158 Peter in the book of Acts – D r D a v i d P e t t s

Lessons from their lives Talk 24. Peter (Part Two)

Welcome to talk 24 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Last time we began to look at the life of Peter, concentrating mainly on the accounts in the gospels. We saw how Jesus was moulding Peter in order to make him a fisher of men.

From the story of Peter walking on the water, we saw that Peter needed to learn to keep looking to the Lord, whatever the outward circumstances might be.

From the story of Peter confessing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and his subsequent attempt to dissuade Jesus from going the way of the cross, we saw that Peter had to learn that

Jesus’s death on the cross was to be central to our salvation and that, like Jesus, Peter must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Him.

From the account of Jesus’ transfiguration we saw that Peter needed to learn to listen before he spoke.

From the story of Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, we saw that Peter needed to learn that:

the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual – the angels are on our side!
we can have confidence that what God has said in the scriptures must be fulfilled
it’s more important to do the will of God than to avoid personal suffering

From the story of Peter’s denial and his subsequent reinstatement by Jesus we saw that Peter needed to learn that despite his failures, Jesus was willing to forgive him and still had a purpose for his life.

Today we’ll be looking at Peter in the book of Acts in order to see how the lessons Peter learnt from Jesus were evident in his life after he was filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We will notice a very real difference in Peter and will be asking how this difference can be explained.

First then, how the lessons Peter learnt from Jesus can be seen in the book of Acts.

1. Peter had learnt that despite his failures, Jesus was willing to forgive him and still had a purpose for his life. Acts 1:15.

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said…

2. Peter had learnt that what God had said in the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Acts 1:16-17, 20; Acts 2:24-25

1:16. “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

1:17. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” …

1:20. For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’

2:24. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

2:25. For David says concerning him…

3. Peter had learnt that Jesus’s death on the cross was central to God’s plan of salvation. Acts 2:23, 3:14-15, 4:9-12

23…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

3:14-15 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

4:9-12

…if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

4. Peter had learnt that it’s more important to do the will of God than to avoid personal suffering. Acts 4:18-20.

18. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

19. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,

20. for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.””

5. Peter had learnt to listen before he spoke. Acts 9:40

But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Cf. Acts 3:6

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Peter had learnt to keep looking to the Lord, whatever the outward circumstances. Acts 12:1-6. 1 Peter 4:12-14.
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.

1 Peter 4:12-14

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

7. Peter learnt from personal experience that the angels are on our side. Acts 12:7-10

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.

So these passages in Acts show us that Peter had learnt the lessons Jesus was teaching him in the Gospels.

How do we account for the difference?

Jesus had been making him
Jesus had died for him
Jesus had met with him – Peter had seen the risen Christ
Jesus had forgiven him

But Peter still needed the Holy Spirit. It was by the Holy Spirit that Jesus would continue teaching him, moulding him and empowering him.

John 14:16-18

“… I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

As we have seen, Peter had learnt many lessons while Jesus was physically present with him. But now he must learn to let Jesus lead him by his Spirit. There are two main areas where the Spirit is at work in Christians – fruit (character resulting from regeneration) and gifts (power, resulting from the baptism in the Holy Spirit).

With regard to power, Peter had already worked miracles before being filled with the Spirit at Pentecost. These were performed by the direct authority of Jesus (Matthew 10). After Jesus had departed, Peter would have to learn to hear the voice of the Spirit.

With regard to character, Peter did not become perfect when he was filled with the Spirit at Pentecost. He needed to be reminded of what Jesus had said and to gain a new understanding of God’s purpose for the Gentiles – see Acts 10, the story of Cornelius. And even after this, he still displayed a weakness re Gentile Christians.

Galatians 2:11-14

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?”

Pentecost had certainly made a great difference in Peter’s life, but it didn’t make him perfect. But by the grace of God, God went on using him until the day came when Peter laid down his life for Jesus.

No one experience, however wonderful, will make us all that we ought to be. Until that day when we are presented blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy (Jude 1:24) we need to:

keep filled with the Spirit and use the power he makes available to us
go on learning to hear the voice of the Spirit and follow his leading
allow him to mould us into the likeness of Jesus so that we, like Peter, will truly become fishers of men.