As I was thinking and trying to prepare for this message
this week, I found myself wondering how I could present this passage in such a
way that it would make a difference.
Not to just prepare a message that after it was all said and done we
might say, “well, I learned a little bit about Peter, I learned a little about
what happened in the Upper Room, but so what?” I mean, why are we here this morning, to just learn a few
facts about the Bible? To just
fulfill some sort of societal obligation we may feel to go to church? How does this affect my life on
Monday morning? What is all this – church, preaching, what’s it really about?
As I considered this passage, I ultimately came to question
the purpose of the church. I’m afraid that the church today, with all it’s
embellishments as an institution has lost it’s sense of identity. And in the process, I think Christians
have lost their sense of purpose. But
the Bible teaches that Christians and the church are not supposed to be
separate entities. The Bible
teaches that Christians are the church, we are the body of Christ. We are the visible manifestation of the
kingdom of God. And yet I’m afraid
that those words mean very little in contemporary Christianity today. Because we have lost sight of the
church’s purpose, it’s origin, it’s history and don’t know why we are here or where we are
going.
One of my favorite memories from childhood is of attending
an outdoor theater in the Outer Banks of North Carolina called the Lost
Colony. It is one of the longest
running musical plays in the United States, 77 years and still going strong
today. It tells the story of the first
colony of pioneers to settle near what is now Manteo, NC, and the birth of
Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the new world.
It seems that I must have attended that play at least 8 to
10 times as I grew up. It became
something of a prerequisite of summer vacation. The smell of mosquito repellent and the sound of crickets in
the evening always brings back memories for me of the Lost Colony even to this day.
If you ever get a chance to see the play I would highly
recommend it. The script
incorporates broad Christian themes and features prayers and songs written
about God and thankfully still presents them without apology, all these years
after it was first written. I hope
it continues to do that.
So when the lights go down on a summer night and the first
characters step out of the evening gloom into the spotlight, one of the first
to make his appearance is that of Old Tom, the town drunk. The play’s opening scene is set
in England, and Old Tom is kicked out of the local tavern for not having enough
money to pay for his beer. Old Tom is a caricature of some of those early
pioneers, common folk that did not own land, and had little prospects of a
bright future in England, who were willing to leave their motherland for a
fresh chance in the New World.
Throughout the play, Old Tom provides some periodic comedic
relief in what is a sort of tragic tale of how the first colony was formed in
England by Sir Walter Raleigh, and arrived in the new world to establish a fort
near Manteo on the waters of the sound. Soon afterwards, Eleanor Dare, who was the daughter of Governor John
White, gave birth to Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America.
But life in the colony was difficult. After suffering a
number of setbacks with their crops and skirmishes with some of the native
Indians, the colonists sent Governor John White back to England in the summer
of 1587 for supplies. However, because
of the war with Spain, Governor White was unable to return to Roanoke Island
for three years. When he finally returned, the colony had vanished, leaving
only one clue as to their whereabouts: the word "CROATOAN" carved on
a post. The fate of those first colonists remains a mystery to this day.
Of course, the details presented by the play during those
three years is a matter of speculation.
But it ends with a ragtag remnant of the colonists rallying together and
marching out of the colony in search of yet another new land while singing a
hymn. One of the last speeches is
given by Old Tom who had been somewhat transformed after enduring the trials
this colony of pioneers. He says,
“O Roanoke, O Roanoke, thou hast made a man of me!” Even though he too suffered through years of desolation and
hardships with the colony, he emerges at the end of the play as having been
forged by those trials into one of the stalwarts of this remnant band of
colonists that bravely head out into
their unknown future.
As I reflect on that play, I think we can see some parallels
between those early colonists and the church. We can look at the Lost Colony is a metaphor for the church
in the sense that as they were called and sent by the Queen of England to be
colonists to America, so we are
called by God to be His ambassadors, to be colonists so to speak in a hostile
world. We are ambassadors of the
kingdom of God. God has selected
us, called us, and sent us to go into the world and be His representatives, to
make disciples, to establish His kingdom in the world. And while I don’t want to take the
analogy too far, I do see a parallel between those early colonists and
Christians. Like Old Tom or many
of those early colonists, we had very little credentials to recommend us for
the work of the kingdom. But
Christ called us, He changed us, and He has commissioned us and sent us to be
His disciples to a hostile world.
