Mark 8:22-30 “But Who Do You Say That I Am?”

Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

This week is Youth For Christ’s annual We Believe In You(th) week where thousands of messages will go out to the next generation.

And, on behalf of our Elders, I have a message for our young men and women (students… please stand)…

Thank you for being you!

Church would not be what it is without you in many ways. You demonstrate a heart to serve that is noteworthy and God honoring.

You have many talents and are a consistent part of the church body week in and week out.

You bring laughter and youthful energy to church and you make this place feel alive.

You bring hope to adults who fear for the next generation as you stand as a testimony that there is a next generation the loves the Lord.

You are in the world, but not of the world and have hearts of love and eternal concern for your friends.

And by how you live your life and how you pursue others for Christ… you are the light of the world!

We see you… we value you… we love you… we believe in you! Let’s give a round of applause for our young people.

Adults… next week is all about sharing a similar message with the young people in your life.

This week, I encourage you to take 5 min and write a letter or a card or simply have a conversation to tell the young people in your life you believe in them.

There are some T-Shirts and fliers if you want to get involved in this week… which is also a fundraising week for Youth For Christ.

Our church is donating $1000… and funds are triple matched this next week for YFC.

If you have any questions, see me afterwards.

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 8. Mark 8:22-30 today closing out the chapter.

We left off where Jesus and His disciples were in Gentile territory… on the East coast of the Sea of Galilee in the Decapolis region.

A multitude of of people had flocked to Jesus and continued with Him three days… even to the point that they did not have anything to eat.

Displaying tremendous dedication to be fed spiritually, even though they lacked physical sustenance.

Jesus had compassion on them for this and once again… He stretched His disciples to be part of a miracle of multiplying loaves and fish… as they fed 4,000 men plus women and children.

From there, they departed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee… back to Jewish territory… and were confronted by Pharisees and Sadducees…

Who wanted to see a sign from heaven…

But, so many signs had already been given through Jesus’ ministry of miraculous healings, His wisdom and teachings from above, and His very presence… God incarnate as foretold by OT prophets.

This request caused Jesus to ‘sigh deeply in His spirit’ and He denied their request that was shrouded in unbelief.

The only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah… which was a typology for the Resurrection.

As they left and were sailing on the Sea…

The disciples realized they forgot to bring bread. They had seven large baskets of leftover bread from the miracle, and they only brought one loaf.

In that same moment, Jesus charged them, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

Jesus seemed to be thinking back to the corrupting doctrine of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod Antipas that was spreading through Israel…

But the disciples thought Jesus was rebuking them for forgetting the bread.

And, I was encouraged by that… despite the disciples being a bit thick… and a little slow… and forgetful… and perhaps even lapsing in faith…

They remained “His disciples”… who He continued to teach, and mold… and who would become the leaders of the early church that still exists today.

Last week was a testimony to the compassion and patience of God… and He continues to work the same way in our lives today.

Today, we observe Jesus and His disciple as they arrive on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee… in Bethsaida…

Where Jesus continues His work of leading His disciples into a place of deeper understanding of who he is…

And He will ask the most important question any of us will answer in this lifetime and for all eternity, “But who do you say that I am?”… our sermon title for today.

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.

Mark 8:22-30 “Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

In our passage today, for the first time… Jesus will speak clearly about being the Christ… and His passion, death, resurrection… and what it means to be a disciple.

This is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry where He speaks openly on many things.

He will have this conversation with the disciples … not in Caesarea Maritima (by the sea), but North in Caesarea Philippi…

But first, they will pass through the small fishing village of Bethsaida… hometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter.

V22 records an unidentified “they” brought a blind man to Jesus, and begged Him to touch him.

VSS 22-26 is an account only recorded in the Gospel of Mark… and is reminiscent of the healing of the deaf and mute man in the Decapolis.

Both men were led to Jesus by an anonymous “they” who we suppose are friends or close relatives of the men…

Because they beg Jesus to place His healing touch upon the men.

You may recall I exhorted you how important it is for us to be good friends, and get our friends in front of Jesus however we can… if not physically by bringing them to church… inviting them to an event… or bringing church to serve them… be sure to pray for them… to bring your friends before the Lord spiritually.

I was blessed to hear how many women came to the Women’s Conference… many whom we had never met… brought to the event by their friends… or their daughter… or their Granddaughter…

Several of the women are seeking the Lord, and I would ask you pray for them… beg the Lord on their behalf to put His healing hand upon them.

