Introduction:
A. There is a Peanuts cartoon that shows Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown and she says, “Guess what, Chuck? It was just the first day of school, and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.”
1. Charlie Brown responds, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?”
2. Peppermint Patty replies, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? Then you should have been a better influence on me.”
B. Today, I want to talk about the influence of our lives.
1. The lives of all of us exert an influence on others, whether we like it or not.
2. Someone has said, “You can be a blot or a blessing, but you can’t be a blank.”
3. In other words, our influence can be for good or for bad, but it can’t be neutral or non-existent.
4. Just like the balls in this picture of a model called “Newton’s Cradle,” the swinging balls have an influence or impact on each other, whether they intend to or not.
5. So it is with our lives, we can’t help but have an impact on others, and for that reason, we must be careful about the kind of influence we are exerting.
C. Today, we want to look at the life of Peter, and his impact on the early church.
1. In last week’s sermon, we saw a real change in Peter, he truly had become new and improved.
2. We learned that the difference in his life came about because of his faith in the resurrected Jesus and because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
3. As we move through today’s sermon, we are going to link together several episodes in Peter’s life.
4. Each of them might be worthy of a sermon that focused on them alone, but I think we can benefit from them as snapshots of the kind of influence that God wants to bring through all of us, not just through someone like Peter.
5. I’m going to group these four episodes from Peter’s life under two categories that show the range of influence we can exert.
I. The First Category: An Influential Life Includes Encouraging and Helping
A. A subtitle for this category could be “The Influence of Tender Love.”
1. Perhaps tender love aligns better with your personality, as it does mine.
2. But even if tender love doesn’t come easily or naturally to us, it is an important spiritual characteristic and ministry that we can develop through the help of the Holy Spirit.
B. Last week, we looked at the healing of the 40 year old man who had been crippled at birth who sat at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3 – that is also an episode in Peter’s life that falls into this category.
1. But this week, I want us to start at Acts 5:12-16, here we find a report that falls into this category of tender love – encouraging and helping.
2. The Bible says: 12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. (Acts 5:12-16)
3. Here we see a catalog of signs and wonders the apostles were doing, including healing and casting out unclean or evil spirits.
4. But the thing that jumps out to me is the power of Peter’s shadow.
a. Can you imagine just walking past sick people on the sidewalk and them being healed because your shadow touched them?
b. How is that for power, impact and influence?
c. As we discuss influence, let’s allow Peter’s shadow to stand for the extent and impact of our lives.
d. What kind of shadow are we casting?
C. Let’s turn to Acts 9 and see a couple of other episodes where Peter’s influence is seen in encouraging and helping.
1. The Bible says: 32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:32-42)
2. From these two brief episodes, we see the kind of positive influence Peter had to minister to people.
a. What great power from God Peter displayed in healing the paralytic and in raising Dorcas from the dead.
b. And it appears that Peter was happy to do what he could to bless others.
c. We also need to understand that the purpose of the miraculous signs were to lead people to the Lord, to confirm that what the apostles taught about salvation was true.
d. Many were saved as the result of the healings that Peter performed.
D. Sometimes I wish I had the power to miraculously heal people today, like Peter and the apostles had, but in many respects the spiritual riches we can offer people today are far better than money or physical healing.
1. An important lesson that hits me is that God does not expect us to give to people something that we ourselves do not have.
a. Peter said the paralyzed man in Acts 3, “I have no silver or gold…” and he wasn’t expected to give what he didn’t have.
b. But Peter was expected to give what he had, and what he had was the power to speak the word and a crippled man could walk and a dead woman could be brought back to life.
2. The question we must ask ourselves is: what have I received from God that I can give to encourage and help others?
a. Freely I have received and freely I must give.
3. Perhaps you or I have received a listening ear – there are multitudes of people who need someone to listen, and to care, and to help them bear their burdens.
4. Perhaps your gift is the ability to pray – to intercede for others – prayer is a powerful and necessary ministry.
5. Perhaps your gift is encouragement – you are able to speak or write words that build people up.
6. Perhaps your gift is organizing or fixing things – it’s not hard to see how using those gifts would bring help and encouragement.
7. Or perhaps your gift is hospitality or friendship, if so then bless others through that gift.
8. Whatever the gifts are that we have received, we are expected to use them to bless others.
a. This is the ministry of tender love and has great influence in the lives of others.
9. We have so many wonderful examples of people in our church family who are so faithful to minister the tender love of God, and they continue to have great influence for the kingdom.
