Ministry Pass- Disciple "Hope Revealed"
Mark • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsJesus introduces his ultimate plan as the Messiah, as well as the need for each to carry their personal cross too.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction and Welcome
Introduction and Welcome
Good morning and thank you for being here today for Family Worship at Eastern Hills, whether you are online or in the room. Once again, I’m Pastor Joe Vivian, Associate Pastor for Children’s and Families here at Eastern Hills Baptist Church. I’m honored to bring you the next message in our Series: Disciple-Hope in the Book of Mark.
I wanted to remind everyone that we are taking up the annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions right now. Our church goal for this offering is $15,000. We will take this up throughout the months of March and April. Pray and ask the Lord how He would have you give to this offering this season.
Reading of God’s Word
Reading of God’s Word
This morning is our sixth message in this series. Our focal passage is Mark 8:27-38. We're looking at the heart of the Gospel and the Core Christianity in these very versus. Hope Revealed!
Let’s stand in honor of God’s Word and read this passage together:
Read Mark 8:27-38
27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days.
32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”
34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.
36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?
37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Let’s Pray
Let’s Pray
Our lives are filled with questions.
Our lives are filled with questions.
• Some of the questions we are faced with are very mundane and routine. For instance, “What shall I wear today?”, “Where do you want to eat dinner?”, and “What do you want to watch on television?”, are not questions that have long term importance in our lives.
• Some of life’s questions are just plain unanswerable. For instance, “Why do women open their mouths when they put on eye makeup?”, “Why do men refuse to stop and ask for directions?”, “If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?”, and “What was the best thing before sliced bread?” are questions that really do not matter in the least.
• But, some of life’s questions are terribly important. Consider the following questions for instance, “Will you marry me?”, “What shall we name the baby”, and “Doctor, what is my prognosis?”, are all questions that have lifelong implications.
In the passage we read this morning, Jesus asks two questions that are eternal in nature. The first question has to do with what others say about Jesus. Their opinions of Him reveal the condition of their hearts. Their answer to His first question demonstrates whether they are saved or not.
The second has to do with your personal opinion of Who Jesus is. Your answer to this question will determine where you spend eternity. So, it is of vital importance that you carefully consider how you answer this question.
Let’s look at this conversation between Jesus and His disciples. I want to consider the questions Jesus asked His disciples that day, because these two questions continue to be of the utmost of importance in the world today. In fact, they are of the utmost importance in your life and mine. Let’s take these two questions and consider their message to us today.
JESUS ASKS A PROBING QUESTION
JESUS ASKS A PROBING QUESTION
• The Lord’s first question is this: “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus knew what the people were saying about Him. He wasn’t paranoid, nor was He seeking the praise of men. Jesus intended to use the opinions of the people, concerning His identity, to cause the disciples to think about their own opinions of just Who Jesus was.
• When Jesus asks this question, His men tell Jesus want they have been hearing others say. They said some people say that you are, “John the Baptist: but some say, Elijah; and others, One of the prophets.”
• That’s what the people were saying, but other voices were also expressing their opinions about Jesus in that day.
The Pharisees and other religious elitists of the day said,
20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?”
His Own family and friends said,
21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”
Even as Jesus hung on the cross, giving His life a ransom for sin, the religious elite continued to express their evil opinion of Him.
31 In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes were mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!
32 Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.
Listen to what God in Heaven has to say about this man called Jesus.
When Jesus was baptized by John in Jordan, God the Father said,
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
When Jesus was transfigured, God the Father said,
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”
If God the Father says that Jesus is His Son that is good enough for me!
After hearing His disciples tell Him what others say, Jesus asks them for their opinion. He has heard public opinion, now He wants to hear their personal opinion.
This is the moment of truth! Everything Jesus has taught them and shown them has been leading up to this moment in time.
Every miracle was leading to this one moment in time.
Every word of truth Jesus spoke was leading His men to this great spiritual crossroad.
Their response to this question would let Jesus know how effective His personal ministry to these men had been.
Jesus simply asks, “who do you say that I am?” It is a simple question, but it is filled with eternal implications.
A correct answer to that question takes one to Heaven; an incorrect answer to that question takes one to Hell.
Peter, as was his custom, spoke for the whole group. Peter said, “You are the Messiah!” He got it right!
