in the gospel narratives the Betrayal of our blessed savior you've got as well the prophet Isaiah the servant songs and in particular 52 and 53 the suffering servant of Yahweh a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief he has no form no come with us when we see him there's nothing in him that attracts us to him he is suffering on behalf of the people of God Daniel 9 Messiah cut off Zechariah 9-14 and intriguingly Matthew the Theologian invokes these prophets along the way and shows us that everything that was specified and written of Christ has come to pass notice thirdly he must be killed the Messiah of Israel would be crucified John Gill said signifying that he should not die a natural death but that his life should be taken from him in a cruel and violent manner without any regard to law or Justice indeed that he should be properly murdered he says that and be killed he's not going to die in his sleep for the Salvation of us men he is rather going to be killed he's going to be brutalized he's going to be treated with absolute contempt and with absolute disdain and with absolute hatred they treat the only holy harmless and undefiled man that has ever walked the face of the Earth in the most atrocious and vicious way now Brethren again the cross precedes the crown Peter according to Fox Fox's book of Martyrs when it was time for him to be crucified he had one request crucify me upside down I am not worthy to go in the same way that my blessed savior went the people of God suffer when you identify with the true and living God does the world around you say good for you you're one of our bestest friends now we love and esteem you because you hold fast the truth as it is in Jesus now it's just the opposite you can be disowned you can be disassociated with you could lose jobs you could lose life you could lose Freedom you could lose Liberty you could lose a whole lot well again the cross precedes the crown and Jesus sets forth that Paradigm or that pattern the means ultimately or this is the means ultimately by which he would affect our Redemption without the shedding of blood there is no remission and when God comes to deal with our sin he doesn't deal with a bull or a goat or a heifer rather he deals with his only begotten son the son of his love the one who has his nature comes into this world takes on our nature lives for us dies for us and is then raised again so notice how that progression he must go to Jerusalem he must suffer he must die but then he says he must be raised the third day the Old Testament indicated that he must be raised again from the dead you see it in that Servant Song in Isaiah 53 you've got the the the the ignominy which is an old word meaning the curse and the shame associated with the crucifixion of Our Lord but it ends in exaltation it ends in Triumph it ends in blessedness the same with Daniel 70 weeks the same with Psalm 16. the Apostle Peter invoked psalm 16 to prove the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ so again what Jesus says here it's scripted he's not making things up he's not suggesting anything that hasn't obtained or hasn't been in the the daily readings that these men had undergone so you you get the point that these brothers had been instructed these brothers had the information these brothers had known but they really didn't peer down and no of of a truth and that the nature of the Messiah so that brings us then secondly to the rejection of the divine plan notice the objector then Peter you kind of expect this from Peter Peter has always struck me as a ready fire and kind of a guy you know you're supposed to Ready Aim Fire that's typically the way you shoot but some people ready fire and then aim Peter's got an impetuosity about him but as well Peter is the spokesman for the other Apostles Matthew indicates that as we move through or as you move through Matthew's gospel Peter is the one that vocalizes or speaks for the most part not every single time but for the most part he's the spokesman of The Twelve so notice what Peter does here and let's just remember that Peter had just been pronounced blessed by our Lord so go back in the context of verse 15 he said to them but but who do you say that I am Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the Living God Jesus answered and said to him blessed are you Simon barjona it's an intriguing passage you go from blessed are you Simon barjona to get behind me Satan there's a quick shift here in terms of the script it's pretty amazing and we'll look at that in just a moment but Peter takes him aside and began to rebuke him saying far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you he said grief respect there he takes a massage perhaps he learned what I learned growing up and having jobs praise in public and reprove in private don't praise bad performance or praise bad uh don't don't rebuke bad performance in front of everybody take them aside and and rebuke them privately not that this was bad performance just an analogy he takes them aside and then notice he basically says God be merciful or literally far be it from you Lord and it's a strong negative this shall not happen to you France says the strong negative translated by never conveys that it is not just