Seeking God PCFC, Sunday, September 29, 2014

Sometimes when I think about speaking in this church on a Sunday morning, I am so

aware of the dedication and unselfishness of so many people here, that I feel very small in comparison. But I do like to speak and I like to teach, and I thank you for these opportunities. Just know that I am speaking to myself as well as to you, and that I am

hoping that I am listening for God’s voice as much as I hope all of you are listening for him.

This is a very important topic, and we have had some very useful teaching in the past few weeks. Here is a very brief summary of this month’s teachings, at least of what I heard:

Rod began this series on September 7 – he told us that seeking is intentional, deliberate,

part of God’s plan for our lives – we need to figure out what he wants of us – we are seeking a person, not an idea – some seek in prayer, some by contending with God – a personal encounter with God will change us.

Gabe, September 14 – there are degrees of seeking

1. casual seeking, like looking for mayonnaise in the fridge – if it’s not where we think it should be, we assume it is not there and go on with our lives

2. diligent seeking, like looking for our car in the parking lot – we think we know

where it is, but if it’s not there, we keep searching since we need to get home 3. frantic seeking – all ready to leave for vacation, but can’t find the car keys – we

turn everything upside down, because without the keys, we’re not going anywhere At what level of desperation are we seeking God? It’s not about self-improvement, it’s

about getting closer to God. And if we are to look for him we need the expectation, or at least the openness to the idea, that he can be found.

Rod, September 21 – we are seeking God so we can abide in him – it’s not about conforming to a model, it’s allowing God to transform us – Rod introduced us to the idea

of spiritual daydreaming – imagining what our life would be like if we really believed God loves us, or if the Holy Spirit was truly living in us, or if we were genuinely living in

God’s peace – Rod said the people around us don’t need the “Gospel message” – they need the aroma of life, need to see ordinary people transformed by God’s life inside of them.

When I first thought about this topic of seeking God, I was drawn to Psalm 63: “O God, you are my God, early will I seek you: my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. . . your lovingkindness is better than life.”

This is a beautiful psalm. But when and how do these longings become real in our lives?

We are surrounded by daily cares, by the things we have to do each day. And in our free time, there is a conspiracy of entertainment: music, radio, TV, the internet, social media,

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various activities – they engulf us – they all clamor to become the reality we live in. And when these things do become our main reality, we begin to think of our spiritual life as a

separate reality – not that it isn’t real, but it is almost unrelated to the things that hold our attention most of the time.

But at some level we know that this outside reality is only a surface thing – it’s a façade, it’s not real, it doesn’t provide nourishment, it cannot sustain us in hard times. When

someone close to us gets very sick, or has a sobering diagnosis, or dies, or we go through some kind of crisis, reality breaks through for a few hours, or days, or maybe even weeks,

and we look for God – but then the false reality closes in once again. I think most of us have had some kind of encounter with God – that’s why we’re here.

Not a face to face encounter like Moses, but maybe a time in worship, maybe in a private moment, maybe a deliverance or a healing, maybe finding unexpected strength in a

difficult situation. We know it was God because it changed us. God broke into our life and transformed us, at least for awhile.

So after the first three sermons, what more is there to say? As I was working through these thoughts last week, one of the things that came into my head was the scene of Jesus

coming to Peter to wash Peter’s feet, and Peter saying “No, you shouldn’t do that” – just one of Peter’s many recorded misunderstandings in his time with Jesus. And I realized that we can put a lot of energy into seeking God and miss the times he comes looking for

us. So I decided to take a look at some of Peter’s encounters with Jesus to see what could be learned about our own encounters with God.

We will look at a dozen brief snapshots of Peter meeting Jesus. Most of these are from the Gospel of John, and as I read them I began to get the impression that maybe there was

a little competition between John and Peter, because most of the time Peter does not come out looking so good. Any one of these snapshots could be expanded into a sermon,

but I promise not to do that. I do hope to provide some ideas about what these encounters might mean for us. I apologize for not having these references up on the screen, but I will put them up on our website.

1. John 2:40-42 – Calling – Peter meets Jesus -

Peter’s brother Andrew takes Peter to meet Jesus, and Jesus calls him “a rock.” Peter is no rock, and he knows it – he is impetuous, unstable, talks too much, thinks too highly of himself. But Jesus sees beyond Peter’s personality – he sees

his true identity.

Has Jesus given you a new name? Has there been a time when you felt he was calling you to become someone you never thought you could be? Or has there been a time when Jesus confirmed you in what you were doing and said that’s

good, that’s who you are? Might this be a prophetic ministry we can exercise with one another and even to people outside of the faith, calling them into

fulfillment of a new name, and by doing so helping them to encounter God, possibly for the first time?

