Pentecost 14 (4)
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 16:13–20 (NIV84)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
I enjoy taking pictures of old barns in Wisconsin. I will at times submit photos to a site on Facebook called Old Barn Photography. This past spring I posted a photo of Jon Balz's father -in-law's barn (I didn't know whose it was at the time) and I received quite a few comments on it. Among those commons developed a thread about the pros and cons of letting a once working barn fall into disrepair. Some commented on how this was inevitable because of the changes in the way the dairy industry is run, others thought that the owner of a barn should spare no expense in keeping it in pristine shape even if it were no longer profitable. Regardless of our own opinion on the matter, it is very clear based on the number of empty barns or just the foundations of former barns remaining, that there is no guarantee that a barn will continue to be a barn forever and ever.
This is true of not just barns, but of other buildings as well. (Old Churches, Houses, Barns, & Grist Mills) is another site that I will post my own photos on. The discussion is also at times about church buildings that once were used every week for worship and education which are now left abandoned. There is no guarantee that a building once used for a church will continue to be used for a church forever and ever. Some are renovated, some are destroyed by a fire or weather, some are replaced with a new building, and some become abandoned.
I wrote this introduction on Tuesday. Later that day I saw a post about a WELS church in Norwalk, WI that has closed recently and how the baptismal font, altar, pulpit, and lectern are available. The comments (over 100) ranged from acceptance that in some cases this is inevitable, to blaming the members for not switching their worship service time and the synod for not subsidizing the congregation to a proclamation that this should never happen. (Even though about 10 to 12 WELS churches are closing every year.)
This can be rather unsettling. Although we sing in the hymn: "Change and decay in all around I see", we may not be comfortable when that change or decay happens around us or to us.
Unwanted or unexpected can bring about anxiety, fear, or even despair. When the foundations of what we hold on to are removed, we may feel untethered and at the mercy of forces beyond our control and this lack of stability is unsettling.
And yet, as Christians who believe in a God who is immutable (unchanging), we have someone on whom we can depend on no matter what changes happen in our lives. This person is our Triune God who has kept his promise to send the Christ who was anointed to be our prophet, priest, and king. This is the reassurance that Jesus gives to his disciples and which is recorded for us in Matthew 16:13-20.
This event should be familiar to us. Jesus asks his disciples about what others are saying regarding him. Even today there are conflicting beliefs about Jesus is and what we can know about him. It seems that more and more scholars deny the testimony of the Scriptures which is the only reliable source we have of discovering who Jesus really is. Jesus proclaims after Peter’s statement of confession here that he did not arrive at this belief on his own but that it had been revealed to him by his Father in heaven. We believe that God has revealed his Son to us by the Word of God as Jesus himself teaches. John 5:36–40 (NIV84)
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Sadly, modern scholars take the lead in teaching that the very means by which we can know Jesus is not to be believed or trusted. Going back to Jesus and his disciples.
What were the responses by the disciples?
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
All recognizing that Jesus was someone special. But it does not go far enough.
Jesus pushes the conversation further. "But what about you?" Peter responds on behalf of the disciples with the definitive answer. "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Explain why this is the all important answer.
The Christian faith is centered on this truth. We believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. We believe that he has created us and that we are accountable to him. We also believe that we have sinned against him and deserve only his temporal and eternal punishment. We also believe that God still so loved the world that he sent his Son to save the world. Before God sent him, he promised he would do this throughout the Old Testament. When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under law. Jesus of Nazareth is that person known as the Christ (the anointed one), because God anointed him with the Holy Spirit to carry out the work of salvation. It is in Christ that all of sins are removed and in whom we have hope for this live and in the one to come. As we sing, ‘On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Jesus responds to Peter’s confession with a statement that has been interpreted in several different ways. Some in Christendom look at this statement about Peter and say his is the rock on which the church stands — establishing the papacy. A better interpretation is that the confession Peter made about Christ (and therefore Christ) is the rock on which we stand.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
It is in connection with this conversation that Jesus makes the statement that we want to emphasize today. Jesus speaks of The Holy Christian Church -- the Communion of Saints. He admits that there will be opposition to those who believe in him and that continues to be realized even today. [The gates of Hades] — Hades refers to Hell and therefore the spiritual forces of evil. Just as old barns, churches, houses, and grist mills are vulnerable to the economy, weather, and disasters, so too those who make up the body of Christ face spiritual opponents. But Jesus' promises that the church will prevail. Not necessarily a particular congregation but the real church.
Who knows how many buildings were used for Christian worship over the past 2000 years. At first, they met in people’s homes, large meeting areas, perhaps former synagogue buildings. The larger church buildings get more attention and an interesting study is the development of basilicas and cathedrals some of which have been around for over 1000 years. But the local buildings and churches — many steeples have fallen and the bells are no longer ringing. As mentioned above, even within our small synod, the recent average of church closings is 10 - 12 per year.
But at the same time, new church buildings are being built. A friend of mine who is an architect has himself and also his company designed and built a number of them in Wisconsin and beyond for the past 30 years. And although not WELS, we know that nearby new churches have been built too.
But doesn’t say “churches” as in church buildings will not be overcome. He promises that his church (The Holy Christian Church) will not be overcome.
Your being here today is proof of that. You have come here because through the Word of God, the Father has revealed to you who Jesus is and how important he is to you. Even when you will no longer be able to worship here, you will still be worshiping our God as part of the communion of saints. Not only in this world, but also in the world to come.