Realizing What It Really Means to Follow Jesus || David Platt

if you have a bible and i hope you or somebody around you does that you can look on with let me invite you to open with me to mark chapter 8. feel free to use table of contents if you need to mark chapter 8 and as you're turning i want to welcome those of you and prince william and arlington and loudon montgomery county as well as others online it's good to be together around god's word and man this part of mark that we have been in the last few weeks has been so good in ways i didn't see coming last week i asked the question who do you say jesus is and we talked about how your answer to that question right where you're sitting right now will determine your life today this week how you live this week and your life for all of eternity and i mentioned last week that many of you may be new to church maybe even visiting for the first time and you've never seen who jesus is and i said last week i'd say it again i pray that today might be the day when god opens your eyes maybe in a way you weren't expecting to see who jesus is but then i mentioned that there are others of you i'm convinced many others who have been around church for a long time maybe even most of your life but you still haven't seen who jesus really is you've seen maybe even put your faith in a picture of jesus that's either inaccurate or at best incomplete and you desperately need god open god to open your eyes maybe for the first time or maybe in a fresh way to who jesus really is because again your life this week and your life forever depends on it so let me show you what i mean we've started the last few weeks in mark chapter 8 verse 22 we're going to start there again the healing of jesus the blind man and we've talked each week about how this man's physical sight was restored in two stages a very unique miracle in the stories of jesus so today i want to show you why this two-stage healing is so important for your spiritual sight right where you are sitting so let's read it one more time if you don't have a bible i'll have it up here on the screen and this will hopefully bring everybody up to speed if you've missed the last couple of weeks it says in verse 22 they came to bethsaida and some people brought to jesus a blind man and begged jesus to touch him and she just took the blind man by the hand and let him out of the village when he had spit in his eye spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him jesus asked him do you see anything and he looked up and said i see people but they look like trees walking then jesus laid his hand on his eyes again and he opened his eyes his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly and jesus sent him to his home saying do not even enter the village so very plainly this man goes from not being able to see at all to being able to see in part to being able to see perfectly and we know this story is symbolic of spiritual sight because earlier in the chapter jesus used the same language to talk about how his disciples were spiritually blind they couldn't see they needed their eyes open to see who jesus is so what happens next verse 27 jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of caesarea philippi and on the way he asked his disciples who do people say that i am and they told him john the baptist others say elijah and now there's one of the prophets and he asked them but who do you say that i am peter answered him you are the christ and jesus strictly charged them to tell no one about him now we talked last week about how this was a very significant moment up until this point only god and demons had acknowledged jesus for who he is as the son of god or specifically here as christ which means messiah the one god had promised to come and save his people for centuries this is the first time in the book of mark that a disciple says who jesus is and we're thinking yes they get it they see jesus and they do in part but read what happens next so now we're getting in a new territory that we haven't gone into yet as this story continues to unfold verse 31 says and jesus began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again and jesus said this plainly and peter took him aside and began to rebuke him but turning and seeing his disciples jesus rebuked peter and said get behind me satan for you are not setting your mind on the things of god but on the things of man so apparently peter and the disciples didn't get it they had confessed jesus as the christ but their understanding of what that means was still unclear kind of like a blind man who could see in part but still needed to see more clearly now we're going to pick up in a second with what happens next but let's pause here and let's think about the problems with the disciples spiritual sight because i think it's possible for us to have the same spiritual sight problems in our lives so when jesus asks his disciples who do people say that i am and peter said on behalf of the apostles or the disciples you are the christ the messiah let's think about what was going through their minds when they said the christ the messiah so if you're taking notes you might write down at this point who the disciples wanted jesus to be who jewish men and women wanted a messiah to be they wanted someone who would on one hand save their nation politically jewish people were longing for a political messiah who would deliver jerusalem and israel from the gentiles specifically the romans at this time and make their nation great second they wanted someone who would give them power who would overthrow their oppressors with military might give them the power they desired they wanted someone who would make them prosperous who would restore their wealth and comfort and prosperity in their lives and their families and their nation keep going a couple more things they wanted someone who would draw the crowds together who would bring all the leaders and the priests and the scribes and the common men and women all together under one banner to overthrow their enemies and all of this here's the last thing to note they wanted someone who would not demand their lives meaning they wanted to continue on with their lives as they knew them only better with more prosperity and more power in this world so this is who jewish people would have had in their minds when they thought about the disciple when they thought about the messiah so for these jewish disciples in mark 8 at this significant point in time they were saying jesus you're him this is who you are but their sight was what it was inaccurate it was incomplete but lest we be too hard on them let's just pause and ask the question is it possible for us to want the same things i would submit that as you look at this list if we're not careful this can actually be american christianity today we can seem pretty zealous to find a political savior for our nation we can do all kinds of things in pursuit of worldly power we have created and exported to the whole world a version of christianity that revolves around worldly prosperity the prosperity gospel the good news that you can be prosperous in this world with jesus there seems to be little difference practically