Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the third and the final message in our series called Lost & Found. In this series, we’ve been exploring some encounters that Jesus had with lost people.

It’s all based on Jesus’ mission statement. In Luke 19, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10, NIV)

This was the plan from the very beginning. From the moment Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, the mission was simple. Seek and save the lost. That’s why Jesus came. It’s why He died. It’s why He rose again. To seek and save the lost. To turn lost people into found people. And this series has been all about exploring how Jesus carries out this mission.

In the first week of the series, we talked about the encounter that Jesus had with a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders wanted to stone her to death, but Jesus rescued her. He gave her grace. He gave her truth. And He set her free.

Then last week we explored the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. Some people refer to her as the woman at the well. It was an encounter that was filled with legal, social, and religious pitfalls. Jesus broke a lot of rules to rescue this woman, but nothing was going to stand between Him and His mission. He came to save people like her.

Today as we wrap up this series, we’re going to shift gears pretty dramatically. Today we’re going to talk about an encounter between Jesus and Peter.

Now, in a series called Lost & Found, how in the world do we put the Peter in the lost category? He was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. But not only was he part of the 12…he was part of the inner three. Jesus had a core group within His 12 disciples. That inner circle consisted of three disciples…James, John, and Peter.

Peter had one of the most intimate relationships with Jesus that ever existed. But even Peter lost his way. Peter needed grace just as much as the adulterous woman. He needed forgiveness and restoration just as much as the woman at the well. And the source of that grace, that forgiveness, that restoration was Jesus. And He is still the only source of grace, forgiveness, and restoration today.

We’re going to start in Matthew 16 today. We’re going to look at one of pinnacles of Peter’s life. If his life was a sport, then this highlight would be part of SportsCenter’s top plays. This is as good as it gets.

Starting in verse 13, the Bible says, “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, NIV)

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do the people say that I am? What’s the word on the street about Me?”

And the disciples told Him some of the theories that people had about His identity. “Some people think that you are John the Baptist, come back to life. Some say you are Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

It’s obvious that Jesus had made a big splash with all His miracles and His teachings. People everywhere knew that Jesus was more than just a regular guy. He was something special. But their understanding was still incomplete. Jesus was so much more than a prophet. So He zeroes in on His own disciples.

“What about you? Who do you say I am? I know what all the people are saying about Me, but what I want to know is what do you think? Who do you think I am?”

And Peter doesn’t miss. Jesus gave him a fastball down the middle of the plate and Peter knocks it out of the park. He spoke for the entire group, which he often did. He said, “Jesus, you are more than a prophet. You are the Messiah. The Christ. The Son of the living God.”

And Jesus praises him for it. Starting in verse 17, the Bible says, “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, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:17-18, NIV)

Jesus gives Peter huge props for his understanding. He said that Peter was given this understanding by God. Peter is hearing and understanding the voice of God. And that is why Jesus calls him a rock. The word Peter literally translated means “rock.” Jesus told him, “Your name is Peter, the Rock. And upon this rock I’m going to build my church. You are going to be foundational in building my church. I’m going to use you in bigger ways that you’ve ever imagined.”

Peter has got to be flying high here. Jesus just gave him some of the highest praise of anyone in Scripture. He must really have his act together. Peter is front page news. Peter is thinking, “I’m kind of a big deal.”

But it doesn’t take long until the bloom is off the rose. In fact, it takes six verses. Just six verses.

Look at what happens next in Matthew 16. Starting in verse 21, “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, NIV)

Wow. That didn’t take long. In verse 16, Peter nailed it with his confession of Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Six verses later, he is rebuking Jesus. I’ll be honest…if you’re rebuking Jesus, you’re really messed up. Seriously, if you put yourself in the position to rebuke Jesus…if you think you’re the one to really tell Jesus what’s what…you need help. For real. You need serious help.

But that’s exactly where Peter is. Jesus is really starting to open up and share with His disciples about what’s coming. He’s telling them more clearly than He ever has before about His death at the hands of the religious leaders in Jerusalem.

That’s when Peter pulls Jesus aside and begins to lecture Him. It actually seems like Peter is yelling at Him.

Peter had just confessed that he believes that Jesus is the Messiah. The Son of God. But now, he takes it upon himself to tell Jesus, “You’re wrong! This will never happen to you.”

