INTRO: I want us to think about faithfulness.
-If your car starts once every three tries, is it reliable?
-If your paperboy skips delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he trustworthy?
-If you don’t go to work once or twice a month, are you a loyal employee?
-If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say, “oh well, it works most of the time”?
-If your water heater provides an icy-cold shower every now and then, is it dependable?
-If you miss a couple of loan payments every year, does the bank say, “ten out of twelve isn’t bad”?
-The answer to these questions is: of course not. We all know what it means to be faithful.
Today – we’re going to look at a man who learned about the faithfulness of God.
TITLE: The Faithfulness of God
TEXT: Matthew 4:18-20
I. Peter was a man who followed God. Jesus is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He notices a couple of individuals and he tells them to come follow him.
A. Peter and Andrew were casting their nets into the sea. They were fisherman by trade.
1. The text tells us at once they left what they were doing and went and followed Jesus.
Question: Could you up and leave a family business if Jesus called you to? Jesus said he would make them fishers of men.
-Think about it – to leave a livelihood and to “leave it at once” with no hesitation.
2. Jesus encountered others whom he told to come follow him but they didn’t.
-Luke 9:57-62:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
B. Peter was a leader. This tough old fisherman had plenty of opportunities in life to take charge.
1. Interesting to note – Peter is first in every list of Jesus’ twelve disciples and is the disciple most often mentioned in the gospels.
-Peter’s prominent role among the disciples is acknowledged by Jesus. (Matthew 16:16-19)
2. Peter was in the group that was closest to Jesus (Peter, James, John).
3. On one occasion the disciples are out in a boat trying to get to the other side of the sea and a huge storm is throwing them around. Jesus approaches them to help.
-Take notice it was Peter who took charge, “Lord if it’s you, tell me to come out to you.” So Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water. We know he started to sink as soon as he saw the waves but he took the lead.
C. The Lord helped him – every time Peter got into a difficult situation, the Lord was there –
1. From pulling him out of the water to putting back the high priest’s servant’s ear that Peter cut off.
-Jesus was always taking care of him.
2. This go-get-um attitude had some disadvantages.
-It can bring about pride and arrogance.
3. You can see this at the Last Supper, when the Lord was telling them that he was going to be betrayed, that he was going to die.
-You can picture the setting, who’s going to betray him, it won’t be me (all the disciples began to argue who would be the greatest).
4. Peter says to the Lord, “I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” (Luke 22:33)
-The Lord replies, “Before the rooster crows today, you will me deny three times.”
Point: In Peter’s mind there was no way this would ever happen. After all he was the Lord’s protector.
II. Peter was a man who failed God. Paul writes (1 Corinthians 10:12), “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
A. Peter did deny the Lord – at the Lord’s hour of need Peter left the Lord. Many say it was because Peter was a coward or because he was not brave.
1. I believe neither was the case. I believe Peter was a very brave committed man who was a leader who stepped out in faith often.
-Peter was going to encounter his greatest battle, it was at the very core of who Peter was.
2. Let me explain. The belief of the Jewish people was that a Messiah was going to come to deliver the children of Israel from their bondages. This deliverer was going to come and set up his kingdom.
-For generations and generations this was taught, it was ingrained in the Jews minds.
B. Peter believed Jesus was the Messiah. So with that in mind, he believed Jesus was going to set up his earthly kingdom to overthrow these Roman occupiers.
1. Peter raised in this tradition – didn’t really believe Jesus when he was talking that he had to die.
-There’s no way he is the Messiah, the son of the living God. (Death of the Messiah is not part of Jewish belief.)
2. So when it came to pass, in the process of Jesus being taken and beaten, going to be put to death, Peter faltered.
-Why, because his beliefs (traditions) the way he was raised and taught ran counter to the truth. When these two belief systems collided Peter locked up and ran in unbelief (Messiah can’t die).
3. Who what does this have to do with me, Pastor?
-Don’t be surprised if in your Christian walk your traditions, the way you believe, get turned upside down and it’s in the crisis moment you don’t know what to believe.
-It’s in that moment you think God I can’t believe this is happening to me or God where are you, why don’t you help?
Example. Think of Joseph, a boy who had a dream that the sun, moon, stars bow down to him. Just after this, brother beat him and sell him into slavery. Then he gets falsely accused by his master’s wife and thrown in a dungeon for years but the whole time Joseph stayed strong in the Lord.
-Psalm 105:16-19, “He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them – Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackels, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.”
Thought: I’m sure Joseph struggled with thoughts - God where are you, what about me, how come you’re not helping?
C. What are you to do when you find yourself in this situation?
1. Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” (NIV)
-The Amplified: “Trust (lean on, rely on and be confident) in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on his faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.”
Point: When you find yourself in a situation where your world is turned upside down you feed on the faithfulness of God. When everyone else has left you and even when you think the Lord has left you realize he hasn’t.
-Feed on his faithfulness, trust in the outcome, lean not on your own understanding but his ways.
2. Peter did fail, he fell – he ran in unbelief but the good news –
III. He was a man who returned to God.
A. He was a man not so confident in his abilities but was more confident in the faithfulness of God.
1. Warning: When you find your world has been turned upside down do not follow after the world and lie, cheat, steal, manipulate others.
-Don’t lean on your own understanding. Don’t rely upon your strength, or your own abilities, because they will not work.
2. All you can do is stand on the word and feed on the faithfulness of God.
Thought: If you stumble and fall like Peter repent and get right back up.
B. Peter did go on to be a great leader. After Jesus’ ascension Peter was the main leader in Jerusalem.
1. Church history tells us Peter was martyred. He was hung on a cross upside down. He felt he was unworthy to die the same way as Christ.
2. This breaking process, all Christians have to go through.
-Like breaking a stallion, a wild stallion is useless until it is broke. A broken stallion can go into battle with spears and arrows flying by and not flinch because he’s obeying his master’s commands.
In Conclusion:
-Are you standing on the word like Joseph and feeding on God’s faithfulness or are you like Peter who depended on his own abilities and strengths, his own leadership skill. If so, don’t be surprise
