Introduction:
A. We begin today’s sermon and sermon series with a poem written by Myra Brooks Welch in 1921.
1. I was first introduced to this poem by Avon Malone, a professor at Harding University, and preacher at the Highway Church of Christ, where I worked part-time as a youth minister while I was a student at Harding.
2. Avon Malone was a gifted orator who was a master of alliteration.
3. This poem was one he had memorized and often quoted in his sermons.
4. After graduation from Harding, Avon invited me to his office and gave me a framed copy of this poem, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” The poem goes like this…
‘Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks”, he cried, “Who will start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar, Do I hear two?” “Two dollars, who’ll make it three?”
“Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; going for three -” But, No,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin, And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet, As sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer, With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bidden for this old violin?” And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? “Two thousand? And who’ll make it three?"
“Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice; And going, and gone!” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We do not quite understand,
What changed its’ worth? Swift came the reply. “The Touch of the Masters Hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune, And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd, Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine; A game - and he travels on.
He’s going, once; he’s going, twice; He’s going, and “almost gone.”
But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought,
By the Touch of the Master’s Hand.
B. All of us are like that battered, old violin.
1. Without the “Touch of the Master’s Hand” we would have little value or ability.
2. But in the master’s hand, we can be used to make beautiful music.
C. Nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in the life of a man called Peter.
1. With today’s sermon, we begin a sermon series on the life of the apostle Peter.
2. No character in the New Testament comes before us in living color, with all of his virtues and faults, as that of Peter.
3. In many respects, Peter was the strongest and the weakest of the twelve.
4. Throughout the centuries, so many followers of Christ have been able to identify with Peter’s faith and hope, as well as his doubts and failures.
5. And so, for this reason, the life and writings of a man called Peter are a great resource for encouragement and development for all who want to be disciples of Jesus.
D. So, just who is this man called Peter?
1. Where did he come from and how did he become a disciple of Jesus?
2. And then, how did he become a leading apostle of Jesus and His church?
3. I hope to answer these and many other questions about Peter as we journey through this sermon series.
4. But for today, I want us to explore Peter’s background and his first encounter with Jesus that is recorded in Scripture.
I. Peter’s Background
A. The Bible doesn’t offer us a lot of biographical data on Peter, but there are a number of things we can piece together to give us a general description.
B. First of all, Peter grew up in Bethsaida.
1. Bethsaida was a town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee.
2. Its’ name in Hebrew/Aramaic means “house of hunting” or “house of fishing.”
3. The small town was founded in the 1st century B.C. and abandoned in 65 A.D.
4. Bethsaida sat on the major trade route from Egypt to Damascus and beyond.
C. Peter had most likely received a synagogue education.
1. There in the synagogue he would have learned the OT stories as well as learned to read, write, and do some math.
2. He likely knew some conversational Greek, but Aramaic was his native language.
D. Peter was a fisherman by trade.
1. Andrew, his brother, and James and John the sons of Zebedee, were his business partners.
2. They likely made an adequate living by selling the catch every morning in the marketplace of Capernaum, a small Jewish community on the west-central part of Galilee.
3. He must have had a dark complexion from his long hours working in the sun and he must have been strong from the work of pulling in the heavy nets laden with fish.
E. Scripture informs us that Peter had a wife and a mother-in-law.
1. But there is no mention of his parents or that he had any children.
2. It is estimated that Peter was near the same age as Jesus, in his early or mid-thirties at the time of his call to discipleship.
F. That is about as complete as a background about Peter that we can piece together.
II. Peter’s First Encounter with Jesus
A. Now let’s turn our attention to Peter’s first encounter with Jesus.
1. I have been using the name of Peter to refer to this apostle, because that is the name we are most familiar with using for him, but Peter was not his given name.
2. This apostle’s given name was Simon.
3. It was actually during Simon’s first encounter with Jesus that a name change occurred.
B. As you know, the Jewish people living in Palestine, in the first century, were under Roman occupation.
1. For hundreds of years, the Jewish people had been awaiting the coming of their Messiah.
2. They interpreted the OT prophesies about the Messiah to mean that a conquering hero would come and free them from Roman occupation.
3. So when John the Baptizer appeared in the Jordan River wilderness preaching the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” it caused quite a stir.
4. When the crowds went into the wilderness to see this prophet, they were surprised by such a strange figure, gaunt and leathery, a product of desert solitude.
5. Multitudes of people went to John the Baptizer and were baptized in the Jordon, and among the multitude that went was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
6. The Bible doesn’t tell us this, but it is very likely that Peter, James and John had also gone to see John the Baptizer and had also been baptized by him.