E. Let’s now consider a second category of influence that may be more challenging for many of us.
II. The Second Category: An Influential Life Includes Rebuking and Correcting
A. A subtitle for this category could be “The Influence of Tough Love.”
1. Perhaps tough love aligns better with your personality than it does mine.
2. For me and for many people, tough love is much harder than tender love, but it is just as important.
B. The first episode where we see Peter exhibit influence through rebuking and correcting is found in Acts 5 and involves the infamous Ananias and Sapphira.
1. At the end of Acts 4, we are told of the generosity of the early church, and how people were sharing with others, and some were even selling property and giving the money from the sale to help others.
a. Barnabas is singled out by name as someone who did just that, he sold a field and brought the money from the sale and put it at the apostles’ feet.
b. Not everyone could do that nor had to do that, but Barnabas did just that.
2. Ananias and Sapphira liked the accolades that Barnabas received for his generosity, but they didn’t want to do what he did to receive such accolades.
a. Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira had a conversation one day at breakfast that went like this: “You know, we would really like to pretend that we are spiritual and generous, like Barnabas, so here is what we can do: we will sell our property and give half of the proceeds to the church, but we will tell others that we gave to the church the total amount we got for the property.”
b. And so they both agreed, saying, “Why not? Nobody will know the difference and everyone will think highly of us.”
c. And so that’s what they did, but somehow Peter knew the truth (I’m guessing the Holy Spirit revealed the truth to him).
3. Listen to the Bible’s description of what took place: 1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. (Acts 5:1-11)
1. We know that not all who have lied or sinned fall down dead – aren’t you thankful? I am!
2. So we know that this was a special period in the life of the early church and it was critical that the apostles be seen as having exceptional power and insight for leadership.
3. Ultimately we know that the contest was not between Peter and Ananias and Sapphira, but between Satan and the Holy Spirit.
4. We notice that lying is not just lying to people, but to God Himself, and that all lying involves Satan the father of lies.
5. Our modern sensibilities struggle with what happened here – Ananias and Sapphira lied, and God brought about their immediate death through God’s representative.
a. A preacher named Erwin Lutzer, when discussing this incident pointed to a dictionary called “The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook” which touts itself as a bestselling guide to survival in multicultural America and includes real and satirical definitions to help keep the thought cops away.
b. Lutzer pointed out that in that dictionary, the word “dishonest” is replaced by “ethically disoriented” and the word “dead” is replaced by “terminally inconvenienced.”
c. He concluded: And so to describe Ananias and Sapphira’s situation in more politically correct terms than “they were liars and died because of it” is to say “Ananias and Sapphira were ethically disoriented and God came and terminally inconvenienced them.”
d. Isn’t that more palatable for our politically correct sensibilities?
6. I’m sure this was not an easy thing for Peter to be involved in.
a. He may have liked Ananias and Sapphira – they may have been his close friends.
b. But none of that matters, because sin is sin, no matter who is the one doing it.
c. And although ministering tender love is more pleasant than tough love, at times it must be done.
d. Through Peter, God brought about the right kind of result: great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events (Acts 5:11).
e. I like to think that the fear was not some kind of terror, but more of a reverential awe of God and His power, for we must have a healthy fear of who God is and what God can do because He is God.
f. This was likely the only time when this kind of thing happened, but I’m sure there were many other occasions where Peter was called on to influence others through rebuking and correcting.
g. Let’s look at one of those other occasions, let’s turn to Acts 8.
C. In Acts chapter 8, we learn that persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and many Christians left Jerusalem and took the Gospel with them wherever they went.
1. A church leader named Philip went to Samaria and began preaching and doing miracles there.
2. Many Samaritans believed and were baptized, including a man known as Simon the Sorcerer.
a. Simon had made a name for himself by learning and employing the power of the occult.
3. When the apostles, who were still in Jerusalem, heard about the growing church in Samaria they sent Peter and John to Samaria to minister to the young church.
a. When Peter and John arrived, they prayed and laid their hands on some of the new Christians and those people received some of the miraculous powers of the Spirit.
4. When Simon the former sorcerer saw that the miraculous powers of the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying: “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:19)
a. How do you think Peter responded to such an offer?
b. Do you think Peter said, “Great, Simon, how much is this worth to you? How much money are you willing to give us?”
c. Or do you think Peter, with tender love said, “Oh, Simon, you are a young Christian, and I’m sure your heart is in the right place, but that is not something we are allowed to do?”
