Mark 8:27-33— 12/17/2023 Use this one

Who then is this Jesus asked the question who do people say that I am? The question that I'm finding I may not want to know the answer to about me personally. Don't we all want to know how people Buist? Do we all want people to see us for who we really are don't we all want to be truly known? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I want to know what how people see me. I don't know if I want to know who people think I am. I don't know if I want to be truly known because if you truly know someone. There's a chance you're going to be rejected.

And I don't know about you. But if people truly knew me, they might not truly love me. and if people truly knew you they might not truly. Love you.

And it's one of the great mysteries of this world. to be truly known and truly lock

I don't know that I want to ask a question about myself to people say that I am. Days my 12th wedding anniversary. Only one person on this Earth that I can say truly knows me. And I think truly loves me. She sees me for every single flaw. He sees me for every single sin. She sees me through all of that and she stays with me. She truly knows me and she truly loves me.

The Jesus ask that question. In our texts this morning who do people say that I am. Because Jesus wants to be truly known. He wants people to see him. So clearly he doesn't want to leave a shadow of a doubt about who he is or where he came or from where he's going. He wants to be truly known. and truly Loft But the problem that we said last week is we all miss the forest for the trees Jesus for us months for them years has been carefully working his way through this region of Galilee cueing and saving. and touching and miracle in people all of it. If you've been listening to what we've been talking about has been pointing to its inevitable end on a cruel cross at Calvary.

They weren't getting it. We're not getting it. I'm not getting it, but it's all pointing to the cross. And they're not seeing the forest for the trees. And sometimes we missed the trees for the forest. We we have a hard time seeing what details it's going to take to get us where we think this is all going to end up. But today for the first time Jesus is plainly and openly showing us the big picture. He is showing us where this is all going. For the first time he is going to explicitly State what he came to do and what it's going to take to get there.

And we see that we all need to see Jesus more clearly. In our text today, we see our need to see Jesus more clearly. It's communal constant and costly.

Wait a second sweep sermon. Who sang Three Points I made last week. It is they're just going to rehash the same sermon from last week. No, I can't do that. But yes, because Jesus encountering that blind man last week when he didn't fully heal him of his blindness the first time. What is a metaphor from what he's going to do right now to reveal himself clearly to his disciples to all the people of that region of Galilee and us today?

Are need to see Jesus more clearly is communal constant and costly read with me Mark chapter 8.

starting a 27

Jesus went out with his disciples to The Villages assessoria Phillipi and on the road. He asked his disciples who do people say that I am they answered him John the Baptist others Elijah still others the prophets, but you he asked them who do you say that I am Peter answered him you are the Messiah. I'm strictly one of them to tell no one about began to teach them. It was necessary for the sort of man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders Chief priests and scribes. Be killed and Rise after three days. He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Get behind me Satan. You are not thinking about God's concerns, but human concerns. Calling the crowd along with the disciples. He said to them if anyone wants to follow after me. Let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me. First our need is communal. Jesus asked who does the community of people that has gotten to know me best think that I am

work it out talking amongst yourselves. You've seen me for two years. There's lots of rumors going around people think they know who I am people think that they don't know who I am people that are confused by who I am who do people say that I am Ain't that the few answers? Don't say John the Baptist. Who is John the Baptist? John the Baptist is this pre Messianic figure that have been prophesied throughout all of the Old Testament to prepare the way for the coming Messiah? The anointed one the king the Holy One the one set apart the deliverer of all of Israel. It was someone going to follow before him and they called him like Elijah Wright. He was predicted to be in Elijah a prophet declaring the coming King. Damn it. I just did that. He went out into the Wilderness and people came to him in droves and he baptized them for repentance of sins and said that the one that comes after me. You can't even hold or untie his sandals.

And he died for it. He died for the message that you came to Proclaim by being the headed by the king of Israel.

