“Discipleship’s Bottom Line”
Mark 8:27-9:1 Oct.22, 2006 (sorry, no audio or video this week)
Questioning the Unfairness
○ tragic accident a shame – but life not
necessarily fair (Eccl 7:15)
○ Peter rebuked Jesus because Messiah’s death
unthinkable
A Key Question in a Pluralistic Place
○ Caesarea Philippi associated with Baal, Pan,
Caesar
○ contemporary influences would lord it over
us destructively
○ question of Jesus’ identity appropriate in
pluralistic society
Fine-tuning “Greatness”
○ worldly “greats” may become power-hungry,
dictatorial (1Jn 2:15f)
○ bullying, domestic abuse / meanness also too
common
○ 3-fold prediction that Son of Man / Messiah
must suffer (8:31; 9:31; 10:33)
○ Biblical greatness contrary to world’s logic
The Disciple’s Orientation and Obedience
○ attitude / action / attainment of
unbeliever: mind on ‘things of men’, self-serving, gain world, lose
soul, ashamed eternally (33-37)
○ profile of the godly: think about God’s
things, lose life for Jesus, deny self, save soul - share in Jesus’
Kingdom & glory (1Pet 1:7; 2Tim 2:12)
Carry the Cross – Ugly or Beautiful?
○ path to Golgotha full of pain, hardship,
suffering...
○ parallel to ‘crosses’ in our own life
○ cross beautiful when realize Jesus bore it
for us, came to our aid at all costs (Is 53:4-6)
Something Better Awaits
○ Rockefeller heirs endured long hours
labouring in oil fields
○ made easier by prospect of something better
waiting for them