October 10, 2020
In Scripture, God profiles ordinary people, some with huge character flaws. One individual in the New Testament who comes to mind is Peter. He is mentioned by name over 150 times in the New Testament and is the central character in the first 12 chapters of the book of Acts, so we know more about Peter than any of the other disciples:
• He was an uneducated Fisherman from Galilee.
• He was introduced to Jesus by his brother, Andrew.
• He was one of Jesus’ first Disciples.
• He was a natural leader.
• He was a member of Jesus’ “inner circle”, which included James and John.
• His preaching, healings and suffering dominate the first 5 chapters of Acts.
• He was ALSO a bigoted Jew, wildly enthusiastic, impulsive, vacillating, selfish, impatient, bold and brash --- yet quick to run, and he was over confident in his own abilities.
Unlike our previous 3 stories, Peter had many encounters with Jesus and we see him in all of his humanness:
He soared to great heights:
• He walked on the water: Matthew 14:21-29 - …. 28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water." 29 "All right, come," Jesus said. So, Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
• He acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God: Matthew 16:13-20 - When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 "Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." 15 Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
• He witnessed the Glorified Jesus: Matthew 17:1-8 - Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. 2 As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus…..
And he wallowed in the gutter:
• He sank beneath the waves: Matthew 14:30-31 - But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 31 Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. "You don't have much faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
• He was rebuked by Jesus: Matthew 16:21-23 - From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that he had to go to Jerusalem, and he told them what would happen to him there. He would suffer at the hands of the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and he would be raised on the third day. 22 But Peter took him aside and corrected him. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God's."
• He insisted he needed a shower: John 13:6-10 - When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will." 8 "No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me." 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"….
We also know Peter to be THE ONE whose epic screw-up is recorded in all 4 Gospels --- {Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27}
On the night of His betrayal, Jesus again told his disciples what was coming and Peter declared: "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will."
Peter was so sure of the depth of his devotion; Jesus was so sure of its shallowness, "Peter,” Jesus replied, "the truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
But Peter insisted, "Not even if I have to die with you! I will never deny you!" ---- And all the other disciples vowed the same.
We know how the story goes:
• All the disciples deserted Jesus and fled. {Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50}
• Peter denied Jesus 3 times – just like Jesus said he would.
Ellen White {CTr 276.2-7 and DA 712-13}: …. In self-sufficiency Peter declared confidently that he would never do what Christ had warned him against…. His self-confidence proved his ruin. He tempted Satan to tempt him, and he fell under the arts of the wily foe. When Christ needed him most, he stood on the side of the enemy and openly denied his Lord.
But even when Peter was denying Him, Christ showed that He still loved him. In the judgment hall, surrounded by those who were clamoring for His life, Jesus thought of His suffering, erring disciple, and turning, He looked at him. In that look Peter read the Saviour’s love and compassion, and a tide of memories rushed over him. . . . He saw that he was doing the very thing that he had declared he would not do. . . . Once more he looked at his Master and saw a sacrilegious hand raised to smite Him in the face. Unable to endure the scene, he rushed heartbroken from the hall.
He pressed on in solitude and darkness, he knew not and cared not whither. At last he found himself in Gethsemane. The scene of a few hours before came vividly to his mind. He thought of how the Saviour, during His agony in the garden, had come for sympathy and comfort to those who had been so closely connected with Him in labor. . . .
On the very spot where Jesus poured out His soul in agony, Peter fell upon his face and wished that he might die. . . .
This was the last encounter between Jesus and Peter until after the resurrection….
At this point Peter would have definitely been kicked off the Board of Elders of his local church and declared unredeemable!
What Jesus did
• He prayed for Peter: Luke 22:31-32 - "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
• He gave Peter a most profound promise: John 13:36 - 14:3 - Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow later." 37 Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You." 38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow, until you deny Me three times. --- "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
• He forgave Peter: Luke 23:34 - "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
• He intentionally included Peter after the resurrection: Mark 16:1-7 - …. entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'"
• He gave Peter the privilege of Ministry - Feed My Sheep: John 21:1-22 -
To this Fumbling, Failing, Foot-in-mouth, Traitor, Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.” It was the awesome task of caring for and shepherding the early church. But Jesus did something else that was quite interesting --- He told Peter how he would die. Why? Not long before Peter had boldly said he would die for Jesus and then --- he ran away. Now Jesus was straight up telling Peter that, yes, indeed he would suffer and die for the cause of Christ. He was offering Peter life’s biggest joy: seeing people saved for God’s kingdom, but it would come at a cost --- Jesus was giving Peter a choice.
How did Peter respond?
That day Peter went from being a “follower of” Jesus {Disciple} to being “one sent forth” by Jesus {Apostle}.
• It was Peter who preached the sermon on the Day of Pentecost where 3000 people were saved and added to the Church. {Acts 2:1-41}
• It was Peter who healed the man who had been born lame. {Acts 3:1-10}
• It was Peter who boldly stood before the Sanhedrin and refused to stop preaching in Jesus’ name.
o Acts 4:8-20 - Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone. 12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." 13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus….
• It was Peter who baptized the Gentile Cornelius and his entire family. {Acts 10}
Peter’s personal failure made him uniquely qualified to speak to those in the early church who were experiencing persecution for their faith in Jesus {1st Peter}:
• Even if you suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to cause you trouble or intimidate you. Put Christ first in your hearts and with gentleness and reverence, be ready all the time to give an answer for the hope you have, so that those who speak maliciously about you will be put to shame …. It is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.
• Be sober and alert because YOUR ADVERSARY, the devil, prowls around like a hungry lion – destroying anything that gets in his way. Resist him! Stand firm in your faith knowing that your experience is not unique.
Peter died a martyr, likely in 65 AD. The means of his execution are not known, but church tradition states that he was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be crucified the way Jesus had been.
Wrapping Up
The story of Peter is one of the greatest stories of a transformed life in Scripture --- From an arrogant, cocky, man of thunder to a Holy Spirit filled, humble, willing and obedient servant.
His story gives me courage because it tells me that my life is not beyond the transformational power of Jesus and neither is yours.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.
