Perry’s Scope: Christian sermons, lessons, and resources for teachers

1.      St. John’s University is apparently known for being a theological school where intellectualism is highly regarded. Someone wrote the following graffiti on one of the walls there:

Jesus said unto them: “Who do you say that I am?”

And they replied: “You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our interpersonal relationships.”

And Jesus said: “What?”

Whoever wrote that graffiti was basically complaining about some of the names and expressions that men had invented to try to define Jesus.

 2.      It is difficult to come up with a one word description of Yeshua (Jesus) – Son of Man; Son of God; Messiah (Christ); Holy One; Nazarene; Prince of Peace; etc.

3.      Matthew 16.13-20

4.      Easy to criticize Church

Worship service; sermons; building; bulletin; leadership; programs

Church is not the place many want to go – bad impressions;

Christians see church as “their” organization — “The church is for ME.”

5.      This Passage has real impact on our lives – climax of Yeshua’s teaching ministry; a type of final exam for the apostles (sink or swim – one question); our answer to this question is key – our eternal destiny centers on it;

I.                   A Key Observation

A.     Looking Out to Others

The difference between a conviction and a preference, according to the U.S. Supreme Court:

A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions, 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death; would you die for your preferences? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him. A conviction is not something that you discover; it is something that you purpose in your heart (cf. Daniel 1-3). Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. David C. Gibbs, Jr., Christian Law Association, P.O. Box 30290, Cleveland, Ohio 44130.

1.      There was Speculation about Yeshua (Jesus) – John the Baptist; Elijah; Jeremiah; a Prophet

2.      View of Messiah as political

3.      Observations of Yeshua (Jesus) – Rabbi; miracle worker; not politician

4.      Today? – Good man; good teacher; ethical; ONE way to heaven (John 14.6); other views of Messiah – USF student – He will return as he came via a woman

B.     Looking In to Self

1.      Great Confession – “Messiah-God” (literal translation in Hebrew)

[Inquisition/Modern Islam (Convert or die)

2.      Incarnation – Atonement – 1 Corinthians 1.22-24

II.                A Key Inspiration

A.     Encountering God

1.      We are to KNOW God – not know about God – Jeremiah 31.33-34

³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me,. . .”

2.      More than mental knowledge

3.      Enoch-Abraham-Moses-Yeshua-Apostles-Disciples-US?

4.      Holy Spirit – John 14.15-17

B.     Encountering God Brings:

1.      Responsible Stewardship – Keys to the Kingdom

And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22.22 cf. Revelation 3.7; Acts 2

Henry Blackaby – the author of “Experiencing God” writes: “We should attempt things so great that they are doomed to failure unless God intervenes.”

2.      Reasonable Judgment

a.       Bind/Loose – Idiom – forbid/permit – judgment calls for the gray areas

b.      Gentile Converts – Acts 15

c.       Paul’s comment on marriage – 1 Corinthians 7.10-13

¹⁰ To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord

¹² To the rest I say (I, not the Lord)

III.             A Key Construction

A.     The Builder is Yeshua (Jesus) – “I WILL build. . .” (not just future – fact)

1.      HIS church

2.      HIS initiative

3.      We add by our intentional actions

B.     The Building

1.      Church = ekklesia (called out; Greek); kahal (community; congregation; assembly; Hebrew)

2.      Living Temple – Ephesians 2.21-22

²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

3.      Significant Stones 1 Peter 2.4-5

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

4.      Purpose/Place

C.     The Base (Foundation)

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7.24-25

1.      Truth of Yeshua (Jesus) – Petros vs. Petra

2.      Yeshua is the chief cornerstone – Ephesians 2.18-21

3.      Apostles (2.20)

4.      Quarry of Abraham – Isaiah 51.1-2

•          How are you doing on your own? Yeshua (Jesus) offers stability to your life.
•         Death itself cannot stop your success – because of the resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus).

In 1999, an insurance company rated the most dangerous intersections for accidents in the United States. The year’s winner (or better, loser) was the corner of Belt Line Road and Midway Road in Addison, Texas. There were 263 reported crashes at that intersection in the Dallas suburb.

Often when I come to an intersection, I think of the people who are meeting there. Some have come a long distance; some short. Yet, we have all arrived at the same time.

Arriving at the intersection, we all have decisions to make. Will we obey the laws or break them? Will we be courteous to other drivers or selfish?