And Jesus responds in a way that shocks a lot of people. The people who think Jesus was kind of weak. Kind of meek and mild. A lot like Mr. Rogers or Captain Kangaroo. He pretty much destroys those stereotypes with his response.

He looks at Peter, the rock, the one who would be foundational in building His church, and He says, “Get behind me, Satan!”

Wow! Peter went from being the Rock to being called Satan in the span of a few verses.

What happened? What caused such a drastic change? Jesus tells us in His response 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.”

Peter took his eyes off Jesus and His divine mission. Instead, Peter started looking at what he expected from Jesus.

There was a great expectation that the Messiah would be a political leader. He would liberate the Jews from the Roman occupation. He would be a military leader who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel to its prior glory.

That becomes evident in Luke 24. After Jesus was crucified, He rose from the dead three days later. After His resurrection, He appeared to two of His followers who were walking on the road to Emmaus. But the Bible says that two men didn’t recognize Him.

Here’s how Luke describes the scene. Jesus comes alongside these two guys and, “He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:17-21a, NIV)

“We thought He was the One. The One who would redeem Israel. The One that would overthrow Rome. The One that would make everything right again in Israel. We thought He was the One…but He was killed. His death means that He wasn’t the One we’ve been looking for. He is not who we thought He was.”

That’s exactly where Peter was in Matthew 16. In verse 22, when Peter told Jesus, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” He was telling Jesus, “There is no way that can happen. You can’t die. If you die, then you’re not who I thought you were. If you die, then everything I believed about you…it’s all been wrong.”

Peter was trying to force Jesus to fit the mold of who he wanted Him to be. And Jesus responded by saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”

That’s exactly what Satan wants us to do. Come to Jesus with our own preconceived idea of who He is and what He should do. Believe in Jesus, worship Jesus, stick with Jesus, as long as Jesus does everything you want Him to do. As long as He never disappoints you.

The problem is that Jesus doesn’t operate that way. Jesus accomplishes His mission. Not our mission. Jesus is looking for followers, not advisers. He is looking for people to say, “Thy will be done,” not, “My will be done.”

But it gets really tough when Jesus doesn’t turn out to be what we thought He was.

Jesus, I thought You were the Healer. Why is this person that I love still sick?

Jesus, I thought You were the Answer. Why do I still have so many unanswered questions?

Jesus, I thought You would never leave me. Why do I feel so alone?

Jesus, I thought You accepted me as I am? Why do I feel rejected?

We can get on Peter’s case really easily. We can look at him and say, “Dude, how can you be so dense? Jesus is not going to conform to what you want Him to be. Get with the program, bro!”

It’s easy to jump on someone like Peter…until we realize how often we do the same thing. How often do you question Jesus…even rebuke Jesus…because He’s not who you expected Him to be?

In our Lost & Found series, we’ve got to talk about this side of being lost. It doesn’t just mean someone who is mired in sin. Who desperately needs salvation.

Even the people of God can lose their way. They can lose sight of Jesus and His mission. And in a very real way, they need to be found just as badly as anybody else.

And that has become one of the missions that God has given our church. We’ve always known that God has called us to reach lost people for Jesus. That’s the mission of every church. And we’re doing it, to the glory of God.

But over the past few years, it’s become obvious that God has another mission for us as well. It’s become obvious that God has strategically placed us and called us to reach dechurched people.

Yes, we’re called to reach unchurched people. People who don’t know Jesus. People who are far from God.

But God has given our church another very specific mission. Not just to reach unchurched people, but also to reach dechurched people. We’re not talking about actively pursuing people who are plugged in with another church. In the church world, people call this “sheep stealing.” That’s not what we’re talking about. If someone is plugged in, and serving, and growing in their current church, then we hope they stay there.

But when I use the term dechurched, here’s what I mean: People who have been burned by the church. People who have been disappointed by the church. People who have walked away from the church.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard comments like this. “We’ve been looking for a church for a long time, and we decided that this was our last stop. If this church didn’t work out, we were going to give up. But this church is what we’ve been looking for.”

Or, “I haven’t been to church in years. I had given up on the church. But this place is different.”

