Revelation. Rejection. Rebuke. Revelance. Reassurance (Part 2): Mark 8:34-9:1

Introduce

Jesus is the Christ, who came to die and rise again. I showed you these truths by encouraging you to recall the Redeemer’s revelation, rejection, and rebuke. The text we just read is a part of the same conversation we looked at last week. The big idea of it is the same as last week’s text. The Christ came to die and rise again. That said, there are two aspects of this passage I want you to recall and two more applications I will suggest to you.

Retell

Right off the bat, recall the Redeemer’s relevance (34-38).

Jesus reveals himself to be the Christ who suffers, dies, and rises on the third day. Peter rejects this revelation. Jesus rebuked Peter for representing Satan and tempting Jesus. He also rebuked him for setting his mind on things of man. Jesus now informs the disciples and the crowd about what it means to have a mind set on the things of God. Simply put, a man must accept and imitate Christ to set his mind on the things of God.

He says what a man must do to come after Him (34). He then tells why a man should come after Him (35-38).

What must a man do to come after Jesus? Read verse 34: He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” One must do three things to come after Jesus.

One must deny himself. Self denial is repentance. It is a turning from selfish and sinful tendencies to take hold of Christ. It is a denial of one’s ability to save oneself. It is total dependance upon Christ for salvation. It is, as Paul says, putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Colossians 3:1-17). It is counting all things loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7-11). To come after Christ one must deny himself.

One must take up his cross. In the practice of Roman crucifixion, it was common for the one crucified to carry his own cross to the place of execution. It would be like a man building the gallows by which he would be hanged. Jesus is saying that if one would come after Him, he must come after Him voluntarily and decisively. The follower of Jesus must accept whatever pain, shame, and persecution that results from loyalty to Him. To come after Jesus one must deny himself and take up his cross.

One must follow Him. Following Jesus is trusting in him (John 3:16), walking in his ways (1 Peter 2:21), and obeying his commands (John 5:14) with gratitude (Ephesians 4:32-5:2). To come after Christ one must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus.

These three things are inseparable parts of what make a whole disciple of Jesus. These three things are not able to be done by the natural man. They are gifts from God. They are dispensed by Jesus. They are applied by the Holy Spirit. In other words, a man cannot come after Jesus by his own power and strength. He needs the grace and power of the Triune God.

Why should a man come after Jesus?

A man should come after Jesus, “for whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for [Jesus’s] sake and the gospels will save it” (35). The one who desires to save his own skin through the accumulation of riches and stuff, the satisfaction of his sinful impulses, and the gain of fame or popularity, will find these things are wanting. Theses things are unable to give inner peace or salvation. These things are not the purpose of human existence. They do not provide the fulfillment they often promise. The one who devotes himself fully to Jesus and the good news of His salvation will find everlasting salvation and all other blessed graces. He will find true satisfaction, joy, and salvation.

A man should come after Jesus, “for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (36-37). A man who gains all things this world can offer will have profited himself nothing if he loses his soul in the process. He may have prestige, pleasure, and treasure, but He will lose himself in the process. What good are the treasures of the world if in the process of gaining them you are unable to enjoy them? The answer is they are no good. It is no profit to gain the whole world forfeit your soul. “What can a man give in return for his soul?” That is Jesus second question. The answer is nothing. There is nothing one can exchange for true and lasting life. To trade your soul for the whole world is like trading a nice home for a beautified dung hill. There is nothing a man can use to buy back the soul he forfeited.

A man should come after Jesus, “for whoever is ashamed of [Him] and [His] words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of the Father with the holy angles” (38). To be ashamed of Jesus is to be to proud to have anything to do with Him. It is to think He is beneath you. It is to think and act as if His person and work are unimportant to you and for you. The generation of Jesus rebelled against God and His Messiah, Jesus. They thought themselves above the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, truth, and life. Those who are ashamed of and reject Jesus as the Christ who suffered, died, and rose again, will suffer greatly at His second coming. The Son of Man will return and judge, condemn, and punish those who are ashamed of Him as His enemies. A man should come after Jesus for salvation of His soul and escape from judgement. These reasons are sufficient.

The Redeemer’s relevance is that the a man should come after Him by denying himself, taking his cross, and following him. It is only by doing these things that a man will gain salvation of His soul and escape final judgement. Jesus throughout mark has explained the nature of true discipleship. Disciples are called by Jesus, follow after Jesus, are present with Jesus, hear and see Jesus, confess Jesus, live like Jesus, suffer like Jesus, and are saved and rewarded by Jesus. You have recalled the Redeemer’s relevance.

To conclude, recall the Redeemer’s reassurance (9:1).

Jesus follows the hard saying we just recalled with a reassurance. He does what many good parents do. When they instruct their children to do something that is hard, they give them a glimpse of what reward awaits them. Now look at verse 9. Jesus said to them, “Truely, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (9:1). In verse 38 and 9:1, Jesus conveys the full concept of his exaltation, including his resurrection, ascension, and second coming. 9:1 is a reference to his glorious resurrection, triumphant ascension, and gracious sending of the Spirit at Pentecost. The Kingdom of God was established through the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. He now reigns at God’s right hand. He will return to complete what He started. His exaltation, as we will see, is foreshadowed by His transfiguration. Many of those standing with Jesus will behold the establishment of God’s Kingdom before they die. What a powerful and puzzling encouragement this must have been.

