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Well, good morning, everyone. 
It's good to be with you this morning. You can turn with me 
your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8. The Gospel of Mark chapter 8, 
we're going to look at verses 31 through 33 this morning. So 
the first prediction of Jesus' death and resurrection, verse 
of 3. But I will begin reading at verse 
27, all the way to chapter 9, verse 1, to set the context for 
us. So Mark 8, begin reading at verse 27. Now Jesus and his 
disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and on 
the road he asked his disciples, saying to them, Who do men say 
that I am? So they answered, John the Baptist, 
but some say Elijah, and others, one of the prophets. And he said 
to them, Who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said 
to him, You are the Christ. Then he strictly warned them 
that they should tell no one about him. And he began to teach 
them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected 
by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and 
after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then 
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when he had 
turned around and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, 
saying, Get behind me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the 
things of God, but the things of men. Now when he had called 
the people to himself, with his disciples also, he said to them, 
Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself and 
take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save 
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and 
the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man 
if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will 
a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed 
of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him 
the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of 
his Father with the holy angels. And he said to them, Assuredly 
I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste 
death till they see the kingdom of God present with power. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our great God, we are thankful 
for your blessed plan of redemption. We're thankful for this covenant 
even before the foundation of the world between Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit to save sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're 
thankful for its fulfillment in history. We're thankful that 
that second person did come down, that one, the Son of Man, We're 
thankful, O God, that he lived a perfect life, that he died 
as a perfect sacrifice and he was raised again. We're thankful, 
O God, that he suffered on behalf of his people. We're thankful 
that he did this because we suffer. He did this because we are sinful. 
He did this in our stead. We're thankful that he bore our 
punishments, that he bore our iniquities upon himself. We're 
thankful that He was the man of our sorrows and acquainted 
with grief on our behalf, that we might have life everlasting, 
that we might have life eternal, that we might have communion 
with You, the God of heaven and earth, through this One, the 
Lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful for this gospel 
that is hard for people to understand. We're thankful, O God, that You're 
the One who is mighty to save by Your Spirit and by Your Word. 
So we ask, O God, today, that you would work by your Spirit 
with the Word, that you would save souls this day, that you 
would open eyes, that you would open ears, that you would change 
hearts, and that you might bring many to the saving knowledge 
of Jesus Christ by the power of your Spirit. We're thankful 
that you're the one who is mighty to do this, even with this difficult 
reality, but still a blessed truth, that this Son of Man had 
to suffer and die many things. We also pray, O God, that you 
would be with your people, that you would prepare your saints, 
that you would keep us and protect us, and that you'd remind us 
of the suffering that the Son of Man engaged in on our behalf, 
that he bore upon our behalf. And we're thankful for this One 
who is the perfect One, who is the righteous One, who went for 
His people. We pray, O God, you be pleased 
to feed the souls of your people this day. Encourage us. Keep 
us. Protect us. Keep us from false 
doctrine. Keep us from things that go against 
the truth. Help us to set our mind on the 
things that are above, where Christ is at the right hand. 
Help us to be mindful of the things of God instead of mindful 
of the things of men. We know, God, this is very difficult, 
this is very taxing on your people, and we pray, O God, even as we 
come and worship you and hear your word preached, that we would 
turn our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ and see the wonders, see 
the glory that is found in him, and even see that with this one 
who hung on the tree and is now raised. So we ask, O God, that 
you encourage our hearts this day, feed your people, save souls, 
we pray, and all things we pray you would be glorified. We pray 
these things in the name of Christ. Amen. Well, perhaps if you're 
like me, when someone challenges your ideology or challenges your 
ideas, you don't always take it very well. And even for Christians, 
when people hear something that goes against their Christianity, 
sometimes we don't always like that challenge as well. I remember 
one time, the first time I met Pastor Butler, he challenged 
me in a big way. My favorite preacher before I 
met Pastor Butler was John Piper, and I'd assumed that John Piper 
was Reformed. So the first time I met Pastor Butler, he says, 
hi, how are you? I'm Pastor Butler. And he's like, 
who are you? And well, I'm Mike. He says, this next thing he asks, 
he says, have you read any reformed guys? And I said, John Piper. 
And the first thing he says to me is, not reformed. Now, that 
was a big mind. My mind was blown in that moment. 
I thought, who is this grouch who has to say this right away 
to me concerning John Piper? But after a while, my thought 
process began to change, began to percolate, and sometimes we 
need to hear difficult things over and over again to make sure 
that we have it right, to make sure we have the truth, to make 
sure that we know what is trustworthy. And so the disciples have this 
challenge to them in Mark chapter 8. They have this fundamental 
idea of what the Messiah is, what he looks like, what he must 
do, and yet Jesus is going to come and challenge them on what 
that means. In Mark's gospel, the main focus, 
the main climax is actually 829. Who do you say that I am? Peter 
answered and said to him, you are the Christ. So Peter confesses 
that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the promised one. And then 
as we transition, as Mark begins to make, Help us make our way 
to Jerusalem as Jesus goes toward Jerusalem We begin to see challenges 
to what that Messiah actually means what it actually looks 
like and really chapters 8 through 10 focusing on the disciples 
and their Misunderstanding of what the Messiah is and they're 
going to have lessons in Messianic identity and one thing that was 
not in their thought process at this time was one who suffered 
and And Jesus is going to shatter their reality, shatter their 
worldview concerning who this Jesus is. He's going to flesh 
out what it means for the Son of Man to suffer. He's going 
to prepare them for the fact they have to suffer. But as he 
teaches them, as Jesus makes his way to the cross where he 
shall die a bloody death. And really, as they begin to 
make their way, we see this challenge even to Jesus' proclamation about 
the gospel from Peter, because he's still thinking man's thoughts. 