This account today in Mark is a good reminder.

And, there are two additional similarities to the previous healing…

I do wonder if the Holy Spirit through Mark anticipated we would need these reminders… have you all been applying these lessons to your life?

I do hope so!

Look at V23… Jesus leads the blind man by hand out of town… just as He led the deaf and mute man away from the multitude.

And, note… the man does not fight Jesus, but willingly goes with Jesus…

A good reminder for us to allow His Spirit to lead us as well… away from the busy-ness of life.

Again, we are reminded of the importance of getting alone with God… those intimate moments when we allow Him to lead us away from our distractions… our phones… even our families (whom we love)… our work… our sports… our entertainment… our projects… boy the list is long…

And, the danger… with such a big list is sometimes Jesus doesn’t make it on the list.

He becomes an afterthought… or a best intention…

Fear not, our God is a gracious God, and He delights when you turn to Him.

And, His word promises blessings when we do…

I’m reminded of the blessed man in Psalm 1… who’s “... delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

What great reminders for us today.

And, one final similarity is the rather un-orthodox way in which Jesus heals.

If you recall… Jesus stuck His fingers in the deaf and mute man’s ears, spat and touched his tongue… looked up to heaven, sighed and said, “Be opened.” And, the man was instantly healed.

Today, Jesus skips all that and in V23 it states Jesus “… spit on his eyes and put His hands on him…”

If I ever ask you for prayer and you spit in my eyes… I’m going to put my hands on you… believe you me.

You better be pretty confident the Holy Spirit is telling you to spit in someone’s eyes before you do this.

My Pastor said that “spit on his eyes” in Gk is “Hock-a-loogie-O”…

I didn’t fact check that, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.

What’s so unique about this healing… not just that Jesus spits in the man’s eyes… and the man goes with it…

But, this is the only healing in the Gospels that takes place in stages.

Typically, we see the word “immediately” following Jesus’ touch or word… ‘Immediately… sight or hearing is restored… strength come back to bones…’ and so forth…

But, here the healing is gradual…

In V23, after Jesus spits in his eyes and puts his hands on him… Jesus asks “… if he saw anything.”

V24… the man says, “I see men like trees, walking.”

Perhaps he sees the Twelve disciples, but they are blurry… he can’t see clearly…

In V25, for a second time, Jesus “… put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.”

So, after this second touch, the man is made whole.

And, Jesus charges Him in V26 to return home… not to enter the town and tell anyone about this healing.

Jesus so often needed to safeguard Himself and His disciples by being swarmed by the multitudes…

They needed their space… as Jesus had an important lesson ahead specifically for the disciples.

But, this account reminds us that Jesus heals in diverse ways… and he can heal instantly or gradually.

Jesus was not lacking in power or faith… but is intentional in the way in which He moves.

And, I wonder… did Jesus heal gradually... for the sake of His disciples?

Because in a way… this man is a picture of the Disciples… they can see Jesus, but not clearly…

I imagine this is the point of why Mark includes this account… as a lead in to the next scenes where Jesus brings clarity to who He is.

Starting in V27, Jesus leads His disciples straight North about 30 miles (a roughly 9 hour walk) from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi.

And, we don’t know why Jesus took His disciples on this trek north, but many speculate it was because that with the backdrop of this town, Jesus would ask the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”

So, what was significant about this Caesarea Philippi?

Here’s an abridged history:

The area had historical ties to Baal, but was settled in the 3rd century B.C. and called “Paneas,” giving a nod to the Greek god “Pan” (1/2 man, 1/2 goat- flute playing false deity).

From 20 B.C. to A.D. 34 the area was called “Caesarea Paneas” according to Josephus… or “Caesarea Philippi,” as read in the Bible, recognizing Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (the Emperor of Rome) and Herod Philipp who ruled this area during Jesus time.

Now in this area, stood the Grotto of Pan… a Greek cult center to Pan, Zeus, Augustus and other false gods… with accompanying degraded worship practices.

There were various niches carved into the rock where idols were placed, such as Echo the mountain nymph said to be a consort to Pan.

And there was a large cave was dedicated to Pan and was said to be one of the “gates of hades.”

Which it seems Jesus may refer to in Matthew’s account when he said, “… on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Jesus was the Master Teacher and so often He incorporated His surroundings into His lessons seemingly to impact His students.

If the Grotto of Pan was the backdrop for this scene in Mark 8… what a contrast it would be.

