Petros
Introduction
Do you have high hopes as a Christian?
Have you given up?
Where are you this morning
Simon Peter had many ups & downs
He may have said he was a poor disciple
He often put his foot in things – in front of Jesus and the other disciples
He was impulsive
He denied the Lord
Yet the Lord Jesus restored him
Jesus restores His children
In the Book of Acts – we see a transformed person
Gone from fearful to bold
He has gone before powerful people – like Caiaphas
He states there is no other name (except Jesus Christ) that can save
No longer doubting and sinking – believing and trusting
No longer full of questions – he has a clear understanding of truth
No longer a proud but a humble man
No longer impulsive but governed by the Holy Spirit
Not without failing – we will see this next week
Now mature
Now living up to his name – Peter / petros / rock
He had gone through the school of suffering
He had been imbued with the Holy Spirit
Overview:
His Boldness
His Beliefs
His Blessings
His Boldness
Can be explained through Pentecost
It would be wrong to say he had no boldness before
It would be wrong to say he had no understanding before
Luke 24:44-45 – Jesus had already opened their understanding
There was tremendous joy amongst the disciples (Luke 24:52-53)
They understood the word of God
Yes, they were waiting for the fullness of the Holy Spirit
At Pentecost
The disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit
They began to speak in foreign languages – of the people who were present
They were declaring the wonderful works of God
Then mockery – people said they were drunk
Peter tells the people they are not drunk – Acts 2:15
Instead this is what Joel prophesied (Acts 2:16-21, Joel 2:28-32)
He charges the people with the murder of Jesus (Acts 4:10)
He did not use the ‘third person’
He preaches Jesus
He continues to preach everyday in the temple
At the miracle of healing the lame man – Acts 3:12-15
Very pointed preaching
He is longing that they would be saved
Chapter 4
He comes before the authorities / religious court
Look at his boldness – v8-10,12
They are amazed by his boldness – seeing he is an untrained and uneducated man (v13)
They realise he had been with Jesus
His boldness had come from Jesus
We need to pray that we would spend more time with Jesus and be bolder
What do international people say about us when they visit – example
His Beliefs
The faith we believe and the faith we live
Content of Faith
Look at the content of his sermons in Acts
Out of 56 verses, 33 verses speak of Jesus Christ
He starts preaching with their ‘hook’ but then quickly gets to Jesus Christ
He compares to David
* He from Ps 110 that Jesus is greater than David
He preaches the cross and resurrection of Jesus
He speaks about his Old Testament prophecy and his own experience
We must preach a Jesus rooted in history (not just theoretical)
He preached about the judgment of God
Have you faced up to this Jesus?
Have you seen how sinful you are?
Have you realised your sins took Him to the cross?
Have you confessed and repented of your sins?
He preached about the Holy Spirit
He preached that Jesus wanted salvation for the Jews – Acts 23:26
He asks for a response – Acts 23:19
He preaches the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ
Preaching today
Do we need to address the issues of the day?
Sometimes
There is nothing more relevant that the salvation of your soul, than of heaven and hell
We need to preach Jesus Christ
We are not to fix the worldly problems – government, poverty, etc
Peter preached the Bible
Activity of Faith
He lived in the Spirit
He saw the lame man and performed a miracle
We do not have the power of miracles
Do we seek to stop and help with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
He lived in Faith
Acts 5:27-29 – He trusted in faith no matter what
Example of overseas preachers
Acts 5:31-32 – They spoke of Jesus exalted
Acts 5:41-42 – The preached daily about Jesus
His Blessings
Peter was blessed by God in many ways
Many converts
3’000 people saved in one day
5’000 people men (excepting women and children) that were saved on another occasion
A praying Church – many people prayed for Peter on many occasions
The main leader of the church in Jerusalem (along with James)
His character was moulded for this
To first take the gospel wholesale to the Gentiles (Acts 10)
To perform miracles (Acts 9)
He does not mention these in his letters
These were not the real blessings
The real blessing was that he knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour
1 Peter 1:3-5 – A living hope
1 Peter 2:7 – He is precious
2 Peter 1:1 – A previous faith
What matters more to you – the blessings Jesus gives you or Jesus Himself
May it be loving and serving Him
Peter had become the man that God had intended him to be
May we spend time with Jesus, be filled with the Holy Spirit and become rocks, be pillars of the church of Jesus Christ