"Moving beyond our adversaries"

Matthew 16:21-28

Pastor Tom Johnson, August 31, 2014

Jesus just praised Peter for living up to his name and being a rock. Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah and the eternal Son of God is a solid foundation to build his church. Now Jesus puts a negative spin on the same metaphor. Peter is not behaving as a foundation stone now but a stumbling stone to Jesus’ mission. Jesus mission is to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and rise again from the dead. You can hardly blame Peter for being against such a plan—especially since it includes pain, distress, and loss of life. But this is Jesus’ mission. It’s why he was sent by our heavenly Father—“not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28).

Scripture says that “Jesus was tempted in all things” (Heb 4:15). And I think that is the point of Jesus’ rebuke of Peter. Peter stumbled into saying something that added to Jesus’ struggle. Through Peter, he hears the voice of the adversary—which is what Satan means. Jesus heard the voice of the adversary before. Satan put three stumbling blocks before him while in the wilderness for 40 days. Jesus confronts each temptation with Scripture and faithfulness to his mission. Jesus will pray in the garden just moments before his arrest, “Lord, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will but your will be done” (Mt 26:39). He will pray for a way out of pain and loss. In his humanity, he will tempted again to neglect the very purpose for which he was born, which is to confront evil and death in his body and soul. That is why Peter’s words add to Jesus’ distress. “Get behind me Adversary,” Jesus says to Peter “I will not fall into the trap of thinking that the cross and empty tomb are optional.” His rebuke tells us it is absolutely necessary for Jesus to fulfill his mission.

Poor Peter! Foot-in-mouth syndrome again! Like Peter, I don’t want other people to suffer and die—let alone Jesus, Messiah and Son of the living God! I find that particular frightening, don’t you…that even out of the kindness of our hearts we can align ourselves with the powers of evil? It seems enough that we not maliciously tear people down with our words or put up obstacles that prevent them from fulfilling their calling. This is the voice of the adversary—a hostile opponent—someone whose words tear us down. You know that voice—the voice of the adversary—that says, “You disappoint me. You are a failure. You will never amount to anything. You are undesirable—unwanted. You don’t have what it takes to succeed. You will never fulfill the mission God has called you to.”

God forbid that we be the mouthpiece and personification of pure evil to those around us! We are called to speak well of others, build them up by truthful words, putting the best construction of everything, and relating to those around us with empathy and compassion. James says something disturbing about our speech as well. He says “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness…set on fire by Gehenna” (James 3:6). Our tongues, as it were, are ignited by the spiritual refuse of the world. There is something truly evil going on when we cut others down by our words, our actions, or even a disapproving look.

God forbid that we, in the privacy of our own hearts, speak or entertain adversarial thoughts to ourselves! I’m not just talking about low self-esteem here. I am talking about something far worse—meditating upon and taking to heart lies about ourselves. The devil does not need our assistance at beating us down that we should beat ourselves down. I believe this is what Jesus means when he says to Peter, “You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” There are enough adversarial voices out there in the world ready to speak a discouraging word. That choir needs no new members! And here is where I, like Peter, ought to raise my hand and say, “Guilty as charged.”

It may be tempting for us to think that Jesus is overreacting when he confronts Peter—that his words are just the wrong words at the wrong time. But Jesus’ reaction reveals just how high the stakes are when we carelessly speak. They can be part of a diabolical attack. You’ve heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That too is a lie. Words hurt like…well, you get the point. Jesus reminds us that the words we choose to use with one another are the weaponry of spiritual warfare. Jesus reminds us that this is not just a battle over our vocabulary; it is an assault on our very souls. It is a battle over and for our minds, bodies, and spirits. And so, Jesus calls us to govern our minds—to set a watch over our thinking—to put a guard over our mouths—to make sure we are living our lives free of satanic lies and worldliness. As the Apostle Paul says, we are called “to hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Or, as Jesus calls us, “take up your own cross and follow me.”