And some of the people think that Jesus is here. I'm reincarnated. more like Hinduism

Is that you Jesus was is that who became to be to declare the future coming King all over again? Now some say Elijah. John the Baptist was a type of an Elijah the prophet coming to clearing the coming King Elijah is the one who confronted King Ahab and Jezebel for their worship of the prophets and fail the prophets of Baal were bowing down to this false. God and God sent Elijah to be his profit to condemn them for worshipping a false god and he took him out and he said, all right profitable call down fire from your God on this Altar and see what happens. And then if you don't get a response in a few hours, I'm going to start calling down fire. But first i'm going to dig a trench and I'm going to pour water over this sacrifice three times. I'm going to consume the trench with water. No one can accuse me of using some sort of magic trick. I like that sacrifice on fire and they did four hours every song and dance for the prophets of Baal could come up with to get fire down on that Altar and it never came. And Elijah walks out and praise to God and on fire that alter lip.

All the possible repeated immediately. I killed him.

Based on the command in Deuteronomy 13, they're gone and Elijah expected Mass repentance from the people of Israel. And guess what happened? They put a hit on his life. He having Jezebel didn't say anything. They didn't they didn't bow down to the god of Israel. They didn't bow down to y'all way. They said forget them. We'll just kill Elijah did the equivalent of walking out in the Lambeau Field and proving God's existence in front of thousands of people and the entire world continues to say. No. Thank you.

Elijah was absolutely distraught and spirit. And went for 40 days into the Wilderness and buried himself in a cave and an angel had to come and bring him some food and help him take a nap and he begged to see God and God came as what. when to fire an earthquake But God wasn't in those. He was in a still soft whisper. Elijah was dying to see the true God and thought he would see it in an earthquake or a fire or a win and it never came but then that whisper comes. Elijah hears the whisper

That's what Jesus was.

Jesus was the Whisperer in that story. Jesus is the still Small Voice the unexpected God who Elijah did not expect this hear or see?

Jesus is not Elijah. Or maybe he's one of the prophets of the prophets had an unsightly appearance. They look different. Elijah Wood this like Harry belt thing around His Garment to try and set himself apart from all the other people that he's being sent to talk to think. They were commanded and demanded to tell the truth to the people. They were sent too many of them were sent to various numbers of people during groups of people people who were Wicked and rebellious and they were sent set apart by God to tell them where they were wrong.

Is that all that Jesus was sent to do?

So then who is this Messiah? Messiah is the Hebrew word for anointed one. Holy one set aside one. He's described throughout the Old Testament as a king over whom a Dominion is going to be given.

Who is the messiah in the Greek the word is Christo's? Christ what is the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Old Testament where Messiah is translated as translated Christo's?

I'll give you an example in Psalm chapter 2 why do the nation's rage and the people's plot in vain the kings of the Earth take their stand in the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his anointed the Hebrew word is Messiah. The Greek word is Christo's.

Why do they conspire together against the Lord and his anointed one? It says down a 6 I have installed my king. On Zion my Holy Mountain I will declare the Lord's decree. He said to me you are my son. Today I have become your father.

when Jesus came up out of the Waters of baptism what is easier? You are my son.

Ask of me and I will make the nation's your inheritance in the ends of the Earth your possession. You will break them with an iron scepter. You will shatter them like pottery. If I was a king. a glorious King over all Kings people that the people that Jesus is talking to they're expecting this Messiah this king of kings and Lord of lords the son of the Living God the holy anointed One of Israel

Jesus also says and is referred to as the son of man. Who then is the son of man? Go to Daniel chapter 7 Daniel has a vision. Four kingdoms for Earthly kingdoms that are going to come and at the end he sees a vision of the Ancient of Days.

in Daniel chapter 7

I continued watching in the night visions verse 13 and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the Clouds Of Heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom so that those are every people nation and language should surfing is Dominion is an everlasting Dominion. It will not pass away in his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. So when Jesus says who do people say that I am. And Peter pipes up you are the Messiah what he saying is Jesus. You're the king.