And that's the problem that we see here in this section today. There's God's thoughts, and there's 
man's thoughts. And there are man's thoughts 
about Jesus, and God's thoughts about Jesus. Some people think 
they know Jesus. Some people answer the question 
who He is in a false way, even though they think they are right. 
We see that in verses 27 and 28. Even the Old Testament people, 
the Israelites, they had a misunderstanding about who Yahweh is, who Yahweh 
was. They had misunderstandings about 
what the prophets were saying. They rejected the prophets. The 
contemporaries of Jesus, the Pharisees, can't handle His miracles. They can't handle what he's doing. 
They have a misunderstanding of who he is, even the disciples. His closest allies, his closest 
companions still can't handle this explanation about the one 
who must suffer. And I do even think in our modern 
context, people can't fathom the reality that your champion 
has to die, that your champion had to suffer, that your champion 
had to go on the way of every terrorist. And really, that's 
what the cross is. It's a death for terrorists. And really, a dead, sinful mind 
cannot even fathom these things because it is so unexpected. That's why it requires the work 
of a Savior, requires the work of the Holy Spirit, requires 
the work of God with the Word to open eyes concerning this 
truth about who Jesus is. And even Jesus is continually 
opening the eyes of his disciples about who he is, and he does 
so with this prediction of suffering. And that's what we see in verses 
31 through 33. He predicts his suffering, and 
it's not very well received by these disciples. So perhaps as 
we go through these three verses, you need to ponder the question 
I'm about to ask. Who is Jesus? Who is He? And what does it mean that He 
is the Christ? Who is this One, and what does 
it mean that He is the One, He is the promised Messiah? And 
we'll seek to answer this under two headings this morning. First 
of all, the cross predicted, verses 31 to 32a. Then secondly, 
the cross rejected, verses 32b to 33. So the cross predicted, and then 
the cross rejected. Let's first look at the cross 
predicted in verse 31 to 32. Notice we see teaching concerning 
the Son of Man. Again, it's important to know 
the context. The climax of Mark's gospel, the confession that he 
is the Messiah, comes straight from the mouth of Peter. He's 
going to explain what that means to be, what it means, what the 
Messiah is, what he looks like, what shall happen with him. Even 
that confession requires divine illumination. In fact, Mark's 
gospel is the only gospel that includes verses 22 through 26. 
You see, Matthew's gospel is for men. Men need things explained 
for them. And in Matthew's gospel, Jesus 
says that after Peter confesses these things, he says, flesh 
and blood have not revealed these things to you. Mark's a little 
bit more, he's a little bit more, he wants to keep things, you 
know, he wants us to enter in. He keeps things a little bit 
more hidden, more implicit, rather than explicit. And one way he 
explains it in an implicit way is verses 22 through 26, opening 
the eyes. And it's a visible picture of 
what happens spiritually. So Mark's the only one who includes 
verses 22 through 26. It doesn't explicitly say, flesh 
and blood reveal this to you, but we know from those verses 
that the only way someone can confess one is the Christ is 
through divine illumination. It requires teaching. And as 
well, what it means to be the Son of Man will require further 
teaching. So Jesus, and He began to teach 
them, verse 31, that the Son of Man. This is one of Jesus' favorite 
self-identifiers in the Gospels, and it can have several meanings 
with respect to it. One, it can refer to humanity, 
Mark chapter 2. Two, it can refer to a royal 
figure, and I think that is in play when we get to verse 38. 
And then three, it can refer to humility. And certainly Israel 
had a hope for the coming Son of Man, had a longing for the 
coming One who would come to the Ancient of Days, One whose 
kingdom shall have no end, One who shall have dominion, this 
Daniel chapter 7 type of King who shall come. And in Daniel 
chapter 7 we see One who's exalted, we see One who's triumphant, 
we see One who embodies what Israel is hoping for. And yes, 
that Son of Man shall come, but He must come through suffering. So what Jesus does is He equates 
the Son of Man with the Messiah. He equates Him with the Christ, 
and He equates Him with suffering. What's interesting, too, in Mark's 
gospel is the last time Christ is mentioned, apart from verse 
29, is all the way back in chapter 1. And as Mark goes through the 
Galilean ministry, again, we're asking the question, who is Jesus? 
Boom, here he is. He is the Christ. But Son of 
Man hasn't been mentioned since Mark chapter 2 as well. So again, 
there's misunderstanding about what that means. So Jesus is 
going to explain further what that is. Really, Son of Man comes 
up a lot in the next several chapters. So it could refer to 
humanity, a royal figure, or it could refer to humility. And 
I do think that it's that humility aspect that's involved here. 
With the Son of Man must suffer. He doesn't come to be served, 
but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. So perhaps Daniel 7 isn't necessarily 
in the background of verse 31. I think it is certainly in verse 
38. There's a lot of parallels. But 
the focus with verse 31 is really on this one who suffers. And 
the idea is that the one who suffers will bring about that 
triumph, but he must do so in a way that is unexpected. And 
even the language, must suffer. The language there highlights 
it's based on the divine plan. It's not focusing here on the 
hostility that comes from the Pharisees. Well, that is true. 
There is hostility. They hate Jesus. They want to 
take him out. In fact, in Acts chapter 2, when 
Peter's speaking to Jews, he says the cross was appointed 
by God, and he talks about how you killed him. divine plan, 
divine sovereignty, and human responsibility, hand in hand. 
