Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.

To fully understand this week’s lesson from the Gospel we need to go back to last week’s lesson. In Matthew chapter sixteen we heard that Jesus has entered the region of Caesarea Phillipi and He asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and He gets a host of speculations, “Some say, John the Baptist; others say Elijah, or one of the prophets.” Jesus goes on to ask, “but who do you say that I am?”

What kind of answers might Jesus get if He asked around here down on the Pearl Street Mall, or on Arapahoe near the Buddhist University or at CU? What kind of answers might He get from some of our neighbors and even family members?… prophet, teacher, holy man… charlatan.

Now as Christians gathered in this place we love Peter’s answer. We are cheering, not loudly mind you because we are Lutherans… “Who do you say that I am?” “Go, Peter! Go, Peter!” If Peter doesn’t say it I’m sure a number of you could finish it for him. Who do you say this Jesus is? … Peter answers with the famous confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” You are the Promised One, The Messiah, God in Flesh appearing…I wonder if Peter thought Jesus maybe didn’t look the part. Maybe, He should have looked a little more like Charlton Hesston, would have a baritone voice more like James Earl Jones, and have the commanding presence of a John Wayne. The scripture tell us “there was nothing in His appearance to draw us to Him.” (Is. 53:2)

Peter’s words of confession bring us to today’s Gospel. From that time on, Jesus began to explain ongoingly to the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. This part amazes me; Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell Him how things ought to be. Do you remember last weeks’ lesson from Roman’s, Who has ever known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Obviously, Peter has. Peter took the Living God aside and began to rebuke Him, began to tell Him, Never, Lord! This shall never happen to You!

Peter rebuked Jesus. Here’s someone who has offered counsel to God. But don’t be so amazed or surprised at that because in our sinfulness we’ve done it, too. Be honest how many of you (1)have offered your advice to God? How many of us (2)have prayed with the answer we want -the answer we’ll accept - already in mind? How many of us (3)have questioned even angrily what He is up to? “What were you thinking, God?” How many of us at one time or another (4)have cried out to Him, “Why Me?” or “why now?”

In our sinful humanness rather than conform to what God reveals to us, we conform to the thinking of the world. Like Peter time and time again we fail to fully comprehend who this Jesus is. The revelation that He is the Living and Eternal God, the One who has a plan to save us and to see us safely through this life. Oh, it may sound good in here Sunday but, often it does not impact how we live our lives Monday to Saturday. “Yeah, yeah, Jesus is for me but I’ve got to go to work, to the doctor, or to school. What do Jesus and His plan have to do with my everyday life?” St. Paul shouts to us not to be like that! Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but sadly in our sinfulness conforming is what we often do best.

It is good we have One who did not conform to the thinking and desires of this world. That one is Jesus. He failed to conform to the ways of world for us!

Satan tempted a very weary and hungry Jesus who been through forty days of hard times in the desert. “Be like the rest of mankind. Come on, Jesus, it is obvious that the Father has forgotten you, why else would He let you suffer so? Give it up. Give in. Stop trusting Him. Take matters into your hands and turn these stones into bread.” And Jesus refused to conform, to go along. With resolve He said, Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt 4.4) He shared that Word with us that we too might know that God does not abandoned us even when we find ourselves in the desert of hard times. He will see us through.

Jesus did not conform when the crowds of people He had miraculously fed followed after Him wanting to make Him an earthly king, “the king of free lunch”. He said, Truly, Truly, you are looking for Me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils but food that lasts unto eternal life which the son of Man will give you. (John 6.26,27) At the cross He did the work that earned us life and eternal life.

Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him, telling Him the way of the cross is foolishness. We too rebuke Jesus by declaring, “Wouldn’t or couldn’t or shouldn’t these good works and good intentions of ours be enough to curry Your favor and at the least earn us heaven?” Jesus said to all of us Peters, Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of man. Jesus knew that the only good work that could and would merit God’s favor and save sinful mankind- save you and me- was His death on the cross in our stead.

Jesus did not conform to the thinking of this world, but went to the cross to earn for us the forgiveness of our sins. Truly, truly I say to you, He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed.(Is 53.4-5)

Time and time again, Jesus did not give into a jeering and unbelieving world. He was taunted to give up and turn back from this mission to save us, but He did not. He was mocked and jeered to come down from the cross, but He did not. He refused to conform to worldly ways and sinful thinking. All this He did not for Himself; no, at “a moments notice” He could have snapped His fingers and had at His disposal ten legions of angels. With just a nod, He could have returned to heaven. Instead, He stayed on the cross; with a mournful sigh, His head dropped and He gave up His life to save you, me, and the rest of mankind. Truly, His ways were not our ways.

His lack of conformity didn’t stop there. Where we die and that would be it, He rose again. He arose promising eternal life to all who would believe all that He accomplished by His life, His death, and His resurrection. Because He lives, we will live! All the benefits of a life lived so differently from ours He gives to us by His Word and through His Sacraments. Forgiveness, life, and salvation come to us in baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and by hearing of His Word. Be conformed by the message of God’s mercy and grace. Allow it to transform you.

As His transformed followers, as His adopted children, as the heirs of heaven we are called to live lives that no longer conform to the patterns of this world. Allow me to paraphrase from chapters 4 &5 of Ephesians in response to what “no longer conforming” looks like. Put off your former way of life. Stop doing that stuff that world does. If you are getting something without paying for it, pay for it. If you can help others, then do it. Stop taking part in unwholesome talk and course joking. Don’t engage in gossiping and backbiting, use your words to build up. Don’t allow others to interpret your silence as approval for their sins. Stop being a storehouse for anger, resentment, and unforgiveness. Flee sexual immorality and even the temptation that comes from many of the shows we watch, the books we read and the music we listen to. Use those ten commandments and those explanations we all learned in catechism as a guide on how to no longer conform, but that our lives may be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, (Rms 12.2) and when we fall short of being that living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God let us confess our sins, turn from them and begin anew..

All around us, people need us to no longer conform to the thinking and ways of this world. They need us to live out our faith in the forgiveness, grace and mercy of Christ. They need us to no longer conform to worldly thinking. They need us to hold up the cross before them. Amen