Transition

You have recalled the Redeemer’s relevance and reassurance. Now recall the big idea from last week: The Christ came to die and rise again. This remains the big idea of the text we just surveyed. The fact of the Christ coming to die and rise again calls for certain responses by us. Last week I suggested two from the text: trust in him and marvel at him. Now I will suggest two more from this morning’s text.

Apply

1. The Christ came to die and rise again, so follow after Him

This is the most basic activity of a disciple. First, you must place faith in Christ. This passive act of receiving Christ results in the active act of following Him. It includes turning from sin, embracing the suffering that comes with Christ, and is obeying His commands. Put differently it, includes self denial, taking up your cross, and following Jesus. Jesus literally encourages His disciples and the crowd to come after or follow Him, for it will lead to their salvation.

Professing believer, are you following after Jesus?

Do you trust in Jesus for salvation?

Do you obey His commands?

Do you even know His commands?

Do you love God and love neighbor?

Do you worship God alone?

Do you avoid making idols?

Do you avoid God’s name in vain?

Do you observe the Christian Sabbath, or the Lord’s Day?

Do you honor God ordained authorities?

Do you avoid murder?

Do you avoid committing adultery?

Do you avoid stealing?

Do you avoid bearing false witness?

Do you avoid coveting?

Have you relinquished all notions that you can save yourself?

Are you willing to suffer for Jesus and His gospel?

Are you unashamed of Him and His words?

Of course, like Peter in the previous story you will stumble, fall, and backslide. Remember how wretched your sin is and how great God’s grace is in Christ. Don’t cower from God when you fail. Instead, run to Him and confess your sins. In Christ, He will forgive you as a father does his wayward child.

Church, we must acknowledge that we have not always helped each other follow Jesus. One, we are hardly transparent with each other about our short comings. Two, wayward and negligent members are rarely if ever held accountable. A local church can hardly be said to faithfully follow Jesus if it fails to obey explicit commands like that of church discipline. Let us as a congregation from this day forward move towards greater faithfulness. Let us accept what heat or public disdain this might bring us .even in something so politically incorrectly like corrective church discipline. The local church is one of Jesus’s chosen instruments to help the individual Christian follow Jesus. Let’s be a reliable instrument.

Unbeliever, if you don’t follow Jesus now you will not follow Him into glory, salvation, or the eternal rest. Jesus came to die and rise again to ransom sinners to everlasting salvation. He did just that. Indeed, He not only rose but ascended to God’s hand where He reigns over the hearts and minds of His people. Furthermore, He will return to complete what He started in His first coming. The Kingdom of darkness will end and the Kingdom of God will be completely revealed. He will judge His enemies and lead His people to the heavenly Jerusalem where there will be no sin, pain, crying, or death. If you desire to go with Him to the heavenly Jerusalem, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. Will you?

The Christ came to die and rise again, so follow after Him.

2. The Christ came to die and rise again, so wait on Him

In 8:38, Jesus tells of His second coming. In 9:1, Jesus tells of His resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. 8:38 is a warning to those are ashamed of the Son of Man. For them comes judgement. 9:1 is a reassurance that His apostles and others would see the Kingdom of God come with power. The apostles and the first generation church witnessed that coming of the Kingdom with power. Jesus established the Kingdom of God in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. That Kingdom is firmly established and growing. The same power that surged through Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria continues to surge to the ends of the earth. Jesus is growing His church and will continue to do so until He returns.

Christian, sow and water seeds through proclaiming the gospel. Trust that He will bring the results. He doesn’t need our gimmicks. He doesn’t need political power of the present age. He will grow His church through the means He has appointed, namely the preaching of Christ and Him crucified. Church take comfort in the fact that Jesus was faithful to His the promise He made in 9:1. Many did see the coming of the Kingdom of God in power before they tasted death. As He was faithful to that promise, He will be faithful to all His promises. He won’t fail you. He who established the Kingdom in His death and resurrection will consummate it in His second coming. He will save you from death and final judgment. He will lead you to ever lasting glory. There are no short cuts in growing Jesus’s Kingdom. There is now assembly line to efficiently make disciples. We are pilgrims in this age, journeying to a celestial city we don’t yet see. Jesus will lead us there. Trust in Him.

Parents, teach the truths of God’s Word to your kids, pray, and wait on Jesus.

Sunday School teachers, teach the truths of God’s Word to your students, pray, and wait on Jesus.

Pastors or aspiring pastors, teach the truths of God’s Word to your congregation, pray, and wait on Jesus.

Suffering Christian, take heart and don’t be afraid Jesus is the I Am. He will lead you through suffering to glory. Go to Him, who experienced suffering. Plead for His grace. He will surely give it.

Conclude

Jesus came to die and rise again, so trust in Him, marvel at Him, follow after Him, and wait on Him. You learned this truth and the applications of it by recalling the Redeemer’s revelation, rejection, rebuke, relevance, and reassurance. Jesus is the Christ, who came die and rise again establishing God’s Kingdom and ransoming His sinful people. He did it. He will return to judge the living and the dead, consummate His Kingdom, and lead His people into the eternal rest. Take comfort in and praise Him. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Let’s pray.