[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 9th of July, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
As we read the Gospel accounts in our Bible, we can easily get the idea that maybe Jesus got a little frustrated with His disciples every now and then. They seemed more than willing to follow Him and help with His ministry all they could. But more than once they were a little thick-headed. Too many times they just didn’t get it. And then Jesus would say something like, “O you of little faith!”, or “Don’t you understand yet?!?”.
Peter very often bore the brunt of remarks like these. But there is one noted time when Peter did indeed “get it”, one time when he exhibited an astounding clarity, one time when God fully revealed the truth to him. Listen and follow along to a brief conversation between Jesus and His disciples, and mostly the Apostle Peter, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in his Gospel account, chapter 16 verses 13 through 19, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
Peter very often bore the brunt of remarks like these. But there is one noted time when Peter did indeed “get it”, one time when he exhibited an astounding clarity, one time when God fully revealed the truth to him. Listen and follow along to a brief conversation between Jesus and His disciples, and mostly the Apostle Peter, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in his Gospel account, chapter 16 verses 13 through 19, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, 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 and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to 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 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
--Matthew 16:13-19 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, You revealed to Peter just who Jesus truly is: Your Son, our Christ. Speak to us now through Your Holy Spirit directly into our hearts, reveal to each of us just what Jesus is and means on a personal level. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Since our scripture reading centers on the Apostle Peter and has Jesus entrusting him with the keys to heaven, I thought you might enjoy a little story about a preacher, a taxi driver, and St. Peter...
A preacher and a taxi driver both died and went to heaven. St. Peter was at the Pearly gates waiting for them. "Come with me," said Peter to the taxi driver. The taxi driver did as he was told and followed Peter to a mansion. It had everything you could imagine, from a bowling alley to an Olympic size pool. "Oh my word, thank you!" said the taxi driver.
Next, St. Peter led the preacher to a rough old shack with a bunk bed and a little old television set. "Wait, I think you are a little mixed up," said the preacher. "Shouldn't I be the one who gets the mansion? After all I was a preacher, I went to church every day, and I preached God's word every week."
"Yes, that's true.", Peter rejoined. "But during your sermons, people slept. When the taxi driver drove, everyone prayed."
Hmmm… So it might be up to you, family, whether I get a mansion in heaven, or a shack. No more sleeping during my sermons!
To get a little better feel for today’s scripture reading, let’s look at the location where Jesus and His disciples held this discussion. During Jesus’ day, Caesarea Philippi was a Roman city along the base of Mount Hermon. It served as the Roman cultural center for the region, which means it celebrated the Roman way of life, including shrines and temples to all the Roman gods.
So idolatry was common, as were all the rituals and immorality that goes along with worshiping false gods. The people of the area were self-centered, looking out for themselves and caring little about others. Everything pretty much stood in sharp contrast to what we now view as Christianity and Christian character.
This is where Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”. And God revealed to Peter exactly who, and what, Jesus is – the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus starting laying the foundation and framework for His church. The part about binding and loosing has to do with what is accepted or rejected by the church will be duly noted in heaven by God.
But this morning I am more interested in Jesus’ question and Peter’s response. For to me, this little interchange raises the question of do we get it, as Peter did? Who do we say Jesus is? What is Jesus to us?
We call Jesus “Lord”, but do we really understand the implications of that title? We have no problem understanding the Christ aspect of Jesus, the part about Him being the Messiah, our Savior. We definitely believe that we will be rewarded for our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and that our reward will be salvation from eternal death and torment. Our Savior will save us.
But we often have more trouble with the Lord part, the aspect of Jesus being the actual Son of God. God created everything there is by little more than simply saying a few words and waving His hand. He could destroy everything just as easily. Wouldn’t it behoove us to keep on His good side? Wouldn’t it be in our best interest to do what He tells us to do? And if that goes for God, doesn’t it apply to His Son Jesus as well?!?
Throughout most of human history, there were certain individuals, usually men, who held the power of life and death over others. When they gave a command, it was obeyed or the offender was executed, usually quite brutally. These people were called “lords”, or in the case of slaves, “masters”, and their subjects ignored or disobeyed them at their own risk.
