Let the Shepherd Lead

Originally Proclaimed: 03/10/19

Intro:

• As I prepared this sermon, I began to wonder how many of us have a friend who cannot take any criticism.
  • For some of us our friend may not be aware of his or weakness, but the way they react to any critique betrays their thin skin.
  • For others of us that friend may be self-aware enough that when we began to talk with them they stopped us. They may have said something like “I do not ever want to hear any truth or opinion that could hurt my feelings.”
  • Certainly in today’s world we hear the calls from all sorts of different directions that we need “safe spaces” where no one’s thinking or behavior will be challenged, but affirmed.
• A career blogsite called “the Ladders” offers an article that begins by saying that “denial is existential procrastination”.
  • The point is that the more we deny about ourselves and our lives, the more we procrastinate about making changes to our life.
  • The post continues to say that there are 4 harsh truths that will make us a better person. They are…
    • You’re going to die, so focus on what matters.
    • Anything worthwhile will take more work than you think, so embrace challenges and don’t waste your time.
    • You will never be perfectly happy, so be grateful and gently reach for a little more happiness.
    • People will let you down, so show some grace to them.
  • As much as we hear about post-traumatic stress disorder, we do not hear as much about what some scientists call “post-traumatic growth”.
  • The point of the article tries to provide a “roadmap” to hearing those hard truths, so that people can grow.  ( https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/4-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-a-better-person )

Hook:

• Friends, have we become so allergic to hard truths that we claim post-traumatic stress for all sorts of less than traumatic situations?
  • Does a confrontation with a superior at work compare with the experience of a combat veteran who was shelled?
  • Does an uncomfortable conversation with a friend, family member, or doctor compare with the experience of an abused spouse?
  • Does the rejection felt after a presentation compare with the experience of an emergency responder or fire fighter who charged into harm’s way.
• If every situation in which we face a hard reality is a situation of post-traumatic stress, it cheapens those instances that truly are traumatic.
• In most of our situations of confrontation, rejection, or difficulty; what if the focus in our society was not so much on our post-traumatic stress but on post traumatic growth?
  • That would mean that instead of avoiding hard truths that trigger our stress, we would listen to those truths with the goal of growth.
  • Rather than just hearing what is said and demanding a safe space, we could actually work to create a space where growth is possible.
• And friends, God’s Word in Mark 9 provides us the three step road map that we need as Christians to listen to every hard truth and grow after having heard them.

Message Points:

• As we pick up with our exposition of Mark’s gospel we must drop back to consider verse 1 for just a moment.
  • This saying is recorded in each of  the first three NT gospels, in multiple different contexts.
    • The saying is often used as a tool by more critical scholars to say that Jesus claimed that the disciples would not die before his return.
    • Of course their aim is to discredit Jesus by telling us something that is not true. By doing so they dethrone Jesus from being divine and demote his teachings from being God’s Word.
  • No doubt this is a hard saying, but in this context just before the Transfiguration, its purpose seems most clear.
    • Jesus’ reference was not to His ultimate return, but to His Transfiguration.
    • But let’s imagine we are his disciples, having just heard him predict his death and resurrection, rebuke Peter, and tell us that we must totally commit to following him, even with a cross.
    • Now we are told that some of us will not taste death until we see God’s kingdom coming with power.
    • Even though this seems like good news, wouldn’t it be just a bit too much for us to handle?
  • If you take nothing else away from today, take this – Jesus does not want  hard truths to destroy our faith, but He does want them to drive us to our Savior.
• Perhaps that is why Mark 9:2 records that there is a six day lapse – the disciples needed some time to get adjusted to the truth shared.
  • This may also explain why Jesus does not take all His disciples to see Him transfigured.
  • He only takes those closest to him – Peter, James, and John – because he knew they were most ready to hear more hard truths.
• Let’s summarize what happened on that day.
  • Jesus took them to a high mountain where he was transfigured.
  • Much more than just an illusion, for a brief instant Jesus’ form actually changed so that even his clothes dazzled.
  • With him appeared Moses and Elijah, both of whom had special personal encounters with God upon mountains.
  • In the midst of this holy meeting of the minds, rather than listening, Peter speaks up and offers to make the three booths.
  • Just them a cloud and voice from heaven speaks saying, “This is my Son, whom I love, Listen to Him.”
  • Just as quickly as it began it was over and Jesus asked them to keep it to themselves until he rose from the dead.
  • Rather than talking with Jesus about their misunderstanding, they chose to discuss a matter of eschatology as they went down the mountain.
• Again, lets focus on why these three were permitted to have this amazing experience.
  • The disciples had just six days earlier heard many hard truths, so Jesus wanted them to grow after hearing those truths.
    • The focus of the passage is God’s voice speaking as it did in 1:11 at Jesus’ baptism, but this time the message is for Jesus’ disciples, not for Him.
    • God the Father, loving reassured them that they should listen to His Son.
    • It also provides the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15 which says that God will provide another prophet like Moses, and that the Israelites should listen to Him.
  • But notice verse 5. Peter, and the other two were evidentially so afraid that they did not know what to do or so.
    • Peter speaks up, offering to get to work in essence to distract them from what was happening.
    • He asks to build three shelters for these holy men, but in reality he was so afraid he wanted to just do something.
      • The building of shelters was not uncommon for Jews as they annually built shelters of branches and leaves for the Feast of Tabernacles called Sukkah.
      • The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated God’s protection of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings, but it also it celebrated the later and full harvest of the crops.
    • Peter’s suggestion while connected to his religious experience, was not the appropriate response.
      • Instead, wracked with fear as most of us would be, Peter’s suggestion simply seeks to offer up some tangible activity that he can control.
      • Fear has a tendency to drive us to some kind of activity as we well know – fight or flight, even if that activity makes no sense in the context.
  • Also notice verse ten. They were perplexed by Jesus’ statement about rising from the dead.
    • Most of us would expect after the divine command to listen to Jesus that they would go to him with their confusion, but instead they choose to discuss a more comfortable matter of eschatology.
    • Jesus certainly answers them, alluding to the reality that John the Baptist was the Elijah who came before Him, preparing the way.
    • But in verse 12 Jesus also asks them a penetrating question about why the Son of Man is predicted to suffer and be rejected.
    • In doing so Jesus offers them the opportunity to discuss His death and resurrection. The disciples seek rather to control the conversation and do not ask anything about this most pressing question.
• This tendency leads us to our direction to experience post traumatic growth. When we hear hard truths, rather than controlling the situation we listen to Jesus (9:2-13).
  • Friends, how often do we try to control the situation when we are faced with hard truths.
    • Sometimes we seek to control situations by creating work for ourselves.
    • At other times we seek to control the conversation, avoiding the hard topics.
    • But in either case, we do ourselves the disservice.
  • Consider the person who has just received a horrible diagnosis from the doctor.
    • In the moment they cannot even begin to listen to what is being said. The doctor talks, explains, and asks if he can answer any questions. Rather than ask, the person just leaves, avoiding the hard conversation.
    • When that person gets home and shares the news with the family, usually it is a daughter who begins asking what they can do. What are the treatment options. Will we need to buy special equipment during the treatments. All the activity and work the daughter is trying to busy herself with allows her to also avoid the hard conversation.
    • The hard truth is, no matter what this family chooses in this crisis, soo enough death will come. And no treatment will be sufficient to stop its onslaught. In those final moments, the only thing that will matter is the Word of Jesus Christ who will say this is one I died to save.
    • Further in the midst of every trial, Jesus can work to do something good for us and something that will glorify Him. Sometimes we simply have to listen to hear what Jesus is saying.
• As we begin to look at the next scene in this unfolding drama, as soon as Jesus gets to the bottom of the mountain, he encounters a failed healing, an indignant Jewish leadership challenging his disciples, and a bewildered crowd.
  • To summarize what happens, the crowd rushes to Jesus. He asks what has been going on.
  • A man with a possessed son whose symptoms mirror epilepsy was brought to the disciples to heal. They could not perform the healing. The physical symptoms were only half of the spiritual problem that needed to be addressed.
  • Once the boy is brought to Jesus the father says, “if you can do anything, take pity on us.”
  • Jesus tells him that everything is possible to the one who believes, and the man says “I believe help my unbelief”.
  • Jesus then commands the spirit to come out of the boy and though he convulsed and looked dead, Jesus lifted him to his feet and he stood up.
• We should notice and really focus upon the interchange between Jesus and the father.
  • Verse 19 shares with us Jesus’ hard saying that the generation in his midst was an unbelieving generation.
    • This is true of most every generation.
    • Even those who are the most religious, it is hard for any generation to believe that there is no one who is too far away from the help and hope offered by the Lord Jesus.
    • Further then Jesus asks, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?”
    • In other words Jesus is saying that the time is coming when at the every least he will not be physically present with us.
    • At worst Jesus is reminding us that judgement day is coming.
  • The father, perhaps not really seeking to understand these things asks Jesus, if the CAN do anything to do so. Can is a verb that denotes ability, so this man was not even sure that Jesus had the ability to help.
  • Jesus then reminds the man in verse23 that “Everything is possible for the one who believes.”
    • While this sounds like a simple truth, in reality it is a hard truth.
    • Do we really believe that Jesus can calm our anxieties and lift our depression with medical and spiritual help?
    • Do we really believe that Jesus can resolve our conflicts through guiding us to repay evil with good?
    • Do we really believe that everyone, even the vilest sinner can be saved if we would simply share the gospel with them?
  • This father has the perfect response in verse 24: “I believe, help my unbelief”.
• Here we find our second major step to experience post-traumatic growth. When we hear hard truths, rather than rejecting Jesus, we should run to Him  (9:14-27)
  • Friends in the recent history of the church the hard truth that Christian leaders fail has become more and more apparent.
  • The response of some people at the failure of churches and leaders is to reject Jesus, just as the Jewish leaders and the crowds seemed to reject Jesus due to the failure of His disciples.
  • But friends, those of us who are believers are bound to fail at some point or the other. And leaders will fail in different ways, some minor and others in the major moral failures of which we have recently become more aware.
  • That said, the one who has never failed is Jesus Christ. He finished his work perfectly on the cross, and even now still saves sinners and sufferers alike.
• Finally then we have the last few verses of this passage where the disciples begin to ask Jesus why they could not cast out the demon.
  • Jesus tells them that this kind does not come out without much prayer and fasting.
  • Then as that hard truth hangs in their minds he goes on to tell them again about his sufering, death, and resurrection.
  • Again they did not understand him, but certainly they had the tools required to begin to understand.
• The question was did they have the desire. This is our third major step towards growth. When we hear hard truths, rather than letting it destroy our faith, it should make us desire Jesus more (9:28-32).

Conclusion:

• When you hear hard truths will you seek to avoid them at all costs or will you seek to turn to Jesus as Savior?
• Today, I encourage you to do just that.