Summer Teaching Series Announcement

Speaker 1 0:31

Well , good morning everyone . It's good to see you , good to see you Happy Father's Day , and we'll get to that here in a second . But we are so excited that you're here My name is Jeff Bachman , one of the pastors here on staff , and get the privilege to be with you today Just to give you a heads up and even kind of forecast where we're going . So we are for two more weeks and we spent a little bit more time in the second half of Matthew 16 . For those of you who are new to Northgate , first Off , welcome . We're glad that you're here . We are preaching faithfully through Matthew And we are in Matthew 16 . We're going to be wrapping up Matthew 16 , the second half , and then we are actually going to take a little break . And here's why And you may have even noticed it as you've been out in the lobby We're really trying to lean into relationships as a church , because I think we see a ton of new people , we see a ton of just people kind of coming and going with vacations and things like that , and so we were trying to create a safe space for people to come and connect and feel at home .

Speaker 1 1:27

And I also know this , i know that we are relational beings that are meant to not do this life alone , and there is not a much worse feeling than on a day-to-day basis , than feeling alone , and so we want to just lean into that , not only with the things that are out there in the lobby and we'll talk to you about that at the end but also in our summer teaching series , which is going to start in two weeks , so July 2nd . We're going to be doing a summer teaching series that's entitled this It's our relationship series and it's called For Better or For Worse , and I know that you may think of when you hear For Better or For Worse that's marriage vows But I would say this that for better or for worse , we get a chance to be in relationship together , and for a lot of them it's better , and for some you look around , you're like it's kind of worse And don't start pointing or acknowledging who that is . But God has made us as people who are relational beings , so maybe we get an opportunity to begin to work on that and get better at it . And so what we want to do very intentionally for the next two weeks is to just tell you what we're going to be doing . And so , because we know this you are people , are inviders , and every week I meet somebody who has been invited by somebody else . Oh , i teach at this school and my fellow teacher invited me to come and this and that , and so we know that you invite people , and so what we actually want to do was to put a schedule up of the summer teaching series . This will let you know the teachers . We've got friends from literally around the country who are going to come and are going to teach for different weeks here at Northgate , and then we've also hit different topics , and so we encourage you to go ahead and pull your phones out and take a picture of this . I'll stand over here , because that's also been requested , and so you can take a picture of this so that you let other people know . So when you're looking oh , i'm sorry , here one more time , ready , three , two and there we go .

Speaker 1 3:12

So these are the subjects , and now here's the thing Don't weaponize this . So if you look at this and you see that on July 16th , that we're talking about conflict , don't elbow the person that you're sitting next to and go . Don't miss this . That's not a good way to go about this . You should say hey , would you like to join me on that week ? I'd really like to learn something about that if you want to . That's a little key , but it's going to be an amazing summer This way . You also , as you are looking for opportunities and just options of ways to invite your friends , this could be a way to do . It is to say , hey , the speaker's coming , this is what we're going to be talking about . We really want to lean into those things and those relationships , so we hope that you utilize that . You'll get it here . It's also going to be on our website , which is thisischurch , and then , as well as our social media , that you're going to be able to find it at NGATE CF . So that's our Instagram . So this also , since your phones are already out , this may be a chance for you to just follow us on Instagram as well , at NGATE CF , and that would . We'll update that with each week with what we are doing , and then also you'll see some sermon clips from before . But we'd love for you to stay up to date here in the summer .

Speaker 1 4:19

Like I said , happy Father's Day . I am glad that you would choose to spend this day with us . I also recognize that when you use the word father . that carries a lot of weight . It's a very beautiful ways and also it's a very tough ways that everyone has not had the same fathering experience either , either for them to them or one that they have expressed to other people . I think what here's what we can agree Strong male presence in a person's life is beneficial , and we also recognize that somebody who wakes up every day trying to be a really good dad and sometimes goes to bed going man , i'm grateful for grace and a time to do it again . That for those of you who are out there doing your best dads , happy Father's Day And thank you for what you do . We're glad that you're here . So let's dive into this .

Speaker 1 5:09

I do have a confession that may not be a surprise . Some people after first service said this isn't actually a surprise , but I am a long time nerd . Like that's just what I am . And again I was hoping for more laughing like no , jeff , you're not . Look at that shirt , you're amazing . I'm a long time nerd . I've just loved comic books . I've loved sci-fi , i love time travel movies and all those sorts of things And so anything . It's gotten very popular that if you you know , they have those conventions like comic con or anything like that , anything that has con at the end . I would love to just go to and dress up like whatever and just nerd out . That would just be talk about a weekend , if anyone wants to come with . No , just kidding .