Or, “I’ve really strayed far from God. I didn’t think there was any hope for somebody like me, until I found this church.”

Or, “I never thought that a person like me could fit in with a church…until I found this church.”

I’m not making any of this up. We hear this kind of stuff all the time. God has given us a unique mission. Not just to reach the unchurched, but also to reach the dechurched.

There are a multitude of reasons why people walk away from the church. Maybe God disappointed them, like Peter. Maybe they were burned by something that happened in the church. Maybe they fell back into a sinful lifestyle. But whatever the reason, people are leaving the church at an alarming rate.

I did some research this week and found that only 15% of churches in America are growing. That means that 85% of American churches have either plateaued or are in decline. 7,000 churches close in America every year.

People in America are leaving the church at a rate that is really frightening. God has positioned us to be a second chance for them. These people matter to God. He still loves them. Jesus still died for them. And He has called us to reach them.

That’s why He has brought us to this point. We are in an incredibly exciting time in our church, but it’s also a time that requires us to make some bold moves. We have been called by God to reach unchurched people and dechurched people. To be a church of grace and restoration and second chances. And we’re doing it, to the glory of God.

But now the time has come for us to seek the next step that God has planned for us. We’ve accomplished so much for God’s Kingdom, but we can’t be content with where we are. We can’t become complacent. The mission is too urgent. There are too many people who still are not connected to Jesus. So we’ve been praying for God to reveal what’s next for our church.

What’s next is that God is saying, “Don’t get too comfortable where you are, because I’m going to move you.” What’s next is a big step of faith for our church. What’s next is seizing an opportunity to reach even more people for the gospel. What’s next is a relocation for our church.

We’ve been as creative as we can be with this building. This facility has been a blessing from God. We’ve got a few people here who were part of the move of God that built this building, and we’re so thankful for your commitment and your service. This building has served us well for a long time, but the plain fact is that we’re outgrowing the space that we have.

We can also be tough to find. I talked to a new family a few weeks ago who said, “We’ve lived here for a long time and never knew this church was here.” Those of us who have been part of this church for a long time probably don’t see it that way, but it is true. Our location can be a hindrance.

So what exactly is God calling us to do? Let me show you where God has been leading our thinking. It’s very possible that we are getting an indication of His direction for our church.

Have you seen this building? It sits less than two miles from where we are right now. This building was originally built as a pharmacy. It’s had various other tenants through the years. The last one was a mattress store.

But let me ask you a question…what if, instead of selling mattresses, this building was used to preach the gospel? What if instead of a pharmacy doling out medicine, this building was a tool to dispense the love and grace and healing of Jesus? What if this building became a church building?

This is an opportunity that we’re praying about because we’re serious about it. We believe God may be calling us to pull up stakes and move to a new location…and we believe this might just be the location.

Now, I’m using the word “might” on purpose. We don’t know anything for sure yet. We’re still early on in our discussions with the realtor. There are a lot of unanswered questions. For example, this would be a situation where we would lease this building. How would that work? We’ve got a lot of questions that have yet to be answered.

So why bring it up now when we seem to have so many questions? Because our leaders really want to be transparent and open with our church. This isn’t some kind of behind-closed-doors deal. We want to openly and honestly share with you that this is something that we’re praying about. And we really want you to pray about it, too.

But even though we’re still in preliminary research and discussions, this is not a new idea. Our leadership has had their eye on this building for well over a year. And it’s still sitting there vacant.

We don’t know if this is going to work out or not, but just stop for a minute and consider the possibilities. This building sits in the middle of one of the most heavily traveled areas in the county. I spent some time at this building this week, just praying for God to give us direction and wisdom and clarity. And I was struck by the number of cars that were driving past this place.

This building is also right across the street from the proposed location of a new Kroger Marketplace. That will increase this building’s visibility even more.

This building is surrounded by businesses. A BP gas station, AutoZone, KFC, Papa John’s, a nail salon, and a beer and tobacco shop. Wouldn’t it be absolutely amazing if, in the middle of that marketplace, there was a church?

We absolutely believe that if we could make this move, we would reach more people for God’s Kingdom. We would reach more unchurched people. We would reach more dechurched people. Heaven would be more crowded if we made this move. It’s not because we want a new building. It’s because we want to reach people, and this move would set us up to do jus that.

