Difficult Words

Prelude

The most difficult words that Jesus ever uttered are easy to understand but hard to do. Purpose: Let’s see how they would solve some of humanity's biggest problems. Plan: Let’s examine the selfless life in Mark 8:27-38.

The Anointed One

Mark 8:29-30 “He said to them, ‘But who do you [plural] say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ [Messiah, anointed One].’ Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.”

Christ or Messiah means the anointed One. Unlike worldly anointed kings, anointed, for Jesus, meant the cross, giving His life for the world. Peter didn’t want to hear it. We don’t like to hear it. But that's what being anointed heaven’s King means. And to follow Christ, the anointed One, we too must live lives of self sacrifice.

Counterfeit Christianity claims to be spirit-filled, but is really materialistic and self-centered, focusing on personal experiences, not sacrificing for others. Fake Christianity focuses on getting wealth for self instead of using wealth to give. Heaven’s anointing is to give up the self so that others may live. How did Jesus explain this?

The Son of Man must Suffer

Mark 8:31-32 "And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him."

Do we rebuke Jesus when He talks about His true purpose of anointing? How did Jesus respond to Peter?

The Things of God

Mark 8:33 “But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ ”

A true understanding of what it means to be anointed is to be “mindful of the things of God.”

Deny Self

Mark 8:34 “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ ”

Selfishness is the road to mental illness, harmful behavior and death. Sinful societies build altars of self-worship and idols of self-congratulation. Cities are filled with skyscrapers like a giant trophy cabinet of men’s egos. Like skyscrapers, castles were created by a selfish ruling class. God gave the first man a garden, not a castle. Castles create mental illness. Gardens encourage mental health. The idolatry of SELF expresses itself in thousands of ways. Wealth is a delusion that only guarantees misery and loneliness. Jesus gave the antidote, deny self and follow Him.

Whoever Loses His Life

Mark 8:35 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

This is one of life’s great mysteries: a selfish life is a dead life. The ONLY worthwhile life is giving not getting. In giving, we gain the whole world, it is the way to save our lives. True riches are found in selfless service to others. True success is overcoming self-absorbed living. True celebrity is being found in the book of life.

What Will it Profit

Mark 8:36 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

Real heroes are in all walks of life. They make great sacrifices for others like soldiers, firefighters, police who protect and serve, missionaries and volunteers who serve the needy. Jesus’ one-time sacrifice saved the whole world. Living selflessly also saves humanity. Serving is where the true riches are. What do we choose?

Exchange for Your Soul

Mark 8:37 “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

We have spent a lifetime steeped in the propaganda and culture of a selfish world. It even enters the church as a counterfeit gospel of self-interest rather than self-sacrifice. We sell our souls to the devil so we can “live our best life now.” Is anything worth more than your soul? Do we believe in counterfeit Christianity? Are we ashamed of living like Jesus and sacrificing for others?

Ashamed of Jesus

Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Extreme selfishness is a very popular counterfeit Christianity. It teaches a self-obsessed life pursuing materialism, not the things of heaven. It is ashamed of Jesus and His words, and pretends that the road to hell is good. True Christianity is the exact opposite of the materialistic, narcissistic counterfeits. True Christianity is turning from selfishness, taking up our cross and following Him.

What Can We Do?

Sanity begins by joining Jesus in saving the world, not hiding away in our selfish little worlds. Almsgiving is not just about giving money, but also giving ourselves to others. When was the last time we volunteered to help another person, gave someone thanks, visited a lonely person, listened to their story without constantly turning the conversation to our story, sent a card or just gave an encouraging word?

Postlude

Let us take time to give back to our world, but above all let’s heed Jesus’ call to sanity, by taking up our cross and denying the insanity of selfishness.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Take up your Cross

Prelude

As people run headlong into a world going nowhere, escaping reality in their hedonistic lifestyles, are we ashamed of Jesus and His words? Are we ashamed of suffering as Christians?

Purpose

Let’s see the value of taking up our cross and denying ourselves.

Plan

Let’s look at Jesus’ countercultural instructions in Mark 8:31-38.

Background

Mark 8:18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

We too can be like the disciples, blind to some things. The next encounter is relevant.

Mark 8:22-26 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

The partial healing can be symbolic that we like the disciples may only see in part. Do we need Jesus’ touch a second time? Peter’s confession revealed that he partially understood, but his rebuke of Jesus revealed his blindness. Many Christians believe that Jesus is the Christ, but don’t fully understand that the cross is our way of life.

Mark 8:27-30 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

Just like many Christians, we may confess that Jesus is the Christ, but do we follow Him and take up our cross?

