Savour the things of God

Passage: Mark 8:27-34

Introduction: This passage contains so much and is one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible.

But there is something in this passage so shocking that it bears our study this morning.

It is the matter of savoring the things of God, rather than the things of men.

There is a “Burger King” mentality that can crop up that convinces us that we can “have it our own way.”

We see in this passage in the life of Peter this ever-present danger for you and me.

It is this matter of trying to go the way of the world, and at the same time with proclaiming Christ.

Yogi Bear used to say this, “If you see a fork in the road, take it!”

You see, the disciples want Jesus as the Christ, but they want Him to conform to their image.

They want Him as Savior as long as He goes their way.

They want a King, but not the cross.

And this, is what we find here in this passage.

We are tempted to think, how foolish it is that Peter think to rebuke the Lord, and yet we run into this danger ourselves.

I want us to understand, as we read this passage in a just a minute that the Bible helps us to see ourselves as we truly are.

God takes His Word and our heart is searched.

We are shown the dangers that exist in this life and I thank God for that.

James 1:23 tells us as much.

Listen to this phrase in James 1:23 concerning the Word of God, the Bible says, “23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:”

And so when I read this shocking statement that Peter makes, I see the peril that I myself face.

Let’s Read Mark 8:27-34

Let’s Pray

We begin in our text with this question that is posed to the disciples.

The Lord Jesus Christ begins by asking them “Whom do men say that I am?”

This question is so important.

I wonder this morning do you know who the Lord Jesus Christ is?

Does your answer depend upon the opinions of men, or do you know the Jesus of this Bible?

Do you know Him personally?

Much the same today, people come up with all kinds of answers of who the Lord Jesus Christ is.

As our text states they are in a town renamed for Caesar… they are a place that used to be called the region of Naphtali the city of Dan.

But now was a place of all manner of idolatry, much like the rest of the Roman empire.

In our text we discover there were three or four prevailing answers given.

Some said John the Baptist

Some said Elijah

Some said one of the prophets.

In Matthew 16 we find Jeremiah in the list.

By after they reply with what they had commonly heard from others, the Lord then turns the conversation personal.

This by the way is the fork in the road.

Can I say before we go any further, you must answer for yourself as to who the Lord Jesus Christ is.

Much could be said concerning the reason for question the Lord was asking. But two things we can be sure of:

The Lord Jesus Christ already knew what they thought concerning Him. Therefore it was for their benefit and our benefit that this passage is recorded.

The Lord Jesus Christ was helping the disciples to grow in their Christian lives.

And so we see first of all:

I. A Powerful Confession

The Bible tells us in verse 29 of our text:

Mark 8:29 “29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.”

Against all the opinions of men around them, Peter makes a powerful confession.

And this is how it is for you and I today as well.

If were were to go about in Hampton, VA and talk to folks and ask them, Who is Jesus?, We would be surprised at the answers that are given.

I think about many things pertaining to the Christianity that people are deceived about.

If we were to ask people, how must I be saved, We would be shocked at the answers given.

And yet there is no debate when it comes to the declaration of the Word of God.

We find here in the text a power confession that is validated by the Lord Himself as to His identity.

Let me just say two things about this powerful confession:

A. Eternal Life Begins By Confessing Christ.

We all begin in our Christian lives with a confession just like this one.

Amongst all the idols that exist in this world, the false religions, the false christs, the false ideologies and wisdom that this world has to offer, eternal life begins with Confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Bible says in John 3:18 “18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Romans 10:10 tells us “10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

We confess that He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is Lord, which means He is Master.

His name is Jesus, which means God is Savior.

Jesus is Immanuel God with us, He is the Savior.

And He is the Christ, which means the anointed One, the only begotten Son of God.

Everyone comes to Christ the same way, by believing and receiving Him as Lord and Savior.

Peter, confessed “Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God.”

We find that phrase in the parallel passage of this event in the book of Matthew. (Matthew 16:16)

In Matthew 16 in verse 17 we are told that Peter’s discovery was from God.

The Bible says, “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

God revealed this unto Him.

God influenced His heart to see this.

It is a truth, that our Salvation begins with God.

The Bible says in Romans 3:10-11 “10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”

Oh, we have nothing to boast of do we… We didn't find the Lord, He found us!

