Jesus’ Cross And Your Cross

“Jesus’ Cross And Your Cross” August 26, 2007

SCRIPTURE INTRO: We started studying Gospel of Mark one year ago.

28 Following Jesus the Christ Pastor Josh Crockett MBC

Mark 8:27-30 Following Jesus series Sept. 29, 2019 am

First Sunday in September of 2006—finished first half of Mark.

The big question of the first half of Mark is: Who is Jesus?

Please turn with me to Mk. 8.

The answer is in chapter 8. Jesus, “Who do men say that I am?”

We all face different questions in life.

Some of them are simple & mundane: “What will I wear today? What will I eat for lunch? What will I do for entertainment tonight?”

Peter, “You are the Christ.”

Some of life’s questions are complex & cannot be answered: “Why do women open their mouths when they put on eye makeup?”, “Why do men refuse to stop & ask for directions?”, “If nothing sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?” and “What was the best thing before sliced bread?”

Now, today we begin our study of the second half of Mark.

Many of you are facing important questions: “What do I do with my relationships, impure thoughts, guilt, worry, discouragement, loneliness, a critical spirit, frustration, and fear?”

And the big question is not who is Jesus?

But, what did the Christ come to do? That will dominate second half.

In this morning’s text, Jesus asks perhaps the most important questions,

INTRO: We have some old friends—

“Who do you say that I am?”

he’s a minister and she’s and occupational therapist.

Once they decided they needed a get-away.

Most of us are in school or we’ve been in school. So you’ve faced difficult questions on quizzes & tests, exams & evaluations. But you’ll never be asked a more important question in your life than “Who do you say Jesus is?”

He had lots of demands at church.

Trans: And the problem we’re going to see 1st of all, is…

1. Your heart does not want to admit who Jesus really is. (27-29a)

Every day she worked with people crippled from accidents and burns.

Look at v. 27…

They just needed a break. A couple nights away.

So she found a bed and breakfast a few hours from home, on a lake.

That sounded perfect. Just what they needed.

27 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, “Whom do men say that I am?”

Got there late afternoon, restful night.

Now notice Mark uses a Greek expression “and by the way.”

This is a new section of Mark’s Gospel that will run through ch. 10. But in these few chapters, Mark says “by the way” 7x

Then went to breakfast the next morning.

And were a unpleasantly surprised to find the whole family who owned the B&B,

It’s a theme of this section of Mark, that shows us the journey to discipleship.

three generations, sitting at the breakfast table, waiting for them.

That’s our theme this year “Following Jesus.”

It’s not enough to just be around Jesus,

But they decided to be good sports, sat down.

Woman who owned the place was very talkative.

like the disciples had done the last couple years of their lives.

Like many of us who’ve gone to church have done for years of our lives.

Tell me about yourselves. What do you do?

I’m a pastor. Oh, that’s wonderful.

It’s not enough to just witness His mighty works.

Some of you like me, have grown up in Christian homes, you’ve seen God’s works your whole life. But that’s not enough.

My daughter here is separated from her husband,

she is just in desperate need of counseling.

Like the disciples, we’re still growing, still on the journey to discipleship.

Now v. 27 also tells us Jesus took His disciples on a retreat, they “went out.”

Well, her daughter started bending his ear about her problems.

Then she turned to our other friend—Now, what about you.

This area was as far out as you could get from Jerusalem, and still be in Israel.

But Christ not only took His disciples to a place of seclusion, but also an area known for its paganism. Caesarea Philippi was at a place associated with idol worship & pagan deities.

I’m an occupational therapist. Oh, that is wonderful!

Daddy here is all stove up from farming accident he had several years ago.

Standing beneath the idols of the Greek god, Pan, carved into the cliff-side, in a city where the residents once a year had to go into a gleaming temple to worship Caesar, whom their city was named after. They would pinch some incense and throw it on a burning altar, and proclaim, “Caesar is Lord.”

Now, let me tell you about his therapy—you tell me what you think.

Jesus saw this as the perfect place to ask His disciples this all-important question about His identity. To see if they recognized that He is Lord.

Isn’t it wonderful that you two are here, thank God, this is just perfect.

But how do they answer His 1st question “Whom do men say that I am?” V. 28…

They got their two night get-away,

28 And they answered, “Uhh, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias [that’s Elijah]; and others, One of the prophets.”

but it was not anything like what they expected.

This is what Herod thought back in ch. 6.

Just before this passage in chapter 8, Jesus asked his disciples.

Who do people say that I am?

Jesus is just a prophet—like John the Baptist or Elijah.

Peter replied: You are the Christ.

Even after His crucifixion, some of His followers had this mistaken idea. In Luke 24, the disciples on the Emmaus road “said unto Him,

Christ means Anointed One, Messiah.

‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed & word.’”

The Messiah is not just any king.

Even Muslims calls Jesus the nabi Isa, “Prophet Jesus.” That’s in the Koran.

He is the true King who will set all things right.

Peter was saying: You are the promised King who will set all things right.

Of course, this is one of His roles, but Jesus is much more than just a prophet.

See a shallow Christology, a weak view of Christ, will ultimately lead to even grosser heresy—like we see in Islam or Mormonism or JW’s.

