1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:08,200 In the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen. Its very natural to be drawn to the 2 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,300 second half of this Gospel reading where 3 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:16,200 we start to hear things about taking up your cross. After all, 4 00:00:17,100 --> 00:00:21,600 many of you are here because there is a way in which you are following 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,500 that. You are coming to Concordia Seminary here in St. 6 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:28,800 Louis knowing that there is a task that lies ahead. 7 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:37,000 We rushed past the first part of this reading and our text for today 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,800 actually is going to be chapter 16 verse 23 here. 9 00:00:42,900 --> 00:00:49,100 But Jesus said to Peter get behind me Satan you are a hindrance to me 10 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:54,400 for you or not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the 11 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:59,200 things of man. Welcome to your first day of class for the 12 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:05,200 182nd academic year here at Concordia Seminary, that would seem to be a 13 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,500 really odd selection to start off with today. 14 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:16,100 After all is this not a place that is dedicated to the things of God. 15 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:23,400 If there is a group of people who are focused on the things of God and 16 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,300 not the things of men. Surely it would be the ones that are gathered 17 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:33,300 in this place for this purpose. A place dedicated to the one true 18 00:01:33,300 --> 00:01:40,100 Living God to his Savior Jesus guided by his Spirit surely here of 19 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:44,600 all people we are going to be the ones that are guided by the things 20 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,600 of God and not the things of man. 21 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:50,500 Right? 22 00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:53,300 Would we? 23 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:03,000 And yet the text causes us forces us to pause for a few moments. 24 00:02:04,900 --> 00:02:08,600 Where in my life might I be like Peter? 25 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:14,800 Putting my mind on the things of man and not necessarily the things of 26 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,200 God, we will return to this point for in a couple of moments. But first let's 27 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,800 focus for a moment on Peter. Now let's face it 28 00:02:23,100 --> 00:02:27,400 Peter gets made into a little bit of a caricature from time to time. And 29 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,300 this can be one of those places where we have that tendency to make a 30 00:02:31,300 --> 00:02:32,900 caricature out of him. 31 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:40,700 Remember Peter at this point was not living on the same side of the 32 00:02:40,700 --> 00:02:45,100 cross and the resurrection as you and I live on. you and I have the 33 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:49,000 benefit of looking back on hindsight and understanding what Jesus is 34 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:49,800 talking about. 35 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,800 Peter did not have that privilege. 36 00:02:54,700 --> 00:02:59,500 So what are the things that perhaps Peter may have been thinking about? 37 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:04,100 Well, if you look back a few chapters in Matthew in the accounts 38 00:03:04,100 --> 00:03:09,300 leading up to this you find some incredible things that Jesus is doing 39 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:11,800 there on behalf of the Father. 40 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:17,900 We see Jesus doing things that are turning people's hearts back to 41 00:03:17,900 --> 00:03:21,000 their God so that they are calling upon him. 42 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:27,600 There are two outstanding times where Peter himself witness is Jesus 43 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:32,700 doing the mighty act of feeding a multitude of people out in the 44 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:38,000 wilderness with a bread of God. There is walking on water something 45 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,600 that Peter himself for a brief moment gets to engage in as well. 46 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:48,200 There is a healing of a woman's daughter as well as many other unnamed 47 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,000 healings that take place. 48 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:52,500 And the teaching, 49 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:01,200 the teaching that Jesus does he engages in teaching with authority and 50 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:06,700 it actually seems to be turning people back to their gut to remind 51 00:04:06,700 --> 00:04:08,700 them that they are the people of God. 52 00:04:08,700 --> 00:04:12,400 And so all of these are great things that Peter is seening. 53 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,300 And I dare say that in ministry 54 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:20,899 If you were seeing a lot of these things happening where you were you 55 00:04:20,899 --> 00:04:21,700 would be saying. 56 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:22,100 Wow. 57 00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:25,400 God is doing amazing things here. 58 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,700 This is a great thing. 59 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:31,900 Why would we want it to stop? 60 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,900 So perhaps those are some of the things going through Peter's mind. 61 00:04:40,300 --> 00:04:42,400 And then Jesus begins to talk about death 62 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:49,900 and Peter's thought could be why would we ever take such a great thing is 63 00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:50,500 this away? 64 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:54,000 This is fruitful ministry Jesus. 65 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,200 Why all this talk of death? 66 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,900 Perhaps Peter thinks Jesus needs to focus on all the good that is 67 00:05:01,900 --> 00:05:02,400 happening. 68 00:05:04,700 --> 00:05:08,700 That's giving Peter some of the benefit of the doubt. Could there also 69 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:12,700 have been some maybe less than honorable reasons that Peter 70 00:05:12,700 --> 00:05:15,700 may have been focusing on Jesus not going to die. 71 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:22,600 Well, let's face it being one of the disciples of Jesus had also lead 72 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,300 Peter and the others to have a little bit of notoriety kind of a 73 00:05:26,300 --> 00:05:30,400 certain status simply by being one of the Disciples of Jesus. 