Introduction:
A. The story is told of a minister who parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.
1. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block 100 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES.”
2. When he returned to his car, he found a ticket from a police officer along with this note. “I’ve circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION.”
3. The moral of the story is that the devil can use anyone to lead someone into temptation – he can even act through a minister.
B. You might be intrigued by the title of today’s sermon: “The Devil in Blue Jeans.”
1. I took the title from a 1981 song by Terri Gibbs called Somebody’s Knockin’.
a. The song begins with these words:
Somebody's knockin', Should I let him in
Lord, it's the devil, Would you look at him
I've heard about him, But I never dreamed
He'd have blue eyes and blue jeans
2. Perhaps you are more familiar with the 1966 hit song Devil with the Blue Dress On by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels; it reached #4 on the charts. (Bruce Springsteen did a cover of it)
a. That song includes the words: Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress, Devil with the blue dress on!
C. I bring up these two songs and that opening story to lead into today’s story from the life of Peter, because Peter becomes the devil in blue jeans.
1. Everything about the story we will look at today seems strange.
2. In today’s story, we will see Peter rebuke Jesus, and then we will see Jesus rebuke Peter.
3. When Jesus rebuked Peter, He applied a very shocking title to Peter.
4. Although Jesus used more colorful language when He rebuked the Pharisees in Matthew 23, He never called them “Satan.”
5. For that matter, even though the Bible says that Satan entered Judas in John 13:27, Jesus never called Judas “Satan.”
6. Peter remains the only person Jesus ever called “Satan.”
D. Another thing that makes this story peculiar is the timing of it.
1. The part of the story that we will examine today comes right after the part of the story we looked at last week.
2. Last week, we witnessed Peter uttering those magnificent, inspired words – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16:16)
3. And in response to that declaration, Jesus praised Peter saying: 17 “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. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)
4. And so, isn’t it surprising that Peter would need to be rebuked right after he was so praised?
5. Let’s look at the story and learn some lessons from it.
I. The Story
A. Let’s pick up the story in Matthew 16:21, the Bible says: 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
1. Our challenge in feeling what the disciples must have felt in response to this announcement of Jesus is that this is old news to us.
a. We are 2000 years past these events occurring, but the disciples were hearing this for the first time and were only months from it taking place.
b. If we have been Christians for any period of time, then we know the story of the crucifixion and resurrection, and we remember it each Sunday when we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
c. So no matter how we read the story, it is not new news to us and it makes perfect sense to us that this would have to happen to Jesus.
2. But that was not the case for Peter and the other apostles.
a. The thought that their Master and Teacher would be killed in Jerusalem hit them like a punch in the stomach!
3. Imagine anyone you care about telling you they are going to die.
a. It would have been very hard for them to hear anything more that Jesus said.
b. Whenever the doctor shocks us with a dismal outcome, we aren’t able to process much after that.
4. But even if they could have heard the next part of the sentence “and on the third day be raised,” they had no category to process that fact.
a. What do you mean raised?
b. Be resurrected? What is that?
B. None of this made sense, and so, Peter did what we generally do when we think someone we love is talking “crazy talk,” he pulled Jesus aside so that he could set Him straight.
1. The Bible says: 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Mt. 16:22)
2. Look again at those words of Peter – Peter declared this shall “never” happen to you.
3. How do you think Peter could make such a bold prediction?
a. Was Peter telling Jesus that he and the other 11 had his back?
b. Maybe he was trying to say, “Hey Jesus, don’t sweat it, they will have to go through us 12 to get to you, and there is no way they will get through us!”
4. In whatever way Peter was trying to correct or comfort Jesus, you can’t get around the fact that he rebuked the Son of God.
a. This is obviously never a good move for an aspiring disciple of Jesus.
5. Why did Peter do it? What was Peter thinking when he pulled Jesus aside and rebuked him? Let’s consider some possibilities.
a. First of all, Peter did it because he loved Jesus.
1. He cared about Jesus and didn’t want to see Him suffer the horror of crucifixion.
2. We can certainly commend Peter’s noble, yet misguided emotion.
b. Second, Peter rebuked Jesus because he did not understand God’s plan.
1. Peter’s view of Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the living God” did not include the shame and horror of public crucifixion.
2. Peter’s ideas of what the Messiah would be doing had no place for a “suffering savior” or a “crucified Son of God.”
3. Peter could not grasp how someone as good and holy, righteous and pure as Jesus would suffer and die like a common criminal.
c. Third, Peter rebuked Jesus because he thought he knew God’s will better than Jesus did.
