Center Church
On This Rock!
- When I walked in the door, I couldn’t help but have a flood of memories of my days teaching apologetics here to such a wonderful group of people. Those were some of my earlier days of teaching. One of the mistakes i made was that I had so many thing to share that I felt I had to do it all at once. But over the years I have learned to turn down the fire hose a bit. So my goal with the message today is to make it feel less like a flood and more like a cool drink of water.A doctor, an engineer, and a politicianA doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing as to which profession was older. “Well,” argued the doctor, “without a physician mankind could not have survived, so I am sure that mine is the oldest profession.” “No,” said the engineer, “before life began there was complete chaos, and it took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is older.” “But,” chirped the triumphant politician, “who created the chaos?”We all know that these are very confusing and chaotic times in our world. We experience seemly random events that attempt to shake our values and shatter our categories. This is sometimes can even appears to be the case when we read our Bibles.It’s easy for readers of the New Testament, for instance, to get the impression that Jesus’ ministry leading up to the cross was somewhat random. After all, the Gospels don’t always present the same episodes—for example, the birth of Jesus is found in only two of them (Matthew and Luke), and only one mentions the wise men (Matt. 2). Sometimes scenes appear in a slightly different order in different gospels. But those acts of Jesus recorded in the Gospels leading up to the crucifixion—healing the sick, preaching about the kingdom of God, forgiving sinners, confronting hypocrisy—were more than the random acts of a traveling wise man who occasionally did miraculous things. There’s more going on in the gospel stories than meets the eye.The Cryptic MessiahIt may surprise you to hear me say that the mission of Christ was actually a secret one. Think of how the disciples responded to Jesus when he told them he was going to Jerusalem to die. The announcement mystified and distressed them (Matt. 17:22–23; Mark 9:30–32). They didn’t respond by saying, “Oh, right, we read that in the Scriptures.” Peter even rebuked Jesus for saying it (Matt. 16:21–23).The disciples had no sense, no inkling, of this new plan of God’s. They thought of Jesus only as the son of David and rightful heir to his throne, someone who performed miracles just as the Old Testament prophets did.The same is true for the Old Testament. It also actually presents the messiah by hiding him in plain sight. It can take a bit of work to connect the dots of the messianic profile.Believe it or not, there is no verse in the Old Testament that uses the word messiah of a man who was actually God and who would die for the sins of humanity. Not even Isaiah 53:11 with its portrait of a “suffering servant.” The word messiah never appears in that chapter, and elsewhere in Isaiah, the “servant” refers to the nation of Israel, not an individual savior (Isa. 41:8; 44:1–2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3). The did not expect a suffering messiah. But a conquering king. And the word messiah, which means “anointed,” nearly always refers only to David or one of his descendants who reigned as king after him.[1] Now of course we get the benefit of hindsight to know the meaning. But the first century Jews did not.The whole key to God’s plan to restore Eden and redeem humanity was for the messiah, Jesus, to die on the cross and then rise from the dead.Only by becoming a man could God ensure that a human king from the line of David would rule over his people without falling into sin and straying spiritually. Only if that king died in the place of his people and rose from the dead could God rightly judge sin and provide salvation all at the same time. Only by the messiah’s death and resurrection would fallen people still have a place in God’s family council, ruling in that renewed Edenic kingdom, as originally planned.But think about all that required: Jesus had to somehow make sure the supernatural powers of darkness manipulated men to kill him—without understanding what they were really doing. This is why Paul writes to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 2:6–8),But we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor. 2:7–8 leb)If they really knew what the results were going to be, they never would have crucified the Lord.The life and ministry of Jesus makes more sense when viewed against that backdrop.Outwitting EvilThe event that marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry was his baptism. It was there that God publicly identified Jesus as his Son (Mark 1:11), and there that John the Baptist identified him as the one who “takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). When we read those words from John, we think immediately about the crucifixion. But John’s disciples weren’t thinking about that. Frankly, no one was. When, close to the end of his ministry—over three years after his baptism—Jesus began to speak of his death, his own disciples rejected the idea (Matt. 17:22–23; Mark 9:30–32). The last thing they expected to hear from their Lord was that he was going to die soon. That was crazy talk. They didn’t understand Jesus’ death on the cross had been the plan from the beginning. Why didn’t they? Because, , the plan wasn’t presented in the Old Testament with open clarity. After Jesus’ baptism, he was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit to confront Satan (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1–13). That the Devil came to tempt