WEBVTT 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.880 All right, good morning, church family. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.599 Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter 8. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:15.279 Mark chapter 8. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:29.600 I want you to hold your spot there because this morning we're going to do something unique, and I'm actually going to give an overview, a giant flyover, tracing a major theme through the book of Mark. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:30.160 Okay. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:43.679 The scriptures are going to be on the screen, but to prevent you from going super fast, because I'm going to go super fast, hold your spot in eight, because we'll camp out there for two really important scenes. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.719 If you're a guest with us this morning, let me introduce myself. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.079 My name is Jason Smith. 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:53.119 I'm the pastor here of First Baptist, and it is an honor and a privilege to have you. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:54.399 Let me welcome you. 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.039 If you do not have a Bible, there is a Bible in the Pew rack in front of you. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.760 You can take that Bible and keep it as a gift from us to you. 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:11.120 All right, church family, before we jump into the text, though, I do want us to spend just a few moments. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:12.959 I want us to be in prayer. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:21.680 Obviously, you know the conflict that is going on around the world, our nation at war, and I want us to pray for two things very specifically. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:43.760 We have a mission partner that is currently in Iraq that is getting reports, and all of those reports are in the midst of the turmoil, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is continuing to flourish, that the church is not shrinking back, but the church is stepping into all the chaos. 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:58.799 So we're going to pray for the underground church in Iran, and we're going to pray for our servicemen and women who are so brave to put themselves in harm's way and for the wisdom and of leadership of everything that's taking place, right? 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.400 We're going to go before God's throne and pray that his kingdom would come. 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:10.319 Heavenly Father, we pray right now in Jesus' name for our brothers and sisters who are on the other side of the world. 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.360 We pray for the church in Iran. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:19.919 Amidst all the conflict and chaos, Father, we pray that your kingdom would come. 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:21.439 We pray that you would save. 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:28.800 We pray that there would be an incredible movement among the Persian people, that they would come to faith in you, King Jesus. 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:32.159 You are worthy of all of our praise. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:35.120 God, we pray that your kingdom would come. 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:45.599 Father, we thank you for the servicemen and women of our country who are putting themselves in harm's way to liberate from an evil regime. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:47.919 Father, we pray your protection. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.680 We pray your wisdom to the leaders making decisions. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.039 And Father, we pray that your will would be done. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:57.199 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:58.159 Amen. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:06.240 The road into Jerusalem is finally crowded. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:19.680 For three years Jesus had moved quietly, teaching in villages, healing in the margins, again and again telling people to not make him known. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:27.120 He would slip away through the crowds, silence demons, avoids the spotlight. 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:30.800 But now everything changes. 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:36.240 As he approaches the city, he does something that he's never done before. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:43.520 He tells two of his disciples to go ahead and to find a cult who had never been ridden. 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:48.879 If anyone asks about what's going on, tell them the Lord has need of it. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.840 They untie it and bring it back to him. 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:58.319 This is not an accident. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:01.599 This is not spontaneous. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:04.879 No, Jesus is orchestrating a moment. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:15.840 He is deliberately stepping into prophecy because the promised king is arriving in his city. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:20.480 So they bring the colt back to him, and Jesus mounts it. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:23.839 They take their cloak and they make a saddle. 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:29.600 And as he begins to ride toward Jerusalem, the crowd begins to swell. 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:33.680 People take off their cloak and lay them on the road. 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:40.319 Others go into the field and begin to cut branches and wave them and lay them in front of him. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:50.160 And then the shouting begins: Hosanna! Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:55.199 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David. 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:57.920 See, this is it. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:06.480 The moment that Israel had been waiting for the king has come. 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:13.360 Publicly, openly, unashamedly. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:17.439 No more hiding, no more secrecy. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:24.639 Jesus is now presenting himself to Jerusalem as the king. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:30.560 And the crowd celebrates, they rejoice, they welcome him. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:36.879 But here's the tension: they don't realize what kind of king he is. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:45.759 You see, they see him, they honor him, they shout his name in praise, but they do not understand him. 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:57.519 Because within a matter of days, the same city that cries out, Hosanna, will cry out, crucify him. 