Jesus Himself… the very definition of truth “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn 14:6)… the Son of Man (a Messianic title)…

Contrasted with the Grotto of Pan… and all it’s temples to false Gods.

And, then He asks His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”

People worshipped so many false gods…

And, how did Jesus compare? Who was Jesus in the minds of the people?

Back in 2014, I visited Caesarea Philippi… and as I walked amongst the ruins of the Grotto of Pan and the ruins of Agrippa II’s palace…

Broken pillars… buildings reduced to foundation stones…

There was an eerie feeling, as I thought about all the people who were deceived and the horrible forms of worship committed on site.

The area feels heavy… you can imagine how this was once a spiritual stronghold.

But, today there are only ruins… a testimony of God’s judgment…

Time revealed truth, and in this place there was no truth… only false God’s who did not stand the test of time.

At one time, this place was a loud and deceptive voice to the culture of that day.

Just as there are loud and deceptive voices in this day. Movements… agendas… the celebration and normalization of sinful deeds…

In Isaiah’s day, he experienced the same… In Isa 5 he pronounced six woes or indictments against the “bad fruit” the nation of Israel was producing…

Woes against materialism… joining ‘house to house; and field to field...’

Woes against drunkeness “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!”

Woes against those who doubted God. They say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it...”

Woes on perverted values. Isa 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness...”

And, Woes upon arrogance. Isa 5:21 “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”

And, if we really press in to these woes… they are some of the key plagues of our day… and some of the key plagues that existed in Caesarea Philippi in Mark 8…

There is nothing new under the sun… people may have worshipped false gods like Zeus and Pan… or Baal and Astaroth… which all boil down pretty much to money, sex, power, and pleasure…

The movements of these past false gods… or the movements of modern day evil organizations… they will not stand the test of time…

But, what’s behind them has so far…

Because what’s behind them is the prince of the power of the air… Satan who has been corrupting mankind since the garden of Eden…

“Has God indeed said...”

“You will not surely die...”

“… you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

1 Jn 2:16 spells out the tools of Satan’s… “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

When our sinful flesh craves something… and then sees that thing in the world… temptation is birthed… and if we concede to temptation…

In Jm 1:14-15 James describes this process… “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

And, that’s the goal of Satan… death. Physical death is icing, but what he is really going after is spiritual death… eternal death…

We are created in the image of God… and whatever Satan can do to deface God’s image bearers… He will do.

And, this is the day in which we live… where we “fight the good fight of faith”…

This is part of our calling… to be salt against decay… to be light against darkness…

We will watch evil rise and fall… and the enemy regroup and see how he further corrupt with the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride…

But a day is coming where his schemes and agendas will come to an end…

1 Jn 2:17 declares “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Peter declared that the word of God is what currently preserves the heavens and the earth, but in the future… the heavens and earth… “are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Pet 3:7)

A day is coming when the reign of the enemy will end…

There was a time we were under his influence… a time we were dead spiritually… blind spiritually… a time when many of us lived by and applauded the ways of the world, but then the reign of the enemy ended in our hearts…

God came into our lives… and into our hearts… and made us alive.

Eph 2:1-7 declares “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

What a marvelous vision of what’s to come… and what marvelous grace that this IS our eternal destiny… when WE KNOW where we came from…

Like the people who had gathered at the Grotto of Pan… looking to the ways of the world…

Looking to what was popular and acceptable in the sight of men…

Finding their identity in serving Pan… or Zeus… or Augustus…

Package it up however you like today, but this issue remains the same…

Their identity was not in Christ.

Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”

He doesn’t ask, ‘what do people think about my teachings or my miracles?’ ‘Do they like my sermons?’

He draws the question much closer to Himself… to draw out the He is Messiah.

And, in V28, the disciples respond with several thoughts people had of Jesus…

Some said John the Baptist… perhaps because they both came preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

John in Matt 3:2; Jesus in Matt 4:17.

And, both had a massive effect on the nation… droves of people were turning to God.

But, Jesus was not John… John was the forerunner to the King, Jesus is the King.

John even said, “Behold the Lamb of God...”

And, John said, “He must increase, but I...decrease.”

Some said Elijah, but this was wrong as well…

Both raised the dead, both multiplied food, both stood for truth.

Mal 4:5 prophesied, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”

So, there was an expectation of Elijah’s coming… and there still is for he was taken up in a chariot of fire (2 KI 2:11)… “And it is appointed for men to die once”… so he is expected to fulfill these coming as one of the Two Witnesses of Rev 11…

Matthew records some thought Jesus was Jeremiah…

The weeping Prophet… broken hearted over the nation of Israel… as seen in his writing Lamentations…

Just as Jesus lamented over Israel… Matt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!”