So we started asking questions. How do we pursue this? What do we need to do to discern if this is God’s will for us? What are the necessary steps that we need to take?

Like I said, we’re still early in this process. But as we got into the process of doing some research, we made some discoveries that we didn’t like. Things that we had to correct. We discovered some record-keeping errors between our church and the state of Ohio. We hired an attorney and those issues have been resolved.

We also discovered that our current bylaws did not meet the standard of Ohio state law. The state requires certain things to be included in our bylaws, and we were not in compliance. That is not acceptable for our church. We want to be above board in everything we do, so we gave our current bylaws to our attorney. After we received the attorney’s recommendations, we set out to put them in place.

The new document is going to be available today. After church, the elders will be over in the Connect area with copies of the new bylaws. Actually, they’re not even called bylaws in Ohio. The proper term is Code of Regulations. Yeah, we learned A LOT from our attorney. The elders will be in the Connect area today with copies of the new code of regulations. They will be there today, and for the next couple of weeks, to talk with you and answer any questions you have.

In an effort to make sure we are on solid legal footing, we will be voting to accept these new bylaws, or code of regulations, in two weeks at our annual congregational meeting. This meeting will be held during the worship service on Sunday, November 13. But if you think that sounds boring, we don’t do boring at ACC. This meeting is all about celebrating the victories that God has given us and looking toward an incredibly exciting future by the grace of God.

Part of this year’s meeting will be a vote to accept the new code of regulations. This document will put us on a much more solid legal footing, which is extremely important as we consider a potential relocation.

We also set out to make the document even more biblical. We have made some changes to the way that our leaders are selected. Instead of utilizing a congregational vote, we’re setting in a place a very rigorous nomination and interview process where qualified candidates will be appointed to leadership positions.

When you read the New Testament, there is a clear and consistent pattern of leadership appointments instead of congregational votes.

But our new Code of Regulations also puts new checks and balances in place. The congregational vote has been a check and balance on our leaders. In this new system, elders will be required to take a sabbatical every three years. Our elders have done what the Congress in our country will probably never do…place term limits on themselves.

Every elder’s term is limited to three years. And after the sabbatical, a thorough interview process will be done to determine if the candidate should serve another term. This is a huge check and balance for the eldership.

Also, according to state law, the trustees will keep record of the elders’ decisions. There is another check and balance that isn’t in place at the moment.

Now, I know I’ve thrown a ton of stuff at you in a very short amount of time. But let me say this. I trust our Leadership Team completely. These guys are not only competent, but they are godly and they are humble. There isn’t a man on this team that is interested in power or control. If you think this is a power grab, then ask yourself why these men put so many checks and balances on themselves. It’s because, like I said earlier, we want every single thing we do to be above board.

The new document we have has actually gone through two attorneys. But even more importantly, our leaders have prayed and prayed and prayed over this. There have been meetings and meetings and meetings, some stretching very late into the night. But we have arrived at a point where we have a document that is more biblical and more legal.

This document has been changed four times in the last ten years. We don’t want to keep going back and reworking it over and over again. God has given us this opportunity to craft a document that is legal and biblical. We wanted to use this as our opportunity to get it right, start to finish.

And let’s keep in mind why this whole process began. It began by asking the question, “God, what’s next?” That’s a dangerous question to ask. Don’t ask God, “What’s next?” if you want to remain comfortable and play it safe. Because “what’s next” for God always involves faith.

We’re serious about pursuing this facility. The questions are many. And it may not work out. This may not be where God is calling us, but we’re going to find out.

If this door opens for us, then we’ll give God the glory and we’ll celebrate as heaven gets more and more crowded.

If this door closes for us, then there is not a single person in this room that’s allowed to be disappointed or discouraged. Disappointment and discouragement are not allowed. When God opens a door, we thank Him for it. When God closes a door, we thank Him for it because it means that He’s got something even better in store for us in the future.

But here’s what it all comes down to. We have been given a vision and mission by God, and we’re going to carry it out. Heaven is real. Hell is hot. And our church is the difference maker for a whole lot of people. People we haven’t even met yet. We are a lifeline of hope for them. We are the church where they will meet Jesus. We are the church where they will connect with Him, now and for all eternity. When eternity hangs in the balance, no price is too high. No cost is too great.