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2. Matthew 14:6-33 – Testing – Peter tries walking on the water -

Jesus comes walking on the water to meet his followers in their little storm-tossed boat. Peter wants to walk out on the water to meet Jesus; Jesus says “come;”

Peter is doing it, but then he notices the big waves and takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to sink; Jesus reaches out his hand and rescues him. Jesus chides Peter for having “little faith,” but doesn’t let him drown.

When we go through rough patches, we don’t usually think of them as tests, but

rather as bad luck or undeserved troubles. Before products make it into the market, they have to be tested. When we declare our allegiance to God, inevitably there will be tests. I don’t believe God gets great joy from seeing us go

through suffering - sometimes our tests are the consequences of living in a fallen, sinful world, such as growing up in a broken home, or the result of accidents, or

of people deliberately trying to hurt us. And when we do pass tests, it doesn’t mean the end of testing – it means promotion to the next level of testing. Taking tests is not fun, but we don’t really know if we’ve learned the lesson until we take

the test. But whether we pass or fail, Jesus’s hand is there – that’s the miracle of grace.

3. Matthew 16:28 – Rebuking – Peter tries to correct Jesus -

Jesus begins to tell the disciples about his coming suffering and death; Peter tries

to set him straight, says there’s no way this can happen. Jesus says “Satan, get out of my way.” Peter’s idea that this new way of life is all about victory and

triumph is a deceptive lie, and Jesus has no patience with it.

The next passage carries a similar message:

4. Luke 9:18-27 – Bringing in reality - Peter gets it right this time -

Jesus asks his little band of followers who the people think he is, and who his followers think he is; Peter says “You are the Messiah;” This time Peter got it right; but Jesus’s answer is not comforting: he says all who follow him must take

up their cross daily.

In both of these encounters we see that we can easily get confused about the consequences of following Jesus. He promises us abundant life – that means a rich, full, and meaningful life, but not necessarily a comfortable life, and

definitely not a life free from conflict.

5. Matthew 17:1-13 – Correcting – Peter wants to build monuments - Jesus is transfigured on the mountain – Peter, James, and John see him talking with Moses and Elijah – Peter says “it’s so good we are here – let’s build some

memorials to this incredible experience.” Then they hear the voice of God and they fall to the ground in terror.

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When we have spiritual experiences, sometimes what happens is this: we are humbled, moved, and changed; but then along comes the temptation to build a

monument to that experience, when God just wants us to learn from it and move on. Some entire ministries begin this way, built on what God did instead of on

what God is doing. Looking back can be encouraging, but looking back can also keep us from moving forward.

6. John 6:66-70 – Questioning – Peter is staying put - The crowds forsake Jesus; Jesus asks his little band of followers if they will also

leave; Peter says “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Jesus tells them that he has chosen them – but he adds that one of the ones he chose has allowed himself to let Satan use him.

It is a blessed moment when we realize we have passed the point of no return with

Jesus; I pray that realization for everyone here. If you are still unsure whether it is all real, or whether some other way of living might be more real, I pray that you would reach that point of no return with Jesus. After that, you still have questions

and doubts and confusion, but you know you are going forward with Jesus, and from this point on nothing else will satisfy you.

7. John 13:6-11 - Renewing the Covenant – Peter wants to do it his way -

Jesus comes to wash Peter’s feet; Peter refuses; Jesus says it is necessary; then

Peter wants a bath - he says “OK, then wash all of me.” Jesus says the feet are enough.

Jesus is there to renew his agreement with us when we fail; he knows we will fail; we don’t need to start over, just start where we left off. We don’t need to be

constantly re-saved; but we do need periodic confession and cleansing. Elders, others here are available.

8. John 13:36-38 – Warning – Peter will fail -

Jesus tells Peter that Peter will deny him; Peter says that’s impossible; but that’s

what happens.

Jesus knows our frailty. We do deny him; we hurt him, we hurt others. When it happens, we can choose either to confess our sin or to justify ourselves and become hardened. Another big danger in ministry is erecting an image of

ourselves and worshiping that image rather than worshiping God. Our image becomes so important that we don’t see how we are treating others and we stop

listening to the correction of others.

9. John 18:10-11 – Rebuking again – Peter defends Jesus -

When Jesus is arrested in the garden, Peter takes out his sword to defend Jesus. Jesus tells Peter to put the sword away; he does not need us to defend him. He

needs us to be faithful to him.

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We sometimes want to save our family members or friends from trials that God may want to allow them to go through. These are difficult challenges – it hurts us

to see people we love calling down suffering onto themselves. We need wisdom to know when to intervene and when to stay out of the way. Our job is to remain

faithful.

