The Call To Completely Surrender
The call to follow Jesus is one of surrender
I believe many today may not fully understand this
Many may simply view their relationship with Jesus as simply part of their life
It is simply an add on to them in their minds
But is this what Jesus has truly called us to
Has Jesus called us to simply check off boxes for church attendance on Sunday morning or has He called us to something deeper
Jesus said this in Mark 8:34: 34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
But for us to truly understand this I believe we have to look at what took place before this statement and what comes after it
It begins with a question
Mark 8:27-30 27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him.
Jesus asks the questions who do people say I am?
This is an important question to answer
A variety of answers are given John the Baptist, Elijah, One of the prophets
Many of the people simply saw Jesus as another one of the prophets
But now the question is turned to the disciples
Jesus asks them Who do you say that I am
These men have traveled with Jesus
They have spent intimate moments with Him
Peter always the spokesmen for the group of disciples answers You are the Messiah
It is only the Holy Spirit who could reveal this to Peter
In their minds the Messiah was a conquering figure
From the line of King David
He would come establish His kingdom, overthrow Rome and they would rule and reign with Him
But they didn’t fully or rightly understand the plan of God
Jesus now says in Mark 8:31-33 31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns[d] but human concerns.”
To say that Jesus shocked them was an understatement
This is the first time in the gospel of Mark that Jesus begins to speak of His suffering
Jesus states that He would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes
Jesus would be rejected by the religious leaders
But not only would He be rejected, He would be killed
But Jesus makes it clear that three days later He would rise again
For when we look at Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and [h]greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people, So His appearance was marred beyond that of a man, And His form beyond the sons of mankind. 15 So [i]He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what they had not been told, they will see, And what they had not heard, they will understand.
The Suffering Servant
53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender [j]shoot, And like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we would look at Him, Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. 3 He was despised and abandoned by men, A man of [k]great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.
4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, And our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, Struck down by God, and humiliated. 5 But He was [l]pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our [m]well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To [n]fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off from the land of the [o]living For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due? 9 And His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord desired To crush Him, [p]causing Him grief; If He renders [q]Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His [r]offspring, He will prolong His days, And the [s]good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the [t]anguish of His soul, He will [u]see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, For He will bear their wrongdoings. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the plunder with the strong, Because He poured out His [v]life unto death, And was counted with wrongdoers; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the wrongdoers.
This lays out for us the suffering that the Messiah would endure
We who stand on this side of the cross and have had our eyes open to who Jesus is understand that this speaks and reveals the suffering the Messiah would endure
It would be because of our sin
Because of our sin He was marred beyond recognition, He came humbly as a servant, He was dispised and abandoned, He was crushed and pierced, He was oppressed and afflicted
Everything Jesus endured at Calvary was because of our sin
But Peter in his arrogance takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him
Peter believes Jesus has it all wrong
If Jesus truly is the Messiah than He wouldn’t have to suffer
He has simply come to establish His kingdom and conquer Rome and the world
But Jesus rebukes Peter in front of the disciples
Saying get behind me Satan
Satan before had tried to get Jesus to forgo the cross
Matthew 4:8-9 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
The cross was essential to God’s plan, that is why Jesus came
Without the cross there isn’t resurrection
Without the cross there isn’t victory
Without the cross there isn’t forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration, abundant life
The cross is essential in our lives
Jesus now explains the call of discipleship
Mark 8:34-38
34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. 36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus now says if anyone wants to follow me
This is a call to discipleship
This is a call to complete surrender
Jesus is making sure that the disciples understand what this whole call is all about
It isn’t about becoming Lord’s and King’s at this moment in time
Jesus says let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me
Criminals at this time who would be crucified would carry the cross beam
It showed they came under Roman authority and often their crucifixion was a result of rebellion against Rome
The carrying of one’s cross shows we are under the authority of Jesus Christ
Before knowing Him we live in rebellion to Him and His Lordship
It is Jesus who steps in and saves us
It is God who opens our eyes by His grace
It is the Holy Spirit who brings us to the place of salvation
We are called to deny ourselves
Our will must become surrendered to His
Our lives no longer belong to us, they belong to Him
We are called to be Living Sacrifices
We are no longer driven and motivated by selfish sinful desire
We have now become slaves of righteousness, brand new creations, born again
The old has died and the new has come
Jesus says For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.
When Jesus speaks here of wanting to save one’s life it speaks of eternal salvation
We are not saved by our works
But we must be willing to surrender
For us to follow Jesus as the word of God tells us we must lay down everything
To lose one’s life doesn’t necessarily mean we will die as a martyr, but it does mean that our will is surrendered
That Jesus not only becomes Savior, but He becomes Lord
Jesus continues in verse 36 and 37 36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life?
If we gain everything the world has to offer we have nothing
We can have everything and not have Jesus and we have nothing
But if we have Jesus and nothing else we have everything
There is nothing we can give to save ourselves
Jesus asks what can anyone give in exchange for his life?
Good works will not save us
Following the law will not save us
The only thing that will save us is faith in Jesus Christ
He stepped and took our place
The great exchange
2 Corinthians 5:21 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus finishes in verse 38 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
There is a day when Jesus is returning
Those who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior will rule and reign with Him
They are saved and no longer are under the dominion of the devil
But for those who are ashamed of Jesus and His words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them
Ultimately those who are ashamed of Jesus have rejected Him
They have rejected His precious gift of salvation
They have rejected forgiveness
They would rather live in their sin and for themselves instead of surrendering their lives to Almighty God
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