Jesus agreed with Peter. He said, Peter, you are right.

I am the Christ who has come to set all things right.

Because it makes Jesus nothing more than a forerunner, instead of God’s final word to humanity.

Prophets prepared. But Jesus fulfilled.

But then Jesus turned around and said some thing

Trans: So now Jesus turns to the disciples, in v. 29…

that was not anything like that Peter expected to hear.

Jesus says: Yes, I’m the Anointed One, I’m the King.

29 And He saith unto them, “But whom say ye that I am?”…

But I’m not going to Jerusalem to sit on a throne.

Now this is an interesting question that separates Jesus from the founders of every other world religion.

I’m going to Jerusalem to hang on a cross.

Mohammed would never talk like this. Buddha would never talk like this. Confucius would never talk like this.

And if you want to follow me—you have to go to the cross too.

You say, “What do you mean?”

And you see how Peter reacted to this—violently.

Every other founder of a world religion walked around trying to point people to God or point people to the pathway to God… Enlightenment, Nirvana, the 8-Fold Path.

He rebuked Jesus—same word used for rebuking evil spirits.

But Jesus doesn’t point people to God or a path to God. He points people to Himself.

This was not at all what Peter expected of the Messiah—

and it was not at all what he expected it meant to follow the Christ.

Illus: Imagine if you had a professor in college in your major who taught you from your freshman year through your senior year.

But Jesus said, Yes, it is by suffering and dying that I will make things right—

And the teacher gets up in front of the class after 4 years and says, “I want you to come with me.” And so the class follows, and he leads you out of the lecture room, down a couple hallways, to hall near the faculty offices. And on the wall are all these pictures of other former professors who distinguished themselves in different areas.

and if you are going to be my disciple, you have to walk in my steps.

And your teacher clears his throat, and says, “Alright, I want you to know the main point I’ve been trying to communicate to you all these years. It really all boils down to one fundamental truth. Do you really know who I am?”

And you’re thinking, “Okay? Does this guy have an ego problem?”

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this passage.

There is probably no passage in the Gospels that states more clearly

He continues, “Let me tell you what it’s all about. Everything I’ve taught you all these years, in all these classes, leads to one foundational conclusion. Let me tell you the basis of ultimate reality... What do you think of me?”

You’re thinking, “Is he having a mental breakdown? Should we call a mental health ward?”

what Jesus came to do and what it means to be a follower of Christ.

And right at the center is not a throne but a cross.

See Jesus refuses to be put on the same level with other great prophets like John the Baptist or Elijah. Jesus rejects the notion that He’s just another religious leader or even founder of a religion like Buddha, Mohammed, or Confucius.

What does that mean for you?

Jesus says, “No. I didn’t come to earth to show you how to save yourself, how to rescue yourself spiritually, how to achieve Enlightenment or Nirvana. I haven’t come to show you a way to God. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The only way to get to God is through Me. I am the Answer. I am the Rescuer. I am the Savior.”

Let’s look at this passage under two heading:

And Peter seems to get it. Look at the end of v. 29…

Jesus’ cross and your cross.

Credit: Dr. Timothy Keller’s sermon on this passage help in many ways.

And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, “Thou art the Christ.”

MP#1 Jesus’ cross

In Matthew’s parallel in Matt. 16, Peter declares, “You are the Christ.” And Jesus answers,

The most significant thing this passage tells us about Jesus’ cross is in verse 31.

“He began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things.”

“Blessed are you, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but who revealed it to Peter? “My Father who is in heaven.”

This word “must” is a strong word of absolute necessity.

See it doesn’t take divine intervention to believe Jesus is a good man, a great teacher, or a prophet like Elijah or John the Baptist. It doesn’t take God to open our eyes to believe Jesus is a great religious leader like Buddha, Mohammed, or Confucius.

Jesus was saying. If I don’t die, things cannot be set right and you cannot be saved.

But it does take divine intervention for us to believe that Jesus is God.

Why? Because the human heart recoils from that. See if you admit that you need God to come down and take your place and pay for your sins, what are you really admitting?

Why? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Three reasons.

1. Jesus had to die so the power of the Devil over you could be broken.

That you’re not good enough to fix your own problems. You’re admitting that you’ll never be able to earn it. You’re admitting that you’re insufficient. We hate saying that.

We want to be self-sufficient. We want to do it in our own strength. With our own hands, our will power. We want a DIY Christianity—do it yourself. Go to Barnes & Noble—that’s what the place is full of (if it hasn’t closed yet) self-help books.

Who sent Jesus to the cross? The chief priests, teachers of law. The authorities.

But we can’t help ourselves. We have to have God’s help—divine intervention. God has to start taking off the blinders—like He started doing for Peter.

Roman and Jewish authorities. The civil and religions authorities.

We’re self-sufficiency addicts. We don’t want to admit we need help.

The very authorities that should have promoted justice, promoted injustice,

What happens when you go up to an addict, and say,

executed Jesus unjustly.

In Paul says that when Jesus died on the cross he disarmed the powers

“You’re addicted to alcohol. You’re addicted to these drugs.”

and authorities, made a public spectacle of them, and triumphed over them.

Paul was saying that behind the human power structure are demonic forces.