Today's Text

Mark 8:31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Time to see something better. Jesus teaches about His suffering and rejection. Nobody relishes bad news. Pastors comfort but prophets discomfort. Are we much different than Israel? ‘They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions!" They tell the prophets, "Don't tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.’ (Isaiah 30:10 NLT) And the most popular preachers today do just that, because we still can’t handle the truth.

Mark 8:32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

Many of us would also rebuke Jesus, because we want to protect Him or perhaps naively don’t think that real Christianity ought to include suffering. It’s natural for us to hear God’s will and complain like ancient Israel. Peter was no different and neither are we.

Mark 8:33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus’ rebuke was sometimes quite blunt. Let’s remember the instruction: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6 NKJV // Proverbs 3:11-12; Revelation 3:19)

Mark 8:34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

How many would become Christians if they were told to deny self rather than experience “your best life now?” Selfishness sells; self-denial does not. In a moment of weakness, Peter later denied Jesus utterly, but he eventually learned to deny himself. Taking up our cross means to accept the will of God for our lives, no matter how painful.

Mark 8:35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

A blessed eternity after losing our lives for Christ is far better than all the riches that a sinful world can only offer for a very short lifespan.

Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul [breath of life]?

Literally this refers to forfeiting our own life (psyche), that is, for eternity. Gaining the whole world would only last a short lifetime, but eternal life in heavenly bliss is priceless.

Mark 8:37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul [life’s breath]?

Better said, “Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT) Short-sighted as we are, we too often choose the temporary pleasure of sin, damaging our souls and risking our eternity.

Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

How many times in everyday conversation, do we hide the fact that we are Christians, because we are ashamed? Let us never be ashamed of our faith in Jesus. Like Paul, let us say, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16).

Postlude

We live in a hedonistic world where people live without any other purpose in life than eat-work-play-sleep-repeat. Are we ashamed of Jesus? Are we embarrassed to mention Him, knowing that whatever we suffer now, will be transformed into a wonderful eternity?

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

Psalm 22:23-31 “My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.”

Romans 4:13-25 “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

Leaven

Prelude

The Bible uses leaven to symbolize how both good and bad things grow in our lives. It’s important for us to know the difference, so that we make sure that the good things in our lives grow and not the bad. Purpose: Let’s learn about the meaning of leaven in the Bible. Plan: We’ll look at the parable of the leaven in Matthew 13:33 and the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod in Mark 8:13-21.

Leaven

The leavening agent in Bible times was yeast. A mixture of flour and water left to rest, naturally ferments before baking. Yeast is everywhere, on our skin and in the air. This is known today as sourdough bread, which we are most familiar with while camping or in rye bread. The foam or barm from beer-making was also an ancient source of yeast. Israel probably learned that from ancient Egypt.

Good Leaven Matthew 13:33

In Matthew 13:33 Jesus spoke a parable of those under God’s rule, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” Leaven pictures growth from within. A woman’s work is very important to the Church. Even behind the scenes, it produces growth. Let’s not be discouraged, God’s kingdom will grow despite problems within the Church.

Bad Leaven Mark 8:13-21

In Mark 8:15 Jesus said, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And in Matthew 16:5–12, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees… the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Political leaders, and both liberal and conservative religious leaders. So leaven pictures both political and religious teachings and In Luke 12:1 Jesus includes “hypocrisy.”

Political Leaven

Herod produced bad leaven (Mark 8:15) because he was a liar, abused his office, an adulterer, and used religion as a tool for personal influence, rather than genuine repentance. Herod enforced human law, not God’s law, as politicians do. Jesus tells us to beware of putting man’s law above God’s law. Knowledge of man’s law is like leaven (1 Corinthians 8:1). It puffs up with a counterfeit morality.

Conservative Pharisees & Liberal Sadducees

Liberal leaven can be disguised as inclusiveness and love. But we forget that holiness requires exclusiveness in some areas of life and that true love warns those on the road to hell to repent of sins, not pretend that God allows “malice and wickedness” instead of “sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:1-8). Conservative leaven can be man-made rules and promoting the letter of Old Testament law (Galatians 5:1-9).

Bad Religion & Bad Politicians

In Matthew 16:5-12 we learn that “the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” is “the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” This would include Herod because he was in collusion with Sadducees. Thus, three parties are included in this bad leaven, the conservative Pharisees, the liberal Sadducees and the corrupt king Herod. Herod had an over inflated opinion of himself, and set a bad example as leader.

Good Religion & Good Politicians

True Christianity sets the spiritual framework for a society that God can bless. The Sadducees convinced Rome to put their man, Herod into office. The Pharisees despised the man that the Sadducees has gotten into office. How much does this sound like any election cycle in a western democracy? The answer is not on either side of corrupt politics, but in genuine Christianity, in truly loving God and loving neighbor.