Jeremiah was also labeled a ‘prophet of doom’ for his prophecies declaring doom on the nation.

Just as Jesus pronounced, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!…and you Capernaum...” in Matt 11 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees...” Matt 23

There was also a tradition Jeremiah would come before the End, which was captured in the non-inspired work 2 Esdras 2:18 which read, “I will send you help, my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah.”

Perhaps this misled Jews to mistake Jesus for Jeremiah as well.

And, some just incorrectly lumped Jesus with prophets in general… He is “one of the prophets...”

The held Jesus in high esteem… as a prophet, but lower then Messiah God.

And, it’s not so different today… many hold Jesus is high regard…

Muslims respect and even venerate Jesus who they think of as a prophet, but inscriptions on the Dome of the Rock read, “There is no God but God; Muhammad is his Prophet. Jesus is also his Prophet, but God has no son; He neither Begets nor is Begotten.”

A slur against Jesus. The Bible says, Jesus is “THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER!” (Jn 1:14)

Begotten meaning “only offspring” or “only born.”

Mormons state Jesus was the firstborn of the Father… and the elder brother of Lucifer… that they were “spirit brothers.”

They call Jesus savior… one of many gods… but not Father God.

JW’s claim Jesus was a physical manifestation of Michael the archangel… a created angelic being, but inferior to Father God.

The Unity movement teaches the Hindi Krishna is the same as the Greek Christos and the Messiah of the Jews. The same Christ that lived in Jesus lives within all of us so there is no need for a savior.

Christian Science teaches Jesus was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God.

Whatever that means…

Many people just think Jesus was a historical figure… a man alone. But, not God…

A great teacher, a humanitarian, an excellent leader… even a miracle worker, but not God.

Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I am?”

The thoughts people had then… and the thoughts people have now… they all fall short.

The enemy has deceived many into thinking of Jesus less than who He is.

He is Lord… He is King… He is Messiah… He is God.

1 Jn 2:22-23 states “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

Denying the equality of the Father and the Son… and that Jesus is the Christ… the Messiah…

… is to be antichristos… one who opposes Christ..

Denying the Son is denying the Father…

But, to acknowledge Gk homologeō (of one mind)… to agree with… or to confess belief in the Son is to have the Father also.

Jesus… at Caesarea Philippi… home to many cults… turns to His disciples and asks them two questions… “Who do men say that I am?” (looking out… surveying the landscape)

And, more importantly V29 “But who do you say that I am?” (looking in… surveying their hearts)

The word “But” in V29 draws a contrast between the world’s thoughts on Jesus… and each individual disciple’s thought on Jesus.

“But who do you say that I am?” is the most significant question you will answer in all of life… and how you answer determines your eternal destination.

In Matt 10:32-33 Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses [again Gk homologeō] Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

There is a serious consequence for denying the Lord and never repenting and turning to Him.

If you have denied Him in the past, it’s not too late to turn to Him. Peter denied Jesus three times, but turned back to Him and was restored.

If you’ve never confessed Jesus before men… make today that day. Right here after church service we can pray and you can confess you believe in the Lord Jesus… and you will be saved (according to Rom 10:9).

Many people in their hard heartedness… in their lust for things of this world… in their denial of God’s standards on what is evil and what is good…

Choose not to acknowledge Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in Matt 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

There is a broad road that many are travelling and it leads to eternal torment… the Bible calls it hell… eternally the “Lake of Fire.”

And, the inhabitants of that place are not partying with their kegs in joyful defiance of God.

They wanted to be separated from God and they shall be… but in that place it is said, “… they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

There are other people who in faith trust the word of God, and believe that Jesus died for the evil of the world and the sin in our hearts…

Taking the price we would have paid for sin… and redeeming us back into relationship with God.

Our confession of faith in Jesus Christ saves us from God’s wrath to come.

We are or the narrow road that leads to life… true life now, but more importantly… eternal life in the presence of God.

Rev 21 gives us a glimpse of eternity… dwelling with God… who will comfort us… death, sorrow, crying and pain are no more…

The New Jerusalem… walls and streets of pure gold… precious stones for it’s foundation… pearls for gates… the glory of God illuminating it…

Rev 21:24 states, “And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light...”

Rev 22 describes a pure river of the water of life… proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

And, near is the Tree of Life… yielding a different fruit each month… and it’s leaves are for the healing of the nations.

