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Mar 31, 2013

The Great Debate: Who's the Greatest? (Part 18)

Passage: 1 Peter 3:21-22

Preacher: Tim Badal

Series:Strangers in a Strange Land

Detail:

I’m going to ask that you take God’s Word in your hands.   We love to pick up God’s Word and teach through it verse by verse.  We’ve been going through one of the 66 books of the Bible—1 Peter which is a New Testament book that was written approximately 60 to 64 A.D., about 30 years after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It was written by a man named Peter who had come to be one of Jesus’ closest disciples; a man who experienced incredible times of greatness.  This man had walked on water and had been used by God to drive out demons.  But as many of us know in our own Christian lives, that which comes with times of greatness also comes with times of great disappointment.  We know Peter had some moments of being a disappointment, not only to himself but to his God.  

Now again, Peter is writing this letter some 30 years after the life and death of Jesus Christ.  He is writing to a group of people who are in what we would call Turkey today.  He is writing to these different churches and telling people how to live in this world that sometimes is not all that warm to Christianity or to the claims of Christ.  He tells them they were to live upright and holy lives amidst the difficult times around them.

So Peter writes this five-chapter letter  and we’ve been learning that he reminds us of the great salvation that the resurrection Sunday—Easter Sunday—now gives to those who will bow the knee to Jesus Christ.  We have learned as Christians that we are called to be good citizens, good husbands and wives, and good employees because Peter will tell us in chapter two that we are called to live submissive lives.  As we submit to God we are also called to submit to the earthly authorities that are around us.

Then he has been hitting on this issue of suffering.  One of the reasons why it’s so important for us as Christians to understand suffering is what Peter has told us in 1 Peter 3:18.  He tells us that Christ also suffered.  We celebrated that on Good Friday; the suffering of Christ Who went to the cross, Who died on our behalf so that three days later—on Easter Sunday—He might rise from the grave and give us  hope for tomorrow and the opportunity to be called the children of God.  

We studied this text in great depth last week but I want to come back and finish up where our discussion left off.  Let’s read 1 Peter 3:18 and then jump down to 3:21-22:

 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”  

Now notice Peter goes on at the end of verses 21-22 and says all of this is done “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

Can I just take a moment and pray for our time in the Word? 

Lord, we come before You and pause to remember that You are the risen Lord and risen Christ.  We pause to remember that You went to the cross to die for our sins.   Lord, I pray that as we pause and reflect on this that we would remember You are the most important thing.  Christ you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Lord, I pray that You would remind us of the truth that You reign forevermore.  We are so thankful for this truth.  To You be the glory from this study.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.

Let’s center our study under the heading “The Great Debate: Who is the Greatest?”

Many of you have no doubt heard of and possibly followed the Miami Heat basketball team which has been on quite a winning streak this year.  They’ve won 27 games in a row up until last Wednesday when they entered the United Center and our Chicago Bulls put an end to that streak.  As they were approaching the record of 33 wins, their team—led by perennial all-star LeBron James—had started to get a swagger.  There was this sense that they were a team of dynasty, a team of great destiny.  Last year they secured their first NBA championship and because they had been so dominating this last year, many have wondered if LeBron James is possibly the greatest basketball player to have ever played the game. 

Well that subject matter came up on ESPN Radio when I was driving to a meeting.  The great thing about talk radio—especially sports talk radio—is they can talk for hours about something that has absolutely no real focus or value regarding things in this world.  What I mean is they talk a whole lot about nothing and you’re mesmerized by it.  That’s the talent of sports talk radio.

On this particular program, a nationwide panel of people asked, “Is LeBron greater than Michael Jordan?”  They said, “Well if we’re going to have this discussion then we need to understand how one calculates greatness?  We need to have the same criteria of what is great on the basketball court.”  As they discussed this, I think they came up with some good criteria: 

  • What was their talent as individual players? 
  • What did they bring to every game they played? 
  • What were some of the highlights they had? 
  • What were the triumphs they experienced? 
  • What was the competition they encountered?  
  • What were their abilities to make the players around them better?
  • What kind of hardware did they have—their trophies?