And in the process of enduring the hardships and trials of our calling,
we have been transformed by the power of the gospel. And that is the message and the hope that the church is to
share with the world.
I think Jesus was trying to present that principle to some
extent that night in the Upper Room.
This ragtag band of disciples He had called from the fringes of Jewish
society. There wasn’t a blue blood
among them. Not a single one of them
were from the elite religious ruling parties. Most of them were common fishermen, unlearned, unschooled. A
pretty rough lot. Peter, who was
the natural leader of the group, was a brash, outspoken burly guy with a temper. Thomas was a doubter. Matthew was an ex tax collector who was
viewed as a traitor to his countrymen.
James and John were two brothers who were always trying to elbow their
way to the preferred side of Jesus at the expense of everyone else. Simon the Zealot was probably a
revolutionary. Judas was a thief
and a traitor. The rest of them were so nondescript that they might best be
described as Paul reminds us of what we are, that there were not many mighty, not many wise, not many noble in
that ragtag group.
Out of all the great people in the world, all the wealthy
families, all the royalty in the world, all the intellectuals in the world,
Jesus chose these 12. These were
the men that God chose out of all the people in the world to bestow the special
privilege to be part of Christ’s intimate circle. These would have the privilege of eating, sleeping and
traveling with Jesus for three years, 24/7. Most of them owned little more than the clothes on their
back. Much of the time they had
little to eat, and slept outdoors in the open. I’m sure they did not look like much from outward
appearances.
Yet these unlikely looking prospects were called to be
Christ’s Apostles. According to
Ephesians 2:20 they would become the foundation for the church. Now that is important. Because when we consider what the
church is, and what the purpose of the church is, this principle of the apostles
being the foundation is essential to a correct understanding. What exactly then is the church? I think this passage gives us a clue in
vs. 28-30, "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a
kingdom, I grant you that you may
eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Now just before Jesus made that statement you will remember
that the disciples were squabbling over which of them was the greatest. They were still expecting somehow the
imminent, physical fulfillment of the kingdom of God and they were elbowing one
another aside for the choicest seats, the places of influence, the positions of
power. They still somehow expected
that Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman government and restore the throne
to Israel and take His seat there, ruling the world with a rod of iron. And they expected to be His ministers
in that new government. Lot’s of
OT prophecies such as Isaiah 9 pointed to that government which shall rest upon
His shoulders and there will be no end to the increase of His government or of
peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to
uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.
And it would seem as though Christ is talking about that
physical kingdom in vs. 29. This
is what the disciples had been waiting for. Jesus said that God had given Him the kingdom, and now He
was giving them the choice positions in the kingdom. He is giving them 12 thrones to rule over the 12 tribes of
Israel. They must have been
ecstatic to think that it was finally becoming a reality.
We know, of course that they misunderstood Jesus’ meaning
because in less than 24 hours He was crucified and within a little more than a
month He had ascended into heaven. And here we are 2000 years later and Jesus
hasn’t yet come back as He promised.
So what then was Jesus talking about? Well, I think the verse immediately following this statement
offers a clue to get us thinking on the right track. Jesus turns to Simon Peter in vs. 31 and says, “Simon,
Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have
prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have
turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Now I think that the clue is the name Jesus calls Peter. He calls him Simon. Do you remember when Jesus changed
Simon’s name to Peter? In Matt. 16:18 Jesus said to Peter whose given name was
Simon Barjona, "I also say to
you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the
gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
I think that first of all
Jesus calls Peter Simon to remind Him of what He said here in Matt. 16:18. “Upon this rock I will build My church.” Upon the foundation of the Apostles I
will build my church.
Secondly, let’s consider the word church: Ekklesia; the Greek word for church. It means literally “called out
ones.” An assembly of people
called out by God, a gathering, a company of Christians, the body of Christians
throughout the earth. Now that is the Bible dictionary
translation. But let me state it
plainly as plainly for you as I can.
The church is the visible manifestation of the invisible kingdom of
God. Let me say it another way,
the church is the invisible kingdom of God made visible.
To go back to our metaphor, to the native Indians England
was invisible. They had never been
there and could not imagine what it was like. But the colonists represented England. They carried the flag of England. They claimed territory for
England. The colony was under the
rule of England. So, in effect,
the visible kingdom of England was this tiny colony in America.
In the same way then the church is the visible manifestation
of the invisible kingdom of God. Folks,
I think that principle should be revolutionary. Because it ties together what
is often viewed as disparate themes in the Bible into a cohesive unit. I think people have been thrown off
very often because sometimes the kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of God
and other times the kingdom of heaven.
And when they hear the word heaven and conclude that it is a reference
to something in the future, some vague reference to heaven. But it is a simply a means of referring
to the church. Jesus said, the kingdom of God is near you. He was standing in their midst when He
said that. He went about preaching
that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.
The titles were synonymous.
Interchangeable. They both
indicate that the reign of God whose throne is in heaven over all the universe,
is at hand. It was right here
because Christ it’s king was here.
And Christ presented the way to enter the kingdom. He was teaching the characteristics of
it’s citizens and how it operates on earth.
When we understand this it should be revolutionary. The church is not a building. It is not an institution. It is a kingdom. It is the reign of Christ in the hearts of His people. You don’t join the church by getting dunked under water or by signing on a form or agreeing to follow certain rituals. You join the church by coming into the kingdom of God. And you are born into the kingdom of God by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You turn your life over to Him and allow Him to reign, to live no more according to your former desires of the flesh, but to live according to the Spirit of Christ who now dwells in you and leads you and teaches you through God’s word.
That is why Jesus said in Luke 22, I give you a
kingdom. As My Father has given Me
the kingdom, so now I give it to you.
You are going to reign with Me.
Because you have suffered in My trials with Me.
Folks, have you considered that God has chosen to give you
the kingdom? Jesus said in Luke
12:32 "Do not be afraid, little
flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” You underestimate your calling, ladies
and gentlemen. You are not called
to visit church. You are not
called to attend church. You are called
to be the church. You are called
to inherit the kingdom of God. To
rule and reign with Christ. And
God has called you here just as surely as Christ called the 12 to Him, that we
might be His ambassadors. That we
might establish His kingdom on the earth.
That we might proclaim the good news to a hostile world; that Christ has
made it possible for every person, every nation, every tribe to enter the
kingdom of God. It’s not something
you gain through heritage, it’s not just for the rich, or just for the elite,
or just for the religious. God has
chosen to make it possible for everyone who believes in Christ, and are willing
to allow Christ to rule over his or her life to be a part of the kingdom of
God. And that reign of Christ in
our hearts is what makes the kingdom of God visible to the world as we are the
church.
You know, in the play The Lost Colony, Old Tom didn’t start
out looking like anyone you would want to entrust anything to. But by the end of the play, he had
become, even to his own surprise, someone that others had begun to lean
on. And so it is with the church. God chooses some unlikely candidates to be testimonies of
His grace. We see that in the
disciples. These squabbling,
sometimes selfish disciples were chosen to be the foundation of the
church. I wonder if God has chosen
some of you sitting here this morning to be the foundation of this church? I wonder how you would react if you
realized that God was counting not just on me, or on the guy sitting on the
other side of the room, but on you to carry the ministry of the kingdom to this
community? Would you step up? Would you submit yourself to the
Lordship of Christ and focus all your energies upon carrying out the ministry
that God has given you? I would
suggest that God has indeed chosen you for just such a task. And a heavenly host is watching with
bated breath to see if you will take up that mission. We sometimes complain that we don’t see God working in the
church, and yet perhaps the truth is that we are the people that God has chosen
to begin the work.
God has chosen
to give you the kingdom. He has
chosen you to administer it, to be His ministers. Yet it’s not a job without hardships or adversity. It is a hostile world that we have been
sent to. We have a powerful enemy
that wants nothing more than to destroy the church and anyone that takes up
it’s banner. Jesus
said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like
wheat…” I don’t know for sure why
Jesus called Peter Simon and not Peter. But I do know that Simon was his given
name. It was his human name. A Hebrew name. It means to hear. Rev. 2:17 says that to those that
overcome Jesus will give a new name. But I think when God gives us a new name it is a name of
promise. It is not necessarily
what we are, but what we can become through faith in God. Abraham is a good example of that. He was named Abram, exalted father, and
was renamed Abraham, a father of a multitude. It was a name of promise. A name of faith in what he would be.