between how christians and non-christians approach possessions and comforts in this world and hasn't the name of the game an american church has been do whatever it takes to draw the crowds often to the point of deluding what it means to follow christ so maybe it's not just these disciples maybe it's us maybe it's you and me today who together with these disciples need to see jesus more clearly so together let's open our eyes in this passage to who jesus really is and to be clear the bible teaches he is not one who will make this nation or that nation great jesus is the savior of all the nations [Music] did you notice where all this is taking place in caesarea philippi a city originally called penaeus in honor of the roman god pan whose shrine was located there the population of caesarea philippi was mainly gentile non-jewish actually hostile to judaism and this is the place that jesus has first proclaimed the messiah the deliverer not just of the jewish people but of all peoples amen he is not just for one nation he is for all the nations and contrary to seeking worldly power jesus is the humble son of man did you see it in verse 31 right after they confess him as the christ the bible says jesus began to teach them that the son of man so he doesn't use this title messiah to refer to himself he knows what's in their mind when they're using that word so he switches to talking about himself as the son of man a title that emphasizes both his humanity and his humility and think about it did you notice that right after both of these stories the healing of the blind man and the confession of the disciples what happened in both stories jesus said don't tell anyone about me remember he told the blind man do not even enter the village with his disciples they said you were the christ he strictly charged him to tell no one about him why is that because he didn't want what was in their minds spreading anywhere if jesus was on a quest for worldly power he would be leveraging these healings to his advantage right he'd be telling his disciples the spy man go and tell everybody else who i am get the crowds coming instead he's turning the crowds away he's the humble son of man who must suffer jesus is the suffering servant this is astounding jesus is saying i've not come to seize our enemies i've come to suffer at the hands of our enemies and not just the romans and the gentiles i've come to endure suffering from the jewish people from those on the inside keep going jesus is despised by the crowds he says he will be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes all the leaders of the jewish people will totally reject him and not just reject him but kill him he is the king who will conquer by being killed and this was unthinkable to jewish disciples a messiah who will suffer and be killed that's the exact opposite of what they had in their minds when they thought of the christ which is why think about the audacity of peter to pull jesus aside and rebuke him like the word there for rebuke same word that we've seen in other parts of mark when demons are silenced peter is trying to shut jesus up he is ruining peter's plans and look at the language jesus turns and what does he do he sees his disciples he sees them for what they really think and he looks at peter and he says get behind me satan what language follow this it is demonic to look to jesus as one who will save your nation politically give you power make you prosperous draw the crowds while demanding nothing from your lives that picture of jesus comes straight from hell and the danger is it's appealing to us just like it was to them because if jesus was the messiah they wanted they could have the nation they wanted they could have the power and prosperity they wanted they could have the crowds they desired and they could have the lives they wanted to live but jesus came watch this jesus came to give them something better than all of that and he came to give you and me something better than all of this listen to the savior of the nations the humble son of man and suffering servant who came to die on a cross and rise from the grave listen to what he says next first 34 calling the crowd to him with his disciples he said to them if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul for what can a man give in return for his soul for whoever is ashamed of me and my words and this adulterous and sinful generation of him will the son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels do you see it do you see who jesus really is and do you see what it really means to follow him write this down three things because these three things go totally against the grain of the way they thought and totally against the grain of the way we think one to follow jesus means you die so you can live to live you have to die that's what you're just saying if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross that doesn't just mean a burden to bear like this is the cross i have to bear no people who heard those words in the first century knew exactly what jesus was saying the cross was an instrument of death in order to follow him you have to die and jesus is taking things to a whole other level here he's not just talking about how he must die he's talking about how anyone who follows him must die jesus is saying you cannot follow me and hold on to your life are you hearing this you are not following jesus if you are holding on to your life and here's the danger we've created a whole christian culture that says you are we've created a whole christian culture that says christianity is of both and you can have christ and your life as you want it but it's not true that's not christianity that's a false message that revolves around a false messiah jesus says it's either or it's either your life or my life which do you choose and if you're gonna live in me you have to die to you you have to trust me with your entire life this is galatians 2 20. i am crucified with christ i no longer live i don't even live anymore but contrast christ lives in me the life i now live in the flesh i live by faith the son of god who loved me and gave himself for me the christian life is the christ life i'm dead you're dead christ is alive in you which means whatever he wants i want whatever he wants me to be i will be wherever he wants me to go i will go whatever he calls me to give i will give no matter the cost jesus is my life i died to me this is what it means to follow jesus it means you die so you can live which means keep going it means you choose the suffering that comes with obedience over the comfort that comes with disobedience jesus is clearly preparing his disciples here for suffering not to seek suffering but to know that as they followed jesus suffering would come and most of the people who read the book of mark in the first century were facing persecution potentially even death for following jesus they would read these words from jesus whoever saves his life will lose it whoever loses his life for my sake in the gospel will save it they knew exactly what that meant jesus was calling them to be ready in that moment of persecution maybe even facing death to choose the suffering that comes with