Speaker 1 5:49

But I think we would agree in the in kind of the the nerd world of comic books and science fiction and all that sort of stuff . There are a few Godfathers when it comes to talking about that world . I think we'd agree that Stan Lee is one of those people . There's also Robert Downey Jr . He's a younger one , but he's one who really reimagined the superhero of the broken character , and people seem to appreciate him . Of course , you've got Harrison Ford in so many different roles , ones that he's even revisiting here this summer . You've got Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker , and I would say that there's one William Shatner is one that comes to mind but there's one that , for me , just holds A high place in kind of that nerd world , and that would be George Lucas . Right , george Lucas He is . He's really the one who he redefined moviemaking and storytelling , and he took Star Wars and brought it to life . Well , so , george Lucas for me .

Speaker 1 6:46

I grew up in Modesto , which is about an hour and a half away from here . Modesto happens to be George Lucas's hometown as well . In fact , there's a lot of myth that goes on in Modesto . There's not a lot to talk about Modesto , so you talk about George Lucas , but in Modesto there's a lot of myth about George Lucas of how he started cruising on McHenry Avenue or American graffiti , or even that he went to Downey High School , and so it was . Always everyone would wonder which locker he had and if you were going to get the George Lucas locker , like these are all . These are all very real conversations .

Confessing Christ and Aiming Higher

Speaker 1 7:19

So there was one year in Modesto , so I was in high school and we used to do a fundraiser for our church where we'd sell ice cream for our summer activities , and so we would go with Star Wars home containers and walk around and sell ice cream . There was one year that I was selling on the parade , and it's nice because when you sell you got to walk in the parade route , you didn't have to sit and you weren't in the back of the crowd . You were there and you were right up front . And so I'm walking down the route and all of a sudden , out of the right side of my eye . I look over there and I see none other than George Lucas sitting in the flesh and he's hanging out there in his hometown And I just about lost it .

Speaker 1 7:52

I was in high school , my friend who was with me he was a fellow nerd And so we just we just lost it And I took every bit of excitement and nervousness and every part of it And we ran up to this guy , this poor human being , and we , i just I just unloaded on him And I knew it was going poorly . When I asked him if he knew that he directed Star Wars , i missed , mr Lucas , you know , you said Star Wars And it just , it was a mess , it was a mess And I just kept going . So there's probably about 30 or 60 seconds for this dude is like , could somebody get some help or just carry this guy away ? And so , and I just and I just remember that after I had like verbally vomited on this guy for about a minute , is that we just sat there And I ended up I was like and then the stars , the lightsaber , and do you want some ice cream ? And he just thinks , man , he was kind , as a terrified man for his life could be . But he just said no , thank you . And I still remember , as I walked away , he was , he was clearly , he just didn't . I was , i invaded his personal space And so he just communicated to me or he communicated to somebody else . He just goes , man , i can't believe that somebody would do that into my home , in my home hometown , and I just remember , like the crushing weight of that that I was like I was rejected by my nerd hero And I , like it rings in my ears to this day , what we are going to see today . Jesus speaks sternly to Peter , giving him very needed information , but also something that was probably very , not damaging , but it carried so much weight And I think that it was important for him , it's important for us now that there's something that we can learn from that . And so , as we're going through we're in the second half of 16 , we're in the second week of this three week series .

Speaker 1 9:40

Last week we looked at Peter's confession , his proclamation of who Jesus was , and so it starts with that idea of a confession of Christ saying this is who you are . Jesus and the disciples were traveling to accessory at Philippi and Jesus asked the disciples . He said all right , so who do the people say that I am ? Let's get word on the street and using it as an opportunity to teach . What do they say that I am ? And then he turns and he says who do you say that I am ? Doesn't matter what they say , what do you say that I am ? Who do you say that I am ? And so Peter , of course being Peter , answers , he says you are the Messiah , giving him that confession of faith .

