A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Mark 8:27-38. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In

1. What is the topic of the sermon?

2. What three types of occasions does this show up in the gospel of Mark?

3. Peter gives Jesus the right __________. But he doesn't _______ Jesus.

4. The danger is not _____________ Jesus but believing in the _____________ Jesus.

5. What image of Jesus do you have in your mind? How accurate do you think it is?

6. What enabled Jesus to endure his suffering?

7. What is the most important part of the Messianic Secret?

8. We must do more than admire Jesus, we must __________ and __________ him and take up our own ________.

9. According to Philippians 2, where can taking up our cross have significant impact?

10. What can sustain us as we carry our cross?

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

At first glance this verse is less than pious. Yet, as lament, it is right on the mark.

Few of us address God this way. We use nice, polite, emotionless words. But this psalm expresses how we often experience life, inviting us to bring to God all the raw emotion we feel about the unfairness of life.

When life is tough, we often ask, "Where is God?" suggesting something is amiss with our religion. We may conclude it's not working. This psalmist makes God's absence normal.

Why do we not pray like this psalmist? I suggest that we have taken the doctrine of the incarnation to an illogical conclusion!

Having finished his earthly ministry, Jesus promised, "I am with you to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). We have interpreted this to mean that we will always feel His presence. Further, we believe it means our lives will by and large be the way we want them to be. I believe both these things are wrong.

Jesus promised to be with us as we fulfill the mission which he gave us. He did not promise to make our lives smooth or that we would always feel the balm of our faith. It must also be said that God's purposes are rarely understood by us. The disciples certainly didn't get Jesus very well.

This is the matter that the psalmist is lamenting. He firmly believes that the Lord is King forever and forever (16). He also believes that God hears and defends the helpless and the oppressed (17-18). His problem is that he does not see it.

He is frustrated that the arrogant are having their way in this world. When they have the power, they get to call the shots. Their wrecking ball is destroying society. It's become a blood bath.

It's the same today, isn't it? Murdering dictators and ruthless business leaders and dishonest politicians. How do we live in such a society?

First, we allow Psalm 10 to shape our prayers. Seeing the horrible ways that human society functions, the war, the poverty, the human trafficking, the destruction of the planet, we take the time for lament. We feel the pain of creation in turmoil, and we bring it all before God, daring to tell him that he better see what we are seeing.

Second, we do not join the arrogant in their lifestyles. We deliberately look at our lifestyles to discover the ways we may be contributing to the chaos. And instead, we 'act justly; we love mercy; and we walk humbly with our God' (Micah 6:8). We follow Jesus and partner with God in redeeming activities. Only God can establish his kingdom. Yet, he chooses to use us in the process. So, like Jesus, we go out and find those in need of him.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

"You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you… (Psalm 66:12, 13).

Authentic biblical faith exists in a creative tension: the personal life of the Christian and the corporate life of the church.

Each of us is called to grow up, to mature in our faith; and as we grow, to participate in God's great Kingdom building. However, we will experience no progress in either without being nourished within the body of Christ. We should envision this growth happening not just in the large gathering of the church, such as Sunday worship, but also in the Christian family and in small groups of Christians gathered in Christ's name.

We need to be committed to our own spiritual growth, yet that growth requires the assistance of fellow Christians. This is a tension that we need to live with not resolve.

When this tension is neglected growth stalls. Sometimes the Christian community becomes cultish is which the self disappears, and spiritual decisions require the leader's approval. On the other hand, a Christian sometimes becomes so detached from the community of faith that she wanders alone.

Christianity should be intensely personal, but not individualistic.

Each of us has been called by Christ and is part of God's purpose in creation and redemption. All Christians are part of the new Israel (Gal. 6:16) and members of Christ's kingdom. We are all called to do battle against the powers of darkness, and we are all witnesses of the resurrection power of our Lord.

The meaning of the Christian life is not only my personal salvation or my own interior spirituality but is found in God's purpose to unite "all things in Christ," things in heaven and things on earth (Eph. 1:10). The church is the first fruit of God's plan of cosmic reconciliation. That is why we all need to be connected to a Christian fellowship, otherwise called a church; it is also why the disunity of the church is such a tragedy.

Psalm 66 witnesses to both the communal and the personal nature of faith. It begins with a great confession of God's "awesome deeds" in history. He called Israel and redeemed her from Egypt. Because of her sin, God broke her in judgment. But now, God has brought her to rich fulfilment (12).

Suddenly, with verse 13, the psalm becomes intensely personal. The psalmist vows his intention to worship and declare what God has done for his own soul. The psalmist sees his own relationship to God in the wider scope of His dealings with His people. This is authentic faith. We live before God within the context of God's community.

In this psalm we rediscover God's purposes for us: not to make us comfortable, but rather, useful for his redemptive plan. How does your personal life's vision match up with God's? How will you stay connected with God's community as summer moves into fall?

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.