“Understanding The Christian Faith”                                                                                   Mark 8:27-35

St. John’s – East Moline                                                                                                        10/01/06

 

Intro.:  One phrase familiar to every Lutheran is “What does this mean?”  In these words Luther has reminded us that it is not enough for Christians to know the words of faith and mindlessly recite them week after week, we must also understand, apply, and live them.  Last week in our Epistle the Holy Spirit speaking through James warned us to be “not only hearers of the word, but doers.”  Likewise, St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “..in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”  (1 Cor. 14:19)   

    When Jesus calls us to be His disciples and followers through Holy Baptism, He does not call us to a two or three year Junior High program, but to a lifetime of asking and answering the question:  “What does this mean?”  In today’s Gospel reading we are privileged to sit in on one of Jesus’ final traveling seminary classes with his apostles.  With them we are here to learn what it means to be a Christian and to grow in understanding the Christian Faith.               

     Above anything else we, like the disciples of our Gospel, need to grow in our…

 

I.  Understanding Of Jesus.

 

A.  Since the time was quickly approaching when Jesus’ disciples would witness His humiliation and crucifixion our Lord wanted to be certain that His disciples understood who He was, so that they would not be ashamed of Him, discouraged by His passion, nor fall away from their faith.  The same is true for us.  In this world where Christ is shamed, defamed, and held up to public ridicule, and His followers are treated like fools and enemies of society, it is important that we fully understand who Jesus is.

 

1.   Jesus began His instruction with His disciples by exposing the false belief of the masses.  He asked them “Who do people say I am?”  The answers revealed the misunderstanding of the people around them.  “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptizer; others say Elijah; and sill others one of the prophets.’”   Although these responses showed that people thought Jesus was something special, and that they believed in some form of resurrection, they betrayed an understanding that fell short of the mark.  Even many who had seen what He did and heard what He taught still did not understand who Jesus was.   

     In answering Jesus’ question today, “Who do people say I am?” we discover that many still do not understand.  They may think of Him as a great prophet or teacher, but just a man.  Most do not fully comprehend that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary to become the Son of Man for our salvation.  Many, even among those who call themselves Christians, don’t even care who Jesus is because the Gospel remains to them a stumbling block and foolishness.

 

2.   After exposing the false understanding of others, Jesus asked His apostles if they had the right understanding, by asking, “But what about you?  Who do you say I am?”   Peter, speaking on behalf of all the apostles confessed the correct understanding of who Jesus is:  “You are the Christ (the Messiah)!”   Peter understood that standing right there before them was the Anointed One of God, the One to whom all the Scriptures had pointed, the One who would come to take away the sins of the world!  He was, is, and will always be more than a man; He is the One True God who has taken upon Himself the nature of His creatures, our nature, to redeem us from our sin. 

    Here, this morning/evening we join Peter in confessing that we understand who Jesus is.  We confess that the One who comes to us in our worship is the Anointed One of God.  He is more than a moral example, more than a compassionate miracle healer, more than a prophet; He is God our Savior.

    In addition to understanding who Jesus is we must also understand what He did for us. 

 

B.  After Peter’s confession our Gospel reports that “[Jesus] 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.”   Jesus’ mission and purpose was to become the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, the Holy Lamb of God to be put to death in our place, and then rise again to proclaim His victory over our ancient enemy and the power of death.  How were the apostles to react to the news that their beloved Savior, the one they had just confessed to be the promised Messiah, was going to suffer, be rejected and killed?  How do we react when we know that someone we love is going to die?  We have trouble accepting it.  We fear being left alone.  We selfishly want them to stay here with us.  And so it was for the apostles.

 

1.  Peter showed the same misunderstanding or unwillingness to accept the true nature of Christ’s work that many of us do when He took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him.  He could not understand how such a horrible thing could happen to God’s Son!  Jesus should wear a crown of gold, not of thorns!  All men should bow before Jesus, not Jesus before angry mobs, cruel soldiers, and evil men!  He should be lifted high upon a throne in royal garments, not naked upon a shameful cross!  It’s all wrong, none of it makes sense!  “No,” Peter says, “Such a thing shall never happen to you, O Lord!”