As we travel on our journey through this world we often come to some serious intersections. We repeatedly come to intersections of the “broad” and “narrow” ways (Matthew 7:13-14). Each time we have an important decision to make. Do we choose the narrow way along with the “few” or do we choose the broad way with the “many”? Will we follow the instructions or refuse them? It is a serious choice that demands our attention and exercises our wisdom.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). Today, with the rising of the sun, we have made it to yet another intersection. Which road will we take?

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

I was recently sitting in a restaurant and heard a bird chirping. Or, at least so I thought. It was actually a ringtone on someone’s cellphone. I could not help but think of all of the excellent tones people are using today (my phone is the sound of an old telephone – no imagination). These tones are an imitation of something or someone.

In 1820, Charles Caleb Colton coined the phrase that states: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Those words are still true. It is especially true for the life of a disciple of Jesus.

The Christian journey is not just a life that doesn’t “cuss or smoke or drink or chew or go with girls who do.” It is a life given to the imitation of Jesus himself. A disciple of a rabbi would give all he had to become just like his rabbi. That is what we are called to do. Paul said it this way to his disciples, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11.1)

This is especially evident in the trials we encounter. I understand that a jeweler has a sure-fire test to establish a diamond’s authenticity. He places the jewel under water. A true diamond will always out-sparkle an imitation. In fact the imitation will lose its sparkle.

Tests come and go. What do they reveal? They may reveal the real image of Jesus in our lives or they may reveal a cheap imitation. Who am I trying to imitate? What am I trying to become?

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Years ago, a famous actress named, Billie Burke was on a cruise when she noticed that a gentleman at the next table was suffering from a bad head cold.  She asked him, “Are you uncomfortable?” The man nodded. 

She said, “Go back to your room and drink lots of orange juice, take two aspirins, cover yourself with all the blankets you can find and sweat the cold out. I know what I’m talking about; I’m Billie Burke from Hollywood.” 

The man smiled and said, “Thanks.” Then he added, “By the way, I’m Dr. Mayo from the Mayo Clinic.”

When it comes to medical matters, I would prefer to take the advice of an esteemed doctor over that of a famous actress.

Likewise, when it comes to spiritual matters, we have choices. We can look to celebrities. We can look to those we regard as “wise”. We can look to the stars (astrology). We can even look to the angels. Or we can look to Jesus Christ. It should not be a difficult choice.

Jesus Christ is superior in every way (Hebrews 1.4; 3.56-6). He is the Son of God, the Lord of lords and King of kings.  He is God. He creates, sustains, governs, redeems and cleanses us of sin. He is the one to be worshiped by the angels. He is omniscient, omnipotent, unchanging and eternal. Why would you look anywhere else?

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Years ago, a famous actress named, Billie Burke was on a cruise when she noticed that a gentleman at the next table was suffering from a bad head cold.  She asked him, “Are you uncomfortable?” The man nodded. 

She said, “Go back to your room and drink lots of orange juice, take two aspirins, cover yourself with all the blankets you can find and sweat the cold out. I know what I’m talking about; I’m Billie Burke from Hollywood.” 

The man smiled and said, “Thanks.” Then he added, “By the way, I’m Dr. Mayo from the Mayo Clinic.”

When it comes to medical matters, I would prefer to take the advice of an esteemed doctor over that of a famous actress.

Likewise, when it comes to spiritual matters, we have choices. We can look to celebrities. We can look to those we regard as “wise”. We can look to the stars (astrology). We can even look to the angels. Or we can look to Jesus Christ. It should not be a difficult choice.

Jesus Christ is superior in every way (Hebrews 1.4; 3.56-6). He is the Son of God, the Lord of lords and King of kings.  He is God. He creates, sustains, governs, redeems and cleanses us of sin. He is the one to be worshiped by the angels. He is omniscient, omnipotent, unchanging and eternal. Why would you look anywhere else?

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Bertoldo de Giovanni was the teacher of Michelangelo, perhaps the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was fourteen years old when he came to Bertoldo. It was obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than grow. Therefore he kept pressuring his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer and smashed the work into pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!”

Isn’t it tempting to just coast along? We don’t get much or grow much, but it is comfortable. We just “rock along.”

Our challenge is to make our whole life count for God. When our here time is over, will we be able to say we did not hold back? Will we have put our whole effort into what God has placed before us?

