GO TELL PETER (A Restoration Story) It all started about three years earlier, when Simon Peter first heard the call of Jesus Christ to “come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Something leaped within him and he immediately left all else to follow this man from Galilee. There was something about this Jesus that captivated the heart of Peter, and made him want to be just like Him. Yet at the time, Peter had no clue what Jesus had in store for him. He only knew that he had found his purpose in life when he listened to the teaching ministry of Jesus, and personally witnessed the miracles which He performed. But there was also something about this man called Simon Peter that captivated the heart of Jesus. Sure he was still very raw, yes He could be out-spoken, moody, and even quite rough at times. But Jesus saw a faith and a zeal building inside of Peter that He could use to start the latter day revival. You see, while the others cowered in the boat, it was Peter that jumped to his feet and said, “I want to walk on the water!” It was Peter who was first to raise his hand high in the air when Jesus asked, “But whom do you say that I am?” But yes, it was also Peter who cut a man’s ear off, rebuked Jesus, and was the first to raise his voice proclaim, “Though others deny you, I’ll never deny you Lord!” At times his faith was as of a little child, and at other times he acted like a child. Yet Jesus kept thinking to Himself, “That is going to be one powerful child of God right there”. What Peter did not quite understand, however, was that before he could ever become what God intended him to be, he was going to have to go through a fiery trial. Jesus knew this, insomuch that He found Himself going off alone and praying for the faith of Peter to withstand the flames of hell: Luke 22: 31 – 34 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” The very day Peter said, “I’m ready to go with you to prison or death”, was the very day his faith was tested. It was the day his whole world would change. One of his very close friends, Judas, decided to sell out. All the other disciples were nowhere to be found, but Peter followed Jesus from a distance: Luke 22: 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. Peter found himself entangled with the biggest decision of his life. Three times he was asked if he was a follower of Christ. Three times he denied being associated with Him: Matthew 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. Those words, “wept bitterly” tell us that Peter suffered great remorse and regret over His decisions. He felt that all hope was lost. Every promise he had made to Jesus was now in vain. Everything he had been promised by Christ, including the keys to the kingdom, had all gone down the drain. Was life even worth the living? Could he ever be restored? Just hearing the roosters crowing the next two mornings caused him to grip his pillow tightly around his head in torment and utter shame. Not to mention a most depressing word of discouragement from one of those saints who always “has bible for that” to remind him that those who denied Christ would be denied by Christ. This is where I step in and speak to you the words that Christ laid on my heart. Regardless of what you may have heard, you CAN indeed be restored and saved regardless of your past. I am here to remind you just how much Jesus loves you. We do not have the authority to tell you that you are too far gone to be saved. We cannot throw “the law” at you, because we all guilty of breaking it ourselves. Does this mean I believe we are free to sin? Of course not, just look at all the trouble and chaos sin has already caused in our lives. But it does mean that I believe that the God who wrote the law is also the distributer of grace. Romans 5: 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: Romans 9: 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. God reminded me of this scripture just a few days ago: Mark 16: 7 But go, tell His disciples—AND PETER—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. Eleven men were still gathered together wondering what they were going to do with their lives. They hear someone pounding the door - it’s Mary. “Get up!” she shouts, “Jesus is alive! An angel of The Lord has sent me to tell you!” Ten men jump to their feet; Peter remains seated with his head held low. “Oh, and Peter?” Mary shouts across the room, “He asked for YOU by name.” No doubt Peter again wept bitterly – only this time it was with tears of liberation. The message was loud and clear: Immediately after the resurrection, Jesus had Peter on His mind. Peter was singled out because Jesus knew he was living in torment and shame. He was singled out because Jesus still had a plan that involved him. The keys to the Kingdom were still his! The one who felt that things could never be the same, that his ministry was over, was about to fulfill everything he had ever promised Jesus – both to prison and to death. Whether you are a weary saint of God in the midst of a fiery trial, or a lonely back-slider on a barstool, Jesus wants to be the lifter of your head today. If there is still a mustard seed of faith left in you, there is a vast ocean of grace awaiting to swoop you up off your feet and get you back on track. Philippians 1: 5, 6 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: There is no doubt that Peter always loved the Lord, He simply caved in to pressure on the worst day of his life. While Peter will forever have the reputation of “the one who denied The Lord”, we are quick to forget that he had the guts to follow Him on that horrific day. Can I remind you that almost every hero of the bible failed God at one time or another? Most of us have also fallen severely short of the glory of God. But all praise be to The Lord Jesus Christ, the restorer of our hearts, and the lifter of our heads. We have found the same mercy that Peter found. So go tell Peter that Jesus is still calling; and that there is still a great work for them to do. Share this passage with those who have lost hope: I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:3-6 KJV) May God bring revival to every single one of us. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. – Rick Flores @Back on Track Bible Studies - Rick Flores 2014
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 16:36:27 +0000
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