They go together. They coalesce. God uses secondary 
means, and he uses the hatred of the Pharisees to take out 
the Lord of Glory, to accomplish his plan. Much like he uses Cyrus 
to free the people from captivity, much like he uses Nebuchadnezzar 
to take out the Israelites for their sins. It's not as though 
Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus were going, yay, I want to serve you, 
God. They were not doing that. But God still used those ones, 
used secondary means to bring about his purposes. And so the 
plan all along, there is no plan B, he must suffer many And even 
the language of divine will is found in one very clear allusion 
that's ripe throughout verses 31 through 33. That's Isaiah 
53. This is the suffering servant's 
song of Isaiah. And even this suffering servant 
is unexpected. And when Isaiah is prophesying 
during this section, it's during a time that he prophesies concerning 
the people in exile. And he's giving them some hope 
in the time of exile. And he talks about this servant 
who would come. We see in Isaiah 42, Isaiah 49, Isaiah 50, and 
Isaiah 53 all talk about the servant. And then Isaiah 52, 
13 through 53 focuses in on that suffering servant. But we do see in verse 10, yet 
it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It was always the plan of 
God to crush this servant. It was always the plan of God 
to lead this one, or to have this one go and die on behalf 
of his people, to suffer. So Jesus comes and He equates 
suffering with the Messiah. He equates suffering with the 
Son of Man. Something that would have been 
difficult for the disciples at this time. And so He must suffer 
many things. He must go through a life of 
difficulty. And even too, when you read Isaiah 
53 about the servant, everything about him is unexpected. He has 
an unexpected birth. He has an unexpected upbringing. 
He has an unexpected occupation. People are flabbergasted about 
who this one is. Really? This is the king? This 
is the one promised? This is the one who's going to 
save his people? Really? This guy? See, God's 
ways are different than man's ways, and I'm very thankful for 
that. Man typically ruins everything. God, on the other hand, what 
man means for evil, God does mean for good. God even supersedes 
your and mine stupidity. He supersedes our ignorance. He supersedes even for God's 
people. We don't always see the things that God protects us. 
From that's how good God is as he governs this world as he as 
he orchestrates all things for his glory Yes, even thing when 
things seem to be going insane God still operates and is still 
sovereign, and his plan is that his champion must suffer. He is unexpected in so many ways. And even though the Son of Man 
from Daniel will be one who is triumphant, the two certainly 
go together. The way in which the Daniel's 
Son of Man shall be triumphant is it shall be through suffering. That's how he shall win. That's 
how he shall bring about a restoration. That's how he shall bring about 
redemption. It is through suffering. We must 
suffer many things, and many things refers to even the Son 
of Man coming down. The second person taking on human 
flesh, brethren, is suffering in and of itself. It is Humility, 
according to Philippians chapter 2. He had to hunger. He had to 
thirst. He had to go without sleep. He 
was like us in every way, yet without sin. He suffered many 
things. But then Jesus begins to explain 
further what that suffering, or some specifics of that suffering. He must be rejected by the elders 
and chief priests. He must be regarded as unfit. 
That is, the elders delay aristocracy in Jerusalem, the rulers of the 
religious life of Israel. These will be the ones that shall 
reject him. Now this is unexpected-ish. And 
the reason I say ish is because the reality is these men, these 
elders, were not tax collectors, not heathens, weren't considered 
the scum of the universe at that time. They were considered the 
religious ones. And you'd think these religious 
ones who knew their Bible would not reject him. So based on society, 
it's a little bit odd that they're rejecting him. But as we read 
the Gospels, as we read, you know, Matthew, Mark, Luke and 
John, we see the primary opposition against the Son of Man is the 
scribes and Pharisees. These ones who hate him. These 
ones who want to sign. These ones who, even though they 
see signs and wonders, they don't even believe it. In fact, they're 
using the signs and wonders in Mark chapter 3 to see if he would 
heal. They knew He was going to do 
it. They knew He had the power. And so what they tried to do 
is to try to catch Him in the act that they might bring something, 
a charge against Him. There was a hatred. There was 
a hostility. These ones are enemies of the Son of Man. And even when we go back to Isaiah 
53, as Isaiah says, who has believed our report? Brethren, who is 
he talking about there? What's the audience there? It's 
Israel! Who has believed our report? 
Israel couldn't fathom, or understand, or believe, or look, who has 
believed? This is the champion? This is the one promised? And 
even in Romans chapter 10, where Paul talks about the rejection 
of Israel, he quotes Isaiah 53.1 when he talks about the rejection 
of the gospel. Who has believed our report? 
You see, it's through faith. It's no longer based on ethnic 
descent, but it's based on faith. And the hope out of exile will 
come through Yahweh's servant, and it will come through faith 
in this one who suffers. Even in Psalm 118, Mark's going 
to quote it explicitly in Mark 12, but there's some allusions 
here to it as well. The rejection aspect, the chief 
cornerstone that has been rejected. Even in Psalm 118, the psalmist 
is referring to the enemies of Israel. Now look what Mark is 
doing. Israel is becoming the enemy. Ethnic Israel are the ones who 
hate the promised one. It's no longer based on ethnic 
descent, but it's based on faith and the new exodus that comes 
to this one, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. So he must suffer, 
he must be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, 
and he must be killed. He must be cut off. Again, Daniel 
doesn't have the cutting off aspect in Daniel 7. Isaiah has 
that aspect in Isaiah 53. The one who was crushed for our 
iniquities, the one who was bruised for our transgressions, the one 
who was cut off according to Isaiah 53.8. He was taken from 
prison and from judgment. Who will declare his generation? 
For he was cut off from the land of the living. The language of 
cut off there is an Old Testamently charged word referring to one 
being vomited out of the land of Israel, being cut off, being 
rejected. And so this one has to be rejected 
for his people. In fact, the Jesus in the wilderness 
for 40 days in Mark chapter 1, the Son of Man is cursed for 
his people. The Son of Man is sent out into 
the wilderness, cut off for his people. The Son of Man, and then 
in a fuller sense, must be cut off when He dies and when He 
is killed at the hands of these ones who hate Him. He must suffer. He must be rejected. He must be killed. But thankfully, 
there is that word of hope or that language of hope at the 
end. It's not all doom and gloom. There is the triumph of the Lamb. 