Jesus refuses to be hindered from going to the cross. And here we learn a great lesson about divine wisdom. By his suffering, being killed, and rising again from the dead, Jesus overcomes all stumbling stones. By Christ’s obedience on the cross, he defeats all our adversaries—the stranglehold sin has on our lives, guilt, and death itself.This is the good news! This is the Gospel! In Christ we are set free, adopted as God’s royal children; we are accepted, forgiven; we have the assurance of his love and eternal life! In exchange for an adversary we now have an Advocate. He is on our side. He suffers, dies, and rises again for us. When the reality of divine things start to filter through and overcome the human obstacles of our thinking, we begin to take up our cross and follow Jesus. And I believe one thing this means is following Jesus’ example of overcoming our adversaries as he did. When we hear the voice of the adversary—when someone tries to cut us down, belittle us, diminish us with their words and actions we ought to remember Jesus’ example: “Get behind me, Adversary!” “Out of my way, stumbling block! To my rearview mirror, lies and temptation! In Jesus’ Name, I will not let those words stick or keep me from moving forward! My eyes are on the cross where I have true joy, a new identity, worth, purpose, and the assurance of the grace of God. In his cross, we have the victory over our most wicked adversaries—sin and death. In the empty tomb, we have eternal life. Jesus must go on to the cross. And so must we.

“The gates of Hades will not prevail”

Matthew 16:17-19

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, August 24, 2014

Jesus question, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter’s response, “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” is not unique to Matthew. Mark and Luke also include these too. But the statement “the gates of Hades will not prevail” is unique to Matthew. Some of you may already think I obsess with biblical references to Sheol and Hades. You will not be disappointed. This morning I will not pass up the opportunity to talk about it because I think the message Jesus sends with this phrase is just too good to ignore.

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” It doesn't get much better than that! These words are meant to reassure Peter of his important role in the birth of the church on Pentecost. These words are meant to reassure all of God’s people that God will edify and build us up on a solid foundation. The confession of Peter—the Good News that Jesus is the promised Messiah—both human and divine—that is the cornerstone of that rock-solid foundation. Jesus’ death and resurrection will be proclaimed by Peter, the Apostles, and all God’s people worldwide and generation after generation—and here is where it gets really rich and deep—“the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

For a moment, put Greek mythology out of your mind. Forget about Dante’s Inferno. Explore with me this profound comfort. Jesus makes a clear, biblical reference here. The gates of Hades are the gates or bars of Sheol. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Sheol is literally the grave. Sheol is the tomb. And even more than that, it personifies the power of death itself. The grave has an open mouth and a voracious appetite. This is what Jesus references here—a vivid nightmare—a horrific vision shared by the prophet Job and King Hezekiah when they were sick and spiritually oppressed (Job 10:21,22; 17:16; 28:17; Isa 38:10). Matthew’s Gospel is the most Jewish of all and those reading it would have immediately recognized this reference. Both Job and Hezekiah are deathly ill. They both feel like death is swallowing them alive. To put it bluntly, they feel like they have been buried alive. And their tomb has iron bars to lock them in so they cannot escape.

You’ll remember that this is what happens to Joseph when his brothers throw him into a cistern. They throw him into a rock-hewn grave without any way of escape. You’ll remember that this is what happens to Daniel when King Darius throws him into a cave. The open is closed by a rolling stone—the gate of death secures his fate as he is surrounded by deadly lions who will have him for breakfast.

You’ll remember Jonah who was swallowed alive by the great fish which he called Sheol or the grave. His tomb was the stomach of a beast and its teeth the bars he was locked behind. You’ll remember Ester who was forced to marry a foreign king; she felt trapped—locked into a relationship for the remainder of her life. You’ll remember that this is what happens to Jesus when he is buried in a newly hewn tomb and the stone is rolled over the mouth and set with a Roman seal. And this may be how we feel at times or perhaps at some point in our lives.

We humans fear death. There is so much about it that can strike terror in our hearts. And it is a formidable adversary. You have probably heard the same cliché as I have many times that “the only thing inevitable in life is death.” And so we may find ourselves overwhelmed—like we are buried alive with no way of escape. The darkness deepens and it seems like the cloud will never go away. The gates of death are locked. Death seems to have the upper hand. It may be the weight of physical illness pressing us down, emotional or psychological stress, or the agony of a spiritual struggle—or all three. We may feel alone, abandoned, defeated, with no way out and no way of escape.

