Tawa Baptist

Fear & Grace

Scripture: Genesis 20

Title: Fear & Grace

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Fear
  • Grace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

In the 1980’s the NZ band Split Enz released a song called History Never Repeats

–         The chorus says: “History never repeats, tell myself before I go to sleep”

–         I’m not sure what the band had in mind when they wrote the song but it has always carried a sense of irony for me: History often repeats, despite what we might tell ourselves

This morning we pick up our series on the life of Abraham, from Genesis chapter 20 – page 22 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         Abraham’s journey of faith could be described as two steps forward, one step back – with a few sideways steps thrown in for good measure

–         Genesis 20 seems to be describing a backward step for Abraham

–         This is one of those occasions when history repeats itself

–         In Genesis 12 Abraham led Pharaoh to believe that he wasn’t married to Sarah, so that Pharaoh would treat him kindly

–         Now in Genesis 20 Abraham does the same thing by misleading king Abimelech. From Genesis 20, verse 1 we read…

 Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar, 2 he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3 One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, “You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married.”

4 But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy me and my people? 5 Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong.”

6 God replied in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did it with a clear conscience; so I kept you from sinning against me and did not let you touch her. 7 But now, give the woman back to her husband. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will not die. But if you do not give her back, I warn you that you are going to die, you and all your people.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelech called all his officials and told them what had happened, and they were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you to make you bring this disaster on me and my kingdom? No one should ever do what you have done to me. 10 Why did you do it?”

11 Abraham answered, “I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife. 12 She really is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother, and I married her. 13 So when God sent me from my father’s house into foreign lands, I said to her, ‘You can show how loyal you are to me by telling everyone that I am your brother.’”

14 Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and at the same time he gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves. 15 He said to Abraham, “Here is my whole land; live anywhere you like.” 16 He said to Sarah, “I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to all who are with you that you are innocent; everyone will know that you have done no wrong.”

17-18 Because of what had happened to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, the Lord had made it impossible for any woman in Abimelech’s palace to have children. So Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed him. He also healed his wife and his slave women, so that they could have children.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

We notice two themes in Genesis 20, fear & grace. First let’s consider fear…

 Fear:

Basically, fear is a feeling of distress caused by impending danger

–         In some ways fear is sort of the opposite of hope

–         Hope is a feeling of joy caused by impending satisfaction

 

Fear (like hope) comes from what we think or imagine might happen

–         When what we think or imagine is accurate & true, then fear protects us

–         For example, I imagine (quite accurately) that if I try to monkey climb the steel ‘I’ beams in this auditorium I will probably fall and hurt myself

–         This thought creates a feeling of distress which prevents me from attempting to climb the blue beams

 

By the same token, when what we think or imagine is inaccurate & untrue, then fear becomes something which puts us at risk

–         For example, if I were to imagine (quite wrongly) that the floor was covered in snakes then the feeling of distress caused by that thought might cause me to climb the walls, which would inevitably lead to me falling and hurting myself

 

With these two examples we see that fear can act as both a brake and an accelerator

–         Sometimes fear stops us doing things

–         Other times fear moves us to do things, at speed

 

The really disconcerting thing is that we are subject to what we fear – which means we are not usually in the driver’s seat

–         When we are afraid we are not the ones with our foot on the brake or the accelerator – we are the passenger

 

Fear is taxing – it sucks the life out of us, kind of like an anti-energy

–         For example, we may be afraid of failure and that fear motivates us to work extra hard to succeed, but at the same time it also stresses us out and exhausts us

 

The other thing fear does is it makes us forget, at least temporarily

–         Fear has this way of locking out every other thought

–         In Genesis 20 Abraham appears to forget God’s promise to make him a father of nations

–         He also seems to forget what happened with Pharaoh in Egypt

–         Abraham’s fear of being killed overwhelms him and he manages the feeling of distress by deceiving Abimelech

–         In verse 11 Abraham says, “I thought that there would be no one here who fears God and that they would kill me to get my wife.”

–         Given that the people of Sodom & Gomorrah had no fear of God we can understand why Abraham might think Abimelech was similar

–         But in this situation at least, Abraham’s fear is based on a false assumption and when our fear is based on a lie it inevitably leads us to put ourselves or others at risk

 

When you hear the word ‘Philistine’, what do you think of? [Wait]

–         The Philistine’s were an ancient race of people who we read about in the Bible – traditionally thought of as enemies of Israel

–         David killed the Philistine giant, Goliath

–         These days though the word ‘Philistine’ has come to mean someone who is hostile toward culture and the arts – sort of like a bogan

–         Someone who is uncouth or ignorant, perhaps even dangerous

 

This may be quite an unfair prejudice

–         King Abimelech was a Philistine and yet (in Genesis 20) he behaved better than Abraham

–         I’m not saying Abimelech was perfect – after all, he already had a wife and some concubines and then decided he would have Sarah as well, like an all you can eat smorgasbord

–         (I’m not sure that women had a lot of choice in the matter in those days)

 

Despite his rapacious appetite king Abimelech still had a moral code

–         Contrary to Abraham’s prejudice Abimelech did fear God

–         He was probably what we might call a good pagan

 