And after three days he shall rise again. The death is not 
the end, and the death of this one is not the end of this servant. 
In fact, he shall triumph, he shall come to the Ancient of 
Days, he shall be resurrected, he shall ascend. And He does 
so through suffering, but He shall conquer through that suffering. 
He shall conquer death through that dying. He shall conquer 
death through that rising. He shall conquer sin and death 
through His entire crosswork, through the entire gospel. In 
fact, verse 31 really is the gospel, isn't it? We see the 
one who must suffer, must die, must be raised. What is the gospel? Christ living, dying, and rising 
again. And here it is for us as Jesus 
explains it in verse 31, as He predicts it in verse 31, as that 
promised prophet. He proclaims what the Son of 
Man shall do, alluding back and bringing in so many Old Testament 
texts to show the triumph that shall come even through his suffering. In fact, there is allusion, even 
the language of rising again. The language certainly refers 
to one in Isaiah 53.10, the one who shall prolong his days, referring 
to his resurrection. Perhaps more specific is Hosea 
chapter 6.2. In Hosea, the prophet Hosea is 
prophesying to the Northern Kingdom. Remember, there's the Northern 
Kingdom, Israel, Southern Kingdom, Judah. Israel is all bad, no 
good kings whatsoever in the Northern Kingdom. Hosea is prophesying 
to them. That's a fun ministry, isn't 
it? You're going to be ridiculed and hated because nobody's going 
to like what you have to say. Hosea does that, and so does 
Amos. But after God gives the promise 
of judgment in Hosea 5, there is this call to repentance in 
chapter 6, verses 1 through 3. He talks about the return. For 
he is torn, but he will heal us. He is stricken, but he will 
bind us. After two days he will revive 
us, and on the third day he will raise us up. Same word, same 
language used in Mark chapter 8 verse 31. And that word for 
rise again isn't the typical word that we see throughout the 
epistles for rising again, so it's rarer, and so there certainly 
is an allusion back to Hosea 6 too. Even Israel shall be revived, 
Israel shall be brought up, and Israel shall be revived in the 
true Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. So exile, death, suffering 
is not the end. This Son of Man shall triumph, 
He shall reign, for He is the King who came down. He is the 
King who is declared to be the Son of God with power by the 
resurrection from the dead. This is important. This is vital. This is the truth. And Jesus 
is not afraid to proclaim it. Verse 32. 32a. And he spoke this word openly. The language there highlights 
his boldness. He's not afraid to explain these 
things with vigor. He's not afraid that he's going 
to trigger someone by saying something that they're not going 
to like. He's not afraid to speak the truth, even if it means ridicule 
from others. And so he says very clearly he 
knows what's going to happen. He knows what the Jews think 
at this time concerning the Messiah, yet he's still not afraid. This 
is what the Son of Man must do. It is the divine plan of God. 
He must suffer many things. Even though it's not or will 
not be well received, he speaks it anyway. And even the language 
of word there, logos, highlights it's a groundbreaking pronouncement 
that is going to challenge someone's worldview, and he still says 
it anyway. He's not afraid of the safe space 
people. He's not afraid of the snowflake 
people. He's not afraid of those who are triggered by microaggressions. He's not afraid to speak the 
truth, regardless of what that outcome might be. He is willing 
to suffer for the sake of His people. And brethren, we need 
this one to suffer for us. We need this servant to suffer 
in our stead. Brethren, you know why we suffer? 
One word. Sin. That's what we can boil 
down suffering to. Sin and the effects of sin. When 
the first Adam fell and brought sin and suffering and hard work 
and the sweat of the brow and pain in childbirth and all the 
curses that we see in Genesis chapter 3, it brought about suffering. You got aches and pains. Suffer 
the sin. You got relationship issues? 
Sin. You got other problems, anxieties? 
Sin. It all can be boiled down to 
this very idea. This is why we suffer. Brethren, 
as well, sin is what we should be punished for. Brethren, everything 
we have in this life, whether it's temporal, that is, it's 
going to die or go away at the end of this present evil age, 
or whether it's temporal, with respect, everything we have, 
yeah, temporal or spiritual, is from the Lord God Most High. 
We don't deserve anything we have, brethren. We do not deserve 
anything we have. You're not going to hear that 
in some self-help, moralistic, therapeutic, deistic type of 
view in our modern context, are you? Brother, everything God 
gives is a gift. everything, the food that we 
have, the clothing on our backs, the shelter that we live under, 
all those things. But even more so, brethren, how 
much more in redemption that this one would be mindful of 
us, this one would care for us, that the sin that we deserve 
to be punished for, brethren, this one bore it in our stead. 
Brethren, sin is why we suffer, but sin is also why we should 
be punished. Why would this God even consider 
us? Who is man that you are mindful of him, the psalmist says in 
Psalm 8, and that it does refer to the first Adam and the last 
Adam. It does refer to creation. Why are you mindful of us in 
creation, but why are you mindful of us even in redemption? Brethren, God in His justice 
could have punished us and sent us an eternal punishment forever 
and ever. Yet, because of His goodness, because of His mercy, 
because of His wisdom, He sends forth a plan that was promised 
before the foundation of the world, planned before the foundation 
of the world, to save sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ. And this Son of Man came to suffer. 
And the reason He suffers is not for anything because of Him. He suffers because of you and 
I. He suffers in our stead. He suffers. He was bruised for our iniquities, 
brethren. He was chastised for our transgressions. It was in our stead. That's why 
we preach penal substitutionary atonement. Jesus isn't just some 
example. Jesus isn't just some special 
friend. Jesus is the one who died on 
behalf of his people. He goes to the cross, bears the 
punishment upon himself that sinners deserve. And that's the 
blessing of the gospel. If you get that wrong, there 
is no eternal life. If he's just some example that 
you follow, that is not the way of salvation. We must believe 
on this one, and the world doesn't understand this. Really, you 
mean, he does everything for me. Yes, He does everything for 
us. You mean the one who suffered? 