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.240 So what happened? 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:01.680 What happened? 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:06.160 How could they go from celebration to rejection? 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.920 How could they be so close to Jesus? 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:15.759 So close to honoring him for who he is and completely miss who he is? 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:22.000 You see, that's the question that the gospel of Mark forces us to ask. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:35.439 And the answer is this you know, it's possible to see Jesus and to not see him, to not understand who he truly is. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:43.600 Because he is not the king that we expect, but he is exactly the king that we need. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:52.480 Today, as we walk through Mark's gospel, we're going to be given a unique vantage point. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:55.120 We get to watch it happen. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:07:03.680 The crowds miss him, the disciples do not understand, even those closest to him, trying to reshape him. 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:11.040 Not because they aren't looking, but because they are blinded by their own expectations. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:18.639 The end of Mark's gospel, he does something remarkable for us. 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:29.439 He shows us one man standing at the foot of the cross who finally sees clearly. 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:35.360 So before we walk that road, I want you to see the destination at the end. 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:39.920 So listen to Mark 15, 37 through 39. 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:50.399 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 00:07:50.800 --> 00:08:04.800 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of him, saw the way that he breathed his last, he said, Truly, this man was the Son of God. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:06.879 Will you pray with me? 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:23.040 Heavenly Father, I pray this morning, as we have gathered around your word, as we listen to Mark unfold the detail of your account, King Jesus. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.199 Father, I pray that you would allow us to see. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:36.480 That your spirit would open the eyes of our heart and mind, and that we would see who you truly are. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:39.679 And that we need you. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.240 Holy and completely, we need you. 00:08:44.879 --> 00:09:00.159 That we do not need to reshape you into our image, but instead you have come as the magnificent one, and you have come to meet every true need that we have, the ultimate need, and that you are the king. 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.080 And we surrender to you. 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:15.200 Father, I pray if there is anyone here today under the sound of my voice that does not know you, that today would be the day of salvation. 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.000 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:18.960 Amen. 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:27.039 So, right at the beginning of Mark's gospel, at the very outset, he tells us who Jesus is. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:28.639 Mark 1:1. 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:34.399 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.919 Now that's not a conclusion, that's a starting point. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:46.720 And then heaven speaks in verse 11 You are my beloved son, and in you I am well pleased. 00:09:47.279 --> 00:10:00.639 Now recall, if you were here last week, we saw that that was a very intentional statement from heaven that is actually fulfilling two magnificent promises from the Old Testament. 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:10.000 One announcing the king from the Psalms, and the other announcing the suffering servant from Isaiah. 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:22.559 And in one sentence, God tells us that Jesus is the king who reigns, and that he is the humble servant who will suffer. 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:32.159 You see, against all expectations, God announces that his king will suffer before he reigns. 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:37.440 But you see, no one on earth knows that yet. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:47.759 Not the crowds, not the disciples, not the religious leaders, only the Father declares it. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:54.720 So before the story even begins, God tells you exactly who Jesus is. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:59.679 Meaning we don't get to redefine him. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:04.799 We don't get to reshape him into our image. 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:06.720 We don't get to adjust him. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:12.320 Either you receive him as he is, or you miss him completely. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:19.919 Early in the Gospels, the clearest voices are the darkest ones. 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:26.320 Repeatedly, the demons declare that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:28.799 Look, Mark 1.24. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:31.919 I know who you are, the Holy One of God. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:33.840 Mark 3, 11. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:37.679 And they fell before him and shouted, You are the Son of God. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.200 Mark 5, 7. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:41.200 What business do we have, each other? 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.000 Jesus, Son of the Most High God. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:47.679 You see, the demons know his identity. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:53.919 They know his authority, but they do not understand his mission. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:55.759 Listen to this. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:12.480 In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 8, it says, Paul writes there that neither Satan nor the demons nor any spiritual forces had any understanding of the plan of salvation. 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:15.600 Otherwise, they would not have crucified him. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.679 They did not understand Jesus' mission. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:25.279 This is why Jesus rebukes and silences the demons in Mark. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:30.559 They know who he is, but they do not know what he has come to do. 