So perhaps Jesus uses Simon’s given name as a not so subtle
reminder of the weakness of his flesh.
Now in the earlier reference in Matthew where Jesus gives Peter his new
name, Jesus says his new name was Peter, which means rock, and He says upon
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail
against it. Now Jesus says, Satan
has demanded permission to sift him like wheat. Thank God He gives us the promise before He allows the
peril. The promise that God would
not allow the gates of hell to prevail against him. Jesus goes on to say that Peter would temporarily fall, but
that he would return, not because of his own strength, but because Jesus would
pray for Him. Vs. 22, “but I have
prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have
turned again, strengthen your brothers." I think the emphasis needs to be noticed here; I will build My church. I have prayed
for you. The key to spiritual
victory is in Christ’s power to keep His promises.
We know from the scriptures that God does allow Peter to be sifted
like wheat. We sometimes wonder
why God allows us to undergo trials, don’t we? Why do we have to suffer? What is the point of tribulations? I think we get some insight here in this verse. First of all, let’s consider what it
means to sift like wheat. Sifting
was a way that the farmer separated the wheat from the chaff. All the harvest was put through a sieve
which was shaken vigorously until all the chaff had fallen out and the good
grain was left. So we can conclude
that God allows the sifting and shaking in our lives so that the chaff, the
undesirable stuff gets winnowed out and the good fruit remains.
We sang about a
similar thing while ago in our hymn “How Firm a Foundation”. “When through fiery trials thy pathway
shall lie, my grace, all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee, I only
design. Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” God allows trials to refine us, to
clean out the excess, the dross, the impurities, so that we might be fruitful
as we represent Jesus.
Hebrews 12: 26 teaches the same principle. “And His voice
shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I
WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." This expression, "Yet once
more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of
created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an
acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
What God wants to burn or shake out of our lives is our self
reliance, our self interests, our pride, so that we might be of greater service
to the Master. And I would
secondly suggest that this principle includes a shaking and refining of the
church, to get rid of the dross, the chaff, so that the grain might remain and
be useful. The visible church has
both wheat and chaff in it; saints and sinners. I believe God wants to purify His church. He doesn’t want impurity in the
church. He doesn’t want false
teachers and false doctrine confusing the message of the kingdom. And so I believe though the gates of
hell are unleashed against it, the true church of God will not fail, but only
be refined, so that we might offer up to God an acceptable service with
reverence and awe. Take a look at
church history. There has never
been a time of real, true revival without first a time of testing, of
persecution in the church. God
uses what Satan means for evil, for our good, to purify the church and make her
useful for the kingdom.
Note next that Jesus says what Peter will do when he
returns. One he has returned, he
will strengthen his brothers.
That’s the other pillar of the church. On the one hand we are reaching out to the world with the
good news of the gospel, but on the other hand we are holding up the heads of our
brethren. Paul makes it clear in 1
Cor. 12 that the church is the body of Christ. And each of you are a vital part of that body. You were chosen, designed to be part of
the body of Christ. Now understand
something, we are talking about a local body, and that body is part of the
universal church of Christ. I hear
people claim to be part of the church, but they only acknowledge the universal body
of the church. They feel no
responsibility to the local body.
That is not what the Bible teaches. It teaches that you are individually part of a local body,
and that local body is part of the universal church. You need to find your part in the local body of
believers. This is the kingdom of
God focused on a local community.
And you were chosen to be part of that.
Paul laid out the format of the church in Eph. 4:11-13 “And
He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some
as pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body
of Christ; until we all attain to
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature
man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
So the saints under the leadership of the pastor are to be
edified, that is taught and built up into maturity, so that they can do the
work of service. And the work of
service is two fold, one reaching out and the other reaching in. As Jesus told Peter, strengthening one
another. You know I try to work
out. I don’t do it as much or as
efficiently as I should as I’m sure you can tell. One of my problems is that I try to work on a specific
muscle like my shoulders. But I
don’t see much results. And what
I’ve found out by studying is that I also need to build up the surrounding
muscles that support that particular muscle if I’m going to really make any
significant gains. I need to
develop my core because it supports my back which supports my shoulders. They all are interdependent.