You're the king of kings. You're the Lord of lords. You're the son of man. You're the one who's been given dominion and rain and glory and Kingdom forever and ever that's going to last and extend to All Nations all generations. All Races all languages. It doesn't matter. You're king of it all.

You're the Messiah.

You didn't come to that conclusion on his own. Peter came to that conclusion knowing that other people were saying Jesus was John the Baptist. knowing that people were saying he was Elijah or a prophet and he remember what his brother throw up in the first part of John came to feed her and said Peter didn't come up with this on his own. Philip came to him and said we found the Messiah.

He saw Jesus clearly as the king. community Second our need is constant. Peter is perfectly content seeing Jesus is King. He's kind of thought this ever since Philip drag him along to go follow this guy around the Sea of Galilee.

He said no problem believing the Jesus is a coming military might leader King who's going to restore Israel to its rightful place in power.

Jesus have constantly been explaining to him and all of his disciples through teachings and miracles. It the way you see the world. It's not the way that God sees the world.

Your human concerns are not messing with God's concern the way that you view the kingdom that's coming and the way that God used the kingdom is coming. All right. And I've been constantly telling you this for 2 years with signs and miracles and healings.

But I'm going to get real with you for a second.

Now I'm just going to tell you what's really about to happen.

and as we continue working through mark He's going to talk about his death three times Mark chapter 8 Mark chapter 9 and Mark chapter 10. He is going to constantly reinforced this principle that he is the king.

But it's going to come at a cost. He is the king who wears the crown but it's going to come with a cross.

Jesus is going to constantly remind them of who he is and what he came to do. Every time he does they still don't quite clearly see it.

Did you know that they don't quite get it? It doesn't quite sink in what he's going to be required to do and what's going to be required to them every time. every time

The son of man, it is necessary to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders Chief priests and scribes be killed and Rise after three days.

How do you speak any more plainly than that? How do you make it any more clear? How do you tell them constantly over and over again? What's going to be required and they still don't get it.

Are we any better than them?

Do we all need to constantly be reminded? Of our need to see him clearly. We need to be reminded that the cure for our spiritual blindness is only in him. Don't we all need daily reminders and weekly reminders of how much and how necessary is sacrifices?

Because we forget.

I forget where we been.

We didn't I were at right now.

We hold on to our standard and think that our standard is good enough. Because that keeps us in control.

I need constant. concert

Peter's totally fine With the reminders of his kingship.

But he struggles with the cross of Jesus. Third I need coffee.

Our need is costly. He began to teach them that it was necessary. The son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders Chief priests and scribes be killed and Rise after three days most of your translations probably use the word son of man must suffer many things.

necessities of life or what are shelter food and water

Jesus suffering and dying at the hands of the people who were supposed to be the best Proclaimers of justice and Truth in the world.

That was as necessary as you needing are food shelter and water. necessary Jesus is telling us he needs. decipher must suffer 3 reasons he must suffer. Number one. I kind of already alluded to Personally, we need him to suffer. We need him to suffer because there is no other way on this Earth. I will ever know what true love is if he doesn't show it to me first.

You want fake love is a clause is the love. I probably felt for my wife today. We got married.

Baked with love that expects someone to do for me and take care of me and what I need and what I want we think that love is someone showing us and giving us all the things we need without ever doing anything for them. Why do you think marriages aren't absolute wreck. Because fake love says, what are you doing for me right now? true love cuz there's nothing I wouldn't do. To take care of your needs before my own.

Personally, I need an example of that. I need a savior in a Lord and a king that can show me that type of personal true love. To get me out of my habit of always looking for what other people are going to give to me. Get me out of my selfishness and self-centeredness. We need that second. You need him to suffer legally. If you ever been wrong if someone is never trashed your reputation if anyone has ever done anything to steal from you. You and I both know. There's no forgiveness without a debt. There's no moving on without a debt. There's always a debt and one of two things has to happen either I take on the debt as the person who's been offended.