10. John 21:15-17 – Reinstating – Peter learns about love -

This is one of the best-known Biblical passages and one of the most poignant – Jesus reinstates Peter, in a heart-wrenching series of repeated questions: “Peter,

do you love me unconditionally?” Peter knows he has failed Jesus and that telling Jesus he loves him unconditionally would be hypocritical; but he also knows that he does love Jesus. He says “Yes, Jesus, you know that I love you;” but he uses a

less forceful word. Jesus asks him again in the same way, Peter answers the same way. Finally Jesus uses the same weaker word for love that Peter has used. Peter

is devastated, but Jesus accepts Peter’s honesty and does not reject him. Jesus meets us where we are. It is humbling, it can break our heart, but the fact

remains that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; his faithfulness is great. The thing to

celebrate is not our love for Jesus but his love for us.

11. John 21:18, 19 – Prophesying – Peter is not in control -

Jesus tells Peter that when Peter was young he would go wherever he wished, but when he is old, he will no longer be in control of his life. And then Jesus says:

“Follow me.” Jesus gives us the sober truth: we are not in control of our life. People tell us we

can do anything we want. We may think that some privileged persons truly are in control of their lives, but it’s a big lie. If everything we are told in the media,

advertising, and entertainment industry were true, life should be getting better and better for us as we get older. We are told that we have unlimited choices and options. Spoiler alert! It isn’t true! Instead, our choices become fewer and our

bodies begin to betray us. What is to be done? Jesus has the answer: “Follow me.”

12. John 21: 20-22 – Admonishing – Peter is told to mind his own business - Now that Peter knows what will happen to him, he wants to know what will happen to John – Jesus says don’t worry about him – you follow me.

In the end, we are responsible for ourselves. It is never helpful to compare

ourselves with others or to compare God’s dealing with us with his dealings with others. We are all different and we can never completely know the experience of another person. We think they are on top of the world, and they can be going

through agony. We think they’re getting out without a scratch – we have no idea what the end of each person will be. We are told absolutely not to judge.

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After Jesus’s ascension and the beginnings of the church, Peter still has encounters with God and is still learning. In the Book of Acts he learns that God can even mess with the

Biblical tradition he was raised in: God shows him all these unclean animals and tells him to eat – he says “You told me I couldn’t do that;” God says if he calls something clean it

is clean, and he sends Peter to preach to a Gentile, Cornelius, who receives the Holy Spirit and baptism, which really gets Peter into hot water with the church authorities. And both Peter and Paul wrestle with the practice of circumcision, another tradition with

solid Biblical foundation that God seems to be setting aside for the new members of the church who were not raised on the Jewish laws and traditions.

There are plenty of controversies in the Church today where we know we stand on a solid Biblical foundation, but we need to at least listen to others who also claim a Biblical

foundation before we label them as heretics. My own people, the Mennonites, some of the finest and most dedicated Christians you will ever know, went through split after split

after split because they knew what was right and would not listen to their brothers and sisters who also knew what was right. My mother’s church split from the larger Mennonite Brethren Church (which had split from the main Mennonite Church) because

they believed scripture taught that you should baptize a person by dunking them forwards instead of backwards. In the 70’s a group of people split off from the church I grew up in

over the issue of speaking in tongues. I am not suggesting that we just disregard our traditions or our beliefs about what the

Bible says. I appreciate Gabe’s reference a couple of weeks ago to C.S. Lewis’s view of Christian doctrine – it is like a map that distills the experiences of believers over the

centuries, meetings with God that give us a trusted outline of what God is like, rather than one person’s experience of seeing a rainbow or a beautiful sunrise. So we don’t go seeking God with an empty mind. But I am saying that seeking God can be dangerous. It

can take us into uncomfortable places, where the answers may not be as clear as we once thought.

But we do need to take warning that when we go off seeking God, he will change us, or he will ask us to change. And some of us do want to change and know that we need to

change.

So as we wrap up these messages on seeking God, let me ask some questions and lead you in prayer, either silent or out loud, if you feel prompted.

Does anyone need a new name? Or does anyone know their true name but knows they

are not living it out? Let’s pray that God would reveal that name, or the way to fulfill it. Has anyone here stepped out of the boat, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and they can

only see the waves and not Jesus’s outstretched hand? Let’s pray that they would find and touch that hand of mercy.

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Is anyone here learning about taking up their cross daily, and not particularly enjoying it? Let’s pray that God would give that person joy and the knowledge that it is worth it.

Has anyone here recently either passed the point of no return in going on with Jesus or is

ready to make that confession? Lord, help them reach that decision, or show them that the decision was a good one. And, Lord, when you talk about choosing us, as you sometimes do, we don’t even know if it was our decision.

Does anyone here need to confess something, either to God or to another person,

knowing that your confession and God’s forgiveness will give you freedom? We’re talking about conviction, not just some vague feeling of guilt that may not be from God at all. Lord, help that person – give them the courage they need.

Does anyone need assurance that God has reinstated you into his design for your life, or

that he can do this? He can and he wants to do it. Let’s pray for that person. Any other prayers?