LAST SUNDAY'S SERMON NOTES
Read Peter's preaching notes....
“At the Edge”
Mark 8:31-38
7/14/24
How much do you trust God? willing to let go of everything else?
willing to take risk of releasing everything else about your life
abandon everything that matters to you, that makes you you?
that is the challenge of this next stage of sp journey
engage in what some would call ego-death
trust that as release ID created for self, making room for God to define you
We all have a persona (Latin): a mask, an ID that we show to world around us
in fact, most of us have multiple masks
decide which one to wear based on whom we’re around
person you are here at church isn’t same person you are when w/ family
or when get together w/ friends, or at work, or at party: different mask for each
each mask reveals a part of who you are, but also conceals part of who you are
blame it all on Adam & Eve: before ate forbidden fruit felt no need to hide self
“were naked and felt no shame:” no just physically, but emotionally/sp’lly
just let it all hang out: felt no need to put on mask, hide part of who they were
don’t do that anymore: afraid of how others may respond if see the real me
make fun of us, ignore or criticize
So busy wearing these masks, hiding who we really are,
lose sight even for ourselves of real ID: what makes us who we are
sometimes because, as said last week, may not want to admit to part of who we are
sometimes simply lack self-awareness to understand what makes us tick
more often, however, we’re busy filling roles & meeting expectations
eg I am son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, pastor, neighbor, friend, scuba diver, motorcycle rider, kayaker, hiker, American, PhD, sp dir, man, etc etc
each of these roles comes w/ expectations & assumptions
define how I am supposed to act, what kind of person I’m supposed to be
same true for each of us
so busy filling our roles that forget important fact: our roles do not define who we are
the self that we present to world around us becomes more important to us
than the self that we really are: may not even know who we really are anymore
Our lives become gigantic, elaborate house of cards
magnificent construction of who we want people to think we are
who we think we are, who we want to be
fail to realize all built on a lie: not who we really are
truth about ourselves gets lost in the shuffle
Oh yeah, and then there’s God: kind of forget about him sometimes
One who knows us better than we know ourselves
easy to turn God into simply one more piece of furniture in house of cards we build
more concerned about what world thinks of us than about God knows about us
Have choice:
1. continue to go through life trying to live up to expectations
expectations of self, expectations others have of you
keep trying to keep up appearances that are person you want everyone to think you are
keep striving & pushing to be best you can be
keep wearing your masks: presenting ID to world that you want them to see
& in process, lose sight of who you really are
2. Let it all go: release all of the striving & trying & pretending
quit trying to live up to expectations, quit wearing the masks
stop building your house of cards
Reality is: often don’t have a choice: will reach point when hit a dead end
when everything falls apart, house of cards collapses
masks you’re wearing are revealed to be nothing but a sham
when happens, try as might, can’t put all your Humpty Dumpty pieces back together
usually don’t realize when reach this point: just try harder
Then Jesus enters the scene, tells followers he is going to die
when they protested, told them were focused on human priorities, not God’s
didn’t stop there: told them to follow his lead
“Be like me: die: let this life you’ve been pretending to live be put to death”
specifically, told them that if want to follow him, must do three things
1. Deny yourself: not about doing w/out
but about abandoning yourself: losing ID worked to create
letting go of yourself: the self you have made for yourself
2. Take up your cross: ” ≠ have burden in life have to deal w/
taking up cross means going to your own Golgotha, to your own death
carry your own instru of death to your own execution site
nail your mask-wearing life to cross until it’s dead
want to be clear in case misunderstand: not talking about literal suicide!
don’t want anyone to do something rash
talking about recognizing your constructed life for the sham that it is
have to let go of it all, if want to make room for new thing God wants to do w/ you
3. Follow me: how can we say are followers of Jesus if don’t follow him to cross?
if want to be disc, must follow Jesus, who willing laid down his life
in full trust that Father would lead into new life
can’t have new life Jesus offers if still clinging to the old one: have to let it go
Jesus explained what was at stake: if trying to gain whole world & all it offers,
can never hope for soul to be set free, become all that God desires
get rid of all the pretenses & posing & acting, to make room for what is real
massive risk: call it “leap of faith” for reason
willing to let go of everything, trust that God is there?
that God will catch me, receive me, give me a real life to replace counterfeit?
