A TIME FOR CONFESSION

#734                                                                    A TIME FOR CONFESSION                                                                             

Matthew 16:13-16, NIV                                                                                                                                      Orig. 1-19-79

                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. (10-85) 11-7-89 

Passage:  When Jesus can to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”                                                                                                                                                           

Purpose: To use the occasion of the Lord’s Supper to challenge my people of the need to lift up life and voice in confession of Christ as Lord.

Keywords:          Christ                    Lordship              Lord’s Supper                   Ordinance          Communion,                                                     Confession

Timeline:             None

Introduction

Not many of us are generally familiar with the writings of George Buttrick.  His ministry to God’s people ended [long ago].  His books are still in circulation, but may not be known except to an occasional pastor or Bible teacher.

Mr. Buttrick’s is a name often quoted in seminary classrooms.  He left insightful material relating to the work of pastors.  Speaking to the Senior Class of Princeton University a number of years ago, he issued a pastoral challenge.  His ableness of speech came out of the fact that he then served as pastor of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.  Several in his audience were themselves going into the pastorate.  He urged these graduates to “be with their people.”  They were to be listeners in the marketplace to understand where their people are in life, and what they are thinking.  He advised what some might find contradictory.  I quote, “When you are at Coney Island, don’t tell the people of the concessions on the Boardwalk, about which they already know; tell them of the mystery of the sea, about which they do not know.”

It is a late hour in the saga of the evolution of life.  We gain wonderful knowledge about our world every day.  But the more informed we become about the world, the less concerned we seem to be for the mysteries of Christ.  The question was asked of the disciples, for which we must have an answer:  “Who do you say that I am?”  I must know the answer.  So must you!

I.             It is Firstly a Question of Determination.  V.13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  Examining the context we know that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.  Luke 9:51: “He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.”  (He fully/finally determined.) It is with knowledge of His death. He knows it will be violent. 

Caesarea Philippi arcs His course southward.  It identifies the time when Jesus’ public popularity is on the wane. Matt 13:1 “The same day…great multitudes were gathered unto him.” 12:46 “So many sought him (His mother and brothers)…could not get close.”  9:8 (after healing a paralytic) “when the multitudes saw it they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men.”

We will not again see this public acclaim until Matthew 17:1-6: After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James and led them up a high  mountain by themselves.  There He was transfigured before them…The disciples fell on their faces. Matthew 17:24 “Does your Teacher not pay temple taxes?” Mt 19:1-3: “Some Pharisees came to him to test him.”  Mt 21:15: And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did…they were indignant.”

It is as if some line of demarcation has been passed.  Jesus had always faced opposition. But He had lived in the sunshine of a ministry marked by blessings/benefits to people around Him.  He perceives the sun slipping behind the clouds, darkness invading the land.  As He faces down Mt. Hermon’s flank, He knows another mount, called Golgotha, must soon be scaled.

“Up Calvary’s mountain, one dreadful morn, walked Christ my Saviour, weary and worn;

Facing for sinners death on the Cross, that he might save them (us) from endless loss.

Father, forgive them, thus did he pray, E’en while his lifeblood flowed fast away.

Praying for sinners while in such woe; no one but Jesus ever loved so.”

II.            Secondly, it is a Question of Decision.  V 15: “But who do you say that I am?”  There was no debate about a right answer to this question. It was answerable in different ways: Saviour, Son of God, Anointed, Messiah.  But all are answers that allude to God’s forgiving grace in Christ: that man has a sin problem; that only God’s answer suffices. Matthew 3:15 John hesitated when Jesus presented Himself for baptism. (Not because he didn’t know who Jesus was, but because he did. “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Too many today are uncertain as John was, but their confusion is from the speculation of doubt.  There was speculation even back then.  Healed people were instructed not to tell. (Matthew 8:4/9:30.). Evil spirits guessed His identity and were commanded to silence.  Even John the Baptist later sent for confirmation. Luke 7:19 “Are you the Coming One (anointed) or do we look for another?”  Jesus accepted this reticence. Luke 7:23 (His answer to John): “Blessed is he who shall not be offended because of me.”

Deal with your decision on the basis of being offended because of Jesus.  Are there times when it embarrasses you for people to know you are a believer?  During social upheaval do you tend to remain non-committal? Does the Swygart/Gorman controversy offend you? What about the SBC leadership stand-off?  Are moral crises requiring polarization?  There were reasons for reticence then.  Jesus was not what the people expected in Messiah. He clearly was interested in more than mainline Judaism.

The militant sought to use Him to address their purposes.  John 6:15 “When Jesus perceived that they would come and take Him by force to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain alone.”  There are even good reasons for reticence today: We faced the burden of our sin.  The age grows the more complex, and the void grows wider.  The lateness of the hour suggests the gravity of unbelief.  The message is so unlike the means for making it known.

How do you describe a mountain panorama? The Grand Canyon? A beautiful sunset? A matchless symphony? A 50th anniversary of a devoted couple? But we do try, don’t we? And as well, we must share with those around us our faith in Christ.

“Who do you say the Son of man is?”

Conclusion

                Do you recall the story from Uncle Tom’s Cabin?  Tom was on the barge being taken with other enslaved people to the riverside plantation of Simon Legree.  The name still makes us draw up in dread.  Tom was trying to console another who had been sold away from wife and children.  “Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  “Them’s good words,” said the other, “but who says ‘em?”

                In a dark hour in Thomas Carlyle’s life, someone read to him from John 14:1.  “Let not your heart be troubled…in my father’s house are many mansions.”  The essayist replied, “Aye, if you were God, you had a right to say that; but if you are only a man, what do you know more than the rest of us?”

                It is thus the Christ who calls us to answer: “Who do you say that I the Son of man am?”