    Still, today, there are those who have no use for the message of the cross.  They want a theology of glory!  They want a bloodless Messiah and the promise of a life free from suffering.  They want assurances of sharing in the good life here and now as a reward for their allegiance to and actions for Christ.  That kind of message, however, the kind being offered in nearly every “growing” congregation in our community and being spread over the airways, is evidence of a misunderstanding, even a rejection of Christ’s saving work.  It should be met with the same response which Christ gave in our Gospel:  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  

 

2.   Jesus wanted His disciples and each of us to understand that God’s ways are not our ways!  He chooses the foolish things to shame our wisdom, and the things we despise to bring about our salvation.  What Jesus came to do, His suffering and death, may not be the way we would do things, but then again our ways always fail.  God sent His own Son to do what we could not and to endure what will not.  He sent Jesus to live the perfect life of obedience that none of us could.  He sent Him to suffer in body and soul what we should suffer eternally.  And He sent Him to take our place under judgment and receive the punishment of death upon the cross, so that we will never be condemned.  He wants us to understand that it is by the shedding of Christ’s blood that we have received forgiveness, and that it is by His rising again in glory on the third day that we have been delivered from death to  eternal life.  Through this spirit worked understanding of Jesus and His work, we are able to more fully…    

 

II.  Understanding Ourselves.

   Now we understand who we were without Christ and who we are now because of Him. 

 

A.  Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, yes the same Peter who just confessed Him to be the Christ is leveled against us also:  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

 

1.  Without Christ we were all slaves to sin and Satan.  Every thought and deed was held in bondage to our fallen nature and the desires of our flesh.  In that state we were all enemies of God, spiritually dead, and unable to live with or for God.  Even now, when we refuse to understand who Christ is, what He has done for us, and His gracious will for our lives, we reveal the influence the evil one still has upon our sinful nature.  Mastered by that nature we reject the cross, and choose to live for ourselves, rather than for Christ and the Gospel.  Like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup, every day we seem ready to exchange our faith and our very souls to gain temporal pleasure.  It is important that, with St. Paul, we keep ourselves mindful of this side of us which is constantly doing battle against our new, redeemed, spiritual selves.  We desperately need to feel the power of Christ’s rebuke of that sinful nature:  “Get behind me Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”   And then realize who we now are through Christ. 

 

2.   Now we are a new creation through baptism and the word.  We have been purchased and redeemed by Christ’s blood and His innocent suffering and death to belong to Him, and to live with and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.  We are God’s children and His chosen people who have been called to faith by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and empowered by Him to live new lives to God’s glory.  We are no longer bound by our sinful desires, but are led by the Holy Spirit and filled with new and holy desires.  We have received the mind of Christ, and have our minds on the things of God.  In Christ we understand who we are, and what we now do because of Him.

 

B.  We can now pick up our crosses and follow Jesus to Calvary and the empty tomb.  Because it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us, we are able to deny ourselves, lose our lives to His purpose and to the Gospel, and exchange the whole world for the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ, our Savior, and being found in Him with a righteousness that comes by faith and yields eternal life.  The life we live we no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again for us. 

 

1.    In the power of our baptism we daily put to death the satanic force of our old sinful selves through repentance and faith, and discover a new person arising within us who wants to please God and wants to be like Christ.  That new person desires what is pleasing to God and strives to glorify Him with every thought, word and deed. 

 

2.   What we do through the power of the Holy Spirit is not the false religion or dead faith of mere lip service.  It is faith demonstrating itself in action.  It is the new life of faith that looks upon the sufferings of others and does not just wish them well.  As James writes, “What good is that?”   No, we understand that who we are and what we believe has everything to do with what we do.  Under the influence of the Holy Spirit we reach out with Christ’s mercy and compassion to make a difference in the lives of others.  Ours is a faith that shows itself by what we do!  We do for others in Jesus’ name, what Jesus has done for us, not because we must, not by our own reason or strength, but because in the freedom of the Gospel and with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can! 

 

Conclusion:   What does it mean to confess the Christian faith?  It means that we understand who Jesus is – the Christ, the Son of the living God.  It means that we understand what He has done for us – He lived, died and rose again to take away our sin and give us eternal life.  And it means that we understand who we are and what we are doing.  We are the redeemed children of God and disciples of Jesus, who have been given the privilege of daily picking up our crosses to follow Jesus; boldly confessing Him before the world in all we do, in the sure and certain hope that when He returns in His Father’s glory with the holy angels, He will not be ashamed, but confess us before His Father.  Amen.