When we acknowledge and confess Jesus as the true Son of the living God, we accept Him as our Lord and Master as well as our Savior. Yet I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say words to the effect: “I know it isn’t what Jesus would want, but I just can’t…”, followed by one of the few things Jesus asks us to do, like “love those people”, or “talk to others about Him”, or “treat those people like they’re equal to the rest of us”. In other words, we claim Jesus is our Lord, yet we outright refuse to do what He tells us to do.
So is our profession of Jesus as the Son of God nothing more than lip-service? Not following His commandments is in effect an act of rebellion, even if only temporary rebellion. The author of the Book of Hebrews reminds us of what happened to the rebellious children of Israel, in chapter 3 verses 16 through 18 of his letter…
Have you ever wondered why the ancient Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years when they never strayed too far, geographically, from the Promised Land? Not long after He freed them from slavery in Egypt, the people rebelled against God, refusing to obey His commands, cursing Him and returning to their idol worshiping ways. So He forbade them entry into His rest, into the land He promised them. Instead, they were forced to wander almost aimlessly in the desert until every last one of that rebellious generation, including Moses himself, had perished.
Now, God’s rest is heaven, His home. The author of Hebrews warns that we will not be allowed to enter heaven if we continue to rebel against God, or by implication, against His Son. The Apostle Paul affirms this warning, but also provides hope for obedient believers, in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 7 through 10…
The price for refusing to accept God’s plan over our lives is everlasting torment in hell, separated for all eternity from the Lord, never to see His glory and power. And what is God’s plan except the salvation of mankind through the blood sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus. Refusing to accept Jesus is disobedience to God’s command, and rebellion against His rule.
But those who do accept Jesus, who do obey His and God’s commands, they will see the Lord come in all His glory and will sing and shout His praises for all He has done for mankind! To receive salvation from our Savior, we must obey His commands as our Lord!
What is Jesus to us? He is the true Son of God. He is the Christ, the promised Messiah, sent by God to save us from our sin. Jesus is both our Savior and our Master, the Lord of lords and King of kings.
And this is all Good News, because it is only through Jesus that we can be saved! Praise Him, and obey Him. Love others and share this Gospel with them at every opportunity, as He commands. And help save the world.
In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You know we are a stiff-necked and rebellious people. You know we cannot fully follow and adhere to Your law as handed down by Moses. So You had pity on us and showed Your great mercy by sending Your only Son to provide us with a means of salvation. Jesus took all our sins upon Himself and offers to stand at our side when we face You, to intercede on our behalf so that You will allow us entry into Your rest. Forgive us, Father, for our times of rebellion, when we fail to follow Your commands, when we even momentarily refuse Your Son Jesus.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, repenting of our sin and seeking Your forgiveness, confessing once again that Jesus is Lord…
Lord Jesus, You offered Yourself – Your own body and blood – that we might be saved if we only believe, and in believing, follow. Thank You, Jesus, for being our Savior. Forgive us when we forget You are also our Master, and that without You and God’s mercy, we are lost and doomed for all eternity. Help us, please Lord Jesus, to obey You and our Father God. Help us to remember just what You truly are to us.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Since our scripture reading centers on the Apostle Peter and has Jesus entrusting him with the keys to heaven, I thought you might enjoy a little story about a preacher, a taxi driver, and St. Peter...
A preacher and a taxi driver both died and went to heaven. St. Peter was at the Pearly gates waiting for them. "Come with me," said Peter to the taxi driver. The taxi driver did as he was told and followed Peter to a mansion. It had everything you could imagine, from a bowling alley to an Olympic size pool. "Oh my word, thank you!" said the taxi driver.
Next, St. Peter led the preacher to a rough old shack with a bunk bed and a little old television set. "Wait, I think you are a little mixed up," said the preacher. "Shouldn't I be the one who gets the mansion? After all I was a preacher, I went to church every day, and I preached God's word every week."
"Yes, that's true.", Peter rejoined. "But during your sermons, people slept. When the taxi driver drove, everyone prayed."
Hmmm… So it might be up to you, family, whether I get a mansion in heaven, or a shack. No more sleeping during my sermons!
To get a little better feel for today’s scripture reading, let’s look at the location where Jesus and His disciples held this discussion. During Jesus’ day, Caesarea Philippi was a Roman city along the base of Mount Hermon. It served as the Roman cultural center for the region, which means it celebrated the Roman way of life, including shrines and temples to all the Roman gods.
