Sunday Sermon

"What's Your Life Worth?"
[Mark 8:21-9:1]
May 14, 2006 Second Reformed Church

It was the most important revelation -- a revelation that Jesus said that God gave to Peter -- it was not something that he figured out on his own. Peter confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And Jesus said, "Yes, I am."

And then Jesus began to teach them what must happen to Him. He began to teach the disciples that He had to suffer and be rejected. He explained to them, for the first time, that for Him to fulfill His Work as the Promised Savior, He had to suffer and be rejected. So we see, from the first, that Jesus was willing to fulfill the prophecy that was made about Him.

Jesus explained that he would be rejected by the religious leaders and the religious scholars of the day -- the very people who logic would say would recognize who He is. But they would not recognize Him. Just as the prophets said. Instead, they would persecute Him and seek to trap Him and, eventually, the would succeed in having Him put to death. Jesus explained that this is what had to happen, to fulfill the prophets, and He was going to fulfill all the prophecy about himself, willingly, even to the point of death. Paul wrote, "Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).

But death would not be the end. No, death would lead to the beginning, because He would rise from the dead three days later. Jesus spoke these things to His disciples clearly, plainly, not in parables, so that they would understand, so there would be no confusion. They understood exactly what He was saying to them -- at least they understood the words. And then Peter jumped up, again, and he rebuked the Man that he had just confessed to be the Savior and the Son of God, as Matthew recorded it, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22b)

And Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan. You do not have your mind set on the divine but on the human." And Jesus still says the same thing to us, "Get behind me, Satan. You do not have your mind set on the divine but on the human."

Yesterday we had our Flea Market. Why? "Because we need the money. Because we want to be able to give Christmas gifts to the General Fund and to the staff." While those things are true, was there anything that made this a different Flea Market than one held at Florence Avenue Elementary School? "Well, we wanted people to know the church is here. Some people were even invited to the church." That's more on track, but what is our purpose here -- for everything that we do? If our minds are set on the divine, and not merely on the human, we have our Flea Market to glorify God. We gather together as the church to glorify God. Our purpose is His Glory. And to whatever extent our main purpose is not to glorify God, Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan. You do not have your mind set on the divine but on the human."

Peter was not possessed by Satan, but he was following after Satan's agenda, rather than God's. Jesus had to fulfill all of the Old Testament prophecy, otherwise He is a fraud, and Peter wasn't thinking about that. Peter was thinking, "I will not lose my rabbi; He can do too much good alive. This will not happen." And we hear that little hiss, because the devil is happy when we depart from God, when we turn our minds from Him, even just a little. We must build on God's Word Alone. Jesus said that the prophets said that He must suffer and die and rise again, and that was what He was going to do, to the glory of His Father.

Notice that Peter took Jesus aside to rebuke Him, but Jesus turned to the disciples and rebuked Peter in front of all of them. He did this to make sure they understood that they were to be focused on God and God's Will.

And Jesus told the crowd that anyone who wants to follow Him must do three things: he must deny himself, he must take up his cross, and he must be willing to follow Him in suffering like Him.

If we want to follow Christ, we must deny ourselves. Paul told Titus that God is "training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:12). If we are to follow Christ, we must deny all those things that lead us into sin and we must deny ourselves the freedom to sin. It's simply a matter of deciding what is of greater value to us: our sin or Christ. Which is greater -- which is of greater value: the infinitely glorious salvation in Jesus Christ, or the fleeting pleasures of sin?

If we want to follow Christ, we will take up His cross. Paul warned Timothy, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Timothy 3:12). Notice, it's a promise. If we live as Jesus has called us to life, we will be persecuted, just as He was persecuted as He obeyed the will of His Father. What is of greater value: the infinitely glorious salvation in Jesus Christ, or being perceived as sane and wise in the eyes of the world?

If we want to follow Christ, we will follow Him in suffering like Him. Paul wrote, "Whatever gain I had, I counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith -- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in death" (Philippians 3:7-10). If we are to become like Christ in all things as we continue on this road to sanctification -- to being made holy -- to be made like our Brother, Jesus, all things includes suffering. Physically. Fatally.

The commentator George Petter notes that suffering, even for Christ, is not a natural or easy things to do. But as we prepare for the affliction that will come in one way or another as we are made like Him in all things, Petter suggests that we meditate on Christ's Cross. John Piper's book, Fifty Reasons Christ Came to Die , that we handed out for Easter, would be helpful to read. Petter also suggests that we pray for strength and wisdom in suffering and that we increase in spiritual strength, through worship -- in reading and hearing the Scripture read, and also preached, and through the sacraments.

It's not optional for Christians. Peter wrote, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps" (I Peter 2:22). And Paul also wrote, "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2).

It really comes down to understanding what your life is worth. Jesus went on, in this morning's Scripture to say, if we save our lives for ourselves, if we live only for ourselves, and not for God, even if we gain the whole world, power and pleasure and prestige -- after a life of frivolous please, we will be lost. You won't be saved, you'll be lost. But, Jesus said, if we're willing to lose our lives, if we're willing to suffer and die, if we're willing to lose everything we have, if we're willing to lose our friends and family and our reputation -- everything -- for His Sake and for the sake of the Gospel -- if we are totally enraptured with the things of God, then we can be assured that we are and shall be received into the infinitely glorious salvation in Jesus Christ.

Jesus spoke these words to John and the angel of the church in Smyrna, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you in prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. But be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). That doesn't make sense to the world; it doesn't make sense to the natural man. If we believe in Jesus Alone for our salvation -- if we have faith that it was His suffering on the cross that paid the debt for our sin and it was His Obedience to the Law that makes us righteous, through His Gift to us -- then nothing that happens to us, not even the worst torture the devil can bring down on us, not even death itself, none of these things will trouble us in the end, because it is only through Jesus Alone that we have life -- eternal life.

If we are ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel now, if we do not want to live as He has called us to live, if we don't find our joy in Him and His Word, then He will cast us away on the last day. But if our greatest joy is Christ, then, in the long run, we can say, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18) and "our lives are worthwhile and worthy in Jesus Christ, and since He is our Infinitely Glorious Salvation, it is nothing to lose our lives for His Sake and for the Gospel."

Let us notice one more thing this morning:

Then Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power." What does this have to do with the discussion Jesus was having?

Jesus understood that the Gospel sounds like foolishness. We have the ability to look back and know that the resurrection has occurred and our salvation is secured. But Jesus had not fulfilled that prophecy at the time that He spoke these words. What Jesus was telling them was that some of them would be given the honor of seeing the curtain pulled back. Some of them would be allowed to glimpse the glory of the Kingdom of God and it's power, before it has fully come to earth. Jesus was saying that some of them would be allowed a glimpse of the glory of His Kingdom that He was saying is worth more that everything this world and sin can offer. Six days after He made this promise, it was kept.

And if the Lord wills, we will hear God's Word on that next Sunday.

Let us pray:
Sovereign God, we thank You for making it known to us that You have a Glorious Plan that You are bringing about that includes Your people. Make the Holy Spirit lead us in understanding and in keeping our mind and heart and soul and body set on the divine, looking always for the full revealing of Your Kingdom and the completion of our salvation, when we are fully sanctified and then glorified in Your Presence. Fill us with awe and humility and make it our joy and our goal to say, "Have Thy Own Way, Lord." In Jesus Name, Amen.