Perfection

Are you the perfect person? I mean you never have a hair out of place. You are never late for work, never lose your temper or cool. You can cook any meal so that even the greatest chef's in the world would be jealous. Are you perfect? Is anyone?

Welcome to Soldier for Christ

Is anyone perfect? Today I want us to look at one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, Peter.

Peter's real name was Simon. And in this instant I want us to look at we are going to see two very different sides.

* When Jesus came 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.” -Matthew 16: 13-16

Here Peter is straight up saying that Jesus is the Christ. The Messiah sent by God. Peter was stating this as a fact and letting Jesus know that he believed that with all his heart. And now listen how Jesus responds.

* Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, (The Greek word for Peter means rock.) and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (That is, the realm of the dead) will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. -Matthew 16: 17-20

Wow! Jesus gives him a new name, Peter. He tells him he is like a rock and that using Peter he will build the church of the kingdom of Heaven here on earth. He must have been a pretty good guy for Jesus to entrust this task, this critical mission. The effort that would impact millions of lives for thousands of years. You don't give that task to just anyone. Peter must have been near perfect indeed to have inherited such a responsibility.

And then this happens...

* From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” -Matthew 16:21-23

Wait. What? how did we go from "on this rock I will build my church" to "get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me?" This was Peter! Are you kidding me? What is going on? Are we to believe that the same person that Jesus trusted to run the Church in his absence was also somehow an obstacle to Jesus?

The point here is that no matter who you are God can use you to fulfill his purpose and his plan. Do not let the stains of the past keep you from being who God needs you to be. Look at Peter in this example. He went on to be the rock on which the church was built. Want another example? Read up on Saul of Tarsus.

God can and does use the broken and the weak to get things done. As it was once told to me when I was faced with a challenge…

God does not call the equipped. He equips the called.

You do not have to be nor are any of us perfect. That does not mean that Jesus does not love us and that we cannot do great things for him.

Press on. Fight the good fight. As a Soldier for Christ.