DATE: 30th August, 2020
THEME: GET BEHIND ME SATAN
SCRIPTURAL READINGS
Exodus 3:1-15
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
Psalter: Psalm 28:1-8
PREPARED BY: OSOFO YAW DODD
INTRODUCTION:
An important question we all need to ask ourselves is how a person becomes a Christian and what is expected of a Christian? How to become a Christian is relatively easy to answer and is illustrated in Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. What is expected of a Christian appears to be more difficult as is seen in Peter’s behaviour after his confession of Jesus as the Messiah. How can we sincerely say that Jesus is God and yet not believe what He says? It is because as Christians we are expected to make Christ our priority and be willing to give up everything for His sake.
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, after confessing Christ as the Son of the Living God, shifted his priority from Christ to himself. He refused to believe the words of Christ that He would suffer and be killed and be raised the third day. He even rebuked Christ by telling his Lord that He did not know what He was talking about; thereby implying that he knew more than God did. This sounds just like the way we often behave. We come to Christ accepting Him as Lord and then refuse to trust Him with our lives or believe His words. We chose to rely on ourselves rather than on Christ or what He says. We set our minds to please ourselves rather than resisting it by saying “Get behind me Satan”.
BODY
I. SATAN’S ATTACK
It is Peter who responds when he hears Jesus predicting His suffering and death. Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you” (Mt 16:22). To Peter’s mind it is impossible that the King must suffer. NO SUFFERING, NO VIOLENT DEATH. “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Peter uses strong language here – a double negative in the Greek to emphasize his words.
Satan is persistent.- He doesn’t want Jesus to go the way of the cross and the grave. So now he uses the concern of Peter, a dear friend of Jesus, just as before he used Herod, just as before he used the temptations in the wilderness. He uses the concern of Peter to get Jesus to do half a job.
Simon Peter was unaware that the Devil was using his tongue. But Jesus knew. Jesus recognized Satan’s attack. So, (Mt 16:23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, “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.”
II. PETER’S CONCERN
Just after Peter had declared Jesus to be the Messiah (or the Christ), the Son of the Living God, he tries to rebuke Jesus for telling him and the rest of the disciples that he would suffer and die.
Jesus then utters that famous phrase, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
We hear Jesus addressing the star disciple with the name of the devil, and it sounds as if he is ordering him out of his sight.
We might even be reminded of when Jesus said something somewhat similar in the fourth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
The word “BEHIND,” is not included when Jesus orders the devil away in chapter 4. ▪Maybe Jesus was not naming Peter as the devil.
▪Maybe he was calling him a tempter, or a tester.
Jesus now addresses the one he’d named rock just a few verses earlier, a different kind of rock, A STUMBLING BLOCK. Is Jesus accusing Peter of tempting him to take the easy route rather than the one of suffering before him? “GET BEHIND ME ” does not need to mean, “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT,” even in English. Can you imagine any time in which the words, “Get behind me,” in English actually means to “FOLLOW ”? Is it not possible that Jesus was saying to Peter, “Get behind me, don’t tempt me!”?
▪Hear Jesus saying to Peter, “I need you to follow me, not try to turn me away from my path.”
▪Hear Jesus saying to all the disciples, “If you want to be my followers…” .
III. WE MUST FIND OUR HEART
A. Jesus says “If any man will come after ME…” Jesus and Jesus alone is to be the heart of all we do and of who we are as believers.
B. If we are going to experience the power of real biblical Christianity in our lives and in our church, then we are going to have to find our heart! That simply means, “We are going to have to discover what makes us tick!”
C. When the call “COME AFTER ME ” is issued by Jesus, it registers differently depending upon the condition of the heart that hears it.
IV. WE MUST FOCUS ON JESUS
A. Jesus calls His disciples to “COME AFTER ”. If we are really in love with Him and He is the central love of our hearts, there will be a desire to be where He is!
B . For the disciples of Jesus, this call to follow Him meant the forsaking of everything else, Mark 1:16-20; Matt. 19:27-30.
V. WE MUST FOLLOW JESUS
a. We Are Called To Lay Something Down – DENY HIMSELF – This phrase literally means, “to completely disown, to utterly separate oneself from someone.” It is the same word used to describe Peter’s denial of Jesus outside the high priests home, Matt. 26:34!
▪The disciples is to utterly disown himself, to refuse to acknowledge the self of the old man.
▪To deny oneself means to follow the example set forth by the Lord Jesus Himself in coming to this world, Phil. 2:5-8.
b. We Are Called To Lift Something Up – TAKE UP HIS CROSS – When Jesus spoke of the cross, everyone in His audience knew what He was referring to. To take up your cross was to embrace the death of self! This is just what Jesus did when He came to this world – Matt. 16:21-23; John 19, Mark 10:45. He set the example that we are to follow.
To understand what this cross Jesus refers to is, we need to talk about what it isn’t. It isn’t your lost husband or wife. It isn’t your wayward children. It isn’t your mother-in-law. Your cross isn’t your difficulties or the bad situations you face in life. The cross is not just a place of suffering, IT IS A PLACE OF DEATH!
▪To take up one’s cross means to willingly pick up and carry the shame. People mocked men who carried the cross.
▪To take up your cross means that you are willing to identify yourself with Jesus Christ, His death and His word, regardless of what it costs you personally, publically or financially!
c. We Are Called To Live Something Out – FOLLOW ME – We are called upon to take up that cross, once for all, and go after Jesus. We are not to back out, turn around, or lay down the cross. We are to die on that cross, giving our all for His glory!
CONCLUSION
Precious one! Our calling is to follow the Lord and his divine agenda and not our own personal fulfillment. Stay BLESSED. Enjoy the service.
PREPARED BY
VERY REV DR. SAMUEL DUA DODD
CALVARY METHODIST CHURCH
ADABRAKA-ACCRA