And I have to bear the death.

Or I make you bear the death. Explain to me how this works.

You trash my reputation. I have two options. contractures I can forgive. I make you pay the debt or I paid the debt myself someone's paying the debt. And it's really hard for us to pay the debt ourselves when we've been offended.

really hard But you know what happens if I make you pay the debt if I take out revenge if I get you back I become more like you. Become hardened and stiff. height hopeless

and it's hard for me. If it's costly for me to assume a debt think about the debt of your missing the mark and your son and your shortcoming every other person on the face of the Earth that God sent his son willing to assume on his back.

We need a name to suffer personally to show with what true love is weed in to suffer legally so that he will take the depth of Tyre failures. constant incessant wrongdoings making a mess of our relationships making a mess of everything that we touch.

He's also needing to suffer because there are some Cosmic spiritual battles being waged.

Satan and his minions They use the kingdoms of this world to perpetrate. The Injustice has of this world. They use money and power and ego in all of the things ruined the world that we live in.

And Jesus needed to suffer because on that day on that cross once for all time. He could prove that those things not win. Did Mike doesn't make right? The squeaky wheel doesn't get the grease. Say all the things that frustrates you at work and at home those things won't win and the only thing that you could fear is death. Even for a person who believes in Jesus you can't hear that anymore. It has no Dominion. It has no rain. It has no kingship over you because the one thing that you might have been afraid of before is now the greatest blessing that could ever happen to you to be with your lord God and savior for all the turn. He needed to suffer. The powers of spiritual warfare had to be defeated. You legally needed to be made righteous and justified in God's sight and you needed to be shown how to truly. We needed Jesus to suffer for us.

If you don't everyday remind yourself of how costly that was.

Well, I'll give you an example. You're not thinking like Paul for I know that nothing good lives in me. That is in my flesh for the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. I do not do the good that I want to do but I practice the evil that I do not want to do, you know, if I do what I do not want. I'm no longer the one that does it but it is to send that lives in me. So I discovered this walk when I want to do. What is good. Evil is present with me. Bring my inner self. I Delight in God's law but I see a different lawn the parts of my body Waging War against the wall of my mind and taking me prisoner to the lost and in the parts of my body. What a Wretched Man I am.

Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Call every single day. Counted how costly is Need for Jesus was to suffer.

And he finishes thanks be to God through Jesus Christ Our Lord, so they were my mind on myself and serving a lot of God, but with my flesh the law offender.

Get tired of me talking about how broken we are.

Alden Paul reminded himself everyday because there is no way to appreciate the Cross of Christ if you don't realize how much you needed him to suffer.

Paul needed Jesus to supper for him and we need Jesus to suffer for us.

We need Mass repentance. We need Mass Revival. We need back reconnecting with the person. You can connect us all of eternity.

You think when we deny how sinful we are. We're being like Peter. Show me deny how difficult it is to do the right thing for the right reason we deny what Jesus is saying?

Peter had no problem with King Messiah Jesus But what he has forgotten or never realized or never connected is that he didn't need King Messiah Jesus? He needed Isaiah 52 53 Jesus.

My servant will be successful. It will be raised and lift it up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at you is appearance was so disfigured. He did not look like a man in his form did not resemble a human being.

If he himself bore our sicknesses. He carried our pains but we regard and stricken. Struck down by God and Afflicted, he was pierced because of our Rebellion crushed because of our iniquities punishment for our peace was upon him and we are healed by his wounds.

I'm going to read the entire thing. I think you get the point.

Therefore I will get him the mini as a portion. He will receive the mightiest oil because he willingly submitted to death and was counted among the rebels. in for the cinnamon tea and interceded for the rebels.