You mean He was raised? Yes, this is the one in whom 
only there is eternal life. The world cannot fathom why He 
should suffer in such a way. And the reason the world cannot 
fathom that is because the world thinks they're good. Right? The world thinks that they can 
earn their way. Ask anybody, hey, should you 
get into heaven? Well, yeah, I didn't murder anybody. I don't 
steal. Okay, wow, you must be a great 
person because you don't do those things. What about the fifth 
commandment? Brother, we're going to see that tonight. In fact, 
in 1 Timothy chapter 5, Paul says anybody who does not care 
for his family is worse than an unbeliever. Shocking, isn't 
it? Harsh words even for the fifth 
commandment. See, people think it's just killing 
and stealing. Those are the worst things in the world. What about 
having other gods instead of the Lord God Most High? What 
about how we worship? What about our demeanor in worship? Do we revere God? What about 
the day of worship? Do we violate that? What about 
honoring our father and mother and not just father and mother 
authorities? It refers to those in authority 
and those under authority. What about maybe you haven't 
murdered anybody with your hands, but what about your mind? What 
about the seventh commandment? Maybe you haven't committed adultery 
physically, actually, but what about in your mind? What about 
the 8th commandment? Stealing. Or perhaps the opposite 
side of things, being lazy. It's not just don't steal, it's 
also work hard so you don't have to steal. What about the 9th 
commandment, brethren? What about not bearing false 
witness, making sure our witnesses and everything we say is truthful? Or even the 10th commandment, 
coveting. You see, it's not just outward things. It's every thought, 
every word, every deed. Anytime we violate the law of 
God, it makes us liable to punishment. One iota, one wicked thought 
is enough to damn us to hell forever and ever. But this one, 
as Christ lived it perfectly and died because you and I are 
not enough, because you and I are not good. It is not gratuitous. It is not meaningless. He had 
to suffer these things. And that's difficult for people. 
And that's difficult and odd for humans. It's unexpected. 
Life comes through death, and it is only in the death of the 
Son of Man that we have life. We need Him to suffer for His 
people. So that's the cross predicted. 
Let's then look secondly at the cross rejected, verse 32b to 
33. And right on cue, Peter can't 
handle it because it's so unexpected. So Peter gives him a rebuke. 
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Again, the 
Jewish understanding of the Messianic identity at this time was some 
nationalistic hero. He went and got tanks. He went 
and got guns. He had massive biceps. He was 
ready to take out anybody in his way. That's what he was going 
to be. He was a revolutionary. He was 
going to grab his guns, grab his tanks, grab everything, let's 
march against Caesar and take him out. That's what they thought 
this messianic one would be. He will liberate Israel from 
Roman oppression. In fact, the Jewish writings 
highlight he's going to reinstate the law. There's going to be 
a purification of the temple. We're going to expel the Gentiles. This is what he is going to do. 
Man's thoughts versus God's thoughts. Man's assumptions versus biblical 
reality. And so that's the thought process 
at that time. And Peter's like, isn't this 
what you're going to be doing, Lord? Isn't this what's going 
to happen? Are we going to march against Rome at this time? In fact, they 
do sort of have those thoughts still in Acts chapter 1. Paul, 
Jesus still has to remind them the kingdom is not of this world. The kingdom is not about, you 
know, saving us from oppressive leaders. It's about souls. It's 
about salvation. That's what it is about. And 
so the Jewish ideology at that time was nationalistic. It was 
this worldly. And so Jesus, so Peter can't 
handle that. In fact, even the servant of 
Isaiah wasn't always identified as the Messiah. But then Jesus 
comes and he brings all these ideas together. The Son of Man, 
the Messiah, the Suffering Servant. He draws them all together. Again, 
who has believed our report? You see, even when we look at 
the servant songs, the I am, the one who shall come down. Who else is it but Yahweh come 
down when we see that servant in all those texts? The just 
one, the conquering one, the obedient one, and then the suffering 
one. Who is it but Yahweh, God himself, 
come down for Israel, for his people? And even in the Old Testament, 
the Messiah really was one who engaged in physical war. You 
read about David. He fought bears. He fought lions. He fought giants. He fought tons 
of the Philistines. There was physical warfare. But 
the second David, David's greater son, he is the warrior who comes 
through humility. He's still a mighty one. He's 
still a warrior. He's still one who shall trample 
his enemies and make them a footstool under him. That shall happen, 
but it shall be in the age to come. He's already done that 
now as the age to come has begun in His cross work and in His 
resurrection. He's declared to be the Son of 
God with power. He's proven to be the Lord promised 
in Psalm 110 by His resurrection. And He is making His enemies 
a footstool now. And brethren, that's hard in 
our modern context. Judgment and hatred and enemies 
with humans. That is reality. Brethren, there 
is an antithesis even from the beginning, the seed of the woman 
and the seed of the serpent. None of this liberal brotherhood 
nonsense. Brethren, there is this antithesis 
between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, 
and it goes all the way to the end of the age. God even says, 
I am angry with the wicked every day in Psalm 7. It goes against 
our modern, delicate sensitivities, as Pastor Butler would say, Jesus 
certainly is a mighty one, but he does so in a way that is far 
more mighty than any human shall do, and he does it through humility. So Peter can't handle that, and 
so he takes Jesus aside, which I guess is nice. We'll do a private 
rebuke for him. He's deferring maybe a little 
bit, and they begin to rebuke him. His assumptions are challenged. How do people respond when their 
ideas are challenged? They don't usually go, yay, that's 
right. I think I'll think through that. Wonderful. No, that's not 
how people typically respond. So he rebukes him. He charges 
Jesus. He rebukes him. He takes him 
aside. He's this obnoxious, bold-faced leader that he is, still needs 
to be reined in a little bit. And it's what all the disciples 
would have been thinking at that time. His ideology is challenged. But perhaps, as well, his view 
about his friend is challenged a little bit. You mean my friend's 
going to go die? You mean, Jesus, you're going 
to suffer? That's hard for anybody to hear 
when their friend's going to go to such suffering. So his 
ideology is challenged. His friend and master is about 
to die. Strong disapproval from Peter. But then we see Jesus in verse 
33. What was a private rebuke for Jesus, Jesus gives a public 
rebuke for Peter. But when? He had turned around 
and looked at his disciples. The reason it has to be public 
is because of the absolute importance and its accordance with the will 
of God, with what Jesus has said. The Son of Man must suffer these 
things. There's no maybes. There's no 
ifs, ands, or buts. There's no probabilities. It 
must happen. And it is by the will of God 
that these things must come to pass. And so Jesus has to drill 
it into their minds. He has to use Peter as a bit 
of an example. You cannot oppose me on these 
things. And you shall not oppose me on 
these things, because these things must come to pass. Even the best 
of men, even Peter, even in the context. Peter has just confessed 
something glorious. He is the Christ. But then thankfully, 
it shows that he's still a man, and he is not the Messiah. Jesus 
is the Messiah. That's why I love reading the 
Old Testament. Even throughout the Old Testament, 
they're asking, especially after David comes on the scene, as 
they go through all the kings, is this the king? Is this the 
king? Is this the one? Then one seems like he's a good 
king. Then all of a sudden, he does something a little unsavory. 