Good Thoughts

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” We need to get our minds of negative influences, politics, news, and negative people. A cure for negativity is to continually thank God for a long list of blessings. 

Postlude

So we have a choice. We can focus on conservative leaven of man-made rules and Old Testament legalism, centrist leaven of wishy-washy compromise with the devil, liberal leaven of inclusion of evil and a false love which sends people to hell, political leaven which is filled with worldly lies and false promises, OR we can hide the leaven of the kingdom of heaven in our hearts until it permeates every part of our lives with joy and blessings forever more.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Matthew 13:33; Mark 8:13-21; Mark 8:15; Matthew 16:5–12; Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 5:1-8; Galatians 5:1-9; Philippians 4:8

Jesus' Most Difficult Words

Prelude

The most difficult words Jesus ever spoke are NOT the ones that are hard to understand, but the ones that are easy to understand and hard to obey. Because being a true follower of Jesus is so difficult, early Christians took time before the most important season of the Christian year to fast and pray. We call it lent, an old English word for spring. Others call it the Quadragesima, forty days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Purpose: Let’s take time before Easter to value Jesus’ most difficult words.

Plan: Let’s look at Mark 8:27-38 and our call to a selfless life.

Mark 8:29 Anointed for What

In Mark 8:29 Jesus asked his students, “Who do [you-all] say I am?” Peter correctly answered: Christ or Messiah (meaning the anointed one). For Jesus, that meant suffering and death on the cross, giving His life for the world. Angrily, Peter didn’t want to hear it. That is what being the anointed one means. And anyone who follows Christ must likewise be willing to give themselves serving others. Counterfeit Christianity claims to be spirit-filled, but is self-centered, materialistic, focusing on personal spiritual experiences instead of serving others and accumulating wealth for self instead of giving it away for others. Christ gave up the self in order that others may live.

Mark 8:33 Things of God

Lent began in the early church to prepare for Resurrection Sunday. Christians focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As people thought over Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness it made sense to take time before Easter learning to be more mindful of the things of God. Some observe Lent in the letter of man-made rules, but not in the spirit. Lent is a multitude of counsel from a cloud of witnesses who left us a legacy, an annual opportunity to rethink our lives. It is a season for solitude, extra prayer, fasting, giving to the less fortunate and learning again to be “mindful of the things of God.” (Mark 8:33)

Mark 8:34 Self

Selfishness is the road to mental illness, evil acts and death in hell. Our nation builds altars of self-worship filled with idols of self-gratification. We cannot all build our own Trump Towers, or have a hundred million dollar trust fund for our children, but the idolatry of self expresses itself in thousands of other ways. The delusion guarantees misery and loneliness. In Mark 8:34 Jesus gave the antidote, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The antidote is simple, deny self, take up our cross, think of others, sacrifice for others, be focused on how we can serve others.

Mark 8:35 Selflessness

In Mark 8:35 Jesus stated one of life’s greatest conundrums, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” This sounds like a lie, but a selfish life is a dead life. The only worthwhile work is in giving not getting. By giving we gain the whole world. Certainly, giving up our lives is not a popular message, but according to Jesus, it is the way to save our lives. True riches are the people we sacrifice to serve. True success is rejecting selfish living. True celebrity is being written in the book of life.

Mark 8:36 Real Heroes

In Mark 8:36 Jesus asks, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Real heroes make great sacrifices for others like soldiers, firefighters, police who protect and serve, missionaries and volunteers who serve the needy. If a one-time sacrifice is to be praised, what about a lifetime of sacrifice? A theology professor asked his students to look out the window at the school of medicine and the school of law. He then said that those graduating from those schools would make many times more than a pastor, but serving Christ is where the true riches are. What do we choose?

Mark 8:37 Your Soul

“My job, my house, my team, my lifestyle, my inheritance, my church, my world.” Does any of this sound familiar? It ought to. We all tend to be selfish. We are more about getting than giving. In Mark 8:37 Jesus asks, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” We have spent a lifetime steeped in the propaganda and culture of the devil. It even enters the church as a counterfeit gospel of self-interest rather than self-sacrifice and selling our souls to the devil so we can “live our best life now.” Counterfeit Christianity is ashamed of Jesus and his words. Is anything worth more than your soul?

Mark 8:38 Narcissistic Christianity

In Mark 8:38 Jesus says, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Narcissism is extreme selfishness. Narcissistic Christianity is a very popular counterfeit. It teaches a selfish life and the materialistic things of earth, not the things of heaven. It is ashamed of Jesus and His words, substituting the road to hell. True Christianity is the exact opposite of materialistic, narcissistic counterfeits preached by certain televangelists. True Christianity is turning from selfishness, taking up our cross and following him.

