Download “Plain Talk About The Cross” Mk. 8:27-38 St. John`s

“Plain Talk About The Cross”
St. John’s - East Moline
Mk. 8:27-38
04/03/12
Intro.: Have you ever had a friend who has no filter; someone who just says whatever is on their mind no
matter how politically incorrect or offensive? I find it amusing, even refreshing, at least when it is not directed
against me. Most of us, however, understand that there are situations when it is best to be diplomatic; to be
careful in the choice and timing of our words. Hopefully, we are equally aware of those times when it is
necessary to just tell it like it is. As your pastor I have often battled over the choice between what I should and
must say, and what I feel I can say in a given situation.
In today’s Gospel Jesus looked into the faces of his disciples, who confessed Him as “the Christ, the Son of
the Living God.” and knew that the time for speaking in parables had ended. His days with them were growing
short, and it was important for them to be prepared for what was coming. The circumstances required some
“Plain Talk About The Cross”. The first thing Jesus offered them was...
I. Plain Talk About His (Christ’s) Sacrifice. (vv. 27-32)
A. He spoke plainly about the difficult things that it was necessary for Him to do for His disciples and for us.
He said,“the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and the teachers of
the law, and the he must be killed...” Up to this point most of the disciples had failed to connect their
confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, with what the prophets had said concerning the sacrifice He
would offer for the sins of the world.
Seeing the glory of His transfiguration, and witnessing the miracles of healing, casting out demons, and
even raising the dead, they knew that Jesus was greater than John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets.
They believed that He was the One of whom the prophets had spoken, who had the power and authority of God
to save His people. It was clear to them that the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord was upon Him, that He had been
anointed to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of God’s
vengeance. (Is. 61)
What they failed to remember, though, was the way in which this would be accomplished; that the Christ
would be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom
men hide their face...”; that He would “(take) up our infirmities and (carry) our sorrows, (being) pierced for our
transgressions, (and) crushed for our iniquities;” and that “the punishment that (would bring) us peace was upon
him, (so that) by his wounds we are healed, (because) the Lord (would lay) the iniquity of us all upon Him.” (Is.
53)
Jesus had to speak plainly to His disciples about what He must do to make atonement for their sins, our
sins and the sins of the whole world. Because God is just and must punish sin, He cannot simply overlook
them like a permissive grandfather, who thinks the destructive behavior of a sugared up toddler is cute. Our
sin, every thought which has been contrary to the mind of God, every word which has shamed him or hurt
others, every action which has violated His will for us, must be punished. This is why Christ came into the world:
To live a holy life for us and then to offer Himself as the innocent Lamb of God to pay for our sins.
There was no other way and there is no other way. It was necessary for the Christ to be despised and
rejected, to suffer and feel sorrow. He had to carry our sins to the cross and be pierced to bring us spiritual
healing and peace with God. As Paul writes in our epistle: “Therefore since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled
to him through the death of His Son.”
B. When the disciples and many of us demonstrate our ignorance and misunderstanding regarding important
matters of faith there can be no beating around the bush. It requires plain talk.
Even after making his bold confession Peter still did not comprehend Christ’s mission. When Jesus talked
plainly about what he must do, he took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him as if His Lord were some kind of
foolish little schoolboy speaking nonsense. None of the apostle wanted to hear this talk about Christ’s
suffering and death. Whether Peter’s desire to avoid the cross was for his own sake or for Christ’s, whether
his intentions were good or bad is not the issue. He was refusing to accept the necessity of Christ’s suffering
and death for his sin.
I know that there are some of you who are still unclear about the necessity of Christ and His atoning
sacrifice on the cross. I don’t doubt that you believe that He did it for you, and I do not question that you
cherish His sacrificial love, but like Peter some of you would take the Lord aside and chastise Him, saying “surely
there must be another way Lord!
It seems so unjust that you would condemn even good people who have
rejected or possibly not even heard the Gospel.” This is why Jesus had to speak plainly about His sacrifice to
His disciples, and why I need to speak plainly to you this morning/evening. There is no other way that we can
be saved than by trusting in the holy life, bitter suffering and death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus. He tells
us plainly that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. After
talking plainly with the disciples about the necessity of his suffering and death, Jesus went on to give them
some...
II. Plain Talk About [Their Own] Misplaced Priorities. (vv. 33-38)
Jesus begins his rebuke by saying to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of
God but the things of men.” Many times Jesus had been far more gentle and diplomatic, but this was time for
some plain talk. Peter, apparently, had his own plans and Jesus’ death did not fit into them. Here is Jesus,
pouring his heart out, being brutally honest about what He was going to endure for Peter’s salvation and
tormented at the very thought of it, and all Peter can do is think about what he wants. Recognizing the same
misplaced priorities in all the disciples, Jesus continued, “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 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.”