What will that addict say?

The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive The King on a Cross

Notice when Peter begins to rebuke Jesus, when Peter sides with the human authorities who were against Jesus’ mission … listen carefully … Jesus calls Peter Satan.

What did he do that for? Does this mean he thinks Peter is literally frothing at the mouth and needs an exorcism? No, I don’t think so. There’s no indication of that. What it means is that behind the human power structures that exploit and oppress people are demonic forces. Well then, what in the world does it mean when it says on the cross, Jesus Christ conquered evils that had power over us? He defeated the principalities and powers, both human and demonic. What does that mean?

Behind the injustice and evil of Pilate and Herod and the Sanhedrin was Satan.

“No, I’m not. Sure, I drink some. But I’m not controlled by it. Yeah, I shoot up every now and then, but I can handle it. I can stop. It doesn’t control me.”

By submitting to that unjust death, by allowing the powers and authorities

That’s the irony. The only way you’ll be able to get free and get help is you have to admit, “I’m not in control. I can’t handle this alcohol or pornography or drugs or whatever you’re addicted to.”

to do their worst to him, accusing him, crucifying him, and then rising again,

To get out, you have to admit, “I’m not in control. I’m out of control.”

Jesus exposed and defeated the forces of demonic evil.

To get power, you have to admit your powerless.

If you had lived in the early church—first 300 years, during persecution.

And maybe it takes an outside intervention—literally an intervention where people who love you says, “You’re blind to this addiction. You’re in denial.”

This is what you would have mostly heard preached about the cross.

Not so much that through the cross Jesus secured our forgiveness.

That’s what God does to Peter. He divinely intervenes and starts taking the scales off his spiritual blindness, to show him,

Through the cross, Jesus defeated the power of the Devil.

Christians being persecuted for their faith could look at persecutors and say:

“Jesus is the Christ. He’s God. You need Him. You can’t get to God on your own.”

“You have no power over me. The very worst thing you can do to me,

Do you see the parallel to the blind man in the previous verses?

God is opening Peter’s spiritual eyes.

calling me a criminal, killing me—is the very best thing that can happen to me.

Applic: And maybe God’s doing that to your eyes this morning. The Bible says,

Because Jesus has already faced that death, and exposed and defeated

the evil powers and authorities through his death and resurrection.

“You can’t get to God on your own. You’re a sinner full of selfishness and pride. You think you’re self-sufficient, but you’re not.”

That is just as true today.

And you say, “Well, sure I can be selfish & proud sometimes. But I’m not controlled by it. I’m in control of it.” See what you’re doing? You’re blind to it.

Through the cross the power of death and evil over you is broken.

If you died today and God asked you, “Why should I allow you into My heaven?” and you say, “Because I’ve been good enough.”

You can say: Bring it on. Devil do your worst.

He’ll say, “No, you haven’t. My heaven is perfect & righteous, & without sin. And there’s only one man who’s ever been perfect & righteous, & without sin —My Son. He’s the Way, the Truth, the Life. There’s only one way to get to Me—through Him.”

Jesus has gone this way before me and defeated you.

Jesus had to go to the cross so that the power of the Devil could be broken.

This morning will you say, “I’m gonna quit being like an alcoholic or an addict. I’m gonna quit living in denial. And admit, “I’ve been self-sufficient. I’ve thought I could be good enough to get to Heaven in my own power. But I can’t. I need Christ.”

Trans: We’ve seen that because of pride & self-sufficiency, your heart doesn’t want to admit who Jesus really is. 2nd…

2. Jesus had to die so that your life could be transformed by his love.

What is true love?

2. Your understanding of Jesus must be on His terms, not yours. (29b-30)

Look back at v. 29…

True love is using yourself for the happiness of another person.

True love is when your greatest joy is the other person’s joy.

True love is unconditional—you love whether or not your needs are being met.

And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, … “Thou art the Christ.”

This is the 1st time we’ve seen that word, since the opening verse, Mark 1:1.

True love is radically vulnerable—it holds nothing back.

Peter says, “You’re the Christ— the Messiah, the Anointed One.”

Do you love like that? Sometimes we try.

But if you are honest, you know you aren’t capable of true love.

This is a breakthrough. This is huge. It’s a turning point in Mark’s gospel.

Your affection is conditional.

In Matthew’s parallel account, Jesus praises Peter saying “Flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you, Peter; my Father revealed this to you.”

Finally, the disciples are seeing that Jesus isn’t just introducing the Kingdom. They see Jesus is introducing Himself as the King.

You do love people more when they are affirming you, meeting your needs.

You do invest your love with people who you think are going to give good return.

But now look at v. 30?

You do hold back part of yourself so you can pull out if necessary.

None of us are capable of completely giving true love.

30And he [Jesus] charged [rebuked] them that they should tell no man of Him.

And that’s why Jesus had to die on the cross—so that we could see true love,

“Charged” could be translated “rebuked.”

This is the word Mark uses to describe Jesus rebuking the demons in 1:25 & 3:12.

and experience it, and be transformed and enabled to love like that.

Now we all know Jesus is going to rebuke Peter a few verses laster, so harshly that He calls Him “Satan.”

Jesus doesn’t need your affirmation.

