Sunday Sermon
sunday morning 14th March 2010
Mark 8v27-38
From now on Mark slows down his account of the life of Jesus.
He is no longer buzzing back and forth across the sea, going from village to village with crowds following! Rather he is now “on the way” to the Cross.
Along the way the disciples are given more knowledge about who Jesus is and what that really means. And he begins that teaching in the section we are looking at today.
As we have seen, the great theme of the book is Jesus Christ and the salvation that he has brought, today we see more of that great theme:
Salvation is possible because of Jesus Christ.
We can be saved, because of who he is and what he has done:
1) Who is Jesus? V27-30
Jesus and his disciples are out missioning round the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
As they travel Jesus asks the general question: who do people say I am?
We have already seen what the Pharisees think, and even his own family!
But there are other opinions around – mostly positive v28.
Then the more personal question: who do you say i am?
They have asked this question themselves “who is this” 4v41.
They have seen so much of his power, so many wonderful miracles and they have seen his revelation “I am ” 6v50.
Now on the spot they reveal their conclusion: Peter confess’ “the Christ”.
At last the disciples have come to recognise that Jesus is the Messiah!
Then Jesus warns that this information is not to be shared!! V30
Basically because although they knew that he was the Christ, they did not know what it meant.
Their understanding would not be fully grown until the Messiah had finished all his work.
App
We can ask general question about Jesus, no problem.
But the main question to ask is: what do I think of Jesus?
Elton John recently came out with his opinion about Jesus.
That’s fine, people can have their opinions, people must!
However, what others say does not really matter, yes we should listen to others, but we must come to our own understanding about Jesus.
Who do you say he is? Your opinion really matters!
2) What has he done? V31-33
Following the confession of Peter, Jesus then goes onto explain what the work of the Messiah is really all about.
V31 The Messiah must suffer - Be rejected - Be killed - Rise again.
V32 he spoke plainly to the disciples about these things
Then Peter takes him aside, to rebuke him!
V33 Jesus though rebukes Peter : get behind me Satan!
And he does this in front of the rest of the disciples – telling them too!!
Peter knew Jesus was the Messiah but he did not understand His work!
Jesus had come to do the things of God, but Peter, and the rest, were only thinking about the human plans!
They were with the Messiah, the King, they thought soon they would be in power!!
Thinking only at the human political level.
But the Messiah came not to usher in another human political power, but to usher in Gods Kingdom and he did that, not by force, but by sacrifice.
So what has he done? He has suffered and died and he has risen again.
The Messiah had to suffer and die, this was His work. See Isaiah 52v13-52v12.
Why did he have to suffer and die?
He had to do that to save us. It was Gods will to make the Messiah our guilt offering!
App
That he had to suffer and die for our salvation, reveals the great love that the Father has for us! That he would allow his son to be the Messiah! To go through all that, for us!!
It took a long time for the disciples to understand the suffering of the Messiah.
Perhaps you too cannot accept it!
Our pride likes to think that we do not need such sacrifice.
3) How then can we be saved? What must we do then?
Following this teaching he calls the crowd:
a) a general instruction is given:
If you want to follow, you must suffer v34
If you want to follow Jesus deny yourself – that is don’t live for yourself.
How can you if you want to follow Jesus?
That’s the point, following Jesus only works if we get ourselves out of the way.
It is yourself that stands between you and Jesus!
The very thing that Peter was rebuked for, he was putting himself in the way of what Jesus was saying! Not accepting, bowing the knee and following.
Then take up the cross – what is that? Denying self is one thing, crucifying self is another!!
If Jesus was going to suffer and die, why should his followers expect less?
And then follow Jesus! But how, if we are killing ourselves? Crucifixion constrains a person to one place, we have to constrain ourselves to be completely devoted to following Jesus.
Our crucifixion is about positioning ourselves in such a way that we can do nothing but follow.
b)v35 gives an explanation of v34
why the need for the denying crucifixion, following Jesus?
