Recalculating Our Crosswalk

Mark 8:27-38; 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

When I’m driving in the US, I plug in my GPS.

A GPS says "recalculating" after you miss a turn it told you to take, then it comes up with a new route based on your current position. It doesn't call you a moron, it simply says "recalculating" which lets everyone in the car know you are an idiot without it having to actually say so.

Peter was spot on.

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”

Jesus praises his lead disciple and then elaborates on the fulfillment of His earthly mission. He tells them that He will “suffer many things, and be rejected by all of the religious leaders…AND be killed.

I believe by this point the shocking revelation shut down the neocortex of the disciples and they didn’t hear or process the last part where Jesus said, “and after three days rise again.”

Peter, like an overly protective mother, grabs Jesus, pulls him aside, and essentially tells Jesus “Not Under My Watch”.

Peter rebuked Jesus. Just let that soak in a bit.

Here is the first Recalculating Correction to Discipleship

· Peter gets it Right and then goes Wrong.

Experience of Shifting Towards the Light at the Ignatius House

Recalculating was not due to any wrong turn on my part.

Recalculating was due to my staying put in the face of the continuous movement of the light.

Question: When was the last time you checked to see where Jesus was leading you in your journey?

Over the course of three years with Jesus, Peter had failed to shift to the Light—to assess the Will and Direction of God’s Mission of Salvation through His Son Yeshua. Peter reasoned, like many of the Jews of Jesus’ day, that he had that figured out. The Messiah would put down the imperialist powers, reestablish the Davidic kingdom and place the Jews on top of the world order.

THIS BRINGS ME TO A KEY DRIVER OF RECALCULATING

The Holy Spirit is the believer’s GPS

Maintaining the Status Quo? Recalculating.

Doing the same old same and expecting different results? Recalculating.

Stuck in bad habits of the past? Recalculating.

Same negative thought patterns holding you hostage every day and night? Recalculating.

On the dance floor following the leads of a bad dancing partner? Recalculating.

The pint of ice cream calls out to you at 2:00 am?

Recalculating.

Binging on Netflix? Recalculating.

Is it so critical that the church furniture stays in the same place it’s been for the past 60 years? Recalculation.

Most Christians are Trying but not Training

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and

take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

The text makes clear: Our “wants” need to be followed by “must”

I want to gain more muscle mass.

o I must do resistance training

I want to ___________________ (You fill in the blank).

Truth is, it’s not going to happen overnight—it’s a journey.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

o Bad habits are easy to form, but hard to live with.

Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.

o ‘Everything is hard before it’s easy.’

o Since good habits are hard to develop, most people take the path of least resistance. This tends to result in instant gratification, and ultimately, bad habits.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approvewhat God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Resistance Training Builds Muscle—this is true for our body, mind, and Spirit.

o Work Against Gravity (Resistance).

Example of the role of a Fitness Trainer in the Gym

—Assisting the Weightlifter with just enough resistance to ensure success.

… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

work out = “make effective” “make actual”

with fear and trembling = “humbly and with constant dependence

upon God’s help”

Cultivating God-Reliance

Must Jesus bear the Cross Alone and All the World Go Free? No! There is no “Cheap Grace” No! There’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me. No! We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. No! God is working in us through the power of His Holy Spirit You don’t need the Holy Spirit. ⁃ Not if you are doing your own thing ⁃ Not if you are the master of your fate ⁃ Not if you are self-made and self-sufficient ⁃ You don’t need the Holy Spirit if you are living under such delusions

You do need the Holy Spirit ⁃ To take up your cross daily ⁃ To live a surrendered life ⁃ To resist the gravitational force of temptation to sin ⁃ To keep you standing and, should you fall, to return you to an upright standing position ⁃ Yes, you need the Holy Spirit—every day, hour, minute, second and milli-second.

The Holy Spirit is the believer’s GPS