A pagan (by definition) lives in fear of the gods

–         A pagan lives with the feeling of constant distress, that if they put a foot wrong the gods will punish them

–         While we are not pagan, it’s not difficult for us to understand the utter exhaustion of living with constant fear

–         Anxiety is very much a part of the fabric of our society – it is epidemic today

 

To people in the ancient world (whatever their religion) adultery was a heinous crime – it was one of the worst sins you could think of

–         If you committed adultery in the ancient world you could expect a severe punishment, if not from the community then from the gods

 

Abimelech’s fear that God might kill him if he did commit adultery was accurate and true

–         When God told him in a dream that Sarah was married to Abraham, Abimelech was quick to point out that he didn’t know and he hadn’t touched her yet – he wasted no time in repentance

–         Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham with livestock and silver, not because he was feeling guilty, but out of fear & respect for God Almighty

 

You see fear is a form of respect – we are subject to what we fear

–         When we react in fear of something we are saying (often unconsciously) that the thing we fear has power over us

–         To fear God then is to say (in a very deep way) God is more powerful than I am and therefore I am subject to him

–         Abimelech’s fear of God caused him to bend his knee in submission and obedience to God

 

Fear of God is quite close to faith in God

–         Proverbs talks about the fear of God being the beginning of wisdom

–         Or to use a metaphor – if faith in God is the butterfly, then fear of God is the caterpillar. Before we can fly we must first crawl

–         Before we can learn to trust God we must first fear him

–         That is, we must first submit to God in the realisation that he is more powerful than anyone or anything else

–         I wonder if the pandemic of anxiety in our society today is partly due to the fact we have lost our fear of God

–         We have made ourselves subject to so many things (that aren’t God) and consequently we are afraid of many things

 

What we notice in Genesis 20 is that Abraham believed (temporarily – in that moment) that God was not the most powerful one in the neighbourhood and as a result he put Sarah’s virtue and God’s promise at risk

–         This is all upside down and back to front – here we have Abraham, a hero of the faith, showing more fear of man than of God

–         While king Abimelech, the Philistine – the one we least expect, fears God more than Abraham does

The lesson is: both fear of God and faith in God can be found anywhere – sometimes those outside the church have a greater fear of God than we do

–         I think of the Roman Centurion who said to Jesus:

–         “Lord do not trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof… But say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes and that one, ‘Come’, and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this’, and he does it.”

–         When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and… said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” [1]

 

There is something of God’s image (something noble) in everyone, even those we may write off as Philistines – but we have to be humble to see it

–         Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

 

Grace:

Okay, so far we have talked about Abraham’s fear of man and Abimelech’s fear of God

The other main theme running through these verses is grace – in particular God’s grace for Sarah & Abraham, as well as the Lord’s grace for Abimelech and his household

–         Grace is a gift, something we haven’t earned – it is undeserved favour

–         Grace is different from fear

–         Fear is the stick – grace is the carrot

–         Fear is about punishment – grace is about freedom

–         Fear makes us a passenger – grace puts us in the driver’s seat

–         Fear is a feeling of distress – grace is a feeling of humility

 

Once there was a boy, who we’ll call Hunter

–         Hunter came from a dysfunctional family

–         Dad wasn’t around anymore & Mum was preoccupied

–         Hunter was left to fend for himself most of the time

On benefit day (which was a Tuesday) there was usually something in the pantry, some instant noodles or budget bread

–         But by Thursday there wasn’t much food left in the house so Hunter went to school without lunch three days a week

–         Although he was really hungry he didn’t steal from the other kids because he didn’t want to get in trouble

–         He had been taken away from his mum and put into foster care once before and he didn’t want to do anything to risk that happening again

–         Foster care is a bit of a lottery – Fear kept him in check

Hunter’s teacher saw what was going on and quietly snuck sandwiches, biscuits & fruit into Hunter’s bag on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays

–         At first Hunter didn’t realise how the food got there, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out

–         That teacher had always looked out for him – like a guardian angel

–         It made him feel strangely warm and humble inside

One day the winter show came to town

–         We don’t have winter shows in Wellington – it’s more of a regional town thing, with Ferris wheels, hot dogs, side shows and candy floss

–         Hunter couldn’t afford the ticket price but that didn’t stop him, there was always a hole in the fence somewhere he could squeeze through for free

–         He didn’t have money to go on any of the rides or buy any food – he just enjoyed being there, the sights, the sounds and the smells

As he walked along he noticed a purse on the ground – small enough to fit in your pocket. It had $40 inside and a lipstick

–         He could really use the money

–         Finders keepers, he thought to himself – whoever she was she wouldn’t miss it anyway

As he stood in line waiting to buy some hot chips he noticed his teacher, in the distance on the merry go round, with her family

–         She saw him and smiled – he looked away, suddenly conscience stricken

–         How could he steal this money when she had been so good to him?