And that’s what we have to keep in sight. The mission. That’s where Peter made his mistake.

Go back to Matthew 16 again. In verse 22, Peter told Jesus, “Never Lord! You can never die!”

And Jesus told him, “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.”

You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. You don’t have God’s mission in mind. You have your own agenda in mind.

That’s a deadly place to be. That’s the place where faith goes to die. When our agenda trumps God’s mission, we’re done. Satan wins. The Kingdom of God loses.

I realize that some of us might not be thrilled with the vision that I’ve been casting today. You’ve been here for a long time. Why go through all the hassle of moving? Why leave a place that has so many memories attached to it?

As I said, we’re incredibly grateful for the faithfulness of our past leaders. This facility wouldn’t even exist without their vision to reach more people with the gospel. This is just the next step in the process.

Let’s keep our eyes on God’s mission, not our own opinions or preferences. Yes, this is uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable for me, too. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this stuff. There’s a part of me that always longs to play it safe and keep things comfortable.

But in 2 Corinthians 5, the Bible reminds us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7. KJV)

The call of God is for us to walk by faith. To depend on Him. We don’t have all the answers, but He does. We don’t know how everything will work out, but He does.

When you boil it all down, here’s what we know. If we do what God has called us to do for the reason that God has called us to do it, we cannot fail.

In Job 42, after he experienced the glory and majesty and wrath of God, Job confessed to God, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, NIV)

If we do what God has called us to do for the reason God has called us to do it, we cannot fail. God never fails. His plans and purposes never fail. And if we are truly pursuing Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we cannot fail.

And that pumps me up! It excites me so much to know that our God is so big and so powerful and so majestic that He cannot fail. And He is fighting for us while we are being faithful to Him.

But there is the key. Are we being faithful to Him? Some of us, if we’re honest, would have to say, “No. I’m not being faithful to Him. I’m not being obedient to Him. I haven’t fully surrendered to Him. I’m still pursuing my agenda instead of God’s mission in my life.”

Jesus had some harsh words for Peter, and He’s got a harsh warning for us. If we are not faithful to Him, if we don’t surrender our lives in obedience to Him, the consequences will be huge. God’s wrath is real. God’s judgment is real. And apart from Christ, it will fall on us.

But there is an alternative. There is another option.

If you know the story of Peter, you know that it got even worse than we saw in Matthew 16. After Jesus was arrested, Peter denied that He even knew Jesus. Not once. Not twice. But three times, Peter denied that He even knew the One that had had previously claimed was the Messiah, the Son of God.

But Jesus did what Jesus does. He forgave. He healed. He restored Peter.

After His resurrection, Jesus was with His disciples. And in John 21, the Bible says, “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17, NIV)

How many times did Peter disown Jesus? Three times. How many times did Jesus ask Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times.

Every time Jesus said, “Do you love me?” Peter responded, “Yes, I love you.” And every time Peter said that He loved Jesus, Jesus responded by giving Peter a mission.

“Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep.”

Every time Peter confessed that he loved Jesus, Jesus reiterated Peter’s mission. Peter would be the rock that Jesus would use to build His church. In spite of Peter’s spectacular failures, Jesus restored Him and used Him in a powerful and incredible way.

That’s what Jesus does. It doesn’t matter how greatly we have failed Him in the past. He can cleanse us and restore us. He can renew His mission for us.

That’s why we offer an opportunity to respond every week. Yes, you have failed. Yes, you have sinned. Maybe you’ve never even known Christ. Maybe you did know Him, but then you walked away from Him.

Today can be the day of your restoration. Today can be the day of forgiveness and healing through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Maybe you’ve walked away from the church. Whatever the reason, you left the church. But now you’re here. Now you’re seeing that there is a place for you. There is a second chance for you to be part of God’s church. We’re ready to welcome you.

This is an incredible time for our church. But most importantly, this is an incredibly important time for you. If God is calling you to make a move, don’t ignore Him. Don’t put it off. Make the move today.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: dechurched people, grace, Jesus, Lost & Found, Matthew 16, Peter, second chances