From all eternity, the Trinity—God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

That’s a pretty good clue you’re getting rebuked, when somebody calls you “Satan”—especially if that somebody is Jesus.

But even before the “Get behind me Satan” rebuke in v. 33, Mark records that Jesus rebuked Peter in v. 30 and charged them to tell no one.

have known and loved. God has all the love in himself that he could want.

What’s going on? Poor Peter thought he’d finally just blurted out the right answer.

So why did he create you? Why is he redeeming you at great cost?

Because he loves you. Because he wants your joy..

All those times, he jumped out in the water and sank.

When you know that—both intellectually and experientially—

All those times, he dove in headfirst only to find out someone drained the pool.

I am truly loved—unconditionally, fully, by Jesus Christ who wants my joy.

All those times, the shoved his foot in his mouth.

Now finally, Peter thinks he’s hit a home run. Only to have Jesus rebuke him again.

That will transform you and enable you to start to love truly.

Have you ever been so proud you thought you had the right answer—only to have it shot down?

You can look at a person and say:

Illus: A 4th grade teacher was giving her students a logic lesson with a story problem. "Here is the situation," she said. "A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?"

I can love this person for his or her own sake—

not as an investment in my own affirmation.

A girl in the back who was kind of a know-it-all raised her hand with a smug look on her face. The teacher said, “Emily, why did the drowning man’s wife run down the bank?” Emily said, "To draw out all his savings?"

That wasn’t the right answer.

I can love this person whether or not my needs are being met.

I can give myself for this person’s joy.

Here Peter thinks he had the right answer. And now Jesus is rebuking him.

And it is the cross alone that makes that possible.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Why does Jesus rebuke Peter for declaring, “You are the Christ.”

“This is how we know what love is,” John says,

The problem is what we saw last week that spiritual blindness doesn’t clear up overnight. It’s a process. Seeing Jesus more and more clearly comes in stages.

“Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

Yes, Peter (with God’s help) was able to see more than the crowds. He declares Jesus to be “the Christ,” the Messiah.

The problem is what kind of Messiah Peter expected Jesus to be.

Jesus had to die so that your live could be transformed by his love.

Scholars agree Peter had a typical Jewish understanding of Messiah coming to be a military conqueror who would free the Jews from Rome.

3. Jesus had to die so that you could receive forgiveness and pardon.

How does forgiveness work?

There’s no evidence of Jews before Christ thinking in terms of a suffering Messiah. Which is why Jesus will spend the rest of this chapter telling Peter and the other disciples.

This is how forgiveness works—somebody has to pay.

If a boy in your neighborhood puts a baseball through windshield of car—

“Yes, I’m the Messiah. But not the Messiah you expected. I’m going to suffer & die.”

you can make him pay, or you can forgive him—

And how does Peter respond to that statement by Christ?

and that means that you pay, you absorb the cost.

V. 32 says Peter takes Jesus aside and starts to rebuke Him.

On a deeper level, when a person really wrongs you.

Peter has no category for a suffering Messiah.

When a person wrongs your reputation, or takes your opportunities or happiness

That’s like saying Sylvester Stallone is going to make a movie about a submissive Rambo.

What? That’s the opposite of Rambo in any of the 73 movies.

by betraying you, or stealing from you, tearing you down.

This passage is actually a hinge that transitions between the 1st ½ of Mark that focuses on Jesus’ power, and the 2nd ½ of Mark that focuses on His weakness.

There is a sense of debt.

He owes you. And you can do one of two things.

Peter’s confession is correct, but it’s inadequate.

He can’t conceive of a suffering Messiah.

You can try to make him pay. You can try to hurt his opportunities, happiness.

You can try to make him suffer what you have suffered.

Psychologists talk about “experience-conditioned blindness” where your mind plays a trick on you, and you see only what you’ve been conditioned to expect.

But there is one problem. As you are trying to make him pay—

So psychologists took a stereopticon that shows 2 different photos simultaneously—one in each eye. And the subjects will describe seeing only the picture familiar to their cultural conditioning.

you are harming yourself, becoming like him—harder, colder.

So when a picture of a baseball player was flashed to one eye and a bullfighter to the other, Mexicans reported seeing the bullfighter and North Americans saw the baseball player.

Talking to a man recently, I am filled with hate, it’s destroying me.

Peter wanted to understand Jesus’ identity in Peter’s terms, not Christ’s.

His wife had been unfaithful.

Applic: Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is all important. Because it will determine your eternal destiny.

Have you come to the place where you see clearly that Jesus is the Christ?

There was a moment, after all of this had come out—I had strong sense

that if I forgave her, our marriage could be saved—but I didn’t want to forgive

He is the one God anointed to be the King of the Universe.

her, I wanted her to hurt. For years, been trying to make her pay.

The King of Kings. And Lord of Lords.

You can do that, you can try to make them pay, our you can pay, you can forgive.

Applic: You can grow up hearing what others say about Jesus. If you’re blessed with in a Christian home and church, you grew up hearing that Jesus loves you this you can know for the Bible tells you so. But when it comes down to it, it’s not what others say about Jesus. It’s what YOU say about Jesus. Right now, Jesus is asking you, “Who do YOU say I am.” It’s not enough for you to say, “Well, my parents say you’re the Son of God.” Or you can’t get by with saying, “My pastor says that you are the only way to heaven.” You’ve got to answer that question for yourself.