For a moment here I just want you to humor me and see how we determine who the greatest basketball player is.  So our two candidates are LeBron James and Michael Jordan.  Of course both in their own right are incredibly talented players, but let’s see how they stack up: Each of them has one championship ring.  They’ve each won the championship trophy.   You can add a MVP finals award for LaBron.

We’ve also got Kobe Bryant with three championships but he had Shaq so we’re just going to throw him out and focus on Michael and LeBron.

 Notice that the points and the stats of each of these players are very similar.  They all score around 20,000 points.  Some of them have more steals or more blocks than others, but because of their position and the teams they played on, they’re really close.  But here’s the thing I want you to notice: LeBron played 755 games.  Michael played almost 200 less games and he has the same statistics.  Michael wins the statistics game.  He is greater than LeBron.  There is no one on the basketball court who compares.  LeBron isn’t even close. 

So I’m going to do a quick survey this morning: how many think LeBron James is the greatest player?  How many think Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time?

 But let me tell you on Easter Sunday, none of this matters.  All of this is to prove a point.  These two basketball players were determining greatness.  What is Peter telling us in our text today?  That Jesus Christ is the greatest. That’s what I want you to walk away with this Easter Sunday.  If someone says, “What did the preacher talk about this morning?” you can look him in the eye and say, “Jesus is the greatest.  He always has been, He always will be and that is why I live for Him.” 

So Peter tells us Jesus is the greatest.  Borrowing some criteria from my friends at ESPN, we’re going to look at His:

  • Talents
  • Triumphs
  • Trophies 

1.   Jesus is the Greatest because of His Talents

So the first thing I want you to see is that Peter tells us Jesus is the greatest because of His talent.  I want you to turn in your Bibles to Acts 2:22-24.  Now Peter is an eye witness of Jesus Christ and has answered the question Who is the greatest.  Now I want you to know something as you’re turning to the book of Acts: each of us is going to ask this question at some point in our lives and the answer for many of us is, “I am the greatest.  As I look at my life, I do a pretty good job.” 

Now you say, “Tim, I’m not so bold and vain to think that I’m the greatest.”  Well then let me ask this question: where do you turn when life starts throwing you curve balls?  Where do you go when trouble comes your way?  The answer is going to determine who the greatest is in your life because as you face these struggles, you hope that whomever you’re turning to will be able to address your problems.  Some of you turn to yourself, your pocket book, your job and the things you’ve amassed.  My hope and prayer is that for the first time today you’ll stop and say, “I’m not the greatest—Christ is.”  Let’s see what Peter says.

After walking with Jesus, Peter stands up before thousands of people on what is called The Day of Pentecost.  Fifty days after Christ died, was buried and rose from the grave, Peter is going to announce to thousands in the streets of Jerusalem that Jesus is the greatest.  There is something incredibly important to understand here:  50 days before this, Peter was running away from a little slave girl because he could not say that Jesus was Who Jesus claimed to be.  He focused on what he wanted to do; he focused on what was going to save him from all kinds of mockery.  Something transpired in Peter’s life and now he can stand before thousands in the streets of Jerusalem.  Why?  Because Peter had seen Jesus at His greatest.  He had seen Jesus rise from the dead. 

So here is what he says in Acts 2:22: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…”  Peter stands and announces to the people of Jerusalem, “I want to tell you about Jesus Christ the man.”  Peter says Jesus is a man from Nazareth, little insignificant Nazareth.  We would ask why in the world would Peter make such a fuss about this Jesus Who lived 2,000 years ago?  What in the world did He do that would make Him the greatest?