If your here today without Christ, know a certainty that God has brought you here.

Know of a certainty, that God has given you His Word.

Know of a certainty, that that which is going on in your heart, saying “Listen Up” “This is truth” “You need to receive Jesus as your Savior.” That is the Holy Spirit of God.

Not only do we begin our Christian lives in this manner by God drawing us and convicting us and revealing Himself to us the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Secondly,

B. Christians Continue Triumphantly By Confessing Him

This is not mere lip service, but life service.

Our Salvation is secure in Christ at the moment we receive Him as our Savior.

This can never be lost.

But to live the life God has for us is to continue day by day with our eyes upon Him and our mouths confessing that He is Lord.

If you want to live the abundant life, the life blessed by God, it is going to take looking to Him.

There is a real danger of us getting our eyes upon this world and forgetting our purpose here.

There is a danger in being influenced to concern ourselves solely with the temporal things of this life.

The Bible says in that wonderful chapter in Hebrews 12, that we are to Look “...unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; ....” (Hebrews 12:2)

This matter of looking to the Lord, for the Christian will mark the difference between success and failure.

It makes this difference between us walking with light versus stumbling in darkness.

This truth so simple yet it is very profound.

As a Christian, you will spend your entire lives making this very choice moment by moment.

And the choice is this, Will I look to the Lord?

Or will I yield to the things of this world under the influence of the Adversary and the flesh?

In John 11:9-10 The Lord said this, “9 … Are there not twelve hours in the day? ...”

Yes as we look out from 6am - 6pm there is light or 7am to 7pm there is light.

And then He gives this plain illustration that anyone can understand: He states,

“If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world...”

That makes perfect sense doesn't it. If i am walking outside and have the light of the day. I can see where i am going… Although some of us are a little clumsy. But that is probably because we are not watching where we are going…we do not stumble because lack of light but maybe two left feet as they say...

But the Lord continues with this illustration:

“10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”

Who would purpose to walk around where there is no light, with plenty of ways to stumble?

You say, boy I wouldn't do that… but you know sin takes all the common sense away from us doesn't it.

Illustration: My wife and I when we travel somewhere different… want to make sure that there is always a dim light lit (I dont want to call it a night light....because we are not children… but that is what it is),

And so if we get up in the night in an unfamiliar place we dont run into things…

We can avoid the hazards, the obstacles.... We can avoid injury and damage....

And similarly a sure way to fall into the ditch is to take your eyes off of the Light of this world, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some folks sometimes fall into a ditch and ask themselves, How did I get here?

The answer is, your stumbling around in the dark.

The Lord Jesus Christ said on one occasion, in Matthew 15:14 “14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Those religious rulers were stumbling around falling into ditches and leading others to go with them. And folks get mixed up in the wrong crowds and many are falling into the ditch.

On another occasion the Lord was warning the folks who were hearing His words and who had not yet believed that they were in danger of losing the Light that was before them in John 12:35-36 “35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.”

Then in verse 46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

Here this powerful confession was made because Peter had light from God.

And you and I as Christians will only be able to navigate this life without stumbling keeping our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we do that?

You might be wondering, How am I to keep my eyes on Him?

First, if you are going to keep your eyes upon Him you better open up His Word.

When we come to the local church meeting we open the Word of God and read what the Lord has to say. Why? Because this is truth.

At home, if you want to know truth, you have to open this book and ask God to give you understanding.

You see, the Holy Spirit, God Himself is our teacher. He will shed light on His Word and teach you what you need to know.

People say, I just want hear from God audibly… well as I just head recently, open up the Word of God and read out loud.

Second, if you are going to keep your eyes upon Him, you must stay in fellowship with Him.

This means yielding to Him, which means obeying what we find in His Word.

Our communion with God, is what enables us to walk in this world and bare fruit for His glory.

John 15:4 “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

This word abiding gives the same idea as John writes when He speaks of fellowship in I John.

I John 1:5-9 “5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Third, if your going to keep your eyes upon Him do not allow your head to be filled with the philosophies and rudiments of this world.

Misinformation, lies and deceit are going to get worse in worse.

All that traverses this phone, the internet, the radio waves, and any other means the world enters into your soul via the eyes and ears are attempting to plant seeds of doubt (concerning God and His Word), deceit (concerning Christ and His Word), and despair (concerning His return and reign).