So idolatry was common, as were all the rituals and immorality that goes along with worshiping false gods. The people of the area were self-centered, looking out for themselves and caring little about others. Everything pretty much stood in sharp contrast to what we now view as Christianity and Christian character.
This is where Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”. And God revealed to Peter exactly who, and what, Jesus is – the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus starting laying the foundation and framework for His church. The part about binding and loosing has to do with what is accepted or rejected by the church will be duly noted in heaven by God.
But this morning I am more interested in Jesus’ question and Peter’s response. For to me, this little interchange raises the question of do we get it, as Peter did? Who do we say Jesus is? What is Jesus to us?
We call Jesus “Lord”, but do we really understand the implications of that title? We have no problem understanding the Christ aspect of Jesus, the part about Him being the Messiah, our Savior. We definitely believe that we will be rewarded for our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and that our reward will be salvation from eternal death and torment. Our Savior will save us.
But we often have more trouble with the Lord part, the aspect of Jesus being the actual Son of God. God created everything there is by little more than simply saying a few words and waving His hand. He could destroy everything just as easily. Wouldn’t it behoove us to keep on His good side? Wouldn’t it be in our best interest to do what He tells us to do? And if that goes for God, doesn’t it apply to His Son Jesus as well?!?
Throughout most of human history, there were certain individuals, usually men, who held the power of life and death over others. When they gave a command, it was obeyed or the offender was executed, usually quite brutally. These people were called “lords”, or in the case of slaves, “masters”, and their subjects ignored or disobeyed them at their own risk.
When we acknowledge and confess Jesus as the true Son of the living God, we accept Him as our Lord and Master as well as our Savior. Yet I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say words to the effect: “I know it isn’t what Jesus would want, but I just can’t…”, followed by one of the few things Jesus asks us to do, like “love those people”, or “talk to others about Him”, or “treat those people like they’re equal to the rest of us”. In other words, we claim Jesus is our Lord, yet we outright refuse to do what He tells us to do.
So is our profession of Jesus as the Son of God nothing more than lip-service? Not following His commandments is in effect an act of rebellion, even if only temporary rebellion. The author of the Book of Hebrews reminds us of what happened to the rebellious children of Israel, in chapter 3 verses 16 through 18 of his letter…
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
--Hebrews 3:16-18 (NKJV)
Now, God’s rest is heaven, His home. The author of Hebrews warns that we will not be allowed to enter heaven if we continue to rebel against God, or by implication, against His Son. The Apostle Paul affirms this warning, but also provides hope for obedient believers, in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 7 through 10…
7 And so I would say to you who are suffering, God will give you rest along with us when the Lord Jesus appears suddenly from heaven in flaming fire with His mighty angels, 8 bringing judgment on those who do not wish to know God and who refuse to accept His plan to save them through our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of His power 10 when He comes to receive praise and admiration because of all He has done for His people, His saints. And you will be among those praising Him because you have believed what we told you about Him.
--2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 (TLB)
But those who do accept Jesus, who do obey His and God’s commands, they will see the Lord come in all His glory and will sing and shout His praises for all He has done for mankind! To receive salvation from our Savior, we must obey His commands as our Lord!
What is Jesus to us? He is the true Son of God. He is the Christ, the promised Messiah, sent by God to save us from our sin. Jesus is both our Savior and our Master, the Lord of lords and King of kings.
And this is all Good News, because it is only through Jesus that we can be saved! Praise Him, and obey Him. Love others and share this Gospel with them at every opportunity, as He commands. And help save the world.
In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You know we are a stiff-necked and rebellious people. You know we cannot fully follow and adhere to Your law as handed down by Moses. So You had pity on us and showed Your great mercy by sending Your only Son to provide us with a means of salvation. Jesus took all our sins upon Himself and offers to stand at our side when we face You, to intercede on our behalf so that You will allow us entry into Your rest. Forgive us, Father, for our times of rebellion, when we fail to follow Your commands, when we even momentarily refuse Your Son Jesus.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, repenting of our sin and seeking Your forgiveness, confessing once again that Jesus is Lord…
Lord Jesus, You offered Yourself – Your own body and blood – that we might be saved if we only believe, and in believing, follow. Thank You, Jesus, for being our Savior. Forgive us when we forget You are also our Master, and that without You and God’s mercy, we are lost and doomed for all eternity. Help us, please Lord Jesus, to obey You and our Father God. Help us to remember just what You truly are to us.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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