Yes to Jesus' Way of Life |01.12.25|Your Best Yes pt.2
Do you LOVE change, or HATE change? It seems that those are the only two options, right? At least, when it comes to things we actually care about.
We don’t mind the specials changing at our favorite local restaurant, unless they get rid of one of our top dishes.
We don’t mind it when the seasons change, unless it’s heading into a season we don’t like as much.
But I can guarantee you have an OPINION when it comes to changing something you care about or spend time with often.
Do you remember the last time your grocery store changed around one of the aisles? Yeah, you definitely noticed that! And you were either perturbed or LOST.
What about a change to your driving route? Maybe there is construction, or an accident, or maybe they’re…*gasp*…putting in a roundabout!
You either love the change or hate the change, because it affects your life.
I remember when I had a pretty big change in my life: I had been working construction for a few years after college, and it was good work. I had learned a lot, been given some responsibility, and I had been working so hard that I was able to eat a huge double cheeseburger for lunch every day and not gain a single pound. I mean, I was also 23 years old, but those were the days, right?!
But at the same time, I had been getting more involved at my church and had actually started a parttime job in addition to my dayjob. I would start my day at my construction job every day at 6am, work a full shift, go home, take a shower, and have just enough time to grab a quick bite on my way to church, where I had started a parttime job helping to lead the youth group.
And I loved it, because while my construction job paid the bills, the church job gave me an opportunity to mentor teens and help them grow and learn, which was something I knew God had designed me for.
The only problem was, by the time I would get to church around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, I was already completely SPENT from my construction job. I had so little left in the tank to give the kids that I knew God was calling me to make a change.
So, I talked to my pastor at the time and was able to get a few more hours helping out around the church so that I could step away from the construction job. My income at the church was nowhere NEAR what I was making at my construction job, but I knew that mentoring the teens and helping families connect with Jesus was what God was calling me to do, so I chose to make the sacrifice and let go of my construction job so that I could pour everything into my church.
But I had to say NO to some things in order to say yes to what God was calling me to. And if you were here last week, you heard our guest speaker introduce that idea of giving God your “best yes”.
Because the things we fill our time with, the things we put our focus on, the things we say YES to, sometimes they are great but sometimes they are actually pulling us away from God, or distracting us from spending time with Jesus so he can transform us to become more like him.
Sometimes, even the “good” things in our life are keeping us away from the “God” things that we’re being invited to step into.
But are we willing to let God change our life? Are we willing to let God change our expectations? Are we willing to say yes to Jesus, even if it looks different that we had been prepared for?
[2. Scripture reference]
And we aren’t the first people to experience the fact that God’s plan is sometimes not what we had been expecting. In fact, when Jesus was walking the earth and leading his first followers, it seemed that he was constantly redirecting what they had expected and pointing them towards his way of life, instead of what they were used to.
And in today’s story, we’re going to see the actual cost that comes when we don’t give God our best yes, but instead hold on to something else that we might prefer. So let’s open our Bibles to the gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, which can be found on page 14 of the NT in your black, seat-back Bibles.