Speaker 1 10:17

And so then , today , launching off of that confession , is that we're gonna aim our lives at the cross , because , though Peter has declared his Messiahship , what we're also going to understand is that way in that title , and that belief then means something . If I am Messiah , then there's a response to that , because what we know , sitting on this side of it , is that the cross is where Jesus's life ends and then begins . It has implications , but for Peter he didn't understand that , and so maybe today that through scripture and through the rise and the fall , the mistakes of Peter and the disciples , then maybe we can learn to develop a deeper faith in our life , a purpose to see why Jesus came to not only die but to live again . And then next week , we get to land back at that idea of the cost of discipleship , that it's the confession of Christ , the cross that he died on . And then now , what for you and for I So we're gonna look at Matthew 16 , 21 through 23 today is what we're gonna be spending our time in . So it starts here .

Speaker 1 11:19

It says that , from that time on , jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders , the chief priests and the teachers of the law , and that he must be killed and , on the third day , be raised to life . Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him . Never , he said this shall never happen to you . Jesus turned and said to Peter get behind me , satan , you are a stumbling block to me and you do not have in mind the concerns of God , but merely human concerns . So , then , what we're seeing here is , essentially , it's the byproduct of the title of Messiah , of saying that you are the Messiah , meaning this is who you say that you are . But this is what it means , and that's the part that the disciples and , ultimately , peter didn't get .

Speaker 1 12:06

And it starts on this account starts with saying that , from this time , so from this point I don't know if this is exactly at the same point that Matthew 16 and that part took place , but from this point on , we begin to see a shift . From this point on , chronologically , from this point on , discipleship wise is how Jesus is beginning to speak to his disciples And then , also from this point on , of what needs to happen , you're gonna see a dramatic shift that , in the next chapters to come , is that well , how Jesus interacts with the disciples is different , and even how he's aiming his life and how his message will become more outwardly focused , to the crowds and to the people , of declaring his Messiahship and ultimately , what he was brought to do . So he's saying , moving forward and essentially going . You say that I'm the Christ , peter , the living son and the Messiah . And it would be easy because this is essentially what they thought that they were probably signing up for .

Speaker 1 12:56

The disciples thought that they were signing up for some sort of a political overthrow or a coup , that they were going to be as marginalized people , as people that were passed over . They had finally been brought into the crowd It was Jesus and the 12 , and they were going to be assembling and stepping into different places of religious and political power . This is what they now got to experience and that would be right to assume that . And Jesus says you're right , i am the Messiah . However , this is what that means , because the two have to go together . You can't declare a Messiahship and then not live in what that fully means and why God has sent them , and so he's saying so . Jesus says I am aiming my life at the cross , i'm aiming my life at sacrifice for you and for humanity . And they thought that it was great for this world . And he says no , i'm actually here to save the world , and yet that which is yet to come And this is the first time that Jesus clearly actually says this .

Speaker 1 13:48

Up to this point , he's been speaking in parables and then maybe either mixed messages or just understanding the timing , but what we see here and it even says it in the account in Mark eight it says that he says it plainly . Well , there's no mixed messages here . There's no way to wonder if that he has come back to a place of saying that the confession of Jesus being the Messiah then means that his life is aimed towards the cross , and we then get to respond through discipleship and recognizing the cost , as it's called to us , jesus has spent up to this point if you look at the first half of Matthew a significant amount of time getting his disciples to understand the idea of a kingdom of God . The kingdom of God is here and it's advancing . It's already and not yet The kingdom of God has got its people in a place that God has created , experiencing the presence of God . That's the kingdom of God . And yet the disciples are like I don't understand what you mean . I understand a kingdom here , and he says that's part of it , but there's something that's yet to come . And so he's investing so much of the time in doing that . And he says but there's more to it . There's more to it than that , because here , because Christ's declaration ultimately means that he is coming to live the life that we couldn't and then sacrifice in the way that we were going to be able to

Jesus' Sacrifice, Broken Relationship With God

Speaker 1 15:00

That he came .

Speaker 1 15:00

and there's so much debate on who he was and what he was coming to do . But he came . He's not just a good teacher , he didn't just come to love the marginalized , which he did , but he came to live out both truth and justice , so much so that he was willing to die for that very thing . And so then among the religious and the secular leaders . For thousands of years there's been debate as to Jesus , not his existence , and in fact you even see at the end of the Bible in our scripture of the gospels , that they say Jesus appeared to over 500 people , proclaiming and declaring his existence even after his resurrection . So that's not what's under debate .