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:37.200 And truth without the cross is dangerous truth. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:47.840 You can know the right things about Jesus, use all the right theological titles, and still not belong to him. 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:51.600 Secondly, the crowds. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:59.600 As Jesus travels from town to town teaching and performing miracles, the crowds are amazed. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.240 But it's superficial. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:07.600 They love Jesus, but for the wrong reasons. 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.080 Look at Mark 1.27. 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:12.960 They were all amazed, saying, What is this? 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:14.960 A new teaching with authority. 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:27.840 Mark 2, 12, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, We have never seen anything like this before. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:38.720 Mark 5, 56, they were imploring him that they might just touch the fringe of his cloak, and as many as touched him were cured. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:45.120 You see, they are drawn to Jesus' power and his miracles, all of which is good. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:50.159 But instinctively it was to what Jesus could do for them. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.600 They never arrived at a true understanding. 00:13:56.320 --> 00:14:03.919 They see him as a miracle worker, but never a suffering savior. 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:12.720 And if we are not careful, we can approach Jesus in the same way as a genie. 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:18.720 It's not who he is, but what he can do for me. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:21.440 Now I know what you're thinking. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:26.159 You're thinking, in your mind, well, well, the crowd was distant from him, okay? 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.240 They only got a glimpse of Jesus. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.879 What about his disciples? 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.519 Those who left everything for him. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:39.840 They walk with him, they hear him teach on a regular basis, they see his miracles. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.480 Surely they understand him. 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:47.120 Friend, this is where it gets uncomfortable. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:58.639 Because it is possible to be close to Jesus and still not see him clearly, still not truly understand him. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.320 They don't understand his power. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:08.799 In Mark chapter 4, after he calms the storm, they ask, who then is this? 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.159 That even the wind and the sea obey him? 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:25.279 They don't understand his provision, Mark 6, 52, for when they had for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.799 They don't understand his teaching, Mark 7. 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:34.080 And Jesus said to them, Are you still lacking in understanding? 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:44.399 See, there's this repeated theme that even those closest to Jesus are still spiritually in the dark. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:50.960 In fact, this becomes a very important theme in the Gospel of Mark. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:56.720 Okay, so turn with me in your Bibles to Mark 8, 22 through 26. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:06.320 Because in Mark 8, 22 through 26, Jesus gives us a living parable. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:12.639 Jesus is going to heal a man who is blind. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:21.039 But intriguingly, when Jesus heals him, he does it in two stages. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:29.279 Now, friend, that's not because Jesus had half the power and had to do it twice to finish the job. 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:29.919 Okay? 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:32.480 That's not what's going on. 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:38.799 Jesus bends down, takes some dirt, creates some spittle, applies it to the eyes. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.159 And then Jesus asks, Can you see? 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:50.720 To which the man replies, I see people, but they look like walking trees. 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:55.440 You see, everything is still blurry. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:04.559 And then Jesus lays hands the second time upon his eyes, and then everything becomes clear. 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.039 This is not random. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.799 This is a picture of the disciples. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:17.759 You see, they see something real in Jesus, but it's blurry. 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:24.799 They are not blind anymore, but they do not see clearly either. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:31.440 So throughout the first eight chapters in the Gospel of Mark, there is attention growing. 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.839 There is a question that is building. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:37.119 The question is: who is Jesus? 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.720 The demons know his authority, but they are silenced. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.759 The crowds are amazed, but they are shallow. 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:49.200 And even the disciples, they are committed, but they're still confused. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:58.960 Everyone is talking about Jesus, but does anyone truly understand who he is? 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:05.200 And that leads us to Mark 8, 27-33. 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:10.079 This is actually the hinge of the entire gospel of Mark. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:13.839 Everything has been building to this scene. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:22.160 Because in this scene, Jesus directly asks his disciples, Who do people say that I am? 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:28.079 And then, who do you say that I am? 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:35.200 Peter replies, You are the Christ. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:38.400 He's right. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:40.640 He's right. 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:50.079 For the very first time, the disciples get the title correctly. 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.720 You are the Christ. 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:55.039 Peter sees. 