The answer is He was a Man Who was attested by God.  That word attested (apodeiknymi) literally means accredited.  It means is He was approved by God.  Peter says, “I want you to know that the God of the universe puts His stamp of approval on the life and work of Jesus Christ.”  When God is asked the question, “Who is the greatest?” God looks to His Son and says, “It is Jesus Christ.  He is the greatest.” 

But notice it isn’t just that he approves Christ as the God-man, but he also approves Christ in His ministry.  He says that He was attested—He was accredited and He was approved by God.  How did God do this?  He did it through Jesus allowing mighty works, wonders and signs to be done through Him. 

Peter says to that first century crowd, “I was there!  In fact many of you were there.  You had seen Jesus and you had heard Him teach.  He taught words that brought life and hope.  You saw when we were hungry, Jesus took five loaves and two fishes and fed 5,000 people.  You saw when the lame and the blind came; when those with demon possession came and Jesus made them whole again.  You remember!  We saw it with our own eyes.  What God was doing was proving that Jesus Christ is the greatest through His incredible ministry.  And who can forget in a city called Bethany not too far from here, Jesus would call out to a grave and He would say, ‘Lazarus come forth!’  And that guy who had been dead for days walks out alive again.”

Peter says, “People of Israel, Jesus is the greatest,” but notice it goes beyond that.  It wasn’t that this man was just a great man Who died a very bad death; Who had done some great things as a Humanitarian and Teacher, but then found Himself falling apart at the end.  No brothers and sisters.  Notice what he says in Acts 2:23-24: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” 

The reason Peter says to the people in Jerusalem that Jesus is the greatest is because He is the One Who is risen from the dead.  You see we’re all going to die and we’re not going to be able to rise from the grave.  But because of Jesus’ power the grave couldn’t hold Him.  He rose to live again as the spotless Lamb Who saved us from our sins

You see had there been no resurrection, Jesus would have no doubt gone down as a hall of famer.  He would have been known as a great Teacher or a great Prophet.  But we, like so many other religions of the world, would be remembering a dead leader.  Brothers and sisters, the difference between Christianity and every other religion is we don’t believe in a dead leader, we believe in a risen Savior.

So back in 1 Peter 3:22, notice what he says: this resurrected Jesus “has gone to heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to him.”  So we’ve looked at Who Jesus Christ is and we see He was a man Who taught great things; that God attested to Him, accredited Him as the Son of God, allowed Him to do great and marvelous things here on earth.  He went to the tomb and yet He came out walking on that third day.

 2.   Jesus is the Greatest because of His Triumphs

Notice the triumphs that make Jesus the greatest.  Peter announces three truths we need to understand.  

The Place He Resides

First, we need to see the place where Jesus now resides.   Peter says He has gone into Heaven.  Let’s stop there for a moment.  This Christ Who was raised from the grave, spent 40 days walking and talking, eating and teaching the disciples; He served them, He appeared to 500 believers at one time.  This wasn’t some secret.  This was something that was being announced in Jerusalem: Christ had been raised from the dead!

After these 40 days, according to Acts 1, Peter and the disciples were taken to a high place where Jesus ascends into Heaven.  Two men clothed in splendor and glory announced to the disciples that this Jesus, Whom they’ve crucified, Who went to the tomb, has now gone up and is residing in glory with a resurrected body.  He is the great deposit guaranteeing that one day you and I who are made alive in Christ will spend eternity with Him. 

The Position He Received

What is He doing now in Heaven?  Since His ascension we see not only the place where He resides but we see the position that He received.  Notice in Acts 2:22 Peter tells us He has gone into Heaven and is at the right hand of God.  Now you may think, “Okay, He is at the right hand of God and so God has made Him His Sidekick.  I mean Michael Jordan had Scotty Pippen.  Batman of course had Robin.  And Tonto (who can forget?), he was the sidekick of the Lone Ranger.  So Jesus must be God’s Sidekick.