[3. MATTHEW 16:13-26] << [4: Matt 16:13-14] Jesus starts with a question to his followers, asking them what they’ve heard people saying about him. Back in chapter 14, we had the feeding of the 5,000 with the five loaves of bread and two fish. Incredible miracle. And Jesus has done other miracles and done a lot of teaching. And in chapter 15, he actually has a second act of feeding, this time 4,000 were fed with another small first offering of food. And here we are when Jesus has actually left all the crowds with his followers, so it’s just him and his close circle, and he’s asking what they’ve heard. What are the explanations that people have for all the incredible miracles they’ve seen and the deep teaching they’ve heard? And his disciples tell him about the rumors, that he is a reincarnation of one of Israel’s famous prophets, or that he’s actually John the Baptist who was just recently executed by the evil ruler of the area, back to life and roaming about. And with each of their responses, they’re communicating that Jesus has been making people remember previous points in Israel’s history when God was speaking through a bold leader to give hope to his people about how God would rescue them and reinstate them to their former glory, no longer under the oppression of this outside force that has made their lives less free. [5: Matt 16:15-16] And then Jesus turns the question on them and asks, “okay that’s what you’ve heard, and maybe you even think those theories are correct, but what do YOU believe? Based on what you’ve seen, your closer perspective, what do you think is true?” And maybe Peter was just the first to jump in, or maybe everyone kind of paused and shuffled their feet and he was the only one bold enough to make the proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Now, when we hear “Messiah,” we might have a couple different thoughts. If you grew up in church, you probably think of Jesus, being the Savior of the world who died on a cross for our sins. But if you were there on that day with Jesus and his disciples, they were probably thinking of the prophecies about who God would send to save and rescue Israel. Ever since the beginning of the story of God, when Adam and Eve had to leave the garden, God prophecied that there would be a warrior who would crush the head of the enemy, visualized as a snake, but the snake would bite his heel. And then when Abraham was given the promise by God, he said that Abraham’s family would be what God would work through to bless the whole world. And later we get King David, who is not the snake crusher, but God promises that there will be a king in his line that will be the ultimate king who ushers in God's kingdom. And even when Israel is in exile, all the prophets keep talking about this coming king who will defeat evil and restore the garden where God and his people are fully connected. And this goes on for hundreds and hundreds of years. So when Peter says, “You are the Messiah,” he means “You are the promised one that God is sending to us to defeat our enemy.” And at that time, the main enemy was Rome. Israel was under occupation, and they were taxed so bad, and they were reduced to second-rate status in society, and they couldn’t govern themselves or fight for their own freedom. So Peter is saying, “You’re the guy, the one who will help us regain what we’ve lost. You’ll help us regain the country we used to have. You’ll give us back the freedoms we used to have and get rid of the enemy, Rome.” And all the other disciples who were there were thinking the same thing. They had this expectation of what the Messiah would be ever since they were kids. They had an expectation of what God would do to rescue them passed down for generations. [6: Matt 16:17] And, at first, Jesus doesn’t address any of those expectations, but he affirms Peter, “You’re right! And you’re blessed, not because you’re super smart and figured it out. No, you’re blessed to be the one that God revealed this to. It’s a gift, and God gave it to you, and I’m affirming you!” [7 Matt 16:18-20] And then Jesus goes into this whole explanation of how he’s planning on working through Peter to keep his mission going. Peter just said, “You are the Messiah.” and Jesus responds and says, “Peter, you are the Rock. and I’m going to build upon this rocky foundation to create my church, my gathering of people. I’m going to partner with you to accomplish my mission.” And how cool is that! Jesus has already made it clear that Peter is going to be an ongoing part of what Jesus is doing, and it’s not because Peter did anything to earn it! God was the one that gave him the grace to understand that Jesus was the Messiah. And Jesus is the one who is giving him the mission. But Peter gets to join in and be a part of this incredible, huge project! And then Jesus tells them not to go around spreading the news that he’s the Messiah. And that should be our first clue that maybe Jesus’ understanding of the Messiah is different than what the disciples had expected. Why can’t we go around telling everyone? You’re the guy! We should tell everyone! How else are we going to recruit everyone to be a part of your troops so that you can amass your army