Hindsight: Simply Discipleship
We have all heard the statement: "Hindsight is 20/20." The insight gained through hindsight frequently resources us to live with foresight. That is why we are going to spend the Fall looking at the Gospel of Mark in reverse. Why is the message about Him called "the Gospel" (from Old English meaning 'good news') and what is the message that is proclaimed?
Jesus invites Peter, James, and John to join him on the mountain and they follow... this is a picture of what discipleship is all about. There is a lot we can learn from this passage.
SERMON NOTES
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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 8.27-9.1 (The Message)
27 Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?” 28 “Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’"29 He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?” Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”
30-32 Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.
32-33 But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”
34-37 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
38 “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”
9.1 Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Here are some books and resources we recommend for your own reflection and study:
The Weekend Resource Guide can be used for further reflection and is the resource tool that most of our LifeGroups use.
Basic Christianity by John Stott will provide you with insight and understanding whether you are seeking Jesus or have been following Him for years. Thin and profound.
Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters is a great introduction into the life of Jesus and how we can relate to Him today.
Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners is a dynamic investigation of the most earth-shattering, piety-smashing, life-changing news ever. Discover your true citizenship in the Jesus nation, where you might be ready to die for a cause but never willing to kill for it.
The Hole in Our Gospel Special Edition: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World demonstrates that the whole gospel was always meant to be a world-changing, social revolution, a revolution that begins with each one of us.
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