Losing Your Way to Find It

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[0:00] Our sermon text this morning comes from Mark 8, 27 through 38, and I'll be reading this morning from NLT. Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, who do people say I am? Well, they replied, some say John the Baptist. Some say Elijah. Others say that you are one of the prophets.

[0:34] Then he asked them, but who do you say I am? Peter replied, you are the Messiah. But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 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 life. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

[1:13] 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 God's. Then, calling the church, he said, He was so proud to join his disciples, he said, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way. Take up your cross and follow me. 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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and wronged, I will not forgive him. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive.

[2:07] And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. And therefore he therefore deems me deceptive. truly stunning place in Israel where the vegetation is just extraordinarily lush. And there's a great rushing waterfall. It's called the Banias Waterfall. And we didn't have a chance to visit this area on our church trip to Israel. But if we make it back as a group sometime, I really would love to have the chance to explore that area again. This water supply made the area well-traveled in ancient times. It lies close to the Way of the Sea, which is talked about in the Book of Isaiah. And that's a route that was taken by many great armies. And I think it's because they had just all these natural resources available at hand.

[3:11] So as they're marching long distances, they could be provided for. And so throughout history, many people have found this area to be sacred and have set up altars to worship various gods. It's now called Banias because in the time of Hellenistic rule, a great temple was constructed in honour of the god Pan or Bania. And so walking along that area you're going to see small caves in the great rock structures all over. And not just caves, but hundreds and hundreds of little altars carved into the stone as far as the eye can see. Some of them are really high up, and I don't know how they did that. But they're really high. and the greater you thought the God was, the higher you would erect these altars and temples. Now, each one is dedicated to a different God. And I tell you this because I can think of no place more beautiful and no place more significant than this region for Peter to make the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah. And this is in Caesarea Philippi where our passage takes place today. So imagine walking along through this beauty and yet seeing altar after altar after altar dedicated to what you know to be these false gods. And then Jesus turns and asks you, Who do people say I am? Well, that's an easy question.

[4:47] It doesn't require much sacrifice. Who do people say I am? Well, so and so down the street, I heard him say that you were, a prophet. And this guy over here thinks that you're John the Baptist. And then Jesus changes the game a little. And he says, Who do you think that I am? And now all of a sudden it's personal. And there amidst all these false gods, you have an aha moment. Right?

[5:42] Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? He's only human. He couldn't have understood the full weight of his own declaration. He couldn't have even understood what being the Messiah truly meant. He was declaring Jesus God over all these false gods without truly comprehending it. Jesus told him, yes, the Messiah sent from God, yes, this is the declaration that the church would be built upon. That doesn't happen in this passage that we read today, but it happens in parallel passages in Matthew.

[6:26] These words that Peter declared, the whole church would be founded upon those. That Jesus is God's chosen Messiah, God himself incarnate in human flesh to do the work of salvation on behalf of all humanity.

[6:43] Peter was a good man. He intended well. Now we know what Peter expected of the long foretold Messiah. And that was that he would be a great warrior and a political force, a human king who would deliver Israel from their human enemies. And they had a lot of them. They were so beyond sick and tired of being forced into a life that was so much less than what God wanted for them. They were always at the hands of their enemies. They wanted that human suffering to come to an end. They were waiting for this Messiah, this political king to come and conquer their enemies and lead Israel into greatness once again. Lead Israel to be this political force and this worldly nation that somehow excelled under God's guidance.

[7:47] That was what Peter expected. human king who would bring Israel back to the ways of God and save Israel from their suffering. And nobody can do that if they are weak, and they certainly cannot do that if they're dead. So when Jesus just starts talking to the disciples about suffering and terrible, these terrible things and being rejected and even being killed, well, Peter couldn't let that happen because you can't lead Israel to greatness and glory and safety if you're dead. And perhaps he thought Jesus was maybe telling them he needed an army to protect him. Maybe he was trying to rise the disciples up. Maybe he thought Jesus was giving up before he truly started his campaign. Whatever it was he was thinking, I don't think that we as equally flawed and uninformed humans have any right to give him any flack. Right? Right? Right? Right? Right?

[8:51] Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right Right was worldly glory, a life where people would worship him as king instead of a life where he would suffer and die for those who were basically his enemies.