Not only do we have a Powerful Confession, but notice secondly the:

II. A Prophetic Communication

Everything went well with Peter’s profound confession until this revelation of the plan of God.

Notice with me what the Bible says,

Mark 8:31 “31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

He must suffer

He must be rejected (of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes)

He must be killed

He must rise again

Four different things that did not fit into their schedule.

Four different terrible things that did not compute with their vision.

Four different things that did not line up with the ways of men.

This is a prophetic communication from the Lord. He began to teach them.

This is the moment, they had confessed Him as Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God and so He was.

Later on He would say these words, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” (John 13:13)

And so now, they were needing to understand what that meant for their Savior, and we see at the end of this passage what it meant for them.

God in His Word has revealed to us truth.

He teaches us to bring us along in to conformity of His person.

“We become children of God by trusting in Christ, We become disciples of Christ by surrendering to Him.”

So often, we want to take the parts we like and ignore the parts we don’t.

We want to take the fork as Yogi Bear says and have it our way and the Lord’s.

The shocking thing is what comes next:

III. A Perplexing Conclusion

Peter goes from speaking as an oracle of God, to speaking as a spokesman for the enemy.

What’s shocking to me is how quickly Peter goes from being influenced by God to giving Himself to the ways of men.

Notice with me in verse 32 and 33

Mark 8:32-33 “32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”

And I see the center of the whole matter.

It is simply this: Are we savoring the things of God or the things of men?

The word savor in this passage means to exercise the mind or to intensely interest oneself.

This very thought was the same with which Satan tempted the Lord with in the wilderness to avoid the cross and take the crown in Matthew chapter 4.

Take another plan, take another road… follow your heart… Be the captain of your own ship!

This is the choice that is ever before us.

And I find, that I must evaluate all that is in my life by this test.

Does this conform to God’s will?

Peter and the disciples were given truth by the Lord. These things were definite. The Lord stated, these things must come to pass.

This is just one of many statements in the Word of God that God gives us to show us what must come to pass.

In Luke 2:49 the Lord told His mother and Joseph, He must be about His Father’s business.

This is God’s way as sovereign ruler. He’s teaching you something…

Earlier in John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, the Son of Man “must be lifted up.”

In that same chapter He stated, that all men “must be born again..”

In John 4 we are told the Lord Jesus Christ must needs go through Samaria.

In Matthew 18:7 we are told by the Lord offenses must come.

In Mark 13 the Lord says, The Gospel must be published in all nations.

I like John the Baptist’s conformity to the will of God He says, He must increase and I must decrease.

The Lord said, The Scriptures Must Be Fulfilled…

All I am simply saying is God is accomplishing His work in this world. And He is teaching us truth.

This is what the Lord was teaching the disciples.

And I ask myself the question, perhaps you should ask the same, What has God begun to teach you?

We saw there was a Powerful Confession, Prophetic Communication, and Lastly, A perplexing conclusion.

What is the application for you and me?

I believe first of all:

It is a warning that the Lord has shown us, by having this important passage recorded for us in the Word of God.

1. A victory in one moment, does not guarantee a victory in the next moment.

Peter moved quickly from having a Word from God, to having a Word from Satan.

He moved from looking rightly at the Savior, to desiring the things that be of men.

2. We must have our entire being in subjection to the Lord.

When I look at this incident, I can see the logic and reasoning behind Peter’s rebuke to the Lord.

Can you imagine it for a moment, His love for the Lord, often boasting?

His emotions take control. He speaks passionately.

He loves the Lord… but His love is selfish. It is not yielded to God, but rather self.

The Lord hits nail right on the head in the next verse--- deny oneself.

3. There is a danger of the things of men (center around man without God) capturing our hearts.

Man’s ways without God.

Man’s motivation.

Man’s methods of doing things.

Man’s Mammom.

Man’s material goods.

Again the Lord states in verse 36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

What good is all of this temporal worldly philosophies and possessions to eternity?

I wonder if this morning you might:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

Begin Once Again to Align Your Heart with the Things of God rather than the things of Men

Perhaps for you this morning there are some things Christ has begun to teach you… hard sayings but nevertheless truth…maybe this altar needs to be a place of acknowledgement and submission to these things.