undesirable but unthinkable so he's not just saying I I don't want you to do this he's saying it's Unthinkable that you would do this your Jesus you're the Son of God you're the one that the prophets have talked about your arrival is upon us and we are esteeming you and the fact that you suggest you're going to go suffer you're going to go die you're going to go be raised again no it's not not going to happen Lord perhaps he thought he had one up here he had been pronounced blessed perhaps now this gave him a bit of insight into the scheme here and he wants to register his his disapproval now now Jesus we we love you we've come to esteem you but this is crazy talk you're not going to Jerusalem and again Brethren on one hand you get it right I mean if you love somebody you don't want to hear them say yeah I'm going to go to Jerusalem because they're going to suffer and I'm going to die you'd probably be inclined to say uh no we don't want you to do that remember when I takes Paul's belt and then binds his own hands and then he says the owner of this belt according to the holy spirit is going to be bound in Jerusalem he's going to suffer in Jerusalem what do Paul's companions do do they say oh that's great that's awesome isn't that wonderful no they weep they're sad they're grieved over that they love Paul they don't want him to go to Jerusalem and be bound they don't want him to go to Jerusalem and be heard so when Peter says this far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you it demonstrates or underscores the love that he had for Jesus I'm not knocking that I think it's admirable I think it's glorious I think it is wonderful but as well it shows the understanding he had of the Messiah and his understanding of the Messiah was not all together rounded out remember this morning in the psalm Psalm 45 when it says that Jesus rides prosperously in truth humility and righteousness we understand truth don't we the Messiah advances his kingdom and his cause through truth we understand righteousness don't we the Messiah is going to govern his kingdom in righteousness but humility that's not something you typically long for in a civil leader if it is you will never get it you get just the opposite you get sanctimony and virtue signaling off in proud arrogance but why humility he writes prosperously in truth humility and righteousness well I think the humility points to something that we see throughout the Old Testament Christ is going to have absolute Dominion Empire and power Christ is going to shatter the nations with a rod of iron but Christ is going to be the servant of the Lord Christ is going to have the state of humiliation where he assumes our Humanity where he is a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief when he says that the foxes have their their holes and the birds of the air have their nest but the son of man has nowhere to lay his hat we're going to see her we see rather played out this state of humiliation wherein Christ assumes that Humanity or assumes our humanity and he's treated poorly he's treated with disrespect so it's not necessarily the Perfection or The Virtue though I think that's involved but it's that state of humiliation so perhaps Peter musing on the 45th Psalm saw truth and righteousness he Muses on the second Psalms shattering them with a with a rod of iron he Muses on Psalm 110. Yahweh said to my Lord sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool well brethren we know that the path to that glory and exaltation is through the cross right they missed that in the first century that's why Paul says in First Corinthians chapter 1 the Jews they request a sign You See It In This Very passage Jesus upgrades the Pharisees and the Sadducees because they want signs the Jews seek after signs Paul says in First Corinthians 1 the Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach what Christ and him crucified to the Jews a stumbling block an offense same word that Jesus uses in verse 23 Scandal so Simon Peter goes from being the chief Confessor to now trying to block up the means by which the bill uh the church is going to be built so rile says there may be much spiritual ignorance even in a true disciple of Christ so we're not treating Peter here as a reprobate we're not suggesting that Peter's Godless or that is damned to hell for this sort of brief interruption in terms of the agenda but I think rile's right brethren and I think that that ought to Tamper the way that we deal with one another there may be much spiritual ignorance even in a true disciple of Christ now that doesn't mean we have to point all of that out that doesn't mean we have to say there see you're not as bright as you ought to be hopefully it gives us a good dose of humility and charity as we live in this present evil age knowing that our fellows may not be the brightest bulbs in the chandelier on particular articles of the faith Matthew 11 2 and 3. we see John the Baptist struggling with the Messianic agenda not the identification of Jesus as the Messiah but as far as the Baptist is concerned if he is in fact the Messiah which John believed why am I in jail John sees that Jesus is out there doing glorious and wondrous things well certainly he can bust me out of this jail