August 30, 2010
SIGHT UNSEEN: WEEK 2
Posted by Michael
Learn:
Mark 8:22-27
27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29"But what about you?" he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
References:
Matthew 5:13-16
Main Idea:
The most important question you can ever ask yourself is, “Who do I believe Jesus is?” The way you answer that question changes everything. Saying that Jesus was a super nice guy who had some good ideas is not a viable option. He was a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. In Mark 8, Peter makes the claim that Jesus is the Christ. He was absolutely correct. The problem was that he had a wrong view of what that meant. He expected that Jesus would raise up an army and restore power to Israel. So when Jesus began to talk about suffering, Peter did not understand. He wanted Jesus to have the crown without the cross. Jesus, however, willingly carried His cross, and commands us to do the same. We don’t get to choose our burdens, but we do get to choose our crosses. A cross is something that we choose to do, just as Jesus chose to go to Calvary. To pick up your cross is to choose to serve the needs of others and thereby to serve God. If we are to truly follow Jesus it means that we must surrender our selfishness to God.
Know What: To acknowledge the truth that “Jesus is King” is not enough; we must also understand the way He has decided to usher in His Kingdom.
So What: Although Jesus was King, he chose to pick up His cross instead of a crown and wants us to do the same.
Now What: Pick up your cross by dying to yourself everyday and surrendering yourself to Jesus.
Discuss…
1. Have you ever tried to fit Jesus into what your idea of a Messiah should be? How does this view differ from the things Jesus says and does in Scripture? Are there any false expectations about Jesus that you are still holding on to?
2. Why are people so quick to accept Jesus as “good teacher”, but not as the Christ? Do you believe Jesus can fit into any other category besides “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?” If so, what are they?
3. Peter wanted Jesus to attain His crown (rewards) without picking up His cross (suffering). Jesus could have easily done this, but chose not to. Why do you think Jesus decided to pick up His cross before attaining His crown?
4. What is the difference between a burden, a thorn, and a cross? What are some burdens and thorns in your life? Are there any crosses?
5. Is there any situation you are currently dealing with where you are trying to attain a crown before picking up a cross? How can you pick up your cross in this situation?
Next Steps…
This week, look for opportunities to pick up your cross. Remember that picking up a cross is a deliberate choice of something that could be evaded. It is the act of denying yourself to serve the needs of others when you are not required to, as Jesus did. As you pick up your cross this week, pray that you would get a clearer image of who Jesus is.