Philippians 3.13-14 can inspire us: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Football players have a saying — “leave it all on the field.” It means that during the game they don’t hold anything back. Win or lose, their best effort is in the game, not the locker room. For what will our best efforts be?

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

 I heard about a dad teaching his son an important lesson. The dad asked, “If three frogs were sitting on a limb over a pool and one frog decided to jump into the pool, how many would be left?”

The son answered, “Two.”

“No,” the dad replied, “There are three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?”

“Oh, I get it,” the son said, “It’s like peer pressure, if one decides to jump, they will all jump. So, there would be none left.”

“No, son, the answer is three. One frog only DECIDED to jump.” The dad responded.

Does that sound like any New Year’s resolutions you have heard of? Too often we DECIDE we will make some changes but either we fail to begin or we start and do not follow through.

Maybe weight loss is your resolution. Maybe it is something even more important, getting your relationship back on track with God. Don’t just make the decision, make the decision count and follow through!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

Have you kept up with the current “Occupy” protesters? It appears that some want to play “Robin Hood.” They want to take from “achievers” and give to those they deem “entitled.”

Jesus told a parable in Luke 19.11-27 in which a ruler gave money to ten servants. They were to “occupy” (KJV), or “do business” or “busy themselves” until her returned. Some of the servants were productive, at least one was not. Each was rewarded accordingly. The achievers were given privilege and more responsibility. The unproductive one lost what he had (not vice versa).

Jesus IS returning for a day of accounting. While we are of differing abilities (Matthew 25.14-30), he has entrusted us with a common task while we wait: do business/occupy with the message of the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Thessalonians 2.4; 1 Timothy 1.11; 6.20).

We are not to be idle as we wait for the return of Jesus; we are to be on the offensive to advance his Kingdom (Matthew 16.18). His disciples have tasks to do. We are taught to love God supremely – that is action, not just emotion. We are to actively love our neighbors as ourselves. We care for those who need (Matthew 25.31ff).

The business of the Kingdom of Heaven is different than the business of Wall Street. In fact, God’s business is far more important, far more significant! The Kingdom of Heaven is faith business that impacts the now as well as the eternal. With what are you occupied?

Keep The Light Burning

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ

On the night Jesus was betrayed he took a towel and washed the feet of all of his disciples, including the one who would betray him as well as the one who denied him (see John 13). In doing this, he signified his servant spirit. He also showed how his disciples were to be servants to others.

When we think of Jesus we think of a mighty king and a humble servant. We see him serving through his teaching; through healings; through his ability to raise people from the darkness of despair. Ultimately his servant’s heart would take him to the cross to express the love of God in his death, burial, and resurrection.

One of the most enjoyable things I have been a part of was a recent celebration of the volunteer servants at the South Yukon congregation. We had a nice Chick-Fil-A catered breakfast, some amusing entertainment, some gifts, and a presentation of a towel to people who have given their time and energies to a cause beyond themselves. This towel is a reminder of our call to service.

Without our willing servants, our churches cannot function. Where do they get their motivation? What makes them want to sacrificially give of themselves? Why do they “pick up the towel”? It is an imitation of the one who sacrificially served them!

Which side of the towel are you on?

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Last summer, during some of that blistering heat, a man from the Yukon, OK community went missing. Suddenly, police, firemen, paramedics, his family, and a host of volunteers began looking for him. For hours in the heat and even into the evening people searched.

This story is not unique to our community. Over the years we have heard of many intense search and rescue missions. Each branch of the military has stories of finding the misplaced. This is because people are important!

These stories remind me of a great lesson that Jesus taught in Luke 15:1-7. He told of a shepherd who had lost a sheep. Instead of cutting his losses, he left the remaining ninety-nine and went into the dangers of the wilderness to find the one lost sheep. When he found the sheep, he carried it home and had a great celebration with his friends and neighbors.

In the grand scheme of things some of us may be like the lost sheep of the story. We know we are lost, but are clueless as to how to go home without the leading of our Shepherd. The reality is that God has initiated the search process and mapped out the way of salvation for us. His grace is so strong that it is as if he is carrying us to a great celebration of salvation!

This week’s sermon deals with this great story. I am calling it, “Sometimes I Get Carried Away!” Come and share in the truth that God cares intensely for YOU! YOU are important to him! How important? Enough to give his all!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

South Yukon Church of Christ