“A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR TROUBLED TIMES”

MARK 8:31-38

 

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

35 For whoever would save his life [1] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

 

I remember what happened that night like it was yesterday.  It was about 1 o’clock in the morning.  I was working in a restaurant to earn money for college.  After we closed up and cleaned up I went to my car in the parking lot behind the restaurant.  When it got there I discovered that someone had thrown a 30 lb. cinderblock through my windshield. What would you do if someone did something like that that to you?

 

Would you just shrug your shoulders and just accept the fact that people sometimes do bad things?  Or would you want to find the person who did the terrible deed?

 

If you’re like most people you might be tempted to react the way a wife did after her husband died.  A few days after he was buried the wife discovered that her husband had made arrangements to leave a very large sum of money to his secretary.  Immediately the wife’s grief turned to anger. In her anger she decided to change the inscription on her husband’s tombstone.  By that time she got to the man who sold her the tombstone it was too late.  So, she looked at the tombstone and made a decision. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, “‘Rest in peace” just add the words, “Till we meet again.’”

 

I think a lot of people would freak out if someone threw a cinderblock through their windshield.  If you’re not sure about that just look at how people are reacting to the economy as it crumbles and tumbles and stumbles along.  There’s a lot of anger and fear in the air.

 

People are angry and afraid that they might loose their jobs, their homes and everything that they’ve worked for over the years. Some people are angry and afraid because it’s already happened to them.

 

Would you believe that what’s happening today is similar to what happened that day in Caesarea Philippi?  It’s true. What happened that day in Caesarea Philippi is simple. Peter freaked out.  It all started when Jesus told the disciples that he was going to be arrested, beaten and crucified when they got to Jerusalem.  That’s when Peter threw his hissy fit.  In Luke’s Gospel Peter rebukes Jesus and says to him, “God forbid Lord this shall never happen to you.”

Now the reason why Peter threw that hissy fit is simple.  Peter didn’t want Jesus to be a suffering Savior.  Peter wants Jesus to be a conquering hero.  Why?  Because Peter knew that if Jesus was a conquering hero and led them to victory against the Romans it meant fame and fortune for Peter. It meant power and prestige for Peter.  It meant that Peter would live happily ever after in the lap of luxury.  Now Jesus was throwing a monkey wrench into his hopes and dreams.

 

Peter was angry and afraid because he saw everything he ever wanted slipping away.  People today are angry and afraid because they see everything they ever wanted slipping away.  If you’re feeling angry and afraid yourself just remember this.  There’s hope.  With God there’s always hope.

 

What happened that day at Caesarea Philippi can also show you how to cope with this economy as it crumbles and tumbles and stumbles along.  All you have to do is ask yourself a simple question.  Where is your heart? You see, Jesus and Peter had words that day because their hearts were in different places.  Peter wanted a conquering hero because his heart was focused on earthly treasures.  Jesus was determined to be a suffering Savior because his heart was focused on heavenly treasures.  Peter wanted riches and power.  Jesus wanted to give Peter the peace that passes all understanding and the promise of everlasting life.

 

The difference that day between Jesus and Peter can be seen in some words that Jesus shared with all of the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

With that in mind what Jesus basically said that day to Peter was this: “Peter, you’ve got to decide where your heart is.  Is it with that condo in the mountains and that big bank account?  Or is it with me and what I’m all about.  Do you want the abundant life that you’ll find in the stores or do you want the abundant life that I can give you in this world and the world to come?”

 

Where is your heart? When your heart is focused on heavenly treasures two things will happen.  First of all you’ll stop craving all of those glitzy, gaudy and glamorous blessings that come with a big price tag on them. Instead of craving those blessings you’ll embrace the blessings that come from God.  You embrace the blessings that are simple and will fill your heart with joy that doesn’t require a battery or a credit card payment.   You’ll embrace the blessings that are similar to the one that is celebrated in a poem called “The Hill.”  It goes like this:

 

Long past midnight, hours before dawn

I jump up from my bed and pull my long johns on.

Peeking out the window, snow has started to fall.

So I slip on my overalls and quickly race down the hall.

I rush to the closet and grasping my old wrap,