If you think that then you don’t understand first century culture.  In the first century there were two places of prominence at every gathering, especially at banquets.  The host of the gathering would sit at the head of the table because he was an important figure.  In fact, he was the one who had paid for the food, provided the place for the party to take place, and he was the one who made sure everything was in order so the guests could enjoy themselves. 

When the meal was set and it was time to sit down, the host could honor someone, asking them to sit at his right hand, declaring to everyone, “This is my honored guest.”   In first century Greek and Roman cultures that meant that the guest of honor was equal to the host.  He was to be praised as the host was praised.  He was to be the one whom the other guests were talking about, admiring his goodness and honor. 

When Peter tells us Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, he is saying that God is telling you and me, “Listen up people at Village Bible Church on Easter 2013, this Jesus Who was crucified, dead and buried, Who rose from the grave, now is ascended into glory and He is sitting at My right hand.  I want you to know that because He is sitting at My right hand He is equal to me, He is as praiseworthy as I am and you are to speak of His honor as you enjoy the benefits of what I have given you.”  We need to understand God puts His seal of approval on Jesus Christ. 

The Powers He Rules

So we see the place where He resides, the position He received and now notice the powers that He rules. The reason Jesus Christ is the greatest because the competition can’t stand with Him.  There is nobody who has any authority over Him.  Peter says, “Notice that now He is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities and powers being subjected to Him.”  Peter is saying, “Nobody you can think of in the seen and unseen world is greater than Christ.  No one is better than Christ.  No matter how much money you have amassed in your bank account, the amount of great works you’ve done, the accolades you get from your school or work—none of that matters.  Whether you’re the President of the United States or the king of this world, no one stands in comparison to Jesus Christ.”

Also in the unseen world: no demons, no angels, no authorities or powers, not even the devil himself can touch the greatness of Jesus Christ.  He resides in Heaven, He sits at the right hand of the Father and He reigns supreme over all things.

Now let me stop there and ask you this question: do you see Jesus Christ that way?  Don’t look at the person sitting next to you.  Don’t wonder what they’re thinking.  I’m asking you, “Do you see Jesus this way?” 

Let me tell you something, when you look at Jesus this way it will change the way you live.  If Jesus is Who He says He is, if Jesus is as great as Peter says He is, then we’re going to put all our hope, all our trust, all our allegiance on Christ.  It’s going to change the way we live in such a dramatic way.  So let me ask you again, do you see Jesus as the greatest? 

There’s a day coming when you’re going to be asked a question regarding this.  You’re going to stand in glory and the issue that is going to either consign you to a place of torment called Hell, or to a place of eternal blessings called Heaven, will be how you viewed Jesus in this life.  Was He the greatest? 

Let me tell you something, on that day of judgment the Bible says every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:10-12).  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is the greatest, that He is the name above all names.  But when you kneel at that moment, if that’s the first time you’re articulating the greatness of God, it will be too late.  So what you need to do, what each one of us needs to do, is bow the knee to Jesus.  He is the greatest.  He is the risen King of kings.  He is the risen Lord of lords.  If He is the greatest and He is God, then that means I’m not so great and I’m not God.  What that means is I need to bow my knees to Him.

3.   Jesus is the Greatest because of His Trophies 

So what does He give when we do believe in Him?  Notice the trophies of His greatness and grace.  Numerous times throughout the book of 1 Peter, he shares the phrase, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (3:21).  Every time he says “through Jesus Christ,” I think Peter is announcing another piece of hardware—if you will—for Jesus.  What do I mean by that?  Because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, He is deserving of trophies.  I see two trophies He gives us and one He keeps for Himself.

We see in our day and age that when a championship game has just concluded those athletes call their family down from the stands—“Come and celebrate with me!”  You’ll see the stars of the winning team surrounded by their wives and children.   You’ll see their children on their shoulders as they’re being interviewed.  He is just enjoying the wonderful privilege of being a champion with his family.  Christ also, by dying on the cross and rising from the grave, received trophies and He wants to share them with us. 

