Things I wish Jesus Never Said: No Matter What

Mark 8:31–38 ESV

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. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 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.” 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. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? 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.”

Context

this text occurs in all of the synopic Gospel (Matt, Mark, Luke). I dont know about you folks but when I was growing up in sunday school I was told if the bible says something 3 times is best if we pay attention to it.

At this point in Jesus’s ministry has formally begun. few verses before this in Vs. 27-30 the 12 are discussing how many people believe that Jesus is a prophet or someone like Elijah. Peter was the first person to recognize that Jesus was the Christ

This text contains the the instructions on what it means to follow him and gave the disciples and us as modern readers what it cost’s to follow chirst.

Get behind me Satan

This text opens up with Jesus explaining what is will take place. such as him being rejected by the elders and preist then killed and rise again from the grave.

Peter takes Jesus aside and attempt to rebuke Jesus.

What peter is doing is what is natural in the flesh. he is attempting to save jesus from death and persecution. What peter gets wrong is that by his death he going to save the him and all of man kind. Peter is trying to save Jesus but Jesus is going to save humanity.

Jesus turns to the group and openly rebukes satan with a very intense rebuke “ Get behind me Satan” When Jesus says get behind me satan

Peter’s abhorrence at the prospect of a friend dying a cruel and premature death—to tempt Jesus to abandon his God-given task as the Suffering Servant destined to die for his people. this lead Jesus turns to the group and openly rebukes peter with a very intense rebuke “ Get behind me Satan”. with this Peter was speaking from flesh rather then Going along with what God was going

in this we see the first warning of the text that sometimes that Jesus’ plan for our lives can be a difficult but worth it.

Peter was the rock that the church was built on however he was a stumbling block in this situation. he had forgot to look at the things of the spirit and see what God was give

prehaps this why peter warns us in his letter to

1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

After his Rebuke Jesus prophetically tells his disciples to take up their cross and follow him.

Taking up our cross is a practice of self denial in submission to christ. let look at what this looks like.

The Four for’s of Mark 8

Save your life by loosing it

For who ever would save his life would loose it. but who ever would loose for his sake(and the gospel) would save it.

save leads to losing your life. Losing your life leads to saving.

you dont want to loose your so jesus tells us to loose in order to save?

to save your life in this context is saving it from temporal problems: opposition, suffering, uncomfortable and not going with what that world is doing

To loose it is to follow christ: it is the recognition that our lives are not our own. it is to put aside the things of the flesh

To save your life is safe: it is comfortable it is secure its social acceptable it is an all around safe choice. However im gonna say something that might make a few of you uncomfortable… if you are if comfortable in your faith and you live the safe choices you’re doing something wrong. christinaity is not supposed to be comfortable of “safe”

there is a cost to discipleship and sometimes it is not the safe choice. I am reminded of a quote from one of my favourite childrens books “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” CSL Narnia ,

John 12:25 ESV

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Now Jesus is not calling us to a self hatered rather. hates his life refers to what it would look like as a believer who has denied all the comforts of the time and willing to be persecuted for the sake of the gospel.

the loss of life in this context iss eternal.

Saving our lives looks like laying down worldly passions. it means leaving behing the familiar comforts of sin. taking up our cross means suffering, shame oposition and death.

For What Can a Man Profit? and For What Can we Return?

The next two ‘fors’ work together Jesus asks two Question’s in vs 36-37

Mark 8:36–37 ESV

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?

these two questions that Jesus asks are more of statment. essentially what is being said is there is nothing you can do on your own to save your soul.

when we turn vs 36 into a statment we see that no amount of money, comfort, peace, safety, social status fill in the blank. nothing on this earth can be given in return for your soul. it cannot be bought by our own means.

additonally to step it up a bit vs 37 when turned into a statment we see Jesus essentially say “there is nothing you can give in return for your own soul.

For The Son will be ashamed of you

Mark 8:38 ESV

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.”

What does it mean to be ashamed of someone or something ? to be ashamed of someone is to fell emberassed to connect or associate, or identified with them and not want to be in their prencese for what ever reason.

so what does being ashamed of Jesus look like. Flip back to vs. 35 being ashamed of Christ means to not want to assocaite with him. It means as vs 35 states loosing your life. it means that we go on living as if christ hasnt made a difference in our lives. it means we seek what the culture is doing rather then what the gosepl says. it means we seek what is comfortable rather then what gods will is for us.

It means that the Gospel has no power in my life.

How does Jesus respond? he says that when he returns in glory he will be ashamed of you when he returns

I like the way Eugene Peterson translates this particular verse: ”If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

To say I am not ashamed is not a safe choice by earthly standards it can lead to a whole lot of risk but ill tell you it is worth is. It means I love Jesus I love his gospel more then i love the temporary comforts that this world can offer me.

Im ashamed means ‘I prefer comfort and earthly pleasures to jesus and his Gospel’. and why are we ashamed ? not to get to aproval of the church and God but as the later part of the text says a “sinful and adulturous generation”. are we gonna reject the aproval of God for the glory of man

prefering the approval of and reward of a sinnfull adulturos world more then you long for the friendship and approval and affirmation of Jesus results in the ultimate finale rejection of you and the eternal perishing of the soul

Church is this what we want to have happen to us ?

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." CSL

Call for response and prayer at the end. call team back if necessary for worship and relfection

Matthew 25:21 ESV

21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Benedection.

express graditude to congregation for hosting.

finish with benediction

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.