–         Realising he couldn’t enjoy the chips now, he handed the purse in to lost property (with the money intact) and slipped out the gate feeling hungry

On Monday at school the teacher called the roll and, as usual, went round the room giving the kids a chance to talk about what they did in their weekend

–         Lots of people talked about going to the winter show and, as usual, Hunter said nothing

When everyone had finished the teacher shared her own news, saying that she had gone to the show with her 11 year daughter who had lost her purse

–         Her daughter was upset because there was $40 in the purse which she had earned from doing various odd jobs

–         Fortunately someone handed the purse in and all was well

Realising he had done something good Hunter smiled to himself as he looked at the ground, feeling strangely warm and humble inside.

 

God’s grace is manifold – it’s not one dimensional

–         It’s layered, like a trifle or filo pastry

We see God’s grace in the way the Lord appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him of the danger he is in

–         In Genesis 12 God communicated with Pharaoh through sickness and disease but in Genesis 20 the Lord has a conversation with Abimelech

–         Probably because Abimelech is more willing to listen than Pharaoh was

 

One thing we notice is that God’s grace comes to Abimelech in the form of truth – Abraham had lied to Abimelech but God speaks the truth

–         Grace & truth go together with God

–         The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth

–         Being told that he is at risk of committing adultery with Sarah is not an easy truth for Abimelech to face but there is grace in the timing of it

–         In fact, verse 6 tells us that God has kept Abimelech from sinning by not letting him touch Sarah

–         God has a wonderful way of saving us from temptation and delivering us from evil – diverting us in the nick of time, sort of like Hunter was diverted by a smile from his teacher

 

God’s grace in preventing Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah is at the same time an act of grace for Sarah & Abraham

–         Despite Abraham’s faithless action on this occasion the Lord still intervenes to protect Sarah and save Abraham’s life

 

I’m impressed with the way Abimelech restores the relationship with Abraham

–         After learning from God that Sarah is actually Abraham’s wife Abimelech calls Abraham in and asks for an explanation

–         While this was probably an awkward moment for Abraham it actually enables the two men to clear the air and makes it possible for Abraham to remain in the land

–         Pharaoh gave Abraham no such hearing – he simply sent Abraham & Sarah packing

 

In spite of the way Abraham insults Abimelech (saying, I thought there would be no one here who fears God) the Philistine king gives Abraham livestock, servants, the pick of pastureland & 1000 pieces of silver to vindicate Sarah

–         This silver in some way undoes any shame or slur on Sarah’s reputation

–         It is an incredible amount of money – more than most people would earn in their life time at that point in history

–         As mentioned before Abimelech’s generosity is more out of respect for God, than anything else

 

Finally we see God’s grace in the way the Lord answers Abraham’s prayer to heal Abimelech and his household so they could have children

–         God had promised that Abraham would be a blessing to the nations and this prayer of intercession is one example of that blessing

–         God’s gift of children for the Philistine royal family surely sounds a note of hope for Sarah & Abraham

–         If God is willing to do that for Abimelech, who has been promised nothing, then the Lord will surely make good on his word to Abraham & Sarah

 

Conclusion:

Fear & grace are part of our experience too

–         Although fear & grace are different they both have the power to humble us before God, as Abraham & Abimelech were humbled

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/29-april-2018-fear-grace

 

Questions for discussion & reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is fear?

–         How does (or has) fear affected your life?

3.)    How might we manage the thoughts which govern our fear (in a healthy way)?

4.)    What is the relationship between fear of God and faith in God?

–         How are they similar? How are they different?

–         How might fear of God make us less anxious?

5.)    What is grace?

–         How is grace different from fear?

6.)    In what ways can you see God’s grace in Genesis 20?

7.)    Can you think of times when God has diverted you from making a mistake in the nick of time? (e.g. as he prevented Abimelech from committing adultery with Sarah)

–         What other ways have you experienced God’s grace in your life?

8.)    Take some time this week to thank God for the noble Philistines you’ve known

 

 

[1] Luke 7:6-9

Tawa Baptist

Peter preaches Jesus

Scripture: Acts 3:12-19

Title: Peter preaches Jesus

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus
  • Peter preaches to heal the crowd
  • Conclusion

 Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a small child with his head in the mouth of a camel

  • – Now, what would you say was more important here?
  • – Taking a photo to capture the moment? (as it appears is happening)
  • – Or coming to the rescue of the child? Hmmm.
  • – If I were ever unfortunate enough to find myself in that situation I hope that my first response would not be to take a photo

 

Today is two Sundays since Easter

  • – As we are still in the season of Easter our message this morning comes from the lectionary – Acts chapter 3, verses 12-19
  • – These verses peel back the skin of the Easter story and look within it to find its meaning and application

 

Acts 3 is set at the gate of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem

  • – Two of the apostles, Peter & John, have just healed a man who has been unable to walk since birth
  • – It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a traditional time of prayer, and therefore a busy time at the temple
  • – Everyone who saw the miracle is gob smacked in amazement – they crowd around Peter & John utterly astounded
  • – Seeing the opportunity God has provided Peter preaches to the crowd
  • – From Acts chapter 3, verse 12 (in the NIV) we read…

 

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

In this reading we hear Peter’s sermon to a crowd of Jewish worshippers coming to the temple for prayer. Two things about Peter’s message

–         Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus

–         And Peter preaches to heal the crowd

 

Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus:

