Moments with the Master: Peter

Christ’s Church

Matthew 16:13-20

Opening Words: I read recently there are approximately 800,000 words in the English language. Don’t feel bad if you don’t know that all. Approximately 300,000 of those words are technical in nature. The average person only knows about 10,000 words and uses only half that number each day. It is not the number of words we know that matters. What matters is the number of discussions we have with the people in our lives. How many people do you talk to on an average day?

On Wednesday evening I began my 2009 Lenten Sermon Series at Western Reserve, Moments with the Master. By the time I am done we will have look at fifteen discussions that different individuals had with Jesus. Those discussions not only changed their lives but they changed our understanding of God. This evening I want to look at the discussion that Jesus had with Peter. He was the first one to publicly say what everyone else was thinking, Jesus was the Messiah. Let us hear this discussion in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, verses thirteen through twenty. Let me call this message Christ’s Church. May God give you ears to hear.

Matthew 16:13-20 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

They tell me the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for an international exposition by architect Alexander Gustave Eiffel. When the citizens of Paris first saw her they were shocked. Many called it monstrous and demanded it to be torn down as soon as possible. Yet from the moment the architect first conceived it, he took pride in her and loyally defended her. He knew his creation was destined for greatness. He was right! Today, it is one of the architectural wonders of the modern world and stands as the primary landmark of the French capitol.

In many ways the church is like the Eiffel Tower. Lent is a time to be honest. Let us be honest! There are many people in our world who just don’t like the church. If you are part of a church today then you better be prepared for a new form of Christian persecution. The world is no longer persecuting us with lions and other wild animals but they persecute us with their attitudes about us. They see us as a group with a great past but a fading future. In our post modern world many wish we would stop talking and simply go away. But we are not going to go away because we know better, because we know Jesus. The Master, the architect of the church, knows his creation is destined for greatness. If you want to be part of a great church with a dynamic future say, “Amen!”

We find ourselves in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew. The disciples have been with Jesus quite a while. They have experienced a great deal with the Master. They have heard his teachings. They have seen his miracles. They have seen the reaction of the crowds and have experience the power of simply being in his presence. They must have felt privileged. They are part of a select group pf twelve so they should have some insight.

The text tells us when they got to Caesarea Philippi Jesus asks them two questions. He wants to see if they are making any pr ogress in the faith. This is the first question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They answer by naming some impressive characters, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then Jesus asks them a second more probing question, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” While all twelve are asked the question, only one answers, Simon Peter. He says, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” The Master is impressed with his answer because it came from his growing faith. He responds, “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” The Roman Catholic tradition understands Peter, himself, to be the rock, making him the first Pope. We understand his faith to be the rock on which the church is built.

This is my question for you this evening. What does Jesus mean when he speaks of the church? Jesus was not speaking of the institutional church. He is not speaking of apportionment payments, itinerant preachers or Charge Conferences. When Jesus spoke of the church he meant a collection of people who understood and still understand Jesus to still be the Son of the living God.

This evening we are three qualities that must be found in the church that Christ intended from the very beginning. Jesus isn’t just impress these qualities on you, he mode led these qualities in his life. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. You should be a little more like him everyday so these qualities should be becoming your qualities. I hope you find these qualities in your congregation. I have seen them from time to time at Western Reserve. So if you are ready to look at Christ’s church say, “Amen!”

Live Life Unselfishly

In Christ’s church we live our lives unselfishly. Throughout the Gospels Jesus told the crowds about the need to sacrifice. Then he went to the cross and showed us about sacrifice. Sacrifice is one of the key characteristics in the Christian lifestyle, in your congregation there must be an element of sacrifice, living life unselfishly. William Temple said it best, “The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.”

Years ago, the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and their founder, Gen. William Booth, could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them. It was one word. Do you know what that one word message was? OTHERS!

One year Jackie Robinson’s widow attended baseball’s winter meetings. You know Jackie Robinson. He broke baseball’s racial barrier when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He20played ten years in the major leagues and had a lifetime batting average of .311. He helped the Dodgers win six National League pennants and the World Championship in 1955. He was voted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Some thought his widow would talk about racism. Others thought she would talk about Jackie’s hard times in the major leagues. Still other thought she would talk about his baseball accomplishments. This is what she said, “What you accomplish in athletics is not important. What you accomplish in business is not important. All that matters is what you do for others. A life is not important except for the impact it has on other people’s lives.”

