Message by Janice Good : July 13, 2008
“Rocky – Part 6”
“Are You on the Way, Or in the Way of Christ?”
Text – Matthew 16:21-28
In his book The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck recalls a story from his youth that taught him a valuable lesson, not only about biking, but about life. He says:
I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle. About a mile from our house the road went down a steep hill and turned sharply at the bottom. Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ecstatic. To give up this ecstasy by applying brakes seemed an absurd self-punishment. So I resolved to simultaneously retain my speed and negotiate the corner. My ecstasy ended seconds later when I was propelled a dozen feet off the road into the woods. I was badly scratched and bleeding, and the front wheel of my new bike was twisted beyond use from its impact against a tree. I had been unwilling to suffer the pain of giving up my ecstatic speed in the interest of maintaining my balance around the corner. I learned, however, that the loss of balance is ultimately more painful than the giving up required to maintain balance. It is a lesson I have continually had to relearn. As must everyone, for as we negotiate the curves and corners of our lives, we must continually give up parts of ourselves. (
M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled.http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/d/discipline.htm)
Life is a lot like a bicycle ride. There are many stops and starts, many turns and twists and even an occasional accident. But if we are on that bicycle ride with Christ, then the ride will be like no other. This summer we have been exploring the ride on the road of life with the disciple we know as Peter. This is the disciple that Jesus gave a new name, the disciple that Jesus called to leave everything to follow Jesus, to receive instructions and go out into the world doing kingdom work. And as Rev. Hicks shared with us last week, Peter was the first disciple to confess, to declare, that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Following immediately on the heels of this confession of Peter’s, Jesus begins to tell the disciples what life will be like for Him in the future, to which Peter slams on the brakes in response: “No way, Lord! You’re talking about things that not even a helmet will protect you from. Surely God would never let this happen to you!”
I’ve got to tell you here, and forgive me Jesus, but Peter’s remarks to Jesus remind me of that questioning comeback of the child actor, Gary Coleman, known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the 80’s sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Gary Coleman’s character is best known for his response to his older brother Willis. Each time Willis tells Arnold something he finds just to difficult to comprehend. Arnold turns and looks at him and says the character's catch-phrase “what' chu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” Along is own life journey, young Gary Coleman may have wanted to ask that question more often in his personal life as he was taken advantage by his agent and his parents, who squandered most of the young star’s income. But that’s another story. Today we are talking about Peter and his similar comeback to Christ.
Peter certainly does exemplify the meaning of his name petras -- rock: he is solid, considered as the foundation for the church. But faltering in his faith he becomes a sinking stone on a storm tossed sea. Restored to a rock of lasting endurance as he professes Christ as Lord he gets the keys to the kingdom. Now once again, he is like a rock, but one lying in the roadway, a stumbling block in the way of Christ threatening to throw Him off course. The more I learn about Peter, the more I find him to be a such a mirror image of Christians today – professing our faith one minute, doubting the next; loving the Lord, but loving the world and all its distractions. We jump on our bikes ready to take on the Tour de France, but soon find the journey too difficult, the work too hard. And, so we stop along the roadside, expecting to rest. But the true test of a faithful life is not our success, but our obedience. Those who seek to keep their life as it is will lose it. And those who lose it – who give up their life to Jesus – will gain so very much more in the end.
Earlier we were reminded of the power of God as we heard Him speak through the words of the prophet Isaiah, “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours (Is. 55:8-9). [M]y words…don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do” (Is. 13). We humans simply have no idea what the Lord has in mind when He calls us on this journey. In fact, if we were to try to guess we would most likely be so far off the mark it would be laughable. Someone once said that often we would settle for a bag lunch, when a grand banquet awaits. “You approach the buffet table and see a golden-brown turkey, fluffy mashed potatoes, lumpless gravy, buttery vegetables, and freshly baked pies. Your friends await your arrival so the feast can begin. ‘No thanks,’ you say, ‘I couldn't wait, so I ate a bologna sandwich and bag of chips on the way.’”
