Peter and the Porsche
Matthew 5:48; Ephesians 2:8-9
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Harry G. Winsheimer
October 19, 2008

Before an especially violent or sexually explicit program on TV, a warning is printed on the screen.  I need to warn you who love old Porsche automobiles that the story that I am about to relate may be traumatic.  Do we have any lovers of, or collectors of, old Porsches?  Ushers: note these people.  Should any of them be overcome by the story, please phone 911.

This may sound like fiction but it actually happened to a man in California [or so I read].  He owned a 1961 Porsche which, if you know anything about automobiles, is a “collector’s item” – not only because of the Porsche name but also because of its age (old Porsches appreciate, rather than depreciate).  The man had his old Porsche restored at a cost of about $4000 [This was several years.  Prices would be much higher today.]: new paint, rebuilt engine, restored appointment throughout.  It took seven months because parts had to come from Germany, and some even had to be re-tooled.  When the great day came with word from the garage that his ’61 Porsche was finished, the man decided to pick it up at lunch time, drive it home, and from there to the office to show his colleagues his beautiful restored car.  But as he was backing out of his driveway, his neighbor across the street was backing out of his driveway with his El Cortez motor home.  They met in the middle of the street with a horrible sound of crunching metal.  He called the tow truck to take the car back to the garage….  Three thousand dollars and four more months of waiting.

When he retrieved the car the second time he was more cautious.  He resisted the temptation to take the car on an overnight trip he and his wife had planned.  Instead, they took the family station wagon and left the Porsche safely in the driveway.  While they were gone, their daughter’s boyfriend came over, saw the restored car, and wanted to inspect it.  He lifted the front hood, which in a Porsche is a luggage compartment which also houses the battery, spare tire, and, in this case, some tire chains.  He thoughtlessly placed the chains on the battery, which caused a short, which heated up the chains, which were lying across the tire.  When the parents returned the next day, they saw smoke coming out of the front end of the Porsche.  The man ran over, lifted the hood, thus allowing oxygen to ignite the smoldering fire, which then burst into flames and ruined the front end of the car.  He called the tow truck to get it back to the garage.

He got the car back the third time and was driving along the freeway when the hood, which had been removed to be repaired and repainted, and had been improperly hinged when remounted, flew open, demolishing the windshield, and went sailing over the top of the car onto the freeway.  This time he did not call the tow truck; he simply drove it to the garage.

Shortly after getting it out of the garage for the fourth time, the man drove the Porsche home and noticed that his daughter’s friend had his Volkswagen van parked in the driveway.  He pulled in behind, stopped, and was getting out to tell the boy that he was blocking his way when the boy put it into reverse and backed into the front end of the Porsche.   Pulpit Digest, Vol. 16, No. 1, p. 9.

Do you ever feel that you just can’t do anything right?  All of us have some days like that.  But, some of us feel that way every day.

Years ago, a wife talked with me about her husband.  Even though his mother was deceased and his father was very feeble, he still tried to please his parents.  In her opinion, all his life he had tried to win their approval.  Never could!  He tried and tried and tried, but they always found something wrong.  His father still did.  He received no affirmation, got no message of being unconditionally loved.

Some of us grew up in such authoritarian homes with much intimidation.  If we brought home a “B” when our parents expected an “A,” we were labeled failures.  We may have had a church and preacher who stressed the quote of Jesus, Be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.  Matthew 5:48  Parents, preachers and Bible imprinted the message in our brains: “You must be right!  You must do right!  You must be perfect!”

With persuasive mental tapes of such messages, Christians may feel manipulated and secretly ache to yell, “I can’t!!”  Don’t lay that on me, I cannot live up to it!”  For such Christians, the perfection expectation is like wearing an emotional overcoat made of lead.  It feels heavy – very, very heavy.  They secretly question where the joy of the Christian life is, that joy which Christians are supposed to experience as a “fruit of the Spirit”.  Galatians 5:22

All this is soil to grow a lush crop of guilt.

Further, we may fear that God rejects us.  As father put us down so sharply that we felt rejected and unworthy when we brought home the “B” instead of the “A”, we assume that God does the same.  We transfer the feelings to the Heavenly Father.

Let us take a look at Matthew 5:48 where Jesus says, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Just before this, Matthew reports that Jesus has given his ethics, his values, and they are not what his listeners expected.  He taught: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [Those who collect taxes for Rome and line their own pockets, do not even they love those who love them?]  Don’t the [non-believing] Gentiles do the same?  That is what everyone does.  I am teaching you to do what God does.  And, what does God do?  …he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  People tend to treat people as they are treated.  God treats people according to God’s personality, values and motives.  Therefore, perfection means treating people out of godly values that we have internalized, instead of reacting in kind to the treatment we receive.  Perfection means treating people with Christian love, just as God does.  That is the Godly way.  See Colossians 3:14; I John 4:19-21

Are you thinking, “Preacher, you have to be kidding!  Jesus can’t really mean that I am to treat people as God does.  If that is what Jesus expects, there is no hope for me!  Because I can’t do it – not all the time!”

