Where Is Your Mind Set?
Mark 8:31-38
Everybody views suffering in a different way and it often comes down to where their mind is set. If you’re mind is set on getting and staying in shape, you’ll view the suffering of working out and denying yourself unhealthy food as a good thing, as weakness leaving the body. If you’ve decided to give something up for Lent, you hopefully view your suffering as a daily reminder of what all Jesus gave up for you.
But where is your mind set when you suffer under the cross? Do you willingly endure it or do you try to shy away from it? Our suffering under the cross are those pains we bear because of our faith in Jesus as our Savior. When we suffer so, our minds should be set on the things of God that willingly receives these sufferings and even sees how they build up our faith. But that mindset is foreign to our sinful world. That’s why we’ll look at our verses this morning from Mark chapter 8. For Jesus explains what these sufferings are and how he uses them for our good. With that in mind, we then set our mind on the things of God and follow our Savior where we will surely face sufferings that try us and strengthen our faith.
Jesus spells out what it means to suffer under the cross as denying ourselves of sinful pleasures and taking up our cross. These sinful pleasures come from any number of places: from our inner selves as we desire what’s contrary to God’s will and from others’ temptations to entice us away from God. As for taking up our cross, those are the persecutions we endure because of our Christian faith: people mocking us, giving us the cold shoulder, passing over us, or even taking our life If someone sets their mind on the things of God, they will need to suffer under the cross in these ways.
After teaching this, Jesus then gives a counterintuitive truth, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:35 EHV) If you try to save your eternal life with your mind set on the things of men, you’re going to lose it. That’s because you’ll shy away from the Christian’s necessary suffering under the cross, eventually trade in your faith in Jesus for the things of this world, and ultimately set yourself up for eternal disappointment. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. Even if you were to gain the whole world and offer it all in exchange for your soul, it still wouldn’t be enough! Against all human logic, the only way to save yourself is this: trust Jesus as described in the gospel above all else. That’s how important Jesus is! Faith in him is more important than our own safety, comfort, or logic.
Yet when you suffer under the cross, where does it show your mind is set? On the things of God to willingly endure your sufferings? Or on the things of men to shy away from them? Let’s look at denying ourselves of sinful pleasures. When your sinful self rears its ugly head, do you indulge it to avoid internal suffering? The lust of your eyes so you can quiet your primal instincts? The cravings of your body so you can focus on what you want to do? What about temptations? Do you give in so that life is easier amongst others? Peer pressure can overwhelm us, threatening to victimize us too, if we don’t give in to it. Let’s be honest, life is hard enough as it is with commitments, responsibilities, deadlines, and our own personal struggles. Isn’t it easier to use my time, my money, and my skills to help me find a moment of peace and quiet than trying to fit God into it as well?
What about your cross? Are you likely to leave it down on the ground because it’s too painful to take up? When attacked because of your faith, do you lash out instead of turning the other cheek? Do you only let your light shine on Sunday morning because you’re afraid what those living in sin’s darkness would otherwise do to you? Do you attach strings to your following of Jesus? “I’ll follow Jesus as long as it’s not too hard…or too inconvenient…or too personal…or too public.”
When we set our mind on the things of men, we put our eternal life at risk. These verses here are the first time Mark records Jesus telling his disciples about his necessary suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. We can understand why Peter rebuked Jesus. Would anyone want their friend and Savior to be treated like this? But we also recognize where this rebuke came from: Satan himself! Without Peter realizing it, he was tempting Jesus to set his mind on the things of men and shy away from his suffering under the cross And if Jesus had even considered this temptation, our eternal life would have been ruined. For Jesus would have stained his perfect record, been no better than any of us, and left us without any hope of salvation.
When we set our mind on the things of men, we put ourselves in danger. And the more we do so, the more it’ll likely happen again or become permanent. At what point is our suffering under the cross too much for us to remain children of God? At what point would we give it all up just to find some relief in this broken and troubled world? I’m guessing you know of at least one Christian who has given up their faith (or seriously jeopardized it) because they wanted it easier here in this world: a sinful lifestyle, godless priorities, the promise of riches, an unrepentant loved one, or the distractions of our sinful world. We can just as easily follow suit if our mind is set on the things of men instead of God.
Given that Christians must suffer under the cross and how difficult it is, why go through the heartache of setting our mind on the things of God? It’s because of the blessings Jesus gives us through faith in him. Jesus told the disciples that his upcoming suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection were necessary. We’re covering many of these events in our midweek services (which I invite you to attend if you aren’t already). They were necessary for two reasons. First, to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies like Isaiah’s Suffering Servant. Second, to pay the required price for our sins.
And that’s what Jesus did. He was acceptable in God’s eyes because he kept the law perfectly and suffered everything under the cross that came his way. He gave his life on the actual cross in payment for our sins and confirmed its payment with his resurrection from the grave three days later. Jesus then makes a great exchange: his righteousness and holiness for our sins and guilt. Through faith in Jesus, we receive these blessings. His death on the cross paid for our sins; his robe is righteousness is ours to wear; his peace with God is now ours; his home in heaven is our happily ever after.
We who have our minds set on the things of God, who remain his children through faith and willingly suffer under the cross because of it, have these blessings in full. Why would we give them up to indulge our sinful pleasures for instant gratification? Why would we trade an eternity of unparalleled joy for some decades of an easier life? Aren’t God’s promises and blessings more valuable than the suffering we have to endure under the cross? Of course, they are!
If we are to follow Jesus, if we are to set our mind on the things of God, we’ll need to prepare ourselves to suffer under the cross. We will need to walk the same path of suffering as did Jesus. But that shouldn’t surprise us. Why would it be any different for we who come in his name? Thankfully, our Lord helps us with our necessary suffering. Not only with his Son who is always with us everywhere, we have each other, our brothers and sisters in Christ, to lean upon for mutual support and encouragement.
We’ll need the help of each other and our Savior if we’re to deny ourselves of sinful pleasures. Our sinful nature isn’t going anywhere or taking a break. Satan will not stop coming at us with temptations through whatever means he can, even through well-meaning friends. When we spot these enticements to set our mind on the things of men, there’s one thing to do: deny them by setting our mind on the things of God. We would also be wise to redefine our definition of pleasure as those things which delight God and find friends with whom we can enjoy them.
We will also need help to take up our cross and endure the persecutions we receive because of our faith. We thankfully don’t expect to receive a martyr’s death or the helpless victim of religious discrimination in our country. But there are still ways our Christian faith paints a target on our back leaving us with scars to prove it. When that happens, we respectfully and confidently take up our cross while seeking to share Christ with the very people who attack us because of him.
When we suffer under the cross, let’s use these hardships to build up our faith. Ask yourself, “Why am I suffering so?” It’s because of the blessings you have through faith in Jesus, blessings which sin and Satan try to rob you of any way possible. When you suffer, remind yourself how much better Jesus’ blessings are than whatever you get from setting your mind on the things of men. With your mind set on the things of God, look forward to the Last Day when Jesus will come back in the glory of his Father with the holy angels Know that he will not look on you with shame, but with love and praise for remaining his child who’s been battlehardened through your suffering under the cross.
So, where is your mind set? As a Christian, we set our mind on the things of God and rethink our suffering under the cross. We don’t shy away from denying ourselves of sinful pleasures or taking up our cross. We expect this and willingly do so because that’s what’s necessary to follow Jesus. And we also rethink our suffering as beneficial to our faith. For when we suffer, we draw our eyes to Jesus, recount what he gives us through faith, and treasure his incomparable blessings he gives to all who believe in him. May God help us keep our mind set on his things and use our necessary suffering under the cross to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Amen.