Growing in God - Part 1

The Fascinating Story of Peter

Matthew 16:13-23

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

To me, this is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. Peter who was the leader of the disciples confesses Jesus as the Messiah (Jews knew that the Messiah would save them and bring peace). This is such an amazing act of belief and faith. However, a few moments, days or weeks later, Jesus rebuked the same man who confessed his faith for his lack of faith.

A Story Full of Hope

While this may sound crazy, I believe this story full of hope. Here's why. Peter failed. He did not just fail once, but several times. He was not perfect in any way, yet Jesus loved him and accepted him. Peter was never perfect. Nor were any of the saints we read about in scripture. Just think about this list for a second.

When Noah got off his boat, he planted a vineyard, got drunk, slept naked, and was discovered by his kids (Genesis 9:20-21). When God told Abraham that he would have a son, Abraham became impatient and slept with another woman to conceive a son that would be his inheritance (Genesis 16). The great giant killer and king, David, was out on his rooftop one day and saw a woman. He had her brought over to his palace, slept with her (possibly raped her), and she got pregnant. Instead of repenting of his sin, he tried to cover it up, and when the cover up did not work, he had her husband murdered (2 Samuel 11;12). The great Apostle Paul (who wrote much of the New Testament) killed Christians in a former life and admitted that even he was the chief of sinners (Acts 8; I Timothy 1:15).

Grace Covers Our Darkest Sins

No matter where you look in the Bible, you will find flawed and broken people that somehow found God's grace to cover over their darkest sins. This gives me so much hope. We never have to be perfect. Jesus was perfect for us (Romans 3:22-24). Our response to this great grace is to grow in order to continue to bring glory to Him (Romans 6:12-14; Romans 12:1-2). Take heart, Christ has forgiven you if you believe.

Prayer for the Day

Psalm 101:2 (b) – I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.

God, I ask you today to help me grow closer to you. Give me strength to walk with integrity at home, at work, with my spouse and with my kids. I need your help today. Amen.