So let me ask you a question. How much time do you spend in your church meetings talking about yourself. How much time do you spend talking about your bills, your building, your frustrations and your challenges. How much time do you spend talking about others? No wonder the world has a hard time with us. William Booth and Mrs. Robinson were not wrong. Life is about others. Jesus told us and showed us that two thousand years ago. He expects his church to live life unselfishly. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Love People Unconditionally

In Christ’s church we love people unconditionally. Jesus loved unconditionally. He did care if you were20a Jew or a Gentile. He didn’t care if you were a man or a woman. He did care if you were an adult or a child. He didn’t care if were sick or whole. He didn’t care if you were a victim or a victor. Jesus loved everyone unconditionally. And for that reason Jesus expects his church to love unconditionally. Thomas a’ Kempis said. “Whoever loves much, does much.”

I love the story of British financier Cecil Rhodes. His fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships. His friends knew him as a stickler for correct dress—but apparently not at the expense of someone else’s feelings. A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes’ home in his travel-stained clothes. Once he was there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress. After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit. Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest’s dilemma. Why did Rhodes change his clothes? One word: compassion.

About a year ago I received a phone call from a college student at Western Reserve. You may know him. His name is Matt. The first thing he said to me was, “Russ, I want to apologize to you.” I said, “For what?” He said, CThe only church I have ever known is Western Reserve. I really didn’t think our church was so great. I have discovered Western Reserve isn’t so bad.” I said, “Matt, what happened? tell me your story.” In one of his classes he had to interview a minister. He wanted to find a church while he was in college so he visited his local United Methodist Church.” He said, “When I walked into the church I thought it would be like Western Reserve.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, we come to church, you make fun of us, we laugh, talk about Jesus and good home feeling good.” I said, “What happened there?” He said, “Well, I walked into the church and discovered I was forty years younger then everyone else. I was identified as a visitor with my girlfriend and some lady took me to the preacher. The preacher looked at me and said, ’I don’t know the custom in your church but here we seat ourselves.” He said, “No one talked to us the rest of the morning.” I said, “Well, Matt, let’s be honest. You are not the best looking person! Maybe your beard frightened them?” We laughed but that discussion made me sad. I have known Matt for a long time. I am the only pastor he remember so I feel qualified to say He is one of the finest Christian young men I have ever known. Matt was a victim of conditional love. He was a young stranger in an old20person’s church.

In Christ’s church you take off your tuxedo and put on your old blue suit. In Christ’s church we love unconditionally because Christ loved unconditionally. No wonder the world has a hard time with us. We are much better at loving people who are just like us. Christ expects us to love everyone. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Trust God Unreservedly

In Christ’s church we trust God unreservedly. One of the main themes in the Sermon of the Mount is to trust God unreservedly. In other words, trust God enough to keep going and let Him turn any situation into a victory. One of the things you must have in the church today is an eternal perspective. I have said it a million times. The only things that really matter in the life of the church are the things that will matter in 100 years. The only thing that will matter in 100 is your relationship with Jesus. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

When Winston Churchill was a small boy his family invited friends to the family estate for a picnic. The children went for a swim in the family pool. Young Winston went too far out and started to drown. He cried for help and a gardener jumped in and saved him. His parents, deeply grateful to the gardener, asked what they could do20to reward him. He hesitated, then said, “I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor.” “We’ll pay his way,” replied Churchill’s parents. Years later when Sir Winston was prime minister of England, he was stricken with pneumonia. Greatly concerned, the king summoned the best physician who could be found to the bedside of the ailing leader. That doctor was Sir Alexander Fleming, the developer of penicillin. He was also the son of that gardener who had saved Winston from drowning as a boy! Later Churchill said, “Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person.”

Here is the good news for this evening. You will not have to be saved twice, once is good enough. Jesus saved you when he hung on the cross. He didn’t just save you to live another day in this world. He saved you to live for eternity in heaven. In Christ’s church you must trust God unreservedly. You must trust God with your very soul. Churches are must better at selling eternal promises then they are short term securities. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

Gregory P. Elder tells the story of growing up on the Atlantic Coast. He said: I spent long hours working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath my hands. One year, for several days in a row, I was accosted by bullies who sma shed my creations. Finally I tried an experiment: I placed cinder blocks, rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of my castles. Then I built the sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. When the local toughs appeared (and I disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match.

That my friends is the story of the church. On the outside were look vulnerable. The world is kicking when we are down but they done know we are built on a rock foundation. In Christ’s church we are going to live life unselfishly. We understand it is all about others. In Christ’s church we love others unconditionally. It is a church were everyone is welcomed. In Christ’s church we are going to trust God unreservedly. Someday we are going to heaven. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”