union with Christ

Have you ever thought you knew someone, because you had learned something about them? Maybe you learned where they were born or what their job was, and you assumed you knew everything about them. Those kinds of assumptions can certainly get you in trouble. In our passage, we find the disciples thinking they knew Jesus. You see, they finally learned something critical about Jesus — that he was the Christ!

And yet, just because they finally knew this important truth about Jesus, didn’t mean that they really knew him. No, no sooner do they make that momentous confession do we find them confused about what that meant. They thought they knew Jesus because they thought they knew what the role of the Messiah would be. However in this passage we find Jesus challenging their assumptions. We see Jesus calling into question what they thought they knew about him and his role as Messiah.

If we are to follow Jesus, we must understand his mission and role as the Messiah. Let’s look at what this passage says about that mission and how that affects how we follow him.

Passage: Mark 8:31-9:1
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 07/27/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

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