These last four weeks we’ve been on a journey together. It’s been a personal journey. We’ve been following a roadmap. A roadmap of discovering Jesus, and allowing him to purge and remove sinful habits, attitudes, thinking and living from our lives. Not because he’s mean that because he knows what’s best for us.
Today I want to talk to you about about getting “woke.” Woke is one of the new vocabulary items in America. To be woke means that you suddenly see things the way somebody tells you they are. Everybody is getting woke these days….Today get woke to Jesus and get a new mental map of life.
Let me start with an example of getting woke…
Oral Leonard Hershiser IV. That is the kind of name that will strike fear into you is in it? Sounds like a chess player or some kid on the high school tennis team wearing a V-neck sweater. Oral Leonard Hershiser IV. Sounds like a bookworm or something. Oral Leonard Hershiser IV.
But Oral Leonard Hershiser IV played sports. He was blessed with a great arm and he became a pitcher. Eventually he made it to the major leagues. In 1984 Oral Leonard Hershiser IV entire mental map was changed and what he called “the sermon on the mound.”
Tommy Lasorda was the famous Dodgers coach and he knew that this kid had all the goods. But there he was on the mound fearful of these hitters that he was in awe of. He would go out and pitch and nibble around the corners and try to fool the batter and it wasn’t working. But Tommy Lasorda knew that this guy had the kind of stuff that he could go right after these batters and get them out. So during a game in 1984 Lasorda strolled out to the mound and he told Oral Leonard Hershiser IV that he had what it took to get these guys out and that he was going to give them a brand-new name and he called him “bulldog.” “You’re a bulldog and whenever you hear me say your name bulldog I want you to go after these guys.”
He was no longer Orel, he was now a bulldog. It changed his entire mental map about how he was to play the game And it changed his entire career and it was a Hall of Fame career. He got “woke.” He saw it!
All my life I’ve heard stories like this. The story of a teacher who slips a note to an ostracized student saying, “you’re beautiful.” She keeps the note for life.
The SS teacher who take boys aside and tells them they will be great ministers for God.
And suddenly someone’s whole mental map is changed.
Has this ever happened to you?
As a young man at the age of 18 I remember how my whole mental map was changed and I got woke. At that time it was all about girls, making money, having fun but secretly I was on a quest to know for sure if Jesus was for real. I determined that if Jesus is for real that changes everything. But if he is not for real, why bother with religion at all? And then in one night my question was answered and it literally changed the course of my life, my mental map took me in a completely different direction.
My roadmap begin to look more like this…
That Jesus was my leader, the Bible was my playbook, the church is my team, the lost are the mission, serving, grace and love would mark my character and walking toward the mess is what I would do.
I wonder, has this happened to you? Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus that literally changed everything, the entire mental roadmap of your life?
I would really like to talk to you today about your mental map - where you see your life going, where Jesus fits into all of this; getting woke to Jesus.
Jesus is about to ask some questions and create an entirely new mental map for his disciples, especially Peter.
Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
This is the question that asks, “what is the rest of the world saying about me? What is the mental map that they’re trying to download do you?
The answers suggest that the world didn’t know what to do with Jesus. They didn’t know what to think about Jesus. They didn’t know how he fit in. Was he just a great teacher? Was he a resurrected prophet? Was he there with a message?
They knew he was important but weren’t sure what to do about him.
Things haven’t changed much have they?
I know that we live in a world where there are a thousand voices speaking at you every day trying to shape you,
trying to define you,
trying to tell you what is beautiful,
trying to capture your mind politically,
telling you who you should follow,
who you should not follow,
how to raise your kids,
how to spend your money,
how to think,
who you should vote for…
And on top of that are all the opinions of people, your parents, professors, teachers, friends about Jesus and religion who are all still confused about Jesus.
Maybe the main message of the world about Jesus is that Jesus was someone, but he wasn’t everyone. He was something, but he’s not everything. He’s a historical figure, but don’t go overboard and follow him.
But now Jesus gets to the heart of the matter…
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Have you ever heard of D –T –R? Some of you will recognize what these letters stand for. How many of you know what the letters DTR stand for?
For a young man in a relationship, these letters strike fear in their hearts. They dread the DTR talk. It makes single men so uncomfortable they will only use the initials DTR. The objective is to postpone, run away, and put off DTR for as long as possible. In fact many men are so afraid of the DTR, they will terminate the relationship when they sense the DTR talk is imminent. Now do you want to guess what DTR stands for? D.T.R. stands for Define the Relationship.
D.T.R. Is the official talk that takes place at some point in a romantic relationship to determine the level of commitment. You define the relationship and decide where things stand – is it casual, or is it committed? Men especially hate "the talk." It takes a lot of courage to work up to asking someone out on a date. It takes more courage to break up. It takes more courage to say "I like you." And even more courage to say "I love you."
But there comes a point when it’s important to Define the Relationship and you see if things have moved passed infatuation or admiration and moving towards deeper devotion and commitment.
And how you feel about the DTR talk is determined by how committed you are to the relationship. If the relationship is one of convenience that you want to be just a casual weekend thing – then you will feel uncomfortable. You will feel anxious. You may want to run.
Even when you're married you have to have the DTR talk! I hate those talks!!
So… Who do you say Jesus is? DTR. How you answer this will change everything.
- Is he a friend with benefits?
- Is he a 911 number?
- A casual acquaintance that you connect with from time to time?