Speaker 1 15:38

What's under debate is the existence of Jesus and why he came and what he was supposed to do . It'd be easy to wonder is he just a conquering king ? Is he a suffering servant ? Is he both ? or is he absolutely lost his mind ? And then , is he lying about everything that he's telling us ? But what he is declaring , that what we see Jesus saying , and then also what he has lived out , is that it's about his life and his eventual death , and then death to sin . He declared with no mistake . He said this is absolutely what I have to do . This is the way that this is going to happen . He must go to Jerusalem , he must suffer , he must die and he must be raised again . And don't miss the fact , because the way that it says it here , it says that it was the elders , the chief priests and the teachers of the law . In our context , that would be anyone who calls Northgate their home church . Those are the people that caused Jesus to suffer and ultimately led to his death . It was the religious leadership or the ones that didn't get Jesus . So , though , i look at the disciples sometimes and go how foolish are you that you didn't fully understand who Jesus was ? I said there was a whole church that didn't get that either . I think , if I'm gonna be honest , there's still times today that I say I get a Jesus , but there's times that I don't recognize what that actually means to live that out , and so that's what we get to do today .

Speaker 1 16:52

It continued on . We see even some of the authors later on in the New Testament , a guy like Paul , who was considered a child of Israel . He was a man who said that at first he was against that . In fact , he , in the way , the life that he adhered to , the religious leadership that he was a part of the ones who actually said Jesus to the cross , and yet in his life and in meeting Jesus and understanding the fulfillment of what Jesus was doing , he actually became the strongest advocate for him . In fact , we see him come to the place of finally understanding the importance not just of Jesus and not just the cross , but his death and resurrection . It says it like this in 1 Corinthians 15 , 19 . It says that if only for this life that we have hope in Christ , we are , of all people , the most to be pitied .

Speaker 1 17:37

If Jesus didn't do what he said he was going to do in Matthew 16 , if Jesus didn't do what we see him do in scripture , then we , as people who aim our lives towards us every day , if that didn't happen , it all falls apart . This would be an awkward social club of us believing something that didn't actually happen . But here's the nice part Jesus isn't plan B , jesus is the first and only , because what we see all the way from the first pages is that throughout the Old Testament there was a sacrificial system that God established . God established that sacrificial system so that we could then have a right relationship with God . The idea of a sacrifice is to give something , because it's mending a relationship and making something , that which was broken , now whole . So it goes back as far as Genesis , which is the first book in the Bible , and it's the account of creation . But ultimately it's about the first humans that God created , and they said no to God . They said I know that you have a plan for how this is going to go , but I'm going to choose to do it my own way , stepping outside of God's plan and saying no to God , introducing sin to humanity and ultimately saying I'm going to go on this plan my own way . And interesting , at the moment that they say no to God , at the moment that they have separation between them and God , is all of a sudden not only a sin introduced , but now it's shame and guilt and running and hiding . And you don't see those things divorce from each other . They are always together .

Speaker 1 19:03

Look at it in Genesis 3 . 10 through 12 says this He answered and this is Adam . He says I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked . So I hid . And God said and he said who told you that you are naked ? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from ? The man then said the woman that you put here with me . She gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it . It's always good to blame somebody else and ultimately , to blame God . Well , i wouldn't have done it , but she told me to and ultimately you're the one who gave her . So I seem to be blameless in this and there's nothing that is wrong with me . It's your fault , god . Bad idea .

Speaker 1 19:40

But what we see when we live in that sort of a broken relationship that the byproduct is to run and hide , to cover and to experience shame because , again , sin it really envelops all that and that's exactly what they did Right before that accountant . In Genesis 3.10 you actually see them . They come to recognize what they've done . They said know to God and put separation between them and their creator , and the immediate thing that they do is they run and hide . They recognize that they're naked and they cover themselves up . They go and they sew together fig leaves If you grew up at all in the church and you had the little flannel graphs of Adam and Eve with the leaves and they're like peeking over the hedge and they're like oh no right , you remember those Anyone , just me But they're attempting to do that which only God could do .

Speaker 1 20:25

Interesting that just after this in Genesis 3.21 , is that God gives that first offering , he makes the first move , he extends and in fact he takes a life , the life of an animal , and then he covers over them . Genesis 3.21 says it like this The Lord , god , made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them . You see , because God was the one who offered , he gave it to them and this symbolizes ultimately what Christ is coming to do , being given by God to repair that which is broken . It must happen and it happens through sacrifice . In the Old Testament , all the way through , we see that an offering or sacrifice is given and that there is a sense of that . I give that which is good , perfect , spotless , blameless , my first and my best . I give that in trade for repair of a relationship . The sacrifice , the symbolism of giving the animal , was essentially of laying down a life to repair mine .

Speaker 1 21:24

We see , all throughout scripture is that the Israelites took the serious nature of this sin and the separation , and then the consequences of both the individual sin and also then the sin at large , with the nation . But it was always a covering , it wasn't . Here's the difference . It was a covering , it was not a removal , and so they would cover and they would cover and they would cover . But it was never gone And it became this endless system . But the truth is , we do the same thing and we even , we even are on this side of that , we get to experience Jesus , and yet we cover .

Speaker 1 21:57

There's so many times that if I recognize something that I'm doing wrong , where I have experienced sin in my own life , i will cover that up with a lie or with misdirection . I was like , oh , that isn't what I did . I'll even convince myself of that . Oftentimes I can do it like this . I can say , well , yeah , i did something wrong . Would you see what they're doing over there ? Like , those people are not you , you guys are fine , but not these people over here . Like , but do you see those over there ? Look what they're doing , because it's way worse than what I'm doing . Or maybe even , instead of just trying to repair it , is you just go , i'm going to cover it with doing good thing After good thing . I'm just going to cover it . And I'm going to cover it When Jesus arrives on the scene .

Speaker 1 22:34

What's declared of him ? and notice the difference . John the Baptist says behold , it's the Lamb of God , the sacrifice , who takes away sin . So it's no longer a covering system . It's now that Jesus has come to remove . So then of course he had to , he must go and he must die , he must sacrifice his life , not that it's our choice . But Jesus willingly gave up his life so that it was no longer a covering , but it was a removal of that sin .

Speaker 1 23:00

And what we see is the disciples are beginning to understand that you're the Messiah , but not fully recognizing what it was to do . And yet Jesus says this is what I must do , is I must do it to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament . I must do it because I must die for sin , because sin demands a life , death demands death , and so Jesus gave death so that we wouldn't have to . And it's easy to assume that in the midst of this that he would blame , of him saying I will go to the cross , but it's because of you all . Yet that's not what he does . He doesn't lead with shame , he doesn't lead with condemnation .

Speaker 1 23:34

In fact , john 3 17 says it like this for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world , but to save the world through him and to do for humanity what we couldn't do and to live the life that we're expected to and yet can't because we are not perfect , spotless and blameless . This includes us , this includes the disciples And wait a second It includes the religious leaders that sent him there . Let me say that again , it includes the religious leaders that actually sent him to his very death . For us I actually I'm encouraged that I see that the disciples start to get it . We see later on in scripture that at some point it took them time , but at some point they begin to live into this and they see it . John , one of the disciples that was with him later on , wrote first John , so it was after Jesus's life , and first John .

Speaker 1 24:28

4 , 9 and 11 says it like this So you get this idea . He's beginning to understand what Jesus came to do by this . The love of God was manifested in us , that God sent his only begotten son into this world so that we might live through him and in this love . Not that we love God , that's a response to what he's doing . So it's not that we love God , but that he loved us and sent his son to be the perpetuation or a replacement for our sins . He took on death and sin , so he's that perpetuation Beloved . If God so loves us , we also ought to love one another . Isn't it nice to see that they get it . It took a while , but it's encouragement for me , because there are days that my cold dead heart thinks that I'm never going to actually live into it more than I was today . And yet what I see here is that God is working through all of us . It's kind of like our church being people in progress , right That there's a process we're going through and he's working with us in this .

Speaker 1 25:30

Back to chapter 16 , let's read 22 . It says Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him . Never , lord , he said you shall never . This shall never , ever happen to you , which I think is interesting , because Jesus had just praised Peter for getting it . In Matthew 16 , 16 , he says he says you're right , good for you , may you be praised and blessed , because he says you're the Messiah , the son of the living God . Interesting how quickly he can get misguided . Right , he makes this declaration of him being the Messiah and yet right after this is he rebukes Jesus and begins to tell him of something that he shouldn't do . He doesn't truly get it yet , which , frankly , i mean , let's be honest , how in the world , how could you understand this idea of somebody coming to die for that which we deserve , and he lives it out ? You really don't truly get that until you kind of see it and you feel it and you touch it , that it's not until you begin to experience it for yourself that it can actually be something real .

