Mark 8:31-38 "Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

I do hope to enjoy some Turkey… and an awesome meal with many of you tonight! Give a shout out if you plan to join us for Friendsgiving! Well awesome!

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 8. Mark 8:31-38 today closing out the chapter.

We left off where Jesus had taken His disciple about 30 miles North of the Sea of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi…

Where… there stood the Grotto of Pan… an area saturated with temples to false gods…

Where people worshipped prosperity… nature… politics… power… pleasure…

Sounds like I’m describing the world in which we live… right?

And, possible with all idols and temples in the backdrop… Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”

Looking out… Surveying the landscape of the land.

The people of that time thought of Jesus… generally as a ‘prophet.’

But, He was much more than this.

Thus, He asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”

Looking in… surveying their hearts.

Peter would receive revelation from above and say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

You are Messiah… my Savior and my God.

To profess anything less about Jesus falls short…

We pick up today where Jesus will speak plainly to His disciples about His passion, death, rejection, death and resurrection…

That His mission was to come and die and rise again.

And, then He will teach them about discipleship… that to walk with Him… they would also need to die… to lose their life for His sake, in order to gain it.

Which is reflected in our sermon title for today, “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me.”

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please rise as I read our passage for today:

Mark 8:31-38 “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

Our passage today is a continuation of Jesus’ efforts to prepare the hearts of His disciples.

The Disciples were like the blind man in Bethsaida whom we read about last week.

Jesus healed him in phases… the man could not see… then he could see, but things were blurry… then Jesus healed him completely.

The disciples were also in a process… seeing Jesus, but not fully understanding… and Jesus had to break through their blindness.

In the previous verses Peter declared to Jesus, “You are the Christ”… and as the Christ or Messiah, Jesus will now teach His disciples what it means to be the Christ.

He must suffer… be rejected … die and rise again.

This must happen as V31 states… more on that in a moment.

This is Jesus’ third and final year of ministry… and in the months ahead, Jesus’ final Passover will come and Jesus will literally become the Passover lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Just as the blood of the lamb would be placed upon the doorposts… Jesus’ blood too would be on the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross.

And, so He prepares His disciples for what is to come… starting in V31…

Matthew 16:21 records, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things...”

Jesus named where the suffering, death and resurrection would occur… in Jerusalem.

Not only did Jesus predict His death and resurrection, but He also predicted the location of where these things were to take place. Jerusalem.

I’m not a statistician, but I’m pretty sure the odds of predicting ones death… and then one’s subsequent resurrection three days later… falls in the “Highly Unlikely” category…

And then to drop a pin on the map of where said death would occur, reduces the already probability of Zero to…

… well it doesn’t get lower than that.

And, we will see that these predictions are a lot for the disciples to take in…

Our whole Christian walk is a lot to take in… it takes faith to believe in an unseen Savior… and death after life… and a Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us… and so many other tenets of our faith…

Heb 11:1 declares, “Now faith is the substance [or assurance, meaning confidence] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is a belief system… a confidence in God and His word.

In 2 Cor 5:7 Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Faith is also a walk… action steps… observable obedience.

And, just like Jesus leads us and stretches us more and more… to deepen our faith…

Here in Mark 8… Jesus will stretch the faith of His disciples… they have come to a place to say, “You are the Christ.”

Now He will lead them to have more faith in understanding and believing what the Christ must do.

And this is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry… as seen even more explicitly in Matthew’s gospel…

Where Matthew records the words “From that time...”

This phrase is used 5x in the New Testament and these turning points tell the story of Jesus…

Matt 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus begins His ministry

Jn 6:66 “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

Jesus’ teaching becomes too much and He is rejected by many disciples

Matt 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things...”

Jesus prepares His disciples for His death and resurrection.

The same turning point we are observing today in Mark 8.

Matt 26:16 “So from that time he [Judas] sought opportunity to betray Him [Jesus].”

Judas betrays Jesus fulfilling prophecy and the His passion begins.