OK, he's not the king. We're still looking for someone 
else. We're still looking for someone else to come. The best 
of men are really men at best. He's just confessed who Jesus 
is. Now he challenges Jesus on that 
understanding. So Jesus has to give him a stern 
rebuke, and a stern rebuke he does give. Verse 33. Get behind 
me, Satan. Seems harsh. I don't know that 
I've ever called someone Satan before, but the Lord Jesus must 
hear. He wants them to understand the 
gravity of what he is saying. Jesus boldly proclaims his suffering, 
that it is the will of God, and yet it is challenged here. Because 
Jesus knows without his suffering, without his death, without his 
resurrection, there is no new exodus, and there is no new restoration 
for the people of Israel, for the true people of Israel, for 
the new people of Israel in the Lord Jesus Christ. So he says 
very clearly, the plan that Peter had, the challenge that Peter 
gives, is against the will of God. And Satan, he has to call 
him Satan at this time. Satan is at odds with the plan 
of God. Satan tempts Jesus. I guess that's 
in Mark chapter 1. The Pharisees attribute Jesus' 
work to Satan. That's where we see the unforgivable 
sin, attributing the work of the Spirit to the devil. So he hates that. He hates He's 
against the plan of God. He's against the mind of Christ. 
He's against the plan that is set in motion. He's at odds with 
what God has said. Get behind me, Satan. What's interesting, brethren, 
is that Satan's ways are a little more subtle than we sometimes 
think, aren't they? Yes, he prowls around like a 
roaring lion, but sometimes he slithers like a snake. Sometimes 
he just throws little subtle questions in there, little subtle 
things that might seem okay, might seem right. Has God really 
said? In fact, in this case, even though 
Peter isn't Satan, what he has said is like Satan's challenge 
to the truth. It shows the gravity of it. He 
uses Peter, even though Peter thought he was just defending 
what he believed. Peter thought he was defending what was right, 
yet he still, in that instance, is challenging the Word of God. What's interesting, later on 
in the second and third prediction, Jesus is going to give a fuller, 
I guess not a fuller, but more detail about what shall happen 
to him. He shall be betrayed. Someone in the midst of him is 
the one who is going to hand him over. Really? Someone who's 
close by? See, brethren, sometimes I think 
we think Satan is the one who yells the loudest. Perhaps you 
heard about the little incident that happened in our church several 
weeks ago with two wolves who walked in, anti-Trinitarians, 
and they caused a ruckus in our church because I was preaching 
on the Trinity. Brethren, those guys really aren't 
on our radar. We know that they're wrong. It's 
more the ones who come into church, sit in the back, are a little 
bit subtle, and begin to start spreading little things in the 
back of the church. That is far more problematic 
than loud-mouthed men who are just coming to stir things up. And brethren, that's their track 
record. They go to churches, they sit 
at the back, they wait till it's over, and then they yell at the 
ladies when they walk out. I mean, do they have nothing 
better to do with their lives? They are wolves and absolute 
wolves, and I have no problem saying that and calling them 
the wolves that they are, but brethren, they're really not 
the problem. Yeah, they're a problem, they're a pain in the butt, but 
they're really not the problem. The problem is the subtleties 
that can happen within the Church. That's why it's so vital and 
important that we cling to the truth. We cling to the Gospel 
in its veracity, in its truthfulness, that Christ lived, died, and 
rose again. This is the only way. Eternal life is at stake. Eternal blessedness is at stake. 
