Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Many times in our lives we either introduce people to others or are introduced, ourselves, to others.  And typically, the introduction goes something like this.  “Hey Bob!  I’d like you to meet Jane.  Jane, Bob!  Bob, Jane!”  And then we normally go on to say something like, “Bob, Jane is a school teacher.  She teaches at Hillview Christian School.  And Jane, Bob is a mechanic.  He fixes cars in his own garage on Riccarton road.”  
And when we make introductions in this way, we begin by revealing who the person is and then explain what they do.  
This is a normal and typical way of introducing people to those who do not know them.

Well, in many ways, we are witnessing something of an introduction going on in the verses that we have just read together.  In the verses that precede our text as well as the verses of our text Jesus is busy introducing Himself to His disciples and to all those who read this Gospel.  
Now, you might say that that sounds a little odd.  After all, they are His disciples, and they have known Him now for some time.  
Indeed, they have heard the Sermon on the Mount, they have witnessed extraordinary miracles, they have even already been sent out by Jesus on a short ‘mission trip,’ if we may call it that, as recorded in Matthew 10.  
But all of this, combined, has only helped them to recognize Jesus, in part.  
And we read of that recognition in Matthew 16:13-20.  
There, after being asked by Jesus who people say He is, Peter has declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  
Peter at least then, if not all the disciples, now knows who Jesus is.  
They have been with Him long enough, and have heard and seen enough to know that He is the promised Messiah!  

Now though, they need to know what He does, or, more accurately, what He will do as Messiah.  

And it is precisely this that Jesus begins to explain from v21.  For here in these verses,                        “the Christ” of the believer’s confession reveals what “the Christ” must do for the believer’s salvation.  

And as He does this, we are going to witness a stunning reaction from Peter, 
we are going to note the originator of that reaction, 
we are going to consider Jesus’ response, and we are going to hear Jesus’ instruction.  

And we are going to do so because on this Good Friday, we need again to see our Saviour.  
We need to be arrested by His determination to secure our salvation in the face of both earthly and heavenly opposition. 
We need to see again just what our salvation cost Him.  
And we need to see what this salvation demands of us by way of a response.

Three points then, congregation; 
firstly, the Easter sermon is delivered by a Perfect Pastor, 
secondly, the Easter Sermon is interrupted by a Pulpit Pincher, 
and thirdly, the Easter sermon is completed by a Powerful Preacher.

Firstly then, the Easter sermon is delivered by a Perfect Pastor.

1.	Context
a.	As we arrive at this passage then, a quick glance back at the previous pages reveals that because of many extraordinary miracles, some Pharisees and teachers of the law have recently travelled all the way up to the top of Palestine to question Jesus.  
i.	Obviously, word about the amazing miracles that He has been performing has reached down to Jerusalem.  
ii.	And so, like a primeval ‘Spanish inquisition’ they have been dispatched to see who this Jesus of Nazareth fellow really is.  
b.	And chapter 16 opens with Jesus again being tested by Pharisees and Sadduccees.  

c.	Now, when we read of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and elders and chief priests and teachers of the law as we do in our text, we need to understand that we are talking here about representatives of the Sanhedrin; the highest ruling authority of the Jews, based in Jerusalem.  
i.	This is no random group.  
ii.	Matthew is unfolding the plot; revealing more and more about the footsteps of Jesus that are always moving in the direction of Calvary.
iii.	And here the tension is growing as these ambassadors from Jerusalem question Jesus.  