Jesus tells us Satan knew who Jesus was—he was the messiah on a mission to re-install God’s “home rule” on earth. After all, the “anointed one” (messiah) would be a king in the line of David. Satan, the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), understood Jesus would set his sights on Satan’s dominion—the nations God had cast aside at the Tower of Babel before creating Israel (Deut. 4:19–20; 32:8–9).Most of us recall the scene between Jesus and Satan. Satan tempted Jesus three times (Matt. 4:3–11). Satan’s third strategy for getting Jesus to violate his relationship with God was to offer the Son of God the nations of the world (Matt. 4:8–9), the very thing he presumed Jesus had come to reclaim:Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (Matt. 4:8–9)Satan’s proposal was a clever altering of God’s plan. It would produce the result God desired—retrieval of the nations he had disinherited from being his people. Mission accomplished. All Jesus had to do was worship Satan instead of God.Satan’s offer reveals that he hadn’t yet realized God’s plan required Jesus’ death. Jesus didn’t tip him off, either. He didn’t explain his refusal. He simply told Satan to get lost. God would take back what was his when and how he wanted. The mission of Jesus wasn’t just about ruling all the nations. It was about rebuilding a family. Including in that family people from all nations, not just Israel, meant that sin must be atoned for. As he’d originally planned, God’s rule would involve his children. The cross was essential to redeeming humanity and therefore to putting God’s plan into place. Jesus wasn’t going to be tricked—but the Devil would be, in due time.A Taste of EdenImmediately after the temptation in the desert, Jesus did two things: called his first disciples (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) and healed a demon-possessed man (Mark 1:16–28; Luke 4:31–5:11). Both the calling of disciples and healing continued, forming the beginning of a pattern. As he called more disciples, he gave them power to cast out demons and heal people of every disease, handicap, and condition (Luke 9:1–5).Jesus initially called twelve disciples. The number isn’t accidental. It corresponds to the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus began the kingdom plan with Israel in view. They are, after all, God’s portion, chosen above all the other nations (Deut. 32:8–9). Paul would later view the spread of the gospel the same way—start with the Jews, then go to the Gentiles (Rom. 1:16–17).Jesus didn’t stop with the Twelve. In Luke 10 he commissioned seventy more people to heal and cast out demons (Luke 10:1, 9, 17). That number wasn’t accidental either. It’s the number of nations listed in Genesis 10—the nations God cast aside at the Tower of Babel event and placed under the dominion of lesser gods (Deut. 4:19–20; 32:8–9). Just as the calling of the Twelve was a sign that the kingdom had come to Israel, so the sending of the seventy signaled that the kingdom would take back the nations. When the seventy return (Luke 10:17) Jesus’ response is telling: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). The messaging is dramatic: There was a great reversal underway. Satan would no longer have any claim over humanity once people belonged to Jesus. His access to God to “accuse believers” (Rev. 12:10 gnt) was over. He was a prosecutor without a case.Come and Get MeNow this is where things really heat up and get interesting. After three years of preaching about the coming kingdom of God, showing people God’s love, and demonstrating what life in an Edenic world would look like, Jesus began to prepare for the end—for his real purpose.Just before what would become his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus took the disciples to the far north of Israel. He needed to provoke the crucifixion. He couldn’t have picked a better place to throw down the gauntlet to the supernatural powers.Jesus brought the disciples to a place called Caesarea Philippi. But that was its Roman name. In Old Testament times the region was called Bashan. Bashan is a place that is only mentioned in the OT. It occurs over 60 times in 53 verses. Bashan was considered the gateway to the realm of the dead—the gates of hell. Caesarea Philippi is situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, the place where, in Jewish thinking, the sons of God came to earth in the rebellion described in Genesis 6:1–4. In a nutshell, in Old Testament times Bashan and Hermon were ground zero for the evil cosmic powers.It was at this place that Jesus asked his well-known question,English Standard Version Chapter 16
Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The identification of the “rock” Jesus referred to has been debated for centuries. The key to understanding the term is the area’s geography.Caesarea Philippi sits in the far northern region of Bashan. In Old Testament times, this area was thought to contain gateways to the realm of the dead. Caesarea Philippi sits at the foot of a mountain. The “rock” is that mountain. In the greek petra can mean mountian. The “gates of hell” marks the very place where Jesus and his disciples were standing. Jesus was challenging the powers of darkness. At the fall, humanity lost eternal life with God and earned instead a fate of death and eternal separation from God. The lord of the dead—the Serpent, known as Satan and the Devil—had claim over humanity. Every human would join him in the realm of the dead. But God had other ideas. The secret plan to send Jesus to pay the penalty for humanity’s sin would be a frontal assault on the gates of hell. The lord of the dead and his forces would not be able to withstand the kingdom of God. In essence, in that passage in Matthew 16, Jesus goes to the Devil’s front door and challenges his claim. Jesus wanted to provoke Satan. Why? Because it was time for Jesus to die to propel God’s secret plan into motion.As if that verbal challenge wasn’t enough, Jesus went one step further. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all agree that the next event in the ministry of Jesus was the transfiguration.Mark 9:2–8 reads:Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. As they looked on, a change came over Jesus, and his clothes became shining white—whiter than anyone in the world could wash them. Then the three disciples saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus. Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Teacher, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He and the others were so frightened that he did not know what to say. Then a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow, and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my own dear Son—listen to him!” They took a quick look around but did not see anyone else; only Jesus was with them. (gnt)The transfiguration takes place on Mount Hermon. Jesus picked this very spot to reveal to Peter, James, and John exactly who he was—the embodied glory of God. He was putting Satan and the powers of darkness on notice: I’ve come to earth to take back what is mine. The kingdom of God is at hand. In effect: “I’m here—now do something about it.”It’s no accident that immediately after the transfiguration Jesus turned toward Jerusalem and began telling his disciples he was going to die there. They didn’t want to hear it. But Jesus had baited Satan and the rest of the evil powers into action. There would be a sense of urgency to get rid of him. And that’s just what Jesus wanted. His death was the key to everything.Why This MattersThere are several take aways from all of this. First and foremost. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent the advancing of the Church. Second is that Jesus’ ministry was intentional. He had a clear view of his role in reviving the kingdom of God on earth so it would progress until the day he returned, a day that would usher in a global Eden. Our lives are not as pivotal as his, but each of us, like the disciples, has a true role to fulfill. If there is one things that the church today lacks it is intentionality and focus. We are so busy responding to the chaos around us that it is easy to lose sight of the vision and mission. Third, We need to live as if we believe that as Believers we are brought into God’s family not to be observers but participants (Col. 1:13). Among the intentions of Jesus was to show people what Eden had been like, and what life with God would be like. In God’s family and God’s rule, there will be no disease and physical imperfection. There will also be no hostile powers. God’s ultimate kingdom is bigger than a garden, wider than Israel. The kingdom will be global. It will include all nations. And it will be everything Eden was—heaven on earth.Our task is to imitate Jesus. We can, like him, care for both body and soul of our fellow imagers, leading them to faith in the King and strengthening their resolve to be loyal to him. It doesn’t necessarily take supernatural power to “bind up the brokenhearted” and “proclaim liberty to the captives” in the steps of the messiah (Isa. 61:1), but these are supernatural acts at the core. They demand resistance to darkness and a strategic vision. No act of kindness will fail to be used by the Spirit to direct someone’s heart. No articulation of the gospel will be fruitless. Jesus’ kindness was congruent with his message. Neither diminished the other. This is a pattern any believer can imitate—and it is the job description for kingdom vision. Last, we are reminded again that intelligent evil not only has limitations, but it is vulnerable to kingdom vision and action. Jesus is already seated “at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Pet. 3:22). We are “already but not yet” co-rulers with him (Col. 3:1; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26; 3:21). The gates of hell will not withstand the progression and completion of the Church as God’s kingdom on earth. The decision to participate in the great reversal is ours.[2]Many believers live their whole lives never really understanding their role or focusing on their mission. Instead they spend most of their lives thinking salvation is gained by moral perfection. One of the most dangerous things we can do as christians is to get caught up in a performance based view of who we are in God’s eyes. Salvation is a gift that comes by grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). That in turn means salvation cannot be lost by moral imperfection. What is not at all gained by good performance cannot be lost by poor performance. Salvation is about believing loyalty—trusting what Jesus did to defeat Satan’s claim and turning from all other gods and the belief systems of which they are a part.That is the message of God’s kingdom we are commissioned to tell to the nations (Matt. 28:19–20). And as we obey, the dominions of the enemy gods, the principalities and powers, shrink—soul by soul, moment by moment. The gates of hell, the realm of the dead, do not withstand the resurrection, and will not withstand the advance of the gospel.[1] Heiser, M. S. (2015). Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World—And Why It Matters. (D. Lambert, Ed.) (p. 100). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.[2] Heiser, M. S. (2015). Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World—And Why It Matters. (D. Lambert, Ed.) (pp. 107–116). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
