INTRODUCTION TO I AND II PETER THE HOPE OF A TRANSFORMED LIFE

1. INTRODUCTION TO I AND II PETERTHE HOPE OF A TRANSFORMED LIFE FROM IMPULSIVE TO IMPASSIONED, FROM LITTLE FAITH TO GREAT FAITH Nonie 2011.5.4

2. I and II Peter were letters written to a group of believers by a man called Simon Peter, a common fisherman with a fiery, impulsive, and sometimes irresponsible personality, who was transformed into a wise, mature servant of God.

3. Peter was an ordinary man. • He was very human, just like you or me, with faults, fears, and doubts. Sometimes he was rash and reckless, short-tempered or even angry, but overall he was capable of great loyalty and love. • He was probably uneducated; and just like me, and perhaps you, he was sometimes a slow learner or he had to learn things the “hard way.”

4. Peter and his brother Andrew, the sons of Jona, were fishermen from the town of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee. They were partners with James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Bethsaida was right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

6. If we were to rank the social status of Peter, he would probably be living at the poverty level. Because he had little education, he was likely held in low esteem in the eyes of men. The Galileans in those days were a simple people who were somewhat impulsive, which helps to explain Peter’s actions at times. • We know Peter was married, because the Bible tells us in Mark 1:29-31 that his mother-in-law was healed by Jesus.

7. Yet, in spite of his “humanness,” low social status, lack of education, and all of his faults, Peter was among the first of the disciples called by Jesus. • Jesus KNEW Peter, and He saw his worth. Yes, he saw all the faults as well, but He accepted Peter as he was, because He knew his heart was good. He knew that Peter would be a faithful and loyal follower.

8. Peter was first introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew. • John 1:40-42 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

9. Peter’s original name was Simon. The first thing Jesus did after He met Peter was change his name from Simon to Cephas. • John 1:42 Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

10. Cephas (or Peter) means “a fragment of a rock” or “a stone.” • Jesus knew what Peter would become when he changed his name to Rock. He was as unstable as water, but divine grace was about to make a profound change in his life. He was to become a rock, sure and steadfast, that could be relied upon to hold on to the truth through the coming storms.

11. Later, Jesus saw Peter and Andrew, along with James and John, fishing on the Sea of Galilee (also called the Lake of Gennesaret). Let’s look at Luke 5:1-11 to see what happened.

12. One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

13. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

14. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

15. Peter, along with his brother Andrew and James and John, left everything and followed Jesus. • Their fishing boats were the means of their living, perhaps all their property. By leaving them immediately, and following Him, they showed that they were willing to forsake all for the sake of Jesus, and to follow Him wherever He should lead them. • They faced persecution and death for His sake, but they also had the honor of saving souls from death, and establishing a church that shall continue to the end of time.

16. We have no idea what awaits us when we become His followers; but we should cheerfully go when our Savior calls, just as Peter, Andrew, James and John did, and be willing to commit all we have into His hands – whether we face honor or dishonor, sickness or health, riches or poverty, life or death. We must simply do His will and commit the results to the great Redeemer who has called us.

17. We see here, too, what humble instruments God makes use of to convert people. • He chose fishermen to convert the world • He chooses the foolish to confound the wise • He makes use of such lowly instruments as you and I to help change the hearts of people and save their souls

18. Throughout his growing process, the life of Peter is a study of contrasts, especially in the early stages of his spiritual development. • Perhaps the most suitable word that sums up the character of Peter is impetuous. While we admire his willingness to serve the Lord, he always seemed to get himself in trouble!

19. On one occasion, Peter, if you can imagine it, "rebuked the Lord“! When Jesus explained to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and that he would be killed and be raised to life on the third day, Peter, if you can imagine it, actually took the Son of God aside and rebuked Him! He said to Jesus, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”

20. In response, Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:21-23). Here’s a lesson believers: • Sometimes our best intentions give way to weakness when we act in our own strength.

21. Who, but Peter, would ask the Master if he too might walk upon the sea in the midst of a raging storm? The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water and first thought it was a ghost. Jesus assured them with the words, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Peter impetuously replied, “"Lord, if it's you, "tell me to come to you on the water," and Jesus invited him to come to Him.

22. After Peter climbed out of the boat he realized that mere humans just don’t walk on water, although he had already taken a few steps. • As Peter was about to go under, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me." Jesus reached out His hand, caught Peter, and said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (See Matthew 14:22-33.)

23. There’s another lesson here for believers: • When we take our eyes off the Lord and begin to dwell on our circumstances, we usually find ourselves sinking into the depths of despair.

24. When Jesus began to wash His disciples’ feet at what became known as the Last Supper, Peter declared, “No, you shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Simon Peter’s reply was, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (See John 13:8-9.)

25. That same night, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus told His disciples that they would all “fall away” on account of Him. Peter answered, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times," and Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you" (Matthew 26:31-35).

26. Peter lived to have his own words betray him within just a few hours after that. • After the soldiers took Jesus to Pilate, Peter was warming himself by a fire outside the building where Jesus was being questioned by Pilate. When a lowly servant girl said, "This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth,” Peter began to curse and swear, saying, “I don’t know the man." Before the evening ended Peter had denied the Lord three times. When he heard the cock crow, he remembered what Jesus had said and he went out and wept bitterly. (See Matthew 26:61-75.)

