Title: The Cross and the Self
Contents
▒▒▒▒ Matthew 16:13-24
Peter has a special side that is different from us. He saw Jesus feeding the five thousand with five fish. And when he saw Jesus walking on the sea, he also walked on the water. We also saw Jesus feeding the 4,000 with seven loaves and two fish once more. For some reason, Peter saw the Lord accurately. Nevertheless, Peter, living his own self, opposed the will of Jesus, stood in the way of Jesus saying, “You can never take up the cross.”
The ego allows us to embrace the thoughts of the world rather than the thoughts of God. And it makes it easy to compromise with the world. As such, the ego has not only negative aspects, but also positive aspects. It is the fact that we are unique and special, unlike any other. Among the negative aspects of the self are self-will, self-confidence, and self-glory, or self-pride. We must overcome this.
The first is self-discipline. The night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus said to his disciples, “Today you will all leave me. This evening will come true, saying, “I will strike the shepherd, and all the sheep will be scattered.” At that time, even if Peter abandoned all the other disciples, I would never leave Jesus. answered. But Jesus tells Peter, “Today before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Guys, is Peter receiving the words of Jesus? no. They answer no to Jesus' words and deny them. This is called self-restraint. Even though Jesus had clearly said it, Peter did not follow the word and was stubborn. In the text too, Peter insisted on Jesus, who told him that he would suffer. Jesus rebukes Peter, who is stubborn, saying, “Get behind me, Satan.”
The second is self-confidence. In James 4:13, it is said that if a man sends himself to any city, he can do business and make a lot of money. To that person, James replies, "No matter how much you boast, are you not just a mist that disappears?" The same goes for Adam and Eve. He put forward his overconfidence that he could become like God if he ate the fruit of the forbidden fruit. Even the prodigal son recorded in the Gospel of Luke had overconfidence that he could leave his father and live as he pleases. In this way, self-confidence always excludes God.
Finally, self-esteem. In John 5:44, Jesus tells his disciples, “You seek the glory of men, and you have turned away from God, not seeking the glory of God.” It is the fact that when we seek glory from people, we cannot glorify God, but rather steal the glory of God and leave God. Self-obsession, self-confidence, and self-glorification these three things can make us Satan. As Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” He told Peter to deny these three things.
In Luke 11, Jesus said, “There was a house that was very dirty, and the owner of the house cleaned it and left it empty. Satan, who was cast out, was looking for a place to live, but no matter how much he looked around, he found no place to live, so he returned to his old house. When he came, the house was well cleaned and empty, and he brought in seven more demons than himself and lived there.” Explaining these words, Jesus said, “Men, if you set up a strong man in your house, the weak will never enter your house. Have Jesus right in your heart and build it.” Jesus wants to be the master of our hearts.
But Peter, who was self-obsessed, overconfident, and boastful, heard the crowing of a rooster and went up to the garden to weep and weep. And even from afar, I saw Jesus carrying the cross. There was a feeling of guilt in his heart that he had denied Jesus three times. Nevertheless, Peter constantly followed Jesus. So he met the resurrected Jesus and received a new mission from Jesus.
Still, stubbornness lives in our hearts. There is also overconfidence. Finding self-pride still remains. Nevertheless, we must follow Jesus as earnestly as Peter did. Even if there is a problem, not because there is no problem, if you follow it, one day you will fall in front of the cross. Just as Peter burst out before the Lord and repented, if we follow the Lord, at some point, the self-obstinence, self-confidence, and self-pride in our hearts will fade away. And it will be filled with the heart of Jesus in it. Then our hearts will become the kingdom of heaven.
2009-09-26 17:33:00