A. Just as Jesus did with Peter and His disciples, I believe that today, is the time for your pastor to offer you
some plain talk about your misplaced priorities.
I know that some of you would rather not think about Christ’s death. Perhaps you prefer a sterile,
bloodless Jesus, who will give you a good example to follow without burdening you too much. A sweet Jesus
whose death was just a token of love that leaves you free to live the way you please. While most of us, like
Peter, may struggle with some of the things our Lord has told us, there are an even greater number in our
congregation whose idea of Christ and what it means to be a Christian bears no resemblance to what is revealed
in the Bible. In many ways, we like Peter and the disciples, are guilty of having in mind the things of men
rather than the things of God. Life with Christ is not about having it your own way. He has made you a new
creation to live a new kind of life in the Holy Spirit – a life that is no longer lived for yourself, but for Him who
loved you so much that even while you were a sinner, He died for you.
B. So I want to talk to you plainly today about your refusal to put your Savior, His work, and His ways first in
your lives. Look again at the words of your Savior to His disciples and to you, and ask yourself, have I been
following Jesus, have I been carrying a cross for him, have I really lost anything for him, or have I been trying to
gain more and more for myself. Today He is calling out to us, “Get behind me Satan”, you’re priorities are all
messed up. You have in mind the things of men, the things you want, the things this world values, and you’ve
left the Lord here in a cold empty room all week long.
Frankly, I’m tired of sitting back and being “diplomatic” when people tell me that there are more important
things in their lives than Christ, their faith and the faith of their children, and the receiving of God’s Word and
living according to it. Today, the filter is gone and telling you plainly, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have
in mind the things of God but the things of men.” What good is it if you gain all the things you are seeking if it
means forfeiting your soul, and just what are you willing to give and what have you been giving in exchange for
your soul? Your job, your friendships, your television, your sports, your house? What are you holding onto in
this life that may cause you to lose eternal life with Christ?
Jesus warns us that we cannot keep going on this way. If we continue to live as if we are ashamed of Him
and his words. If we are embarrassed to speak openly about His love for us or to live out our faith in this
adulterous and sinful generation, He may just be ashamed of us when He returns.
This is the plain and painful truth I must declare as I beg you to turn again to the cross of Jesus to be
reconciled by his death. Find peace with God who gave His Son to die for you and pick up your own cross and
follow Him. Let go of your life in this world and reclaim the abundant and eternal life that Christ has given you.
Listen as Jesus offers you some...
III. Plain Talk About His (Christ’s) Promise. (v.31; Rom. 5)
A. Jesus promised His disciples that after he had been rejected, and after he had suffered and died, He would
rise again in three days.
His promise to them and for us is that things are never as bad as they might seem. He will not allow our
hope or the love that he has given us to be swallowed up in shame or suffering or even death. According to
His promise Jesus rose again in victory over all those things and more.
After the agony of the cross and the loss of everything they cherished the disciples gained eternal life and
a great future through their faith in the risen and glorified Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit their minds
and hearts were changed and set upon the things of God. Boldly and courageously they denied themselves
and picked up their crosses and followed Jesus. They became witnesses to the whole world about the
salvation that comes through Christ, the Son of God, who suffered, died and rose again.
B. Jesus tells us plainly that in Him we have the victory, also. Even if we begin like Peter, and are unwilling to
accept the cross Jesus brings to us, through the Gospel He restores us and exalts us to be more than conquerors.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are ready to pick up and bear our crosses, because we know that on the
others side of that cross is our empty tomb and after the thorns and nails we will receive the crown. With Paul
we are confident that “Sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope, and hope
does not disappoint us, because God has poured His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”
Once before, I told the story of the very successful J.C. Penney who was asked to explain as briefly as
possible the secret to his success in life and in business. Penney, without hesitation, answered: “Adversity and
Jesus Christ!” He went on to explain how his father had been an impoverished preacher in the hills of
Missouri. When his father died, he left a will that simply said. “I bequeath you some honest debts, manly
character, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Penney’s world was filled with disappointment and adversity.
But he allowed Jesus Christ to use that adversity as an instrument to success.
Our lives in Christ are no different. We know that even while bearing our crosses Jesus is with us,
strengthening us, refining us, and teaching us to rely on the love He has poured into our hearts to bring us an
abundant and eternal life. Today, in our worship we look through heaven’s open gate as we hear God’s Word
and offer our prayers toward His throne of grace. We set our minds on Him as we raise our voices with the
Holy angels and receive in the Supper a foretaste of the feast to come.
Concl.: Just as with the disciples the time is growing short and we all need to prepare for what is coming, so
listen as I tell you one more thing and tell it to you plainly: “if, when we were God’s enemies we were reconciled
through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!.”
That is the plain truth about the cross and about our salvation. Amen.