2.	But before the time for Jerusalem, there is more that the disciples of Jesus must learn.  
a.	So, v21 begins with an interesting phrase that was first used by Matthew in 4:17.  
i.	There, he said, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."”  
1.	And thus, Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee; a ministry of teaching and healing that would reveal Him to be the Messiah.  
2.	And the disciples have got it.  They cannot deny what everything Jesus has said and done screams at them.  This man must be the Promised One!
3.	But now, as I mentioned earlier, the second half of the lesson must be learned.  Now that they know who He is, they must learn What He must do.  

ii.	And so, the second phase of Jesus’ earthly ministry begins: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

3.	And congregation, it is here that the Easter sermon is begun by the perfect Pastor.  
a.	Note firstly, as Prophet, that Jesus declares the will of God: “He must go to Jerusalem.”  
i.	Jesus is not suggesting a trip to His disciples.  
ii.	Jesus is not hoping that this might all work out, perhaps.  
iii.	No, “He must go to Jerusalem.”  
1.	Why?  So that Genesis 3:15 may be fulfilled; God’s promise to crush the head of the serpent.  
2.	Why?  So that David’s Psalm 22 prophecy about the forsaken One whose hands and feet would be pierced may come to pass.  
3.	Why?  So that every word of Isaiah’s prophecy about the disfigured, despised, pierced, wounded, suffering, and crushed servant may be painstakingly realized in the agony of the cross.  
b.	But He speaks also as Priest: For not only must He go to Jerusalem, but He must go there to “suffer many things … and … be killed.”  
i.	Again, why?  So that the blood of the Lamb sprinkled on the doorposts at Passover may have its fulfilment as His blood poured out on Calvary.  
ii.	Why?  So that the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up may take on a greater meaning as He is lifted up to gain the forgiveness of sins. 

c.	But not only does He speak as Prophet and Priest, He speaks also as King.  
i.	And He speaks as King because He reveals that all of this suffering will take place at the hands of precisely those that He has ordained to serve His salvation purposes; “the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law.”  
1.	Yes, they will act according to their free-will.  
2.	And yes, in so doing they bring down the judgment of God upon themselves for this terrible crime.  
3.	However, even though it is beyond our understanding, they do so also in accord with the will of this perfect pastor; prophet, priest, and king.  

And so, congregation, the perfect pastor has begun this extraordinary Easter sermon.  
What will the reaction be?  How will it be received?  Has Jesus been heard?  

And sadly, it seems that while the disciples are listening to the Easter sermon, they are not hearing it.  

For next, we see that the Easter sermon is interrupted by a Pulpit Pincher.

1.	We read in v22, “Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke him.  "Never, Lord!" he said.  "This shall never happen to you!"”  
a.	And we hear these words of Peter; we see him physically take Jesus aside to rebuke Him, and we feel two competing emotions in relation to Peter.  
i.	On the one hand, we are tempted to feel some sympathy for him.  
1.	After all, his motives were pure.  He thought he had Jesus’ best interests at heart.  He did not want Jesus, his friend, to come to harm.  Does he really deserve such a stinging rebuke?  
2.	But you see, the moment we allow such sympathy for Peter to stir in our veins, we become guilty of exactly the same thing that Jesus here rebukes Satan and Peter for.  
a.	For such thoughts are the thoughts of men, not the thoughts of God.  
b.	We too, like Peter, are focusing on earthly comfort and not God’s eternal purpose.  

ii.	But on the other hand, we can look down our noses at Peter, perhaps affectionately, but down our noses nevertheless, as something of a misguided fool who suffers from foot-in-mouth disease.  
1.	O Peter!  If you could just learn to keep your trap shut.  Just zip it!  

2.	And isn’t it the case, brothers and sisters, that so many sins would go uncommitted if we could just learn to keep our mouths closed.  
a.	Whether it is the young person who seems to have no control whatsoever over the sheer nonsense and uselessness of much of what they constantly blabber, or those of us who have frequent occasion to regret words that we have hurtfully, unwholesomely, or wastefully spoken, we need desperately to learn to control our tongues.  Amen?  

b.	But even tongue control, people of God, is the least of Peter’s problems.  
i.	You see, very recently – we don’t know exactly how much time elapses between v20 and v21 – we have read about Peter’s best moment before the crucifixion; his confession of Jesus as the Christ.  
ii.	And now, perhaps just minutes later, Peter stoops to, well, his second worst moment before the crucifixion, given that His threefold denial of Jesus really trumps even this!  

