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Creekside
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Sermon of January
31, 2010
"The
Right Stuff"
Matthew
16:13-19
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Pastor Janet Shaver
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Who
do you say that Jesus is? I want to give you a few seconds to think
about the titles that you might say Jesus is. Some of the names that
I came up with for my own personal self is Lord in my life and of
the world, Most gracious one, Lover of my soul, best friend, reconciler
of relationships and advocate.
Jesus asks first, “Who do people say that I am?” And
they give the answers that we all have heard before, Elijah, another
prophet, some say John the Baptist and even Jeremiah but then Jesus
says to them, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter
steps up to the plate and says, “You are the Messiah.”
If any of us who knew Peter or was sitting there at the time, may
have said, “What this coming from Peter but we know him?”
We know him. Jesus you can’t mean this?
A substitute Sunday School teacher couldn't open the combination
lock on the supply cabinet. So she went to the pastor for help.
The pastor started turning the dial of the combination lock, stopped
after the first two numbers, looked up serenely toward heaven, began
moving her lips silently, turned to the final number, and opened
the lock. The teacher gasped, "I'm in awe of your faith, pastor."
"Really," she said, "it's nothing. The number is
on a piece of tape on the ceiling."
It seems that Peter has this wonderful faith but we know him. We
know Peter. What did Jesus see in Him? What made Jesus know that
Peter would be a great leader? Was he really leader material? And
really Jesus -- the keys to the kingdom?
Peter had a sense of false bravado- a false sense of Who he was.
He believed he had great faith but he seemed to always fall short.
Remember when Jesus called him out into the water.
From Matthew 14:
28 Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to
come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So
Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came
toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became
frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save
me!" 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,
saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in
the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
OK, here is
Peter showing us his true self. A sense of courage and strength
and then when he has to do it, he is frightened and begins to sink.
So here is Peter not really any different than any of us, right?
And besides the passage of scriptures says in verse 33, “and
those in the boat worshiped him saying, “Truly you are the
son of God.” So why not the other disciples, why Peter? They
just stated they believed.
And believe it or not
in the next passage of scripture right after today’s passage,
Christ is talking about his trip to Jerusalem and what he had waiting
there. He spoke about his death and resurrection and listen to Peter’s
response to him.
21 From that
time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God
forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he
turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine
things but on human things."
OK, Peter puts his foot
in his mouth. We get that, don’t we? We don’t want anyone
we love to talk about their death - especially someone who is our
Messiah our Savior. How does that work? But to give him the keys
to the kingdom, I still don’t see it.
How about unreliable?
When he is in Gethsamane waiting for Jesus to finish praying. Jesus
asks them to keep watch. Listen to what Mark says in Chapter 14.
32 They went
to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit
here while I pray." 33 He took with him Peter and James and
John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to
them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and
keep awake." 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself
on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might
pass from him. 36 He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things
are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but
what you want." 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he
said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake
one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the
time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
In this passage of scripture
there are more than Peter here but Jesus directs his rebuke to Peter.
“Can’t you even stay awake, man?’ I mean really
is that asking too much? Jesus is clearly disappointed. OK, Jesus
are you having second thoughts about the keys to the kingdom?
And then the was the
instance of the transfiguration. Here he is again with his impulsive
behavior.
Matthew 17
1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his
brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And
he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared
to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to
Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I
will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah."
What kind of leader is
this? He has a false bravado, foot in mouth disease, impulsive and
unreliable. This guy does not have the right stuff.
Robert Fulghum tells
a wonderful story about a kindergarten class that decided to perform
the story of "Cinderella." There are lots of roles in
"Cinderella," but still casting was a chore. All the girls,
of course, wanted to be Cinderella. Finally all the children were
assigned roles except one--a small tubby kid named Norman.
The teacher asked, "Norman,
what are you going to be?"
"Well," said
Norman, "I think I will be the pig."
The teacher said, "Norman,
there is no pig in the story of Cinderella."
And Norman said, "Well,
there is now."
The teacher could tell
it would be senseless to argue, so she left it to Norman to decide
what role a pig played in the Cinderella story. As it turned out,
the pig went everywhere that Cinderella went and did whatever Cinderella
did. Norman had nothing to say, but Norman's face reflected the
action of the drama. When things were serious, he was serious. When
things looked worrisome, he looked worried. When things were in
doubt, he looked anxious. He began to fill the stage with his presence
of response by simply sitting there. And at the end of the performance
when the princess was carried off to live happily ever after, Norman
stood on his hind legs and barked.