I have here a banana

  • – What would you say was more important – the skin of the banana or the flesh inside? [Wait for people to respond]
  • – Well, both are important aren’t they
  • – The skin protects the flesh of the banana – without the skin we wouldn’t have a banana we could eat
  • – But without the flesh the skin has no purpose really and could in fact become a hazard – something that slips people up
  • – At the end of the day the most important part is the part we eat, inside

 

Thinking of Acts 3, what would you say was more important – the miracle of healing or Peter’s message explaining the miracle? [Wait for people to respond]

–         Well, both are important

–         Without Peter’s explanation the meaning of the miracle is lost

–         But without the miracle Peter would not have had opportunity to explain the meaning of Easter in the first place

–         Peter’s message peeled the skin of the miracle back to reveal the real power behind the healing – the death & resurrection of Jesus

 

On the wall here we have a picture of a groom polishing the wheels of his car… with his new wife’s wedding dress

–         Probably not the best start to their marriage

–         What would you say was more important here – a happy wife or clean mags?  [Wait for people to respond]

–         The right answer is a happy wife – and if I have to explain that then you are in trouble

 

In verse 12 of Acts 3, Peter is quick to clear up any misunderstanding, saying…

–         ‘People of Israel, why does this [miracle] surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?’

–         Then he gives Jesus the credit

–         Peter isn’t going to use this miracle to polish his own reputation – that would be like using a wedding dress to polish the wheels of his chariot, if he had a chariot (which I don’t think he did)

–         No, Peter puts Jesus front & centre because Jesus is the most important

 

Peter describes Jesus in four ways…

–         As God’s servant (in verse 13)

–         As the Holy and Righteous One (in verse 14)

–         As the author of life (in verse 15)

–         And as the Christ (in verse 18)

 

The over-arching point here is that Jesus is someone very special & unique

 

Christ is a word that means the same thing as Messiah – ‘anointed one’

–         Jesus is the one chosen by God to be our King & Saviour

 

Author of life means that life comes from Jesus – Jesus is the Word of God through whom God created the universe – we find life in Jesus

 

Holy & Righteous One is a reference to Jesus’ innocence

–         Holy means set apart for a sacred or divine purpose

–         And righteous means being in right relationship with others, doing the right thing, acting justly and loving our neighbour

 

Peter’s description of Jesus as God’s servant is probably a reference to the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. We find the same Greek word in Acts 3 as we do in the passage from Isaiah

 

For those not familiar with Isaiah 53, Christians read it as a foretelling of Jesus’ suffering, death & resurrection. Here’s a sample of verses to give you the idea…

 

See, my servant will act wisely; [1]     he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted… 3 He was despised and rejected by humankind,     a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces     he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed…

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living…     9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…     11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…

The content of Peter’s speech indicates that Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Although Jesus was innocent, he suffered & died that we might live

 

Albrecht Durer was a famous 16th Century Renaissance artist

–         Albrecht was German and a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci

–         This is a self-portrait of Albrecht

 

According to legend Albrecht’s family was poor [2]

–         Although his father was a skilled and hard-working goldsmith, there were 18 children to feed and not much money to go around

–         Albrecht and one of his brothers had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art

–         The problem was they knew their father could never afford to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the academy there

 

After many long discussions at night the two boys finally worked out a pact.

–         They would toss a coin. The loser would go to work in the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy.

–         Then, in four years, when the brother who won the toss completed his studies, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by labouring in the mines.

 

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church.

–         Albrecht won the toss and went off to Nuremberg, while his brother went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed Albrecht to study at the Academy

–         Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

 

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a special dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming.

–         After a long meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honoured position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfil his ambition.

–         His closing words were, “And now, my brother, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

 

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albrecht’s brother sat, tears streaming down his face,

–         Shaking his head from side to side he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No, no, no.”

–         Finally, the boy who had spent 4 years in the mines rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then said softly…

–         “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look what the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, my brother, for me it is too late.”

 

500 years have passed since that time.

–         Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolours, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world

–         But perhaps the work most people are familiar with is, “Praying Hands.”

 

Some believe that Albrecht Durer drew these hands in honour of his brother who had sacrificed so much for him

 

What would you say was more important, the drawing of the hands or the brother’s sacrifice?

–         Difficult to separate the two really

–         Without the brother’s sacrifice the drawing loses its meaning

–         But without the drawing the brother’s sacrifice is forgotten

 

The point is, Jesus is like the brother who went to the mines

–         Jesus went to the cross, suffered & died that we might have abundant life

–         Jesus gives our lives meaning and we makes sure his sacrifice is not forgotten

 

Peter preaches to heal the crowd:

In verses 13-15 Peter recaps the Easter story, of Jesus’ death & resurrection

–         The startling thing here is the way Peter tells his audience, quite bluntly, how they caused Jesus’ death. Peter says…

o   You handed him over to be killed

o   You disowned him before Pilate (that is, you rejected him and didn’t advocate for him even though it was clear he was innocent)

o   You asked that a murderer be released to you instead

o   You killed the author of life

 

We might wonder why Peter is so strong in convicting the people of their injustice against Jesus – after all, no one likes to be blamed or told off