- Are you a fan of Jesus but not a follower?
- Maybe you’re in the category of “Christian atheist.” You know the right answers about who Jesus is but you really have no intention of ever doing anything he says unless it’s convenient.
Peter jumps up and responds to the question…
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter just blurted out. He defined it.
You might say that Peter is “woke” to Jesus.
Peter is woke.
He’s never seen anybody like Jesus.
He’s never heard anybody like Jesus.
He’s never been around anybody like Jesus.
He has seen Jesus bring heaven to earth.
He has seen Jesus open the storehouses of knowledge.
He has seen Jesus open the gateways of grace.
He is experienced the fullness of forgiveness because of Jesus.
He has watched Jesus heal, deliver, rescue, lift, restore, all with a measure of grace and love never seen before.
Whenever Jesus walks in he is the highest authority in the greatest power in the room.
Peter has seen the lost, found.
He has seen the 5000 fed.
He has seen the storms calmed.
He has seen false religion rebuked.
He has seen the reviled revived.
He has seen the sinking saved.
Peter is woke. “You are him. You are the son of God. You are the Christ. You are not just a teacher, you are not just a new voice, you are not just an option, but you are the one that everyone’s been waiting for.”
This is the defining moment of Peter’s life.
This changes everything.
“I’m attaching my life to you!”
There are many people who think that becoming a Christian is as simple as getting the right answer on the test; “who is Jesus? – He’s the one who died for my sin. – Great, you’re in!”
You may be one of those people. If I were to say to you, “who is Jesus” you could come up with the right answer.
Jesus is not trying to create people who can profess the right things about him.
Jesus doesn’t need you to give the right answer, he doesn’t need your profession, what he wants is your surrender.
The defining moment in your life is when your woke to Jesus and you surrender to him. By the way…others were “woke” to Jesus but never did surrender. It happens.
You see…
- You have a will for your life and God has a will for your life – which will you surrender to?
- You have a direction for your life and God has a direction for your life – which will you surrender to?
- You have desires in your life and God has desires for your life – which will you surrender to?
- You have your plans and God has his plans – which will you surrender to?
- You have how you want to walk through life and God has how he wants you to walk through life – which will you surrender to?
- You have your plans for money and God has his plans for money – which will you surrender to?
- You have your thoughts about relationships and God has his directives about relationships – which will you surrender to?
This is Peter’s “aha” moment. This changes everything. Peter surrenders.
Jesus will now be his leader,
the Bible will be his playbook,
the church will be his team,
the lost will be the mission,
serving, grace and love will be his character,
and walking toward the mess is what he will do.
He has a new mental map.
You see… Woke people are surrendered people.
Woke people are obedient people.
Woke people are Jesus freaks.
Woke people have not abandoned the church.
Woke people say, “here I am Lord, use me.”
When you are woke…
Jesus will be your leader,
the Bible will be your playbook,
the church will be your team,
the lost will be the mission,
grace love and serving will mark your character
and walking toward the mess to fix what is broken will be what you do.
Can I just say that you can’t really hide what you believe about Jesus? For the most part I already know your answer to the question “who do you say I am?” Here’s a little reality check;
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
What you really believe comes out in your actions. Nobody is faked out by what we say when they see what we do.
Many want heaven later…but don’t want to follow now.
Many want His grace…but don’t want to be bothered with obedience.
Many want blessings but will not bleed for Jesus.
Many want to receive but will never give.
I mean do you think that we don’t notice?
So remember the story of Orel Hershiser? Now Jesus is about to give Peter a new identity…
17 And Jesus answered him, “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.”
Peter now had a new mental map. He’s blessed!
Peter not only woke to Jesus but he woke to a whole new life. Jesus calls him Rocky - “you are Peter… Which means rock.”
And then he gives him the keys! Like the keys to the car. He doesn’t give the keys to a mouth professer but not a heart possessor.
And Peter is about to play an important role in just about every event that will take place in the establishing of God’s church in the book of acts.
When you are woke…
Jesus will be your leader,
the Bible will be your playbook,
the church will be your team,
the lost will be the mission,
grace love and serving will mark your character
and walking toward the mess to fix what is broken will be what you do.
Let me finish with this story.
There was a famous engineering school and was time for the final exam. The first student walks in and the teacher says, “you are on a train in a cubicle that is 20 ft.², with a window that is 3 feet wide by 2 feet high, and the train is going 25 miles an hour. Suddenly your cubicle begins to get hot. What would you do?”
The student answers, “I would open the window.”
The teacher responds, “with all of those conditions that I’ve mentioned, the size of the room the speed of the train in the opening of the window, how long would it take for the room to cool off?”
The student slumps over and has no idea. He leaves the exam room. On the way out another student is asking him about the exam. He relays the information to the next student who then enters a room.
The professor gives the exact same scenario; a 25 mile an hour train, 3 x 2 window, and a 20 square-foot room and it’s getting hot… What would you do?
The student says, I would take off my coat.
The teacher says, it’s getting even hotter now.
Student… I would take off my shirt
teacher… It’s getting intensely hot now.
Student… I would take off my trousers but there’s no way in the world I’m opening that window.
There are some of you here today who have resisted opening the window to Jesus.
There are so many things written in the Bible that should be part of our mental map of life and get woke to. Let me just give you a few…
Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
Philippians 4:19
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 4:14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Eph. 1:19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead…
Acts 2:23 With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life…