Hope is at stake. That's why you must cling to 
this truth with absolute vehemence. Certainly we've seen men throughout 
the ages defend this truth with absolute vehemence, and certainly 
Jesus does that. Get behind me, Satan! And the language of Behind Me 
kind of softens the blow a little bit. It's not a term of disassociation. He doesn't completely write Peter 
off, even though Peter was being a numbskull. He doesn't write 
him off. He's going to teach him many, 
many things. He's going to follow him. He's 
going to deny himself all those things Peter shall do, but he's 
going to learn the very hard way. But Jesus says, for you, 
verse 33, are not mindful of the things of God, but the things 
of men. This is the key reason for the 
rebuke. He's not mindful for the things of God. The disciples 
are still thinking nationalistically rather than spiritually. They're 
still thinking about this world. Brethren, to view salvation in 
terms of this world is of the devil. And sometimes people focus 
so much on this world that we fail to see the reality of the 
world to come. People don't realize that there 
is life after death. People want it to be just rainbows 
and unicorns and roses, and I just can do whatever I want, and then 
when I die, we'll see what happens if I tip the scale. See, that's 
what sin does. It makes one deluded concerning 
these things. It just focuses on the here and 
now, rather than seeing what shall come to pass, and what 
has already been inaugurated in the Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, 
do you know that when we come to church, We come to sing with 
the saints of heaven who go before us. Revelation chapter 4, when 
we sing, holy, holy, holy, we are singing with the church triumphant 
that has gone before us. Brethren, I used to joke with 
a brother whenever I was about to come up to preach. I'd say, 
we're going to jump into worlds unseen. That's not a joke. We 
actually do jump into worlds unseen when we come to worship 
God. And sometimes we're so focused on the here and now that we fail 
to see what we are doing when we worship. That's why worship 
is so vital and so important for the people of God. It helps 
us turn our attention off of ourselves and onto God. Brethren, we all come out of 
the world with many difficulties and struggles and circumstances 
and anxieties, especially with the pandemic going on. We get 
to come to heaven on Sundays and worship God and set our mind 
upon God and upon Him. In fact, the language of setting 
one's mind, being mindful of the things of God, not the things 
of men, is also used by Paul in Colossians 3, where he says 
we must set our mind on the things that are above where Christ is 
at the right hand of God. Brethren, God's ways are not 
our ways, and Christ coming and living and suffering and being 
rejected is something that is hard to fathom. But thankfully God in his mercy 
illumines, he changes hearts, he saves souls, and thankfully 
God's people can come and we can set our mind upon the things 
that are above where Christ is at the right hand of God. But the gospel must be defended. There's a very clear contrast 
between the things of God and the things of man. Get behind me, Satan, for you 
are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. 
Now, Jesus is going to remind them again twice. And the second 
time he reminds them, they're a little bit afraid to ask him 
what it means. And he's going to remind them 
again and again. Brethren, sometimes when we have 
things that challenge our thoughts, we need to hear it again and 
again. Sometimes we need things to percolate over and over again. You mean I'm a sinner? Yeah. 
You mean you're a lawbreaker? You mean I'm a wretch? Yeah, 
you are. You need to ponder those things and realize what they 
mean and what that signifies and what could happen if you 
die in your trespasses and sins. Think about those things. But 
then think about the Savior. Think about the one who died 
for his people. Think about the one who went to the cross, who 
had the wrath of God poured out upon him, who had the last judgment 
punishment poured out upon him, that those in him come forward 
in him, that we are justified and declared not guilty in him. 
Ponder all of those things, percolate on those things. You might not 
understand all these things, everything I'm saying, or everything 
perhaps friends have said. One thing you need to know, you 
are a sinner. You are a lawbreaker if you do 
not know Christ. You are one who is dead in your 
trespasses and sins. But there is a Savior, and if 
you believe on Him, there is eternal life. There is blessed 
hope that is found in Him. Thoughts challenge. Hopefully, 
as we percolate, as we think, as we ponder these things, as 
we hear it again and again, we see the glories of what Christ 
has done for us. We see the importance of the 
truth of the gospel as we ought to defend the only way of salvation 
that is found in him. And brethren, because these things 
are so unexpected, we need the Spirit to help us further understand 
the things of God, even to first understand the things of God. 
Brethren, we believe the work of salvation is the one who changes 
darkened minds, who removes hearts of stone, puts in hearts of flesh, 
The reality is one who is not in Christ is dead. The reality 
is this idea that this one has died is difficult and hard for 
people, that the way to life is death in the sun. The divine 
plan makes no sense in human terms. The kingdom of God is 
nearness. The kingdom of God is love and 
forgiveness, not swords and blowing things up. The kingdom of God 
is what, you know, it's through the restoration for Israel, but 
it's not the way Israel would think it. It just reorients everyone 
and reorients Israel, reorients the disciples in what the truth 
actually is. And it's through faith in this 
one that one is saved. It's through faith in this Christ 
where there is life. And we're thankful and we must 
believe that he must suffer. J.C. Ryle says there is a far 
deeper meaning in the word must suffer and be killed. He meant 
that his death and passion were necessary in order to make atonement 
for man's sin. Without shedding his blood, there 
could be no remission. Without the sacrifice of His 
body on the cross, there could be no satisfaction to God's holy 
law. He must suffer to make reconciliation 
for iniquity. He must die, because without 
His death as a propitiatory offering—propitiation just means turning away the wrath 
of God—sinners could never have life. He must suffer, because 
without His vicarious—vicarious just means in our stead—sufferings, 
our sins could never be taken away. In a word, He must be delivered 
for our offenses and raised for our justification. He must suffer. for there to be any hope of eternal 
life. The Son of Man suffers, the Son 
of Man dies, the Son of Man is killed for his people. But as Jesus is going to go on 
to explain in verse 34, he doesn't just prepare his disciples for 
his suffering, he prepares his disciples for their suffering 
in this present evil age. Yes, Christ is triumphant. Yes, 
there is the age to come. Yes, we do not need to fear. 
But brethren, this world is one fraught with suffering. It's 
one full of suffering. It's one where the creation groans 
and longs for redemption. There's Christ's cross and our 
cross. And as Jesus will say, whoever 
desires to come after me, let him deny himself. What's interesting, 
too, brethren, that word is later on used for Peter when he denies 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter learns the hard way, doesn't 
he, about what the Son of Man must do. He learns the hard way 
about what it means to suffer. And the reason is, even in 1 
Peter 3, the reason we ought to be quiet in the time of suffering, 
that we ought to be silent and not be grumblers and complainers, 
is because the suffering Son of Man suffered for us. That's 
what we see in 1 Peter chapter 3. We suffer because he suffered 
for you and I. And brethren, we can count it 
all joy when we face trials of various kinds. We're not masochists. We don't go looking for pain. 
