Who Is The Christ And What Does It Mean To Follow Him? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: Who is the Christ? Jesus, who died to save us and is our only hope. What does it mean to follow Him? Daily sacrificing sin and wholeheartedly embracing Him. (Two part title = Two part gist ☺)
SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:31-38
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Happy New Year! Last week, we came to the midway point of Mark’s Gospel. It was a turning point of sorts. In the first half, Mark had essentially been giving us the answer to one big question: Who is Jesus? And finally, Peter expressed it when he said: You are the Christ! Now, we’re in a new year with a new question which Mark addresses for the remainder of this account: What does it mean that Jesus is the Christ? Or put another way, Why did Jesus come? See, the disciples have caught on to Jesus’ identity, but their still missing a vital piece. Remember last week, right after Peter makes that proclamation, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone. Why? Because He wasn’t the Christ they were looking for (I can’t type that line without thinking of Obi-Wan Kenobi…☺). They were expecting a political revolutionary, but He was so much more, and they needed to see that. He actually spells a lot of it out here for them. They don’t get it right away, of course, but He tells them straightforwardly both who He is and what it means to be His follower.
Therefore, we’ve got a two-part gist today. Who is the Christ? Jesus, who died to save us and is our only hope. What does it mean to follow Him? Daily sacrificing sin and wholeheartedly embracing Him.
I. WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? (31-32)
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly.
Suffering Savior And The Sacrifice For Sin. Jesus does not mince words here. Remember, that term Son of Man is used in Daniel 7 to describe one with ultimate power and an everlasting kingdom. Yet, being the Christ means that though He is God and has come to establish His kingdom, He will suffer and die in our place to accomplish this. That’s the gospel message! God is holy, just, and loving. We are sinners destined for Hell because we have rejected Him. Jesus comes to earth and is tempted just like us, more in fact, but does not sin. He then dies in our place, endures Hell in our place, and rises again, so that anyone who calls upon His name, confessing that He is Lord, will be saved. Being Christ means He is our suffering Savior and our only hope. Since He chose to come and save you, He had to die for you and rise again! Let’s never gloss over the significance of that truth.
32b And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
Not The Expected or Wanted. But Peter doesn’t see this yet. Remember, he’s expecting a political revolution. Many of the materials I studied this week pointed out that he probably didn’t even hear the rise from the dead part, and even if he had it probably wouldn’t have registered (we’ll see that next week with the transfiguration). He clings to the death part...and rebukes Jesus! He gets on to Him! Matthew’s account records him saying, this will never happen to You! You can follow his logic here. ‘Don’t you understand what I just said? You’re the Christ. Don’t you get what this means? You’re not supposed to die at the hands of our Jewish leaders; You’re supposed to rule them! Die? No. You’ve missed the point, Jesus!’
Only, it was Peter who’d missed the point. Just like with the Pharisees, he was offended that Jesus wasn’t the Christ he’d expected and, honestly, wanted. He wanted a dynamic revolutionary, not a suffering servant. And we can be quick to jump on Peter’s case here. How could he in one second seem to get it, but then immediately turn and show how clearly he had still missed it? Yet, we’re no better. We all have a picture in our minds of who we want Jesus to be, and by nature this picture will not line up with who He really is. We want a savior, but do we want this savior, or one made in our image, one who meets our expectations? Chew on that for a second as we look at how Jesus responds to this rebuke.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
The Rebuke. Every time I read this verse this week, I was struck by that first part “turning and seeing the disciples, he rebuked Peter”. The structure of the sentence makes it seem like seeing the disciples was the cause of Peter getting rebuked. I think this is intentional. See, the rebuke was directed toward the mouthpiece, but was for the whole group. Just like Peter is thought to have spoken for all the disciples when he said, “You are the Christ!”, I think it is safe to assume he also spoke for them in his rebuke. He probably wasn’t the only one looking for a political revolutionary. So Jesus makes sure they all hear His response. And what a response it is! “Get behind me, Satan!”
I want to make two quick points on this rebuke. First, Jesus is not saying Peter has been possessed by Satan, rather Peter is like Satan in his rebuke and his perspective. Remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness? The last temptation offered was all the kingdoms of the world. Satan tried to tempt Jesus by offering Him ultimate earthly power, and Peter is upset with Jesus for saying He’s going to die...because he wants Jesus to take the same kind of power. This is how the world thinks. This is man’s perspective. Greatness comes from gaining earthly power. It’s the perspective of our sin nature, so it reflects Satan, not Christ. Secondly, and I never noticed this until this week, the phrase “get behind Me” is the same one He uses in the next verse when He says if anyone would “come after Me”. It’s as if Jesus is saying, ‘your perspective is all messed up; it’s upside down. You’ve missed what it means that I’m the Christ. To see this the right way, you need to follow Me!’ He then proceeds to tell them what that will look like.
II. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW HIM? (34-38)
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
A Call For All Followers to Deny Self and Take Up Their Cross. The first thing to note here is that this is not just directed toward the disciples. Jesus not only makes it clear that following Him won’t be peaches and cream, but He also calls the crowds to Himself to make sure they all realize what this is really about. This isn’t a great campaign slogan. Jesus tells the disciples He’s not here to be the Christ they were expecting, then He makes that abundantly clear when He calls the crowds to Himself and gives them a message they did not want to hear. They were ready to rally around a great healer and a man with unlimited authority, but one who made these demands on their lives? And these are the demands He makes on ours, as well. This isn’t what saves us. That is 100% His work and His gift. Yet, if we’re truly saved, if we follow Him, our lives will look like this.
