Sermon Tone Analysis

“Listen Up!”

Matthew 16:21 – 17:8

 

INTRO:        The other day my wife was reminiscing about her teaching days.

She taught high school science and many of the memories that stand out in her mind go back to lab days, when the kids would attempt to learn science by doing science – a great idea, in theory.

For one thing she remembers the questions the kids asked like “How long is a meter stick?” or “Do you have any longer meter sticks?”

And she recalls their listening skills or lack thereof.

Some of the students’ results on their lab work were way off - to the point of being kind of funny - because they didn’t know what they were doing.

They hadn’t listened to the instructions and were too proud to admit it, so they’d just do what made sense to them or try to imitate their neighbor’s work.

But it’s not just the young who have trouble listening.

I recently ran across a self-assessment for spouses to evaluate their listening skills.

You had to rate yourself from 1 to 5 on how often you do these things:

#.

I make assumptions about my partner’s feelings or thoughts.

#.

I interrupt my partner’s conversation.

#.

I use sarcasm or jokes to respond when my partner talks

#.

I see only my point of view.

#.

I respond to my partner with phrases like, "That’s ridiculous."

(http:~/~/www.positive-way.com~/listenin.htm)

A lack of careful listening can damage any sort of relationship, including one’s relationship with God.

When we don’t listen closely to what he says, our lives show it.

P1      In Matthew 16 and 17 we see that Peter had some trouble with listening.

I don’t know about you but Peter fascinates me.

I am glad that Matthew records so much of what Peter said and did.

The good, the bad, and the ugly – it’s all in there.

Peter is shown to have such gifts of leadership and speaking.

He’s got a warm heart.

He’s a real go-getter sort of person.

I would dare say, though, that his listening ability wasn’t one of his top 10 traits.

Follower-types tend to be better at listening than leader-types like Peter.

A couple of weeks ago we saw Peter’s heart and his assertiveness.

In response to the question, “Who do you say I am?” he stepped forward and spoke for the rest of the disciples: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This monumental confession serves as a climax to the book of Matthew.

In what we read this morning, though, we see that Peter didn’t fully understand what he was saying.

He had the right answer but he was misguided as to what it meant.

Jesus goes on to explain what being the Christ will entail, but Peter has his own ideas.

Jesus says that being the Christ means being humiliated.

He tells his disciples “that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…and that he must be killed.”

To Peter this is absurd.

It sounds like a mother telling her children that she’s going to go jump off a cliff because it’s the best thing for them.

Matthew tells us that Peter took Jesus aside and “began to rebuke him.”

“No way, Lord!” he said.

“This shall never happen to you!” Then Jesus responds with those strong words: “Get behind me, Satan.”

Peter didn’t like the picture of the Christ that Jesus was painting.

What he had in mind surely didn’t involve the Christ being tortured and killed.

What about this new kingdom?

Peter’s heart for the kingdom and the King is on display here, but he’s not listening…because listening to Jesus involves submission.

Peter thinks he knows better.

But while Peter thinks he’s stepping forward in defense of Jesus, he’s actually stepping out in front of Jesus.

He’s getting in Jesus’ way, trying to divert Jesus from the path of suffering.

And Jesus names this for what it is: a work of Satan.

“Get out of the way, Peter,” Jesus says.

“I’m in the driver’s seat here…not you.”

If you were here two Sundays ago you may remember that this is all taking place up near the northernmost border of Israel where Jesus is on a retreat with his disciples.

The disciples are learning a lot during this crucial time away with Jesus.

He explained to them about the coming suffering that he would endure and the suffering that his followers must endure as they “deny themselves” and “take up their crosses.”

The talk so far on this retreat has been about the human, suffering side of being the Christ.

A few days later, though, in the transfiguration they are confronted with Christ’s heavenly glory.

Here again in the story of the transfiguration Matthew records for us Peter’s words.

And again we see Peter rushing ahead of Jesus, failing to really listen.

When he sees Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus, he is overwhelmed - excited and fearful both – and his wheels right away start turnin’.

And then, without much delay, his mouth opens.

“This is great!”

Peter says.

“Lord, if it’s your will, I will put up three shelters here – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

~/~/Now we’ve got to give Peter some credit.

After what happened a few days ago he’s probably been praying that he will be more careful the next time he talks.

And, we see here, that he is more careful.

Before he simply and emphatically said “No” to what Jesus was saying.

Now he is careful to say, “If it is your will.”

But once more, instead of waiting to follow Jesus’ word, Peter in his eagerness speaks up (/Churchbook/ 169).

He’s wants to do something good for Jesus – and he’s to be commended for that – but he doesn’t wait on the Lord.

A glorious event is unfolding through which God is speaking to the disciples and Peter basically interrupts him.

What’s kind of funny is how God goes right ahead and interrupts Peter right back.

Verse 5 says that “while [Peter] was still speaking” a cloud enveloped them and God began to speak.

And what does God say? “This is my Son…Listen to him!”

 

P2      This morning we are installing the new office-bearers and commissioning them for their leadership roles in this congregation.

I see a strong message here for these new leaders and for all leaders in the church.

Leadership in the church is not first of all a matter of doing things for Jesus; it is first of all about letting Jesus speak.

It’s about listening, first, then doing what he says we are to do (/ibid/ 169).

And this message is not just for church leaders.

It’s a message for each one of us in the stewardship of our gifts in the body of Christ and for the managing of our own lives from day to day.

Listening to Christ must come first.

Only by really listening can we expect to stay on track in doing the Lord’s will.

We see in our text a couple of things that get in the way of true listening.

One is simply impatience.

Many of us are like Peter: we’re doers.

We’re like the kid on his birthday who after unwrapping his very first fishing pole took off for the pond right away, so quickly, in fact, that his parents didn’t have a chance to give him his other gift – a fully-stocked tackle box.

He was down at the pond for 2 hours before he came back and said that he thought the fishing pole was broken, he couldn’t catch a thing.

Only then did his dad have time to show him how to prepare his line.

~/~/We have a hard time waiting, too.

We like to go, go, go.

We don’t think there’s enough time to wait for instructions and we step out in front of Jesus.

Another thing that gets in the way of truly listening to Christ is our own minds.

We have creative minds that reflect the creativity of our Creator.

We can create ideas to improve this or that and solutions to complex problems.

It’s actually amazing what the mind can do.

But our Creator’s intent wasn’t for each of us to be ruggedly independent thinkers but submissive thinkers, active – yes – but submissive.

Our minds are to be submissive to the mind of Christ.

Peter had quite a head on his shoulders but his ideas about preventing the need for Jesus’ death were just that…his ideas.

This was independent thinking, not submissive thinking.

Later, his idea to put up three shelters seems like a good one.