Speaker 1 26:27

I'll explain to you like this I'll tell you what I was never . My wife and I got married and we didn't have kids for about five years . I was never a better parent than for those first five years . Right , right , i remember distinctly and if she's watching my older sister , i'm so sorry I apologize . I remember my wife and I went over to their house and they had had their first or second kid and I remember they were having a lot of difficulty in this kid to sleep , and so it was later at night it was like eight , nine , 10 o'clock at night and this kid there's this kid , this thing my niece was sitting in a bouncy chair to sleep because they hadn't slept for like three days and their hair hurt and their teeth were fuzzy , like they were just at that place that they're just like . We just need some sleep . And I remember walking out with my wife at the time . We looked at her and we were like a kid sleeping in a bouncy chair . She's never going to college , she'll never figure it out . It's like I'll never do that . And again . I didn't get it until I really got it and became

Peter's Love and Misunderstanding

Speaker 1 27:22

a parent .

Speaker 1 27:23

And for these guys here , i don't think that they experienced , they didn't understand it until they actually lived it and experienced it , but they began to that the words of Jesus began to echo in their heart and in their mind . I also think for Peter that , beyond the ignorance of not fully understanding who Jesus was , he rebuked him because , first off is that he loved Jesus . We see all throughout their interaction as Peter loved Jesus . He defended him with a sword on his arrest . He tried to run across water fully clothed to reconnect with him . You see , this beautiful relationship between Peter and Jesus is because Peter loved Jesus . So of course he's going to defend him , of course he's going to love him And he's going to say this isn't what you deserve for anyone that you love to say that you're going to be arrested and that you're going to suffer and you're going to die .

Speaker 1 28:09

Absolutely , jesus , not over , not if I have anything to say about it . And Jesus says you don't get it . You don't get it because it's not . You don't understand what it is that I'm trying to do . You're maybe trying to do the right thing . You sure are doing it in the wrong way . Do you ever feel like we as people , as we are called to sometimes protect the church , that we're doing the right thing but we're doing it in the wrong way , or that we may be protecting the parts of church that never needed to be protected ? The songs that we sing , the style that we sing them in the building that you have , the building that you don't have ? the traditions ? who has power , who doesn't ? I spent a lot of my life defending the very wrong things in church . Peter wants to know also , i believe so . I think he loves him and he's trying to protect him , but I also think the other part of it is that Peter wants to know what this means for him .

Speaker 1 29:09

Again , i mentioned at the start is that these guys thought that they were joining a man who was going to overthrow the religious system and the political system , so for them to say you're going to go and die . That has a huge implication on me and how my life is going to change . I've shared about this before . We moved from Orange County up to Benicia about a year and a half ago and , as we told our kids , this very exciting and very hard news is that , after the initial shock of what they found out , they really wanted to know what this had to do with them . What school am I going to go to ? Am I going to get to see my old friends ? Am I going to make new friends For my daughters ? they were very resistant to it and told them that they're each going to get their own bedroom . They're like we get to move out and we get our own bedroom . Absolutely , i'm on . We can go live in Alaska , i don't care . Whatever , i get my own bedroom . This is great So , but we all want to know what implications this has on my life .

Speaker 1 29:56

For the next two chapters we see the disciples continue to fight . They go . Which side do we get to sit on , jesus ? Am I your favorite ? Am I your second favorite ? Where do I fit in this thing ? What sort of an impact does this movement have for us ? So I think that that's why we see Peter even rebuking him Continuing on .

Speaker 1 30:13

In 1623 , jesus turned and said to 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 . I even read as I was trying to get some understanding of that whole term get behind me , satan that it's almost as if Jesus was talking to Peter . Peter said the things . He turned his back on Peter as if to say do you know , when you just get so frustrated and fed up that you just go , oh , what am I going to do ? And so it's like he turned his back on Peter and he just goes get behind me Satan . You see him respond similarly when he's in the wilderness in Matthew four , when he's interacting with Satan And he says Satan , get behind me , get away from me , satan . And so it says , if Jesus in this moment is not calling Peter Satan , but he's recognizing that the satanic influence that is being had on Peter and the other disciples , and he says I don't want this influence on you . And so he says get behind me , satan . Just declaring that this was going to be a stumbling block , as we'll see here in a second , of what Jesus was doing . And so he turned his back on Peter and declared that Peter , through the influence of Satan , was doing not what of that , what you would want him to do . Interesting that the person that he had just called the rock on which he will build his church is not the stumbling block , potentially for the disciples

Aligning With Jesus' Path

Speaker 1 31:29

Again .

