918 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”
20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
PRAYER AND PERSONALITY
PRAYER AND PURPOSE
PRAYER AND POWER
Do you know your personality? Do you really know who you are-your identity?
How?
After praying He asks the disciples who people said He was, yet it is clear He already knew the answer.
Jesus knew who He was. In context, in Luke Chapter 7, even John the Baptist was doubting Jesus’ identity and sent messengers to ask Jesus if He was, indeed the Messiah. Jesus didn’t answer them, he made no attempt to defend Himself or argue His identity. He simply kept doing His work and let them see, then told them to tell John what they saw and heard. He knew who He was. How did He have such certainty of identity and purpose?
How do we know who we are?
Identity: The highly decorated general & two merchant marines
Two merchant marines had a bit of time on shore leave and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a large portion of the evening at a pub, drinking too much. As the night wore on they realized they needed to get back to their ship. They also realized they had no idea where they were in relation to the port where their ship was located. They happened to run into a highly decorated general in the British navy and, with slurred speech and a bit too loud, they asked him for directions. The general was a bit put off and said "do you know who I am?!" One of the marines said "imagine, we don't know where we are, but this bloke doesn't even know who he is".
There is a progress here: first the outer circle-those who gossip and tell stories,
The inner circle-those who were with Jesus, knew His ways and His habits, His coming in and His going out. They gave the right answer.
The Chinese saying: A man is who others think he is, who he thinks he is and who he really is. The progress here is similar-outer, inner, and then reality.
If we want to know reality we can never know it entirely on our own. We can only learn true reality by communicating with He who is Reality. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. . . C.S. Lewis translates this, “I am the Way, the Reality, and the Life”. The word alanthano, the Greek word from John 14:6, comes from two words meaning “not-hidden”. Truth, then, is revealed.
Human perception is not necessarily the best measure of truth because we have such limited senses and experience upon which to build our understanding of the universe and our role within it (not just because our senses can be deceived, surely the input we gain from our senses is, generally, reliable and, in that sense, “true”, though our evaluation of that input may be skewed in some cases, as with a spoon appearing to be crooked inside a glass of water, or a rainbow appearing to have some substance when it is merely a refraction of light, our perception from our senses is, generally, reliable, as these exceptions actually serve to demonstrate by their rarity). Our understanding of who we are is no exception to this rule. We have very limited resources by which to judge who we are and our fundamental value. We judge ourselves as valuable if we get a good grade on an exam, or not so valuable if we get a lower grade. We think ourselves successful if we get the impressive job title, and unsuccessful if we do not. Our valuation of our own worth is high if we do well in our school and job, if others think well of us, if we have such-and-such possessions, and if we live, basically, according to our own ideals of morals and ethics-our self-concept of our worth is different if we fail in any of these areas at any point in our lives.
Yet, none of these is an accurate measure of our identity or worth. We have intrinsic value simply because we are made in the image of God. We have added value because God has invested so much to purchase us. He places a value on us which is impossible for us to evaluate or even understand. To Him, our value is infinite.
So Jesus said, “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul, and what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
These days people seem to place a very low value on themselves.
Just this week a man was beaten to death, apparently an altercation stemming from an argument because some people ridiculed his hair color.
This week one of the top executives of Tata , Karl Slym, jumped to his death out of the 22nd floor window of Bankok’s Shangri la hotel.
What kind of value do people place on their lives today?
From what do people derive their identity?
This week Bill Standley died. His family fulfilled his wishes and had him buried on top of his Harley Davidson motorcycle. He had to purchase three burial plots to accommodate himself and his favorite possession. (SLIDE)
Apparently he identified himself so much with this machine that he couldn’t even part with it in his death.
So each of us has a decision-will we establish our own estimate of our worth, or will we accept the value God places on us? If we accept His valuation, we can rest, be content, stop try to impress others or ourselves. And, we can focus on that calling God has placed on our lives. Jesus knew His identity. He spent enough time in the presence of His Father to be certain. Our certainty and confidence must come from the same source.
Through prayer we most firmly establish our personhood-our personality.
PRAYER AND PURPOSE
Jesus is saying basically, “now that you understand who I am, follow Me.” And He immediately declares the price following Him. It seems Jesus is saying, “if I am who you say I am, you should be willing to lay down your lives in order to follow me to my destination”.
Nothing worth doing is easy. We’ve all heard this saying. It’s true. If you want to fulfill all God designed you to do and be you will have to be willing to pay a high price. Once you know the value of your life, you have to be willing to take that value and lay it down at Jesus’ feet.
Paul said
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
This may seem like the wrong quotation because Paul seems to have in his mind a race, where the competitor/athlete presses on and pushes to reach that finish line. What does this have to do with the cross?
Everything.
. . .let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame
We are in a race, and that race is to get to the cross.