obedience over the comfort that comes with disobedience that's a choice that many of our brothers and sisters around the world have today whether in north korea somalia yemen pakistan a variety of places in the world for most of us within the sound of my voice right now though we likely won't face persecution or death in the same way but there are scores of ways this may still play out in our lives some of you have jobs that will be more and more in jeopardy as you profess biblical convictions and following jesus may mean losing your job by holding fast to your convictions instead of keeping your job and compromising your convictions i'll talk about that more in a minute others of you with three billion people in the world who have little to no knowledge of the gospel god may lead you to take a job somewhere else in the world maybe among unreached people and it will not be easy for you to do that to move your life your family there instead of staying here but if that is the way god is leading you then following jesus means moving in obedience not staying in disobedience i think of many people in our church family right now who are in the process of considering this others who have gone to other places and join in from online in the middle of a really challenging places and circumstances in the world choosing the suffering that comes with obedience or i should add those whom god calls to stay here for all of us who are here right now whom god is calling to make financial sacrifices to support the spread of the gospel among the unreached to choose to put aside comforts in this world for the spread of the gospel to people who've never heard it to choose whatever means to let go of for the sake of obedience to the great commission or we read james 1 27 in our bible reading just a couple of weeks ago religion that god our father looks at us pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress god is calling us to care for children in need for widows in need both of which will require a sacrifice of comfort in our lives if you pursue foster care or adoption you are signing up for a road full of unknowns but following jesus means you obey regardless of what that means the same will be true when you step into caring for widows in need and not just orphans and widows so we've talked about caring for refugees caring for the imprisoned caring for the impoverished and oppressed and enslaved we will not do justice in this world according to god's word if our priority is comfort for ourselves we just won't the reality is the more we actually follow jesus for who he really is the harder our lives will get in this world amen jesus told us this it's what he was telling his disciples here you will experience suffering you will experience slander you will experience hardship you will experience opposition from all sides inside and outside but following me to me means choosing suffering that comes with obedience over comfort that comes with disobedience which leads to the last thing jesus says here about what it really means to follow him it means you gladly renounce prosperity and applause in this world for prosperity and applause in the world to come jesus says in mark 8 what is a prophet a man to gain the whole world that's a lot to have it all the whole world every everything that belongs to bill gates and jeff bezos and you're just getting started all of it all the possessions all the glamour all the success all the fame everything you could want or imagine in this world everything northern virginia has to offer everything montgomery county has to offer everything washington d.c the united states has to offer you can have it all only to realize that none of these things will last none of them will do do see this because we live in a world that tells us every day you're getting bombarded with messages every day having things in this world is life but it's a lie all the things of this world put together the whole world you can have it all and you'll lose your life tones has been your life don't raise your kids to have it all don't do it you'll waste your life your ways their lives open your eyes and realize jesus is life he's life nothing in this world is worthy of your attention like jesus nothing in this world is worthy of your affection your pursuit your longing like jesus so don't live for worldly prosperity worldly applause renounce these things jesus says for whoever listen to the language is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation jesus don't spend your life getting praise from people in a world that set against god that's not life that's death i hear this teenagers what other people think about you in this world is not what leads to life for you getting to think this or that about you it's not life jesus is lovingly saying to you right now i came to give you real life not in the prosperity and applause of this world none of that will last i came to give you life that will never ever end will never ever fade it will never ever ever let you down so hear him teenager college student young professional with all the world before you hear him man or woman in your 30s 40s 50s hear him senior adults see him see the choice every one of us has you could live for stuff in this world that's going to fade away and for the applause of people in this world who are ultimately in a world that's set against god or you can live for treasure that will never ever fade for the next 10 trillion years and you can live for the applause of jesus and the father and millions of holy angels and jesus is saying choose life john piper said in a sermon on this text who's the real lover of life here jesus is pleading with you don't throw your life away follow me don't believe the lie that 80 years of human praise and physical pleasures are better than eight million ages of years with fullness of joy and uninterrupted undiminished unparalleled pleasures at the right hand of god [Music] i just be smart [Applause] for my sake and for the gospel the greatest news in the world think about this what you're losing it all for the one who came and lived the life we couldn't live a life of no sin against the father and then even though he had no sin for which to die who chose to die on a cross to pay the price for all of our sin and who whose story did not stop in a grave he's the king who conquers by being killed three days later he rises to life he ascends into heaven and right now by his spirit is calling you to trust in him with your life in a way that will far outlast to anything in this world this is how you save your life by dying to yourself by choosing the suffering that comes with obedience to christ over the comfort that comes with disobedience and by renouncing prosperity and applause in this world for prosperity and applause in the world to come may god raise up all across this church family men women teenagers who see who jesus really is not who we want him to be and who realize what it really means to follow him no matter what it costs us in this world confident in his reward

Channel: Radical

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Length: 29min 29sec (1769 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 07 2022