WEBVTT 00:00:05.549 --> 00:00:08.269 Hey teachers, Ben Jennings here. This is session 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:11.029 number three in the second half of our study 00:00:11.029 --> 00:00:14.830 in Matthew. It covers Matthew chapter 16 verses 00:00:14.830 --> 00:00:18.089 13 to 26. And this particular lesson is called 00:00:18.089 --> 00:00:20.269 Following Jesus because it really is all about 00:00:20.269 --> 00:00:23.649 that. Disciples of Jesus follow Jesus. We are 00:00:23.649 --> 00:00:27.929 students of Jesus. We are followers, imitators 00:00:27.929 --> 00:00:32.640 of Jesus. This what this lesson is all about 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:34.799 and we can't really fully follow Jesus Christ 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:38.119 as his disciples until we acknowledge three realities 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:40.979 that we're going to see Presented here in this 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:44.240 lesson number one The first reality is that we 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.179 know and accept his true identity. So the reality 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:50.560 is has identity as true identity Matthew 16. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:53.420 This is a great passage Starting at verse 13 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:56.539 when Jesus came to the coast accessory of Philippi 00:00:56.539 --> 00:00:59.359 He asked his disciples saying whom do men say 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:03.229 that thy the son of man? am. And they said, some 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:05.730 said there are John the Baptist, some Elias, 00:01:05.969 --> 00:01:10.230 others Jeremiah, so one of the prophets. I think 00:01:10.230 --> 00:01:12.090 it's interesting, he says, son of man, he's claiming 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:14.989 to be deity there. Go back and check out Daniel 00:01:14.989 --> 00:01:20.310 chapter 7, I believe. Their answer back to him 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.430 is, well, people are saying that you're like, 00:01:22.469 --> 00:01:24.629 John the Baptist come back, or one of these other 00:01:24.629 --> 00:01:27.739 prophets come back. He says under verse 15, but 00:01:27.739 --> 00:01:30.599 whom say ye that I am? It doesn't really matter 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.219 what everybody else is saying. Who do you say 00:01:33.219 --> 00:01:36.260 that I am? What's my identity to you? Verse 16, 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:39.159 and Simon Peter, and that's why we said we have 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:41.780 to know and accept his true identity. Peter gets 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:44.480 it right, at least at the first part. Simon Peter 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.560 answered and said, thou art the Christ, the Son 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.840 of the living God, right? You're the Messiah, 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:52.480 you're the anointed one, and you're equal with 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:56.659 the Father, you are God. Verse 17. And Jesus 00:01:56.659 --> 00:01:58.879 answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:01.519 Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:03.439 revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.859 in heaven. And I say also unto thee thou art 00:02:05.859 --> 00:02:07.739 Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:10.479 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:19.419 it." This is Peter being the first of one of 00:02:19.419 --> 00:02:24.219 the first to declare the truth that the truth 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:26.659 that God will build his church on what is that 00:02:26.659 --> 00:02:29.400 truth that Jesus Christ that Jesus is the Christ 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:32.719 the Son of the Living God To be a follower of 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:34.319 Jesus. You have to rightly identify him. You 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:37.039 have to get him, right? He says in verse 19 I 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:38.639 will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:40.860 heaven and whatsoever shall be bind thou shalt 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:42.580 bind on earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever 00:02:42.580 --> 00:02:45.139 thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:46.860 heaven then charged he is disciples that they 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:51.719 should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. 00:02:52.340 --> 00:02:55.039 Essentially, this identity is going to be how 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.219 people get into the kingdom of God. If they're 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:00.180 born again, if they're born from above, if they 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:06.360 believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.819 living God, they can get in. If they don't, then 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:14.400 they won't. And then he tells his disciples not 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.300 to tell anybody, and I believe at this point 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:18.400 he knows he needs to be rejected, he knows he 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:22.120 needs to go to the cross and die. And so this 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.139 is something he's got a timing for what he's 00:03:24.139 --> 00:03:26.759 trying to say. The truth of the matter is that 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:31.939 Jesus' disciples can't really be true, authentic 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:35.139 followers of him unless they rightly understood 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:36.900 him. And these guys definitely understood who 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:40.060 Jesus was. So the first thing we have to do to 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:43.500 follow him fully as his disciples is to acknowledge 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:46.539 his true identity. Number two, we embrace his 00:03:46.539 --> 00:03:50.400 mission as Messiah and Savior. Verse 21. From 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:52.539 that time forth began Jesus to show unto his 00:03:52.539 --> 00:03:55.620 disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem, 00:03:56.199 --> 00:03:57.939 suffer many things of the elders and chief priests 00:03:57.939 --> 00:04:01.639 and scribes, and be killed and be raised again 00:04:01.639 --> 00:04:04.280 the third day. Right there you've got the gospel. 