THE 3 FIRES OF PETER’S PERFECTING
Lk. 22:54-62
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A social worker from Dallas recently transferred to the mountains of Arkansas and was on the first day of her new territory when she came upon the tiniest cabin she had ever seen in her life.
2. Intrigued, she went up and knocked on the door. “Anybody home?” she asked. “Yep” came a kid’s voice through the door.
3. “Is your father there?” asked the social worker. “Pa? Nope, he left afore Ma came in.” “Well is your mother there?” she persisted. “Ma? No, she left just before I got here” said the kid.
4. “But” protested the social worker, “Aren’t you ever together as a family?”
5. “Sure, but not in here” said the kid through the door. “This is the outhouse!” (Government workers are so smart!)
B. PETER: A CHRISTIAN HEAVY WEIGHT
A MAN MIGHTILY USED OF GOD
1. EXAMPLES:
a. Preached & 3,000 Saved – Acts 2:41
b. His shadow would heal the sick – Acts 5:15
2. BUT PETER HAD NOT ALWAYS BEEN SO USEFUL TO GOD
Before, he had been a doubter.
, One who would curse and swear,
, & even deny he knew the Lord Jesus.
3. WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THIS TRANSFORMATION IN PETER’S LIFE?
4. GOD SENT 3 FIRES INTO PETER’S LIFE. We all know the power of fire. FIRE HAS POWER TO:
a. To purify or consume
b. To forge or develop (manufacturing)
c. To Empower (electricity – from coal, natural gas, & nuclear).
5. In 51 days, Peter visited 3 fires that were to transform his life & make him the man God wanted him to be. God wants us to visit those 3 fires too!
6. So let’s read about the “3 Fires of Peter’s Perfecting.”
I. FIRST: THE FIRE OF “PURGING”
A. TEXT
“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Lk. 22:54-62
B. DEVOTION TESTED
1. Peter had been in ministry with the Lord Jesus for 3 years. He probably thought he knew it all – that he had arrived.
2. But it had been easy to serve the Lord in those days – because Jesus was popular. But the situation all changed with the arrest of the Master,
3. As Peter stood and warmed himself (Jn. 18:18) at the fire of the enemies of Christ, he found, possibly for the first time, that it was unpopular to be a Christian.
4. What would Peter do? Would he stand up for Jesus and boldly declare his allegiance? Or would he cower and deny Him?
5. Sadly, Peter wavered, cratered to peer pressure, and denied he even knew the Lord. (Don’t get down on Peter; in the same situation we might have done worse).
6. But for Peter, it exposed his true nature and character – his pride, selfishness, and fear.
7. Peter was forced to evaluate which he loved more – Christ or the world. Many of you have not faced that decision – but you will. You can’t straddle the fence. 1 Jn. 2:15, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” You must choose one or the other.
C. PURGING OF THE OLD LIFE
1. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:34-36
2. You can’t hold onto the world and also hold onto eternal life. Choose which one you want more.
3. Before this fire, Peter was trying to hold onto both this world & God’s kingdom. After this fire, he let go of this world. It caused the death of the old Peter and the beginning of the new Peter. Has that happened to you?
II. SECOND: FIRE OF OBEDIENCE
A. OBEDIENCE IS THE REAL PROOF OF LOVE
1. This fire is the sequel to the fire of purging. Here Jesus questions Peter 3 times, which corresponds to Peter’s 3 denials.
2. “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.’” [SAID 3X] John 21:15-17.
3. Church, if you love Jesus, I want you to say so. It’s easy to “I love You,” but the proof is – “Are you obeying Christ?”
4. Jesus said, “If you love Me you will obey what I command” Jn. 14:15. “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching” Jn. 14:23.
5. IT’S AMAZING THAT ALL CREATED THINGS OBEY CHRIST:
a. Sun, moon, and stars obey Him.
b. When here, the winds & waves obeyed Him.
c. The angels & demons do.
d. The animals obey Him.
e. The only created things that don’t obey Him is us!
B. A POSITIVE CALL
1. The Lord Jesus doesn’t just want us to quit sinning, He has a work for each of us to do. Will we obey?
2. Jesus told Peter, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Jn. 21:18-19.
3. “When you were young (immature) you did what you wanted; but when you are old (& mature in Christ) you’ll learn to do My bidding, even to suffer for My Name!”
4. The fire of Obedience is resignation to do the will of God with your life. Have you been to that fire yet?
III. THIRD: FIRE OF EMPOWERING
A. TEXT
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4.
B. IDENTITY OF THE 3RD FIRE
1. Jesus told Peter, “Go into all the world & preach the Gospel to every creature.” The added, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but [stay] in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” Lk. 24:49.
2. Listen; Peter had been to 2 fires, but the Lord had a 3rd fire he had to visit; the Fire of Holy Ghost Empowering.
3. It’s good to be purged from the world. It’s good to be dedicated to the work of the Gospel. But there’s something more: you need to be filled with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, which is evidenced by speaking with other tongues.
C. BENEFITS OF THIS EMPOWERING
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL:
1. HELPS YOU LIVE ABOVE A LIFE OF SIN.
a. It will make you one of the “sanctified ones.” Get full of the Holy Spirit and you won’t want to sin!
b. The Holy Spirit will put strength in your soul, it’ll grease your wheels, put wind in your sails, and conviction in your spirit!
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS YOU PRAY WITH A NEW LANGUAGE.
a. “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” Rom. 8:26.
b. “They spoke as the Spirit gave the utterance.” Acts 2:4. All of the apostles and the early Church spoke in tongues. St. Augustine, 4 centuries later, said they still expected new converts to speak in tongues when hands were laid on them. 1 Cor. 12 & 14 are devoted to this teaching. The purpose was to help us witness (Acts 1:8); we haven’t finished that job yet! We still need the Spirit.
3. HE’LL GIVE YOU MORE POWER
a. In Acts 8 when Philip preached at Samaria, great signs of revival occurred. “For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city” Acts 8:7-8. Multitudes believed on Christ & were baptized (vs. 12).
b. For most today, that would have been thought to be the end product of revival, but not the early church;
c. “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)” Acts 8:14-16.
d. Healings, demonic deliverance, salvations & water baptisms weren’t thought to make revival complete: they needed an enduing of power through the Holy Spirit.
e. “Pastor, I think I have enough of the Holy Spirit.” Well, it doesn’t matter what you think, but what God thinks. God knows that if you are ever persecuted, you WILL need all of His Spirit you can get!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Billy Graham was once asked to comment on a church discipline decision. A church member was caught drinking wine.
2. Billy was asked if he thought the infraction merited the man being expelled from church membership.
3. Billy said, “Are all of you filled with God’s Spirit?” The leaders all looked at him with a puzzled expression. He continued.
4. “The same scripture which says, ‘Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess’ also continues and says, ‘But be filled with the Spirit!’” (Eph. 5:18)
5. Just fulfilling half of that Scripture isn’t enough. You need to be currently & continuously being filled with the Spirit or you’re not being obedient!
B. THE CALL
1. Have you been to the Fire of Purging? Surrendered your love for the world to gain Christ?
2. Have you been to the Fire of Obedience? Have you died out to your old life and wishes, and live only to fulfill the will of Christ for your life?
3. Have you been to the Fire of Empowering? Have you sought and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the signs following?
4. Let’s come and pray and let God apply these three fires to our lives and make us the men and women He wants us to be.