And that is sort of the way the body of Christ works. We need each other. We need to support one another. That can happen in a lot of ways. But in it’s most simplest terms, it
happens as we come together as a body on a weekly or biweekly basis. We need to get beyond the elementary
stages of attending church when it’s good for me. And realize that we attend because it is good for
others. We are the church. Christ has commissioned you to be the
church. He is depending on
you. Others in the church depend
on you. So let’s act as if we are
an important vital part of this church and God is counting on us, others are
counting on us, and we have a job to do.
Unfortunately, Peter is being full on Simon at the moment
Jesus tells him this. He is full
of bravado and a sense of his own self sufficiency. He is like a lot of us when things are going good. We think we can stand any trial, no
problem. We think we can handle
the devil and temptations, no problem.
We are so confident in ourselves, that we think we can dismiss the church,
we don’t really need anyone else.
We certainly don’t think we need to be preached at. Don’t need a preacher yelling at
me, thank you very much. I’m
perfectly capable of remaining faithful to the Lord.
Peter essentially said, “Lord, with You I am ready to go
both to prison and to death! I don’t know about the rest of these guys, but I’m
good. I am a rock. I am an island.
Though everyone else falls I won’t fall.” Listen, sometimes I think it is easier to imagine
dying for Christ than it is to live for Him. A lot of us can muster up some bravado when we imagine a
great dramatic scene where we are forced to renounce Christ or die. But we know from Peter’s example that
sometimes our greatest denial of Christ comes not in a courtroom but in
community. How often do we deny
Christ simply by abandoning His body? We deny Christ by refusing to take up our responsibility to
His church.
It’s interesting that now Jesus calls him Peter. He says in vs. 34, ““I say to you,
Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that
you know Me.” I think that this
time Jesus calls him Peter because He wants to reaffirm Peter’s faith. When that cock crowed in just a few
hours time, Peter would look up from that campfire of the enemy and see the
Lord looking at him and he would be so ashamed that he had failed him. Peter would remember what Jesus had
said to him. And so Jesus calls
him Peter now because it is his name of faith. Jesus is reminding him that he is a rock. That Christ will build his church upon
the foundation of the apostles and the gates of hell will not prevail against
it. That is where the faith comes
in. That God could use someone as
flawed and faulted as Peter to be the foundation of the church, the visible
manifestation of the kingdom of God, the physical representation of
Christ. This man? This man who
denied Jesus three times?
Obviously the answer is yes. God did ultimately use Peter in a magnificent way. He was able to strengthen his
brothers. He is able even today to
strengthen the body of Christ not only by his example, but by his letters. Peter is a great testament to the grace
of God who deigns to use flawed men and women to build the kingdom of God. That is able to even take our great
failures and turn them into triumphs.
If God can use Peter in such a great way after denying three
times that he even knew Christ, then he can certainly use men and women like
you. I don’t know about you, but I
have failed Christ so many times in my life. I’m not proud of it, by any means. But I am grateful to the kindness and compassion of God that
never failed me. 2Tim. 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny Himself.”
Listen, I don’t know whether or not you have denied Christ
in your life. Maybe you haven’t
said it outright, but maybe by your actions you have denied Him. Maybe by your
lifestyle. Maybe you’re guilty of denying
Him lordship of your life. Maybe
you’re holding onto certain areas that you don’t want Him to rule over. I hope that if you are convicted of
that this morning then you will take this opportunity to repent and ask God to
create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. Because God wants to use you. Christ is interceding for you so that
you might be restored into useful service for Him.
And then finally, I hope that all of you that have confessed
Jesus as Lord will consider what part God has designed you to be in the kingdom
of God, the church. God has a plan
and a purpose for you. One is to
be a part of a church that reaches out to a lost world with the good news of
Jesus Christ. And secondly to be a
part of the church that reaches in to help support the rest of the body. God has commissioned you to be a part
of His kingdom, to be His church.
I hope that you will prayerfully consider how you can serve this body in
service to the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment