February 12th, 2012
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If Anyone Would Come After Me... Mark 8:22-38
A. We are healed through Jesus' touch (22-26)
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village. " (22-26)
B. Know the truth about Jesus
1) Messiah (27-30)
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. (27-30)
2) The cross and resurrection (31-33)
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." (31-33)
C. Let us deny ourselves and carry our cross
1) What it means to give our lives for the gospel (34-37)
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 [35] 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? (34-37)
2) Learn from Jesus and live according to his word (38)
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." (38)
Summary
Jesus honors those who honor him and his word. Let us continue to draw near to Jesus and live to honor him. We all have areas of our lives that need Jesus' touch and his healing. First we need to desire the Lord's touch and we need to draw near to him. When we experience his touch, we are strengthened and our relationship with God grows deeper. Let us desire to know God's truth. There is one more thing we must do. In the passage today, we read that we need to deny ourselves and take up our cross. This means that we stop living to fulfill our own desires, but to live to fulfill God's desire for us. Each of us should carefully consider what it is that God wants us to do with our lives.
For Discussion
1) What does it mean for us to take up our cross?
2) What kind of person does Jesus honor?