"The Cost of Discipleship, Part 1"
Mark 8:27-33
Big Idea: To follow Jesus is to, above all, seek the things of God.
I. An Essential Confession (vv. 27-30)
A) The important question of our day is still, "Who do you say Jesus is?" Is He simply another religious figure (v. 28), or is He Messiah and Lord (v. 29)
B) This question is at the heart of the Gospel, and its answer is so crucial because in it lays our eternal destiny. We must confess with Peter that Jesus is Messiah and Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9-10)
C) How do we arrive at the correct answer to this question? 
1. The work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 16:16-17)
2. Examine the evidence (cf. Jn. 10:37-38)
II. An Essential Correction (vv. 31-33) 
A) In the first half of Mark, we see Jesus emphasize to His disciples His identity as Messiah. From this point forward though, Jesus emphasizes His mission: To suffer, die, and rise again as the Savior of humanity (vv. 31-32)
B) Peter, however, has other ideas: His conception and expectations of Jesus simply do not square with a suffering and dying messiah. But before we get too hard on Peter, we must first ask how we reacted when our conception and expectations of God did not meet with reality
C) Jesus strongly corrects Peter and makes clear that his plans are rooted in the flesh, not the Spirit:
1. Seeking the things of God - Peter's a good example of how a sincere heart combined with worldly thinking can lead us astray
2. Making peace with God's plans - Having an eternal perspective helps us to make peace with God's plans, especially when they run counter to our conceptions, expectations, and hopes