Denying Self + Taking Up Your Cross = Preparing To Follow Christ. It’s almost like a formula. If you do this (deny self and take up your cross), you will be prepared to keep doing this (following Christ). Let’s break that down just a bit. First, we will deny ourselves. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean we just deprive ourselves all the time, or refuse to do certain “bad things” to come across more righteous. That was essentially the philosophy of the Pharisee’s, remember? And Jesus just taught them that the reason we sin isn’t external; it’s internal. And that’s the same implication here. To deny ourselves is to reject our sinful insistence on our own way. At the root of all sin is pride. We want to make ourselves most important. We want what is best for us. Why do we lie, steal, cheat, lust...etc? It’s always self-serving. Why did Peter want Jesus to be a revolutionary Christ? For the same reason. He was in the inner circle. Jesus getting power meant Peter getting power. And Jesus makes it clear--it’s not about that. It’s not about me. To follow Christ means to recognize first and foremost my life is not my own. “19b... You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So...it means repentance, right? Turning from sin to Christ.
The second command to take up your cross has similar implications. In Galatians 5:24, Paul also writes that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires”, so there is undoubtedly a spiritual implication to this. However, we have to keep the context in mind here. Jesus is just now teaching about His death. The whole idea of a savior who would die and rise again is still fresh for most people. And… He hasn’t been crucified yet. See, when we read this verse, we automatically associate the cross with Jesus. And there is nothing wrong with that. There’s definitely a balance in this passage that connects Jesus’ cross to the cost of following Him. Nonetheless, to the original audience, being told to take up your cross would really just bring one image to mind: death. When someone was sentenced to crucifixion, it was customary for him to carry a portion of his cross on his shoulders. If you saw someone paraded through the streets with a cross like that, you would have no doubt as to the final destination. He was heading to his death. So, yes there is a spiritual implication, but there is also a very real call to reject our sinful desires and in place of them commit to following Jesus so fully that we’re prepared to die for Him.
An Explanation for the Transformation of Values. Why? Why does following Christ mean rejecting our sinful desires and wholeheartedly embracing Him even if it means death? This is a complete flip in our values. We go from loving self above all else to puting Jesus and His Word above everything, and the passage gives us at least two explanations for the transformation.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
True Fulfillment. First, this rejection of sin is not only a recognition that we’re sinful wretches deserving of Hell (though that’s true), but also a realization that we were made for something much greater, an intimate life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, our Savior and God. John Stott put it wonderfully when he said this is about ‘rejecting the fall and embracing creation’. Consider John 8:34-36, “34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In repentance, we turn from that which enslaves and condemns us and turn to Him who died to set us free.
Eternal Worth. Moreover, following Jesus or continuing to follow self has eternal implications. I think nearly everything I studied this week quoted Jim Elliot at this point. Many of you will recognize that name. He was a missionary to Ecuador who was eventually killed while trying to share the gospel. At around 18, he wrote this: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ We can seek all kinds of rewards here on earth, but what do they amount to? Nothing. We can chase after emptiness and reject God in the process and face eternity in Hell, or we can lay down the prides of this life for the sake of Jesus and His Gospel, His good news, the only good news, and truly live forever. See there are two points in that final verse that really stick out. We have a promised return and an embedded warning. The last line promises that Jesus is going to return in glory. Though He will be rejected and die a shameful death, He will rise again and will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. For those who follow Him, this is such a blessing. Yet, for those who reject Him, who are ashamed of Him and His Words, this is a solemn warning, for He will leave them in their rejection.
TAKEAWAYS
1. Do you rebuke Christ for not being the Savior you want? I know that sounds harsh, but who do you want Jesus to be? The Savior who came and died for your sins and rose again and calls you to come and die, to deny yourself and take up your cross, or were you looking more for a Savior who will back your views on social justice or promote personal gain and self-betterment?
2. What are you really seeking? This will tell you for what kind of Savior you’re looking. Are you seeking self or Jesus? We’re called to repent, turn from our sins, and turn wholeheartedly to Christ. This happens when we’re saved, and continues to happen every day as we follow Jesus. This goes against the grain of our culture. We’re supposed to be whoever we want to be and do whatever makes us happy. This feels restrictive. However, Jesus came to give us real life, abundant life, which is not judged by this world standards. It won’t mean you’ll have all the things you want, or society tells you you need. BUT, you will be living the life you were created to live. Living enslaved by sin is the oppressive life.
3. Are you willing to die for Jesus? I know it seems like a far off possibility in the comforts of our society. We seem safe here, and should praise God for that safety. But is this guaranteed? By no means. And if it came down to saving your life or losing it for Jesus, where would you stand?
4. Or, are you ashamed of Him? A few weeks ago I was listening to this chapter on my audio Bible while I did some morning stretches, and that phrase really hit me. Am I ashamed of Jesus and what His Word teaches? Are you? Sure, not in church. Maybe not even in the privacy of your own home where your opinions reign supreme. But what about at work, or school, or online, or anywhere in the public arena? When asked about hot topics like abortion or homosexuality, do you waver? Do I? Do you believe in the truth of God’s Word, all of it? What about Jesus as the only way to be saved, the only hope for the world? That warning is clear. You’re either following or you’re not.
Jesus Christ is the one who died to save us and is our only hope. Following Him means daily sacrificing sin and wholeheartedly embracing Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment