Scripture referenced 14 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Psalm 86:5 read aloud before worship songs as a statement about God's readiness to forgive
5 For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
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Luke 9:18-20
Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ of God
18 As he was praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”
19 They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.”
20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
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Matthew 16
parallel to Luke 9:18-20, Jesus blesses Peter and renames him
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!
4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them, and departed.
5 The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.
6 Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”
8 Jesus, perceiving it, said, “Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, ‘because you have brought no bread?’
9 Don’t you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
10 Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
11 How is it that you don’t perceive that I didn’t speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
12 Then they understood that he didn’t tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
19 I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”
20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
22 Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”
23 But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
28 Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
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Luke 9:21-22
Jesus charges disciples to tell no one and predicts his suffering, death, and resurrection
21 But he warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”
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Luke 13
Jesus says he must go on his way today and tomorrow toward Jerusalem
1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2 Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
6 He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.
7 He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’
8 He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it.
9 If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
10 He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.
11 Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”
13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.
14 The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”
15 Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?
16 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18 He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
20 Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom?
21 It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
22 He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem.
23 One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
24 “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.
25 When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27 He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.
29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.
30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
31 On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.
33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
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Luke 9:51
Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem, described as a hinge verse for the book
51 It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem,
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Matthew 16
parallel to Luke 9:51, Jesus tells Peter to set his mind on things of God not of man
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!
4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them, and departed.
5 The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.
6 Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”
8 Jesus, perceiving it, said, “Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, ‘because you have brought no bread?’
9 Don’t you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
10 Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
11 How is it that you don’t perceive that I didn’t speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
12 Then they understood that he didn’t tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
19 I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”
20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
22 Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”
23 But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
28 Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
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Luke 9:57-58
a would-be follower pledges to go anywhere; Jesus says the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head
57 As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”
58 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
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Luke 8:19-21
Jesus' mother and brothers cannot reach him; Jesus says his family are those who hear and do God's word
19 His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd.
20 Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you.”
21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it.”
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Mark 3:21
Jesus' family came to take him away because they thought he was crazy
21 When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
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Luke 9:59-62
two men ask to delay following Jesus; Jesus says leave the dead to bury their dead and no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom
59 He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.”
61 Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”
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Matthew 22
the Great Commandment: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself
1 Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,
3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come.
4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,
6 and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.
7 When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy.
9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’
10 Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,
12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’
14 For many are called, but few chosen.”
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.
16 They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone.
17 Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?
19 Show me the tax money.” They brought to him a denarius.
20 He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”
21 They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.
23 On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’
25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
26 In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh.
27 After them all, the woman died.
28 In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven.
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42 saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’
45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46 No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
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Matthew 28
the Great Commission: go make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
2 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.
5 The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.
6 He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
7 Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
8 They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
9 As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.
12 When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,
13 saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”
15 So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.
17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.
18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
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Philippians 4:7
read before the closing song: the peace of God that transcends all understanding guards hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Eric Wacham, one of the elders at First B, stepped in to preach while Pastor Ray was away. He took a detour from the ongoing series in Romans to look at several passages in Luke chapter nine, exploring what Christ's clarity of mission can teach us about our own.
What was said
Eric opened with a personal illustration about needing glasses. When he finally got a prescription at eighteen, he could suddenly see trees and branches on the mountains above Rafter Jay that he had never noticed before. He used that image to frame the sermon's central question: how clearly do we see our own purpose, and how does Christ's perfect focus on his mission challenge our own?
The first thing Eric drew out of Luke nine was that Christ knew exactly who he was. When Jesus asked the disciples who the crowds said he was, he was not searching for an answer. He already knew, and Peter's declaration that he was the Christ of God was the confirmation of a truth Jesus had never lost sight of.
Christ also knew precisely what his mission would cost him. Eric noted that Jesus predicts his own suffering, death, and resurrection six times in Luke. By verse 51, when the text says Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem," Eric described this as the hinge of the whole book, the moment from which Jesus moves steadily and without detour toward the cross.
Eric then worked through three short exchanges on the road in Luke nine. A man who offered to follow Jesus anywhere without counting the cost, a man who wanted to bury his father first, and a man who wanted to say goodbye to his family first. In each case, Eric argued, Jesus was not being harsh for the sake of it. He was exposing divided loyalties and calling people to put God's mission ahead of everything else, including comfort, family obligation, and a natural desire to look back.
Eric was careful to note that this is not a dismissal of family or home. He pointed to the tenderness Christ showed his mother from the cross as a counterweight. The point was not that those things do not matter, but that nothing should rank above God's purpose for a person's life.
The sermon closed by asking the congregation to name their own mission. Eric put four statements on the screen: the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, the Westminster answer about the chief end of man, and First B's own mission statement, "with all we are, loving God and loving others through Christ." His question was simple: if none of that were in front of you, could you say it?
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Eric opened with the image of putting on glasses and suddenly seeing trees and branches on the mountains he had looked at his whole life. Has there been a moment in your own walk with God where something came into focus that you had not been able to see before? What changed?
- Eric pointed out that Jesus knew exactly who he was and what his mission was, and that he never let anything make that vision fuzzy. How clearly can you describe your own sense of purpose as a follower of Christ, and what tends to blur it?
and 3 more questions in the guide
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