1. That kind of presumption is really scary, isn’t it?
2. It is really scary when any of us think we are smarter than God and know better than what God’s Word says.
d. Finally, Peter rebuked Jesus because he wanted a kingdom without a cross.
1. And who could have blamed Peter for that?
2. Peter and the people living in his day understood what it meant to be crucified.
3. The cross was the ultimate instrument of public torture – they understood that crucifixion was a public, shameful, bloody, agonizing way to die.
4. Today, we wear bright, shiny crosses to remember Jesus’ death, but no Roman or Jew would have ornamented themselves with such a thing.
5. It would be like wearing a gold plated noose, guillotine or electric chair.
6. So, it is no wonder that Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him – for none of this made sense to him.
C. Jesus’ response to Peter was immediate and strong.
1. The Bible says: 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mt. 16:23)
2. Just moments earlier, Jesus had called Peter the rock and had praised him for his declaration, and now, moments later Jesus was calling him “Satan.”
3. Why did Jesus use such strong language?
a. First of all, Jesus rebuked Peter because of his ignorant presumption.
1. Like all of us, we must remember that there is a God and we are not Him!
2. Peter was a rock, but he was not THE ROCK.
3. Peter was way out of line and Jesus needed to put him back in his place.
4. Think of the audacity of telling the Son of God that he doesn’t know what His purpose is!
b. Second, Jesus called Peter “Satan” because Jesus knew that Satan was behind Peter’s well-meaning words.
1. Satan’s plan to derail Jesus always included making Jesus avoid the cross.
2. During the temptation in the wilderness, Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and offered him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would only bow down and worship Satan.
a. This was no idle boast because Satan controls them all (1 Jn. 5:19 says the whole world lies in the power of the evil one).
3. Indeed, this was a seductive temptation – Satan had said to Jesus, “Why go through the pain and shame of the cross, when I can give you what you want?”
4. Even though Peter wasn’t conscious of being used by Satan, Satan was using him to try to keep Jesus from going to the cross.
5. This was a real temptation for Jesus and He had to make sure that His love for Peter didn’t blind Him from the real source of this statement, who was the devil himself.
c. Finally, Jesus rebuked Peter so that Peter would later understand how important the cross would be.
1. Jesus knew the cross was necessary for the salvation of everyone.
2. That’s why Jesus had used the word “must” in verse 21 – He must go to Jerusalem, must suffer, must die, and must be raised from the dead.
3. There was no other option – it had to happen.
4. It had been the plan from before the creation of the world.
5. That’s why the Bible speaks of Him as “the Lamb slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).
D. Jesus then used this powerful moment of rebuke to teach Peter and all the disciples that those who follow Jesus must take the same path – the path of taking up the cross.
1. The Bible says: 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt. 16:24-25)
2. The cross is an instrument of death to the world.
3. With these words, Jesus dispelled any notion that those who follow Him will receive the popular acclaim of the world.
4. Instead of being celebrities, Jesus’ disciples, including Peter, were going to find themselves rejected, scorned, and killed because of their service to Jesus and His kingdom.
5. Just like Jesus had to deny Himself and take up His cross, so will all who follow Him, we must no longer live for ourselves, but we must live for Him for died for us and was raised again.
II. The Application
A. So, what lessons do we need to take to heart from today’s story?
B. First of all, we need to realize that sometimes good people unknowingly do the devil’s work.
1. Peter was most certainly a good man who wanted to do good.
2. And even though Peter had been absolutely right in declaring that Jesus was the Christ, he was absolutely wrong to state that Jesus would never be killed.
3. None of us are so spiritual all the time that we are always in agreement with what God is desiring and doing.
4. So, we must be aware that the devil can use any of us at any time, and when Satan uses us for his purposes, then we are the devil in blue jeans or the devil in a blue dress.
C. Second, we need to realize that our closest friends may sometimes become our worst enemies.
1. In this case, Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, became the tool that Satan used against Jesus.
2. Unfortunately, there may be times when our closest friends or loved ones unwittingly become tools in Satan’s hands that he uses to get us spiritually side-tracked.
3. In their attempt to “protect” us from what they perceive as danger, our loved ones may be Satan’s tool to keep us from doing God’s will.
4. You may be wondering how that might happen? Let’s consider a couple of examples.
a. Consider the young man who senses God’s call to preach – such a call may not be well-received by parents who were hoping their son would be a doctor, or lawyer.
b. Consider the young person who senses God’s call to the mission field.
