(Sermon Reflection) Peter: The Apostle Of Hope

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Hunter Street Baptist Church

Buddy Gray

Hope Series

Here are some things that I heard, that struck me.

• Peter had some positive things going for him when we first encounter him in Scripture. --- Faith (Mark 1:17-18), Spiritual Insight (Matt 16:15-16)
  

Most of the rest of the message touched on his failures to highlight specifically how Jesus gives hope to and restores a messed up man. These failures in particular help me to realize how Jesus is able to use a 'wretch like me' to do incredible things for His kingdom's purposes.

• We see Peter's overconfidence, pride, and arrogance at the last supper. (Luke 22:33-34)
• At Gethsemane, when Jesus asks Peter to stay awake and pray, he fails to do so and falls asleep after a single hour. He doesn't grasp the importance of prayer or being spiritually vigilant. (Mark 14:37)
• When they come to arrest Jesus, Peter gets impulsive and cuts off the ear of the servant, which Jesus then heals. Jesus is always cleaning up his messes it seems.
• Pride --> Prayerlessness --> Impulsiveness
• For the last bit of Jesus' life, Peter followed him at a distance. Peter wanted to be comfortable with the world and blend in, rather than suffer with Jesus. (Mark 14:54)
• When Peter has denied Jesus three times, Jesus turns to him and looks and a rooster crows. (Luke 22:60-62)
• To Peter, the rooster crowing to Peter was something that triggered memories of his failures and sin. It was something that haunted him. (Luke 22:60-62)
• After Jesus' resurrection, Jesus specifically mentions Peter's name (apart from the group of disciples) which implies his restoration in Jesus' sight. (Mark 16:6-7)
• After Jesus appears to the disciples while they were fishing, Peter is sitting around the fire with Jesus. It was only a few days ago that Peter was sitting around a fire in a courtyard when he was denying knowing Jesus. Such a contrast of how he has been restored so quickly. One of the most distant moments from Jesus and one of the most intimate moments with Jesus were both spent around a fire within a matter of days.
• After Peter has been restored (John 21:17-18, 19a), he becomes incredibly affective for the kingdom of God. For example, at Pentecost he preaches and thousands come to know salvation. (Acts 1:15, 2:14, 4:8, 10:44)
• God uses our worst moments to prepare us for our divinely appointed purposes. 

The main takeaway points from this sermon:

• There is hope after failure.
• God uses broken people to accomplish great things.