INTRODUCTION
• A physician told this about her four-year-old daughter. One the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. The mom tried to remain calmly, although she was extremely excited that it seemed her daughter was expressing a genuine interest in perhaps following in mom’s footsteps. Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order?"
• Jesus would like us to truly follow in His footsteps.
• The title to my message is “MAX Q”
• Many of you may be scratching your head on this one. My wife did when I sprung it on her.
• The first time I heard the term “MAX Q” is when I was watching a Rams game. Then I heard the term in a movie. The Rams use this phrase to remind them of their mission at hand. Later I heard an explanation of what MAX Q meant and how it relates to life.
• This is the explanation of Max Q, which is on a photo in the hallway outside the Rams’ locker room and on T-shirts the players wear. It can be ascribed to any pursuit in life.
• "Roughly one minute after the space shuttle launches, it must withstand a condition of extreme force known as Max Q. Mission success demands that all systems perform at the highest level. When designed properly, prepared carefully and executed perfectly, the shuttle and its crew safely reach orbital velocity of 17,600 mph 8 1/2 minutes after launching.
• In life, Max Q demands the same commitment to success. It requires choosing greatness, personally as well as professionally. It depends on balance, passion and courage and the wisdom gained from adversity. It is an outcome as well as an attitude. It is the combined result of the learning of a parachute packer, the focus of astronauts in orbit, the emotion shared by the Navy Seals, the precision of the Blue Angels and the heart of the St. Louis Rams."
• MAX Q in life is the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to it. It is a commitment to success.
• After the great confession Peter makes Jesus starts to change the focus of His ministry. His focus is now pointed at going down the home stretch of the race.
• Jesus is going to try to get the twelve along with us to understand that in order for us to be a follower of Jesus, it will take a commitment to Him. It will take the proper attitude and perspective on life. It will take sacrifice and determination. In essence it will take all we have to follow Jesus. It will take a full effort on our part combined with the full power of God working in our lives to be able to achieve MAX Q in our relationship with Jesus.
• Today we are going to see that Jesus exhibited MAX Q in His life that He commands MAX Q from us and we will look at the benefits of achieving MAX Q in our lives.
SERMON
I. JESUS EXHIBITED MAX Q (21-23)
A. Jesus was focused and determined to carry out His call. (21)
• Jesus starts to openly and clearly show the disciples what His mission was. Everything Jesus did was directed toward fulfilling His calling. Jesus was focused on what He was called to do and He knew without a doubt what He was to do.
• How many of us here today know what Jesus wants us to do? How many of us are really focused at the task at hand?
• Jesus exhibited MAX Q in His focus on what He was called to do. A football team needs to know where they are going and they need to focus on the goal. We need to know where we are going and we need to focus on that. Jesus knew that doing what He was called to do was going to cause a lot of problems for Him, but He was building His life to be able to meet that moment of maximum force against Him in His life. Jesus shared four things in verse 21 that He said He MUST do.
1. He MUST go to Jerusalem.
• Jesus exhibited MAX Q in the fact that He knew where He needed to go. When they send the space shuttle out, everyone has a goal of send out the shuttle and returning it home safely.
• Jesus knew that the hotbed of resistance for Him would be in Jerusalem, yet He was not detoured. It was going to be dangerous and it would ultimately cost Him His life.
• It is dangerous to send up the shuttle, but yet the fear of danger does not stop the space program from doing it. Jesus was focused on where He needed to go. He could have won the hearts of everyone and had an easy life, but Jesus knew He HAD to go to Jerusalem.
2. He MUST suffer.
• Jesus knew that He MUST suffer. This was not going to be a barrel of laughs, it was going to be tough, but Jesus was focused on achieving MAX Q. He was not going to let suffering stop Him.
• When I played football, I had to go through a lot of pain before the season started to be ready for it. In the course of life we cannot let the potential for suffering stop us. Some people will not love because they are afraid to get hurt. Jesus knew he HAD to suffer, yet He knew why He HAD to do it so He was not going to be detoured from His call.