27. And here’s another lesson for believers: • When we repent, as Peter did, Jesus always forgives and restores. In a mighty display of His love and mercy, Peter was the first disciple that Jesus showed Himself to after His resurrection (I Corinthians 15:4). • And in John 21:15-17, Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to confirm his love for Him three times to balance his threefold denial and to reconfirm his position among the disciples. Peter learned a valuable lesson: never to place confidence in the flesh.

28. There are other examples of Peter’s impetuous nature, but I think we can tell from these that Peter often acted first and thought later.

29. In spite of Peter’s weaknesses, from the start he seemed to have been the spokesman for the other disciples, the man who stood out from the group. In any list of disciples in the Bible, Peter is always mentioned first, which seems to show he was Jesus' right-hand man. Peter was a born leader - energetic, confident, and ready for whatever came his way.

30. When many people began turning away from Jesus because of a teaching they believed to be too difficult, Jesus asked His 12 disciples if they would leave, too. Peter spoke for them all when he replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:68).

31. In answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do men say that I am?” the disciples said: Some say you’re John the Baptist. Others seem to think you’re Elijah, or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. • But Peter answered, perhaps again on behalf of all of the disciples, “You are Christ, the Son of the Living God” • Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven (Matthew 16:16-17).

32. Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ most trusted disciples. He took the three of them with Him to a high mountain, where He was transfigured before their eyes, and where He talked with Moses and Elijah. (See Matthew 17:1-3.)

33. Yes, Peter was an unlikely symbol of stability. Though he was one of the first disciples called and served as the spokesman for the group, Peter is also an example of the person of "little faith" that Jesus often mentioned. • But after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter became an example of the forgiven sinner, and his life was forever changed.

34. God changed Peter from: • A person of weak faith to one of great faith • Foolish to wise • Irresponsible to strong and reliable

35. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter became the leader of the breakaway Jewish sect that became the early Church. • On the Day of Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit had descended on the 120 believers gathered in the Upper Room, Peter stood and preached a fiery sermon. (See Acts 2:14-36.) He ended his sermon with these words: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Vs. 36).

36. What happened next is a great testimony to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit: “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:37-41).

37. It was Peter who stood up among the believers and took charge regarding the office left vacant by Judas, who had betrayed Jesus. • Peter stood up for the apostles when they were taken before the Jewish religious court in Jerusalem for teaching and preaching the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:5-22).

38. It was Peter who rose up at the Jerusalem Council after much disputing and convinced them that circumcision was not necessary (Acts 15:5-12). • He was the one who confirmed Paul’s apostleship among the Gentiles. • All in all, Peter dominated the small but growing community of Christians in the first fifteen years after Jesus' death.

39. It’s important to note that even after the resurrection, Peter was not perfect. • After God had shown the apostles, including Peter, that there was to no longer be any difference in the Jew and the Gentile, Peter again showed his human weakness. In a gathering of a number of followers of Christ, largely Gentiles, Peter was talking to and associating with them until more of the Jews arrived. Then Peter moved away from the Gentiles, because in the past the Jews were forbidden to associate openly with the Gentiles. But Paul confronted and rebuked him for it.

40. Although some believers have placed him above others, Peter never thought so highly of himself. In fact, when Cornelius fell down at his feet to worship him, "Peter took him up, saying, stand up; I myself also am a man" (Acts 10:25, 26).

41. But Peter, in spite of his imperfections, still became a mighty warrior for God. • Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed the sick and raised the dead. • He preached to the Samaritans • He healed a man who had been paralyzed for eight years • He raised Tabitha, a disciple who was always doing good and helping the poor, from the dead

42. After he had a vision from God, he went to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, and preached the Gospel to a large gathering of Gentiles, who all became believers. This opened the door for Gentiles to come into the church. • He healed a man crippled from birth at the temple gate called Beautiful. • He was arrested and imprisoned, but was visited by an angel of the Lord, and the chains fell off his hands so he was able to escape.

43. Peter was called by the apostle Paul a "pillar" of the Church. • It was also believed by the crowds that the mere casting of his shadow upon the sick was capable of bringing about miraculous healing. • He preached in Antioch and possibly Corinth.

44. According to tradition, Peter was imprisoned and sentenced to death for not renouncing his faith in Jesus. • Also according to tradition, he requested that they crucify him upside down, as he did not think himself worthy to hang as the Savior did.

45. Peter wrote these two Epistles, called Peter 1 and Peter 2, in the New Testament. • Papias, a disciple of the Apostle John, wrote that Mark's Gospel was also influenced by Peter's writings.

46. God uses common, ordinary people just like us to extraordinary things. • Years later as the clay was shaped into a vessel of honor, the religious leaders in Israel took note that Peter and the other disciples had been with the Lord. They marveled that these unlearned and ignorant men spoke with such authority and boldness (Acts 4:13).

47. Higher education isn’t necessarily a requirement to be used of the Lord. In fact, very few of the inspired writers of Scripture were educated men by ancient standards, yet they produced a Book that has left a permanent impression upon the world.

48. I Corinthians 1:28, 29: God “chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify [overthrow] the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’

49. What does that mean? • God uses ordinary people instead of the rich and the famous to do His will, because he wants ALL of the Glory. It is because of Jesus, and Jesus alone, that we can be holy, righteous, and wise. • So - God can and will use you in His service no matter what your educational background may be. A willing heart is all that is required.

50. The Potter places the clay onto the potter’s wheel that He might fashion it according to His will.