We don't go looking for those things, brethren. But when they 
come, we must be prepared to suffer for the sake of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. and counted a joy. And the reason 
we counted a joy, brethren, is because we learn things in the 
midst of suffering. Pastor Butler has said often, 
we're never sanctified on a beach, right? And the reason we're never 
sanctified on a beach is because there is no pressure in our lives. 
There is no challenges to our faith. There is no battle. Many 
of you are battling with sin, lying there, thinking about things 
you shouldn't, but outward external struggles. Those things, you 
know, trials produce character and perseverance. There are things 
in our lives that arise that cause us to learn how to be patient, 
that cause us to learn how to be forgiving. Brethren, sometimes 
the most impatient person learns to be patient when there are 
times that they want to be impatient. That's where we learn those things, 
brethren. Even when we see in Romans 5, 
when he talks about faith, or our trials produce certain things, 
that production, that challenge to our very ideas and thought 
processes, even for Christians, even as we go through this life, 
as we suffer, it is a daily death to self, isn't it? We still have 
the remnant of the old man. We're saved in Christ. We're 
not earning our way. I never say that. But when we're 
sanctified, it is a daily death to self, and it's a daily death 
to our thoughts. and further reorienting our minds 
to God's thoughts. That's the Christian life. And 
the key way that God does that is through suffering, brethren. 
Brethren, even when we suffer, we need the Spirit, don't we, 
to help us when we suffer, to help us to suffer well, to help 
us not grumble or complain when people persecute us, when people 
say things we don't like, to stand there and take it rather 
than grumble and complain back. We need the Spirit so often. In fact, we need the Spirit every 
day in our lives, don't we? The Spirit saved us and changed 
us and given us new hearts and lives and shown us the glories 
of the Lord Jesus Christ through illumination. But we still need 
the Spirit to help us in this life when we suffer and as we 
take up our crosses and deny Him daily. We need the Spirit 
to further understand the things of God. Now, if you're an unbeliever 
here today, I think I've already said that this might not make 
sense to you. And I pray that God would open 
up your eyes, give you ears to hear and eyes to see, and open 
up your heart, because I believe he can do that, and he does do 
that. But without Jesus, you will die 
in your trespasses and sins. Without Jesus, you shall face 
eternal punishment. Without believing on this one 
who suffered and died and was raised, what do you mean he was 
raised? The Bible tells us so. The Bible is clear that this 
one engaged in these things for his people. And if you believe 
on this Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the messianic 
mighty one, the one who did not come to be served but to serve, 
If you believe on him, you shall have eternal life as well. Yes, 
there might be suffering in this life, but there is eternal glory 
and eternal hope, eternal life in this one. Suffering for a 
little bit, life forever. And I surmise, even as an unbeliever, 
you still suffer quite a bit even now, but there is hope in 
Jesus Christ, if you believe on the one who suffered in the 
stead of his people. So who is Jesus, brethren? He 
is the suffering Son of Man. Let's pray. Our Lord God, we are thankful 
again for the plan. We're thankful for this One who 
must suffer and did suffer. We're thankful for this One who 
was rejected. We're thankful that He is a man 
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We're thankful, O God, 
that He was killed, and we're thankful that He was raised on 
behalf of His people. We're thankful that he is the 
one who stood in our place, in the place of his people. We're 
thankful that on that cross he bore the wrath of God upon himself 
for his people. We're thankful, O God, that he 
suffered physically, he suffered spiritually for wretches like 
us. We know, God, we are undeserving 
of so great a salvation. Truly, who is man that you are 
mindful of us, O God? We're thankful that you are mindful 
of us in the Son, in this one, in the second person, in our 
Christ. And we pray, O God, that you would be pleased to help 
us, even as your people, to further die to self day by day and further 
grow into the image of Christ day by day. Prepare our hearts, 
O God, for suffering. Help us to pray now for those 
times that shall come, that will come. We pray, O God, that we 
would stand firm, we would not be afraid, we would be prepared 
to suffer for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us, O 
God, by your Spirit to take up our crosses and deny you daily. 
We confess, O God, we have much remaining corruption, we struggle 
with these things mightily, but we're thankful, O God, all our 
sins, past, present, and future are forgiven in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So encourage us, spur us on, help us to set our mind 
upon the things that are above where Christ is, and help us, 
O God, to further have our thoughts in line with you according to 
your word. Help us to think biblically, help us to have the mind of Christ. 
We're thankful, O God, even when we are neglectful and forgetful, 
you're a God who is watching out for your people. We also 
pray, O God, if there are any lost sheep here today, that you 
would save their souls, that you would bring them in. We pray, 
O God, that you give them eyes to see and ears to hear the glories 
of this one, that they would believe on this suffering one, 
this bloody champion, this bloody savior. We're thankful, O God, 
that he was bruised. We're thankful, O God, that he 
was crushed. We're thankful that he was battered for his people. 
And we pray, O God, that you would be pleased to save sinners 
this day through your gospel. Thank you for life eternal. Thank 
you for hope. Thank you for being with us in 
the midst of suffering. Thank you that there is life 
through the death in the Son and life in Him. And we're thankful, 
oh God, that there is eternal life that gives us hope, that 
gives us encouragement, that spurs us on up along the way. Thank you for walking with us 
as pilgrims. We pray you encourage our souls, strengthen our souls, 
and help us to have the mind of Christ. We pray all these 
things in the name of Christ. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time meditation. When the piano's finished, you 
are dismissed.