C. Here is what we know happened after Andrew had become a follower of John the Baptizer.
1. The Bible says: 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (John 1:35-42)
2. Before we move on to the main things I want us to learn from this passage, I want to point out the wonderful ministry of Andrew – He is always busy bringing people to Jesus.
a. Here we see that he brought Peter to Jesus.
b. In the 6th chapter of John, he brought the little boy with the lunch to Jesus and a miraculous feeding resulted.
c. Then in the 12th chapter of John, there were some Greeks who were saying, “We would like to see Jesus,” and who do you think took them to meet Jesus? Yup, it was Andrew.
d. One of the greatest and most important privileges that all of us have is the privilege of bringing people to Jesus.
e. Our job is to introduce them to Jesus and then let Jesus do the rest.
D. Now let’s turn our attention to verse 42 and see what we learn from Peter’s first encounter with Jesus.
1. Verse 42 says: He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
2. There are three important truths that we learn from this encounter.
E. First, we learn that Jesus knows who you are.
1. Jesus called him by name – Simon. Jesus knew the name given to him by his parents.
2. Jesus also knew Simon’s background – Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John…”
a. So Jesus knew Simon’s name and his family background.
3. But that is not all the Jesus knew about Simon.
a. Surely Jesus knew of his character, and his skills.
b. Jesus knew of his victories and defeats.
c. Jesus knew of his hopes and his hurts.
4. And just as Jesus knew Simon, he knows you and me.
a. In addition to our names, Jesus knows all about our families, our experiences – both good and bad, our hopes and our dreams and our needs.
5. So, the first thing that Jesus established in His encounter with Simon was this: Simon, I know who you are. But that’s not the most important thing Jesus wanted to establish.
F. Second, we learn that Jesus knows who you can become.
1. Jesus said to Simon, “You shall be called Cephas.”
a. Cephas is the Aramaic word equivalent for the Greek word Petros (Peter in English) which means rock.
2. As you will remember, in the Bible, God frequently renamed people whenever He established a new relationship with them, gave them a new assignment or a promise.
a. God gave Abram (high father) the name Abraham (father of a multitude).
b. God gave Sarai (my princess) the name Sarah (mother of nations).
c. God gave Jacob (deceiver, trickster) the name Israel (May God prevail).
3. And so, Jesus gave Simon (God has heard) the name Peter (rock).
a. By calling Peter the rock, Jesus was suggesting that Peter would become strong and permanent – rock solid, unmovable.
b. A rock certainly didn’t describe the kind of man that Peter was when he was first called as a disciple, but it was the kind of man he grew to become.
c. Peter might have laughed about this to himself like Gideon did when the angel addressed him as the mighty warrior.
d. Peter might have thought, “Jesus must not realize how fickle I am, how I am often hot with impulse and cold as the snows of Lebanon.”
e. Jesus certainly knew these things about Peter, but Jesus also knew something else, which leads to the last thing we learn from Peter’s first encounter with Jesus.
G. Third, we learn that Jesus has the power to make a difference.
1. Jesus knows who we are, and Jesus knows who we can become, because Jesus knows what He can do in our lives if we allow Him to work in us and through us.
2. The chorus of the old hymn is right:
His pow’r can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.
H. I believe that Jesus wants to rename every single one of us, just like He renamed Peter.
1. It begins with us admitting to Him and to ourselves who we really are, and then piece by piece He can begin to change us into who He wants us to become.
2. The transformation process is one that we must dedicate ourselves to and with God’s help it can happen, but it usually doesn’t happen over night.
3. But as I said a minute ago, the transformation process begins by honestly assessing who we presently are – what our lives are characterized by – and therefore what is our name?
I. So what is your name?
1. Perhaps your name is “Anxiety” or “Fear.”
a. Anxiety can come from many places and circumstances.
b. But in the end, we have to acknowledge that God doesn’t want us to be characterized by or controlled by anxiety.
c. One of the best antidotes for anxiety is trust in God.
d. When we learn to trust in God and walk in faith, then God gives us a new name – God wants to change your name to “Peace” or “Courage.”
2. For others of us, our name might be “Addicted.”
a. As you know, we can be addicted to all kinds of things from alcohol and drugs (illegal, prescription, over the counter), to pornography and relationships, and to food and purchasing.
b. These addictions spring from us trying to fill our lives with feelings of well-being, in order to escape our unhappiness or pain, but they end up making us slaves.
c. God wants to change our name from “Addicted” to “Freed” and “Whole”.
3. To those whose name is “Rejected,” God wants to give the name “Beloved,” or “Accepted.”
a. To those whose name is “Bitter,” God wants to give the name “Healed” or “Released.”
b. To those whose name is “Guilty,” or “Shameful,” God wants to give the name “Forgiven,” or “Cleansed.”
c. To those whose name is “Adrift” or “Meaningless,” God wants to give the name “Missional” or “Purposeful.”