–         There’s a risk the crowd might become defensive and turn on Peter & John at this point

–         Well, it seems to me that Peter is hoping to heal the crowd – but before they can be healed they have to realise they are not well

–         In some ways (although not in every way) the crowd are little bit like the man who had been born lame [3]

–         By killing the author of life the people of Jerusalem have disabled their relationship with God – they are no longer able to walk with God

–         But God wants to heal that relationship so they can walk with him again

–         Before that healing can take place though, the people have to recognise what they’ve done wrong

–         Peter makes the crowd aware of their wrong doing by intentionally putting his finger on the sore spot, where it hurts – in much the same way a doctor does when diagnosing an ailment

 

Having shown the crowd that their relationship with God is broken, Peter then explains how things can be healed

–         Peter says (in verse 16) that the man born lame was healed by faith in Jesus. His healing is a pattern for their healing. They too can be healed by putting their faith in Jesus’ name.

–         From verse 17 Peter continues: Now, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders… Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out…

 

In a nutshell Peter’s message is this: your relationship with God is broken, it’s lame but it can be healed (as this man has been healed) through faith in Jesus

–         And in case you’re not sure what faith in Jesus looks like, it begins with repentance

 

Faith & repentance go together in the Bible

–         Faith is not exactly the same as repentance

–         Christian faith means believing in Jesus – putting our trust in him

–         While repentance is about change – changing our mind (or our way of thinking) and changing our behaviour (our way of living)

 

Now what would you say was more important – faith or repentance?

–         Well, we can’t really have one without the other

–         Repentance is to faith what clean sheets are to a bed – it helps us to sleep better at night

–         Repentance is to faith what food is to our stomach – it satisfies something in our soul and gives us strength

–         Repentance is to faith what legs are to walking – without repentance our faith has no legs, its going nowhere

–         Repentance is to faith what training is to an athlete – without repentance we’re just not that serious

 

Repentance is not the only expression of genuine faith – but it is perhaps the primary expression of faith

 

Before our relationship with God can be healed we have to realise we are not well – we have to realise we all share responsibility for Jesus’ death

–         We may not have been there in the crowd that day shouting ‘crucify him’ but we all needed Jesus to die in our place, so we are all responsible for Jesus’ death – not just the Jews

 

I listened to someone recently who had spent time in Africa teaching new Christians

–         There was this one man who heard about Jesus & started believing in him

–         Everything was great, fantastic, wonderful – as it usually is when we first become a Christian

–         And then the penny dropped for this man – believing in Jesus would mean a change in occupation for him

–         You see, this guy was a contract killer – he went across the border from one country to the next to kill people for money

–         I suppose if you are poor and live in a country with high unemployment then becoming a hit man is more attractive than begging or starving

–         Now that he was a follower of Jesus though, he had to repent – he had to stop killing people and trust Jesus to provide him with other work

–         That’s an extreme example but the principle is the same for other sins like greed or slander or sex outside of marriage or resentment or whatever your sore point is. Faith in Jesus and repentance go together

 

In commenting on verse 19 of Acts 3, William Barclay points out that repentance affects both the past and the future [4]

 

It affects the past in that sins are wiped out

–         Ancient writing was on papyrus and the ink used was different to the ink we use these days. If you made a mistake with your writing in the ancient world the ink could be removed with a wet sponge – sort of like we might wipe ink off a white board today

–         Peter is saying that with repentance and faith in Jesus our sins are erased

 

Repentance also affects the future in that it brings times of refreshing

–         ‘Times of refreshing’ speaks of Sabbath rest

–         It speaks of the light burden and the easy yoke that Jesus promised

–         With our sins removed we walk freely, without the burden of guilt

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Peter preached Jesus

–         Peter boldly preached the death & resurrection of Jesus

–         And with courage he preached to heal the crowd’s relationship with God

Peter’s brave preaching in Acts 3 stands in stark contrast to his denial of Jesus in Luke 22, which we heard about last week

–         In many ways though Peter’s denial of Jesus made his message more authentic, for Peter was preaching to the crowd as someone like them

–         Someone who had realised how lame he was before God and found healing and forgiveness through repentance & faith in Jesus

 

Questions for discussion &/or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Discuss the meaning / significance of the four titles Peter ascribes to Jesus. That is: God’s servant, the holy & righteous one, the author of life and the Christ.

3.)    What similarities do we notice between Peter’s sermon, in Acts 3:12-19, and the passage describing the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12?

4.)    Who is responsible for Jesus’ death?

5.)    Why does Peter convict the crowd so strongly of their injustice toward Jesus?

6.)    What pathway does Peter offer for healing the relationship between us and God?

7.)    What is the relationship between repentance and faith in Jesus?

8.)    Take some time this week to consider if the Holy Spirit is touching any sore points in your life? What healing does God want to bring?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/15-april-2018-peter-preaches-jesus

 

[1] The word ‘servant’ actually comes from Isaiah 52:13, which forms part of the picture painted of the suffering servant from 52:13 – 53:12.

[2] https://www.thoughtco.com/praying-hands-1725186

[3] This is not to imply that the man born lame had a bad relationship with God. For all we know he may have been closer to God than most. Also, the man born lame was well aware he couldn’t walk, whereas the crowd weren’t yet aware of their condition before God.