Who do you say Jesus is? What does he mean to you? What difference does he make in your life? Peter says he is true Messiah, the Son of the Living God! And Jesus says, “You’re right, Peter. And even better than that, I will completely change the rules of the game. There will be a paradigm shift that you can hardly imagine. No longer will death be on the offense but the defense. I will build my church. I will advance the Kingdom of God. Light will overcome darkness. Life will defeat death. The gates of Hades will not prevail! Life charges forward and death braces itself.” The defensive barricade will not be able to hold back and stop those who have new life in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Joseph will escape his living grave and lifted up as governor of Egypt whose leadership will save nations from a deadly famine. The Angel of the Lord will close the mouths of the lions and Daniel’s testimony will change the heart of Darius, King over all Babylon. The great fish will spit Jonah out so that he has a second chance to deliver mercy and forgiveness to a violent people. God will use Ester to change the heart of her husband the king and deliver thousands from genocide. The angel will roll away the stone so the world can see Jesus is not overcome by death; he is risen. Death has not prevailed. Eternal life has the victory.

Remember Job and Hezekiah’s shared nightmare of the Gates of Sheol? After feeling locked in the dungeon of death behind the gates of Hades, King Hezekiah will say, “The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord.” Job will say, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.”  We too have been set free from the fear and captivity of death. The gates of Hades have been unhinged and knocked down. The gates of life, grace, and peace in the Kingdom of God are wide open and invite us in.

"Let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 67

Pastor Tom Johnson, August 17, 2014

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he delivered them from hundreds of years of slavery. He brought his people out with the assurance that they would enter the own land—the promised land in Canaan—what we call Israel or Palestine. Brothers Moses and Aaron were the two who led God's people. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on the mountain. Moses was a teacher and would explain what the Law meant. God gave Aaron priestly duties. He served in the Tabernacle. And God gave Aaron a blessing for every time the Israelites gathered. I'm sure you are familiar with these words. To this day, it is the most common blessing we hear in the Christian church as well: "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." This is called the Aaronic Blessing.

 

This blessing assures God's people that he is with us. He will provide for us. He will protect us. He will watch over us with his bright and shining face. He will be our light and our guide through our own journey together. Somewhere along the line, a songwriter who heard this blessing again and again changed the words and made it his own. In the music world, this is called a remix. This refashioning of this blessing is Psalm 67. "The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us." Or as our paraphrase of the Psalm says, "May God be merciful to us, Bless us, shine on us from above." And so we do so often pray for ourselves and our church family. We pray for God's mercy and forgiveness. We pray for him to bless us, heal us, provide for us, and to reveal his presence to us in our lives. What a beautiful way to pray—to take God's Word itself—to take his promise of blessing and hold it up back to him as a prayer. That is to say, "God speak blessing over us, your people. Make it happen! May it be so. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"

 

This is one of the great insights of prayer that I think should bring us great comfort and peace. The Psalmist is using God's own words to hold him to his promises. It is something that I think we should do often. "God, you tell us to be anxious for nothing. Your Word says that you give peace—not as the world gives—but a peace that surpasses human understanding. Where is this peace? I need it now!" This is a bold way to pray. This is a biblical way to pray. And, I believe, it is a kingdom way to pray that God delights in. We may not get the exact results that we want but we will get the answers that we need.

 

The other thing that makes this Psalm genius is how it works in one other promise. And that is the promise God made to Abraham. God told Abraham to look at the stars in the sky—all those bright and shining lights. "Your descendants will outnumber all of the stars in the sky. And," God adds, "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." "Literally, all the Gentiles—the nations—people of all languages, tribes, and ethnic groups."

 

And so the Psalm writer weaves these two promises together, "The Lord bless and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us so that—for the purpose of worldwide blessing—to the end that every human soul hears the Good News of God's love for his creation. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." He broke the power of sin and death on the cross for everyone. He conquered death and the grave and rose victoriously to life so that everyone has the promise of eternal life. Our prayers are not just contained within these walls. Our blessings are not just limited to us as a people or a church. Our songs are not just for those we call our own. Our particular worship has universal consequences. The great insight of this Psalm is that God moves us out of preoccupation with our selves into empathy and interest in the whole world. It moves us away from tribalism, bigotry, and prejudice. And it leads us from a mere tolerance and acceptance of others into celebration.