[9:20] The book of Romans says that while we were still sinners, and some versions of it say while we were still God's enemies, Christ died for us. What a great, horrifying temptation. Most of us would have given into it. Where's the competition between being glorified as a king and being tortured at the hands of your enemies? And these words spouting from Peter's mouth, you could be great. Don't talk about dying. Don't talk about suffering. You're going to be our king. You're going to deliver us. But thank God Jesus recognized this temptation and defeated it.

[10:04] Now, before we get into the book of Romans, I want to talk about a book called The Book of Romans. Before Peter had a chance to feel the sting of the comment, Jesus addressed the large crowd of people. He said to all of them. So he was speaking to Peter as an individual. He was speaking to all of his close disciples. But he was also speaking to every individual in the crowd at large so that everybody who was intimately connected with him and even everybody who had just on a whim decided to join that crowd that day. Would equally hear him and have a chance to respond. He said, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross and follow me. 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.

[10:59] So if anyone would come after Jesus, they must do three things. deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. I've actually had this song from when I was in junior high and I started going to church in my head for a week straight because of this passage. I won't sing it. I don't think any of you know it. I think it was a song from my old church, but it just says those three things over and over and over in the chorus and it's terribly, terribly irritating. Anyhow, what does it mean to deny oneself? This is a phrase that we sometimes hear thrown around today as in someone denies himself the simple pleasures in life. So I looked up the dictionary definition of the phrase and it was to not allow oneself to enjoy things or have the things one wants. The dictionary made reference to being on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a

[12:09] diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I think about the spiritual life of a person who is on a diet. I And that's kind of dumb because you weren't going to do that anyway. But that's how Lent works and how sometimes fasting works. We sometimes make a grand gesture of fasting by giving up things that we don't really depend on or we don't really want that much anyhow.

[12:48] So Jesus doesn't want you to stop enjoying things. And he doesn't want you to go without things that you want necessarily. Unless those things that you want are things that also take you away from the things of God or that distract you from God's purposes. Really Jesus was referring to something bigger or something more. When we think about ourself, we have to think on a couple of different levels. We think about our God-given self or our identity. And that's what we want. What makes us unique and what makes us the human that God created us to be. Well that's not the definition of self that Jesus calls us to deny. But the Bible often refers to a different kind of self. The old and the unredeemed version of ourself. The self that craves corruption and the things of the flesh over the things of God. It's that self which we are called to deny. Jesus calls us to turn away. From our own plans and desires when they go against the plans and desires of God. We're to stop trying to gratify our human selves at the cost of others.

[14:09] Or at the cost of being in opposition to God's will. Jesus further calls people to face the potential loss of family, of friends, of reputation, of material goods, of career, and personal dreams and followings. There are some people he even calls to face the loss of life and martyrdom.

[14:34] Jesus didn't say that we would face these things. We don't necessarily have to face these losses and deaths. But only that we sincerely need to be willing to lose all of these things for his sake. Essentially, Jesus was talking about the process of becoming his own self. He was talking about the process of becoming his true disciples. If anyone wants to be my disciple, then he has to be different from what he or she is now. The people in the crowds had no real commitment to him that day. His disciples were on the way. But even Peter, who seemed to get it right a lot of the time, even Peter did not fully understand.

[15:23] I don't think even we fully understand. What it truly means to give up everything to be a follower of Jesus. To deny oneself means to humbly submit yourself to God's will. To willingly and even lovingly say no to the things that you want or that would draw you away from what's best for God's people in his kingdom. And then to say yes to those things that you wouldn't otherwise say yes to. Had it not been for the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit in your life.

[16:01] We are prideful beings and we want to say that I am numero uno. And we are automatically programmed to think that we are the most important thing when it comes to decisions we make. What would it look like to put the kingdom of God ahead of yourself in your decision making every single day? I think we are all good at putting the kingdom of God ahead of ourselves sometimes.

[16:34] I think that everyone in here has the true desire to do that. I really firmly believe that. But what would it look like to every single decision you make to say what is best for God's glory? Or what is best for other people before myself? That is a really hard thing to do.

[16:56] We are not alone because Jesus denied himself too. In fact that is why he said get away from me Satan to Peter. Because Jesus was only human. There is no way he wanted to suffer and die at the hands of his enemies. But he denied himself for the purpose of following God's way.

[17:16] So here is a question for you to think about. And I am going to have you just turn to the couple of people you are sitting next to. And discuss this. We won't have any set time. I will just kind of wait until the conversation dies down. But I want you to discuss where does Jesus' way conflict with my way?