The Mighty the elders Chief priests describes. The ones were supposed to be vindicating Justice in the world. Mighty or giving a spoil and yet

interceded for them Any interceding for me? Any interceded for you?

Peter was all about having a song to Jesus Peter wanted a song to Jesus. Peter needed and Isaiah 52 and 53 juice

We need a king on a cross.

Who then is this? been seven months countless lessons Who then is this?

Is it a list my list every week? I painted tried to paint this picture of who Jesus is. And at the end of every sermon I tried to say this is the king.

You're seeing it which I'm not worthy. Is a king that revolves around us? is the king of all of the threads of the Cross so that you can follow the thread into his arms is the king Over All Is the king we wait for? He's the king everyone is looking for is the king of rest and restoration. He's the king calling followers from the crowd is the king who gives you a new name. He's a king can't be a liar or a lunatic or a legend is the king with power through weakness.

Is a king that reconnects us to the unexpected Kingdom. Is the king who leaves nothing to fear in the king that in the evil for all time? Is the king we can trust is the king who is either stumbling-stone or the Cornerstone is the king who frees us from our filth is the king who died for the dogs is the king that satisfies our every hunger is the king who is the unleavened bread blessed and broken for us so that we may eat and be satisfied. And the king who enlightens the eyes of our hearts to the truth?

But he is Jesus the king.

Do you need to see Jesus more clearly?

Are you constantly asking Jesus to make your vision more clear?

Are you asking others point out the blind spots when you're not seeing him clearly? Are you taking opportunities to point out blind-spot? To me and everyone else. Help us see him more clearly.

I'll ask the same question. I asked last week. Are you seeing a man who looks like a tree walking? Do you see a man walking peering a tree?

You need to Crown. I need the cross. Calling the crowd along with his disciples. He said than anyone wants to follow after me. Let him deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me.

This is the king whose crown comes with a cross.

I'm going to beg you today.

Don't settle for a crown without a cross.

Five different crowns discussed in the New Testament. There's the imperishable crown of 1st Corinthians is the joyful Crown in 1st Thessalonians the righteous Crown in 2nd Timothy the Glorious Crown in 1st Peter 5 and the Crown of Life to those who are faithful unto death in Revelation 2

if your crown doesn't have a cross. Not one of those crowns.

Satan couldn't keep Jesus off the cross. He's going to try his mightiest to keep you off one.

He's going to want you to not deny yourself to not disown yourself to not let go of your standards and what you think the standard should be. Satan is going to be your adversary and he is going to try and get you to settle for a crown without a cross just like he did in Matthew chapter 4 when Jesus is up on a high mountain and state and said guess what you can have it all. Just out to me right now. What he saying is Jesus you can have your crown without the cross.

couldn't it wouldn't and you didn't. Accept a crown without a cross and you better not either.

You're in one of three places this morning. You're either just starting this picking up and disowning yourself.

process to follow Jesus and if you are the first step you can take is being baptized because it is literally putting your old self to death. in both the public Proclamation and the spiritual where the power of Jesus Washes, you free of the sin and fill that you've collected. And every day that you pick up your cross and follow him it will continuously wash you free of that sin.

But that's what you start.

Everyday you pick up your cross and follow me. mean to suffer hurt it means you do whatever it takes to think of someone else before yourself. And you spend the life-giving love not taking it. everyday So you're either starting you're in the process of being Sanctified or you're stuck?

What are the three? Everyday putting old self to death and Rising again trying to see Jesus more clearly. Or you're stuck. And you're fine with Jesus the king but not Jesus the suffering servant who died on a cross. Don't settle for across or don't settle for a crown. It doesn't come with a cross.

Giving me this morning. I want to pray with you. We all want to play with you. We want to help show you.

The parts that you're not seeing clearly and I want you to do that for me. I think I said that about 50 times in the last 7 months.

Jesus couldn't Jesus wouldn't Jesus didn't take his crown without the cross? You have any this morning come now, I was standing.