Before you resign, consider Simon Peter.

When Andrew introduced his brother Simon to Jesus, an amused Jesus exclaimed, So, you are Simon the son of John? like we might say, Oh, you’re the man with the Porsche?

Immediately Jesus told him, Your name is Simon son of John  (They did not use family names as we do.  They used a given name, plus “son of”, e.g., I would be “Harry, son of Glenn.”) but from now on we will call you Peter (which means a rock).  A rock!

One day, Jesus told Peter and the other disciples to take a boat across the Sea of Galilee while Jesus went up a hill to pray.  [Gettysburg has its ghost stories.  This is the ghost story of the Bible.] Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came walking on the water to the disciples.  He terrified them.  I would be, too.  It’s a ghost! they screamed.  Jesus said to them, Courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.

Peter (this is just like Peter) thought, “I want to do that, too.  That looks neat.”  He called to Jesus, Order me to come out on the water to you.  Come, answered Jesus.  So Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus.  Then, he noticed the strong wind, and became afraid.  He probably thought, “What am I doing out here?  I could drown.” 

Splash!  Peter sank like a rock, living up to his name.  Jesus reached out and grabbed him.  Matthew 14:22-32  Peter took his eye off Jesus. He looked at the threats of his environment.  Therefore, he sank!  Whether you take this to be a historical report or a theological story, the truth is the same: If you want to live a strong Christian life, keep your eye on Jesus!  You never will be perfect as is God, but if you want to move toward god-likeness – that perfection of loving of which Jesus spoke – you must keep your eye on Jesus.  That is an absolute must!

Peter did not, and the Rock sank.  It seems that he never could get it right.  Maybe you identify with him. 

When Jesus was on trial, Peter hung around.  He cared enough to hang close.  But, when accused of being a disciple, he lost it.  He swore that he did not know Jesus.  Again he failed!

This is the model Christian?  This is the rock chosen to lead the church?  He is to inspire us?  Where is the perfection?  Why did he not do everything right?  How could Jesus chose such an incompetent?  Yet…

Peter would have the courage to stand on the steps of the Temple of Jerusalem shortly after the resurrection of Jesus and shout, …you killed [Jesus] by letting sinful men crucify him.  But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power…  All the people…are to know for sure that this Jesus whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!   Acts 2:22-24  What a stirring speech, and to the very people who had killed Jesus!  What courage!

Peter learned and then he would forget.  He would do something right and then blow it.  Of course!  Why would you expect otherwise?  He was a sinner!  We never become perfect – it is illogical to think that we can be – only God is perfect.  If we become perfect, we would be God.  But, did God abandon Peter?  Did God call him worthless?  Did God stop loving him?  Did God stop working in him?  Did God stop working him?  No!  God loved Peter!  God guided Peter!  God worked through Peter!  God was repeatedly gracious to Peter.  In spite of his failures and weak theology, Peter was super-achiever, the rock.  He accepted unearned love and kept his eye on Jesus.  In spite of his sin and because of accepting God’s grace in Jesus, he accomplished more than you or I can dream of achieving.

Salvation by achieving perfection sets us up for failure and the sense of heaviness about following Jesus, who said that his burden for us is light.  Then from where does salvation come?  From where does the lightness come?  What motivates the Christian?

Of course, trying to live as Christians, trying to please God is a motivation.  Perfection is the dream goal.  But, how invigorating to be motivated by God’s grace in Jesus Christ! 

How energizing to realize that our salvation is a gift.  It is a gift given to us in the person of Jesus the Christ.  Jesus Christ was perfect.  Only he.  God, out of love and mercy has laid on him our imperfections, has attributed his perfection to atone for our shortcomings.  At the core of salvation are these truths: a)God loves us because that is who God is and what God does.  God loves.  b)Those who grasp the truth and the power of God’s love in Jesus the Christ are motivated by gratitude and love.  Out of appreciation for God’s love, the heart is warmed and filled with love.  Because of realizing God’s grace, we become more God-like.  From the full heart flows the desire to please God and pass on God’s love in our relationships, work and volunteer efforts.

The heart is converted.  The converted heart does not need to strive obsessively to obey.  That feels heavy.  The converted heart wants to obey.  That feels light.  It feels good.

If you feel that you just can’t do anything right, if you are feeling weighed down by your failures and the impossibility of pleasing God, do not just try harder!  That will just increase the sense of burden.  Focus upon Jesus.  Look at Jesus.  Reflect upon why God became incarnate in him.  Mediate upon the incredible love of God personified in, demonstrated in, Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Invite God to reshape you inside.  Much good external behavior will flow forth.  God works that way!

Already God loves you.  Already God is working in you!  Keep your eye on Jesus.  Let God improve you.  It will be so good!

Return to the Sermons Menu