3. He MUST be killed.
• Jesus also knew that His calling would ultimately cost Him His life. Jesus did not let that stop Him from His calling.
• In the movie Pearl Harbor there was a scene where the two main characters were asked if they would go on a top secret mission and if they knew what that meant.
• Ben Affleck’s character said, yes, a top secret mission is a mission in which you get a lot of metals but you do not get to live to get them. Do you know how many people have gone on missions for their country knowing there was a very high probability they would not return?
• I watched the rerun of the Reagan assassination attempt. The site of the secret service man who jumped in front of the President and took a bullet that may have killed the President sent chills up my spine. That is a MAX Q effort!
• That takes total commitment to your calling. Jesus KNEW what waited for Him yet He did not take the easy road or give up.
4. He MUST rise on the third day.
• Jesus knew that He was going to rise on the third day.
• Notice Jesus said that all these things MUST happen? It is because Jesus knew what God’s plan for mankind was. Jesus did not make God change His plan as the cross drew near.
• Jesus knew why He was going to die. It took a lot of love for Jesus to keep focus.
B. Peter was trying to take Jesus off mission. (22)
• In verse 22 we find Peter sincerely trying to be of help to Jesus. Peter was saying that they were not going to let Jesus die if they had anything to do with it.
• Peter loves Jesus so much he could not stand the thought of Jesus suffering and dying.
• Peter wanted to give Jesus the easy way out; similar to what Satan tried to do to Jesus during the temptations in the wilderness. Satan was trying to give Jesus an easy ay out. He wanted to let Him be king without the cross.
• Peter has good intentions on the outside, but Peter’s focus was not in the right place at this time.
C. Jesus exhibited MAX Q (23)
• In verse 23, Jesus once again exhibits MAX Q. Jesus was totally committed to what He was called to do. He was not going to be knocked off track.
• He tells Peter to get behind Him. He was in essence telling Peter that Satan was trying to use him as a stumbling block.
• Jesus is telling Peter to quit leading and get back to following!
• Jesus kept His focus and commitment. At no time does Jesus get off track. In the garden before His arrest He asked God to remove the cup from Him (or He was saying is there another way than me going to the cross), but then Jesus told God He would do whatever the will of the Father was.
II. JESUS COMMANDS THAT WE EXHIBIT MAX Q (24)
A. Exhibiting MAX Q for Jesus means we will deny self.
• A pig and a chicken are walking by a church where a free breakfast of bacon and eggs is being offered. They’re discussing whether or not to go in. The pig says "I dun no. For you it’s just a donation. For me it’s a total commitment
• Too many of us take the route of the chicken; we are willing to make the donation, but not the commitment.
• Jesus demands we deny self if we are going to be apart of His kingdom. Who is He to demand that? The one who did it Himself.
• When we are immersed or baptized into Christ, we are a NEW creation. Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
• Colossians 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
• Denying self means that we disown the old self. It means we will focus all of our energies into the new creation we are in Christ. It means we will let the old things pass and work towards the new. When you give your life to Jesus, you can quit living in the past. What Jesus wants is what you want!
• In 1990, center fielder Brett Butler left the San Francisco Giants as a free agent. He was loved in San Francisco, and rightly so. He was a great player. But the best offer came from the LA Dodgers - the Giant’s rivals. Early in the season, when the two teams met for the first time that year, Butler was the center of much attention. He was well loved by his former team, but now the Dodgers were playing in San Francisco. When the line ups were being read and the players introduced, the crowd roared as Butler, their former player was announced. The people still loved him. Perhaps they felt he was still a Giant at heart. Brett Butler did something interesting at that moment. When he heard the response of the crowd, he walked up to his new manager, Tommy Lasorda, and he hugged him, in front of the thousands that filled San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. Instantaneously, the cheers for Butler turned to boos and insults. After the game, he was asked by the press why he did that. Brett Butler responded, "It turned a page in my career. I’m an LA Dodger now; I’m not a Giant. That just kind of solidified it. I wanted them to know I’m a Dodger." TS: When people become Christians, in one way or another, they need to hug Jesus" in the sight of their family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances .They need to make it clear who they now belong to - even if it causes some to boo and sneer. Like Brett Butler, we need to go public with our commitment. Let there be no question in anyone’s mind, our loyalties are to Him first.
