Sunday
06/09/19 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Look at Peter now!”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
New Testament
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21
Gospel Lesson:
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
Welcome once again,
my brothers and sisters, my friends, on this our Pentecost Sunday. On this day,
nearly two-thousand years ago, Jesus’ disciples were gathered in that Upper
Room in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of the Passover. Jesus had promised
his disciples that “The Advocate,” the Holy Spirit of God would come and teach
them everything that they needed to know. The disciples still didn’t fully “get
it,” but today, on the day of Pentecost they will!
On this day nearly two-thousand years ago, as our Book of
Acts scripture for this morning says in 2:1-4:
“When the day of Pentecost had
come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came
a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where
they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a
tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:1-4, NRSV).
Today, the day
of Pentecost is a day of Holy Fire, the day that the disciples “get” what Jesus
has taught them. Today is the day that the Holy Spirit of God moves like
tongues of fire, the disciples speak in tongues, and the Christian Church is
born. That’s right, the day of Pentecost is the first day that the Christian Church
actually existed. Were there disciples and others present shortly before this
day? Sure they were! Jesus however, told them to wait for “The Advocate,” the
Holy Spirit. Today, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrives, the disciples
are filled, and the church is born.
On this day of
Holy Fire, of the Holy Spirit, of the birthday of the Christian Church, many
churches have made the colors of this day red. Red represents fire, the blood
Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Red is the color of this day, as this
is the day of Holy Fire.
For the
Christian denominations that celebrate the “Rite of Confirmation,” like we are
this morning, Pentecost has become a great and a common day to have
confirmations. Like a pastor or a priest may be adorned on this day, Confirmands
often receive red stoles around there neck to symbolize the Holy Fire of the
day of Pentecost. Confirmands confirm their faith in Jesus Christ, there commitment
to his church, and to be his disciples in the world. This happens on Pentecost,
the day of Holy Fire.
Today in the
history of the church, can also be a good day for Baptisms and other
celebrations in the life of the church. Today is also a day that God can renew
and redeem us. For the God we serve, the God of the universe ,doesn’t make any
junk. God makes us all special, and in our brokenness, God can redeem us and
renew us. This is the power of God through Jesus Christ.
In our gospel of John lesson for this morning,
we once again hear the disciple Philip asking Jesus to show him and the other
disciples proof of God the Father (Jn. 14:8, NRSV). Philip is one of the original
disciples that we don’t hear about in the New Testament very much, but Philip
like some of the other disciples is asking Jesus to prove that he is who he
says he is. Jesus tells Philip that:
“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me”
(Jn.
14:11a, NRSV).
Jesus then
says once again 14:15-17:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you”
(Jn. 14:15-17, NRSV).
Philip wasn’t the only disciple that doubted who Jesus was,
Thomas did, and clearly the others did at times, as well. Jesus tells Philip
and the other disciples though that the Spirit of God will come upon them and will
reveal to them the full truth of who he is. You see, you can believe in the
teachings on Christianity in your head. You can also doubt them. Jesus is
saying though that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will feel it, and
you will know it. You won’t just believe it in your head, and for some in your
heart, you will be so filled with God’s love and grace that you will just know
it.
Jesus then once again says in John 14:25-26, NRSV:
“I have said these things to you
while I am still with you. But
the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said
to you” (Jn. 14:25-26, NRSV).
Jesus says to
the disciples, you have doubts, you have questions, soon the Spirit of God will
move in and through you, and you will understand more fully who I am and I why
I have come.
This promise
of the Holy Spirit coming is fulfilled in our reading from the Book of Acts
2:1-21 for this morning. Did the Holy Spirit move in other places in the Bible
and even today? Of Course! Yet Pentecost is arguably the most substantial outpouring
of the Holy Spirit ever experienced by the Church. So much so, it’s the
birthday of the Church.
My sermon this
morning is centered on our reading from Acts 2:1-21. As you might have read in
our bulletin for this morning, my sermon for this morning is called “Look at
Peter now!”
Sometimes in
life when we are training or learning how to do something we are told that we
are ready to do the thing that we are training or preparing to do that we will
just know we are ready.
Sometimes in
our lives, we struggle with our faith, we ask questions, or maybe we have even
challenged some of our core beliefs. The disciple Peter, whom our Roman Catholic
brothers and sisters claim as their first Pope, was not perfect. None of us are
perfect, but God is the master of perfecting us. God takes that which is not
perfect and he perfects it.
Of all of the disciples
of Jesus, whether I like it or not, I am the most like Peter. Why I am the most
like Peter? I don’t mind leading, and I am also very clearly impulsive and
outspoken. Yet, when I believe whole-heartedly in what I am doing, God has been
able to use me to do things that I never imagined.
