Are You Willing to Die to Follow Jesus? (Matthew 16:21-27)

Is Jesus inviting you to die? Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Mt 16:24).

"If anyone sets his will on coming after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross..." (Leon Morris).

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself…” (CEV).

• "The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much"? Oswald Chambers.
• The cross is the climax of Jesus' work as the Messiah, the true King of the world.

1. How did Jesus' ministry change "from that time on" (Mt 16:21)? Why must Jesus "go to Jerusalem" to suffer and die? How often did he do so from this point on (Mt 17:9, 12, 22-23; 20:18-19, 28; 21:38-39; 26:2)? Why so often?
   
2. Why did Peter strongly object (Mt 16:22)? Why is it so easy to proclaim who Jesus is (Mt 16:16), but so hard to accept how he works?
   
3. Why did Jesus call Peter "Satan" (Mt 16:23)? How would a Christian be "a stumbling block" (Phil 3:18)? What are the "merely human concerns" that become obstacles to God's will (1 Jn 2:15ff)?
4. 
   What does denying yourself look like during the week (Mt 16:24)?
• How do you apply taking up your "cross," which is a one-way walk to your execution?
• Do you die to yourself (Gal 2:20)? Die to the world (Gal 6:14)? How? Do you die to practice detachment to what you love--People? Pleasure? Possessions? Profit? Popularity? Prettiness? Prestige? Power?
5. How do you resolve the paradox of losing your life in order to find your life (Mt 16:25; 1 Cor 15:31; Gal 2:20)?
6. How do people [How might you] "gain the whole world, yet forfeit their [your] soul" (Mt 16:26)? Is this an ongoing temptation?
7. What have you done for which God "will reward" you (Mt 16:27; Rom 2:6-7)?
8. Do you "taste death" (Mt 16:28)? Or life (Ps 34:8)?

• “In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross. If he refuses the cross he remains on the throne. ... We want to be saved but insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king ... but we doom ourselves to ... weakness and spiritual sterility.” A. W. Tozer. The Radical Cross. Living the Passion of Christ.

I. Jesus says "I must die" (Mt 16:21). Dying was neccessary and nonnegotiable.

II. Peter doesn't like it (Mt 16:22). He was very strongly opposed to dying.

III. Jesus calls Peter "Satan" (Mt 16:23). Jesus' harshest rebuke.

IV. Absolute conditions for discipleship (Mt 16:24). You must be willing to die.

V. The paradox of life (Mt 16:25). If you die you'll live, if you live you'll die.

VI. The logic of life (Mt 16:26). Would you gain everything and lose yourself?

VII. The reward of life (Mt 16:27). You will be rewarded for what you do.

VIII. The taste of life (Mt 16:28). What do you want to taste? Life or death?