[17:38] That could be in the past. It could be in the present. It could be something that changes day by day. But where does Jesus' way conflict with my way? And I just want you, yeah just take a couple of minutes to turn toward who you are sitting with. And discuss it. And when it looks like conversation is quiet then we will continue on.

[18:25] And I want you to think about this. And I want you to think about this. Thank you. Is there one group that's still going? Or two groups? Do we need a little more time? Okay. So we're called to deny ourselves. And that's a hard thing to do. And I think that's the hardest thing to do. Is to say, you know what? I'm going to let Jesus' way take over and put my way on the back burner. Or maybe get rid of my way altogether. That's one of the hardest things I can think of.

[22:13] But then the next thing we're called to do is to take up his cross. And what does it mean to take up the cross? Some people think that they're taking up. The cross. When they're suffering. Either with sickness or disease. Or suffering under some sort of injustice or pain. Others think it's going through some type of hardship in life.

[22:40] People will say, well, that's the cross that I bear. And we all want to have the crown of glory without taking up the cross. Peter and the others wanted Jesus to be this human. Political king. Without having to suffer. And without having to go to the cross. They didn't want him to suffer pain or rejection. Or to die. And Peter was ready to receive the glory. But not the persecution.

[23:11] Peter only saw part of the big picture. And that's the way that we are too. Second Timothy 2 says, if we suffer or endure. We will suffer. We shall also reign with him. If we deny him. He will also deny us. The Romans. All Romans. Knew what it meant to shoulder a cross. A person carried their own cross. As not just part of their punishment. But to signify that they were submitting to Rome's power.

[23:49] Jesus used carrying a cross to illustrate the submission required to follow him. He was not saying we should seek out pain needlessly. But that we would be willing to carry our own cross one day at a time to do his will. Even when the work is difficult. Even when we are humiliated or rebuffed. Or treated unfairly. Or even when our pride is hurt.

[24:14] In the scripture Jesus tells them that each person must take up their own cross. Even though it's difficult. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to do it. Now Matthew 10.38 says. Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. And Luke 14.27 says. Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me can't be my disciple.

[24:47] Sometimes we have to suffer with Jesus. Sometimes we have to suffer with God. Because of who Jesus called us to be. Sometimes it is difficult to be a Christian. And that's okay. That it's okay if we're insulted for being a Christian. As long as we are blameless. I know that often times Christians are not blameless these days.

[25:21] And sometimes. They take insult. When they've done something to deserve it. And that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about. Is when you are living a truly blameless life in Christ. And because of your relationship with Christ. You have to suffer. Maybe you are having a job loss because of your Christianity. Or maybe you are losing friends because of your relationship with Christ. When you are suffering for the sake of Christ. That is taking up your cross. And there will be times as Christians that that happens. And it hurts. But it's okay. Because ultimately there is glory in Christ.

[26:16] After the suffering. Now finally Jesus bids us to follow him. And this means to obey him. We don't like that word obey in our culture and time. We don't like anyone to be our boss but ourselves. But let's let obeying him become our way of life. And not just when we feel like it. And not just when it's easy. But daily.

[26:43] Jesus said we must follow him. The disciples were all individually called. They left their family. Their friends. Their jobs. To follow Jesus. And obviously in the crowd as Jesus spoke that day. There were those who had still not come to him for salvation.

[27:02] In calling people to salvation. Jesus called them to a life of loyal obedience and service. He made the terms clear. If we don't deny ourselves. Carry our cross. And follow Jesus. We cannot be his disciple. And there is a reason. There is no such thing as a no cost, no sacrifice form of discipleship. Discipleship requires service to Jesus and obedience to his will. A person will live like and ultimately look like the one that they serve. So who are you serving? Who do you resemble? When people look at you do they see God shining through you? When we do choose to serve Jesus as a master. We will start to look like him and reflect him more and more to the world around us. But further Jesus says that whoever wants to save his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for Jesus and the gospel will save it.

[28:04] You will never waste your life by following him. And we think that in our culture don't we? We think that if we do not make ourselves our master. Then we're submitting to someone else. And that's not the life we choose to leave. Or choose to lead. But when we submit to Jesus and follow him. We are actually gaining life.

[28:28] Where does Jesus' way conflict with your way today? What do you stand to lose by following Jesus? And what do you stand to gain? Let's pray. Our God we thank you for your sacrifice for us. We thank you that you denied yourself.

[28:50] That you took up the cross for the glory of God. And that you obeyed God's will. God we ask that you would help us to do the same in all of our days. These things we pray in Jesus' name.