Peter Series

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}