that I'm in for not having committed any crime so even John the Baptist has a perplexity there in Matthew's gospel in chapter 11. I've already alluded to First Corinthians chapter one the Jews seek signs the Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ and him crucified but as well look at First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 8. the Apostle summarizes this well and he does it I think in a very charitable way First Corinthians chapter two he gives them as it were the benefit of the doubt had they known he was The Lord Of Glory I'd like to thank they wouldn't have nailed him to a tree they obviously didn't know that he was The Lord Of Glory that's why they did nail him to a tree notice in verse 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew well back to verse 7. but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our Glory Glory which none of the rulers of this age knew for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord Of Glory it would not have crucified if they had known who he was again benefit of the doubt I'd like to think they wouldn't have put him up on a tree but then notice as well the statement here I don't want to leave this passage with without admiring the turn of phrase They Crucified the Lord of Glory how do you possibly put that sentence together without the hypostatic union how do you possibly put that sentence together without what Cyril would later identify as the communication of idioms how do you talk about crucifying the Lord Of Glory will you do so based on the nature of the Redeemer based on the person rather of the Redeemer one person two Natures you crucified the Lord Of Glory you put to a miserable death the one who is in fact the Lord Of Glory so Peter objects and that brings thirdly and finally the affirmation of the divine plan so Peter says in verse 9 far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you Jesus doesn't ignore him Jesus doesn't just let this slide Jesus doesn't say well you know he's just a bit of an ignorant fellow hopefully he'll learn once we go through the rest of the Gospel narrative and I do my thing then then he'll see It'll be crystal clear no Jesus wants to nip this in the butt this is Godless is thinking this is satanic thinking this is trying to block up the progress of God most high the plan and purpose of God most high notice what he says in verse 23 he turned and said to Peter get behind me Satan you are an offense to me a scandal a stumbling block to me for you're not mindful of the things of God but the things of man so the nature of the rebuke is a sharp one get behind me Satan again he goes from blessed are you Simon barjona for Flesh and Blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in heaven to get behind me Satan I can imagine the look on Peter's face huh what I I don't know what just hit me here this is quite the move or quite the shift in terms of the particular narrative J.C Royal says the error that Drew so from so loving a savior such a Stern rebuke to such a true disciple must have been a mighty Heir indeed Brethren as we've moved our way through John's gospel in the recurring emphasis on Jesus identity identity with the Father the father sent me I am the one sent Jesus certainly calls them children of the devil I don't want to diminish that in John 8 44. but I haven't seen yet where he tells these Jews get behind me Satan now they're challenging him at the level of nature they're challenging him at the level of divinity he's claiming the man to be God He makes himself equal with God he doesn't rebuke them not that he doesn't rebuke them but he doesn't rebuke them in this manner the way he does with Simon Peter this isn't according to the humanity thing this is a covenant of redemption thing this is the surety of a better Covenant thing this is the means by which he comes to save us from our sins if he takes Peter's counsel if he listens to Peter's rebuke if he does not go to Jerusalem if he does not suffer at the hands of Godless man if he does not die and be raised again the third day then we're all dead in our trespasses and sins Ronald goes on to make that statement he says error on many points is only a skin disease error about Christ's death is a disease at the heart you cannot be wrong here you you can be wrong in some hands of theology he could be wrong in some articles of religion but you cannot be wrong on the death of Christ you cannot be wrong on substitutionary curse bearing you cannot be wrong on atonement you cannot be wrong on Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world those are sufficiently clear doctrines revealed by God now intriguingly Jesus uses this language with the Devil Himself in Matthew Chapter 4 verses 8 to 10. he rebukes the actual devil and there the uh the particular Temptation the Son of God was promised Universal Dominion the devil says it can be his right now if he bows before Satan and rejects the plan of God in other words he can receive the crown without the cross so he says Get Behind Me Satan he rebukes the devil now when we come back to Matthew 16 he's not actually identifying Peter as the devil he's not looking through Peter at the Devil he is using a very Stern and strong rebuke to show the necessity laid