Download Text: Philippians 3:7-14 - St. John, Redwood Falls

Text: Matthew 16:16-18
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed
to you by men, but by my Father in heaven. 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.
If you gave people today an outline sketch of the Rock of Gibraltar in Spain along the
Mediterranean coast and asked them to mention the first thing to come to mind; don’t be
surprised if you get the response – “Prudential.” Why? It’s obvious, isn’t it? For years
Prudential Life Insurance Company has used the Rock of Gibraltar as its trademark. And
some years ago General Motors picked up on the idea of a rock and used three short
words to sell its Chevy trucks – “Like a Rock!”
Why use a rock for a trademark or a slogan? Well, can you think of anything that
better symbolizes stability, trustworthiness and safety than a rock? Neither can I. No
wonder the Bible writers have taken the solidness of a rock and applied it to the Lord God.
In fact “Rock” is one of the many names for the Lord. “Exalted be God, the rock, my
Savior!” “O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” “I say to God, my rock!” The
picture is natural. The Lord, our Savior-God, is rock solid!
What is unusual is when Jesus in our text turns to Simon son of Jonah and calls him
“Peter” which is Greek for “rock.” Actually this wasn’t the first time that Jesus called
Simon, Rock or Peter. The first time came shortly after Peter had come to know Jesus by
faith. And now in our text, Peter gave evidence of his rock-like character as a believer in
the Lord, his Rock. In contrast to many in Galilee who offered wrong opinions of Jesus,
Peter spoke from his heart this sterling confession of Jesus: “You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God.” This was truly the confession of a rock-solid Christian. It shows
the kind of character that Jesus the solid Rock is looking for in all his “rocks and pebbles,”
that is, all who believe and confess his name. Today we ask you:
ARE YOU A ROCK SOLID CHRISTIAN?
1. Not, if you’re confident in yourself.
2. Only when your confidence rests with Christ.
After Peter’s brief, but rock solid confession, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon
Son of Jonah … 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.” It would be a mistake not to mention a
distortion that some make of the original Greek text thinking that Jesus was referring to
Peter as the rock on which Christ’s church would stand. Nothing could be further from the
truth. The truth is Peter wasn’t a rock by nature. Nor did he always show himself to be
rock solid. Strong in character, yes, but not a rock. Peter’s true colors came out
whenever his commitment to Jesus was misguided and misinformed. Whenever he
placed confidence in himself, it resulted in his being impulsive and overconfident. For
example, he objected when Jesus predicted his suffering and death. “So, Jesus, you’re
worried about having to suffer and die? Don’t worry, Peter’s here to protect you!” Then
he proved it by cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Or by following Jesus into
enemy territory, only to cowardly back down when his cover was exposed! Even after
Peter became a fearless confessor of faith, he showed himself weak with pride when he
compromised the truth of the gospel in order to please false teachers. It never failed.
Every time Peter was confident in his own strength, he crumbled. Thank goodness the
church is not built on Peter, the sinfully weak man, but on solid Rock of Christ and his
word of truth. Peter wasn’t as rock solid as we might imagine, especially when his
confidence was in himself.
It’s part of our human nature to project an image of toughness and strength. Coaches
encourage players to be aggressive on the ball field. Society encourages people to be
aggressive in the job market. There are programs to boost our self-esteem and pride in
ourselves. Christians are not immune to the pressures of such slogans as: “We’re
number 1!” or “You deserve the best.” Inherent in all of this is our tendency to “lean … on
[our] own understanding.” But putting ourselves forward can easily mean putting others
down, including Jesus. Sometimes God’s Word goes against what we might think is best.
Just to save face, our wisdom may tell us to resort to lying and defaming the reputation of
someone else. Just to appear stronger, our wisdom may tell us to put down the gifts and
abilities of others. And just to escape some of life’s unpleasant situations, our wisdom
may tell us to resort to cowardice and denial of Jesus. Such “solutions” are no solutions
at all. That’s pride and overconfidence standing in for Christian rock solidness. Paul
warns, “If you think you’re standing firm, be prepared for a hard fall.” And more
padding is not what’s needed, but confessing our weakness, seeking Jesus’ forgiveness
and realizing our strength can only be found in Jesus who is the “rock of our salvation.”
For all his glaring weaknesses, Jesus had much use of Peter in his kingdom. Right
from the start, Jesus saw great potential in Peter. He was enthusiastic, bold and
extremely devoted. Through much time and patience Jesus did make Peter into one who
was more deserving of the name Peter. Jesus alluded to that when he said of Peter’s
beautiful confession, “Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” “Peter, there’s no way that you
could have known this about me without the Father enlightening you with the gospel.”
And what Peter believed in the heart came pouring over his lips in a glorious confession.
As Peter relied on his “Rock of Gibraltar,” Jesus Christ, he was rock solid, like in his
daring attempt to walk on water. He was included among the inner circle of three
disciples who witnessed such memorable events as the raising from the dead the
daughter of Jairus, the transfiguration of Jesus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. After
Jesus’ resurrection Peter became the leader and spokesman of the group. He
accomplished much in the spreading of the gospel by preaching and performing miracles
in Jesus’ name. Only through child-like faith and implicit trust in Jesus’ life and death was
Peter the rock solid Christian that Jesus expected.
All who share Peter’s faith and confession are rocks as well. Jesus is the Rock that
makes us small, weak pebbles, rock solid. When an earthquake rocked a certain village,
people marveled at the calm and peace of an old woman. “Weren’t you afraid?” someone
asked, “No,” said the old lady. “I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the
world.” Now that’s the confession of a rock solid Christian. And what’s believed in the
heart pours out not only through the lips, but in actions as well. When our confidence is in
the Lord our Rock, great things can be accomplished through us to God’s glory. You may
be the one the Lord uses to motivate St. John’s family of faith to works of service. You
may be the one the Lord uses to keep St. John’s family of faith true to its goal of winning
the lost for Jesus and nurturing believers for lives of discipleship through Word and
sacraments. You may be the one whom the Lord will use to lead St. John’s family of faith
in the years beyond with the shield of faith and the sword of the Gospel. Don’t be
surprised if those things do happen through you because after all the Lord is the Rock of
our salvation. It’s just as we sang: “Built on the rock the church shall stand.”