and overthrow the Roman occupation? And then we’ll place you on the throne and you can rule us as the king. And Israel can be free. And we can have our own laws again! And we can go back to the way of life we used to have! [8 Matt 16:21] But Jesus has a different plan. In fact, he’s not here to amass an army or overthrow Rome at all. He’s here to be arrested, beaten, and ultimately, killed. And you can bet that is a surprise to his disciples. That’s not what they expected at all. They hadn’t signed up to follow this guy, find out he’s the Messiah, become his inner circle…just for it all to be crushed and come to an end! [9 Matt 16:22-23] And maybe no one else was bold enough, but again we have Peter as the one who goes to Jesus and pulls him aside and says, “Whoah Jesus, stop talking about all the death, man! First, God forbid that ever happens to you. Because you’re the guy we’ve been waiting for. And second, you’re talking about stuff that is freaking the guys out and THAT’S no way to build the movement we need to build.” But then Jesus turns to Peter and publicly corrects him. It’s just like the scene at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry when the tempter Satan comes to him in the desert after he’s been fasting and tempts him. There, Satan, the deceiver, is trying to get Jesus to give up his obedience to God by obeying him, Satan. And he even tempts him with “good” things: food, fame, power. In fact, the things that Satan is trying to get Jesus to do are all things that Jesus will accomplish or achieve, but he’s not going to shortcut the path and obey Satan instead of God his Father. And here again, Peter is seemingly tempting Jesus with a shortcut, “No, Jesus, you don’t have to die in order to achieve the mission of becoming king. We’ve just got to get rid of these Romans by force, and then you can be king of Israel.” But Jesus knows that his plan isn’t to become king of Israel, it’s to reveal that he’s the king of kings. He’s the king of the universe. And we just don’t know it yet. But he’s going to make a way for us to be able to draw near to him, and he loves us so much that nothing is going to divert him from that path. “Get behind me, Satan. You’ve got your mind set on human stuff, small stuff, temporary stuff… Stuff that is designed to bring YOU comfort. I’m trying to bring the divine plan of reuniting all of creation with their Creator.” [10 Matt 16:24] And then Jesus keeps going to explain to all of his followers, and us, that following him isn’t about getting on the success train. Jesus isn’t a cruise director that gathers a group of people, gives them all the food and entertainment they could ever want, and wanders around for a bit before delivering them back to their normal lives. Jesus wants to transform your life. So he uses the most intense word picture to describe what it means to follow him: take up your cross and follow me. The cross was a Roman torture device. And it was mostly reserved for slaves who the Romans wanted to make an example out of. And if you ever saw a few people carrying crosses and walking in a line, you knew they were despised low-lives who had been defeated by Roman law and were on their way to a humiliatingly public death. This image is so crazy that we don’t even have a contemporary example that is anywhere close to it, but maybe we could think about saying “put on your orange jumpsuit and your handcuffs and get in line behind all these convicts.” In other words, don’t even THINK about any ideas of becoming famous, privileged, or influential in a way that leads to your comfort. If you’re following Jesus, you’re saying “no” to being the one who is in charge, you’re saying no to a life of simple self-focused pleasure…so that you can say YES to something better. So that you can say YES to a life that isn’t navel gazing and turned in on itself. [11 Matt 16:25] And here’s why following Jesus is better: because when you are so focused on trying to get ahead, to create a life that is FOR you, to build a life of YOUR peace and your pleasure and your comfort…you still get old and die. You can’t outrun death. And all the stuff you got in this life ends up in your kids attic or a thrift store. And all the money you get in this life goes to someone else. BUT…if you instead turn to Jesus. If you give your life, your focus, your plans, your dreams to Jesus…He’ll show you what TRUE life really is. He’s saying, “If you say “no” to building your own empire, and let me transform your life, and step in line behind me and walk my walk and obey my commands, saying YES to that will let you step into abundant life the way I created it to be. Where the focus of our life isn’t on amassing stuff for US, but it’s on influencing the lives of others, and that legacy lives on past us. Where the energy we expend isn’t about only taking care of our own comfort, but it’s also on caring for others, and that generosity multiplies because it grows as the people we care for can then care for others who can then care for others. [12 Matt 16:26] Because, what’s the point of getting to the end of life with the most toys? What’s the point of giving our whole life to build something that doesn’t last? You see, Jesus wants