Speaker 1 31:29

Have you ever felt like either one of those ? Because the truth is , the path of Jesus is narrow . He is the way , he is the truth , he is the life And if you see how it starts in Genesis that's essentially humanity's narrative Is that we sometimes align ourselves with God at different points in times . We think that we have a better plan , so we step outside of God's plan and that we come to a place of recognizing that we think that we have a better plan , maybe even than Jesus , maybe even than God . After first service , i was talking to a very kind lady who shared a little bit of her life and this is kind of the part that really had an impact on her And to just see how she responded of a place she came from , a place of tragedy that you would say her life has not gone the way that she would expect it to go , and yet what I'm watching her do is align her life back to Jesus and recognizing it's not the path that she would have chosen , but it's the one that she's on in her life with Jesus . She's experiencing depth and love , maybe like she never would have Not delighting in the circumstances that she was in , but recognizing that God can still do something and is still good in the midst of it .

Speaker 1 32:38

There's plenty of options on different ways that we can choose things . We've recognized as parents that there are different ways . As we're sitting and talking to our kids about anything especially when they're younger that they would how they get dressed , how they make a sandwich , how they do their homework , any of the things I'm now at that point where they're making decisions on how to drive , which isn't as fun for them to make those decisions on their own , because I now have absolutely no control as they sit in the passenger seat . That's not a lot of fun , but there's this phrase that we started using . Our kids don't love it a lot , but when we tell them kind of , what we know is the best way to get from A to B is that we tell them that and they say , well , i'm going to do it like this . And we sit there and go well , you know best . I'm like , don't say that , that's not what I'm trying to do . I'm trying to do it my own way And I go well , you know best . And so we just keep going around and around . They don't like it . That's your not parenting tip for the day . There you go .

Speaker 1 33:27

Here's the encouragement I see The longer you spend with Jesus in worship , allowing God's spirit to dwell in you , to be in his word , to lead and teach and guide , is that you begin to understand his sacrifice , more trust in that and also maybe even look a little bit more like Jesus . I believe that an eternal perspective then realigns those human concerns that we may have in our life , meaning this If you know the end , then the process makes a lot more sense . And sometimes even very difficult parts of that process . You're able to maybe not enjoy it , but you can trust that God's still in the middle of that . And isn't that outside of this ? isn't that the purpose of tattoos ? I mean , think about it Like if you were to describe what getting a tattoo is like . They're like okay , you're gonna sit in a chair , i'm gonna stab you thousands of times with a needle And after I'm done stabbing you for thousands of times with a needle , you're gonna have some sort of a stain or a scar or a mark on your skin And , by the way , you're gonna pay me hundreds , maybe thousands of dollars to do it . Are you in ? Are you in ? Do you wanna do that ? And yeah , i mean they've caught on . They seem to be doing just fine , and it's because they understand what they're going to get at the end of this process . I will put up with the journey because I know what's coming at the end .

Speaker 1 34:52

And so then for us we have that same thing is that it goes back to the cross . We also have the benefit We're on this side of Jesus , at least his earthly time here . Then We're able to learn from that and then spend time , which actually means that we as a community need to continue to lean into his word , understand through scripture what it means , the history , the context . It's why we're teaching through Matthew so faithfully of if you don't understand Jesus , then we are the most to be pitied . And if we miss that , then we have missed the whole thing , which then brings us to that place of saying we have to come to a place of understanding his role in our lives and the sacrifice that he came to live for us . And then we get to respond and to say what do we do in light of that ? That's discipleship , that's response . That's next week . I'll see you then .

Speaker 1 35:44

Have you truly spent time in God's word , allowing it to permeate your mind and transform your life . Have you gotten that sort of a full picture of what it is that he is doing and what he is up to in your life ? Because what I've found is that then changes my human concerns , not my human circumstances , changes my human concerns , because we may not have Peter's human concerns , but I sure have my own . I'll tell you what I got a ton of human concerns , and it usually ends up being what's going to happen to me , what's going to happen to my family and my job and the things that I have worked , what's going to happen to this little kingdom that I have built for myself and who's going to take it from me ? Those are my concerns . And how can I take my life that is already beautiful and constructed in whatever it is , and how can I insert Jesus into that without changing any part of my life , without making anything look different ? How can I make both Jesus happy and for me to not look any different ? That's my human concern . What's yours ? We'll start at this side of the room . No , just kidding . I want control of the thing that I actually never had and I'm going to try and invite Jesus into that , and so I want Jesus to put his faith in me , not me put my faith in Jesus .

