Grosey's Messages

I had fallen asleep in the coffee shop of Denver airport very early one morning awaiting my connecting flight (I had slept on the airport floor that night). I awoke to see a lady sitting at my table opposite me, AND she had HER hand in MY cookie packet! (I had earlier bought two packets at the coffee shop, and had fallen asleep at the table as I waited for my flight). Shocked and surprised at the lady’s forwardness, I immediately asserted my ownership of the cookies by silently putting my hand into the bag and taking a cookie from the bag that sat between us on the table.  SHE took ANOTHER! I took another! SHE took ANOTHER! I took another! She took another, and then, still in silence, left the table, as the cookie bag was now empty.  I thought to myself “What a hide!! Some people!!”  I walked to my plane, sat in my seat and reached into my travel bag to retrieve my Bible to read during the flight and found my TWO packets of cookies UNOPENED inside my bag! I had been eating HER cookies! She must have felt upset with the man stealing HER cookies!  The lady was nowhere to be seen, but my face lit up the plane for embarrassment!

Have you ever made a stupid mistake like I did? Have you ever seen something, but not really understood what you were seeing?

Peter did! Mark (Peter’s Gospel) records for us how Jesus shook his disciples up for seeing, but just not getting it!

Mark 8: 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?  18  Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Then Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida, on the North side of the Sea of Galilee;

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.  23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”  24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.”  25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Have you ever wondered why there is this imperfect miracle recorded here?  It is the only imperfect miracle Jesus has ever done!  And Mark is the only one who records it.  Matthew, Luke and John pass over it.  I guess it is an enacted message to Peter, “Peter, you are like that blind man! You now see Jesus, but you see Him so imperfectly.  You just don’t get it!”

Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ!  He saw who Jesus was!!

27  And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”  29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”  30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

There are little statements in these passages that show that they are linked.

Mark often expresses a change of theme by a change of place. However, with each new place there is a common idea: it ahs something to do with confessing Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

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.”

While the scene shifts, the common theme is that those who do not perceive clearly should not speak about Him, but that when you really perceive who Jesus is, then you should confess Him as your Saviour and Lord.

When Jesus foretells His death and resurrection, Peter just doesn’t see it!  He just doesn’t get it!

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 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.”

There are a lot of people who see that Jesus is the Son of God.  The last census said that 65% of Aussies knew that Jesus was the Son of God!  But so few  really get it! They just don’t see.

1. Peter saw that Jesus was the Son of God!

Peter had seen his miracles!  Feeding 5,000 and then later 4,000 with just a few loaves of bread an picking up afterwards tons of spare left overs from what had been left over!

Peter had seen Jesus perform miracles right there on the Sea of Galilee, stilling storms, walking on water, catching loads of fish  when there weren’t any to be caught!

Peter had seen Messengers speak of Jesus.  He had been right there when john the Baptist had declared that Jesus was the lamb of God come to  take away the sins of the world! He had heard the voice of God the Father as Jesus was baptized, ““You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Peter had seen madmen healed (Mark 5); lame men walk (Mark 2) and mother-in-laws mended (Mark 1).

27  And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”  29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”  30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

You Need To Move From A Popular Opinion About Jesus To A Personal Opinion About Jesus.

“Who do you say that I am?”

The popular opinion is that what counts with God is leading a decent life.

The popular opinion is that what counts with God is not what you say but how you live.

The popular opinion is that what counts with God is not being a hypocrite.

The crazy part if that that is not what counts with God. What counts with God is what you believe about Jesus!

John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37  All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Now this is so unpopular that this may be getting right up your nose! But its what God says!

In fact, believing something about Jesus was so critically important that Jesus said to Peter Matthew 16: 17 “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven”.

Peter knew Jesus was the Son of God, but he still didn’t get it!

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.”

Peter Didn’t See The Purpose Of Jesus’ Death. “Jesus was the Messiah, the King! He’d set up a kingdom! Dying as a martyr had nothing to do with it. Besides, if Jesus died, so might his disciples! Including..Me!!”

Peter Needed To See The Purpose Of Jesus’ Death Jesus rebuked him! Same word for casting out demons. WOW Jesus gave it to Peter. Full dose! WOW.. no half measures here. Jesus was serious about this!

Perhaps you are like the 63% of people in Australia that acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, but you still don’t get it.  You haven’t seen that He has come into the world to be your Saviour!

An elderly man said to me once, “I watched Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ.  I was struck by the words at the start of the movie “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.   But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (from Isaiah 53). He said, “I knew Jesus died for the world, but I didn’t know He died for my sins! Now I know it, and it is overwhelming!” He broke down in tears as the emotion of what he had finally seen made sense to him.

That is what Peter did not see at the time, but came to see later: 1 Peter 1:19 you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

You Need to See The Necessity Of Jesus’ Death 31  And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things

He must suffer John 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Why MUST Jesus die? Was He going to be the victim of circumstances? No he was saying that in the plan of God, He MUST die, there was a necessity to it that He had chosen. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared for your sakes. He MUST die. Jesus had to die on the cross for your sins and mine or we could not go to heaven, we could not be ransomed. Jesus is the ransom , the atoning sacrifice for you! His precious blood was like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. His precious blood was poured out on the alter of the justice of God to atone for your sin and mine.

There was none other good enough to pay the price of sin, he only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.

For what you have done His blood must atone: The Father hath punished for you His dear Son.
The Lord, in the day of His anger, did lay Your sins on the Lamb, and He bore them away.

He dies to atone for sins not His own; Your debt He hath paid, and your work He hath done.
Ye all may receive the peace He did leave, Who made intercession, My Father, forgive!

For you and for me He prayed on the tree: The prayer is accepted, the sinner is free.
That sinner am I, who on Jesus rely, And come for the pardon God cannot deny.

You Need to See The Misery of Jesus’ Death the Son of Man must suffer many things…

But none of the ransomed ever knew How deep were the waters crossed;

Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through Ere He found His sheep that was lost.

He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin… He was not only despised and rejected by men, but He cried out, “My God my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

You Need To See The Victory Of Jesus’ Death “and after three days rise again.”

Jesus Calls You to A Serious Decision

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 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.”

Jesus Calls You to A Sensible Decision

Until Peter saw this, Peter could not respond to Jesus’ call to discipleship with a whole heart. When I first heard the words of Jesus “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” I responded in a legalistic manner  “Well Lord, I guess so, but what are you really wanting from me? Does He want me to take a vow of poverty and have nothing all my life?”  When I discovered the wonder of Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross for me, then I could respond “If Jesus Christ be God, and He died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him!”

Have you truly seen Jesus properly?  Have you seen that He truly loved you and truly died for your sins at the cross? Then you will respond with gratitude too, and anything Jesus wants for your life will be fine by you too!

Behold his head His hands His feet, Sorrow and flow mingling down

Did ere such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so sweet a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine that were an offering far too small

Love so amazing so Divine demands my soul my life my all.

If you have never seen what Jesus did for you at the cross, ask Him in prayer to show you. One young lady was asked to pray “Lord show me my sin!” After life became dismal as she saw her sins, her friend said to her, “Now pray, Lord show me my Saviour.” And her life was revolutionized as she saw what Jesus had done for her!

Jesus Calls You To A Satisfying Decision

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:37 PM