Introduction

Good morning, dear family of faith. It's a joy to gather with you today, to join in the sacred dance of worship, and to turn our hearts toward the Word of God. We're not just here to warm the pews or fill an hour on a Sunday morning. We are here to engage with the living God, to hear from Him, to be moved by His Spirit, and to be transformed by His truth. Today, we are going to immerse ourselves in the richness of God's promises. We'll walk with Abraham under the starlit sky as God makes a covenant with him. We'll stand with the disciples as Jesus predicts his own suffering, death, and resurrection. And we'll see the beautiful connection between the promise given to Abraham and the sacrifice of Jesus.

Promises Proclaimed to Abraham

In the words of the revered Christian theologian, J.I. Packer, "The life of true holiness is rooted in the soil of awed adoration." It's in that spirit of awed adoration that we approach God's Word today. Let's read together now from the Scriptures: 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, the chief priests and the 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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.' Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." Romans 4:13-25: "It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Genesis 17:1-7: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.' Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 'As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.'" Psalm 22:23-31: "You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations."

Prediction of Jesus' Passion

As we turn our attention to Mark 8:31-38, we find ourselves in the midst of a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO