The Apostle Peter to me is one of the great men of the Bible - not because he was so perfect and strong and patient and so much like the Lord - but because he was so imperfect and impetuous and impatient and so much like us!
One of my favorite stories about Peter is found in Matthew chapter 14. Turn there. Jesus has just supervised the feeding of 5,000 men, besides the women and children. He tells His disciples, including Peter, to get into a boat and head out across the Sea of Galilee. The wind came up and whipped the waves into a frenzy. The boys were trying their hardest to get somewhere but to no avail. Then Jesus comes to them - walking across the lake!
To say the least they were pretty afraid. And Jesus says one of His most wonderful statements - "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid."
So then comes a Peter moment. You know - those times when Peter has a flash of inspiration followed by the loud bang of him falling flat on his face.
Matthew 14:28-33 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." ESV
There is so much to love about this story - but what I want to focus on is this. Peter was bodacious enough to trust Jesus to do something through him that was way beyond anything he had ever done - walk on water, and in the midst of a raging storm. He waits for Jesus to tell him, then he steps out of the boat and does it! All goes well as long as he has his eyes on Jesus - but as soon as he begins to glance about at the wind instead he begins to sink - and Jesus reaches down and grabs him.
How many times are we like Peter - wanting to do great things for God - but as soon as we step out we fall flat. Yet, no one else did what Peter did - Peter’s problem wasn’t that he stepped out of the boat but that he took his eyes of Jesus.
The Hebrews could learn a big lesson from Peter. And in chapter 12 we get a glimpse at just why they are in the state we find them in - ready to turn away from Jesus and go back to Judaism. It’s because, like Peter, they focused on the storm of persecution around them, instead of the Savior standing before them.
In chapter 11 the author focuses on faith, and those who trusted that God is who He says He is and that He’ll do what He said He’ll do. Now it’s time to for them to put that faith into practice in three ways:
1. Throw off that which holds back
2. Focus on Jesus, instead of the storm
3. Lean into the discipline so that you will find strength to walk a straight path
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
I’m going to use the Peter story as a template for Hebrews 12. Verses 1-2 is where Peter has to decide - do I stay in the relative safety of the boat, or do I respond to this thing in my heart that is urging me to "go for it."
He had Jesus urging him on - the Hebrews, and we, have all these people who came before us - who saw terrible things and faced awful circumstances, yet still trusted God. If they could do it, then so can we - we don’t have to let storms and waves hold us back.
We lay aside weight and sin "which clings so closely." There is nothing that will hold you back from really serving God as much as sin. Examine your life, your habits, your attitudes, your relationships - are they enhancing your walk, or holding you back? Sin is like static cling - it’ll glom on to you and hold fast unless you act to remove it.
Imagine trying to run a marathon with a 100 pound pack on your back. It would be so much harder and you’d run so much slower. That’s what sin does to us. We are not sent to hell - Jesus paid for your sin - but we suffer needlessly because of it and are held back from the things God wants to do in us and through us.
So instead of letting sin weigh us down - (1) throw it off - how? The 3 "c’s" - consider, confess, cleanse. Examine your life and open to God identifying sin - agree with God that it is indeed sin, then ask Him to cleanse you.
But then instead of focusing solely on the race, (2) focus on Jesus - like Peter did.
He is the "founder and perfecter" of our faith. "Founder" is pioneer - like the first runner in a relay race. "Perfecter" is "finisher" the one that brings us to the goal - like the guy who runs the last leg and brings the baton across the finish line.
See, you are not alone - Jesus is there to start you out, give you strength on the way, then make sure you finish - with Him!
He finished the race set before Him - the cross. It says He "despised" the shame - it means to disregard it. The shame of being cursed was not an impediment to Jesus because He knew the goal was to save you and it was worth it!
3b Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Here’s where Peter is walking on the water - not by his might, but by focusing all his attention on the wonder of who Jesus is and what He is doing through him.
We forget that Jesus was a man like us. When we are ready to give up, we need to remember that He didn’t - but relied on the Holy Spirit more and more.
Jesus struggled against sinful people, and that is apparently the meaning here for the Hebrews - who were being persecuted by evil people. But as bad as things were, none of them had yet died for their faith - as Jesus died to give us our freedom.
So focus on Jesus - but then (3), lean into the discipline.
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
Here is where Peter begins to put his eyes, not on the Lord, but on the storm around him. In our lives, we like to interpret bad things happening as punishment from the Lord - but so often when we are in a jam, even if it is of our own doing, the Lord is there to discipline us - why? Because He loves us. This comes from Proverbs 3:11-12 by the way.