B. Exhibiting MAX Q for Jesus means we will take up our cross.
• Today we wear crosses as decoration. During Jesus’ day, the cross was a symbol of suffering and shame.
• Christians sometimes diminish what it means to carry your cross by saying that an unbelieving husband is their cross, or a nagging wife or a sickness. This is not what Jesus meant by taking up your cross.
• Taking up your cross means you are willing to pay any price for Jesus’ sake. It is a willingness to endure suffering, shame, ridicule, embarrassment, rejection, persecution and yes, even death.
• In Jesus day, when a person took up their cross, it was the start of the death march for the condemned. The cross represents the suffering that is ours because of our relationship with Jesus. Many people want no-cost discipleship. That just is not the way it is.
• Jesus did not compromise this in order to get more followers. Remember the Rich young ruler (Mark 10:21)
• MAT 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Jesus is saying our love for others looks like hate compared to our live for Him.
• Are you willing to do anything for Jesus? Jesus was willing to do that for you.
C. Exhibiting MAX Q for Jesus means we will be obedient to Him (Follow Me)
• When we deny self and take up our cross, we are to follow Jesus.
• 1JO 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
• MAT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
• JOH 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
• If we do not want to follow Jesus, we cannot EXPECT anything from Him.
III. THE BENEFITS EXHIBITING MAX Q (25-27)
A. We will “Find” our life. (25)
• Jesus tells us when we exhibit MAX Q in our lives, we will find our lives. Sometimes we spend so much time pursuing everything in life except for Jesus. When life is over, we will find that we really lost our lives no matter how much stuff we get along the way.
• How many of fathers (and or mothers) who are working themselves to the bone to provide stuff, will find out one day their children are gone? They will have wasted some of the best times in their life.
• What are you trying to FIND in life? If your life is all about the here and now, you are missing the boat! What is the purpose and meaning for your life? Think about this question and be honest. Do you know as you pursue Jesus, you will find the life you are looking for? When you give Jesus all you have, your focus, your dedication and your very life, you will not leave empty-handed!
B. We will gain our soul (26)
• How many people are sold out to Jesus or have sold Jesus out? The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of OUR God stands forever (ISA 40:8)
• Hear me on this. Make a living, work hard, but there is more to life than that paycheck and those payments. If you are finding yourself too busy for God, just maybe He will be too busy for you?
• Read verse 26 at home and let it soak in.
C. We will be accountable to the Master (27)
• Jesus tells us one day, when the He returns we will receive our reward. One day we will have to stand before the Master and give an account as to what we did with the wonderful gift of life we received.
• The benefit is if we have given Jesus our all we will receive our reward in full from Him.
CONCLUSION
• Last week I spoke on the church and how great the church is. The church will only be as great as those who are in it.
• If we have a church full of people who are focused in purpose and attitude we will take this community by storm! If we all have a desire to reach MAX Q in our lives, then it will show in the church.
• I want to read the quote from the Rams locker room again only with a couple of changes.
• In living for JESUS, Max Q demands commitment to success. It requires choosing greatness, spiritually as well as personally. It depends on balance, passion and courage and the wisdom gained from adversity. It is an outcome as well as an attitude. It is the combined result of the learning about Jesus, focus on Jesus, emotion for Jesus, and having the heart Jesus had for people."
• Today I hope you will commit to giving Jesus your ALL!