Ridiculous? Who would choose a bologna sandwich over a turkey dinner? Christ calls us to look beyond our immediate satisfaction to what He is preparing for us in eternity. He has made wonderful provisions for our future with Him. So don't settle for a bag lunch when you can have the whole feast. It's worth the wait. The glories that await us in heaven far outweigh any trials or tribulations we might have to deal with here. (Jule-Ann Lattimer, The Quiet Hour, December, 1997-February, 1998, p. 54)
In Matthew’s gospel that we read earlier, Jesus is talking to His disciples about His impending death. Jesus wants to teach His men about the heart of real discipleship. For the disciples of Jesus, this call to follow Him was more than a Sunday ride in the park –- it meant forsaking everything else and following Jesus. For us, it should mean the very same thing: You see, our lives boil down to nothing more than our priorities. Are we obsessed with the appearance of our life’s bicycle, or do we want a functional, enduring bike, built for the long haul? Without Christ as our guide, we go where we want to go. We do what we want to do. We follow who and what we want to follow. We are more than willing to do what we love to do than what we should do! But, the Lord’s call is for us to focus our hearts upon Him and go with Him wherever He leads us, to do what He wants us to do. That means that our life is no longer our priorities, but the priorities of Jesus. We are called to live a Christ-like life, and no where in the Bible does it tell us that Christ’s life was one of ease and comfort, of wealth and popularity, or even of having the latest, multi-speed, most tricked-out bike in the neighborhood. In today’s world, Christ would have been an outcast, a homeless man pedaling across the country. People would probably gather when He stopped at street corners to speak. Sometimes they woudl listen intently, often times just to jeer loudly and abusively. Relying on the hospitality of strangers, from day to day, Jesus would not know when or where His next meal would come from, nor how filling it would be. This is also what life would also have been like for His disciples. And, you and I as Christians profess to be disciples of Christ! Are we prepared and willing to live a life like His? For most of us it would be unbearable. But for Peter, it was not the lifestyle that was unbearable; it was the remarks that Jesus would suffer and die in the very near future that were unbearable.
Sooner or later, most of us will have to bear something that we consider unbearable. A young child dies a tragic death, we watch as a spouse withers away from a debilitating disease. Sometimes all we have to do is turn on the television, or open the daily newspaper to see the effects of global famine, of the AIDS pandemic, of the awful deaths from terrorist attacks. Having to bear the unbearable we discover how little control we really have over the world that we live in. Unless we have become so hardened by all the suffering around us, we struggle to deal with the grief, the rage and anger, as well as the fear that we feel. In the midst of those intense feelings, how do we come to God and praise Him, praise His presence in our lives – a presence that perhaps we don’t feel at those unbearable times? But who else would truly understand? When we are bearing the unbearable, we need a God who knows what it is like to suffer; One who knows the depths of rage and despair that we feel. Whatever we are suffering through, God has seen it, known it, and taken it all on through His son, who was wrongly accused and tried, beaten, and then hung on a cross to die with criminals. This is part of the story of Christ. No matter how much we like to be Easter people and skip over the events of Good Friday, it is all part of the life of Christ. All done to fulfill God’s Word. God has not taken away all the misery of the world, but God bears the misery with us.