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:59.680 But he sees what he wants to see. 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:06.400 Because immediately Jesus begins to teach. 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:11.200 Right after this proclamation, Jesus begins to teach them. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.839 The Son of Man must suffer. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.640 He must be rejected and be killed. 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:27.759 And Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:30.480 Rebukes him. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:36.400 Peter doesn't reject Jesus. 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.799 He's trying to reshape him. 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:46.720 That's far more dangerous than just outright rejection. 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:55.279 Because you can follow a Jesus that you've created and never actually know the real one. 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:59.920 You see, here's the problem. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:06.799 In Peter's mind, the problem is out there. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:09.839 It's Rome. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:12.000 It's oppression. 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.160 It's his circumstances. 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.319 The problem is out there. 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:18.160 It's not in here. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:25.839 My sin, my rebellion, my need for atonement. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:33.920 And when the problem is external, you need a conquering king. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:37.680 Fix this mess, Jesus. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:42.720 You're the king, you reign, and I'll be at your right hand. 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:44.000 Go get him. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:54.960 But when the problem is internal, only then do you need a crucified Savior. 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.480 You see, Peter isn't confused, he's offended. 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:08.799 He's offended at the fact that he is the reason that he needs saving. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:18.880 And to this reshaping, Jesus replies, get behind me, Satan. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:29.599 Peter confessed all the right titles, and he still rejected the real Jesus. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:35.440 See, the question isn't, do you say the right things about Jesus? 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:40.000 The question is, do you receive him on his terms? 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:52.240 Now from this moment forward in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is marching towards the cross. 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:58.319 He's marching towards the cross, and he will say it again and again and again. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.799 8 31 He must Suffer. 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:02.960 931, he will be killed. 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:07.200 1034, he will be mocked, scourged, and killed. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:15.039 And every time the disciples are thinking about their own glory, right? 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:19.440 They are arguing which one of them is the greatest. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:21.920 And so Jesus teaches them, right? 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:26.799 He corrects their understanding of what greatness really is in the kingdom. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:29.599 You do not understand what greatness really is. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:33.519 You see, in the kingdom, greatness is servanthood. 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.480 Victory is sacrifice. 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:40.240 The king gives up his life. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:46.559 See, he's overturning their entire understanding of glory. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.200 But they're slow to see. 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:55.200 And so now we arrive back at Palm Sunday. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:01.519 Jesus presents himself to Jerusalem. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.160 The king has come. 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:07.119 The crowds celebrate. 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:10.880 They are right to call him king. 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:15.599 But they do not know what kind of king he is. 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:20.480 Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:26.400 You know, Hosanna means God save us. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:28.240 That's what they're shouting. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:30.160 God save us. 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:34.880 But they mean save us from Rome. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:38.880 Give us provision. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:42.079 Give us what we want. 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:51.359 See, it's possible to be excited about Jesus and still completely misunderstand him. 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:58.960 Like Peter, they are shaping Jesus into what they want him to be. 00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:05.039 They never stop to ask, is this what God is doing? 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:09.039 Is this what God who God says he is? 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:16.000 And if we're honest, we do the same, don't we? 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:21.039 We don't reject Jesus outright. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:26.559 We just prefer a version of Jesus that doesn't confront me. 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:37.119 And when Jesus refuses to be the Savior that they want, everything changes. 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:47.599 Because a Jesus who will not meet your expectations is ultimately a Jesus that you will reject. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:25:00.720 The night of Jesus' arrest, he is brought before the Sanhedrin, the highest leadership, and he is brought to trial. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:09.599 The question all through the gospel of Mark that has been mounting is now finally expressed by the high priest. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:15.359 Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:19.519 And Jesus said, I am. 00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:27.920 And you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:32.720 Jesus stated the truth plainly. 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:34.079 I am. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.960 No more hiding. 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:48.000 But because he is not the Messiah that they wanted, they will kill him. 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:56.000 So they take him to Pilate with the charges. 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:59.920 Here is one who says that he is our king. 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:04.559 And Pilate presents his findings back to the crowd. 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:11.519 The same crowd that shouted, Save us days before, now shout crucify him. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:17.279 You see, they wanted a king that would save them from Rome. 00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:25.440 But they needed a Savior who would save them from their sin. 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:34.079 Ironically, they reject the true king by mocking him as king. 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:38.799 He wears a crown of thorns and a purple robe. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:51.039 And in crucifying the Savior that they did not want, he is the only Savior that they truly need. 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:54.480 And the same is true for us. 00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.559 Darkness falls while Jesus hangs on the cross. 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:06.240 There is no voice from heaven, no rescue, only silence. 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:13.599 Jesus cries, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:16.079 And then he dies. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:36.880 And standing in front of the cross, right in front of him, is one: a Roman soldier, a pagan, an outsider, one who should not see, but is the first one to see with clarity who Jesus is. 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:52.799 The same question that Mark has been asking the entire time has been revealed that he is the Son of God who suffers and was crucified for my sin. 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:59.519 And now Mark leaves the same question with us. 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:04.799 Who is Jesus to you? 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:13.119 By that he means not the titles you've always used. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:18.079 But who is the Jesus that you actually believe in? 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:24.319 You see, because it is possible to say all the right things and still miss him. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.640 Peter did. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:37.920 It is possible to be around Jesus, to be familiar with him, to do all the churchy things and still not see him clearly. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:39.839 The crowds did. 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:52.559 That you have sculpted and to still not know the one who came to save you. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.279 But here's the good news. 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:05.920 The Jesus that you would not have chosen is exactly the Savior that you need. 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:12.240 And you don't need a Jesus who just fixes your circumstances. 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:15.680 You need a Savior who forgives your sins. 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:20.400 You don't need a king who simply makes your life easier. 00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.160 You need a king who will make you new. 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:28.880 And that is why he went to the cross. 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:38.559 Not as a tragedy, not by a mistake, but he went to the cross in order to save you from your sin. 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:53.920 So today, may we not reshape him, may we not redefine him or try and settle him into a corner that fits real nice and neat on my bookshelf. 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:59.920 But rather, may we receive him as he is. 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:12.400 May we surrender wholly to him, the Son of God, who suffered in your place. 00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:19.920 Because he was not the king that we expect, but he is exactly the king that we need. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:21.279 Will you pray with me? 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:30.559 Heavenly Father. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:41.039 You rule and you reign magnificent above it all. 00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:48.559 You spoke, and the entire universe came into being. 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:53.039 And you created each and every one of us. 00:30:55.920 --> 00:31:05.519 And there is no God like you who enters into our suffering, who draws near so that we might know you. 00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:18.000 How can we comprehend a God who would lay down his own life in sacrifice for our sin, for the injustice that we have done against you, King? 00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.279 Against you. 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:29.200 Tune our hearts, Father, to understand your love. 00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:40.400 Tune our hearts to see you with clarity and not to reshape you into our image. 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:50.000 May we be absolutely blown away at your magnificence, at your truth of who you are. 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:55.039 And may we surrender. 00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:15.440 Father, I do pray with a bowed heart and I declare that if you will show me more of who you are, that I will surrender. 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:20.160 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:21.440 Amen. 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:29.039 Church family, the praise team comes to lead us in two songs of response. 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:40.799 We give time at the end of every service for you to genuinely contemplate and respond to what God Himself has said to you through His Word. 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:46.720 Jesus has come to be the revelation of the Father to you. 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:59.039 His Spirit stirs in your heart, and now is your chance to respond with obedience to whatever he has said. 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:04.160 I can never tell you what that looks like, but I can charge you. 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:08.000 We have ministers down here at the front who would love to pray with you. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:11.039 We want to carry a burden together. 00:33:11.279 --> 00:33:23.839 If you want to pour out your heart upon these steps as an altar to express your love or surrender to your king, whatever the Spirit of God has pressed upon you, you be obedient. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:24.960 Would you stand?