The Power of God's Call

Introduction

The Credentials of Peter

An apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:1)

Peter was considered by most to be a hot-headed, ignorant fisherman who was a simple man and free of spiritual depth. The books of 1st & 2nd Peter prove that these accusations could not be farther from the truth.

In his opening verses of Chapter 1, Peter dives into the depths of Christian doctrine, and his use of these doctrinal beliefs shows us that he was anything but an ignorant man. By the time we reach vs. 3 of Chapter 1, we see words like election and foreknowledge, and in just 5 short chapters, we hear Peter dealing with such things as sanctification, obedience, the Trinity, grace, salvation, revelation, glory, faith, the blood of Christ, and hope.

Peter’s boldness to mention and briefly elaborate on these issues plainly tell us that Peter was truly a student of Jesus Christ.

In the inner-circle of Christ’s disciples with James and John.

Named “Peter”, or “The Rock”, by Jesus himself (Mat. 16:18).

Eyewitness to Christ’s sufferings (1 Peter 5:1).

Peter himself suffered even to the point of death, along with his wife beside him.

Clement of Alexandria, a first century church father, gives us this quotation of Peter on the day of his crucifixion:

“On seeing his wife led to death, Peter rejoiced on account of her call and her conveyance home, and called very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, “Remember thou the Lord””.

Peter felt so unworthy to be killed the same way as his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that when it was his turn to be nailed to the tree, he asked them to crucify him upside down.

The Communication of Peter

Peter conveys himself throughout this letter with great deal of humbleness.

Though Peter has achieved many things throughout his ministry for Christ (Pentecost, Inner circle, leader of missions, renamed by Christ, etc.), he never implies throughout his letter that he is one to model after. He does state his credentials, as we will see, but he refers to himself as simply another Christian. (Ch. 2 - lively stones; Ch. 5 - elder).

The Context of Peter

As the very first verse states, Peter is writing to God’s people who have been scattered across modern-day Turkey because of heavy persecution. They have been forced to leave their homes, suffered severe physical pain and death, been lied against and falsely accused, and been mentally, emotionally, and physically broken. Because of this, Peter writes this letter to remind God’s people of three things:

Identity

Inheritance

Inerrancy

The Charge of Peter

Paul is known as the author of Faith; John is known as the author of Love; Peter is known as the author of Hope!!!

Suffering is mentioned over 16 times in this epistle of Peter and every time it is conveyed with great Hope in Christ. (1 Pet. 1:6; 3:13-17; 4:12-19 )

Peter’s charge to God’s people was simply this:

1 Peter 5:12 NLT

12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

The Source of Peter’s Calling

Jesus gave him the name.

Peter showed his faith in Jesus multiple times while Jesus was alive. Peter was the first to speak out loud that Jesus was indeed the Son of God; Peter was the one who got out of the boat and walked on water; Peter was the only one of the disciples who followed Jesus and his captors to Pilate’s hall. Peter truly was a man of great faith.

Jesus noticed this about Simon and therefore changed his name to “Peter”, which means “The Rock”, and said that he would build His church upon that rock. This didn’t mean that He was going to build His church upon Peter, but rather on the rock solid faith that Peter had exemplified as a follower of Christ. There were so many defining moments in Peter’s life that shaped him into the apostle that he became, but this had to be one of the greatest. Peter had stated his faith in Christ various ways, but this was the moment when Christ stated his faith in Peter. This was the moment when Peter heard Christ say out loud that He was going to use him, and others like him, to build His church and expand His Kingdom.

Not only was this the moment that Peter realized Jesus was going to use him, it was also the moment in which Peter realized how Christ planned to use him. Peter had announced his belief in Christ as the Son of God to Christ himself, but now Peter needed to share that great faith with everyone else. Peter understood in that moment that Christ was going to send him unto the people to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. It was Peter’s rock solid faith that allowed him to do that.

Jesus showed him what it meant.

We cannot advance much further without addressing the elephant in the room. Peter’s announcement of who Christ was, was a spiritually defining moment in his life, but so was the moment when he denied who Christ was. Though Peter showed great faith when he followed Jesus and the soldiers to Pilate’s hall, he also showed great fear when questioned about his allegiance unto Christ by the people who were there. I would venture to say, that this was the lowest moment in his walk with God. When that rooster crowed, which Jesus prophesied would happen, Peter realized in that moment the severity of what just happened. For fear of losing his physical life, he openly denied Christ, who gave him eternal life.

I wonder if we too are denying Christ because of an attachment to this physical world. Though we have declared to Christ our allegiance to Him, are we declaring to the world that same allegiance? Are we proclaiming our faith in God with the words that we say? Are we proclaiming our faith in God by the things that we do? Are we proclaiming our faith in God by places that we go, the people that we associate with, or how we treat others in everyday life?

Though Peter had a rocky start in his faith, he became one of the most influential men to serve Christ. He started churches, influenced tons of people, lead many through their ministry, and even wrote a few letters to the church as well.

Though there were some “not so good” moments in Peter’s life, he was still a patriarch of Christianity. How? How does one go from denying Christ to dying for Christ? He learned what it looked like to be a rock, by watching and learning from The Rock Himself. He watched Jesus. He continued to follow Jesus, listen to Jesus, and model his life after Jesus.

Jesus showed Peter what it looked like to be “Rock Solid” in your faith. He prayed to the Father constantly, always gave God the glory for everything, and never backed down out of fear. He always knew what the “Word” had to say on any given subject, He always acted out of love, and everything He did was for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Jesus called Peter the rock and then showed him what it looked like to be one.

Peter lived it out.

It is obvious that Peter leaned into his calling by the terminology that he uses in this letter. He refers to Jesus as the chief Cornerstone of the house of God. He also refers to himself, as well as the rest of the church, as living stones whom God is perfecting. Peter began to be that rock for others that Jesus was for them. He cared for the people, served the people, sacrificed for the people, and modeled for the people what true faith looked like. He created a stable place and became a stable person for the people. He became a solid foundation; he became the rock.

The Scope of Peter’s Calling

An Elder of the Church (1 Pet. 5:1)

A leader in doctrine and belief.

A leader in example.

An Apostle to those Scattered (1 Pet. 1:1)

He was sent to the children of God.

He was sent to those who needed a rock.

A Rock to the Church (1 Pet. 1:1)

Peter’s calling was more than just an action, but an attitude.

Peter’s calling transcended a position, and was about purpose.

Peter’s calling was more than what to do, and was about who he was.

The Significance of Peter’s Calling

A Persecuted People

The people had been persecuted.

The people had been forced from their homes.

The people were broken.

A Powerful Message

A Reminder of who they were.

A reminder of what God had done.

A message of HOPE!!!!