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.719 He starts foretelling his death, his burial, 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:12.280 and his resurrection. Then Peter took him and 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:14.460 began to rebuke him saying be it far from thee 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.819 Lord This shall not be unto thee. I can't think 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:20.699 it's interesting. He rightly identified Jesus's 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:24.420 identity But then as Jesus kind of not kind of 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:29.100 was Jesus prophesied the gospel his reason for 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:33.079 coming Peter saying no. No, I don't want this 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:36.019 to be the case It's clear that he doesn't understand 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.100 the full ramifications of the gospel at this 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:41.120 point I think he probably thinks he's doing the 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:42.860 right thing by saying, I don't want Jesus to 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:45.680 die. You're my savior. I'm a messiah. I want 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:47.339 you to be the king on the throne. I don't want 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:52.759 you to be a savior who dies. Verse 23, but then 00:04:52.759 --> 00:05:05.899 look at what Jesus does. He's thinking like a 00:05:05.899 --> 00:05:11.620 man. He's thinking like basically the temporary 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.660 like what's best for right now for the here and 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:19.360 now and not for eternity and so God's mission 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:21.660 was to send Jesus to die to be buried and rise 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:25.139 again and so a denial of that gospel is is a 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:28.379 problem and so Peter in this moment is acting 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:30.819 like Satan would act and be being against the 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:35.639 gospel When Jesus says this is why I'm coming. 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.139 This is what I'm doing. We have no right to say 00:05:38.139 --> 00:05:42.759 no don't do that like he's he has a mission he 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:46.100 is the Messiah and We rightly identify him, but 00:05:46.100 --> 00:05:48.399 that means we also in identifying him realize 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:51.699 he's the authority and and his mission is is 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:55.720 paramount We deny his mission when we don't when 00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:58.259 we're silent when we don't Do what he said go 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:00.660 into all the world and preach the gospel to every 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:03.629 creature To be a true follower, we have to embrace 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:06.329 his mission after we identify him rightly. Number 00:06:06.329 --> 00:06:08.550 three, then we sacrifice our personal agendas 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:13.089 to him. Now, it's not about us and what we want, 00:06:13.209 --> 00:06:16.970 it's about him, right? Verse 24. Then said Jesus 00:06:16.970 --> 00:06:19.089 unto his disciples, if any man will come after 00:06:19.089 --> 00:06:23.310 me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, 00:06:23.589 --> 00:06:28.189 and follow me. He just said, I'm going to be 00:06:28.189 --> 00:06:32.300 killed, suffer many things. Raise again the third 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:34.579 day and by the way, if you want to follow me, 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:39.180 you got to take up a cross Whosoever will save 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:42.079 his life will lose it shall lose it. He started 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:46.519 will lose his life for my sake shall find it 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:48.660 For what shall I profit a man if he shall gain 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:50.379 the whole world and lose his own soul? What shall 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:53.540 a man give in exchange? For his soul there's 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:57.060 a temporary and there's an eternal do not sacrifice 00:06:57.060 --> 00:07:02.709 the eternal for the temporary Don't try to save 00:07:02.709 --> 00:07:10.389 this life by sacrificing the next. Give away 00:07:10.389 --> 00:07:17.110 your life and follow Jesus. That's what God's 00:07:17.110 --> 00:07:19.610 calling us. We have to put aside our personal 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:24.329 agendas to follow Jesus. This is a hard saying. 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:28.329 This is a hard thing for many people. People 00:07:28.329 --> 00:07:31.550 like to believe in Jesus. to get him out of hell 00:07:31.550 --> 00:07:35.189 but to it's the lord thing that kind of becomes 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:38.110 difficult right like i need to take up my cross 00:07:38.110 --> 00:07:41.689 to follow him there's salvation there's sanctification 00:07:41.689 --> 00:07:45.589 there's there's getting right with god and then 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:49.050 there's being made right by god by following 00:07:49.050 --> 00:07:52.689 after jesus even when it's hard and uh being 00:07:52.689 --> 00:07:54.730 a disciple means that sometimes it's going to 00:07:54.730 --> 00:07:58.009 be easy i sorry sometimes it's not going to be 00:07:58.009 --> 00:08:00.600 easy that's what i meant sorry Can't even say 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.699 it right? This is this is tough. So Following 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:08.139 Jesus isn't always easy We accept this true identity 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:09.920 identity, but that's not where it stops. We have 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:12.660 to actually acknowledge his mission as Savior 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:16.899 and Embrace that and that means that sometimes 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.800 we take up a cross. We sacrifice our personal 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:26.220 agendas for his He's in charge. I hope that helped 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:28.930 you think through the lesson. This is like a 00:08:28.930 --> 00:08:32.110 really important passage and one I hope that 00:08:32.110 --> 00:08:35.750 you're going to be able to speak on and teach 00:08:35.750 --> 00:08:40.289 authentically, sincerely, and without hypocrisy. 00:08:40.350 --> 00:08:43.789 If you can't, take some time this week to really 00:08:43.789 --> 00:08:47.669 spend some time with God and be right with Him 00:08:47.669 --> 00:08:49.889 when you go give this lesson. All right, hope 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:50.230 it helped.