iii.	In effect, having just confessed Jesus as the Christ; the Promised one; the Son of the living God, Peter is now saying I know better than you.  
1.	I, Peter, son of Jonah, disagree with your plan, Jesus, Messiah, Son of God.  
2.	You seem to think you must go this way, but I think you really ought to go that way.  

iv.	And why was this so?  Because for the Jews, and for these disciples who were still Jewish to the bone, Messiah meant glory!  Messiah meant victory!  Messiah meant comfort!  Messiah meant peace!  Messiah meant power!  
1.	That’s why Peter says what he says.  
2.	The only Messiah that Peter can imagine is an earthly Messiah.

v.	But in effect, congregation, what Peter is asking for here is eternal damnation.  
1.	With these words, he is asking to spend an eternity burning in the unquenchable fires of hell.  
2.	For if Jesus had listened to Peter’s rebuke, there would have been no salvation for Peter, or you, or me, or anyone.  
3.	If Jesus had listened to Peter’s rebuke, Peter, you, and I would have gotten what we really deserve; eternal condemnation. 

2.	But Peter is not the only pulpit pincher in view here as Jesus’ response makes clear.  
a.	You see, 13 chapters ago, in Matthew, Jesus reached the first summit of His public ministry.  
i.	Then He was baptized.  
1.	And immediately after He was baptized, a voice from heaven said, “This is my son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”  
2.	And what happened next?  He went into the desert where He was tempted by the devil.
ii.	And now, another summit of His public ministry has been reached: A voice on earth has acknowledged Him to be “the Christ; the Son of the living God.” 
1.	And this time the devil wastes no time with His temptation.  
a.	You see, the devil does not have perfect knowledge.  Unlike God, He does not know what the future holds, except for the fact that He will certainly spend eternity in hell.
b.	And his sole desire and life aim is take as many people to hell with him as possible.
i.	And he knows that the best way to do this is to prevent Jesus from doing what He has come to do.
ii.	And if he can’t achieve this, the next best thing is to suggest to those interested in Jesus, like Peter, anything and everything but the truth about who Jesus is and what He came to do.
2.	And so now, he has just heard Jesus say that He must go to Jerusalem.  And Peter’s head is filled with Messianic thoughts, some right and some wrong.  What a golden opportunity!  
a.	What Satan has to do then is try and send Jesus in the opposite direction.
b.	And how better to do that than through the seemingly innocent and ‘loving’ words of the disciple who has just confessed Jesus as the Christ!

3.	And so, in effect, Satan takes Jesus’ hands off the sides of the pulpit and mounts the stairs himself.  
a.	And through Peter, he boldly says, “Turn around Jesus!  Turn around.  After all, you are the Christ.  These people will still love you.  These people will still treat you like a king!  Come on.  You’ve got the power.  You’ll get their worship.  Just turn around!”

But the words of this pulpit pincher cannot be the last word, congregation.  
So notice, lastly, how the Easter sermon is completed by a Powerful Preacher.

1.	Continuing the analogy then, without a moment of hesitation, Jesus picks up the devil and tosses him out of the pulpit with a sovereign and stinging rebuke.  
a.	Again, speaking as King, He says, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  
i.	Jesus recognizes the words of Satan and Peter for what they are; a trap or a “stumbling block” to keep Him from doing what He must.  

ii.	And so, to the devil, Christ the King says, “Go away, Satan,” just as He did in the desert. 
1.	Take your deceitful half-truths and be gone! 

iii.	And to Peter, Christ the Prophet, Priest, and King says, in effect, Get back behind me again.  Become my follower again.  Align your will with mine.  Don’t just listen to my introduction, hear it with the ears of faith.

iv.	And Brothers and Sisters, just in case we are tempted to commend Jesus for rightfully putting Peter in His place, the fact is that every day you and I stand also beneath the pulpit of Jesus; this powerful preacher.
1.	And when we fail to believe Him; trusting in something else other than Him, breaking His commandments; failing to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we stand shoulder to shoulder with Peter as guilty Satans who also deserve this rebuke.  
2.	And the only difference between us and Peter is that because we stand on the other side of Pentecost, the stinging rebuke comes in different words.
a.	To us, using words like those of Ephesians 4, Christ the Prophet, Priest, and King says: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”  
b.	To us, this powerful preacher says, “Put off falsehood, speak truthfully … Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry …  He who has been stealing must steal no longer … Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths … Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice … do not give the devil a foothold.”