Notice, Jesus said we are to pick up that cross daily. This is not just a call to die, it is a call to live a life dead to yourself-a cross life-a death life. These ideas are connected. You know who you are? Good. You need to find out your calling-that unique purpose for which God designed you. You know your calling? Good. Now you have to lay aside the weights and sins which so easily prevent you from fulfilling that calling, pick up the cross of the calling God placed on your life, and run (yes, the burdens of sin weigh and slow us down, but the cross we carry is like a jet-pack, propelling us forward farther, faster and higher than we could ever dream ourselves capable).
It is ONLY THROUGH PRAYER that we gain the perspective, grace, willingness, and power to live this cross-life. In our intimate moments with God, He bequeaths to us the resources required.
Doxa & kleos
1 Peter 2:20 For what praise (kleos | ????? | nom sg neut) is there if, when you do wrong and are beaten for it, you endure it? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure it, this is commendable in God’s sight.
So, for our final consideration, we have the next step in this life of prayer-POWER
PRAYER AND POWER (the Glory of the Cross)
“True humility is a kind of self-annihilation; and this is the centre of all virtues.”
Charles [Wesley] (1707–88) [John Wesley’s younger brother] matriculated at Christ College. Along with two fellow students, he formed a small club for the purpose of study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life. On John Wesley's return, he became the leader of the group which increased somewhat in number and greatly in commitment. The group met daily from six until nine for prayer, psalms, and reading of the Greek New Testament. They prayed every waking hour for several minutes and each day for a special virtue. Whereas the church's prescribed attendance was only three times a year, they took communion every Sunday. They fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays until three o'clock as was commonly observed in the ancient church. In 1730, the group began the practice of visiting prisoners in jail. They preached, educated, relieved jailed debtors whenever possible, and cared for the sick.
Given the low ebb of spirituality in Oxford at that time, it was not surprising that Wesley's group provoked a negative reaction. They were considered to be religious "enthusiasts" which in the context of the time meant religious fanatics. University wits styled them the "Holy Club," a title of derision. Currents of opposition became a furor following the mental breakdown and death of a group member, William Morgan. In response to the charge that "rigorous fasting" had hastened his death, Wesley noted that Morgan had left off fasting a year and a half since. In the same letter, which was widely circulated, Wesley referred to the name "Methodist" which "some of our neighbors are pleased to compliment us." That name was used by an anonymous author in a published pamphlet (1733) describing Wesley and his group, "The Oxford Methodists."
For all of his outward piety, Wesley sought to cultivate his inner holiness or at least his sincerity as evidence of being a true Christian. A list of "General Questions" which he developed in 1730 evolved into an elaborate grid by 1734 in which he recorded his daily activities hour-by-hour, resolutions he had broken or kept, and ranked his hourly "temper of devotion" on a scale of 1 to 9. Wesley also regarded the contempt with which he and his group were held to be a mark of a true Christian. As he put it in a letter to his father, "Till he be thus contemned, no man is in a state of salvation." Wikipedia
He was asked how he drew a crowd and answered-
“I set myself on fire in prayer and people come out to watch me burn.”
And that brings us back to the subject-the power through prayer –the Cross is not something odious to Jesus-He referred to it as His glorification. There is an association between prayer and self-sacrificial purpose, and between those two inseparable elements of a holy person’s life and the Power of God.
Paul J. Meyer wrote in Unlocking Your Legacy: ??"Cost and self-sacrifice do not make something hard. Nobody feels sorry for the athlete who wins an Olympic medal, even though the person paid an incredible price through grueling effort behind the scenes, denying himself or herself certain things, probably for several years, all for one hopeful brief moment of glory. The medal, once attained, minimizes every cost and self-sacrifice."
Jesus NEVER stops calling us regardless of our age. He NEVER stops calling us regardless if we are a new believer or a believer of 50 years. There is always more we can learn about God, always a need for a deeper commitment, always something you can do DAILY to serve God, your church, or to serve others . . . Jesus never calls us to a task He will not empower us to do. How often as a pastor I hear these words: “I’ve served my time. I’ll let someone else do it now.” Do you know what I say to that? “DAILY!” Doesn’t daily mean every day--each day of our life?” Dan Mahan
From heav'n You came helpless babe
Entered our world Your glory veiled?
Not to be served but to serve?
And give Your life, that we might live??
There in the garden of Tears?
My heavy load He chose to bear?
His heart with sorrow was torn?
"Let not My will by Yours" He said??
Come see His hands and His feet?
The scars that speak of sacrifice?
Hands that flung stars into space?
To cruel nails surrendered??
So let us learn how to serve?
And in our lives enthrone
Him?Each other's needs to prefer?
For it is Christ we're serving
This is our God, the servant King?
He calls us now to follow Him?
And give our lives as a daily offering?
Of worship to the Servant King??
Graham Kendrick
Telos, tetelosthai
On the cross, Jesus cried out tetelosthai-usually translated “it is finished!” It could just have easily have been translated “it is perfect”. Jesus fulfilled and completed His calling because He knew who He was, and He did not hesitate to take up His cross. For this reason He now has all power and all authority.
He invites us today, to follow in His footsteps, to echo His prayers, to enter His glory through the cross.
