Mark 8:31-38

Second Sunday in Lent

March 8, 2009

Mark 8:31-38 (New International Version)

Jesus Predicts His Death

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^[a] 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."

HAVE IN MIND THE THINGS OF GOD!

I. About the sacrifice which Jesus brought

II. About the life which Jesus taught

One of our country’s most successful, yet controversial radio personalities is Rush Limbaugh. If you ever listen to him he often says that his “mission” is to keep broadcasting till everyone in America agrees with him. Some accuse him of being arrogant when he says things like that. But lest we be too judgmental, don’t we all think that same thing? What I mean is this: don’t we all have tucked away in the recesses of our minds the opinion that things would be so much better in the world if everyone thought the way we did?

Although it might be arrogant for a Rush Limbaugh or for us to want people to have our mindset, it isn’t arrogance for Jesus to want that. In fact that is what he was getting at when he scolded Peter, “You don’t have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” From what Jesus said to Peter we could say that what Jesus wants from each of us is to “have in mind the things of God.” That’s the thought we want to consider today. As we meditate on these words of Jesus may each of us learn TO HAVE IN MIND THE THINGS OF GOD! I. Accept the sacrifice which Jesus bought and II. Lead the life which Jesus taught.

The events of our text took place a few months before Jesus’ death. It was the beginning of the end of Jesus’ ministry. During those final days Jesus began to instruct his disciples about what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem; how he would suffer at the hands of enemies, be put to death, and after three days rise from the dead. Jesus didn’t keep his disciples in the dark about the sacrifice he was about to make. He spoke plainly about it. But, as we already mentioned, Peter objected to this. “Never, Lord, never shall this happen to you.” In response to Peter’s rebuke, Jesus rebuked him. “Out of my sight Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.”

What did Jesus mean by these words? Apparently Peter, even after spending three years of learning from Jesus, still didn’t understand the nature of Christ’s work. Apparently he still thought, like so many other Jews, that the promised Messiah was going to establish an earthly kingdom and sit on an earthly throne. And so Peter didn’t understand or didn’t want to accept the fact that the Jesus was going to have to suffer and die. So Jesus had to make it very clear and simple for Peter and the others that he had come for only one purpose--to go the cross to bring the sacrifice that would take away man’s sin. And anyone, including Peter, who stood in the way that would be serving Satan’s purposes, not God’s.

Since Satan couldn’t stop Jesus from going to the cross to win our salvation, he tries to prevent us from going to the cross to receive it. How does Satan try to do that? One way is by getting us to shut our ears to the message. Peter didn’t want to hear about Jesus’ suffering and death because it didn’t agree with his opinion about what Jesus should be doing. We may not want to hear it because we think we know it all already or think it’s just too boring. Another way Satan tries to keep us from the cross is by getting us to think that we don’t need the sacrifice that Jesus brought! It’s easy to understand why he had to die for others, but sometimes we may not always be willing to acknowledge our own need! In these two examples I’ve given we can see how even our proud sinful heart can quickly become an ally of Satan just like Peter. Daily we need to say to Satan and self, “Get behind me,” and daily we need to go the Savior’s cross to find forgiveness in the sacrifice he brought. In that way we will have in mind the things of God.

Another question that comes to mind is this: “Do we have in mind these things of God when it comes to our work as a congregation?” In other words, what is the purpose and focus of our church? What is the purpose and focus of every organization and every committee and every educational agency of our church? Is it plain to see that what we are about here is the sacrifice which Jesus brought? We pray that it is, because if it isn’t, if ever we start getting caught up in primarily social issues, if ever we think that the work of our church or schools is to change society’s evils or to create a heaven here on earth, then we do not have in the mind the things of God, but the things of men. Then we would be guilty of serving the Devil’s purposes of keeping people from the cross rather than leading them to it. By God’s grace may each us always accept the sacrifice Jesus brought so that by faith we have its saving blessings, and may we as a congregation always strive to bring that sacrifice to others that they may have the blessings of salvation too! That’s having in mind the things of God!

II. Not only are we to have in mind the things of God about the sacrifice which Jesus brought, but also about the life which Jesus taught. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If 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.”

It’s plainly clear what Jesus is saying here. Unlike much of American evangelicalism that would have us believe that the Christian’s life in this world is one of glory and success, the life of the Christian will also be the way of the cross or of suffering. Now let’s be very clear on what this means. When someone says about their health problems, or family problems, or financial problems, “this is the cross God wants me to bear,” we understand what they mean. There are times when God allows us to undergo such tribulation. But technically speaking health, family, or financial problems are not “crosses.” For these are things to which unbelievers are subject too living in a world under the condemnation and contamination of sin! No, the cross we are to carry for Christ is what we suffer or what we may have to deny ourselves simply because of who we are--followers of Christ. For example, when a young Christian woman gives up a boyfriend of whom she’s very fond because she knows that that relationship may lead her away from the Lord, she’s denying herself and taking up the cross. When a Christian couple gives up a circle of friends whose company they enjoy, because they know that those friend are leading them into a sinful lifestyle, that’s denying oneself and taking up a cross. When a Christian gives up a chance at a promotion or a better paying job because he knows that that job will bring him into conflict with his Christian ethics or may take him to a part of the country where opportunity to hear God’s Word is almost nil, he has denied himself and is taking up the cross. That’s having in mind the things of God about the life which Jesus taught.

Or think of what these words say to us as members of a congregation. Do we always have in mind the things of God when it comes to church attendance, Bible class attendance, our offerings? Do we deny ourselves by putting God first? Have we ever been ashamed of Jesus and the teachings of his Word? Have we ever failed to speak up and confess Christ to others? Only you can answer such questions for yourself. If you haven’t always put God first, or if you have ever denied him or have been ashamed of him, now is the time to adjust your thinking and to have in mind the things of God. Go to the cross and there find the forgiveness Jesus won for our failures to live the life he has taught, and then, in that forgiveness, resolve with God’s help to have in mind the things of God by putting him and his Word first in your life.

My dear friends, if Jesus was not ashamed to wear a crown of thorns for us or to be spit upon for us, or to die such a shameful death for us, may we, by the power of his Holy Spirit, never be ashamed of believing and confessing and living all he tells us in his Word. Then by, his grace, we will live the life which Jesus taught.

I don’t believe that Rush Limbaugh or we have the power to convince all people to think the way we do. But I do know that God’s Word has power to change the thinking in our hearts. He already has. By his grace through faith we do accept the sacrifice Jesus brought. By his grace we do have the desire to live the life Jesus taught. Thanks be to God, we have in mind the things of God!