[4] From William Barclay’s commentary on Acts, page 32.

Tawa Baptist

Jesus & Peter

Scripture: John 13:33-38 & 21:15-19

Title: Jesus and Peter – before & after

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus & Peter before – John 13:33-38
  • Jesus & Peter after – John 21:15-19
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

We are in the season of Easter at the moment

–         Easter is a time when we tend to eat more chocolate than usual

–         Consequently we may find ourselves in different shape before and after

 

Our message today focuses on the relationship between Jesus & Peter – both before the cross and after the resurrection

–         Before Good Friday Peter may have thought his faith was fit and trim

–         But after the cross he had a more realistic perspective

 

Please turn with me to the gospel of John chapter 13 – page 137 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         The night before his suffering and death Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. He washed their feet, he prayed for them and he tried to prepare them for what was about to happen

–         From John chapter 13, verse 33, Jesus says…

 

My children, I shall not be with you very much longer. You will look for me; but I tell you now what I told the Jewish authorities, “You cannot go where I am going.’ And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”

“Where are you going, Lord?” Simon Peter asked him.

“You cannot follow me now where I am going,” answered Jesus; “but later you will follow me.”

“Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” asked Peter. “I am ready to die for you!”

Jesus answered, “Are you really ready to die for me? I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say three times that you do not know me.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading

 

Jesus & Peter before:

On the wall here is a diagram of the Johari window – many of you would have seen this (or something like it) before

–         The Johari window is a technique created by two psychologists in 1955

  • – In the exercise, you pick a number of adjectives from a list, choosing ones you feel describe your own personality.
  • – Your peers then get the same list, and each picks an equal number of adjectives that they think describe you. [1]
  • – Some of the adjectives include words like: bold, brave, cheerful, extroverted, introverted, calm, trustworthy, loving and so on

 

Adjectives picked by both you and your peers go in the ‘open’ box

  • – These things are common knowledge to you and to others
  • – Adjectives you chose for yourself but not chosen by others go in the ‘hidden’ box – things you know about you that others don’t
  • – And adjectives others choose for you but you didn’t choose go in the ‘blind’ box – things others can see that you can’t
  • – The fourth ‘unknown’ box is the sub-conscious part of us that neither ourselves nor others see
  • – We might say the unknown is known only to God

 

The purpose of the Johari window is to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others

–         Sometimes there is a gap between how we perceive ourselves and how others experience us – a gap between our ideal self and our real self

–         This could be because we don’t know ourselves that well

–         Or it could be that others have misunderstood us

–         Often it’s a mixture of both

 

If you asked Peter to do the Yohari window exercise before & after Good Friday I expect he would have come out with a very different result

–         Before the cross Peter thinks of himself as brave and loyal, a hero willing to lay down his life to protect Jesus from the authorities

–         But on this occasion at least there is a significant gap between Peter’s ideal self and his real self

–         After the experience of the cross Peter is more circumspect

–         Only Jesus sees all four windows

 

Returning to our reading from John 13, Jesus tells his disciples two things…

–         Firstly, they cannot go where he is about to go – meaning they can’t go to the cross as he is about to go to the cross (at least not yet)

–         And secondly, they must love one another

 

Jesus says these two things to help his disciples

–         Being told they can’t go to the cross with him lets them off the hook

–         It tells them this is God’s purpose for Jesus, so they don’t have to feel responsible for this, they don’t need to try and protect Jesus or prevent it from happening – It’s not in their power to do anything about this

 

Having told them what they can’t do Jesus then tells them what they can do –love one another, for by this everyone will know you are my disciples

–         That’s profoundly interesting – we might think (like Peter did) that people will know we are Jesus’ disciples by some grand gesture or heroic act – by putting ourselves in harm’s way and fighting Jesus’ enemies

–         But Jesus insists that people will know we belong to him by our love for one another

 

Loving one another is by far the more difficult thing

–         Love can be a glorious grand gesture but more often than not it is small and unseen – yet no less expensive

–         We love one another by being patient with those who frustrate us by their personality or rub us up the wrong way by their behaviour

–         We love one another by listening and seeking to understand, even though we ourselves may feel misunderstood

–         We love one another by singing each other’s songs in church

–         By sharing each other’s joys and sorrows

–         By praying for others and making them meals when they have a need

–         We love by forgiving hurts and saying ‘sorry’ when we mess up

–         We love others by guarding their reputation and being discreet

–         We love one another in a thousand other little ways that only God sees

 

Peter isn’t captured by the idea of loving one another, nor does he accept what Jesus is saying about not being able to follow him to the cross

–         At this point Peter stills sees himself as a brave hero, ready to lay down his life for Jesus

–         Perhaps Peter is under the illusion that he might somehow save Jesus

–         He does not realise yet that he can’t even save himself

–         So Jesus, in his grace, responds by pointing out to Peter something he is blind to – a truth he can’t yet see about himself

–         Namely, that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows

–         And, as we know, this is exactly what Peter does

 

