Life Lessons From Peter — 1 Peter 1

0:00 In this fall series, life lessons or important life lessons from different ones in the scripture. And so this morning, we're gonna be taking a look at Peter. So let's pray as we get ready to launch into our study. Our heavenly father, we give thanks for the lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful for the scripture that we have.

0:23 Father, we would want to continue to learn, to grow, and so we're asking for that just now as we begin this message. Father, we are thankful that we can have these various ones that we certainly identify with, that we can look at, learn from, and so father, we pray that would be true this morning. Just quiet our hearts, open our hearts, give us give us a thirst, a hunger for your word, give us an attitude of obedience, and so father, give us also just the ability to set to to see where we need to shift, where we need to to to change, how we can grow closer to you, and we ask this now in the name of the lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, if you would take your Bibles and turn to the book of first Peter and we're going to start by using some things that we see about some of the words or phrases that Peter used here in his in the epistle that he writes.

1:28 In fact, really in the study of Peter, oh. Well, is it on? Okay. Yeah. We're we're having some technical difficulty with the mic situation.

1:45 So, well, they've got it rigged up here. They want me to stay chained to the podium. That's going be really hard to do. But can everybody out here here if the audience can hear, we're good, okay? So, where was I?

2:43 We'll come back to it but we'll look over at John chapter one. John chapter one, we were introduced to Peter as an adult. He's already a fellow who's we we we would know that he lived in Bethsaida in in a region of Galilee. He's a professional fisherman. He we we conclude he owns his own boat.

3:09 He owns his own home. He's married. He has a mother-in-law. So we these are some facts that we know about him. And then John chapter one remember John the Baptist states this in verse 29.

3:22 The next day, John the Baptist seen Jesus coming to him said, behold the lamb of god which takes away the sin of the world and so we're we're we we understand that here Jesus is new on the scene and John the Baptist, his forerunner, makes this declaration. Behold the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world and so, we're here in John chapter one. Look down to verse 40. Look down to verse 40 and now we pick up reading here. One of the two which heard John speak followed him was Simon or was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

4:03 Now, Andrew, verse 41, he first finds his own brother, Simon, Simon Peter, and says unto him, look at look at what Andrew says, we found the Messiah which is being interpreted, interpreted the Christ. We found him and and and one some Bible teachers say the word right here could be like Eureka. Like we found him. We here he is. He found his savior.

5:04 I just have to... I wanna I wanna I wanna enter into the excitement that Andrew had that day when he made that statement. Peter, we found him. Do you remember the day you found him? Do you remember when you came to understand that Christ was Messiah?

5:28 Was the savior, was the one who was able to make you clean from sin, to set you back in right right relationship with the holy god? Do you remember that? Can you remember that with excitement? We found it. We found forgiveness of sin.

5:49 We found relationship with god. He's an apostle Peter stepped into that being a follower of the lord Jesus Christ. He stepped into a full force We we back... Go back to first Peter. The first thing we recognize is that he's an apostle.

6:34 He's writing to other Christ followers. The elect according to the foreknowledge of god the father through the sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of blood the blood of Jesus Christ. I mean, he's he's describing the salvation. Okay. Now, look at this phrase.

6:50 Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Grace unto you learn about grace Well, this is where we we want to we want to draw on our on some of our our knowledge about Peter in the gospels. In fact, if we were doing a survey of Peter's life, we would think about Peter and the fact that we we read about him in the gospels. We get we're introduced to him in the gospels and we we see all this action and activity and there comes a point where well, after the extension, he he he's a Christ follower all the way up to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We think about Christ's resurrection and we see Peter in the Acts of the apostles.

8:04 So, we have him in the gospels. Now, we have him in the Acts. And then a third way we think about it is that we see Peter writing this book, you see? So, but how was he how did he experience? How did he come to know about grace?

8:21 Remember this? The lord Jesus was teaching the disciples in Matthew chapter 18 and he said, hey, you need to if you have a dispute or an argument with a brother, go to him alone and tell him and you know, goes through this process, right? Well, the disciples are listening to all this and Peter, he comes up and he says, he says, lord Jesus, I I I know what you mean. I know what you mean. You you all, we gotta do this.

8:49 We, so, we have to speak with somebody and they're we're trying to work it out. We're going to forgive them up to even seven times. And so Peter's getting this concept of grace. He he and so, he's writing in this book. He says, grace be multiplied to you.

9:38 That's a multiplication factor, isn't it? Seven times 70. There was the other time where the lord Jesus had said, I I'm going to go alone on a mountain and pray and disciples, you go, you guys go on over. I'll I'll catch up with you later. They get into the ship and they they row all night.

9:59 In fact, the scripture says, they toiled all night because the storm came up and they're in the third watch of the night. The lord Jesus gets up, leaves the mountain to go check on them to see how they're faring. This is the time he comes to them walking on the water. Peter says, lord, if it's you, bid me to come. The lord says, come.

10:22 Peter steps out of the boat. He takes a few steps on the water looking at Christ then he gets distracted and he starts sinking. He looks at the waves and the and the wind and he starts sinking. And you know what he does right here? He says, save me.

11:13 Go go go with me. I want to look at this one. It's it's in Luke chapter 22. It's Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22 and verse 31.

11:43 We we read we read this, and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you. That thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. There's a there's Peter experiencing that grace again, ain't he?

