September 3, 2023
Morning Service

As we begin our study in the two letters the Apostle Peter wrote to the church, I thought it would be good if we reviewed what we know about him through the scriptures and use that to set a perspective for his writings.  Peter was a fisherman and it was while he was fishing that Jesus called him.  He had fished all night with no success and knew it would take a miracle to catch any fish and that is exactly what happened.  He fully realized the sinful man that he was and recognized the deity in Jesus.  He followed Jesus with a passion that made him stand out at times from the others.  Jesus even changed his name from Simon to Peter at one of these times of boldness.  A moment in which Peter shined with his truthful answer.

Mat 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  (14)  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  (15)  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  (16)  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  (17)  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  (18)  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  (19)  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

            We have discussed this moment many times from this pulpit as the single most important question each of us will ever answer from Jesus; Who do you say that I am?”  Simon boldly speaks without hesitation that he believes Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus is very proud of Simon in this moment and even changes his name to Peter meaning rock.  The church is not built upon Peter the man, but his statement of faith; “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  It is that fact that our entire faith is built upon and it is that fact that guarantees us victory over evil.  With Jesus we have hope and without Him we are hopeless. 

Peter, and the other disciples were given the “keys to the kingdom” at this time to act in the full authority of Jesus as they did throughout the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.  It is there that we see God ask Peter to use those keys to open the gift of salvation to the Gentiles. He had a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with all the many animals that God had instructed the Jews not to eat calling them “unclean.”  In the vision, he was told to “kill and eat” but he refused saying he had never eaten anything unclean which would violate his faith.  A voice spoke out to him, “What God has cleansed you must not call common!”  This happened three times to him and while Peter was trying to figure it all out three men came to summon him to a man named Cornelius and the Spirit told him to go with them.  Up to this point salvation had only been offered to the Jews.  Peter quickly realized his vision was revealing to him that the Gentiles, once unclean, were now being cleansed by God to be included in God’s offer of salvation.

 

 Act 10:34-35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  (35)  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

            God chose Peter, as the leader of the apostles, to be the one to open salvation up to include “whosoever will!”  The Book of Acts is full of Peter’s maturing into all that God called him to be as he preached the first sermon of the day of Pentecost laying out the road to salvation (Acts 2:36).  He stood firmly against the religious leaders’ command to them to no longer teach in Jesus name by courageously saying to the whole council:

 

Act 4:19-20 "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  (20)  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

            His courage and faith grew even greater as he was beaten for his teaching and rejoiced that he was found worthy to do so in Jesus’ sake.  He also sat in full authority upon the council meeting in Acts 15 that freed the Gentile Christians from having to obey Mosaic Law.  He fully embraced the calling God had placed on his life but as we know it did not get to this point without some failures along the way.

            Immediately following his statement of faith and receiving a new name, Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to inject man’s plan into God’s plan.  Jesus had just explained to the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem and would suffer many things and be killed only to rise on the third day.

 

Mat 16:22-23 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  (23)  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

            It was not Peter that was an offense to Jesus, but the spirit of Satan using Peter to deter Jesus from His mission.  Peter did not want Jesus to leave them but wanted Him to come up with a new plan that lined up with what he wanted, not what God had planned.  We have all been there haven’t we?

 We are all also very familiar with Peter’s denial of the Lord at his betrayal and arrest just as Jesus had predicted it.  Peter of course boldly, proudly and confidently proclaimed he was ready to die for Jesus and would never deny Him, but Jesus’ words came true.  Notice however the important reaction Peter immediately has following his failure of denying Jesus the third time.

 

Mat 26:74-75 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.  (75)  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.

            The scriptures tell us that “pride comes before a fall.” (Pro. 16:18) Peter’s pride and confidence in himself had to be broken for all to see and it was in this moment of denial.  Jesus foretold it but also knew what his reaction would be to his failure.  “He went out and wet bitterly.”  He owned his failure, repented of it and found forgiveness and restoration in the words of Jesus after His resurrection around a fire on the beach.

 

John 21:15-19 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."  (16)  He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."  (17)  He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.  (18)  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."  (19)  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

            Peter denied Jesus three times, but was also received restoration three times from Jesus.  He commanded him to feed and tend the sheep and assured Peter that He knew he loved Him with a great passion.  He looked him in the eyes over the coals of a fire and in that moment said to him, “Follow Me.”  Peter accepted that invitation despite hearing that his future included persecution and imprisonment.  He yielded his will to the will of the Father for his life.  It was through his failures that God built Peter’ faith strong enough to fulfill this command to follow faithfully.  Peter became a pillar in the building of the early church but to reach that point of faithfulness it took him on a difficult journey full of success and failures.  God used these things to mold Peter into the man of God that he became.

            Our journey will be like Peter’s with many highs and lows; joys and sorrows along the way. Peter is an example for all of us who have had our moments of failure with God.  He showed us the path to restoration was to own it, repent, receive forgiveness and let that failure make us stronger.  It is in our weakness that we are made strong.  There is no place to quit, only to refocus and start over more the wiser.  We are the ones following and it is us who must, like Peter, come to the point where we can fully yield out will to His.

  When we feel we can do it alone as Peter did, we are heading for a great fall.  When we realize through that fall that we are not strong, but He is then we, like Peter, are now able by relying on Christ for our strength to do all things. (Phil. 4:13) Peter, according to history, was crucified for his faith.  He proclaimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord did and was granted permission to be crucified upside down in an act of humility brought on by knowing his weakness and Jesus’ strength.  My prayer is that this background of the author sets a perspective for us as we move into studying the letters he wrote to the sheep he was asked to tend and feed.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for men like Peter who through trials and failures endured faithfully to the end.  Grant to us the same knowledge, humility and resolve to be all that You have called us to be.