Mark 8:31-38.                        Deny Yourself???                               1/3/15

³¹ 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. ³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ 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.”

³⁴ 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. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ 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.”

Today we have another very challenging message for us in this day and age. We are living at a time when the message of our text here, in a number of ways, is very much at odds with the thinking of our society. There is an almost complete lack of concern for what God has in mind, but merely human concerns. There is the abhorrence of the thought of denying oneself.  Also there is the desire to save and gain life for self no matter what the cost.  Getting on in the world is far more important than our soul’s salvation. And finally there is shame associated with being connected to God rather than the other way around.

To all of this I believe we need to associate Jesus’ words: “Get behind me, Satan!”  All of the above attitudes are not at all good, helpful, or for the wellbeing of our society, far less for our relationship to God and Jesus in particular. Yet these attitudes are creeping into the very heart of the church itself. Satan is wreaking havoc at the moments as we have taken our focus off of Jesus and his death on the cross and placed it on ourselves and what we do. So this Lenten season we need to think deeply about what Jesus is saying to us here.

Denying oneself is a major issue for us as Christians as we live in and have been heavy influenced by a society that is self-indulgent to the extreme. We all have taken on board the desire to gain and have much, even if it is at the expense of our soul’s welfare.  The whole emphasis of life is on ourselves and what we do. We and what we have and want is the centre of life; and it is destroying us and our faith in particular. Any mug can see that.

However we, like Peter; and like the Pharisees of Jesus day, we all do not want to acknowledge that we have this problem. In fact we all want Jesus to change his mind and his ways to suit our way of thinking. We also want to take God aside and rebuke him for his approach to how life should be lived. We do it all too often, even in our Christian lives.

Lord why should that good friend of mine have to suffer that terrible disease?  Why should I have to face these difficult times in my life? Why can’t you mend my broken leg? Why can’t women be pastors in our church? Why do we have to talk about sin so much, since we are basically good people? And the list goes on and on. We think we know what is good and God had better ‘come to the party.’

Even though we can see the sad results of our selfish, self-centred way of life, we continue to boldly go forward further down the path. Within the church we have those who wilfully and blatantly go beyond what God tells us in his word. However for most of us we acknowledge that Jesus and his death on the cross is important, but then speak and live as though we are the centre and so we try to bend what God tells to suit our own whims and desires.

We speak as though it is what we do and the programmes that we run that is what is going to grow the Church. If we cater for the likes of people with regard to worship services and hymns, then the young will come. If we don’t talk about sin, but focus on what makes people ‘feel good’ and builds up their self-confidence, then we will get somewhere. If we speak often enough about the ‘fact’ that we are basically good people then people will lead good Christian lives.

In this regard Jesus says to us also: “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” This kind of thinking takes our mind off of and is a turning our backs on that which is vitally important for our lives. It is destructive for our Christian lives. The huge and rapid decline in our churches is a clear indication of what happens when we lose our focus on that which is of vital significance for us. When we look to ourselves and our world around us we are in big trouble.

Jesus taught his disciples and thereby also us, that which is absolutely essential for our lives as God’s people. 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. Jesus knew that he must suffer and die and rise again three days later, if there was to be any hope for us at all.

His death was not just the consequences of him upsetting the church leaders and a few dumb red-necks at the time. This was the plan. This is what needed to be done if there was to be any salvation for us. Our only hope and the only hope for our world are to be found in Jesus Christ and his suffering death and resurrection. Nowhere else!

That is why Jesus told Peter and the disciples off: that is why he goes on and tells the crowd that they are to deny themselves: and that is also his strong message to us and the church today. This is his universal message for all people of all times.  No one has ever outgrown the need for this important message to be a part of their lives every day.

This is not something that we are to take for granted and acknowledge, but then go on to focus on more important things, like how we are to get on in life. No, this is something that is to be all consuming for us: For there alone is our one and only hope for a real life here on earth as well as in heaven. There alone is our source of hope; and also our source of growth in the church; as well as the basis for everything that we are on about in our daily lives.

Particularly as his followers – as people who claim to be Christians – we will do everything to keep Christ and the cross in the forefront of our thinking and doing.  We will take on board his message that we: must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. In all that we think say and do as individuals and as a church will be to deny our human way of thinking and place Jesus and all that he says to us in his word as that which is all important.

Yes that will mean we will have to take up our crosses in order to follow him.  It will not be easy going against our nature and our society around. It will not be easy standing against popular opinion, even in the church.  It means we will have to take the hard road, even if we get knocked from ‘pillar to post.’  

Even when it comes to sicknesses and other difficulties in life we can stand firm in the face of it all, knowing that our Lord is with us in the midst of it all. We also now know that he uses all these things for good – just as he uses the cross to bring about our salvation. In small ways he now uses our crosses to keep us looking to him and his death and resurrection; and uses them in order to help bring others to the knowledge of the Good News of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and the assurance of life and salvation.

If we look back through the history of the church we find that it has always grown rapidly in the face of persecution, where people have simply confessed their faith in Jesus Christ and the importance of his death and resurrection. Conversely it has declined when it has sought to accommodate itself to the whims of humanity and the society around it.

Here remember what Jesus said: 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? 

Chasing after the comfortable, popular life of our society can and does, - as we can see from our world around us – lead so many to forfeit their soul. By taking one’s focus off of Jesus and the cross we face the very real danger of missing out on being with our Lord in eternity. That is how serious it is.

What did Jesus conclude his message here with? 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.

So with all of this in mind, let us this Lenten season, turn back to Jesus Christ and the importance of his death and resurrection. Let us there again find our hope, joy and certainty in the face of the terrible apostasy all around us. Let us seek his help to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow him. For in connection with him and his cross we do have the full assurance of the forgiveness of sins and life and salvation. In Jesus Christ alone we can go forward with hope and confidence.

For to him alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish