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This Week's Sermon The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 31 August 2008 "Delight Yourself in the Cross" Matthew 16:21-28 LSB Series A Pastor Philip G. Meyer Soli Deo Gloria!

Of all the words of Jesus to his disciples and to us, these surely stand as the most difficult because they summon us to a harder life, and a harder life is not what we crave. The cross was not what Peter wanted for Jesus, and when he expressed his resolve that this would never happen to Jesus, Jesus gave him a rebuke given to no other, calling him "Satan," pointing out that Peter was a hindrance to the will of God. And then Jesus summoned the Twelve to follow him by taking up their own crosses, losing their lives for Christ.

It remains a strange paradox that one must lose his life in order to gain it, but it lies at the center of the Christian faith. The cross is the symbol of the Christian faith because it focuses on the cross of Jesus. When you were baptized the pastor made the sign of Christ's holy cross on your head and on your heart. You were "branded" so to speak. Your life became a life under this cross. It is God's way, not man's way. We would seek the easy way, the glorious way, but God works differently in our lives.

First, there needs to be a clarification as to what is meant by the cross. The cross does not refer to the sufferings that are common to all people because of sin, but it refers to the suffering that comes to Christians because they are connected to Jesus. Christians suffer because of Jesus. What does it mean in the Christian life? To bear the cross needs to be understood in light of our Lord's words here in v. 24: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24, ESV)

One of the ancient church fathers named Origen said:

"If anyone is ashamed of the cross of Christ, he is ashamed of the agency by which these powers were defeated" [Ancient Christian Commentary, NT, Ib, p. 48].

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)

Life under the cross becomes a life of discipline because one simply does not choose a life of suffering for Christ. Christ chooses him, and in making you his disciple, he calls you to this life of discipline with the enmity of the world. Listen again to the way Paul describes the disciplined life of the Christian in our Epistle:

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:9-21, ESV)

We have entered that portion of the Pentecost season known as Martyrs' Tide, the time when we remember those who spent their lives for the sake of Christ. Last Sunday we celebrated the Festival of St. Bartholomew, martyred by being skinned alive. Today we hear our Lord's words about his going to death for the world and his summons to follow in his footsteps.

How can we do such a thing? First, of ourselves we cannot do any of it, but through our Lord's Holy Spirit, we are enabled to follow, but it takes discipline. Perhaps the recently concluded Olympics can give us some insight into what Jesus tells us and what the rest of Holy Scripture teaches us. Record-breaking, eight gold medal winner Michael Phelps underwent merciless discipline. He listened to his coach, Bob Bowman. He swam for 5 hours a day, seven days a week, 50 miles per week, no relenting on the training regimen. There was time in the gym as well. "All you do is eat, sleep and swim," Phelps said. "It's painful. But it's worth it in the end." [Detroit News, Thursday, August 7, 2008, DetNews.com]. Discipline, unrelenting discipline characterizes this young man's life over the last number of years.

Not all are willing to sacrifice so much to achieve the goal. For most Olympic athletes, the focus has been training for their sports. Excess baggage is left behind. Training becomes the most important thing. Not even a social life takes first place. They have a focus that causes them to give up everything else to achieve the goal. The Apostle Paul compares life under the cross to a race that is run. He wrote:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." (1 Corinthians 9:24, ESV)

When Jesus kept telling the Twelve that he had to go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and then be killed and raised from the dead, Peter was aghast. Peter did not understand that it would be only by means of the shame of Jesus' death on the cross that the world would be redeemed from sin, death, and hell. Like Peter, we don't want life under the cross. We'd prefer to avoid the discipline of the Christian life.

We want life easier. Isn't that the American dream, sit back and relax? But real life isn't like that, in spite of our illusions that it can be. For most people life is grinding it out. How much tougher is it when Satan and the world conspire against you to make you lay down the cross for an easier life? How does the Christian knuckle under and rededicate himself to this kind of life into which the usual difficulties have already come?

If you want to save your life for eternity, then this is the focus you must have, otherwise you will end up forfeiting what Christ has earned for you. What can you possibly give in exchange for your blood-bought soul, even if you were able to gain the whole world? It would not be enough.

You just heard about Michael Phelps' training regimen. Where does one get the strength? Phelps' diet is 12,000 calories a day while training! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends 2,500-3,000 for the average person, depending on level of activity. Phelps could not have done what he did without "feeding the furnace." To expend that much energy one has to have fuel. What should you eat during this training regimen of life under the cross? For the Christian to have the strength to endure the crushing burden of the cross requires energy, but the Christian doesn't make his own energy. God supplies it in Word and Sacrament. Here are the "calories" you need to bear the cross of the Christian life. Here you get the strength of Christ himself, right here in the Divine Service. You get his victory over sin, death, and hell every time you hear his Gospel, are absolved, receive his body and blood. Jeremiah wrote in today's OT reading:

"Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts." (Jeremiah 15:16, ESV)

Here are the calories needed for the daily Christian life. How some think they can carry the cross when they never eat the Word of Christ is baffling. The tougher the situation the more one needs to eat what God supplies. God sends troubles, not to drive us away from him, but to drive us to him and to the gifts he supplies. In last week's Epistle for the day of St. Bartholomew, Paul wrote of his own troubles:

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;" (2 Corinthians 4:8, ESV)

Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives on reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

From Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

Such intense athletic training has its goal, its end, namely, the gold medal, the winner's stand. Did you notice the joy of those athletes as they stood on the medal stand? Athletes were standing there with many overflowing emotions. There were tears of joy, no doubt remembering all the hard work and discipline they had endured to get to this point. Now there is that wonderful joy of triumph, of winning, of representing one's country, of seeing your nation's flag raised and the national anthem played.

For you that day is yet to arrive. For the saints who have gone on before us, they have received the crown of eternal life, their reward. These are still the days of discipline and training. Your race, my race, has not yet been completed. We are still competing, as Paul says. Near the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV)

Delight in the cross because it is your salvation! Look at our Introit [Ps. 37.5-7]. Notice the verbs: "Delight, commit, trust, be still, wait, fret not." Our Gradual speaks of trusting in the Lord because the saints lack nothing even though there are many afflictions. The Lord delivers them out of them all [Psalm 34.9, 19].

"Delight Yourself in the Cross!" Delight in it because it is the instrument by which all the powers of evil were defeated and by which you were saved. Take it up with joy, knowing that Christ himself provides you with the courage and the rich nourishment that you need for your task and that at the end he will reward you with glory far beyond your imagining.