Keep This In Mind

Dakota Community Church

March 08, 2009 am

Keep This in Mind

Mark 8:31-38

He 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. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But 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."

Then 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. 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."

“You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

How often do you have in mind the things of God?

How hard is it not to be focused on the things of man?

Do you ever feel like there is a conflict between serving God as you would like and the responsibilities of marriage and family?

1 Corinthians 7:32-34

I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided.

This why we need to have men’s retreats!!

John 15:18-19

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

If the world hates those who do not belong to it; why do we so desperately want worldly acceptance?

Colossians 3:1-3

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

1. Jesus began to teach truth they didn’t like.

"Then he began to teach them" (v. 31a). This is hardly the beginning of Jesus’ teaching ministry –– he has already taught the disciples many things –– but Mark signals here that Jesus is moving in a new direction. From now on, he will teach his disciples the necessity of his suffering and death and the implications for their own discipleship.

“Must suffer” – this is a necessity to fulfill the redemption of man.

"and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes" (v. 31c). Elders, chief priests, and scribes are the three groups that comprise the Sanhedrin, the ruling body over religious life in Israel. Elders are lay members. Chief priests are the high priest and his predecessors. Scribes are scholars in Torah law. "It is not humanity at its worst that will crucify the Son of God but humanity at its absolute best. The death of Jesus will not be the result of a momentary lapse or aberration of human nature, but rather the result of careful deliberations from respected religious leaders who will justify their actions by the highest standards of law and morality, even believing them to render service to God”

"He spoke plainly about this" (v. 32a). Most of Jesus’ teaching is cloaked in parables, which both reveal and veil the truth –– and which Jesus has to explain to the disciples. Here Jesus pulls aside the veil and speaks plainly and openly.

John 6:12-15

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.