Later that night, when Jesus is arrested in the Garden, Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the High Priest’s slave – Peter hasn’t accepted what Jesus has said, he still wants to be the hero – but Jesus puts a stop to the violence

 

Undaunted, Peter follows at a distance and manages to get into the courtyard of the high priest where Jesus is being interrogated

–         As he warms himself around a charcoal fire Peter is asked three times if he is one of Jesus’ companions and three times he denies it

–         It’s not until the cock crows that Peter remembers the Lord’s words to him, at which point the truth hits home

–         Luke’s gospel tells us that Peter went out and wept bitterly – this is a painful learning for the would be hero

–         Peter is filled with regret and remorse

 

Jesus & Peter after:

The good news is, the story doesn’t end there

–         After his death on the cross Jesus is resurrected by God and appears to his disciples on a number of occasions

 

One of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances was by Lake Tiberias

–         The disciples had been out fishing all night and caught nothing

–         So Jesus tells them (from the shore) to throw their net out one more time on the right side of the boat

–         At first the disciples don’t realise it is Jesus but they throw their net out anyway & struggle to pull it back in because they’d caught so many fish

–         Jesus has filled their empty net

 

When they realise it is the Lord, Peter (spontaneous as ever) dives into the water & swims ashore to meet Jesus (sort of like Forrest Gump swimming to Lt Dan)

–         From verse 15 of John 21 we pick up the story…

 

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”

A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.”

(In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.)  Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture reading for us

 

William Blake wrote a collection of poems he titled: Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul

–         It became a classic

–         I’m not sure exactly what William Blake meant by innocence but to my mind it is a state of not really knowing oneself all that well

–         Consequently there is a gap between the way those in a state of innocence perceive themselves and how others experience them

–         Those in a state of innocence are also prone to projecting their ideals on to others – ideals which those others may not share

–         This inevitably results in disappointment when those in a state of innocence realise they have placed their hope in the wrong things

 

Most of the young men who went off to fight in World War One were in a state of innocence

–         They had this misplaced idea that the war would be over quickly, that the Turks and the Germans would put up little resistance, that the generals would only make good decisions, that they would be impervious to the heat and the cold, the flies and the bullets, and that God was on their side

–         Those who survived lost their innocence

 

Experience is a ruthless teacher – it adjusts our perceptions, quite painfully sometimes

–         It’s not always pleasant learning something about yourself that you had been blind to but that others could see all along

–         Good Friday was, for Peter, a sort of innocence lost

–         Now, on the other side of the cross, Peter lives with his experience

 

In the passage we just read, from John 21, Jesus restores Peter

–         Previously Peter had denied Jesus three times

–         Now Jesus asks Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’

–         And three times Peter says, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you’

–         And three times Jesus says, ‘Take care of my sheep’

 

Jesus does not give Peter the silent treatment

–         Jesus does not demand an apology from Peter

–         Jesus does not require Peter to grovel and beg

–         Nor Jesus does prescribe a punishment for Peter – he doesn’t need to

–         Peter is already painfully aware of his failure and has been beating himself up for days

 

The message is pretty clear

–         Peter’s sins are forgiven

–         Jesus does not hold anything against him

–         The relationship is restored but not exactly the way it was before

 

Before, in a state of innocence, Peter had thought he might be able to save Jesus

–         Now (after experience) he realises that Jesus has saved him

 

Before the cross, Peter trusted in himself to be able to the right thing

–         After the cross Peter is humbled and he trusts in Jesus’ grace

 

We see Peter’s humility in his response to Jesus’ three fold question

–         Peter does not point to his own actions to prove that he loves Jesus

–         Rather he appeals to Jesus’ knowledge of him – you know me Lord, you now all things 

–         Sometimes we may feel like we must do something great to prove our love for the Lord – but this is not necessary

–         What we come to in time is the realisation that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves – even the unknown sub-conscious part

 

This begs the question, why then did Jesus keep questioning Peter’s love?

–         Well, Peter’s denials cast doubt on his credentials to serve & lead in the church

–         Not only did Peter need the opportunity to reverse his threefold denial, the other disciples also needed to see Peter formally reinstated

–         There is a certain formality to the way Jesus addresses Peter, using his full given name, ‘Simon, son of John’ (and not his nickname, Peter)

–         By formally & publicly reinstating Peter – saying three times, ‘Take care of my sheep’, Jesus is showing everyone that Peter has his blessing

–         And Jesus is showing the other disciples there is grace for them too

–         If Peter was still accepted after his denials, then they were accepted as well, even though they had abandoned their Lord in his time of need

 

Another hidden gem here is that, through the experience of the cross, Peter now loves Jesus as he really is and not just as he wishes Jesus to be [2]

–         In his state of innocence Peter loved the idea of a successful hero Messiah (like king David) and he projected this ideal, this fantasy, on to Jesus

–         By his actions Peter had shown that he did not want a crucified Messiah

–         When Jesus had tried to tell the disciples that he must suffer and die Peter took him aside to correct him – because this didn’t fit with Peter’s dream of a successful hero king

–         Peter had plans for Jesus and those plans didn’t include Jesus dying – that would be failure (as far as Peter was concerned)

–         But Jesus was crucified and with him Peter’s fantasy also died

–         Even though Jesus had disappointed Peter’s expectations Peter still maintained his loving devotion to the Lord

 

As Shakespeare put it, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds”

–         In other words, true love is constant even though circumstances and perceptions might change

 

We, like Peter, may project onto God our own ideas or fantasy of what he is like and how he should behave

–         We may, for example, think of God as a divine Santa Claus – that he will give us what we want if we are good

–         Or we think of God as our own personal body guard – who won’t let any harm come to us

–         Or as a genie in a bottle ready to grant us our wishes

–         Or we may think becoming a Christian will make us healthy, wealthy & successful

–         For many people this is part of their journey of faith, a stage of innocence

–         Then we face the cross in our own personal way

–         Maybe God doesn’t answer our prayers as we thought he should

–         Or maybe he allows us to suffer illness or injustice without explanation

–         Whatever form our cross may take, when God doesn’t perform as we expect our fantasy of Him is crucified and we may feel let down by Jesus

–         In that experience of disappointment we, like Peter, have a choice

–         Are we going to love God as he really is & not just as we wish him to be?

 

On hearing Peter’s threefold affirmation of love, Jesus’ threefold commission is ‘take care of my sheep’

–         Peter is to express his love for Jesus by caring for Jesus’ followers

–         Love is the main qualification for pastoral ministry

–         The primary qualification for being a minister is love

–         Just as the primary qualification for being a Sunday school teacher or a youth group leader or a parent or a brother or sister, son or daughter, is love

 

Love of Jesus goes hand in hand with love of his people

–         We’ve already heard Jesus say, ‘Love one another for by this everyone will know you are my disciples’

–         The implication here is that those who say they love Jesus but do not love other Christians are kidding themselves

–         They may love an idea or fantasy they have of Jesus but not the reality

 

Grace begets grace

–         Jesus had shown Peter grace when Peter failed and so it is significant that Peter shows grace to others in his ministry

–         Last year, during our series on inter-generational relationships in the Bible, we looked at the relationship between John Mark and Peter

–         John Mark was rejected by the apostle Paul because Mark turned back while on a missions trip

–         But Peter took Mark under his wing, despite Mark’s failure, probably because Peter knew what it was like to be in Mark’s shoes

–         It is thought that the gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who had followed Peter around listening to his preaching

–         Eventually Mark & Paul repaired their relationship but I’m not sure it would have had the happy ending it did if Peter hadn’t shown Mark grace

–         Of course Peter was simply following Jesus’ example – paying forward the grace he himself had experienced

 

Having formally reinstated Peter, Jesus then goes on to foretell Peter’s future

–         In John 13 Jesus had said, you can’t follow me now where I am going

–         (Meaning you can’t die on the cross with me)

–         Now, in John 21, Jesus says to Peter, ‘Follow me’

–         ‘…when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.’

 

Jesus is saying here that Peter will get the opportunity to follow in his footsteps by dying on a cross (stretch out your hands is a euphemism for crucifixion)

–         Tradition tells us that when Peter was old he refused to deny Jesus

–         As a consequence the authorities led Peter out to be crucified like Jesus

–         But Peter said he was not worthy to die like his Lord

–         So they crucified Peter upside down

In the end Peter was ready to die for Jesus – not to be a hero or to draw attention to himself, but rather to affirm the truth of Jesus’ resurrection

 

Conclusion:

The beauty is, God used Peter’s weakness & failure for good

–         If Peter can be restored after denying Jesus then so can we

 

In a few moments we will share communion together

–         Communion is a time when we remember Jesus’ death and affirm his resurrection

–         To share communion is to say with Peter and millions of other believers, “Yes Lord, you know I love you”

–         Communion is not a grand gesture on our part

–         But is a significant aspect of following Jesus and loving one another

–         In communion we remember our own sin and Jesus’ grace in restoring us

Questions for discussion & reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Have you ever done the ‘Johari Window’ exercise before?

–         What did you learn?

3.)    How was Peter’s perception of himself different before and after the cross?

4.)    What does it mean to love one another? (Think of practical examples)

5.)    What does it mean to be in a state of innocence?

–         How is this different from a state of experience?

6.)    Why did Jesus ask if Peter loved him three times, in front of the others?

–         Why did Peter appeal to Jesus’ knowledge of him? (I.e. Why does Peter say, ‘You know I love you Lord’?)

7.)     Before the cross Peter had a false perception of Jesus – he loved Jesus as he wished Jesus to be. After the resurrection Peter’s perception had changed and he loved Jesus as he really is (a crucified & risen Messiah).

–         Has your perception of Jesus changed since becoming a Christian? How so?

–         Have you (like Peter) had a personal cross experience, when you felt disappointed by God and your fantasy of Jesus was crucified?

–         Do you still love Jesus as he really is or only as you wish him to be?

8.)    Grace begets grace. Jesus showed Peter grace and Peter paid it forward to John Mark. Take some time this week to reflect on the grace you have been shown by others. How (or who) might you pay this grace forward to?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/8-april-2018-peter-and-jesus-before-after

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window

[2] Refer Leon Morris, NICTNT on John, page 768.