2 Peter 1:1-11 (NKJV)
1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
Before Simon gets to the meat of what he wants to say in this letter he tells them who he is… First of all he is Simon Peter… that same Simon who was a fisherman before Jesus called him into ministry. That same Simon who was a fiery tempered, quick to speak and slow to listen, free willed man, before meeting Jesus.
There were probably many words that could have described Simon before Jesus called him. But after meeting Him Simon can only think of two words to describe himself… I am a bondservant and I’m an apostle.
Bondservant – simply means… slave, to have a master. His free will had been subdued and he was now somebody who accepted being ruled by somebody else. He no longer made his decisions on his own, he asked the Master first. He no longer tried to solve his problems on his own, he asked the Master first. He no longer had his own agenda, his Master made the agenda. He didn’t wake up in the morning and decide his course of action for the day, the first thing he would do is get on his knees and go to the Master because he knew that the Master had already planned the day out for him. Simon knew that his life wasn’t about himself any longer but it was about the Master’s plan. And he had found out that the Master’s plan was much better than his own plans. He used to make his own decisions but they always turned out wrong. He used to travel down his own road but it turned out being a dead end. One day he found himself disgusted and empty handed, a slave to his own devices. And on this particular morning, after he’d been doing his own thing the whole night before with no success… he looked out on the seashore from his empty fishing boat, and he heard a man calling out to him… “follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men.” From that day forward, he began to learn how to let go of his will and submit to the will of his new Master… Jesus.
It hadn’t been an easy journey, but it had been a successful one. It hadn’t been everything he wanted but it turned out being everything that he needed. You see, because he made Jesus Master, everything just seemed to fall right in to place. The impossible situations turned into possible ones, but only after obeying the Master. On one particular day after Jesus had spoken to a crowd of about five thousand men, they became hungry and Jesus wanted to feed them. The disciples, Simon included, said… Lord, there’s no way possible. All we have is five loaves and two small fishes. But the Master spoke and when the Master speaks, the servants listen. He said… start handing out what you’ve got. And because they had made Him the Master of their lives, they had no choice but to do what He said. It looked silly and it looked like an impossible request. But servants don’t question the Master, they just obey. You see, servants understand that it’s not their responsibility to figure out why, it’s their responsibility to obey. It’s not their duty to analyze and try and look for an easier solution, their responsibility is to obey. You see Simon the servant remembered the day that Jesus the Master told them go to the other side of the lake while He waited there on land. I can imagine he thought it was a strange request because the Master was never that far from them. But because he was the servant he obeyed. As the night wore on he remembered seeing the lightning flash in the distance and hearing the thunder get louder and louder. He remembered the boat when the waves began crashing against it and the water started rising up in it. He may have been one of those who cried out… “We’re going to drown in this storm.” But the moment they began crying out, the servant looked out into the distance and saw the Master walking on the water. And when the servant saw the Master, he knew that everything was going to be alright. Now you might say… if Jesus knows everything, why didn’t He tell them they were going to run into a storm? Why did He allow them to almost drown? I believe it was because He was forming them into something greater than they could have ever imagined being and preparing them to do greater things than they ever thought they could do. Yes, He knew about the storm but He didn’t want to tell them about it. If He had told them about it they would have never left the shore. If they would’ve never left the shore they would’ve never found themselves in the middle of the storm. And if they hadn’t of found themselves in the middle of the storm, they would have never seen Him walking on the water. And if they had never seen Him walking on the water they would have never understood that all things are subject to Him and nothing goes on without Him knowing about it. And without that understanding they would have never been able to face the persecutions that came their way. They would have failed the mission. But from that day forward, every trial that Simon faced, he could see the Master walking on top of it. Every difficult situation that came his way, he could see the Master walking on top of it. There was never another question of who the servant was and who the Master was.
From then on it was … lead me Lord, I will follow. Lead me Lord, I’ll obey.
Hear me this morning, until you understand that He walks on the stormy seas of your life you’ll continue trying to bail out a sinking boat. You’ll wear yourself out mentally and you’ll wear yourself out physically. What you need to do is stop trying to bail it out yourself. Look for the Master because He’s there. Listen to what He tells you, because He will speak and then move on what He says because it will work. He’s the Master, you’re the servant. There’s someone here this morning that’s been wondering why Jesus told you to go the direction you’ve been going. You feel like you’ve been left alone and nothing’s gone right since you were obedient to His call. You’ve been questioning if you’ve even heard the voice of God. But God says this message is a confirmation to you. Be encouraged. Don’t give up. He’s on top of the matter. Keep yourself in the position of servant and allow Him to be the Master. Let God be God.
Apostle¬¬ -- a delegate (representative); specially an ambassador of the Gospel… an ambassador is one which has been given authority from the country it represents to speak and act on that countries behalf.
Simon was saying, yes I’m a slave and yes I’m under authority, but I’m also a slave with authority.
Acts 3:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: (Then he began to speak like an ambassador) In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. "
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
Simon stood there with authority because he had learned obedience. He had to learn how to listen and follow God’s Word. And when he did, God used him mightily. We cannot become ambassadors until we first become slaves.
Hear me this morning, there a lot of people with unanswered prayers because they have refused to bow down every area of their life.
1 John 3:22 (NKJV)
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
Young people please hear me this morning because your eternal destiny depends on it… there is a right way and there is a wrong way. There is a difference between children of God and the children of this world. You cannot live any old way that you choose to live. If you are going to be a Christian then you must learn who Jesus is and what He taught. Don’t let some friend tell you how to live. Don’t allow some boyfriend or girlfriend to tell you how to live. Don’t let some college professor who is lifted up in their own pride to tell you how to live. Get in the Word of God yourself and find out what’s wrong and what’s right. Because there is a life that is pleasing to God. And when a person finds themselves living that life, it is joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Simon is a representation of the kind of people that God is looking for in these days. Someone who has learned to be a slave so that they can work as an ambassador. So that God can move through them.
