Three Things on Mark 8:31-38

Today’s sermon came from Mark 8:31-38. Here are three key points from today’s message.

1. Jesus uses an opening with his disciples to talk about what it truly means to follow him. The opening came as Peter tries to get Jesus to find another way to be the Messiah besides going to the cross. What Jesus does, instead, is to invite Peter, the disciples, and all of us to consider what it means to follow Jesus. What Jesus says is that following Jesus requires us to let go of our lives in order to gain our lives.
2. Following Jesus requires us to be like Jesus who was completely obedient to the Father’s will. It requires us not to be about ourselves, our own wants, our own ideas, but to be completely devoted to God in all things. Sometimes, though, what we want is to have faith and to live how we want. We cannot do that. If we truly want to follow God, then, we have to be willing to give up our lives – to become less every day – so that Christ may become more in us.
3. Following Jesus also requires us to do the difficult things and to take the message of Jesus Christ into our world. Faith is not just about “going to heaven.” It is about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ by picking up our cross, being obedient to God’s love, and changing the world through doing the things God calls us to do.