Is Jesus the King of your life? Is He Lord over your

When you forgive, the debt doesn’t disappear you pay it.

Illus: Imagine a circle represents your life, and in the middle of your life, there is a throne. Who’s on the throne of your life—is it “I” or Christ.

You pay through the agony and the struggle

· Do you call the shots? Do you make the decisions or submit to Him?

of refusing vengeful thoughts and actions.

· Do you choose your entertainment based on what you want or He wants?

And that costs you great emotional pain.

But the only hope of ever making things right is through forgiveness.

· Do you spend your money with His kingdom priorities or your own?

· How much time do you spend in prayer, in His Word? Or do you spend 10x more time on your phone & watching screens?

You will never be able to go to the person who has wronged you,

· See the reason we struggle with relationships, impure thoughts, guilt, worry, discouragement, loneliness, a critical spirit, frustration, and fear—is because we don’t get have the right answer to the most central question of your life:

and try to show them what they have done wrong if you have vengeance in heart.

Only if you have suffering cost of forgiveness, only if you have felt

· Who do you say Jesus is? If He truly is Christ, the Messiah, the Lord… is He Lord of your life?

the agony of refraining from vengeance, can you hope to show them the truth,

Invit:

and perhaps bring them to repentance and reconciliation.

Unsaved: Have you believed and confessed that Jesus is Lord? The Bible says: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

If we know at a human level that forgiveness always requires suffering—

Saved: This morning you need to see who Jesus is—He is the Christ, the Son of God. And you must bow to Him and say “I want you to be My Lord. I want you to be My Shepherd. I want to rule and guide my life.”

and the only way that reconciliation can ever happen is through suffering—

To refuse His rule, is to stand in rebellion against the rightful King. And that is a crime that cannot go unpunished.

how much more must Jesus Christ suffer if he came to forgive the sins of world?

We must see who Jesus is—the Christ.

That is why Jesus said I must suffer. Either you pay for your sins or he pays.

Psalm 2 tells the kings of the earth to kiss the scepter of the Son because God has given Him the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession.

Applic: America doesn’t belong to the president, leaders of Congress, political parties. Every nation and people will one day be given King of Kings.

Only way Jesus could not make us pay, was by going to the cross and paying.

And so God commands you to kiss His scepter now. Submit to His rule now, quit killing babies now, because the ends of the earth are His possession.

Jesus said to his disciples, I must suffer. I must go to the cross.

Philip. 2 tells us one day “every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

It is the only way to break power of Devil,

and bring true love to human race,

and the forgiveness of sins. Then he said:

Bullpen:

Dykes Sieg Carr (Final Answer) Mac (Ultimate Good News)

If you are going to be my disciple, you must take up your cross and follow me.

I. Because Christ leads his church, you must give yourself to His cause (v. 14-16).

So now let’s consider

A. The public did not recognize His leadership.

MP#2 Your cross

What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Christ? Three things.

Story: A 4th grade teacher was giving her pupils a lesson in logic. "Here is the situation," she said. "A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?" A girl raised her hand and asked, "To draw out all his savings?" The disciples are faced with a similar situation, like being in class when the teacher asks a very important question. They want to seem intelligent so they blurt out an answer—not always the right one, but an answer none the less.

1. It means you get a new identity.

Explanation: Christ begins by asking the disciples what the popular opinion about Him was. "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The word “asked” is in the imperfect tense suggesting the He asked the question repeatedly. The disciples relayed a variety of opinions, each of which contained some nugget of truth about Him, but they were all missing the point. Some, like Herod, thought He was John the Baptist reincarnate, the mouthpiece of God. Some thought He was Elijah, the miracle worker. Others thought He was Jeremiah, the prophet. But all of these guesses were wrong. Why? They assumed Christ was a forerunner of the Messiah, not the Messiah Himself.

Jesus says that whoever wants to save his life will lose it.

B. Peter did recognize his leadership (v. 16).

Explanation: Then Christ turns the question to the disciples personally. He metaphorically draws a line in the sand. He doesn’t want to know what they thought or what they believed. He wants to know what they say, what they verbally confess about His identity. "But who do you say that I am?"

The word for life there is not biological life—it’s the word soul, psyche.

Application: This pointed question doesn’t hit just the disciples between the eyes, but it can be directed to us as well. Are you willing to step across the line and confess Him as Messiah? Are you willing to give yourself to Christ’s cause?

Jesus is talking about your identity, your selfhood.

Taking up your cross means you quit building your identity on your performance.

1. Peter confesses Christ as Messiah (v. 16)

Every family, every culture has a list of things and says—

Explanation: Christ wasn’t a reincarnated John the Baptist come back from the grave to continue his ministry of announcing the Messiah. He was the Messiah, the anointed One. Peter did more than recognize some messianic title without complete conviction, he gives an outright confession. Jesus is Messiah and He will build his messianic community, His church.

2. Peter’s confession was divinely approved and motivated (v. 17)

if you gain these, then you are somebody—you have an identity.