On this day,
nearly two-thousand years ago, Peter, who made tons of mistakes, comes down
from the Upper Room in Jerusalem and delivers a sermon for the ages (Acts
2:1-21, NRSV). How good was this sermon, about 3,000 people are baptized and come
to know Jesus Christ on this day.
Further, one
of my favorite versus in the Bible, is in this passage from the Book of Acts.
When Peter starts preaching with the greatest of fervor, fire, and is full of
the Holy Spirit, he is accused of being drunk. He is accused of doing this,
because is so passionate, and so filled with excitement. The Book of Acts 2:12-15
speaks of the response the movement of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, and
also to Peter’s preaching. It says once again:
“All
were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the
eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in
Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these
are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning” (Acts.
2:12-15, NRSV).
So Peter, the one who screwed up, who is
now filled with the Holy Spirit, begins preaching like Billy Graham. In fact,
he is so filled with excitement that he is accused of being drunk, but he says,
“Who gets drunk at 9:00 am”? Peter is basically saying then, “I’m not drunk, it’s
too early in the morning for that!”
Where did Peter
come from with his walk with Jesus to get to where he is today on Pentecost Sunday?
Let’s look through some if his past mistakes. I found a list of 13 of them, and
here is the list:
1. Peter
doesn’t understand the Parable of the 4 Soils but is confused. (Just like us)
Jesus instructs him in the meaning of the parable without rejection Matt 15:16.
2. Peter
and the other disciples mis-interpret Jesus words about “Yeast of Pharisees and
Sadducees” and think that Jesus is talking about “bread” (Just like us) Jesus
repeats the phrase until they understand. Matt 16:1.
3. Peter
& other the other disciple try to keep the children and babies away from
Jesus. Jesus corrects them and instructs them with a little child in their
midst Mark 10:13.
4. Peter
fails to “continue” to walk on water. Jesus catches Peter and instructs him,
maybe a little discipline but no rejection Matt 14:22.
5. Peter,
filled with selfish ambition (outright sin), argues with the other disciples
about “Which one of us is the Greatest!” Jesus instructs them all with a little
child. There is no rejection. Jesus instructs them. – Mark 9:33, Mark 10:35,
Luke 22:24
6. Peter
speaks up in a Holy moment on the Mount of Transfiguration when Moses and
Elijah appear to talk to Jesus about His departure (or death). No one is
talking to Peter. But he suggests it is good that he, James and John are there.
So that they can build 3 shelters or dirt huts for Jesus, Moses and Elijah
Matthew. It is absolutely riduculous! There is no rejection, even from the
very presence of the Father in the cloud. But there is instruction: “This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 17:4
& Mark 9:5
7. Peter
speaks for Jesus, without consulting Him, and commits Jesus to pay the 2
Drachma tax. When Jesus finds out… He doesn’t reject or even correct Peter, but
He instructs him. Matthew 17:24
8. Peter
resists the single greatest reason Jesus became a human: to atone for the sin
of the human race. Jesus severely rebukes Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are
a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but
merely human concerns.” However, note, Jesus does NOT reject Peter and doesn’t
even demote him from leading the church.
9. Peter
resists Jesus when He says that He is going to wash Peter’s feet. “No,”
said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” John 13:8 Jesus instructs Peter,
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
10. Peter
fails to stand by Jesus side and falls asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane right
before Jesus is killed. Jesus finds them sleeping and instructs &
disciplines them, “The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. Pray that
you may not fall into temptation.” But Jesus does not reject them.
11. Peter
denies Jesus with “oaths” and “curses” in a public arena. Matthew
26:74 (sin) (Jesus restores Peter. John 21:15-19)
12. Peter
is completely overwhelmed by his sin, self-discovery of his own weakness and
quits the Apostolic Team and goes back to the only work he feels he can do…
fishing. John 21 (Until Jesus restores him)
13. Peter
pulls back from the Gentiles & Paul in fear when some of the circumcision
group arrive in Galatia – Galatians 2:11
(http://www.godisjustlikejesus.com/13-failures-peter-jesus-loves-imperfect-people/).
The one that isn’t listed here, and my
favorite, is that Peter cuts off a guard’s ear in the garden of the Gethsemane.
Peter screwed up a lot. Peter heard the truth, he saw the truth, he experienced
the truth, but today on Pentecost he feels, he receives, he understands, and he
knows the truth.
Jesus is the business of changing us
from screw ups into people that change lives and the world. I pray that the
movement of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost that happened so many years ago, might
happen anew. That we might feel God’s mighty presence move in us and through
us, so that we may be convinced that Jesus is Lord, and is who he said he is.
This is what happened to Peter, and many probably said, “Look at Peter now!”
I have been changed by Jesus Christ, and
on this Confirmation Sunday, I can “confirm” with the greatest of conviction
that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, he died for me, he rose again, and
that he is coming back in glory. Happy Pentecost, welcome to the fold Confirmands,
and welcome new members! Amen,
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