upon him by the father for us man and for our Salvation he is declaring his resolution he's declaring his uh resoluteness rather in Luke's gospel it says that he was steadfast he set his face steadfast to go to Jerusalem I like the old King James he set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem that invokes the Servant Song of Isaiah he does this again because this is the plan and the means by which he saves us from our sins so the Lord does not look through Peter to the devil behind him the Lord does not actually identify Peter as the devil the Lord rather does rebuke him for objecting to the divine plan in other words anything that would throw Jesus off the mission anything that would throw Jesus off the divine necessity that he must suffer that he must die and that he must be raised again is satanic in its origin it is absolutely devilish it is contrary to the plan and purpose of God Almighty France says the same Peter who had just spoke and what God had revealed to him verse 17 is now speaking for Satan just as the third Temptation in chapter 4 8-9 had been to achieve worldly Power by accommodating himself to Satan rather than attacking him so now Peter's vision a messiahship represents the easier way to power an authority he says the gains without the pains and that was never the plan never the purpose of God Almighty that first announcement in the garden that first statement concerning the gospel we have a deliverer a man born of a woman and a man born of a woman that would affect salvation for his people he would affect the crushing of the serpent through his own suffering and through his own death so from the outset the very first announcement of gospel salvation we see the suffering and the death of the Messiah now notice Jesus says Get Behind Me Satan you are on offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of man Peter was pronounced a Rock when he confessed the truth about Christ now he is called a stumbling block when he tries to block up the truth about Christ he goes from essentially being a good rock to a bad Rock he goes from being a spokesman of the father to a spokesman of the devil Davies and Allison make the observation Peter up against what Paul called the stumbling block of the Cross himself has become a stumbling block an obstacle tempting Jesus to leave the path that goes through Gethsemane in Golgotha since it makes sense right Lord no another suffering for you there's no hardship or Affliction for you you're the you're the Son of God that means Regal power and Glory means Victory it means the subjugation of All Peoples under you uh Peter Peter could recite Psalm 45 in terms of the Majesty of the Messiah and his conquering power but it's that humility bit that he missed it's that humility bit that the first uh the unbelieving Jews in the first century missed it is that humility bit that the health wealth and prosperity teachers Miss they don't see that the cross precedes the crown they want Jesus to go from Jerusalem straight to heaven while bypassing Gethsemane and Golgotha and then in terms of the rejection of the divine plan Peter could not conceive the necessity of a suffering Messiah he was not alone in the first century he's not alone in the 21st century there are those who can't see it they don't understand they don't realize why do you Christians follow this Jesus why do you celebrate his death that seems a bit Macabre that seems a bit odd that seems a bit grisly but we know without that death there's no salvation without that death there's no forgiveness without that blood there there's no remission that's why we celebrate it that's why we sing of it that's why we remember it in a special way with actual emblems and symbols that he gives us eat this bread drink this cup why because you remember the broken body of our savior and the shed blood of the Savior again outside the church that seems a bit bizarre did you know that in the early church the Christians were accused of being cannibals they were accused of being cannibals because they celebrated the Lord's supper and this whole idea of eating the Flesh of Jesus and drinking his blood suggested something odd it suggested something contrary to Natural reason so Peter couldn't conceive of that as well Peter did not understand the Old Testament scriptures concerning the Messiah the Old Testament prophesied his suffering the Old Testament prophesied his death the Old Testament prophesied his resurrection Simon Peter doesn't get that he does obviously and this is one of the means by which he does as Jesus is teaching him the Divine scripture but as well Peter had a triumphalistic view of the Messiah a triumphalistic view of the Messiah and this is something that is a perennial problem in Christianity imagine health wealth and prosperity but it also goes to mainstream churches as well oh we're children the king no bad things should ever happen to us yeah but the king said bad things are going to happen to you right if the king said in this world you will have tribulation then guess what in this world you're going to have tribulation when the king's chief Apostle to the Gentile says all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution guess what there's no bypassing Gethsemane and