to transform your life because he has a bigger plan and purpose for each of us where we get to see lives changed, families healed, trauma reversed, communities flourish. We get to see God’s kingdom unveiled here on earth. And we get to be a part of it! [13 Blank] But, when we choose OUR life, our habits, our comforts, our hidden coping mechanisms and vices, it pulls us away from the kingdom of God life. When we say yes to lesser things that are distractions, we are actually saying NO to God’s plan for us. When we say “yes” to God only sometimes, or only on Sundays, we’re still saying no the rest of the time. We’re still choosing our own idea of life instead. [14: “Jesus wants to transform your life”] But Jesus wants to TRANSFORM your life! In fact, our entire church is built around that idea and the fact that Jesus offers us a NEW life. That’s what we mean when we talk about Jesus’ love and sacrifice, or the love of God and his grace given to us so that we can have life. It’s a new, transformed life that is like Jesus’ life that is being offered to us, if we just say yes. Jesus wants to transform your life. But will you let him? Is that something you’re willing to say yes to? Or do we hold too tightly to our own life? Our own habits? Our own preferences or comforts? In the words of Dr. Phil, “How's that working out for you?” Do you truly have the type of love, the type of peace, the type of joy, the type of purpose and fulfillment that you know you were created for? The Christian author, Dallas Willard, reminds us of the fact that “your system is perfectly designed to yield the results you’re getting.” And he connects it to our faith and life. In other words, the fruit of your life, the amount of growth you’re experiencing (or lacking), the way you naturally respond in anger or patience…the vices you keep going to, the amount of grace and compassion and love you have in the tank at any given moment… All of that is directly the RESULT of the habits and activities you fill your life with. And if you don’t like the results you’re getting, you’ve got to change the system you’re using. If the results you’re getting aren’t aligned with the life of sold-out service to Jesus and expanding God’s influence in your life and the lives of others…if the results you’re getting aren’t practically demonstrating the redemptive love of God… Then Jesus probably wants to change your system. Jesus WANTS to transform your life. Because he WANTS to build his church, his influence, his environment of grace and love…through YOU. He’s got a bigger plan for us…but do we want to say yes to that? Or are we stuck saying NO to God because we keep saying yes to our own idea of life instead. Just Like Peter, who had his own idea of what it meant for Jesus to come and achieve things according to PETER’S ideals. We often do the same thing. We tell God, “Please give me love and joy and comfort, but I don’t want to have to go through anything to learn it.” “Please God, give me success and fame and a legacy, but I want it in this certain way and in this certain timing.” We are saying NO to God’s plan for us because we keep choosing our own idea of life instead. But the good news is that God still invites us to say yes to him every single day. And a whole week of saying yes to God adds up to a week of living the life we’re designed for. And multiple weeks adds up to months and years of experiencing Jesus’ life through ours, experiencing growth, healing love, compassion, purpose, joy, and hope. It’s not a cake-walk, it’s a cross-walk, but it’s what we were created for. [SLIDE: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting] So that’s why we’re starting the year with 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting together as a whole church family. We start today, and tomorrow kicks off the first devotional and prayer prompt, so there is still time to sign up so that I can send you the daily prompts. And as we’re beginning this season, saying no to certain things so that we can say yes to more intentional focus on God, we’re expectant that God is going to speak to us, and teach us, and grow us in ways that will set us up for what he has planned the rest of the year. [15 What is one…] So here’s what I’d encourage you to do in response to this message: pick one distraction in your life, whether it’s social media or over-indulging or something else, and fast from it this week. Say no to it this week and replace it with an extra focus on Jesus. Because being an apprentice of Jesus requires us to say no to distractions and yes to the practices that draw us closer to Jesus. And when we say no to a distraction and then REPLACE it with a practice that draws us to Jesus, like prayer or meditation, reading scripture, sharing what you’re learning with others… When we do that, we’ll be surprised by how much God works through that to continue transforming our lives here and now: healing our hurts and hangups, increasing our joy and compassion, giving us opportunities to join Jesus in his work. Because God is faithful, and he will work in us and through us when we say yes to him, allowing us to experience true, full, abundant life now…and in eternity. Isn’t that good news?