Of course, Peter did not come to the knowledge on his own. Matthew 16:17 says,
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
The Lord’s identity was revealed to Peter by God Himself. This is true in every genuine conversion, John 6:44.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
No one is saved by the arguments of people. People are saved when their spiritual eyes are opened by the Lord. He gives them the faith to believe, Eph. 2:8–9.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
Friends, this just serves to remind each and every one of us that your opinion about Who Jesus is, is a very personal thing.
No one can speak for you.
No one can believe for you.
In the end, it does not matter what anyone else has to say about Who Jesus is; it all comes down to Who you believe He is.
That’s my first Application Point:
“Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”
“Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”
Your answer to the Lord’s question is absolutely vital to your salvation. How you answer that question will determine where you spend eternity. Jesus is still asking, “who do you say that I am?” What is your answer? Friends, Hope is Revealed in these verses. It is clear.
Maybe you think Jesus was just a great teacher or a great leader of men. You believe He existed, but not that He is the only Savior of men. Listen to what C. S. Lewis said about people who believe like you.
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
The issue today is, what do you believe about Jesus? You will make a judgment concerning Him today. You will either receive Him or reject Him, but you will make a judgment concerning Jesus Christ today.
Let’s make this very personal…If Jesus were to look you in the eye today and say “Who do you say that I am”; what would your answer be? Could you say, “Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You are the Savior of the world. I believe You are my Savior.”
Or would you have to say, “In spite of all the evidence, I reject You Jesus. In spite of what the Bible says; in spite of what God says; in spite of what millions of believers say; I will not surrender nor receive you into my life.”
“Who do you say Jesus is?”
“Who do you say Jesus is?”
This now takes us to verse 34...
Jesus has just revealed His identity to His disciples. He has just told them that He must die for their sins on the cross. He has just shattered every notion and dream they held concerning the Messiah.
As soon as that information is given out, Jesus calls His disciples to come around Him. He also calls the crowds to gather near where they can hear. Then Jesus begins to speak.
As He does, Jesus tells the gathered crowd that there is a high price attached to being His follower. The words of Jesus in these verses strike a death blow to the cheap, easy, feel good religion that is being passed off as Christianity in these days.
Many believe they can have Jesus and the world too. Many believe they can claim to be followers of Christ, while they live their lives as they please. Jesus lets us know in no uncertain terms that such notions are utterly false. If a person is going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, there is a very high price to pay.
I want to show you what Jesus has to say about this matter of being His follower.
This leads us to our next Application Question:
“What Does It Take To Follow Jesus”
“What Does It Take To Follow Jesus”
Again, Hope is Revealed once more
Jesus begins by sharing a plan, Let’s read verse 34
34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
Jesus would have been a public relations manager’s nightmare! Every time He began to attract a large following, Jesus would up the ante. He would tell them how high the cost of following Him would be and the crowds would vanish. Jesus did this so that people would know the truth. He wanted them to know that it would not be cheap or easy to be His disciples. By the way, it is a serious thing to make a profession of faith! In this verse, Jesus shares a plan for true discipleship.
Let me remind you that not everyone who claims to be a Christian can truly be called a disciple of Jesus. Those who would be His disciples, His followers have four requirements that they must meet in this life. Let me share them with you this morning.
1. “Follow After Me” or “Come After Me”—When Jesus said these words, His men surely remembered when He first called them to follow Him. Some two and a half years ago, they had left everything to follow Jesus. They had left family, friends, occupations, and everything else in their lives to go with Jesus.
To the rest of the crowd that day, this was a call to the new birth. It was a call to make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It was a call for them to turn their backs on everything else to go after Jesus.
Being born again, getting saved, or whatever you want to call it, is far more than praying a prayer, or standing at a certain altar or steps. A lot of people come to an altar, pray a prayer and profess to know Jesus Christ. True salvation is about a radical commitment to leave the old life behind to follow Jesus into a new and very different life. Being born again is about being made a “new creation”,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
You see, you can pray the Sinner’s Prayer all day and not get saved. You walk the Roman Road, take a Journey through John, or go through any other method that people say brings salvation.
Again, The fact is, you only get saved when God convicts you of your sins and draws you to Himself. When He draws you and you respond by faith, salvation takes place.