Don’t "regard lightly" this discipline - or give up under it.
The Apostle James says that should "consider it all joy when you fall into various trials." (James 1:1)
Peter himself said that we should not be surprised when fiery trials come at us, but we should rejoice (1 Peter 4:12). Instead we should "humble" ourselves "under the mighty hand of God." (1 Peter 5:6).
In verses 5 and 6 we have "discipline," which means to correct or train. We have "reproof," which means criticism or scolding, and we have "chastises" which means to "whip" or "scourge." God is in the business of transforming us into His image. The more He loves us, the more lengths He will go to bring that about. Sometimes we resist, and so the discipline must change accordingly.
But even if it seems like God is taking you to the woodshed, know that it is out of love, not anger or judgment. It’s an important distinction - read on:
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We have to endure and hold on to our faith in God because it is discipline - it is training, it is God working in us to make us into what we were meant to be: like Him.
"God must not love me or this wouldn’t be happening," we are quick to say. But it’s quite the opposite. The reason God lets us go through trials is because we His sons. If we weren’t God wouldn’t waste His time.
1. Know that God disciplines out of love
2. God’s discipline is for our good so that we can be like Him
3. It won’t feel good while it’s happening, but if we lean into it instead of fight against it we will see "peaceful fruit."
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Verse 12 could say: "take a new grip." This is the picture of Peter reaching out as Jesus reaches down to grab him as he sinks.
God knows we are always on the brink of giving up - that’s why He’s always there to pull us out of our jams at the last second.
But each time we should get a little stronger and a little more trusting. Discipline is God’s way of removing stumbling blocks from our path - burning out sins and the flesh that "clings so closely."
My wife recently had a shoulder injury. She went to a chiropractor who told her to stretch it till it hurt - and all it did was hurt more. She went to a doctor who shot her up with cortisone and while it didn’t hurt for a while it did little to ease the underlying problem. Finally she went to a physical therapist who told her that her shoulder was weak and "out of joint" because all her movements had been in one direction. With a series of simple exercises that moved her muscles in a new way, she strengthened her shoulder.
Trials are like God trying to get us to move our spiritual muscles in a different direction - so that when He calls on us to do things for His kingdom, we won’t injure ourselves, but can walk on water if that’s what He calls us to do (figuratively speaking, of course.). All this is creating holiness in us. How exactly does it happen? I don’t know, but James goes on in his letter to say:
James 1:3-4 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ESV
There is a production of holiness through trials - it happens naturally, but we need to be patient and let it happen to the full so we will be "complete."
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. ESV
Esau, if you remember from Genesis 25, hadn’t had too much luck hunting and was so hungry he thought he was going to die. Jacob, his brother, had some stew on the stove and Esau wanted the stew so bad that Jacob got him to give up his birthright for a bowl of it.
Later on, when Jacob also stole the blessing of the firstborn from their dad Isaac, Esau pleaded for a blessing too - but it was too late.
Esau became bitter - bitter towards Jacob, bitter towards his parents, and bitter towards God. It ruined his whole life.
For us - tough times can have that affect. And believe me, bitterness is standing right at the door every time you undergo a trial.
But the thing is - unlike Esau - we have been accepted as sons - we have inherited the blessing of the Father through Jesus so there is no reason to back down or be afraid or get bitter.
Conclusions
1. What cloud of witnesses surrounds you?
We should all have our "heroes" of the faith - not just the ones in the Bible, but ones in your own life who have faced tough times and persevered, or helped you mature in your walk with God. For me - some of my heroes: Bob Tucker, a man who faced death in faith; Gordon Aguiar who remained truthful in the face of compromise; and Rick Booye - who picked up my broken pieces and set me on the path again in ministry.
2. What is holding you back?
Are you ready to "run the race with endurance?" or are you still slogging along and wondering why your walk is more like a stand or a stumble? Throw off all that junk and go for it!
3. Are you being disciplined?
Maybe you are right in the thick of it - and you feel so weak - you’re like Peter, sinking into the waves about to be drowned in trouble.
Listen to the words of Jesus again: "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid." The NIV says "take courage." When Jesus tells you that you can believe it. You don’t have to fear in the mist of the storm as long as Jesus is standing there with you in it.
Let Him do His work - even if it is painful for now. "For the joy set before Him he endured the cross." There is joy set before you too - joy in seeing your life purified and strengthened now, and joy for what’s coming - that day when all striving and trials will cease and when we will rejoice in His presence. It’s worth it!
For more Bible studies, and an audio copy of this study please visit: www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org