 

Let all the peoples praise you, O God!" Your name is too great to be contained on our lips alone. Your love is too universal to be hidden away in a corner. Your promise is too high and wide to be limited by us. As your Son himself taught us to pray, "Hallowed be Thy Name!" Lead us to reverentially speak, sing, and pray your name. And put that same holy Name into the mouths of every creature. If we all give you the glory, thanks, and praise—if all our hearts are full of gratitude and wonder of your love—if we all see that you desire a relationship with every person—if we, like you, cherish every every human soul—we will see the connection between our love for you, your love for us, and our love for one another—your blessing us and your blessing the world through us—our love for God and our love for our neighbor.

"Walking on Water"

Matthew 14:22-33



Pastor Tom Johnson, August 10, 2014

Jesus has just illustrated the Kingdom of God through parables: brief stories, illustrations, and word portraits. Now it’s time to bring home the truth of the Kingdom through all the senses—not just hear about it but see, smell, taste, and touch what the Christian journey is like. So Jesus fed the five thousand. And now he sends them on a journey across a stormy sea. Come with me as Jesus makes us get into the boat. Join me and the disciples as we experience what it means to walk with God—even walk on water.

 

Jesus calls us to follow him. He sends us away into the boat and he goes a different direction—up to the mountain by himself to pray. Jesus ascends up to the Father in prayer as we descend into the sea at the close of the day. The day is spent. The dark evening skies have come. And so has the howling wind and crashing waves. Even the professional fishermen among us are scared. Sent out like lambs among the wolves—like a life raft filled with helpless orphans. Jesus is far away. We cannot imagine him able to reach us. We about to be swallowed up alive and washed down into the throat of death. Where is he who promised he would never leave or abandon us? My God, why have you forsaken us? What choice is there but to entertain our worst fears and superstitions? Through the wind, tossing sea, falling rain, and illuminated by brief flashes of lightning we see a figure of a man doing the impossible—we see what we can only explain as a ghost—the shadow of a person walking confidently upon the water toward us. Is he the personification of death coming to claim us?

 

“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid!” Literally, “Have courage—be cheerful—I AM. I AM that I AM. I am the Lord. My divine Name should remind you that I am no ghost. I am not mere flesh and blood but also Creator of heaven and earth and sea. I am Sustainer of the universe. So don’t be overcome by fear.”

 

“If that is true,” Peter cries out, “then call me out onto the water.” And so Peter also does the impossible. For with God all things are possible. Jesus assures him by confidently calling him to walk upon the water. But that does not stop the wind and the waves. Peter’s fear of the threats of this world begin to grow. And as his fear grows, his trust and faith in Jesus diminishes. Fear and the threat of death are still there to haunt Peter and the disciples. And who can blame him?

 

If it isn’t the wind trying to knock us over, it may very well be something else. The world may seem against us just like the wind and the waves were against the disciples that day. We should not underestimate how terrifying this experience is for the disciples and for Peter. Many of them are professional fishermen. They are professionals on the water. If they are frightened, we amateurs would be beside ourselves in fear and terror. We believe that Jesus is with us as he promised: “Remember,” Jesus tells us in his ascension, “I am with you until the end of the age” (Matt 18:20). But just as with the disciples, Jesus can sometimes seem more like a vague apparition or a ghost in the eyes of our faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. But our faith vision of him in our lives can be dulled and blurred by the wind and waves of this world. Peter is of little faith, as Jesus says. But he is not without faith. He did walk on the water no matter how brief of a time it was.

 

Remember Jesus said, just a few verses before this, that “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matt 13:31,32). Peter walks on water by his little faith! And so, I think Jesus’ words are not as much a rebuke as it is a challenge to all of us to strengthen our faith. And what better way of doing that is there then to challenge God himself to reveal his presence and power in our lives. For it is not with the strength of our grip that we reach out to God but the strength of his arms that catch us when we fall.

 

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water!” “O God, if you are out there—if you aren’t just some abstraction in my life—if you are not a mere figment of my imagination—call me out to do the impossible! This is the moment I need to know you are really present in my life! Deliver me from evil. Save me from doubt and unbelief. Rescue me from sinking into fear and despair. Help me to transcend the troubles of this world and finish my journey safely to the other side!”