True salvation, however; is not some form of “easy believing” that leaves you unchanged. True salvation, when it happens in your life, will make such a radical change in your life that you will begin to act like a different person. Your desires and habits will change. Your interests and commitments will change.
When you come to Jesus Christ and are truly saved, you will want to follow Him. Where Jesus is, is where you will desire to be.
“Follow After Me.” To the lost person it is a call to be saved. Are you saved? To the saved person it is a call to radical commitment. Are you totally, truly and radically following Jesus today?
2. “Deny Himself”—This phrase literally means, “to completely disown, to utterly separate oneself from someone.” It is the same word used to describe Peter’s denial of Jesus outside the high priests home, Matt. 26:34!
34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Denying self is far more intense than that. Denying self implies that I stop listening to my own voice. I stop leaning on my own power. I stop trying to fulfill my own will and wishes.
When I truly deny myself, I have no will but His will. I have no plans but His plans. I have no wants but what He wants for me. When I deny myself, I give up all my rights and I relinquish all control of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I live out 1 Cor. 6:19–20,
19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.
Jesus is calling those who claim Him as their Savior to make a total commitment to His Lordship in their lives. He wants absolute control in every area of our lives. He calls on us to disown ourselves and give Him the reigns of our lives. This phrase suggests a “once for all action”. We are to deny ourselves and to forget about us.
3. “Take Up His Cross”—This phrase had much meaning for the people in Jesus’ day. Historians estimate that over 30,000 people were crucified by the Romans during Jesus’ lifetime. Thus, every person who heard Jesus say these words knew what He was saying to them.
In that day, a cross was not a piece of jewelry or a decoration on a church building. A cross was an instrument of shame, humiliation, suffering, torture and death. When a man took up his cross, he was beginning a death march.
When Jesus tells His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him, He is calling all of us to die to ourselves. He is calling us to commit to a lifestyle of living death, Gal. 2:20.
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
He is calling us to willingly bear the shame, the reproach, the humiliation, the suffering, the hatred, the alienation and even the death that may come to those who are associated with Him.
How many people are truly carrying their cross today? Many are quick to compromise when it makes their way just a little easier. Businessmen will lie to keep their customers. Christians will lie to save face. Church folks will compromise with the world to avoid being singled out and humiliated for being a believer.
To take up your cross means that you are willing to identify yourself with Jesus Christ, His death and His word, regardless of what it costs you personally, publicly or financially! That’s not a side of Christianity you hear about very often! It isn’t popular to talk about sacrifice, death and suffering, but that is what Christianity is all about!
By the way, this phrase also suggests a “once for all”, not a start, stop, repeat action, no a “Once for All” action. I am to take up my cross and never lay it down until I reach the place of my death.
4. “Follow Me”—The true disciple of Jesus turns his back on his self and his old life. The true disciple of Jesus takes up his cross and is willing to lay down everything for the glory of God. The true disciple of Jesus takes his place behind the Lord and he follows Jesus wherever He leads. The true disciple walks in total obedience and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ!
This phrase suggests “ongoing” action. Jesus is calling His people to be constant followers. Some people follow on Sunday, but take a different path on Monday. Some people follow the Lord when they need help, but take another path when things get better. That is not what the Lord is looking for! Jesus is calling for His people to make a radical commitment to follow Him all the time, all the way to the end of their lives.
Can we honestly say that we are totally committed to Jesus when other things in life come before Him?
Can we honestly say that we are following Him when we do as we please when we please?
Isn’t it about time that God’s children examined the priorities so that Jesus Christ and His will came first?
Read Verse 38
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus has a word here for those who reject His message. He refers to those who are “ashamed” of Him and His words.
The word “ashamed”, in this context, means “unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval.” It refers to those who will not come to Jesus for salvation and who will not follow Him because they refuse to accept Him or His message.
When a person comes to Jesus and begins to follow Him, there is a price to pay. The believer rejects the world and its ways, choosing instead to walk in with Jesus. The believer must be willing to be persecuted, reproached and even hated for the cause of Christ.
Not everyone is willing to pay such a price. Those who refuse to come to Jesus and live a separated life prove that they want no part of Him or His message. These people will face a terrible judgment when Jesus comes. Just as they have refused to acknowledge Him, He will refuse to acknowledge them. They will face Him in judgment, and they will be cast into Hell. “I never knew you,” Matt. 7:21–22.)