Golgotha not that we would ever go through Gethsemane and Golgotha but the point is is that we must pass through a veil of Tears prior to entrance into the celestial City that's paradigmatic that's the way it goes the last sinner saved is probably the most fortunate sinner on the face of the Earth notice I didn't say lucky fortunate Peter tells us consider the long-suffering of Our Lord to be salvation what does that mean it means there's a specific number of Sinners needing to be saved before Jesus comes again in glory what what what's holding up the plan in terms of Jesus return they're Sinners to be saved imagine being that last sinner confessing faith in Jesus Christ and then the Son of God returns that sinner doesn't know as much of the pain and affliction and the hardship in terms of the veil of tears that the rest of us go through so Peter had a triumphalistic view Spurgeon says the pith that means sort of the focus or the center of the error was that Peter looked at things from the point of view of human honor and success and not from that grand standpoint in which the glory of God and the salvation of man swallows everything Peter was operating under that mindset that you see later in chapter 20. Lord grant that we may sit on your right and sit on your left again I'm not picking on these disciples they are new in terms of messiah's presence they are new in terms of messiah's influence they're obviously new in terms of some understanding of those Old Testament scriptures that spoke of the suffering and that spoke of the death we're not going to chastise them Jesus does later he says have I been so long with you and you still do not understand so in the best of men there's still that remaining not corruption even but that ignorance well in conclusion we ought to appreciate in the passage the commitment of our Lord Jesus Christ when he says he must do what he does he is doing that for us man and for our Salvation as well the Lord Jesus is the Christ the son of the Living God that confession is made previously in verse 16 and that means consistently with that confession all the things specified by the father for that Son of God who takes on our Humanity must obtain he must suffer he must die he must be raised again the Lord Jesus Christ carries out the demands placed upon him even suffering and Death on the cross I had said earlier you can't get the death of Jesus wrong you just can't you can get eschatology wrong you can get you know baptism wrong I don't want you to and you shouldn't and there's sufficient data so that you shouldn't but you can go to Heaven even if you don't embrace the specific teaching of scripture you can't when you don't understand who Jesus is listen to Spurgeon now Spurgeon and guys subsequent dispersion had to deal with people who were denying substitutionary atonement we have I mean it's so commonplace today that to find a church that actually espouses substitutionary atonement is is the odd thing wow they they actually preach Christ then crucified in the manner that specified by God that that's the odd thing out today but there was a time when the church under better days really understood the cross but at the time of Spurgeon and subsequent matron you'll see this a lot as well people were denying those things people were were reneging on the the biblical truth concerning the the atoning work of Jesus listen to Spurgeon he says Those Who at this day revile the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord our fonder of the things that be of men than those that be of God they are loud in their claim to be grateful anthropists but sound theologians they are not humanitarians they may be but divines they cannot be they may be friends of man but they are not the Servants of God so he's lumping them in with this objection no far be it from you lord it's not about substitutionary curse bearing that's precisely what it's about Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world Brethren hold that Doctrine don't let go of that Doctrine keep it with you wherever you find yourself because it is that the doctrine of Christ and then crucified and resurrected that stabilizes the people of God that solidifies the people of God that enables them to persevere by the grace of God to the celestial City well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for this passage of scripture and for what it teaches concerning that Divine necessity laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of his passion we thank you that he went to these lengths to save us from our sin and we rejoice in your loving kindness to us and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen well you can turn back or back uh forward to Matthew 26 the section we will read after the brothers pass out the bread and the wine just a couple of reminders in terms of the supper it is an ordinance of the New Covenant Church it is an ordinance given by the Lord Jesus Christ and the ordinance is for believers only it's not for unbelievers if you're not a Believer tonight we just simply ask that you don't take it not because we're trying to be vicious or unkind or bigoted or prejudiced or anything like that but the Bible specifies that only God's people take it God's people have an interest