It might be marriage and family. It might be career and achievement.

Explanation: Just as he had stepped out of the boat on to the raging sea at Jesus’ beckon, again Peter is the first to step out and he alone gives an answer to Christ’s question. The important issue was not what Peter said. Just because Peter said something didn’t mean it was true. He was a flawed fisherman known for placing his foot in his mouth and often saying the wrong thing. But we know that this answer was right. Why? Christ gives Peter approval. (v. 17a) Then Christ says, “flesh and blood have not revealed this to you.” That seems pretty obvious, no one else had a clues who he was in the first round of answers. But Christ elaborates and says the Father gave you (Peter) this revelation. (v. 17b) Peter’s confession did not originate with a mortal being. It was a deep God-given insight.

Application: We can study history and become convinced that there was a historical Jesus, that he was a wonderful man who did kind deeds and spoke profound words. But simply knowing about the historical Jesus isn’t going to do anything for our relationship with God. If we are going to get things right with God we have to be able to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” God’s sovereignty in salvation. If He’s calling you don’t put in your spiritual ear plugs. Listen

The lists are different, but the point is the same.

You gain your identity through your performance.

And this passage shows us first of all, we need to see clearly…

I. Who Jesus is. (27-30)

That is how you know who you are.

Look at v. 27…

Jesus says: If you gain the whole world, you don’t have an identity.

You can never have enough to make you sure of who you are.

27 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, “Whom do men say that I am?”

The proof is that when you face the loss of those things, you fall apart.

28 And they answered, “John the Baptist: but some say, Elias [that’s Elijah]; and others, One of the prophets.”

He says the way you save your life—way gain true identity—

is by losing yourself for me and for the Gospel.

Jesus takes them out to a pagan area. If you went to Caesarea Philippi today, you would see it is surrounded by cliffs that were cut out for shrines to Roman gods and pagan deities.

And so in this setting, Jesus asks, “Who am I? Who do people say I am?”

This is so important.

Jesus is not saying, I want you to quit trying to get your identity from money,

And the answer is: they think He’s a prophet. A hellfire preacher—like John the Baptist or Elijah.

and start getting your identity from religion and morality.

Herod (6:16) wasn’t the only one to mistake Jesus for John the Baptist.

These “popular” opinions of Jesus are quite similar to those of 6:14–15. Mark cited them only to show their inadequacy.[1]

That’s not what taking up your cross means.

Now I find this interesting that we think of Jesus as what?

It’s not giving up things and getting religion.

Religion and morality can be just as much a performance based identity

Gentle, and meek and mild.

as money and career. You can base your identity on getting God’s approval

But during His lifetime, people mistook Jesus for who?

His fire-and-brimstone cousin, John the Baptist.

or your parent’s approval—there is no difference at all.

You see Jesus was no sissy prancing around in designer sandals. Jesus was a man’s man.

No, Jesus is saying that there is a whole new way. It’s me and the Gospel.

Where did this idea come from? Probably ancient art, but certainly not from the Bible.

I want you to find your identity in what I have done—in my performance.

On the cross Jesus lost his identity—lost his relationship with his Father.

We’re going to see in a couple chapters that Jesus cared about children.

He was forsaken in those hours of darkness—

He was a fearless man of God who thundered out against evil and injustice.

Applic: It’s a sad thing how our culture has swung the pendulum so far away from chauvinism that now we’re to the point where we try to neuter, or even feminize men.

so that you can have a relationship with God as your heavenly Father.

To the degree that you can see the Son of God doing that for you,

We teach our boys that somehow it’s wrong to be manly, to act manly, to be a man.

to that degree your sense of value and identity will not be based

I read a book by a secular woman entitled “Save the Males” that talks about how this is a problem. She subtitled it Why Men Matter; Why Women Should Care.”

Let’s not fall into this trap of trying to emasculate men and boys—especially not in the church. Jesus was a strapping blue collar guy who spent most of His life doing construction and carpentry that He learned from His dad.

on how you are doing, or how you look,

or your success in business or marriage or anything else.

He had a work belt, not a lisp.

He was born in a barn. He worked with roughhewn wood like a man. He died on a roughhewn cross like a man.

Your cross is the life-long fight to find your identity in Christ and the Gospel,

and not in your performance. Leads to the next point.

He was so rough and tough and fearless, preaching God’s Word, that people mistook Him for John the Baptist, Mr. Fire-and-Brimstone himself.

2. Taking up your cross means you get a new agenda.

So the people mistake Jesus for a prophet. Which of course is one of His roles, but Jesus is much more than just a prophet.

Even after His crucifixion, some of His followers had this mistaken idea. In Luke 24, the disciples on the Emmaus road “said unto Him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word.’”

Why did Peter react so furiously when Jesus said he was going to suffer and die?

Because from the time Peter was a little boy on his mother’s knee,

Yes, but not enough. He was a prophet, but much more than a prophet.

Even Islam calls Jesus the nabi Isa, “Prophet Jesus.” That’s in the Koran.

he had been taught that when the Messiah came, he would set all things right.

But Jesus was more than a prophet. And a shallow Christology, a weak view of Christ, will ultimately lead to even grosser heresy—like we see in Islam or Mormonism or JW’s.

In Peter’s mind that meant one thing—the Messiah would go to Jerusalem,

Because it makes Jesus nothing more than a forerunner, instead of God’s final word to humanity.

raise a mighty army to throw off Roman rule, re-establish David’s throne.

Prophets prepared. But Jesus fulfilled.

Remember what the disciples were often arguing about.

Trans: So now Jesus turns to the disciples, in v. 29…

The positions they would have in the new kingdom.

Who is going to set at Jesus’ right and left.

Do you see why Jesus’ words upset Peter so badly?

29 And He saith unto them, “But whom say ye that I am?”… And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, … “Thou art the Christ.”

Suffering and crucifixion was not on his agenda.

Peter says, “You’re the Christ, which means— the Messiah, the Anointed One.”

This is a breakthrough. This is huge. It’s a turning point in Mark’s gospel.

He had totally different plans for his life.

But Jesus said: Deny yourself and follow me.

In Matthew’s parallel account, Jesus praises Peter saying “Flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you, Peter; my Father revealed this to you.”

Just as Jesus began to open the blind man’s eyes, here God has begun to open Peter’s eyes.

You can’t use Jesus.

Finally, the disciples are seeing that Jesus isn’t just introducing the Kingdom. They see Jesus is introducing Himself as the King.

You can’t say: Jesus, I’m serving you, now you do this for me.

He’s a king. You don’t negotiate with a king.

You bow before him and if he says, I’m sending you to fight and die—

30And he [Jesus] charged [rebuked] them that they should tell no man of Him.

“Charged” could be translated “rebuked.”

you kiss his feet and you go to fight and die because he is your king.

This is the word Mark uses to describe Jesus rebuking the demons in 1:25 & 3:12.

But he’s not just a king—he’s a king on a cross.

That means you can trust him. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane,

Applic: Now, my friend, Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is all important. Because it will determine your eternal destiny.

he said to God, “Not my will, but yours be done.” And he went to the cross.

Have you come to the place where you see clearly that Jesus is the Christ?

If he said that for you, can’t you trust him enough to say the same from him?

He is the very Son of God. He is the one God anointed to be the King of the Universe. The King of Kings. And Lord of Lords.

I’ve got a seminary buddy who always said.

Psalm 2 tells the kings of the earth to kiss the scepter of the Son because God has given Him the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession.

I will never live in my old home town. Any church, but not there.

Applic: America doesn’t belong to the president, leaders of Congress, political parties. Every nation and people will one day be given King of Kings.

He had lots of reasons for not wanting to go back.

And so God commands you to kiss His scepter now. Submit to His rule now, quit killing babies now, because the ends of the earth are His possession.

That was his agenda, but Jesus had another agenda.

Philippians 2 tells us one day “every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

This morning you need to see who Jesus is—He is the Christ, the Son of God. And you must bow to Him and say “I want you to be My Lord. I want you to be My Shepherd. I want to rule and guide my life.”

And now he is there—and it’s not easy.

To refuse His rule, is to stand in rebellion against the rightful King. And that is a crime that cannot go unpunished.

He has all the struggles that he worried about and more.

But each day he knows he is following the king who went to the cross for him.

We must see who Jesus is—the Christ.

The cross means that you say, Lord, whatever you say, I will do.

But that’s not enough. This was only stage 1 of the disciples’ eyes being opened. Because Christ’s praise for Peter quickly turns into rebuke.

Trans: Not only do we need to see clearly Who Jesus is, but also…

Whatever you send I will accept.

And if this is not the agenda I have for my comfortable life,

Spiritual sight comes in surrender /Sieg/

and future plans, so be it. You said, not my will but yours be done.

Jesus is not just someone who tells you how to live (a prophet like Elijah or John Baptist), He’s Christ (the Promised King) who came not just to teach, but to save. He’s the King you have to surrender to.

But we’re afraid to surrender.

I will deny myself and do the same.

3. Taking up your cross means you get a new hope.

Like an alcoholic doesn’t want to admit he’s out of control, helpless, vulnerable.

Jesus ends by talking about his Second Coming.

But he has to make himself admit the terrible things about himself that are true, be open to judgment and dependent on others, to break the addiction.

Gives a warning. If you are ashamed of me and my words before

Are you willing to face your sin, admit your insufficiency and put yourself under the good, loving rule of King Jesus?

this sinful generation, I will be ashamed of you before my holy angels on that day.

2. What we’re blind to /Kell/

Then he says something wonderful—some of you will see the kingdom

come with power. Talking about this transfiguration—happens after this.

Bullpen:

Transfiguration was a foretaste of Jesus glory.

I. Because Christ defends His church, you must give yourself to His cause. (v. 18b-20)

Probably also talking about his resurrection.

A. Christ’s promise to triumph is sure (v. 18).

Explanation: Christ’s victory over death is guaranteed. “Gates” represent, in the Bible, authority and power. “The gates of Hades” then would symbolize the organized power of death and Satan. By His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ would conquer death, so that even death would not be able to hold any of His people. Christ would “storm the gates” and deliver the captives. Because Christ triumphs over death, we are certain that believers today, when they die, go immediately into the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:6–8; Philippians 1:23). The gate is more than just a vantage point. This is where the king sat. It represents the center of government. It is the place where the city leaders would meet. For instance Bethlehem had no walls. It wasn’t a military city, but we read about it’s city “gate.” “Gates” and “prevail” both refer to offensive action against the church. Christ says these will not overcome them.