In rehearsal this had
been troublesome because the teacher said, "Look, Norman, even
if there is a pig in the story, pigs do not bark." And Norman
said, "Well, this one does." You can imagine what happened
the night of the performance. There was a standing ovation at the
end for the pig. Norman, the barking pig, who was, as it turns out,
the Cinderella in the story after all.
Word gets around, and
people called up the teacher and said, "We hear you have this
dynamite Cinderella thing. What is so special about it?" She
said, "Well, there is a pig in it--actually, a barking pig."
And the person on the other end of the telephone would say, "But
there is no barking pig in Cinderella." And the teacher would
say with great conviction, "Well, there is now." (1)
Like that teacher, we
don’t always see things the way they might be.
But a blessing for us,
God does.
We can’t see how
someone who seems to lack courage, says the wrong things and speaks
to quickly can be a leader of Christ’s church but God sees
the heart of his people.
Peter turns out to be
the pig in this Cinderella sermon today.
One of the most famous passage of scriptures
66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls
of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself,
she stared at him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the
man from Nazareth." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I do
not know or understand what you are talking about." And he
went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. 69 And the servant-girl,
on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, "This
man is one of them." 70 But again he denied it. Then after
a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly
you are one of them; for you are a Galilean." 71 But he began
to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know this man you
are talking about." 72 At that moment the cock crowed for the
second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, "Before
the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he
broke down and wept.
Such remorse and anguish
he has. “And he broke down and wept.” We get that too,
don’t we? Something we have said or have done that may have
hurt someone. What was he to do? Everything he had heard and witnessed
about Jesus all seemed gone, all seemed to vanish in this one simple
act.
Do you know it is said
that it takes 20 positive messages to make up for the one negative
message that is said. How could Peter ever make this up? How could
he ever make it right?
I recently read about
a man who took great pride in being a former Navy Seal. And why
not? That's a very elite group of people. It takes a special sailor
to qualify as a Navy Seal. This man told about sharing his military
exploits with his grandson's kindergarten class. This former Seal
regaled the children with his war stories. After he finished, hands
shot up all over the classroom. The kids were eager to ask questions.
He called on one little girl who asked, "So, can you balance
a ball on the end of your nose?
We don’t always
know the truth about who we are and who we are in Christ.
I have a clip that shows
Peter and his epiphany of who He really is and the truth about Christ.
This is why Peter has the Right Stuff to hold the keys to the kingdom.
This clip depicts Peter
and the epiphany of the truth about Christ. In the previous chapter,
Christ bestows upon them the power of the Holy Spirit.
[Show video clip - John
21]
When the group recognizes
that it is Jesus standing on the shore, Peter in his nakedness (a
sign of mourning) puts on joy when he clothes himself and jumps
in the water and runs or swims to meet Christ. The rest come by
boat. Peter wants a chance to repent. Peter wants Jesus forgiveness.
Peter had the right stuff
because in all of his faults and mess ups. In his impulsive behavior
and in his foot in mouth disease - in his denial, he had something
that others may not have seen. He had a repentant heart and a humility
that he did not possess before. If Jesus were to ask Peter again,
Peter would say that Jesus is much more than he knew before. Peter
knows Him. Peter knows the Truth.
Peter knows Jesus and
most wonderful truth he learned was the truth about the Grace of
God. At that moment, he confesses that he loves Christ. The passage
of scripture says, Jesus asked him three times and when that Peter
felt hurt that Jesus asked him the third time. It is in direct correlation
with his denial. When we understand that we are nothing without
Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we become the people God
has called us to be.
I believe these are the
keys to the kingdom of God. This is what Christ talks about when
he says the kingdom of God is within. Our hearts grow in grace and
love when we have an epiphany of who Christ is. What the grace of
God truly is.
Aren’t you excited
to know this is the God we serve? I am. I get excited when I see
the grace of God working in others lives. I get excited when I see
someone have an epiphany and the truth of the Grace of God is revealed
to them. That they begin to see the love God has for everyone, that
they give grace in the midst of others mess ups.
I get excited to know
that we serve a God who looks past our messes, who looks past our
faults and says, “They are mine and they have potential.”
Who says, “They are mine and they are beautiful.” I
get excited to know that we can all hold the keys to the kingdom
and have the right stuff. Because we serve a God who sees in us
hearts of gold and sees in us something that we might never see
ourselves.
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