in Christ and therefore the supper is for them secondly the ordinance is for believers who are dealing with their sin we find that in First Corinthians chapter 11. it's not a reward for good behavior hey you've done well this past month therefore you can participate it's not that we got to get that mindset out of us but rather there is a sense where we need to be living in a manner consistent with God and men so in First Corinthians chapter 11 the Apostle Paul condemns the practice of the Corinthian Church he says what you're doing is you're not even you're not even at the you're not even participating in the Lord's Supper in the Lord's table when you shun those who don't have as much when you don't treat the body of Christ with esteem and love and respect you're not worthy to take it again not sinless Perfection not absolute Stellar performance but you're dealing with your sins before God and with men and then third the ordinance is in fact a means of Grace but the elements are not transubstantiated they don't become something other there's no ritual involved in this where we change the bread and the wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus Visa V romanism romanism has an unblooded sacrifice of its own men they call it the mass or the Eucharist that's a fundamental difference than the way that we approach this we acknowledge that God does bring Grace God does confer Upon Us blessing but it's not because there's some sacramentology involved wherein we're actually ingesting the body and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and finally never forget that the ordinance points us to Christ it's about him certainly there might be a reflection upon your sin confess it forsake it seek Mercy from God and take the supper it's a confirming ordinance it's a strengthening ordinance sometimes people need that very thing for their benefit and for their growth in Grace well if the brothers would come and pass out the bread we will sing number 338 while they do so once we finish that hymn I will read the appropriate section in Matthew's gospel and pray and then we'll take the bread together so 338 please remain seated [Music] thank you [Music] with me foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] much fun [Music] always foreign [Music] on Matthew's gospel chapter 26 at verse 26 and as they were eating Jesus Took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you for the provision of your son the sending of the son into this world to save his people from their sins again we thank you for choosing Us in him before the foundation of the world putting us in Christ by your grace and giving us life eternal and we give glory to you and we bless you and we praise you as well we thank you for this ordinance given to the church where we can reflect upon his work on our behalf and hopefully our hearts are drawn out in love and worship and adoration and praise to our blessed God even father Son and Holy Spirit and we pray in Jesus name amen will take together we can remain seated and turn to 457. the brothers will pass out the wine if you're so inclined there's juice in the outer ring if you'd rather just have juice it's in the outer ring of the the plate the wine is in the intersection so 457 will sing praise to God thank you [Music] Jesus Christ [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] come on [Music] Jesus [Music] Christ foreign [Music] everything wrong [Music] continuing in verse 27 then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung A Hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives well let us pray father we thank you for this Blood of the New Covenant we know that it's reminiscent to what is done in Exodus 24 in terms of the ratification of the old Covenant it is reminiscent of Jeremiah 31 in the announcement of the New Covenant and we see this realization this fulfillment this completion of that Covenant of Grace in the New Testament we thank you for the Lord Jesus we thank you for his his blood and righteousness and we thank you that you have blessed us richly with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ and we give all praise and glory and honor unto you and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen we'll take together well you can turn in your hymn book to Psalm 134. as we close our worship this evening Psalm 134 will stand as we sing together [Music] on your eyes [Music] July oh California [Music] and worship Him With Friends [Music] from our daughter birthday [Music] Mercy is [Music] Rael hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is Mercy and with him is abundant Redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities God we thank you for this Lord's day we thank you for the rest that you afford on this day as the brother prayed this morning the market day of the Soul we thank you as well for the rest that we have in the Lord Jesus as heavy laden and weary Sinners we have come to him we have received forgiveness we have received a righteousness we have received many many blessing we ask that you would go with us now watch over us in this coming week be glorified in our lives and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen or you may be seated for a brief time of meditation