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SERMONS.COM
This Week's Sermons
Who Do You Say I Am?
Matthew 16: 13-20
Jesus and his disciples ventured into the District of Caesarea Philippi, an area about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. The region had tremendous religious implications. The place was littered with the temples of the Syrian gods. Here also was the elaborate marble temple that had been erected by Herod the Great, father of the then ruling Herod Antipas. Here also was the influence of the Greek gods. Here also the worship of Caesar as a God himself. You might say that the world religions were on display in this town. It was with this scene in the background that Jesus chose to ask the most crucial questions of his ministry.
He looked at his disciples and in a moment of reflection said: "Who do men say that I am?" The disciples begin sharing with Jesus what they have heard from the people who have been following Jesus: Some say that you are Elijah; others say John the Baptist, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It's always been this way, Jesus as seen by the masses is seen in so many different ways.
You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval.
Who do people say he is? Who do you say he is? And what are we called to do? Let's take a look at the answers to these three questions:
- Who Do People Say He Is?
- Who Do You Say He Is?
- What Are We Called to Do?
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Leonard Sweet's Sermon
The True Olympian
Romans 12: 1-8
What image are you going to take away from the Beijing 2008 Olympics?
Is it Michael Phelps with his history-breaking breastplate of gold medals draped across his chest?
Is it the first-ever gold/silver finish in women's gymnastics?
Is it the pictures of athletes who, unlike me and you with our bellies and bulges and barnacles, represent the peak of human perfectibility?
Is it being part of the largest electronic crowd ever watching a sporting event, the USA vs. China basketball game?
Is it the snapshots of the vastness of the city of Beijing itself?
Is it close calls, gut-wrenching defeats, stunning victories, or surprising winners?
All these stand out, then fade back, into the haze of the entire Olympic experience. Have you enjoyed it as much as I have?
Maybe there is one more thing that will remain as a constant running through these Olympic memories: the haze. The pollution pall that settles over the city of Beijing was a constant concern for all the athletes and visitors gathered there. Olympic athletes were given black designer "pollution masks" to wear whenever they were outside. Instead of the ordinary white surgical mask-type protectors worn by average citizens, the masks provided for the Olympic athletes were unique: black, and sleek, and, can I say it, "fashionable." I predict that in the future they may become something of a fashion statement, a trendy accessory, not unlike designer sunglasses (we forget that sunglasses began as a light pollution protector for the eyes).
If I asked you this morning this question ---- "What is the one thing that is required of an Olympic athlete?" ---- you would all give me the same answer: disciplined determination. To become an Olympic athlete it takes absolute commitment, a focused and fused fixation upon one single goal.
Athletes work nonstop for years. They work through pulled muscles. They were through spiking fevers. There is no weather too hot or cold to stop practice. Like parenthood, there are no "days off," ever. Through a grueling stair-step of competitions designed to allow only the best to finally triumph, athletes from 204 nations strive to make their country's Olympic team.
But we all know this . . . and more than any of us the athletes themselves all know this . . . . . that in the end there will only be three medalists. And there will only be one gold medal winner.
What am I saying? Even in Olympic caliber competition, the majority of competitors know they have no chance. They are part of their country's team, yes. They are the best in their nation. But they know they will never be "in the running" for a medal. Most of them will be eliminated on the first round. They know there will never be a medal for them.
Remember the Jamaican bobsled team?
Here is what is so amazing to me, and maybe the most lasting image of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even though they know they will never win a medal, yet each of these unknown athletes works with the same single-minded determination, experiences the same pains, makes the same sacrifices of time and money and even family. In fact, the more obscure the sport, the competitors, or the country, the more likely that even greater sacrifices were necessary in order to make that Olympic dream come true.
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