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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman, Times; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><span><strong>Sermons for March 4</strong></span></div>
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<span>Mark 8 the sermon titled "Do You Know Your Place?" by Leonard Sweet] </span><span><span><span>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 8:31-38 - "Why Must We Carry a Cross?" </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 8:31-38 - "Do You Know Your Place?" by Leonard Sweet</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The full text of the following sermon is available at <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1810377263__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109432883299&s=45429&e=001fY2PWa4Y6rqqxIRv-3BzwabV-ZfO8vEcK0fRvmGF2Z4Fe0FvVK2l2xMZwrVxEYnVJtgktUr6w2H65G9No-pG_F_Pgcc5LlmyniJFPOf9_Go=">www.Sermons.com</a>. </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 8 the<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">,</font></font> sermon title "Why Must We Carry a Cross?"<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"> <br>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>You might remember
comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from
Russia he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant
products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first
shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get
milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get
orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, "What
a country!"<br>
<br>
Smirnoff is joking but we make these assumptions
about Christian Transformation-that people change instantly at
salvation. Some traditions call it repentance and renewal. Some call it
Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it most traditions
expect some quick fix to sin. According to this belief, when someone
gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive,
in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. We go
to church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powdered Christian.
Just add water and disciples are born not made.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately,
there is no such powder and disciples of Jesus Christ are not instantly
born. They are slowly raised through many trials, suffering, and
temptations. A study has found that only 11 percent of churchgoing
teenagers have a well-developed faith, rising to only 32 percent for
churchgoing adults. Why? Because true-life change only begins at
salvation, takes more than just time, is about training, trying,
suffering, and even dying (adapted from James Emery White, Rethinking
the Church, Baker, 1997, p. 55-57).<br>
<br>
Peter took Jesus aside and
rebuked him. Why? Peter believes the kingdom of God can be obtained
instantly by force. Peter has a worldly view of the Kingdom and Jesus is
speaking about a heavenly kingdom. For a moment I would like you to
listen to this story with new ears and see Jesus through the eyes of
Peter and the rest of the disciples. Get rid of all your notions about
who Jesus is. Take away from your mind Jesus as the Son of God. Strip
from your memory that he died on the Cross and that he did that for your
sins. Forget that Jesus ever said love your enemies or love your
neighbor.<br>
<br>
Now I want you to think of Jesus only as a military
leader. Imagine that your country has been invaded and is being ruled by
godless men. Sense, now, that the tension is mounting and you are about
to go into battle. That you are about to conduct a coup d'etat. That
you and this band of ruffians are going to attempt to overthrow this
government by a sudden violent strike. That the odds are stacked against
you but you have a very strong belief that God is on your side despite
the overwhelming odds.<br>
<br>
Now you are thinking like Peter. Jesus
comes before his disciples and lays out his military strategy. Look at
verse 31. Jesus says, "We are going to march into Jerusalem you, the
soldiers, are going to lose your lives and I, your General, will suffer
many things. Furthermore, we are not going to get any help from our
Jewish brothers the Elders. Even the Chief Priest and the Sadducees will
not join us. Our government, the Sanhedrin, is corrupt and can be of no
help to us. We are going it alone and I will die in this battle."<br>
<br>
On
this day Jesus spoke plainly to his disciples about the events soon to
transpire and even though it was plain language it was not plain enough.
Peter was not able to shake his understanding of Jesus as his General
so he pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him. He says, "Sir, this is not a
very good military strategy. You are not going to die, don't say that.
It's not good for morale. We are going to be there with you and we will
fight to the end and we will throw these godless Romans out of Israel,
you will ascend to the throne in place of Herod, and we will be at your
right and left hand as the new leaders of Palestine.<br>
<br>
It is
fascinating to note that just before Jesus rebukes Peter he turns and
looks at his disciples. It is as if Jesus is putting two and two
together and realizes the disciples have put Peter up to this. It is a
perilous moment in the life of Christ. He must dispel this error from
their minds and teach them the meaning of his mission. So, he rejects
Peter outright calling him a tool of Satan and says, you do not have in
mind the things of God, but the things of men.<br>
<br>
Jesus is up
against a formidable foe. And in the end this foe may posses more power
then he. But the foe is not Peter and it's not the Sanhedrin or Pontius
Pilate, or Rome. This formidable foe is not even Satan himself. The
powerful enemy of Jesus is our quest for positions of rank and status.<br>
<br>
To
address the confusion Jesus pulls his disciples together and brings
them before a crowd. And in front of the crowd he corrects the
disciples' aspirations for privilege, rank, and power and he gives them
this simple little directive: You must take up your cross and follow me.
This morning I would like to ask the question "Why must we carry a
cross?" and give three reasons we must do so.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>1. To remind us that we are not the center of the Universe.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>2. To remind us that there are others who suffer.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>3. To remind us that we are responsible in part for the cross that Jesus carried.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>_______________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The full text of the following sermon is available at <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1810377263__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109432883299&s=45429&e=001fY2PWa4Y6rqqxIRv-3BzwabV-ZfO8vEcK0fRvmGF2Z4Fe0FvVK2l2xMZwrVxEYnVJtgktUr6w2H65G9No-pG_F_Pgcc5LlmyniJFPOf9_Go=">www.Sermons.com</a>. </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The world of sled dog racing is famous for a truism: "If you aren't the lead dog, the scenery never changes." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>In other words,
only the lead dog gets to see what is up ahead. Only the lead dog gets
to sniff out new possibilities, gets to choose a new path. For the rest
of the pack, there is nothing but a view of bushy backsides. No wonder
in life we are all constantly striving to be "lead dogs." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Across the
political spectrum, there is one common refrain. As the 2012 political
races heat up every candidate, Republican or Democrat, conservative or
liberal or libertarian, encourages t</span><span>heir audiences with calls for </span><span>America to reclaim her leadership status</span><span> - </span><span>in
manufacturing, technology, production, influence, economic growth.
Whatever the topic, it is being "in the lead position" that is the most
important point.</span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>We all want to be
"large and in charge." Who doesn't want to chart our own destiny? Who
doesn't want to chose our life pathway? Who doesn't want to decide for
oneself? The problem for Christians is that Jesus had a rather startling
response to that kind o</span><span>f an attitude: "Get behind me, S</span><span>atan!" </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Jesus' harsh
"rebuke" of Peter ("rebuke" here is a word used in demonic exorcisms)
doesn't sound so bad when it is directed at a dimwit disciple who had
the audacity to try and tell Jesus he was wrong. It is another thing to
have Jesus' words directed at each one of us, reminding twenty-first
century disciples that none of us are "lead dogs," that none of us get
to be "large and in charge." </span></div>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Jesus' disciples are reminded by today's gospel text to "know our place." And where is our "place?"...</span></div>
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