Speaker 1 37:04

I also think that it has a chance to change our experiences when we understand the circumstances and when the circumstances don't go as planned , 2 Corinthians 4 , 16 through 18 says like this says therefore , we do not lose heart , though outwardly we are wasting away , yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day , for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all . So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen , since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal . We never want to minimize a circumstance or a situation that you're in right now , because I've been in those myself and they are very real . So I'd never want to minimize that . But I would encourage you to say is that if you take those circumstances that you know , life that you're in , when you allow the shadow that the cross casts on your life , it changes how you see it and it also changes how you experience it , and then it also , i believe , changes what you expect , because I would believe that what you expect will also determine what you think you deserve . Remember , i meet with premarital couples for counseling if they're heading into marriage . I will always tell them that the root of all conflict is based in mis-expectations . The root of all conflict is based in mis-expectations . I'll say it like this I don't know if you would agree with me , but I think I'm right on this is that there is not a better time for a nap than Sunday afternoons .

Speaker 1 38:40

Okay , sunday afternoons naps are the best . I'm gonna tell you one time that's better . A Sunday afternoon after a sermon nap is just . It's just delicious , it's just . It's probably an adrenaline let down . It's feeling like you maybe have accomplished something , or it is what it is . Maybe they liked it , maybe they didn't , but I don't have to worry . It's just . A Sunday afternoon after sermon nap is the best .

Speaker 1 39:04

And I believe and I'm gambling all my money on it that a Sunday after sermon , father's Day nap , oh , oh , it's gonna be good . I mean , why did God put the PGA tour on this day ? That's exactly why some to fall asleep to right . I mean , come on , i believe that is the trifecta and the holy trinity of naps and I can't wait . My expectation I'm heading straight home to do that And just like 30 minutes , long enough that I got to change my clothes , but not so long that I'm gonna wake up and it's dark , like that's my expectation . And I'll tell you what . If I don't get that , something's gonna be disappointed and it's gonna be me right . And if you have expectations in life and they aren't met , then there is going to be disappointment . And that is what we see of Peter . He had expectations of how this was going to go and he was disappointed . And , frankly , there's story after story of people all throughout scripture and in our own life that they come to . They come to faith , they come to Jesus , they come to church , they come to a person and they have expectations .

Speaker 1 40:09

I'm gonna ask you a question and it's gonna sound way meaner than I mean for it to be . Why are you here ? What do you expect ? What do you expect of yourself ? Which I actually think sometimes is that more often than not , the expectations that people have on themselves are pretty high and you actually can't meet your own expectations . But what are your expectations of the church , of your Bible study leader , what are your expectations of Jesus , and do your expectations of those things fall in line with what scripture promises ? What I know to be true is that we , on an earthly basis , we put God-sized expectations on mankind And I'm gonna just tell you you're gonna be disappointed every time . Every time , you're gonna be disappointed .

Aligning Expectations With Jesus' Sacrifice

Speaker 1 41:11

What I also see as we aim our lives towards Jesus and across the expectations that we have don't necessarily line up with what Jesus came to offer . Because if your expectations of Jesus is a life of green lights and a full bank account , you're gonna be wildly disappointed . Because He never promised that . In fact , if anything He said , in this life there will be much suffering . So be encouraged , we'll sign up over here to the right-hand side , right , that's so . If we come with false expectations , then we will be disappointed every time .

Speaker 1 41:44

Like Peter From the account of the disciples in scripture and even how we see Peter respond to Jesus , it really reveals not only what they expected but what they were hoping to get out of Jesus . But here's what I know from when I look at scripture Jesus had to die . We don't have to like that . We can be grateful for it and we can receive that . But at the point that we begin to take our lives and look at it through the lens of the cross , we see life as God intended it , and it is this horrific , tragic , beautiful , transformative view of both Jesus and what He was willing to do for us , for me and for you .

Speaker 1 42:31

So may we spend some time aligning our expectations back to who Jesus is and what He has come to do for us , what He must do for us , when He proclaims to be Messiah . Let me pray for us , father . My expectations are oftentimes high and misguided , but I can recognize , as I look back at your word and that I allow your spirit to guide me and to realign me . I come back to a place of recognizing who you are , your character and your nature and what you have said that you're inviting me into , and so may I lean fully into that . May I recognize the full intent and capacity of Jesus . May that be which is transformative to me His life and His sacrifice . That must happen , and we are the recipients of that . May that align our lives , how we see what we do , who we are and then , ultimately , our relationship with you . In name we pray amen .