The One Mistake We Can All Make About Suffering {UNITE Linky}

When hard things come, we often have one of a many responses; we can run from pain, face it, or deny suffering should come all together.

Jesus is our healer. He died, shed His blood, so our lives can be lived in light of complete redemption (eternity)…

“But why is there still suffering? Shouldn’t we be free and void from hardships, as Christians?”

I was thumbing through the Bible this morning, not feeling particularly excited or anticipating finding anything extrodinary.

My puppy woke me early on a Saturday morning, from what was already a waking and rather sleepless night…

And then I open to Mark 8. Jesus fed the 5,000 miraculously with a little boys few fish and loaves.

Imagine how your eyes must have been open if you were there? Would ever doubt Jesus power again? Would you deify Him…like you likely should?

I know I would.

But then, the plot changes. Jesus leads a blind man by the hand, the Amplified version says…and spits, puts mud on his eyes and heals him.

Yep, another miracle…just more validation that Jesus is Lord.

But then, it comes….

Jesus goes on with His disciples (v.27) and asks their opinion of Him.

Of course, Jesus isn’t like man. His identity, worth, power and dominion doesn’t change at man’s opinion of him. So why does ours?

Then, Jesus teaches (v.31) that the son of man MUST suffer many things and be tested and disapproved and rejected…even be put to death. However, He would rise after three days.

Peter, the hot headed, rough-around-the-edges, fisherman that He was…modeled what Jesus had just done with the blind man. He took Jesus by the hand and LED Him. Then, facing Him, started rebuking Him. (v.32)

That’s when Jesus spoke those famous words, “Get behind me Satan.”

Jesus goes on to tell Peter, “You do not have a mind intent on promoting what GOD wills…but what PLEASES MEN (You are NOT on God’s side, but man’s)”

O.k. I could preach a whole sermon here! You guys, did you get that?

Peter went from participate in the fish and loaves miracles, to being rebuked as Satan himself. Wow!! How is that?

First, let’s look at some of the mistakes of Peter, that we can make today…

• Peter almost mocked Jesus, by modeling the exact same behaviors Jesus had with the blind man a few moments earlier. (Taking Him by the hand and escorting Him away from the crowd) The first evil, was Peter thinking He was like Jesus. He was not. He was mere mortal. Yet, Peter somehow forgot that.  Yet, I have seen over and over, often in the church, people deifying MAN. Man is not God. We do not live without sin in our hearts. We are not perfect. ONLY Jesus is. When we forget that…we are walking like Peter did…in the footsteps of Satan. When we exalt ourselves as flawless or perfect, we are like Satan, not Jesus.

• Peter LEAD Jesus. (v.32) I heard it once in a church service…we can lead Jesus. He really doesn’t mind. It’s o.k. NO!!! The thing about a servant/master relationship is that one leads, the other follows. HE is the Shepherd. WE are the sheep. He speaks, and then WE follow. Trying to dictate, dominate, force of pre-determine the outcome of Jesus workings can manifest as a form of sin.  Satan tried to do that in the desert when Jesus was led by the Spirit and fast 40 days. But Jesus didn’t submit…and He will NEVER submit to our workings. We are but clay. HE is the master! Never try to lead Jesus!

• Peter FACES JESUS. Now, when you read the whole context of this passage, you get that Peter wasn’t coming humbly, authentically, lovingly, or kind. Peter lead Jesus by the hand, faced Him head on. And my thoughts are, often in the Bible, People looked “up” at people. The sick, the dead He rose to life again. And if not, the hearts of those people He touched were tender, broken, pallable. In this passage, Peter faced Jesus like a Know-it-all. An authoritarian. In some cultures when you stand and look another man in the face, it’s a challenge. It appears, Peter was challenging Jesus. Every time we CHALLENGE Jesus, our hearts are prideful, and that can look dangerously like Satan.
• Peter REBUKED Jesus. This one doesn’t take a brain-surgeon to figure out. But, what I think is hidden in this passage is that Peter REFUSED to accept the pathway of suffering Jesus was about to enter. He had just witnessed miracles. He knew Jesus had authority. YET, Peter couldn’t justify why Jesus would ALLOW suffering. Today, there are many false-gospels that will tell you, God doesn’t allow suffering, and if you are suffering you are not a TRUE Christian. Well, friends, that is just plain a LIE! Jesus suffered, so why shouldn’t you and I. He tells us this will happen even, in scripture. Any gospel that DENY pain or SUFFERING should ever happen in a person’s life, is false. Run from it!

• Jesus said Peter had his mind intent on promoting the things of man, NOT God. (AKA – A perfect, painfree existence, one that will be filled with ease and no suffering) Any time we fix our minds of pleasing man, instead of God, we are sinning. Again, Jesus says, we have the mind of Satan. Man is not our authority. God is. Man is not what we should be fixated on or promoting. Jesus is called to be lifted HIGH. We are always in grave danger the moment we put man’s thoughts, ideas, ways, plans, or opinions higher than Gods.

The exciting news is…after Peter rises up in His arrogant, demanding and commanding of Jesus…AND Jesus tells Him, “Get behind me”….

Peter eventually learns his lesson.

Peter denied Jesus suffering even as He was taken and crucified at the cross. And before we go on JUDGING Peter…let’s think about that for a moment. When you love someone, REALLY love someone….you don’t want them to suffer…

I think this Peter who refused to think the man He loved so much should suffer, was more like me and you than we care to recognize.

Furthermore, this love Peter had for Jesus was admirable and worth emmulating.

Here’s the truth!

• Jesus goes on to explain…Whoever promotes GOD’S WILL is from God. And whoever promotes MAN’S Will is NOT on God’s side, but mans. Whose side are you on?

• Jesus also calls all His disciples to a life of DENYING OURSELVES. (v.34) He explains, we MUST “forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of our own selves and interests” Wow!! Think about THAT for a moment!

• Then, Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me”…Whoever saves their life will loose it and whoever loses their lives, for Christ’s sake, will save it.

• Jesus then….shows eternal priorities, explaining….Eternal life has higher value than life on this earth.

• Jesus reiterates…Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words is adulterous (unfaithful) and a SINFUL Generation. (There again is that link between sin and shame, written about HERE.) I believe this idea is that we must not be ashamed of this WHOLE message of Jesus. Power and resurrection, but ALSO hardships and suffering. That is who Jesus was and that’s what we experience when we truly follow Him.

Peter eventually learns…

He denies Jesus, but then was told, “Go feed my sheep”, because friends…

• AFTER we get that our journey of discipleship WILL include suffering.
• AFTER we want Jesus more than our own comforts.
• AFTER we choose to want HIS will more than our own plans or ideas…

We are ready to FEED HIS SHEEP!

Peter writes after Jesus death and resurrection…“Since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too.” ~ 1 Peter 4:1,

Yep, Peter got it! Will we?

A true gospel and our walk as faithful disciples will require our full allegance. We must be ALL in. His sheep, listening to HIS voice and responding.

After all, Jesus tells us clearly…

If we want to live as His children, we MUST “forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of our own selves and interests”. 

How is that, for a feel good sermon?

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