Postlude

Let us take time before the most important feast of the Christian year to fast, pray and give to the needy in our community, but above all let’s heed Jesus’ call to sanity, by taking up our cross and denying the insanity of selfishness.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Take up What Cross?

Intro

When we focus on prosperity preaching we are only in entry-level Christianity. Jesus first teachings were entry-level. It was only as the cross drew nearer that his disciples were ready to be taught a more mature Christianity, taking up their cross and following him.

Goal

Let’s explore what Jesus meant by the message to “take up your cross.”

Plan

We will look at Mark 8:27-38 and the message of mature Christianity.

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” 29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.” 30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. 33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” 34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Who do People say Jesus Is?

Jesus asked who people thought he was (vs. 27-28). The disciples replied John the Baptist, Elijah or a prophet. Today, according to Gallup, 80% of Americans believe that Jesus is God or the Son of God. Only about half of them hold the traditional belief that Jesus was God with us. Most of them also admired Jesus’ love, forgiveness, kindness and compassion. They also believe that Jesus was a strong and warm person, brave and sinless. Many believe that he was easy to understand, strong, practical, handsome, divine and not dictatorial. People believe that Jesus helps in difficult times, is a role model, compassionate and gives hope. Only 12% claim they make great efforts to follow Jesus' example, though 80% claim to be part of the Christian tradition and over 90% say that Jesus had some impact on their lives.

Who do We say Jesus Is?

Jesus asked his students who they said he was (vs. 29). Like Peter, most Christians would correctly call Jesus the Christ or Messiah, the anointed one. Many would understand that anointing was for his suffering and death on the cross. Too many would miss the real meaning behind calling ourselves Christians. Most would guess correctly that it means a follower of Christ, but would avoid like a disease the rest of that meaning. It means a follower of Christ who is willing to suffer like he did. In the self-centered and materialistic false gospel of health and wealth there is no suffering like Christ, there is no cross to carry. Peter did not want Jesus to suffer, but Jesus rebuked him strongly for it. Jesus’ example is one of totally giving up the self in order that others may live.

What are Jesus’ Two Messages?

So far, Jesus has only taught his disciples entry-level Christianity, his authority and power. Now it’s time for deep Christianity, his suffering and death. Prosperity preaching is stuck on Jesus’ entry-level message. We must make the transition to Jesus’ deeper, core message, his call to sacrifice for others. The greatest threat to Jesus was believers? Is the greatest threat to him today among believers? Are we just like Peter? Do we understand the message that Jesus is Messiah, but miss the message of taking up our cross? Do we miss the message that we are called to self-sacrifice, sent into the world to save the world and that means that we must follow him into suffering? This is our Christian calling: Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21).

How do we Follow Jesus?

Do we reject Jesus too or do we truly follow him? He gives two simple steps to following him: turn from selfishness and take up our cross (vs. 34). Follow him! But, follow him where? He took up his cross and went to Calvary. Must we also go to our own personal Calvary? Our society tends to focus on self, either self-esteem or self-abasement. We are so selfish that even when we give we do it for selfish reasons. The cross teaches us that real life is not about ourselves at all, but about dying to selfishness in all its forms. Just as Israel’s leaders described Jesus as blasphemous and evil, so too do our national leaders call real Christianity a desecration of the nation’s ideals and wicked. Nationally, we are not willing to take up the cross of self-sacrifice.

May we Continue our Selfish Ways?

Notice that Jesus addressed not just his disciples, but the crowd in calling for a turn from our selfish ways. Though selfish politics, Hollywood, business and advertising may all say with one voice that we deserve to be selfish, the true Good News to any nation is to turn from our selfish ways. Selfish politics says let’s kill our unborn children and let the sick die without healthcare. Hollywood says let’s idolize fiction not love neighbor. Business says let’s idolize greed and not love neighbor. Much advertising says let’s pamper ourselves not love neighbor. Even many Christians are fooled by these deceptive messages. Jesus says let’s be unselfish  (vs. 34-35). Trying to hang on to our souls is an expression presuming the life lived on earth. You will lose it is from an ancient expression meaning to trifle away our lives.

What Really Profits?

Words like profit, gain, loss and exchange (vs. 36-38) are business words that we still use today. They refer to Psalm 49 where those who trust in their riches cannot pay God enough to escape the grave. It is like trusting in the sand to save us from the flood when the only salvation is on the rock. The approval of the whole world cannot make up for the denial of Jesus and the Gospel. The approval of Christ is what we need for eternity. This world is summarized by the words “adulterous and sinful generation.” Many Christians would like to point to some other sexual sin because it makes them feel superior, but from the Ten Commandments to this day, adultery is the sexual sin most often mentioned. In the Old Testament disloyalty to God is also called adultery.

Where do we Find Mature Christians?

Entry-level Christians only know who Jesus is. Mature Christians have met him at the cross. Mature Christians carry their own cross. They sacrifice for others, loving their neighbor. They are feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty. They are hospitable to strangers and have a more welcoming attitude towards most immigrants. They give clothing to the naked and fight for the sick to get health care. They are at a local prison visiting prisoners. If they have an unwanted pregnancy they choose to give the defenseless life instead of death. They come to the aid of the helpless. They sacrifice for others. While others take advantage of them, they know their real inheritance is in God’s kingdom. These wonderful Christians have seen the cross and live it every day. They have learned what it means to live sacrificially.

Outro

Many will call Jesus Lord, but that alone is only entry-level Christianity. The cross teaches us mature Christianity. When we take up our cross of self-denial then we are truly following Christ.

Annual Spiritual Reset

Intro

As we go through the year, a thousand distractions take us away from God. Early Christians recognized this and began to take time before the most important season of the Christian year to fast and pray. We call it lent from an old English word for spring. Others call it the Quadragesima, forty days of prayer, fasting and alms-giving.

Purpose

I want us to value times apart for meditation, prayer and fasting.

Plan

We will look at Mark 8:31-38 and our opportunity for a spiritual reset.

Anointed for What

In Mark 8:29 Jesus asked his students, “Who do you-all say I am?” Peter correctly answered: Christ or Messiah (the anointed one) but what does that mean? For Jesus, it meant suffering and death on the cross. Peter did not want to hear it and rebuked Jesus for predicting it. But that is what being the anointed one meant. It also means that anyone who follows Christ must likewise be willing to give of themselves in order to serve human kind. There is a form of Christianity which claims to be spirit-filled, but is in reality self-centered and materialistic. It focuses on personal spiritual experiences instead of serving others and accumulating wealth for self instead of giving it away for others. The example of Christ is centered upon totally giving up the self in order that others may live.

Lent — Setting our Minds on Divine Things

Lent began in the early church to prepare for Resurrection Sunday. Christians focus on prayer, fasting and alms-giving. As people thought over Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness and Israel’s forty years of wandering in the wilderness it made sense to take forty days before Easter to reset our minds on divine things (Mark 8:33). Some observe Lent legalistically by fasting only on certain days like Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but that misses the point. The tradition is not just another legalistic man-made rule, but a multitude of counsel from generations of departed saints who left us a legacy, an annual opportunity to draw close to God. It is a season for spending some time alone, a time for extra prayer, for taking a day to fast, giving to the less fortunate and hitting the spiritual reset button.

Difficult Scriptures

Some Bible passages which are hard to understand are called difficult scriptures. In Mark 8:34 Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” What cross? For a thousand years overlapping the life of Christ, crucifixion was a method of capital punishment among several ancient peoples including the Romans. Convicted criminals were sometimes required to carry either the cross beam or the entire cross to the place of execution. For Christians to take up their crosses it means that we must deny our selfish, natural desires and devote ourselves to the service of Jesus and others. This is one of the most uncomfortable sayings of Jesus. It is not hard to understand. It is difficult to do. Often it is the easiest to understand which are the hardest passages.

Against all Hope

Christians are not called to do the easy thing. We are called to do the difficult thing that seems to be against all hope (Mark 8:34). Following Jesus is to lay aside the easy way and choose what appears to be the more difficult path. Just as Jesus gave up his life on the cross, so too do we carry our cross and take the difficult path to self-sacrifice. Few of us are called to do like Abraham and make a supreme personal sacrifice by leaving our country to follow God, yet we are called to selflessness. Against all hope, Abraham hoped in God’s promises (Romans 4:13-25) and became the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16). Like his promise to Abraham, God’s promise to us is a better life beyond the temporary sacrifices of the present.

The Hard Road

How does taking up our cross (Mark 8:34) look in practice? I once knew a young mechanic who took every factory training course offered by his company. The other mechanics could not be bothered. They wanted the easy path. In his mid 20's he became the boss over his much older co-workers, because he took the hard road. In all of life's endeavors, there are those who choose short-term pain for long-term gain. Athletes cannot go home and relax between games, they must train hard. At college there are the party people who lose and the hard workers who succeed. Anything worthwhile involves short-term pain for long-term gain. There are two paths to take in life. The easy path starts out smooth, but ends up rough. The hard road often starts out difficult, but end up smoother.