Mark 8:31-38
7/14/24
How much do you trust God? willing to let go of everything else?
willing to take risk of releasing everything else about your life
abandon everything that matters to you, that makes you you?
that is the challenge of this next stage of sp journey
engage in what some would call ego-death
trust that as release ID created for self, making room for God to define you
We all have a persona (Latin): a mask, an ID that we show to world around us
in fact, most of us have multiple masks
decide which one to wear based on whom we’re around
person you are here at church isn’t same person you are when w/ family
or when get together w/ friends, or at work, or at party: different mask for each
each mask reveals a part of who you are, but also conceals part of who you are
blame it all on Adam & Eve: before ate forbidden fruit felt no need to hide self
“were naked and felt no shame:” no just physically, but emotionally/sp’lly
just let it all hang out: felt no need to put on mask, hide part of who they were
don’t do that anymore: afraid of how others may respond if see the real me
make fun of us, ignore or criticize
So busy wearing these masks, hiding who we really are,
lose sight even for ourselves of real ID: what makes us who we are
sometimes because, as said last week, may not want to admit to part of who we are
sometimes simply lack self-awareness to understand what makes us tick
more often, however, we’re busy filling roles & meeting expectations
eg I am son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, pastor, neighbor, friend, scuba diver, motorcycle rider, kayaker, hiker, American, PhD, sp dir, man, etc etc
each of these roles comes w/ expectations & assumptions
define how I am supposed to act, what kind of person I’m supposed to be
same true for each of us
so busy filling our roles that forget important fact: our roles do not define who we are
the self that we present to world around us becomes more important to us
than the self that we really are: may not even know who we really are anymore
Our lives become gigantic, elaborate house of cards
magnificent construction of who we want people to think we are
who we think we are, who we want to be
fail to realize all built on a lie: not who we really are
truth about ourselves gets lost in the shuffle
Oh yeah, and then there’s God: kind of forget about him sometimes
One who knows us better than we know ourselves
easy to turn God into simply one more piece of furniture in house of cards we build
more concerned about what world thinks of us than about God knows about us
Have choice:
1. continue to go through life trying to live up to expectations
expectations of self, expectations others have of you
keep trying to keep up appearances that are person you want everyone to think you are
keep striving & pushing to be best you can be
keep wearing your masks: presenting ID to world that you want them to see
& in process, lose sight of who you really are
2. Let it all go: release all of the striving & trying & pretending
quit trying to live up to expectations, quit wearing the masks
stop building your house of cards
Reality is: often don’t have a choice: will reach point when hit a dead end
when everything falls apart, house of cards collapses
masks you’re wearing are revealed to be nothing but a sham
when happens, try as might, can’t put all your Humpty Dumpty pieces back together
usually don’t realize when reach this point: just try harder
Then Jesus enters the scene, tells followers he is going to die
when they protested, told them were focused on human priorities, not God’s
didn’t stop there: told them to follow his lead
“Be like me: die: let this life you’ve been pretending to live be put to death”
specifically, told them that if want to follow him, must do three things
1. Deny yourself: not about doing w/out
but about abandoning yourself: losing ID worked to create
letting go of yourself: the self you have made for yourself
2. Take up your cross: ” ≠ have burden in life have to deal w/
taking up cross means going to your own Golgotha, to your own death
carry your own instru of death to your own execution site
nail your mask-wearing life to cross until it’s dead
want to be clear in case misunderstand: not talking about literal suicide!
don’t want anyone to do something rash
talking about recognizing your constructed life for the sham that it is
have to let go of it all, if want to make room for new thing God wants to do w/ you
3. Follow me: how can we say are followers of Jesus if don’t follow him to cross?
if want to be disc, must follow Jesus, who willing laid down his life
in full trust that Father would lead into new life
can’t have new life Jesus offers if still clinging to the old one: have to let it go
Jesus explained what was at stake: if trying to gain whole world & all it offers,
can never hope for soul to be set free, become all that God desires
get rid of all the pretenses & posing & acting, to make room for what is real
massive risk: call it “leap of faith” for reason
willing to let go of everything, trust that God is there?
that God will catch me, receive me, give me a real life to replace counterfeit?
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | [email protected]
724-538-8672 | [email protected]