The Two-Faced Disciple
3/21/04
Given by Russell Q. Adams

March 21, 2004

The Two-Faced Disciple

Matthew 16:13-23

Introduction

A young man walked into a card store to buy a card for his new found love. He wanted the card to be just right so he went to the counter and said the sales clerk for help. He said, "I truly love this woman and I want a card that expresses my emotions for her." The clerk said, "I have the perfect card!" She walked over to the rack of cards and picked one out. She handed it to the young man and he looked at it. On the cover was a picture of a perfect red rose. When he opened it up it said, "You are my one true love!" He looked at the clerk and he said, "It is perfect! I will take six of them!" How many here think that young man has a little problem with commitment? What he said and what he did were two different things!

In our walk with Jesus Christ how many people here have a problem with commitment? We say to Jesus, "You are my one true love." But our actions reflect something completely different. If you can relate to what I am saying then this message is for you. May God give you ears to hear.

Body

Our scripture lesson this morning comes from the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, verses 13 through 23. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Verse 21 tells us that the end is on Jesus’ mind. The Master is beginning to wonder if the disciples are getting the message. So he gives them a little test. There are only two questions on this test. The first question is found in verse 13, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answer with a list of outstanding names. The second question is found in verse 15, "But what about you? Who do you say that I am?" Only Peter gives the right answer, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter had the right words but he had the wrong actions. He was the two-faced disciple. The story ends by Jesus correcting his wayward student. Peter, the Rock, had a problem with commitment! We are not alone. Peter’s story is our story. Lent is a time to ask God for help. Lent is a time to take our masks off so God can really see us.

This morning I am going to give you three divine truths. Three divine truths that will help you stay on the path of Christian discipleship. Each one is illustrated for us in Peter’s walk. Let us look at them one at a time.

Divine Truth Number One: Jesus wants a personal relationship with you! The scripture says that Jesus began by asking the disciples what others were saying about him. They answered by saying what John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah say. Then Jesus turns the camera a little closer. He says, "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus didn’t really care about what others were saying. That was a warm up question. He really wanted to know how they felt about him. Jesus wanted to make sure that they knew he was the Messiah. Jesus wants to make sure that you know him as your personal Lord and Savior. It is impossible to borrow someone else’s faith.

It is never easy going through your deceased parents possessions. I have had to do it. Maybe you have had to too? A middle aged gentleman was forced to weed through his mother’s possessions. The funeral was over and the people had gone home. Being an only child he sat in the old homestead alone and tried to decide what to keep. He kept some of the family treasures, photo albums and old letters. He kept his mother’s old dog eared Bible. That Bible held many memories. She was a woman of faith. He remembered how she would pour through those pages and how the words from that old Bible would comfort her. He needed some comfort. He had no faith. So he sat in her favorite chair and placed her shawl on his shoulders. He began to read that old Bible through her reading glasses. Looking foolish he read that old Bible for approximately thirty minutes and experienced no comfort at all. Why? Because, you can not borrow someone else’s faith.

Jesus asked the disciple, "Who do you say I am?" Jesus wants a personal relationship with you. You can not borrow your mother’s faith, even though she never missed church. You can not borrow your father’s faith, even though he was Sunday School Superintendent. You can not borrow your grandfather faith, even though he was a preacher. You can not borrow someone else’s faith. Who do you say Jesus is? If you understand Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior then say,"Amen!" Divine truth number one is: you can not borrow someone else’s faith.

Divine Truth Number Two: Within every person there is both good and evil. There is no indication in this passage that Peter is lying to Jesus. When Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" he meant it. The problem only arrived when Peter discovered that Jesus would be a suffering Christ. He didn’t want that kind of Christ. He was a political Christ, who would expel the Romans and establish his own kingdom. Peter wanted his kind of Christ, not God’s kind of Christ. Someone once said, "The line between good and evil runs through our own heart." Within every heart there is both good and evil. Within every life there is conflict. We are not all bad. The problem is we are not all good! We tell Jesus, "You are our one true love" but our actions don’t always back up those words.

We are like the fisherman in northern Alaska. He came to town every Saturday to sell his catch and buy supplies for the next week. Money was tight until he discovered how he could make more. He would take his two dogs with him and let them fight. The people would bet on the dogs. He bet on his own dogs and never lost. Someone asked him, "How do you do it? How do you know which one will win the fight and which one will loose?" He said, "It is easy. I only feed one dog every week. The dog I feed wins! The dog that doesn’t eat looses."

The question is which dog are you going to feed? Are you going to feed your heart the things of this world? Are you going to feast on pride, power, lust or popularity? Or are you going to feed your soul the things of God, prayer meditation, Bible and worship? Lent is a time to ask God for help. Lent is a time to feast on the things of God and starve things of this world. If you are going to feast on the things of God then say, "Amen!" Divine truth number one says we can not borrow someone else’s faith. Divine truth number two says within every person there is both good and evil.

Divine Truth Number Three: you can transform yourselves by trusting in Jesus. Beyond our reading Peter has a tough time. You remember the story. The same tongue that proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ last betrays Christ three times. However, it is the same tongue that preaches at Pentecost and wins three thousand new souls to the church. Peter was transformed. How did he do it? He was just an ordinary man. How can we do it? We are just ordinary people. The secret to a transformed life is Jesus, himself! The more dependent we are on Jesus the greater the transformation. Perhaps the reason you haven’t done more as a person and we haven’t don’t more as a church is that we are determined to do on our own.

On August 17, 1859 Jean Gravelet a.k.a. Blondin did something truly amazing. On front of more then 5,000 people he crossed over Niagara Falls on a two inch wire, 160 feet above the water. He wore pink tights and a yellow tunic. When he got to the other side the crowd went wild. He yelled at the crowd, "Do you think I can do it again?" The responded, "Yes!" He said, "Well come with me! Somebody climb on my shoulders." There were 5,000 people present but not one took his invitation. Instead, his manager, who he paid, jumped on. Gravelet looked at his manager and said, "Become one with me. Breathe when I breathe. Move when I move and we will make it." The manager and the performer did become one and they made it.

Peter became transformed only after he became one with Jesus. Let me say this clearly. Peter was not a great person. He was an ordinary person who became transformed once he became one with Christ. John Calvin, John Knox, Martin Luther and John Wesley were not great people. They were ordinary people who became transformed once they became one with Christ. We are not great people and this is not a great church. We will not really do great things until we become one with Christ. What potential can Jesus unlock from within your heart? Can you imagine the possibilities? If you are going to try to be a little more dependent upon Jesus so you can do great things then say, "Amen!" The first divine truth says you can not borrow someone else’s faith. The second divine truth says within every person there is both good and evil. The third divine truth says you can transform yourself by trusting in Jesus. And all of God’s people said, "Amen!"

Conclusion

Imagine yourself walking into a store. You are going to buy a card for Jesus. What do you want that card to say? Are the words in your card for Jesus and the behavior in your life a perfect match?