Hope for the Hopeless

The first trophy He wants to give is seen in 1 Peter 1:3.  The first trophy He gives as a result of His resurrection is hope for the hopeless.  In verse three of chapter one, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope [How?  How can we have hope?  Peter says] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 

The reason we rejoice, the reason Easter should be the greatest celebration of the church, is we who had no hope, who had no answer, who had no ability to have a bright and glorious future ahead of us because of our sin and because of our hopeless nature being enemies of God, Christ gave us hope by dying on the cross for us.  He took care of our sin debt and then in one fell swoop because of His resurrection from the grave allowed us to have the hope for tomorrow.  

Because he lives
I can face tomorrow
Because he lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because he lives

(Because He Lives by Bill & Gloria Gather)

So you and I can have hope for tomorrow!  We can have hope over trials.  We can have hope over tribulations.  We can have hope over our broken hearts.  Why can we have hope?  Because Jesus Christ took care of our biggest problem.  The Bible says, “O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).  It was swallowed up in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We have been born into a living hope.

Help to the Helpless

He also gives help to the helpless.  We can’t have hope unless we’re holy.  We can’t have holiness unless Christ makes us holy.  In 1 Peter 1:21, “Who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”  Well how did He do that?  First Peter 2:4-5 says,

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 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.

We talked about this last week.  Simply put, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, Jesus says, “I included your sins in My sacrifice on the cross and thus you are made white as snow.  Because of that now you have access to God.  You have the opportunity to be brought to God, not as a sinner who needs to be dealt with through judgment, but now you’ve been brought to Christ, holy and righteous, to enjoy the privileges of being part of the family of God.”

Honor for the Only Headliner

 Because you see Christ now, do you see yourself as hopeless in your sin?  Helpless in your sin?  What are you to do?  What you need to do is honor Christ as the only Headliner.  That means Christ must become preeminent in your life.  You need to see Jesus as the greatest because if you don’t see Christ as the greatest then someone or something else will fill that void in your life.  What you need to do is make a decision.  Honestly say to God, “I’m a sinner in need of salvation.  I can’t get salvation on my own.  I can’t be approved by You unless by faith I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior, the spotless Lamb Who was slain as the sacrifice on my behalf.  I allow Him to be the greatest thing in my life because He truly is and I’m going to believe it by faith.” 

When you do that, 1 Peter 4:11 says, “…in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Easter is the exclamation point that Jesus Christ is the greatest.  The saddest thing that can happen is for you to leave this place and never bow your heart and life to the greatest there will ever be.  Because apart from Jesus there is no salvation.  Give your life to Christ. Don’t leave this place without once and for all agreeing with our God in Heaven and Peter in this book that Jesus Christ is the King of kings.  He is the risen Lord of lords. 

Let’s pray.

Lord, I pray that You would speak to Your people and that a supernatural work would be going on in every heart.  Lord, I pray for those who have followed Jesus for a long time, that we would not grow cold, we would not grow timid, we would not grow feeble in our life’s calling to prove and announce to the world that You are truly the greatest there has ever been and that we have put our faith and trust in You.

Lord, I pray for those who are cynical or who have lots of questions.  Lord, I pray that You would speak and show Yourself as the greatest.  May they see You high and lifted up with every angel, dominion and authority placed under Your feet.  May they recognize that they too need to be placed under Your feet so that You will be their Lord.  I pray they won’t leave without having a full assurance of this truth in their lives. 

Lord, we’re so thankful for the cross.  On this great and glorious Easter morning, we are so thankful for the risen Lord and the empty tomb.  It is the hope for our every need.  Lord, I pray that we would be open and willing to share that Jesus Christ is the greatest.  To Him be all the glory, honor and praise.  We love You Jesus and we’re thankful for the life You’ve given us.  Now let us live in light of this truth.  In Christ’s name we pray and all God’s people said: Amen. 

God bless you all!  Have a great Easter!  We hope to see you real soon.