74 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:36,000 Maybe he like to soak in that shared Glory just a little bit. 75 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:42,100 Or perhaps Peter was simply uncomfortable with the talk of death. 76 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,900 After all as loved as Jesus was, it was not like he was universally 77 00:05:49,900 --> 00:05:54,800 loved. There was indeed resistance to Jesus. 78 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,300 Perhaps Peter just simply did not want to face that reality. 79 00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:08,500 Peter may have been thinking some of these things. 80 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:12,700 And yet as we give Peter the benefit of the doubt. 81 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:19,600 We may also see that Peter only sees from a limited perspective here. 82 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:28,100 Peter sees the good that Jesus is doing. He sees the benefit of the 83 00:06:28,100 --> 00:06:31,300 ministry that Jesus is conducting among God's people. 84 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:34,900 But it's a limited perspective. 85 00:06:34,900 --> 00:06:43,200 Peter does not yet see a whole world that needs not so much physical 86 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,400 healing not so much feeding or great teaching. 87 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,500 But a world that needs redeeming. 88 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,700 That's something that Jesus sees. 89 00:06:56,700 --> 00:06:58,600 That Peter doesn't yet. 90 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,800 And that's where we then get the rebuke from Jesus to Peter. 91 00:07:05,900 --> 00:07:12,900 So let's take that text now and apply it to where you and I are today, 92 00:07:12,900 --> 00:07:19,700 August 31st, 2020 a very strange year by all means and accounts. 93 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,000 And we ask ourselves as we stand on the first day of classes of this 94 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:26,800 Academic Year. 95 00:07:28,700 --> 00:07:29,700 What are some of the things 96 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:34,000 that you are setting your mind on? 97 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,900 Now, obviously as we're at the first day of classes your work here, whether 98 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:43,900 it's work of being a student the place of your 99 00:07:43,900 --> 00:07:44,400 employment. 100 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,600 Those are some of the things you're thinking about. 101 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,900 What do I need to do to make this happen? 102 00:07:48,900 --> 00:07:54,500 How can I best glorify God with my studies or my work? You might be 103 00:07:54,500 --> 00:07:56,800 thinking about things like masks 104 00:07:57,500 --> 00:08:01,100 and mandates for masks and gatherings. 105 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:04,900 And you might be debating whether these are good right and salutary 106 00:08:04,900 --> 00:08:07,100 for us as citizens of this nation. 107 00:08:07,100 --> 00:08:13,900 And by the way, if the Seminary says do it, you're pretty wise to 108 00:08:13,900 --> 00:08:16,500 follow what your Seminary is telling you to do. 109 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,400 Now there may be some here who are thinking that the next several 110 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:27,100 months are really in many respects a hoop to jump through until you 111 00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:31,200 get to that time where you have a call in hand and you are going out 112 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,200 to serve your God. 113 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:38,799 Yes, you will be serving your God wherever he may be sending you. 114 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:45,100 But what is the proper place for that count down that you may already 115 00:08:45,100 --> 00:08:48,700 have going on in your head or on your calendar? 116 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:51,200 We're thinking about. 117 00:08:52,300 --> 00:08:58,000 Yeah, we could go on and on and on because the reality is that I 118 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:02,600 really don't know everything that is going on in your mind. A good 119 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,800 number of them very likely to focus on the things of God, but I would 120 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,700 also dare say that there are many there that are focused on the things 121 00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:12,400 of man. 122 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:20,900 How do you discern where those thoughts are what they're focusing on? 123 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:25,200 After all Peter may have thought that he was looking to the things of 124 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:31,400 God, but God had a much larger picture in mind one that he would later 125 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,700 on reveal to Peter. And so 126 00:09:33,700 --> 00:09:37,500 how do you take those things that are in your mind and discern if they 127 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:42,100 are the things of God or the things of man? Now I'm going to admit I am 128 00:09:42,100 --> 00:09:44,100 hardly the expert on that either. 129 00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:51,400 The good news is though that God provides ways for us to dwell on that 130 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,400 question and to discern his spirits leading. 131 00:09:56,300 --> 00:09:59,500 Now some of these things I'm going to tell you or nothing new to you. 132 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:04,900 You've heard them before you'll hear them again you yourself may 133 00:10:04,900 --> 00:10:09,500 even encourage others to do these things, in a call for discipline. 134 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:17,400 And they call for reflection. And so the first one is a reflection upon scripture. Many of you 135 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,800 have a journaling Bible of some kind and you have heard the call to 136 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,000 let your self slow down. 137 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,600 As you engage with the scriptures. 138 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:34,000 To write down those thoughts maybe in the margins of your Bible maybe 139 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:35,900 in a little booklet of some kind. 140 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:38,600 It's great practice. 141 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:43,300 Not only to battle the tendency of making caricature out of the 142 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:48,200 people that we encounter in the scriptures, but it also lets the 143 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:49,600 spirit calm you down. 144 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:56,500 And slow you down. And in many ways, it doesn't even really matter what 145 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:59,100 section of the scripture you may be reflecting upon. 146 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:02,900 It may not be something that speaks directly to something that is on 147 00:11:02,900 --> 00:11:07,000 your mind and yet we find that the scriptures are so interwoven that 148 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,700 even if the section that you're reading may not be talking or 149 00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:15,600 addressing something that you're thinking about God and His Spirit are 150 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:17,600 still forming you there. 151 00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:24,000 And that will have an impact as you seek to discern God's leading. 152 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:28,700 Reflection and scripture, 153 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:31,200 prayer. 154 00:11:32,700 --> 00:11:37,300 Prayer is obviously an invaluable part of discerning God's leading. 155 00:11:37,300 --> 00:11:40,900 You probably heard it before but we'll say it again. In prayer 156 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:45,600 the practice is really good not so much to ask God to bless our plans. 157 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:51,300 But rather to bring us in alignment with where God is working and what 158 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:57,300 he is doing. We seek his will yes indeed in the things of salvation but 159 00:11:57,300 --> 00:12:03,300 also in our interactions with each other and how that impacts what we 160 00:12:03,300 --> 00:12:08,200 do. Think, this is something that Martin Luther himself had in mind. You 161 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,800 may recall this from perhaps your confirmation days and you will 162 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,100 encounter it again here from the third petition. 163 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,700 Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. 164 00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:25,800 What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even 165 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:26,700 without our prayer. 166 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:31,400 But we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also. 167 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,400 How is God's will done? 168 00:12:36,900 --> 00:12:42,000 God's will is done when he breaks and hinders every evil plan and 169 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:47,800 purpose of the devil think our texts the world and our sinful nature. 170 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:53,700 Which do not want us to hallow God's name or let his Kingdom come and 171 00:12:53,700 --> 00:12:58,600 when he strengthens and keeps us firm in his word and Faith until we 172 00:12:58,600 --> 00:12:58,900 die. 173 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,900 This is his good and gracious will. 174 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:07,100 Reflection and scripture, 175 00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:09,300 prayer 176 00:13:11,100 --> 00:13:14,300 and then the thing that we actually started off our text with today. 177 00:13:15,500 --> 00:13:20,500 Jesus pointing to his death and his resurrection. 178 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:26,200 We find that early on in our reading Jesus is preparing his disciples 179 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,600 for his upcoming death and Resurrection at Jerusalem. 180 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,800 He is pointing to the necessity of Salvation and Redemption. 181 00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:41,000 And that is something for you also to keep in mind for yourself. That 182 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:45,800 you are one who has been redeemed and who needs that redemption of 183 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:46,400 Jesus. 184 00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:53,300 That's the for you part as we seek to see if we're focusing on the 185 00:13:53,300 --> 00:13:54,800 things of God or on the things 186 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,600 of men. One of the crucial questions we can ask ourselves. 187 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,600 Is this pointing to the crucified and resurrected Savior and Redeemer? 188 00:14:06,300 --> 00:14:07,000 How so? 189 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,900 Do I need to clarify what I'm thinking in order to better do so? 190 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,100 Often times that causes us to reflect on our motives which can 191 00:14:19,100 --> 00:14:23,600 sometimes be a bit of an uncomfortable experience when we discover 192 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:24,300 what's in there. 193 00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:28,400 And yet that's something that our God would also have us to do. 194 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,500 Reflection on scripture, prayer 195 00:14:34,700 --> 00:14:38,400 and pointing to the crucified and resurrected Savior. 196 00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:45,900 These are ways that we help to focus on the things of God and not the 197 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:49,000 things of man. And yet at the same time 198 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,000 what we find is that our God has given us indeed a great deal of 199 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:58,900 guided freedom on his part in the ways that that gets lived out among 200 00:14:58,900 --> 00:15:03,300 us. He gives us a great deal of freedom to focus on the things of God 201 00:15:03,300 --> 00:15:08,200 and yet even in that freedom, we still find boundaries. 202 00:15:09,900 --> 00:15:12,500 We're guided by his word. 203 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:17,500 By that which God himself has spoken and revealed to us. 204 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:24,300 We find a freedom that is bathed in prayer that what we do is in line 205 00:15:24,300 --> 00:15:28,600 with God's leading and guided by his spirit. And then we seek to ensure 206 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,700 that whatever it is that we're doing his pointing to the crucified and 207 00:15:32,700 --> 00:15:33,900 resurrected Savior. 208 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:42,300 So maybe as we stand here on day one of classes of the 182nd 209 00:15:42,300 --> 00:15:43,000 Academic Year. 210 00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:49,900 This might actually be a fairly appropriate text to start off. Asking 211 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:53,800 our God to bring in mind for us the things of God. 212 00:15:55,600 --> 00:16:00,400 May his Spirit be doing that for you for the sake of Christ. 213 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,000 Amen. 214 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,300 Now May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds and keep you in 215 00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:08,000 true Faith to life Everlasting. 216 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:14,000 I invite you now to stand as you are able for our hymn. Hymn 685 "Let us 217 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:15,100 Ever Walk with Jesus."