The true believer may suffer in this life, but the true believer will enter into the joys of Heaven when this life ends. The lost person, on the other hand, might enjoy the best this world has to offer, but when this life is ended, they will face God in judgment and spend eternity in Hell. Which ending would you prefer?
Friends, today we read and
Truth is Revealed.
Truth is now shared.
The Truth of the Gospel.
We can stop and listen to the world’s view on Jesus. Be people centered, not Christ centered. Just wanting to make everyone like us for being us. Be a Fan in the stands, an enthusiastic admirer.
Or, we can stop, make a choice to follow Jesus. Listen to the One True God. Knowing that our Truth may not be well received, that we will be scorned and cast aside by the world, but this choice leads to Life abundantly. We can then be called a Follower of the One True God.
One day Jesus will return, and we shall be asked the question: ‘What did you do with Jesus?’ Were you ashamed of him? Did you reject him? Or do you belong to him? Have you loved him? Have you followed him? That is the decisive question for all of us, for all eternity. Do we know what it means to follow him?
Look back at verse 34. Discipleship means Jesus Christ is at the center, not me—not me at all, not even a little bit. We set ourselves to follow the Master on a path of suffering and sacrifice and even death; we follow our leader through suffering to glory—and it’s worth it!
This is the Hope of Christ found in these passages.
You can find Hope in Christ today.
His Truth and love has been revealed.
Again, what are you going to do with Jesus?
Will you make Him your Lord and Savior?
Will you choose today to surrender your life to Him?
Will ask for forgiveness of your sins, your selfish, self-centered heart?
Are you ready to move from a Fan to a Follower?
Two questions today…what is your answer?
For those of you who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I still ask you the same question:
“Who do you say Jesus is?”
Is He your everything? Does he have access to all of your life or do you regulate what He has access to?
Do those in your life know you are a follower of Jesus? Do they see His joy in your actions?
Do they hear His love in your voice? Do they witness His Truth in your actions?
Does your life Reveal Jesus?
Which is your response to Jesus this morning?
If this morning, you have heard and understood the Gospel, and you have surrendered your life to Christ, then we want to know that so we can celebrate with you and help you as you start on this new spiritual life. When we dismiss, just stay in your seats as people leave, and we will come find you so that we can get some more information, pray with you, and set up a time to talk more about Jesus. If you’re online, send me an email to me joe@ehbc.org.
If you are already a follower of Jesus, and this morning you believe that Eastern Hills is a place where you can be a part of a church family, so that you can grow in your faith and serve alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you would like to join with this church in formal membership, same thing: stay in your seats. If you’re online and in the Albuquerque area, please let me know by email if this is you as well.
As Donna comes up, we are going to have a time of reflection, and during this time, you can worship God by giving online as He leads you. You’ll also be able to give in person using the plates by the doors as you leave this morning. But during our reflection time, take a moment to pray on the questions posed this morning. Renew your trust in Him this morning as we reflect together.
Let’s pray...
Let’s pray...
Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks
Bible reading: Proverbs 10 today.
Continue to keep our Mid-Schoolers and their leaders in your prayers as they head home this afternoon. Here’s a text from Pastor Trevor...
Heads Up, starting early tomorrow morning, we will be putting on a new roof on the sanctuary, shingles that is...
This will begin Monday and possibly run thru Wednesday. So during that time, if you need to come to the church office, please park in the south parking lot. Avoid parking in the North lot or under the portico.
Also, don’t forget about our Easter Service and Celebrations. We will have our Good Friday service here in the sanctuary on Friday, April 2, at 12:15 pm. It will be a short 30-40 minute service so that people can get back to work. Then, Saturday morning the 3rd with our children's egg Hunt beginning at 9:00 AM. Easter Sunday, our sunrise service will be held at 7:30 am here in the courtyard. At this point, we are working on whether we will be able to stream the sunrise service. We’ll worship together and then we’ll have breakfast available afterwards. Finally, we will have our Easter morning Family Worship service at our normal time of 10:30 am here in the Sanctuary. Plan to be here either online or in person to worship the Lord together this Easter season.
Instructions
Instructions
Benediction:
21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”