Peter: Fishing to Fearless

ILLUST - Detours? New challenges?

POINT - God leads, we follow, trusting along the way; You worship what you fear.

Fearless - means we fear God, nothing or nobody else

Fearless, not flawless

Background:

Three sermons in Acts (2,3,4)- > 5000 people saved

Feeling good - “successful”

For Peter, it’s time to relax, right? Wrong

For Peter, it’s time to grow

For Peter, there is more to learn

READ: Acts 10 and summarize - maybe 9-10 years after Acts 2

Peter, Joppa, a tanner, a vision, Cornelius

The commands

Three Valuable Lessons for Peter

1) God defines holy

Notice - Peter slips back to a bit of “old Peter”

“No way, Lord! I’m not eating that!’

(Rehearse sections of Acts 10)

God uses food to connect to people

Peter - faithful Jew, dietary rules (didn’t change yet)

Peter - faithful Jew, no association with Gentiles

Growth steps, first food, then people

“Eat the food, it’s OK Peter”

“Go talk to Gentiles, Peter, it’s OK”

SPOILER - God’s really not worried about food, though He does want us to be healthy - Law was to help

2) God provides opportunity

Peter said, repeatedly, “Lord, I’ll serve you, follow you anywhere”

OK, here you go - if you are serious

(Rehearse sections of Acts 10)

Peter rebuffs the food, but quickly gets the message

No push back to go to the “unclean Gentiles”

Leaves Joppa

(Interesting, he’s in Joppa, where Jonah fled such an opportunity)

Even Cornelius is used by God to bring others to this opportunity

The ‘opportunity’ provided by God is for people to meet HIM, not for Peter to meet people. God is using Peter, and other people, to have an opportunity to meet HIM

3) Stick to God’s truth

THE truth

Catch this ---- Peter knows the truth. Peter speaks what He knows.

(Rehearse sections of Acts 10)

Peter was a witness to the Way, the Truth, the Life

How do you deal with a hostile uncomfortable environment?

Speak the truth

Peter recognized that this could be uncomfortable

He’d been in his wheelhouse - preaching to Jews, people who knew God, just not Jesus

Now…Gentiles....not “fun”

All Peter needed to do was be bold - not fear people (fearless)

God gives the Word - Peter knows it

Holy Spirit does the convicting, the converting

Hearts were prepared - Peter simply needed to be bold

HE’D BEEN PREPARED BY GOD FOR ALL OF THIS - And more

OK - WHAT ABOUT US?

Believer - You are Holy

Set apart

1 Peter 1:16 NASB95

because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Distinct from the world

Peter lived for Jesus, and it showed - faults and all

You have faults

And great strengths, and Jesus wants you using them for Him, living for Him

(Francis Chan quote in bulletin)

“If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

You are a believer - your identity is in Christ, not som label from the culture around you

Peter changed the culture, one person at a time

Our culture needs, NEEDS, you to follow, surrender to Jesus, so you can help someone meet HIM

Believer - God Provides You Opportunity

Comfort zones - We like them

Maybe looks like this:

Get saved, start coming to church, tell a few people about Jesus, maybe do a Bible study, see some growth, friends and family recognize a little change - ALL GOOD

That can get really comfortable, bad habits can develop if we get complacent

But then you pray for more opportunity (careful what you pray for, if you mean it)

Some stranger comes your way - Do you talk about Jesus?

That family member you gave up on, calls you - Do you invite him/her to church?

You work with kids at VBS - one of the kids asks about Jesus, parents are lost

Someone asks you what your church, what you, believe? How do you respond

Make opportunities - start up conversations

Carry tracts, “tools,” the Word

Pray in public, meals

Ask a stranger how you can pray for him/her

Recognize/Take opportunities

People know you are a believer - ask you questions

Kids behave in public, and people notice and comment

Current events, someone asks your opinion

Opportunity is what God prepares you for! It’s why He saves you!

And He’s preparing the hearts of those people you will meet

John 4:35 NASB95

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.

God has sent you into the world, to speak for Him

But…what do I say?

Believer - Stick to the Truth

The Holy Spirit will do the convicting and converting work

1 John 4:4 NASB95

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Stick to the truth - you’ll learn growth and courage

Boldness means speaking truth, not being popular

It means telling what you know, the truth

God’s Word - We have the answers to culture - Peter did, too

This is not about being nice - Jesus was not a nice person

Look at words describing Him - nice is not one of them

Compassionate, strong, etc.

“Nice ushers people into Hell” - Bill Jack

We have a message to the world

There are people who need to, who want to hear it

The best thing you can do for ANYONE is tell the truth

Start with Jesus

Jesus is our friend - He speaks truth

You have a friend who needs Jesus - just tell him/her the truth

QUESTION - What are you afraid of? What, or Who do you fear?

“We worship what we fear” - this world/people, or the LORD

Peter was fearless regarding the world, to share the Gospel - He feared the LORD

QUESTION - How is God using you to get people to meet Him?

Uncomfortable to talk Jesus? Fight through that

Worry - Lose friends, feel awkward, get laughed at - does that stop you?

ISSUES

Being comfy, complacent, relaxed

Understanding growth - grow through a trial/challenge, another will come

Courage - feel like a coward? Just tell what you know (and learn if you need to know)

Peter witnessed the work of Jesus - and accepted the work Jesus demanded

You have witnessed the work of Jesus (saved) - who can you share it with

Gentile here today? You can trust Christ, ask me how. Ask someone here. We’ll be bold and tell you the truth.

God has set you apart for His service, he prepares hearts, provides opportunity, and the Holy Spirit is all the power you will ever need.

Our culture needs truth - today