Heb 10:12 “But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.”

Jesus victoriously triumphed over sin redeeming mankind and waits for His future kingdom…

Waiting patiently… “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet 3:9

But, He is not going to wait forever… He may come back today… we could be out of here at anytime…

If you don’t know Him… make today YOUR day of salvation…

The rest of us are waiting for the “fullness of the Gentiles...” who knows… you might be the one holding up the whole program.

And so, in V31 Jesus turns a corner and “began to teach His disciples…”

He began to teach… this was just the beginning… not the final conversation… not a one and done conversation… He began to teach… or instruct…

Matthew says He “began to show His disciples...” Show means to point out…

This was the beginning of Jesus instructing and pointing out what His roll as Messiah… as the Son of Man was…

And the Son of Man was a favorite title Jesus held for Himself…

This is a Messianic title used by Jesus “expressing his heavenly origin, earthly mission and glorious future coming.”

Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man coming in the clouds to the Ancient of Days who gives Him the kingdom of God is portrayed in Dan 7:13-14

“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

When Jesus’ hour approaches… during that final week of His ministry… just before the cross… Jesus makes some of the most powerful declarations alluding back to Daniel’s vision…

Matthew 24:30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64 "Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

87x in 83 verses in the NT… Jesus will be referred to as the Son of Man…

And the power of His declarations grows… as the cross comes in focus.

And, note in V31… what Jesus teaches His disciples…

That the Son of Man must do several things…

The word “must” is very absolute. By def. it means “necessary” as in binding. There’s no getting around it. It has to happen.

Similar to when “He needed to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

Not out of compulsion or self-determination, but out of obedience to the Father’s will.

In Samaria, Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34

Jesus was obedient to the Father’s will… even to the point of death… literally… as He expressed in V31…

Jesus said He “must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

That’s quite the list. And, one might ask, “Why must these things happen?”

In part because it was the Father’s will that through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus… mankind could be redeemed through faith.

Rom 4:25 states Jesus was “… delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

Christ’s death and resurrection were essential for our justification.

The resurrection proved that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice… and because He lives… God can credit or impute righteousness to anyone who accepts the free gift of God… salvation by faith in Christ Jesus.

But, also… these things must happen because it was written… because of prophecy… because it was foretold…

Here’s just some of the Prophecies on the MUSTS of The Son of Man...

The Son of Man must suffer…

Isa 50:6 “I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”

Isa 53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities”

Ps 22:14 “I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint...”

The Son of Man must be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes… basically the Sanhedrin…

Isa 53:3 “He is despised and rejected by men...”

Ps 22:7-8 “All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him...”

Ps 118:22 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.”

The Son of Man must be killed… (which was difficult for a Jew to fathom)…

Ps 22:16 “They pierced My hands and My feet...” (crucifixion… the death penalty)

Dan 9:26 “Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself”

Isa 53:8-9 “For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death...”

And after three days… the Son of Man must rise again…

Ps 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”

Hos 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!”

There are many prophecies that foretold the Messiah would come and He would die.

“… and the Scripture cannot be broken…”

V32 of Mark 8 states “He spoke this word openly.”

“He was stating the matter plainly.”

Openly by def. means “freedom in speaking” or “boldness of speech.”

Previously, Jesus spoke to His disciples with allusions of His death such as...

John 2:19 “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

John 3:14 “...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up...”

Matth 9:15 “…the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away...”

Matt 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Many allusions...

But, now… Jesus was not speaking in parables… nor veiled sayings… nor figuratively speech…

They acknowledged Him as Messiah… and now He helped them to see what Messiah had to accomplish in His first coming.

So, He spoke openly.

And “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Heb 13:8

God may speak to you in a veiled way…causing you to search deeper.

God may be completely silent…if you’re wise, you’ll wait on the Lord.

God may say, “No”… and even if that’s not the answer you want… you should trust and obey.

God may speak as you are reading His word and a verse will jump off the page.