5. No, here we see Peter applying the tough love of rebuke and correction.
a. The Bible says: 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” (Acts 8:20-23)
b. How’s that for tough love?
c. Simon received the rebuke and correction and asked them to pray to the Lord for him so that he might be forgiven and not be punished – which I am sure they did.
D. The positive influence that we need to have in each other’s lives includes expressing the tough love of rebuke and correction.
1. When we see or hear about a brother or sister who has gone astray, we need to go to them in the spirit of love and concern, and we need to discuss the situation with them.
2. When we do so, we should as Paul instructed, “speak the truth in love.” (Eph. 4:15)
3. Paul also gave us this guidance in his letter to the Galatians: 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:1-2)
a. Notice how the restoration needs to be in a spirit of gentleness – even as it is strong and clear.
b. Notice also that the restoration needs to be done while watching out for our own temptations.
4. Just like Peter couldn’t look the other way with Ananias and Sapphira or with Simon the sorcerer, neither can we look the other way when our brother or sister is caught in sin.
a. The sin may be in word, attitude or deed.
b. The sin may be a single situation or something that is ongoing.
5. For the Christian who refuses to repent, then a removal of fellowship is the eventual necessary step of tough love.
a. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians about the man who was having sexual relationship with his stepmother, he told them to remove that man from their fellowship. (1 Cor. 5:2, 11)
b. It appears that their efforts in church disciple worked and the man repented, so in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he encouraged them to be sure to welcome the man back into their fellowship through forgiveness and comfort and a reaffirmation of their love for him, so that Satan might not outwit them. (2 Cor. 2:5-11)
6. Satan’s schemes are so subtle and effective – he draws us away into sin, then he keeps us from confronting each other about sin, then even after we repent, he keeps us bogged down with guilt, or keeps us from fully receiving each other back into fellowship.
a. As you can see there are many ways Satan can trip us up with sin – both the one who has sinned, and the one who must confront the sin.
b. We must not allow Satan to outwit us!
Conclusion:
A. We can give thanks to God for the example of Peter and the great influence his life had on so many.
1. That influence came through tender love and tough love.
2. As we bring this lesson to a conclusion today, I want to remind us of two important aspects of the impact of our lives.
B. First of all, our lives have impact and influence whether we are trying to have an impact or not.
1. People are watching us and being influenced by us, even when we are not aware of it.
2. Sometimes we hear famous athletes or movie stars saying, “I don’t want to be a role model.”
3. Well, we don’t get to choose if we want to be a role model or not – others are following our example whether it is a good one or not, and whether we want them to or not.
4. On the positive side of things, how encouraging it is to know that when we are walking in the Spirit and living as we should, then our influence and our shadow is wide and is positively effecting people in ways we may never know about on this side of heaven.
C. Second, and most importantly, our positive influence and “shadow” is based on our relationship with God.
1. The stronger our relationship with God, the more we are walking in the Light, then stronger positive shadow we cast.
2. The ability to be who we ought to be so we can have great influence on others does not come from ourselves – it is not by our power or our wisdom – rather it comes from God.
3. When Paul was explaining this concept to the Corinthians in his second letter, he wrote: 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:5-6)
a. Then he concluded: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Cor. 4:7)
D. Let’s be committed to living an influential life for the Lord.
1. Let’s not be like a man named Max Jukes who was an atheist and lived a godless life.
a. He married an ungodly woman and among their descendants there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 who were criminals, 7 who were murderers, 100 who were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes.
b. How’s that for an example of negative influence?
2. In contrast to that we have the record of the godly man, Jonathan Edwards.
a. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes.
b. Edward married a godly woman and among their descendants there were 100 preachers and missionaries, 1 vice-president of the United States, 3 United States senators, 13 college presidents, 65 college professors, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 military officers, 60 authors of prominence, and 295 college graduates.
c. How’s that for an example of positive influence?
3. The choice is ours – with God’s help we can live a life that has a profoundly positive influence.
4. I pray that all of us will walk with God and will walk in the Light so that our lives will have a powerful and positive impact on our families, communities and the Kingdom of God.
5. We can be like Peter who cast a powerful shadow and had a positively influential life.
Resources:
The Life of Peter, F.B. Meyer, Edited by Lance Wubbels, Emerald Books, 1996
The Apostle Peter, Jerry Haughton, Self Published
The Shadow of Peter, Sermon by Erwin Lutzer