 

“Reach out your hand like you did with Peter and catch me. My faith is weak and small but you promised that even faith like a mustard seed would grow into a tree where birds can make their nests. Help me to find refuge and a home in you! And when the wind and the waves finally stop raging—when the storm is over—I will give you all the thanks and glory. Truly you are the Son of God. This is not just a thing of fiction. You are not an invention of humans or an opium for the masses. You are who you say you are—the great I AM—the One who catches us when we fall—even when our faith is small—and takes us safely to the other side.”

"The Pearl of Great Value"

Matthew 13:45,46

Pastor Tom Johnson, July 27, 2014

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

People don’t make pearls; mollusks do. Clams, mussels, and oysters are the suppliers and factory workers that produce this rare jewel. It begins when their shells are invaded by a grain of sand or a parasite. The creature is greatly disturbed by this—just like we are when we get a rock in our shoe. But unlike us, clams, mussels, and oysters cannot take their shoes off and shake the intruder out. Instead, they coat the irritant with calcium carbonate—a smooth substance called nacre. After months and years of layer after layer of this shiny substance is formed. The substance is a series of microscopic crystals that reflect and refract light giving this gem a rare and beautiful appearance. Some pearls are more highly valued because of their perfect spherical shape, their luster, unique color, lack of imperfection, and greater size.

People who work in the industry develop an eye and appreciation for the rarity and beauty of pearls. But the only way to make a living buying and selling pearls is to buy low and sell high. There needs to be a profit. A person cannot keep their business running for very long if they only earn what their product cost them—or even worse, it costs them more to bring their commodity to market than what they can sell it for. It makes complete sense for a person to be in the pearl business if they can find enough pearls themselves. The only expense is time and energy. Or, a person can buy pearls from those who find them and sell them at market and faraway places which save time and energy of transporting their pearls from place to place.

The merchant in our parable seems to be one of those distributers of fine jewels. But he is not your average businessman. For him, finding pearls is a passion. He is on a quest to discover the most beautiful pearls ever produced. One day he sees the pearl that he has spent his life and career looking for. Before the pearl is sold to someone else, he immediately sells all his possessions to buy this extremely rare pearl of unsurpassed beauty. And that is where the story ends. The merchant walks off into the sunset lovingly holding and gazing at his jewel. He has no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell—well, he does have one pearl. But he will not part with it. He spent his life looking for it. It is worth the nakedness, the hunger, the thirst, and the cold because he has found something of unparalleled exquisite beauty and precious worth.

It is a foolish love. It is a passion that has cost him everything. It’s all because he above all people recognized the uniqueness of this gem. Of all people, he had the eyes to see just how much beauty could be found in one jewel. There is a universal drive within all of us to possess things of value. Some of us value a musical instrument of unsurpassed sound and clarity, some a glass of rare aged wine, others an exquisitely crafted boat, car, or sports equipment. This parable is a call for us to be like this buyer and seller of pearls. Jesus is challenging us to be on our own quest and journey to discover the rare and precious beauty of the love of God revealed through the gift of the pearl in his Son. “The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isa 40:8). “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” God is calling us to find our first love—a foolish love—a love that surpasses all other loves for the pearl of the Gospel. All other things fade. All beauty fades by comparison. All other worth melts away. As Paul writes to the Philippians (3:8), “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” God first. Other people second. And ourselves last. This is the great command to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as we would want to be loved. This is to lose ourselves in the love of God revealed to us though Jesus.

Jesus is also like the merchant on a quest. He came not for the righteous but for the unrighteous—to redeem—to purchase sinful humanity—who for the joy set before him despised the shame and went to the cross—sacrificing all that he had—no clothes to change into, no house to go home to, no food, no drink, no money, and no pearls to sell. He gives all that he has and all that he is so that he can hold one thing of beauty, dignity, and worth in his hand—you and me.

The pearl of great price is the third jewel from the sun—the blue, green, white, and brown sphere we call planet earth. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” God gives the greatest treasure for the pearl of his creation. As Moses said long ago, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; he has chosen you to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deut 7:6). As Peter said, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). We are the pearl of great value that reflects and refracts the light of Christ. He belongs to us and we belong to him forever.