I love those moments.

God can come in a dream, in a vision, He can send an angel… nothing is beyond Him.

God can even speak to you in His still small voice. In a whisper… to guide you into His will.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Jn 10:27

He knows us… and if you know Him… hear His voice and follow Him.

Well, back in Mark, Peter heard His voice, but was unwise and did not follow His lead…

V32 states, “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him...”

Matthew adds that Peter said, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

Wow… rebuking the Lord…

A rebuke is a sharp charge, warning or forbidding. Peter doesn’t have the knowledge or authority to speak to Jesus about these eternal matters. He’s out of line.

Peter may have simply been in shock to here his beloved Lord and Rabbi speaking about terrible upcoming circumstances…

And, sometimes when we hear something so shocking… we don’t hear anything else.

Chuck Smith shared a story about an Easter service where he began by saying, “There is no resurrection!”

His second statement was, “That’s what some people say.”

Well, after church, he was rebuked by a couple because they were so shocked by the first statement, they tuned out and didn’t hear the second statement.

Perhaps Peter tuned out hearing about the suffering and death of Jesus that he didn’t tune in when Jesus spoke about resurrection.

OR… maybe Peter thought his way was better than God’s way… I know none of you ever have such thoughts…

But, Peter… he decides to let Jesus know this Suffering Servant business is unthinkable.

Messiah was a symbol of power and strength… a conquering King…

Therefore, all this suffering would not happen to Jesus in Peter’s mind.

“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

“Jesus… you must have it wrong… Save yourself!”

And, so Peter takes Jesus aside…

“Hey Jesus, can you come over here… we need to have a little talk… mono-a-mono...”

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand God…

You may find yourself in a season where you struggle to comprehend God… and His ways… which are higher than our ways…

Perhaps because of a trial… or being in a waiting season… or even a calling that would require personal sacrifice.

You may fight against it, disagree with Him, run from Him, even doubt or deny Him.

How God leads may defy human logic… it may not add up… but, that’s why following God takes faith.

It takes steps of faith to follow God.

And, sometimes… it takes us a minute to get in sync with God.

In this moment of rebuking Jesus… Peter was not in sync with God’s plan.

Peter rebukes Jesus… probably with good intentions… but good intentions are not always God’s intentions.

Have you ever had a friend try to encourage you… or give you advice… the best they know how… but in your heart of hearts you know their advice is counter to God’s will.

Peter is going to get rebuked by Jesus for going against what Jesus said, but note…

Jesus doesn’t dismiss Peter from being one of the twelve…

And, this demonstrates… there may be a time to rebuke friends when they are out of line…

But, there must also be space to extend patience, grace, and forgiveness.

Peter get’s rebuked for speaking out of turn, but Jesus does not destroy Peter as a person…

This is a good model for us as well. Sometimes our friends need correction, but they also need space to be human… and allowance to move forward.

I find the subtle note in V33 rather humorous… V33 begins, “But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter...”

Before Jesus rebuked Peter, He turned around… I guess away from Peter… and looked at the other 11 disciples…

What was the look Jesus gave them? Did He roll His eyes and whisper something like, “Can you believe this guy?”

Did Jesus need to turn from the Satan influence advice of Peter… and re-center Himself on the mission… looking at the 11 knowing how they would turn the world upside down with the Gospel…

What was the look?

There are times we need to look away from the thing that will stumble us… and look to that which moves us forward in life and Godliness.

I love the scene in Genesis 39 when Joseph flee’d the seduction of Potiphar’s wife.

Daily she tempted him… and when he would not give in… she forcefully took hold of him… and so he fled.

He fled youthful lust… he turned from temptation… knowing this was outside the will of God.

Joseph could not betray Potiphar… and he said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

One scholar wrote, “The account of Joseph’s temptation should remind us of Jesus. Like Joseph, he was appointed by God to be the Saviour of his people, and, like Joseph, he was tempted in such a way that, had he yielded, he would have been disqualified from the work he came to do. But, again like Joseph, he was victorious over the temptations. Our greater Joseph won a greater victory to secure for us a greater salvation!”

And, with that picture in mind… we can better understand why Jesus turn from Peter and looked to His disciples.

There was a lot at stake here IF Jesus were to listen to His friend’s ungodly advice.

And Peter’s advice was ungodly.

When Jesus rebuked Peter by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

It’s not that Jesus thought Peter was Satan, but in the moment Peter was delivering a message… a temptation that Satan himself delivered back in Matt 4 and Luke 4…

Matt 4:8-9 reads, “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

The message of Satan and the message of Peter were in sync… they both spoke to the same thing to Jesus… an ungodly philosophy that ‘you don’t need to go to the cross…’

Satan tempted to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world to avoid the cross…

If Jesus were to listen to either Satan… or this similar idea of avoiding the cross through Peter…

Then there would be NO Death… no sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath on sin (the concept of propitiation)…

And, there would be NO Resurrection… the central event of the Christian faith… the evidence that sin was conquered… and we too shall rise again.

In 1 Cor 15:13-17 Paul wrote, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”

If Jesus were to avoid the cross… there would be no greater Salvation…

Thus, in Jesus’ rebuke to Peter He says, “For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take note of that… the things of God… and the things of men are not in harmony.

They stand in opposition.

Man’s ways are lower then God’s ways… they are temporal and centered on human values and perspective.

Human desires… self-centeredness- what’s in it for me… a focus on building my castle and my prosperity… for me to be satisfied and excel… pursuing that which I love in the world and acquiring more of it…

These are the things of men.

God’s ways… His purposes… His will… are eternal.

God is mindful of sin and salvation…

God see beyond this vapor of a life and can see the whole picture of eternity… and draws us to Him in this life…

So we don’t face separation from Him… upon exiting this existence.

And, it would seem that this exchange with Peter opens a door for a teaching opportunity… for in V34, Jesus calls the people to Himself, with the disciples…

This will be a very interesting message from Jesus…

Keep in mind, they are still in Caesarea Philippi… near the Grotto of Pan with all it’s pagan temples and influence…

And, now Jesus is going to tell all the people so deluded by false Gods what it means to follow the true and living God.

And, this is the great lesson on being a disciple…

V34… “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

The lesson begins with a conditional clause… “Whoever desires… do this…

In Matthew’s Gospel it reads, “If anyone desires to come after Me...”

It’s your will… what’s your heart’s desire? To be a true disciple or not?

V34 is the main proclamation on what it means to be a disciple, followed by four clauses explaining what it means to be a disciple in VSS 35-38… and a concluding assurance in Mark 9:1 (which would have been better to be part of Mark 8… this is a clunky chapter break… in Matthew the concluding statement remains part of Matt 16).

So… if one says, “yes… I want to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.” The first thing you must do is deny yourself.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ does not mean self-denial as in cutting out sugar… or denying your personality… or living as a monk… an ascetic lifestyle (avoiding indulgence)…

Deny oneself… especially in the context of pagan Caesarea Philippi… was to turn from all idolatry and self-centered interests… which is why people pursued the false gods… to further their own interests of prosperity and pleasure…

A disciple of Christ has to forget this earthly pursuit as the meaning of life…

Which is not easy… and that’s why one must die to follow Jesus…

The final key point of being a disciple is what Jesus said at the end of V34 “… take up his cross, and follow Me...”

You must take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Now, Christians have really twisted up the meaning of “take up your cross...”

Christians say… “I’ve been ill… it’s my cross to bear…”

My family is not following Jesus… “it’s my cross to bear.”

Have you met my husband? “He’s my cross to bear.”

Your spouse, or family, or life circumstances… no doubt may be tremendously difficult… they may be an intense trial… but it’s not the cross.

In the first century, no one was wearing cross necklaces…

The cross was the most horrible death penalty known to man.

The cross was Rome’s death penalty reserved for Non-Roman citizens.

Roman citizens who faced a death penalty were beheaded… crucifixion was too brutal for Roman citizens.

Imagine the the electric chair and lethal injection and multiple the intensity by 100. This was a torturous way to die.

No doubt the disciples and people gathered could envision the horror scene of this Roman execution and the cries of people who were tortured.

No doubt as Mark wrote this Gospel to Christians in Rome, this would resonate with them.

Crucifixion is something we will likely never truly understand.

And, Jesus tells them to follow Him, you must take up your cross… you must die.

Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” Gal 2:20

Once Paul died to self… He could live to God… because Christ lived in him.

Once you die… you can live and follow Him.

If you’re still living for self, you’re following your own interests.

To follow Jesus, the high places in one’s life need to die.

Paul said, “...the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Gal 6:14

Paul’s view on the world changed when He began following Jesus.

The world was crucified to him… it was on a cross to him… the world was dead to him…

And, the world felt the same about Paul.

Peter… and probably all of the disciples were still holding on to a fleshly desire that would profit them personally.

The rule and reign of Jesus and them seated at high place with Him in glory.

And, they needed to let go of all of this to follow Him.

One scholar wrote, “In the Roman Empire a convicted criminal, when taken to be crucified, was forced to carry his own cross. This showed publicly that he was then under and submissive to the rule he had been opposing. Likewise Jesus’ disciples must demonstrate their submission to the One against whom they had rebelled.”

‘Taking up your cross’ means to submit to Jesus.

And, submitting to Him means to die to sin… to self… and to the world…

Col 3:2-5 reads, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

That is a great cross reference on what needs to die in our flesh… in order to truly live in our Spirit and truly follow Him.

And, this death is very serious to Jesus… for He said in Matt 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

One must figuratively “carry their cross through the streets”… being humbled… and acknowledging publically Jesus’ right over their lives.

And, in death… one would find life. At this point a person can “Follow Me.”

Following Jesus is realized after the love of the world is put to death.

Follow Me is a present imperative… it’s a daily routine… and way of life… it’s to keep following Him.

In essence, this is total dedication to Jesus… not just following Him from point A to B…

But, being open handed about one’s life to follow Him daily… wherever He leads.

To recap V34… Jesus’ main statement of what it means to be a disciple…

One must deny himself (meaning surrender)…

One must take up his cross (meaning submit)…

And one must follow Jesus (meaning dedication)

Surrender, Submission, and Dedication. Those are marks Jesus’ true disciples.

In VSS 35-38, Jesus now adds four clauses… some rather paradoxical statements… to explain the main statement in V34…

In V35 Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Chuck Smith called this “The Divine Rationale”…

Seen by a word play with the words “life” and “lose.”

If you desire to save your life, you will lose it. But, if you lose your life for Jesus, you will save it…

Life in Greek is psuchē, psoo-khay´… the psyche… the soul… the essence of one’s true self…

By def. “breath” as in the ‘breath of life.’ But also, the soul… “the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions…the rational and immortal soul.”

Mankind is a trinity of body, soul and spirit. The body came from dust and to dust it will return.

But, the soul and spirit will live on into eternity… eventually to meet it’s glorified body.

Life and death in God’s economy goes way beyond physical life and death.

If all you think about is this lifetime, you’re a small picture thinker. God gazes into eternity… and so does His word.

The person who only wants to save their physical life, and hold onto their selfish ambitions… this crowded heart will have no room for God… the will shut God out…

And, in eternity He will honor their desire to separate from God… but being apart from eternally from God is spiritual death.

The Bible calls that end hell.

In contrast, a disciple of Jesus… puts aside selfish ambition… to take up the ambition of Kingdom Work…

Jesus didn’t just say ‘lose your life to save it…’

It’s “…whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Like in the Beatitudes… Matt 5:11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”

If you’re reviled and persecuted for Jesus’ sake He says you are blessed.

And, why is losing one’s life for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel key?

Well… what else is there?

Look around… everything you see… everything you accumulate in this vapor of a life… it’s all going to be really nice firewood.

Peter says the word is “reserved for fire...”

Only the works we do for the sake of Jesus will stretch into eternity… rewards at the Bema Seat Judgement of Christ where believers are awarded crowns for what we did in this lifetime for His sake and the Gospels.

There is no better retirement plan then to lose one’s life for His sake and the Gospels.

It’s the only thing that has eternal value.

In Matt 6:19-21 Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

To accompany that thought… and to further press into the paradox of V35… Jesus in Mark 8:36-37 asks two rhetorical questions…

First question… “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” [answer… nothing]

The value of gaining the whole world is far less than the value of a single soul in the mind of God.

And, the whole world in Gk is “kŏsmŏs holos”… this speaks about the entire universe…

And, even then… less valuable to God then a single eternal soul.

And, so much of the world places so little value on human life.

Thank God for organizations like “Right to Life” who are in the trenches battling to preserve life.

“What profit is it?” There’s no profit. If you gain all in this lifetime, but lose your soul in eternity…that’s a bad deal.

Second question… V37 “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

A person who loses their soul… and finds themselves in torment… what would they give to gain it all back?

All the treasures of the world. All they had amassed in this lifetime… they’d give it back to jump the divide between hell and heaven.

Remember the rich man and Lazarus? The Rich man in torment was desperate even for a drop of water from Lazarus.

What would he give in exchange for his soul?

He’d give everything for one more chance, but there are no second chances.

The Bible says in Heb 9:27-28 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

We all will die and face the judgment of God, but for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ now… we do not need to fear this judgment, but can look forward to this time with anticipation of salvation.

That is the hope for believers.

And, I plead with you… if you don’t know Him… if you’ve never confessed Jesus as Lord… what would you give in exchange for your soul?

To keep it and to enter into heaven hearing the words, “well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of the Lord...”

There is a requirement now to place your faith in Jesus Christ.

Do that today… right after church. And, if you don’t understand… let’s talk… let’s discuss whatever hang ups you have… I’m available. I want to talk to you.

To this crowd and the disciples… with Caesarea Philippi and the Grotto of Pan in the backdrop… Jesus lays out the ultimate consequence of NOT being a disciple…

V38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous [spiritually unfaithful] and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

When Jesus returns… and He will… He’s not coming back as the Suffering Servant, but as the Conquering King…

Matthew adds… Matt 16:27 “… then He will reward each according to his works.”

When Jesus comes His second time, He promises judgment…

The Bema Seat Judgment rewards the works of believers…those who live for the spirit.

And, the Great White Throne Judgment condemns the works of unbelievers…those who live for the physical…the flesh.

“He will reward each according to his works.”

And at the time He will judge each person based upon their faith in or rejection of Himself.

To be “ashamed of” Jesus is to reject Him…

To reject Him now… is to be rejected by Him in eternity.

And, how important it was for Jesus’ disciples to hear this message, and this warning as they stood there with people who no doubt were committed to idols… and the temples of the false gods at the Grotto of Pan.

Jesus’ young disciples needed to understand the gravity of not being embarrassed by Jesus… even if the world scoffed at them.

Which is just as true for us today… as we are in the world, but not of the world.

In a world that is characterized by unfaithfulness and sinfulness… who calls ‘good evil and evil good’…

We need to be firmly founded in our faith and not ashamed of Jesus Christ… no matter what the world may say.

And, we do this by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him.

Do that well in this week ahead.

Let’s pray!

Today, we say an honest expectation laid out by Jesus of what it means to be a true disciple.

If you need prayer to die to self and live to Him, get covered in prayer before you depart today.

And, if you want to begin that relationship with Him today… to not lose your soul… and to gain life now and eternally… come pray… follow Him starting today.

God bless you all… in your week ahead.