12:14 God's, the son of god is praying for me He's praying that he fell not. He he he's coming to him in his in his time where Christ predicts that he's going to fail and he prays for him. And then we know that Peter denies the lord three times but we see a three time or a threefold restoration, don't we? The lord Jesus on that bank that morning not only does he prepare them prepares a nice breakfast of of of broiled fish but he asked Peter three times, Peter, do you love me? And he tells him to feed or tend my sheep.

13:00 Three times, he asked. Grace. Grace be multiplied to you and so here's this man, the man who's writing the book knows something about grace. He knows that you and I need grace in this Christian walk. He knows that you and I need grace in this world around us.

13:24 Ones in which that we are strangers scattered. Ones in which when our which our home is not here, our citizenship is in heaven. We need grace. We'll talk a bit a little bit more about that in a minute. The next the next part of that phrase is grace and peace.

16:39 In fact, again, I'll read this one too. John chapter 14, we we hear Jesus teaching the disciples and this is the famous speech where he says, will never... Or or let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in Me, believe also in God. I go to prepare a place for you.

17:02 And so looking at your in chapter 14 or you could just listen to this. Verse 27, listen to this. This is the same... The context of this talk that he's given the disciples. He says, peace I leave with you.

17:16 My peace I give unto you. Now, notice this, Peter is getting this education. Jesus Christ is saying, I'm going to leave peace with you. I'm going to give peace to you and he makes this contrast not as the world would give, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled.

17:36 Neither let it be afraid. So, when Peter opens this little book and he says, grace unto you and peace be multiplied. This is what he's writing to the Christians. Whatever state you find yourself in, let not your heart be troubled. For the believer, peace is available.

18:33 That the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. We'll grab a hold of three three words. Looks like have the next slide. Heaviness, temptations, and trial of your faith. Did Peter experience this in his training as his as his role of a Christ follower?

19:05 Flip over to this verse with me. Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22 please. We're thinking about heaviness. The King James says, manifold temptation.

19:22 Meaning, various forms, multi, lot of different temptations, trial of your faith. And in Luke chapter 22 and verse 62, Luke chapter 22 and verse 62. Oh, it's a short verse. Peter went out and wept bitterly. This is this is just after the lord Jesus.

19:56 The cock crows twice. Peter's denied the lord three times and their eyes meet. The Peter and the lord Jesus eyes meet and he went out from where he was and wept bitterly. Some of us know what it's like to weep bitterly. In fact, would it be true or accurate to say, all of us know what it's like to weep bitterly?

21:09 Temptation, a manifold temptation, a trial of your faith So this is what Peter had had... Some of what Peter, some of the things that Peter had gone through. You know, he writes this book of first Peter to remind you and I of what resources are available to to us in this Christian walk. He he he writes this to remind us that, hey, if you're if you're a follower, an apostle, a Christ follower, well, god's got resources available to you. In fact, he's got grace multiplied to to he's going to give to you.

21:50 He's got peace to offer you in the in the midst of storm. He's got peace to offer to you. Even though you're going through heaviness and you know what? He's got he's got the coming through on the others other side of weeping bitterly. Oh, you might weep bitterly.

22:09 Oh, you might fail. But there's there's purpose, there's there's life, there's Christ is with you on the other side. Now, Alright. So, we're we're we're we're thinking about things Peter witnessed. He saw, well, we, the very first thing, he saw the Messiah.

25:40 They say these answers about a prophet and things and but who do you say that I am? You are Christ, the son of god. Simon Bar Jonah, blessed are you. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but this is a direct revelation from god. Peter saw this and he he saw the transfiguration that we mentioned.

26:03 He saw the crucifixion. He saw the resurrection. He saw the ascension. This is all the Peter. This is all the things that Peter saw.

26:10 Hey, stands up and said, he preaches the gospel and many are saved. Look at this. In chapter three, Peter and John, they're walking along. They scum to a lame man. Peter is the one that says, why have you lied?

29:20 He has the same question to you. Then Peter said this, we ought to obey god rather than man. Now, look, you so, yeah, we ought to obey god's birth and fam. How? Let's go on.

29:48 Look in chapter eight. Peter and John were sent to Samaria. Next one, Peter said to Simon, this is the guy, Simon, the sorcerer. Why do you want the holy spirit for evil gain? Why do you wanna merchandise god?

30:04 Peter said to Ananias, Christ has made you whole. Again, Peter uses the conduit as a vessel to to minister, to heal others. Ananias, Christ has made you whole. Go ahead. Arise.

30:51 Heaven arises. Peter was sent to Cornelius. Now, this is getting small up here. So, Peter said to Cornelius, he sent to bring the gospel. This is a fascinating time in in in Acts chapter 10.

31:07 Now, when when Corneus runs up to him, this is important. He he runs up to Peter, he falls at his feet, and says, Corneus says, oh Is there any more on that? Yeah. So, here. Life lessons.

32:39 I'm put on the shelf. Put out to pasture. Whatever. Peter wept bitterly. Peter failed but there there was there's, well, listen.

32:55 Go, can you back back up one side? Got another side. This is fruitful failure. All of what Peter said in Acts and we didn't, this is not an exhaustive list, okay? Fruit.

34:38 This is your first lesson. Fruit from failure. Next one. Brokenness leads to brightness. Brokenness leads to brightness.

34:55 Peter he made a lot of mistakes. So he gives us that example and this is why we identify with him so well. But do we see that like, okay, Peter finally gets to the point in Acts where he's allowing god to work through him.