J. Jesus can do it if we let Him.
1. Jesus knows who we are. He knows who we can become. And He has the power to do it.
2. He wants to give us a new name.
3. Peter’s transformation began with a new name, but as we will see, his transformation continued with the ongoing touch of the master’s hand.
4. Peter walked with Jesus and listened to Jesus’ teachings, and then allowed the Holy Spirit to work in him making him into the rock as Jesus had prophesied over his life.
Conclusion:
A. I want to conclude today’s sermon with the true and amazing transformation story of Clyde Thompson.
1. Clyde’s father was a Bible salesman, but when he was old enough to stay home alone, he began refusing to go to church with the rest of the family.
a. Most Sundays, while his family was in church, Clyde was hunting.
b. One Sunday afternoon in 1929, when he was 17 years old, he met some men in the woods, and for some reason Clyde killed the men.
2. Clyde was convicted of those murders and so at the age of 17, he was the youngest man in Texas history to be sentenced to death in the electric chair.
a. Two years later, he became the youngest man on death row at Huntsville Penitentiary.
3. As the date of his execution neared, Clyde listened to a radio preacher and asked for the man to come to the prison and baptize him.
a. The preacher came and Clyde was baptized.
4. Legal complications kept him from being executed.
a. Unfortunately, things began to go very badly for him and he was worked so hard at the prison work farm that he lost his faith.
b. He began trying to escape and a number of prisoners were killed while trying to escape with Clyde.
c. Clyde was shot through the shoulder in one of the attempts.
d. While on death row he got into a fight and killed two other prisoners, making a total of four people he had killed.
5. As the years passed, Clyde Thompson was tagged by his own prison mates as the meanest man in the State of Texas.
a. He developed such a terrible reputation inside death row that they put him in isolation.
b. Clyde was put in an old building that used to be the morgue.
c. A steel door was put in place and the only opening was about a foot square with bars.
d. There was no running water and no electricity.
e. Because this morgue sat between two very tall buildings inside the prison, daylight could only enter for six hours each day.
6. After being in the isolation for 2 or 3 months, Clyde asked a guard to bring him a Bible.
a. He knew they wouldn’t give him anything else to read, but he was bored.
b. He just wanted something to read.
c. He decided he would try to prove the Bible wasn’t from God because it was full of contradictions – at least that’s what he had heard.
d. But the more he studied it, the more he became convinced it was God’s Word.
7. He came to realize that Christianity was man’s only hope and he repented in tears on his knees day and night for months.
a. Clyde kept reading the Bible and asking God if He could forgive a wretch like him.
8. A change began to come over Clyde Thompson and the guards noticed it.
a. Later, he was released from the morgue building and returned to death row.
b. There, on death row, he taught and baptized eight other prisoners.
9. He made such an impression on prison administration that they finally released him from death row and let him go among the general population.
a. Clyde continued to study his Bible and took a two year Bible course from a college in TN.
b. He became the chaplain’s right-hand man, his assistant.
c. Finally, after more than 28 years in prison, at the age of 45, the State of Texas gave him life-time parole.
d. Once on the outside, Clyde went straight to the Lubbock County Jail, one of the largest county jails in Texas and he began a chaplaincy program there.
10. 22 years later, Clyde died of a heart attack, he was 67 years old.
a. It was Clyde Thompson who will go down in God’s record book as one of the greatest soul winners his generation had ever known.
b. It was Clyde Thompson, the meanest man in the State of Texas, who literally led hundreds of men, women, boys and girls out of the streets of alcoholism, out of the streets of drugs, and to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.
c. It was this man, Clyde Thompson, the meanest man in the State of Texas, who was transformed when he allowed the Word of God and the love of God to take hold of his life.
d. Clyde’s name was changed from “the prisoner of Texas,” to “the prisoner of Christ.”
e. He was no longer known as “the meanest man in Texas,” but was now known as “the most zealous man in Texas.”
B. God wants to do the same kind of transforming work in each of us and through each of us!
1. Will we let God do it?
2. Will we do our part, and allow God to do His part?
3. Clyde did, and so did Peter.
4. I hope and pray that all of us, myself included, will do the same.
5. Ultimately, transformation can only come from the touch of the Master’s hand.
a. Let’s allow God to wipe off the dust and tighten up our strings and play a beautiful melody with our lives.
6. God loves us and values us greatly, and that is in spite of who we have been, because He knows who we can become with the touch of the Master’s hand.
Resources:
The Life of Peter, F.B. Meyer, Edited by Lance Wubbels, Emerald Books, 1996
The Apostle Peter, James Houck, Xulon Press, 2009
The Apostle Peter, Jerry Haughton
“Renamed by Christ,” Sermon by Erwin Lutzer, www.moodychurch.org