Because if we try to save ourselves we fail, but if we lose our lives for Jesus we will in the process save ourselves!! And this is the only sensible thing to do:
c) losing your life to Christ is the only sensible thing to do v36-38
V36 all the riches of the world are worth nothing if you lose your soul
V37 for you cannot buy your soul out of jail!
V38 and there will be no chance to turn back when it is too late, when He returns!
App
So then look to Jesus, discover who he is. Consider what he has done on the cross.
Then give up your life to him.
Offer your life to him.
The by product of that is you will be saved!
sunday evening 14th March
Mark 9v1-13
Note the timing of this in Marks record. It comes just after Jesus has revealed the way of the Messiah to the disciples and spoken of the cost of following Him.
Which leaves the reader with the great question:
· Is denying self and following Jesus going to be worth it?
Well that has to do in large measure with what the world will be like when He returns!
Or what will the kingdom of God be like when it is revealed in full power.
The Transfiguration gives us some insights into what the Kingdom of God will eventually look like:
1) It will be the place of Transformation:
A) there will be transformation of flesh v2:
Jesus was transformed before them – metamorphosis!
His flesh was transformed. It was still Him, but he looked different.
This will be our experience to: 2Cor3v18
One of our biggest grumbles is the perishing nature of the body.
The body becomes old and it dies, it decays!
This will be all overturned in the Kingdom of God: 1 Cor15v42.
B) there will be transformation of culture v3:
Not only was his flesh transformed so were his clothes – became a dazzling white.
His surroundings were transformed, became radiant!
The power of Kingdom transformation transforms everything.
The church is supposed to be doing this already, the process has begun.
But when the kingdom comes in its fullness then all will finally and fully be transformed.
And note the language of transformation : it’s clean, dazzling white!
All sin will be gone, all impurity, imperfection, pollution – all transformed, cleaned, purified.
All cleaner than we could ever make it!
- No more Jamie Bulger, Madeline McCann or Khyra Ishaq cases!
- No more sin, depravity, selfishness, greed, lies, murder, adultery!
All gone and never to be again.
And all this will come through transformation, through recreation!
And that because although there is great evil in the world, the world is still good!
There is still a great deal of the glory of God around!
Sometimes we can almost touch it, taste it and feel it!
2) it will be the place of Reunion:
there will be appearing of those who have died in Christ v4-5
A) Those who have died on this side of the kingdoms advance will reappear when the fullness of the Kingdom comes. 1thes4v15-17.
Those who have died in Christ will reappear in glory! Those who we have wept over, those who we still grieve for and miss, we will see them again!
B) And life will carry on as if we have never been separated!
Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus!
The transformation and the appearing seem so amazing, yet there is this totally normal activity of life being carried out – talking!
3) it will be the place of goodness v5-6
A) It almost goes without saying that it will be good, seems a bit understated!
But often the images that we have from the media would make the coming Kingdom seem dull and boring, unattractive and unexciting! Like one long boring church service!
But it will be good to be there! We will want to stay!
· One aspect of its goodness is made up by the knowledge that we will have of others.
Peter knew who had appeared, he knew it was Moses and Elijah.
There will be true community there, perfect love for one another.
B) but ultimately it will be good because there Jesus is adored v7-8
God will point us to the focus of the Kingdom: the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ultimately Jesus is the glory of the coming kingdom.
God will still point to His Son and worship Him. And point us in worship of him.
In the coming kingdom we will receive and even greater revelation of God in the glorified Son. And our joy an delight in heaven will be to listen to the continuing revelation of God:
“this is my Son whom I love, listen to him”
This revelation of the infinite God will be never ending.
The more we know of Him the more we will realise we still do not know!
Like scientist today who continually study the cosmos know more now than ever, yet because of how much they know they realise how much more there is to know!
App
The call to follow Jesus through self denial and carrying the cross may seem too much at first.
But when the coming Kingdom is considered the cost looks more like the bargain of a lifetime!
