Coming up Next...

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — 1 Timothy 1:17
• Hymn — Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:34-40
• Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — Ephesians 2:8-9
• Confession of Faith — Shorter Catechism Q&A 97
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn — Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
• Sermon
• Hymn — And Can It Be?
• Lord's Supper
• Hymn — And Can It Be? (verses 4–5)
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
• Gloria Patri

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Sermon Title: Coming Up Next

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-28

I. Know What It Will Cost You in Following Jesus

A. Context: Peter has confessed Christ, then rebuked Jesus for predicting his suffering; now Jesus addresses the disciples who are in dread of the cross B. The cost is self-denial (Matthew 16:24)

1. We live in a self-saturated world — "have it your way," "follow your heart"
2. The root of self-centeredness goes back to the garden; the serpent ignited a flame of self-focus in Eve that still burns in every heart
3. Self-denial does not mean ceasing to be an individual, but refusing to let the things of this world hold the heart captive
4. Calvin: self-denial means giving up natural inclinations and affections of the flesh so that God lives and reigns in us
5. Practical questions: Is it your child's happiness? Your comfort? Your possessions? Your freedoms?
6. Jesus did not die to make you happy; he died to make you holy

B. The cost is cross-bearing (Matthew 16:24)

1. Having mind and body trained for suffering in this life
2. Readiness to accept persecution, ridicule, loss of reputation, and shame for Christ
3. Obedience in parenting, submission to parents, pursuing holiness regarding sexuality — all may bring scorn
4. For many believers throughout history and around the world today, the cost has been death
5. J.C. Ryle: "True Christianity brings with it a daily cross in this life"
6. The flesh must be daily crucified, the devil daily resisted, the world daily overcome
7. We do not get Matthew 11:28-29 without Matthew 16:24; rest and fighting orders come together
8. This cost follows from salvation; it is not a cost paid to earn salvation

II. Know What Is Most Precious in Following Jesus

A. Jesus contrasts the temporary and the eternal (Matthew 16:25-26)

1. Whoever would save their temporary life will forfeit their eternal soul
2. Whoever loses their life for Christ's sake will find it — their soul safe in Christ's arms

B. The soul is most precious

1. The things of this world are temporary — moth and rust destroy them; even a parked car deteriorates
2. The soul is eternal and priceless
3. Do not trade what is eternal for temporary comfort, pleasure, or gain
4. The choice: eternal death for temporary life, or temporary death for eternal life
5. J.C. Ryle: "The soul is eternal — let it sink down deep in your hearts... What shall it profit a man?"

III. Know What to Await in Following Jesus

A. Await the Rewarder to come (Matthew 16:27)

1. The Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels
2. Calvin: "If we would perceive the worthlessness of this fading life, we must be deeply affected by the view of the heavenly life"
3. Do not miss the Rewarder himself for the gifts he brings — like a bride whose eyes are fixed on the bridegroom, not the decorations
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: the Lord will descend with a cry of command, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will always be with the Lord — therefore encourage one another

B. Await the rewards to come

1. He will repay each person according to what he has done — rewards are for all mankind
2. For those who reject Christ: eternal destruction, the just wrath of the holy God suffered eternally; Kevin DeYoung — "Wrath is not only a result, it is a recompense"
3. While there is breath, there is still hope — believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved
4. For believers: this reward is not a final justification by works; justification is enjoyed immediately by faith in Christ
5. Calvin: rewards for good works done in response to justification are held out to excite believers to aim at doing what is right
6. Rewards will include eternal life, glory, and honor — public commendations of the good works Christ himself worked in his people

C. Application: The Lord's Supper as a way station for waiting believers

1. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: "as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes"
2. The table offers no more than the Word does — both give us Christ and proclaim him to us
3. The table spiritually nourishes believers to bear up under trials and to await what is coming
4. Live the life of faith in waiting, knowing what is coming up next