Jesus way of saying—I’ve shown you the future.

This is what you have to look forward to.

Story: Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk. The man told Dr. Criswell about how he had recently lost his little boy through death. Dr. Criswell listened as he told his story: He said he had come home from school with a fever and we thought it was just one of those childhood things, but it was a very virulent form of meningitis. The doctor said we cannot save your little boy. He’ll die.

Whatever it costs you to follow me now—it will be worth it.

And so this seminary professor, loving his son as he did, sat by the bedside to watch this death vigil. It was the middle of the day and the little boy whose strength was going from him and whose vision and brain was getting clouded said, "Daddy, it’s getting dark isn’t it?" The professor said to his son, "Yes son it is getting dark, very dark." Of course it was very dark for him. He said, "Daddy, I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep isn’t it?" He said, "Yes, son, it’s time for you to go to sleep."

The professor said the little fellow had a way of fixing his pillow just so, and putting his head on his hands when he slept and he fixed his pillow like that and laid his head on his hands and said, "Good night Daddy. I will see you in the morning." He then closed his eyes in death and stepped over into heaven. Dr. Criswell said the professor didn’t say anymore after that. He just looked out the window of that airplane for a long time. Then he turned back and he looked at Dr Criswell with the scalding tears coming down his cheeks and he said, "Dr. Criswell, I can hardly wait till the morning."

Yes it’s hard. Yes there are things you have to give up.

You see the morning is coming. And we will see our loved ones. That’s what Jesus is saying, "The gates of hell, the gates of death, shall not prevail against the church!" “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” did not mean that Jesus was giving Peter authority to admit men to heaven. This has to do with the kingdom of heaven on earth—the sphere containing all who profess allegiance to the Christ, all who claim to be Christians. Keys speak of access or entrance.

Every serious Christian thinks at times about what he could do with all the money

Application: Assured of victory and without fear of death, the disciples gave themselves for Christ’s cause. Despite the circumstances about them, despite the hostility of the religious leaders of their time, despite the persecutions against them by the Romans, despite the lions unleashed on them in the Coliseum, despite the roadside crucifixions that were practiced throughout the Empire, the disciples gave themselves to Christ’s cause. Will you too be motivated by Christ’s empowerment. Because Christ leads His church and builds His church, you must give yourself to His cause.

he would have to spend if he was not investing so much in the kingdom of God.

B. Christ’s power is presumed (v. 19-20)

But Jesus says that the little we invest will explode in future glory.

Few months ago my brother-in-law showed me a document he found in old

Explanation: He can give authority because He has the authority to give. Christ gives the church on earth the power to carry out heaven’s decisions. The perfect future tense of “bound” and “loosed” suggests that whatever the church binds or looses, have been bound or loosed, so long as the church adheres to the divinely disclosed gospel. The church ushers in or excludes those who have already been bound or loosed by God according to the gospel already revealed which Peter, by confessing Christ as Messiah, clearly understood. The reason Christ requests silence from His disciples (v.20) is because the political connotation of his title would have stirred premature, unnecessary unrest. His humiliation would endure until his death because his exaltation was not political and immediate, but would come in the future.

filing cabinet at work. It was the in initial public offering of Microsoft.

Conclusion: Christ, the Messiah, who has all authority, who rules earth and heaven said, "I will build my church." He leads, builds and defends His church. Do you hear God's call in that on your life? Do you want to pursue something absolutely certain? Do you want to give yourself to something invincible? Nothing done for Christ is ever done in vain. Give yourself to His cause.

$22 a share. I asked him what one original share was worth now.

He said about $250,000. If I had only known 20 years ago what we know now.

Guess what, we’ve seen the future.

[1] James A. Brooks, Mark, vol. 23, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 134.

We’ve seen the glory of Jesus Christ in the transfiguration and resurrection.

The way of the cross is the way of glory. Don’t forget that.

Every time you deny yourself, take up your cross, investing in that life.

CONC: I want to take you back to our friends at the B&B.

It was hilarious story. We’ve laughed about it for years.

But it was funny because it happened to someone else.

Put yourself in their shoes.

What if that was you in the B&B?

What if you had planned two days away from people with problems?

How would you have responded to the Lord’s change of agenda?

You might say:

I have a right to a vacation.

Everybody has to have a break.

How can you expect me to do the important work if I can’t get time away?

You might say:

This woman has no right to ask this of me.

I am a paying customer—I’m not here to deal with her problems.

Taking up your cross and following Christ will probably not mean

being burned at the stake or thrown to the lions for your faith.

It will mean thousands of challenges just like this one,

to look at the cross of Jesus—the evil he has broken, the love he has shown,

and the forgiveness he has extended—and then to say—

It’s not about my rights and my plans—but I will follow my king

wherever he leads me. I will give up my money and my time

and my vacation if he calls me to do so—knowing that he gave it all for me.

And that he will not forget my service—

but will reward me richly when he comes on the last day.