1. Parents and friends might say, “We have plenty of lost people here in America.”
2. Or “You could make more money at a good job and help send more missionaries and relief if you stay at home.”
3. Or a parent or grandparent might say, “But I don’t want my kids and grandkids that far away from me.”
c. Consider the husband or wife that wants to give more time or money in service to the Lord, but their mate seems to think that giving more time and money is foolish or detrimental saying, “we need more time and money for ourselves, not for God.”
d. Or consider the man or woman who is considering leaving a high paying job in industry for a lower paying job in ministry or a not-for-profit company and their friends or family are saying that they think he or she has lost their mind.
5. Our close friends and family don’t always understand God’s call on our lives.
a. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t listen to their cautions and weigh their honest questions.
b. They may be seeing something or sensing something that we are missing and need to hear.
c. But on the other hand, they might unwittingly become tools in Satan’s hands.
6. When we set out to serve the Lord, Satan is going to try to stop us one way or another.
a. Often he stops us by making us think of a thousand reasons or excuses why we shouldn’t serve the Lord.
b. If we don’t think of those reasons or excuses on our own, Satan will sometimes use our friends and family to bring them up.
7. We must be careful to make sure we are not trying to please ourselves or to please others, but that we are truly trying to please the Lord.
C. One final lesson from this story that we need to be aware of is that our victories and defeats often come back to back.
1. Victories naturally build our confidence and with confidence comes the lowering of our defenses.
2. Satan is smart and crafty, and he knows that the best time to trap us often comes after some great victory.
3. And so Peter’s confidence soared after his right declaration and Jesus’ praise, but he let it become overconfidence and presumption.
4. And just as quickly as he rose, so quickly did he fall.
5. And so we should take to heart that when we experience some kind of spiritual victory, then that is the time to be spiritually focused and carefully watch for Satan’s tricks and traps.
Conclusion:
A. I think that Peter learned from his mistake that day, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t make other mistakes along the way, because he did.
1. Peter’s story reminds us that it is not one incident that makes a life, whether that incident is good or bad.
2. Though a person falls again and again, it is the getting up that marks the dedicated and faithful follower of Christ.
3. Aren’t you glad that Peter kept on getting up?
a. Would you have quit after sinking in the lake after walking on the water?
b. Would you have quit after Jesus rebuked you calling you Satan?
4. Aren’t you glad that Jesus kept on helping him up?
B. Peter was something of a mess, but then so are most of us.
1. Peter was a shaky rock, a fragile stone, an imperfect disciple, and so are we.
2. Peter eventually learned that those who would follow Christ must go by way of the cross of Christ.
3. That’s what discipleship requires.
C. Allow me to end with a challenging missionary story.
1. In 1839 two men from the London Missionary Society landed in the New Hebrides, a chain of eighty islands in the South Pacific.
2. Those two missionaries were killed and eaten by cannibals in November of that year.
3. Eventually other missionaries came and the gospel began to take root on some of the islands.
4. Nineteen years later a young man named John Paton set sail for the New Hebrides.
5. When he announced his desire to go, a friend named Mr. Dickson exploded, “The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!”
6. But to this Paton responded: Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.
7. John Paton rightly understood that we are all going to die, so why no die in the service of the Lord!
D. I want to encourage each of us to ask ourselves these questions:
1. Am I ashamed of the cross of Christ?
2. Am I avoiding the cross myself?
3. Am I blocking someone else from taking up their cross?
4. Do I demand that God’s plan make sense before I follow it?
E. A story such as the one we looked at today, from Peter’s life, should cause us all of to pause and think about ourselves, about how quickly we may do the devil’s work without even knowing it.
1. If we live on the level of our emotions, we may find ourselves actually opposing Jesus.
2. If we think that our understanding equals God’s will, we are bound to fall into many grievous errors.
3. And if we think that the way of the cross is not for us, then we ought to ask ourselves if we have ever really followed Christ at all.
F. Sometimes our problem boils down to the fact that we want something God doesn’t offer:
1. A padded cross.
2. A shiny cross.
3. A comfortable cross.
4. A cross without any blood or pain.
G. Jesus said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt. 16:24-25)
1. Let’s not rebuke or argue with Jesus, rather let’s obey Him and take up our cross and follow Him, finding our life as we lose it in Him.
Resources:
The Life of Peter, F.B. Meyer, Edited by Lance Wubbels, Emerald Books, 1996
The Apostle Peter, Jerry Haughton
“How Good Christians Do the Devil’s Work” Sermon by Ray Pritchard.