Our Best Life Ever

The devil deceives us by offering a wide variety of lifestyles with one ingredient in common, self. They all build altars of self-worship filled with idols of self-gratification. We may not all be able to build our own Trump Towers, or have a hundred million dollar trust fund for our children, but the idolatry of self expresses itself in thousands of other ways. It is a delusion that guarantees misery and loneliness. There is a lifestyle which guarantees happiness forever. Jesus described it in words which are the opposite of our culture of self (Mark 8:34). He defined a better way of life. It includes words like deny self, take up our cross and lose our self-indulgent lifestyle for the Gospel. This is shocking to a narcissistic, self-centered culture, but it is the way to our best life ever.

Church Growth at the Expense of Truth

Some churches are growing while mainstream churches are dying. Yet, where are we more likely to hear the Gospel? The simple fact is that mainstream churches are far more likely to read a Gospel text each week. In large popular churches we are more likely to hear a materialistic motivational speech about health and wealth that actually contradicts the Gospel. The good news is that living a selfless life is a life of abundant blessings, but it is not popular. People do not want to hear about emulating someone who lived a life of poverty and sacrificed himself for others. They want to hear about making money and having things. Mainstream churches are tempted to change from the Gospel to empty-headed fluffy topical sermons that deny denying self (Mark 8:34). That is church growth at the expense of truth.

Unpopular Jesus

A popular message is that Jesus can help you get your life back, but that’s not exactly how Jesus said it. In Mark 8:35 Jesus said whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. We don’t want to lose our lives. Our natural desire is to preserve our way of life. Yet such a selfish life is a dead life. The only work worth doing is that of giving to others. When we we give, we gain the whole world. It is a message that is so contrary to our natural thinking that we believe it is a lie. Certainly, giving up our lives is not a popular message, but according to Jesus, it is the way to save our lives.

True Wealth and Success

We live in a world obsessed with wealth and success. Yet true wealth is not found in gaining the whole world. Even Christians are deluded by monetary wealth and material success, even believing that God promises money. Yet a man with millions and billions who lives a selfish life does not have wealth but abject poverty of spirit. Someone who achieves worldly status by destroying the lives of others is an abysmal failure not a success. In Mark 8:35 Jesus defined true wealth and success as the way of the cross. True riches are the wealth of people that we have sacrificed to serve. True success is also found in rejecting selfish living in this world for a better life in eternity. True celebrity is not in this life, but in joining Jesus in his glory at his coming.

The Selfish Life

The selfish life is appealing. Walking a red carpet to the cheers of worshiping fans drives some of us. Living away from the troubles of the world in a monastic penthouse atop a beautiful mountain appeals to others. Living in the lap of luxury with gold accouterments, marble floors and servants to prepare gourmet meals every day also sounds appealing. Let’s face it. We don’t really believe in denying ourselves anything. We don’t really believe in burdening ourselves with a personal cross. We really believe in gaining the whole world for our country and ourselves. We give lip service to Jesus while in reality we are ashamed of emulating his life of self-sacrifice. We live selfish lives. Why did Jesus have to go and say that our way of life would lead to us losing our lives (Mark 8:35)?

Real Heroes

Real heroes would have to include any who make a great sacrifice for others. That would include soldiers, firefighters, those police officers who truly do protect and serve, missionaries and volunteers who serve the needy. A one-time sacrifice is to be praised, but also a lifetime of sacrifice. In Mark 8:36-37 Jesus defined some ingredients of what it takes to be a true hero. Denying self, taking up our cross and losing our life for the gospel. On one university campus a theology professor asked his students to look out the window at the school of medicine and the school of law. He then said that those graduating from those schools would make many times more than a pastor, but serving Christ is where the true riches are. We are all called to be part of that heroic mission.

My World not Yours

“My job, my flag, my team, my lifestyle, my inheritance, my church, my salvation, my world not yours.” Does any of this sound familiar? It ought to. We all tend to be selfish and our way of life is more about getting than giving. Jesus challenges us to think about another way of life (Mark 8:37). To our habitual way of thinking it seems to be the most miserable and unhappy way of life. That is because we have spent a lifetime steeped in the propaganda of the devil. His propaganda even enters the church as a counterfeit gospel of self-interest rather than self-sacrifice and of gaining our lives only to lose them. This counterfeit Christianity is ashamed of Jesus and his words because it seeks to have us run away from our cross rather than take it up.

Narcissistic Christianity

Narcissism is extreme selfishness. Narcissistic Christianity is therefore not true Christianity, but it is a very popular counterfeit. Rather than sacrificing for others and enduring injustice, it falsely advertises “your best life now,” but teaches a selfish life of setting our minds on the materialistic things of earth not the things of heaven. It lies by saying that our best days are ahead of us, while Christians in some countries await persecution. Narcissistic Christianity substitutes cheap materialism for spiritual wealth, selfishness instead of love of neighbor and promotes unrealistic expectations from this life. Narcissism is being ashamed of Jesus (Mark 8:38). Jesus defined true Christianity as the exact opposite of materialistic narcissism. It involves turning from our selfish ways, taking up our cross and following him. Following Jesus’ example of self-sacrifice is the only way to finding true life.

Outro

Let us take time before the most important feast of the Christian year to fast, pray and give to the needy.

Our best life ever

Intro 

There are only two ways of life, the give way and the get way. Jesus showed us the give way, yet even in the church many don’t believe him. 

Goal 

I want us to understand that giving is really far happier than getting. 

Sermon Plan 

We will discuss how Jesus revealed the way of self-sacrifice and how a false Christianity perpetuates the world’s way of self-centeredness. 

Our best life ever 

The devil deceives us by offering a wide variety of lifestyles with one ingredient in common, self. They all build altars of self-worship filled with idols of self-gratification. We may not all be able to build our own Trump Towers, or have a hundred million dollar trust fund for our children, but the idolatry of self expresses itself in thousands of other ways. It is a delusion that guarantees misery and loneliness. There is a lifestyle which guarantees happiness forever. Jesus described it in words which are the opposite of our culture of self (Mark 8:27-38). He defined a better way of life. It includes words like deny self, take up our cross and lose our self-indulgent lifestyle for the Gospel. This is shocking to a narcissistic, self-centered culture, but it is the way to our best life ever. 

Narcissistic Christianity 

Narcissism is extreme selfishness. Narcissistic Christianity is therefore not true Christianity, but it is a very popular counterfeit. Rather than sacrificing for others and enduring injustice, it falsely advertises “your best life now,” but teaches a selfish life of setting our minds on the materialistic things of earth not the things of heaven. It lies by saying that our best days are ahead of us, while Christians in some countries await persecution. Narcissistic Christianity substitutes cheap materialism for spiritual wealth, selfishness instead of love of neighbor and promotes unrealistic expectations from this life. Narcissism is being ashamed of Jesus (Mark 8:27-38). Jesus defined true Christianity as the exact opposite of materialistic narcissism. It involves turning from our selfish ways, taking up our cross and following him. Following Jesus’ example of self-sacrifice is the only way to finding true life. 

Real heroes 

Real heroes would have to include any who make a great sacrifice for others. That would include soldiers, firefighters, those police officers who truly do protect and serve, missionaries and volunteers who serve the needy. A one-time sacrifice is to be praised, but also a lifetime of sacrifice. In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus defined some ingredients of what it takes to be a true hero. Denying self, taking up our cross and losing our life for the gospel. On one university campus a theology professor asked his students to look out the window at the school of medicine and the school of law. He then said that those graduating from those schools would make many times more than a pastor, but serving Christ is where the true riches are. We are all called to be part of that heroic mission. 

True wealth and success 

We live in a world obsessed with wealth and success. Yet true wealth is not found in gaining the whole world. Even Christians are deluded by monetary wealth and material success, even believing that God promises money. Yet a man with millions and billions who lives a selfish life does not have wealth but abject poverty of spirit. Someone who achieves worldly status by destroying the lives of others is an abysmal failure not a success. In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus defined true wealth and success as the way of the cross. True riches are the wealth of people that we have sacrificed to serve. True success is also found in rejecting selfish living in this world for a better life in eternity. True celebrity is not in this life, but in joining Jesus in his glory at his coming. 

Church growth at the expense of truth 

Some churches are growing while mainstream churches are dying. Yet, where are we more likely to hear the Gospel? The simple fact is that mainstream churches are far more likely to read a Gospel text each week. In large popular churches we are more likely to hear a materialistic motivational speech about health and wealth that actually contradicts the Gospel. The good news is that living a selfless life is a life of abundant blessings, but it is not popular. People do not want to hear about emulating someone who lived a life of poverty and sacrificed himself for others. They want to hear about making money and having things. Mainstream churches are tempted to change from the Gospel to empty-headed fluffy topical sermons that deny denying self (Mark 8:27-38). That is church growth at the expense of truth. 

My world not yours 

“My job, my flag, my team, my lifestyle, my inheritance, my church, my salvation, my world not yours.” Does any of this sound familiar? It ought to. We all tend to be selfish and our way of life is more about getting than giving. Jesus challenges us to think about another way of life (Mark 8:27-38). To our habitual way of thinking it seems to be the most miserable and unhappy way of life. That is because we have spent a lifetime steeped in the propaganda of the devil. His propaganda even enters the church as a counterfeit gospel of self-interest rather than self-sacrifice and of gaining our lives only to lose them. This counterfeit Christianity is ashamed of Jesus and his words because it seeks to have us run away from our cross rather than take it up. 

