The Cost of Following Christ

This past Sunday, we wrapped up the end of Mark 8 and made our way into Mark 9. In this section, we saw the Cross-destined life for Christ, and the Cross-shaped life for Christians. The Cross for Christ (v. 31-33): Jesus elaborates on Peter’s confession from verse 29, and details what His Messiahship will entail: 1) Suffering 2) Rejection 3) Death 4) Resurrection In this, Jesus unites two Old Testament messianic description in Himself - the Conquering King from Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53 Summary: Jesus the Messiah will Conquer through Suffering on behalf of His people (the Cross before the Crown) The Jews at the time expected only the Conquering King, as evidenced by Peter’s rebuke The Cross for Christians (v. 34-9:1): Just as Jesus must first undergo suffering and rejection before glory, so also all those who follower Jesus must be willing to 1) Deny self 2) Pick up one’s cross and 3) lose one’s life for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel There is nothing we can give for our soul and there is nothing that we can gain from this worth that is worth giving up our souls There is no category for people who reject Christ in this life, yet want to reap the rewards at His coming - if we are to share in His glory when He returns, we must share in His suffering now This week, spend some time reflecting on the following takeaways: Jesus tells Peter that he is setting his mind on the things of man, not the things of God - do your thoughts reflect a mind that is set on the things of God or on the things of this world? (Col 3:1-2) Jesus calls His followers to cross-carrying discipleship, which means death to self - are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel, and courageously confess Christ as Lord no matter the circumstance or consequence?