Just as Jesus is trying to explain to the disciples the events that are about to occur in Jesus’ life, poor Peter is trying to stop the inevitable. Peter just couldn’t bear to hear Jesus speak of death and dying. After all, your savior doesn’t die! Your savior needs to be around to look after you, to teach you and lead you on. Peter just could not believe that his Lord, the long awaited Messiah believed to come to save the people of Israel would have to suffer and die. In so many ways, can’t you just feel Peter’s heart breaking? Peter, who has just made the ultimate confession – that Jesus Christ is the Messiah – is now broken-hearted by the news of His impending death. The confession of Christ as Messiah is what rewarded Peter with being called a rock upon which to build Christ’s church, rewarded with the keys to the kingdom of heaven. But now Peter must listen to the man who he has followed for the past three years describe the suffering and death that He is about to endure. Finally, Peter has figured out who this great teacher, great leader really is… and now Jesus tells them He is going to suffer and be killed. No wonder Peter responded so incredulously… he just couldn’t bear to think that Jesus would actually face such treatment. Peter responded out of love for Christ, but it was also out of his own selfish attitudes. He wasn’t ready to let go of this person… to deal with the loss of a good friend, of the One who healed many people, including Peter’s mother-in-law, a man who performed miracles like walking on water that Peter tried to do but failed. It takes great courage to let go and let the will of God take over. How often we fight against God’s calling us to do something that we find a bit strange, or out of our usual comfort zone. How easy it is to just sit back and ignore those inner callings to reach out, to stretch ourselves to fulfill God’s will.
Along the road of life there will be much to endure. We may pedal for miles without relief, go for days on lonely stretches of the road. It may take what seems like a lifetime to get to our destination. But patience and endurance are needed. Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, a 2,200 mile cycling test of endurance, has said that during his career he has ridden somewhere around 300,000 miles, most of that in training – practice for the big race. (Quoted on Late Night with David Letterman, June 16, 2008). Along life’s way we encounter many stumbling blocks, rocks and boulders, landslides and washed out roadways. But we are to follow Jesus along this path, no matter how many detours, how much discomfort of tired aching muscles, or how much fear of the unknown that lies just around the next bend. If we truly believe that Jesus is the way to salvation, we must put aside all our human notions of what the walk with Christ will be like. We do not have the mind of God, we cannot think as He thinks. We need to let God take control, to put Him in the lead seat and quit trying to second-guess His decisions and His individual and collective calling to us.
Peter, would have Christ dreading suffering as much as Peter did. Peter loved Jesus and was responding out of that love with concern for Jesus’ safety. But we are mistaken if we measure Christ’s love by our own. In his remarks to Christ, Peter would have Jesus turn from Jerusalem to avoid the Cross. Peter needed to realize, as must we, that the cross cannot be taken out of Jesus’ life and death because it is at the Cross that He experienced all the misery of the world, He experienced all the pain the world could dish out, and He did it all for you and me!!!
There is a little tale called “The Road of Life” and can be found on about 100 web-sites. I would like to share it with you because I found it very appropriate for my own spiritual journey. The author is unknown, but perhaps you will hear words or thoughts that describe your own journey. It goes something like this:
“At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I would merit heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him.
But later on when I truly met Christ it seemed as though life were rather like a bicycle ride, but it was on a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back, helping me pedal. I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since!
You see, when I had control I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up and over mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. At times, it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He’d just say, “Pedal!” I worried, I was anxious. I asked, “Where are You taking me?” He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I'd say, “I'm scared,” He'd lean back and touch my hand. He took me to places I never dreamed of going, to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance, joy and love. The places opened my eyes to the wonder of a life with Christ. The people gave me gifts to take on my journey, this journey of my Lord and I.
And then we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did. I shared the gifts with the people we met, and I found that in giving I received even more, and still our burden was light.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but at first I did not trust Him to be in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but He knows biking secrets, knows how to make it bend around sharp corners, knows how to make it jump to clear high rocks, knows how to make it fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to just shut up and pedal in the strangest places. And, oh, how I'm enjoying the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful and constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And just when I'm sure I can't possibly do anymore, He just smiles and says...”Pedal.” (Author Unknown. http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/illustrations/)
This path that we are on is one that we must follow, not lead. So, as you continue along your walk of faith, along with Christ, are you on the way, or are you in the way? If you are a follower of Christ, pick up the Cross, jump on life’s bicycle behind Him and pedal like your life depends upon it – because it does! It truly does!!
Pray with me.