The selfish life 

The selfish life is appealing. Walking a red carpet to the cheers of worshiping fans drives some of us. Living away from the troubles of the world in a monastery penthouse atop a beautiful mountain appeals to others. Living in the lap of luxury with gold accoutrements, marble floors and servants to prepare gourmet meals every day also sounds appealing. Let’s face it. We don’t really believe in denying ourselves anything. We don’t really believe in burdening ourselves with a personal cross. We really believe in gaining the whole world for our country and ourselves. We give lip service to Jesus while in reality we are ashamed of emulating his life of self-sacrifice. We live selfish lives. Why did Jesus have to go and say that our way of life would lead to us losing our lives (Mark 8:27-38)? 

Outro 

There are only two ways of life, the give way and the get way. Jesus showed us the give way, yet even in the church many don’t believe him. The way of self-sacrifice is the way to true success and happiness.

Sermon: Against all Hope

Intro 

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed God's promises and became the father of many nations. Christianity is about long-term thinking, not short-term pleasure. It is about sacrifice for the greater hope and not giving in to fleshly desires and destroying our hope. 

Goal 

To explore how hope comes in choosing the difficult and not the easy path. 

Sermon Plan 

We will look at the purpose of the most important anointing in human history, the anointing of Jesus, the anointed one, the purpose of taking up our cross and following the example of his anointing. We will see how temporary suffering produces far greater long-term rewards than giving in to the easy way. We will see that against all hope, we willingly suffer what we must now for the greater hope tomorrow. 

Anointed for What 

In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus asked his students, “Who do you[-all] say I am?” Peter correctly answered: Christ or Messiah (the anointed one) but what does that mean? For Jesus, it meant suffering and death on the cross. Peter did not want to hear it and rebuked Jesus for predicting it. But that is what being the anointed one meant. It also means that anyone who follows Christ must likewise be willing to give of themselves in order to serve human kind. There is a form of Christianity which claims to be spirit-filled, but is in reality self-centered and materialistic. It focuses on personal spiritual experiences instead of serving others and accumulating wealth for self instead of giving it away for others. Against all hope Christ focused upon totally giving up the self in order that others may live. 

Unpopular Jesus 

A popular message is that Jesus can help you get your life back, but that’s not exactly how Jesus said it. In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus said, “whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” We don’t want to lose our lives. Our natural desire is to preserve our way of life. Yet such a selfish life is a dead life. The only work worth doing is that of giving to others. When we we give, we gain the whole world. It is a message that is so contrary to our natural thinking that we believe it is a lie. Certainly, giving up our lives is not a popular message, but according to Jesus, it is the way to save our lives. 

Difficult Scriptures 

Some Bible passages which are hard to understand are called difficult scriptures. In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” What cross? For a thousand years overlapping the life of Christ, crucifixion was a method of capital punishment among several ancient peoples including the Romans. Convicted criminals were sometimes required to carry either the cross beam or the entire cross to the place of execution. For Christians to take up their crosses it means that we must deny our selfish, natural desires and devote ourselves to the service of Jesus and others. This is one of the most uncomfortable sayings of Jesus. It is not hard to understand. It is difficult to do. Often it is the easiest to understand which are the hardest passages. 

Against all Hope 

Christians are not called to do the easy thing. We are called to do the difficult thing that seems to be against all hope (Mark 8:27-38). Following Jesus is to lay aside the easy way and choose what appears to be the more difficult path. Just as Jesus gave up his life on the cross, so too do we carry our cross and take the difficult path to self-sacrifice. Few of us are called to do like Abraham and make a supreme personal sacrifice by leaving our country to follow God, yet we are called to selflessness. Against all hope, Abraham hoped in God’s promises (Romans 4:13-25) and became the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16). Like his promise to Abraham, God’s promise to us is a better life beyond the temporary sacrifices of the present.

Application

I once knew a young mechanic who took every factory training course offered by his company. The other mechanics could not be bothered. They wanted the easy path. In his mid 20's he became the boss over his much older co-workers, because he took the hard road. In all of life's endeavors, there are those who choose short-term pain for long-term gain. Athletes cannot go home and relax between games, they must train. At college there are the party people who lose and the hard workers who succeed. Anything worthwhile involves short-term pain for long-term gain. There are two paths to take in life. The easy path starts out smooth, but ends up rough. The hard road often starts out difficult, but end up smoother.

Outro 

Christianity is about long-term thinking, not short-term pleasure. It is about sacrifice for the greater hope and not giving in to fleshly desires and destroying our hope. Before us stands the choice. We can choose short-term pleasure and long-term pain, or we can choose self-denial now and the real hope of long-term blessings beyond measure. Against all hope let us believe in the blessings that come from God through long-term thinking.