2.	Just like Peter, then, we too need to hear this Easter sermon because, so readily, we think, speak, and behave according to the “things of men” rather than “the things of God.”  
a.	As Jesus goes on to spell out in v24, our natural inclination, as fallen sinners, is to please ourselves rather than deny ourselves.  We have little desire to take up a cross of any sort.  

b.	And this, People of God, is not the life of discipleship that Jesus demands.  
i.	James Montgomery Boice expressed it like this: “There is a defect, even a fatal defect, in the life of the church of Christ in the twent[y first] century: a true lack of discipleship.  For the genuine Christian, discipleship means forsaking everything to follow Christ.  But for many of today’s supposed Christians – perhaps the majority – it is the case that while there is much talk about Christ and even much furious activity that is supposed to be done in His name, there is actually very little following of Christ Himself.  And that means that in some circles at least there is very little genuine Christianity.  Many who fervently call Him “Lord, Lord” are not Christians.”

c.	You see, it would have been convenient, comfortable, and far easier for Jesus not to go to Jerusalem: No mocking, no crown of thorns, no bleeding, no beating, no soldiers spitting in His face, no rusty iron nails to pierce His hands and feet, no burden of sin to carry on His shoulders.  
i.	But that was not the path that Jesus chose to tread.  
ii.	No, He chose the path of self-denial.  
iii.	And if you want to follow Jesus, you must choose that same path.  
1.	You must choose to be inconvenienced.  You must choose to go out of your way.  
2.	You must choose to do that which is uncomfortable.  You must choose to suffer.
3.	You must choose to do that which costs you money and time and sleep.  

a.	For Jesus has little interest in those who have all the time in the world for advancing their career opportunities, all the time in the world for tidying up the garden, all the time in the world for watching TV, all the time in the world for sleep, all the time in the world for sports and hobbies, and just 1 or 2 hours a week for a Sunday service to keep Him happy.  

4.	No, you must take up your cross and follow Jesus.  
a.	And do you know what crosses mean brothers and sisters?  
b.	Crosses mean pain; real physical pain, and suffering, and persecution, and the hatred of men, and scorn, and death.  
i.	That’s what the cross meant for Jesus.  Why should it mean something different for you, if you are truly one of His followers?  
ii.	You live in union with Christ.  Jesus has taken your selfishness to the cross and made atonement for it.  And now He calls you to put your selfishness to death through obedient service to Him and others.  
1.	He calls you to a life of prayer and Bible study that costs you something; perhaps some sleep, perhaps a hobby or pastime or sport that you would rather be doing.  
2.	He calls you to a life of good works and service that costs you something; maybe a trip across town when it doesn’t suit; maybe a visit to someone who might chuck your kindness back in your face.  
3.	He calls you to a life of witnessing that costs you something; maybe to prisoners who seem glad to see you one week and threaten you the next; maybe to rest-home patients who smell of urine and get grumpy; or maybe through a mission offering that means you will have less money for your own enjoyment.  

But as you take up your cross, daily, may it be with two words of Jesus’ Easter sermon foremost in view.  For in v25 Jesus said “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

Brothers and Sisters, Young People, and boys and girls, Praise God for Jesus!  
Praise God that Jesus, as Prophet, Priest, and King, stood firm and resolute against Peter and the devil that day.  
Praise God that Jesus did not turn around, but instead went to Jerusalem, suffered many things, and was killed.  

For through His pain, His suffering, and His agony of body and soul, atonement has been made even for our selfishness and constant failure take up our cross and follow Him.  

And so, Jesus has been fully introduced.  He is the Christ.  And He came to suffer and die as the Christ.  
May this Christ of your confession be the Christ of your salvation, and the Christ that you take up your cross to follow, daily.

Amen.