And, there shall be no more curse…

We will serve the Lord… and see Him face to face… and we shall reign forever and ever.

We reign forever and ever for our belief. Many others will be tormented forever and ever for their unbelief.

And, then Rev 22:6 states, “These words are faithful and true.”

A title also given to the Lord Jesus… “Faithful and True” (Rev 19:11).

Some would say this broad road to destruction and narrow road to life philosophy is narrow minded…

And, I would agree. Christianity is very narrow minded. We believe there is only ONE WAY to heaven… by faith in Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus Himself said in John 14:6… read it aloud with me… “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

There is ONE TRUTH… and His name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus looks at the disciples and says, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers correctly… “You are the Christ [Gk. Christŏs, the Anointed One, the Messiah]…

Matthew records Peter also called Jesus “the Son of the living God.”

In Jewish reasoning, to be the Son of the living God was to be God.

He is the living God…He is not dead. The Grotto of Pan is full of dead Gods.

And, in Matthew 16:17 Jesus answered Peter and said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Peter was blessed (meaning “happy”)… and he should have felt this way because he received spiritual revelation from the Father in heaven.

Peter professed, ‘You are Messiah and You are God.’

If you profess anything else about Jesus…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction.

All roads lead to eternity, and all roads lead to God, but only one road leads to eternal life in heaven.

How you answer this question… not only determines your eternal destiny, but should also be displayed by HOW you live your life now.

The words that come our of your mouth… should match the walk of your life.

They should be congruent.

Many people confess Jesus as Lord, but there’s a discrepancy. They spend more time… or money… or love… on other things.

Anything you spend more on than God is called a “high place” or and “idol” in your life.

In the OT, when a Godly king came into the land, he tore down the high places.

There’s been several times I needed to tear down high places in my life.

My head space was too occupied by career… by video games… things that had to go.

If we confess Jesus as Lord… we are saying He is the ‘Master’ of our life… and of all things.

So our life now… should match our words.

If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

If you’re not sure… step into service to the Lord… step into daily disciplines of pray and reading His word… ask for prayer today.

Matthew would also capture Jesus using a play on Greek words in Matt 16:18… “… you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church...”

Peter’s professed Jesus was the Christ… pointing to Jesus the rock… and on that truth the church would be founded.

“… and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Possibly with that Grotto of Pan… gates of Hades backdrop…

Jesus declares that the principalities and powers of the enemy will not prevail.

God is sovereign… and His will… will prevail…

The enemy cannot stop the church.

And, then in V30… Jesus “… strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.”

Many Jews had a misunderstanding about Messiah and the two advents… the two comings of the Messiah.

They read of the promised Davidic Messiah who throne would be established forever…(2 Sam. 7:14–16; Isa. 55:3–5; Jer. 23:5)

Who would make His enemies His footstool… (Ps 110)

They expected a political Messiah… who would conquer Rome and free them from Roman oppression.

After the Feeding of the 5,000, Jesus “… perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king…” (Jn 6:15), so He departed from them.

They misunderstood that Jesus would come first to conquer sin, hell, and death…

They misunderstood that Jesus first came as the Suffering Servant…

There are four Suffering Servant songs in Isaiah… Isaiah 42:1–9; Isaiah 49:1–13; Isaiah 50:4–11; and Isaiah 52:13—53:12.

Did they not read them? Did they only see what they wanted to see?

They seemed to focus more on the conquering King verses…

Many people today fall into this same error… selective reading of God’s word.

Looking to the verses of prosperity, and how He can fix all of life’s problems…

God’s word is not a-la-cart… it’s one meal served by God…

God may prosper you, but He is more concerned with your eternal destiny… than peace on earth.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matt 10:34)

His Gospel divides.

Even the disciples waited for His coming Kingdom…

In Mark 10, James and John will ask, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” (or your kingdom)

In Act 1, the disciples ask “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

(worship team come)

On one hand, we should be living in anticipation of His immediate return… longing for the day He will come in the clouds and meet us in the air…

But, until then… like Jesus said, “I must be about My Father’s business...”

Not hiding in a hole… not hiding our light under a bushel…

We must be about His business… not concerned about Him taking away our oppression of this world that is squeezing and persecuting the church…

But on the offensive… proclaiming the Lord Jesus and His Gospel of truth… until He comes.

Amen? Let’s Pray!

If you want prayer to turn to or turn back to Jesus… or for anything else… come see us and we will pray for you today.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’