In his sermon titled 'Introduction to 1 Peter,' Jason Dohm calls on the congregation to become better students of the Word of God as they transition from studying Matthew to 1 Peter. He urges listeners to be proactive in preparing their hearts to receive God's Word and to cement its lessons afterward. Dohm emphasizes the rare practice of publicly reading entire books of the Bible, citing 1 Timothy 4:13 as biblical support for this tradition. The sermon highlights the transformation of Peter from a rash, inconsistent disciple in the Gospels to a mature, fatherly figure in 1 Peter. Dohm attributes this transformation to the work of the Holy Spirit over time, illustrating that spiritual growth is a gradual process. He contrasts Peter's bravado in the Gospels with his holy boldness in Acts, demonstrating how Peter's experiences and divine guidance led to his maturation. The sermon calls the congregation to learn from Peter's journey and embrace the slow, steady work of the Holy Spirit in their own lives.

So a brief introduction to what we're doing today. First I just want to take the opportunity, since we're leaving a two year plus study, and starting a new study to take the opportunity just by way of exhortation to call us all to be better students of the word of God than we were. I'm assuming that through the book of Matthew that some of us were good students and some of us weren't very good students and that we all benefited. And so to the people who were not very good students of the Word of God, the exhortation is be a better student. We're starting a new book.

It's a great opportunity to up your game and to begin to establish better patterns of being a student of the Word of God so that you're coming more ready, having prayed for the time of being in the Word of God more and done more proactively to make your heart ready to receive seeds planted into good soil beforehand and then afterwards to do more with it afterwards. Now you would think I would be the best student of anybody here because of the opportunity that I have to bear down on the text and in some ways I'm sure I am as a father and a leader of a home though I bet I'm in the bottom third really easily in terms of proactively helping my family be ready and then after the fact doing something with it to cement the benefit that comes anytime the word of God is read and then explained. So I'm like everybody else. I'm at a transition point between Matthew and 1 Peter and I've got places where I need to up my game and upgrade as a student of the Word of God, particularly as the head of a home who can help my family be better students of the Word of God as well.

So it's an exhortation to everybody who is listening. Up your game. If you are a good student, be a better student. If you are a lousy student, Now is the time to break the bad patterns and to begin new patterns. Come hungry for the word of God and then do something to cement the benefit after the fact and you will find yourself having captured a lot more from first Peter than then even then we did in in the book of Matthew Thus the hole punches It's a subtle hint there's a hole punch here so domes Take good notes, And we're going to have notebooks.

At the end of 1 Peter domes, we're all going to have a notebook of our notes on 1 Peter. We're going to be better students than we were in Matthew. I'll take the hit now. I'm to blame, but at the end of 1 Peter, you'll be to blame if you weren't a good student because the domes are upping our game in 1 Peter. Secondly, I want to introduce what we're getting ready to do which is the public reading of an entire book of the Bible.

This almost never gets done in churches and it hasn't been done nearly enough here so we should do it more but we're doing it this morning and that's something to give thanks for that's something to praise God for That we can publicly honor The mighty deposit that God has given us in his revealed word by just reading it every single Sunday, the purest, smartest, wisest, most fruitful words that are ever said are read before the sermon. And that's why we set aside a man to actually do that. We make it its own little part of the service. The intent of that is to honor the Word of God by making it distinct and setting aside a man every week to Just deliver the reading of the word of God. Listen to what Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 verse 13.

I like how the ESV renders it better. Same Greek word, there's no difference here in the underlying text, but with the same Greek word, here's how the English standard version and the new American Standard Version and the new international version renders the same word Paul writes to Timothy until I come devote yourself to the public reading of scripture. That's the ESV. So Paul is writing to Timothy and he commands Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of scripture. NASB says give attention to the public reading of scripture.

So nothing is more fitting than the people of God actually giving attention, not just to a sermon, but to the public reading of the Word of God. So that's what we'll be doing. And we're gonna read all five chapters of 1 Peter. Let's begin in prayer. Father, we Thank you for your word.

It's more helpful to us than anything else that happens on Sundays. That you have given us your revealed will in the Bible. That we would read these purest of all words so undiluted by the thoughts of men and the inclinations of our own hearts so pure and undefiled. Righteous all together. So we give you thanks and we want to be attentive to it today.

We pray that you would bless Just the pure reading of your word today. Send your spirit in Jesus' name, amen. First Peter, chapter one. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace to you, and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust as in your ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, be holy for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever now This is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Chapter two. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious coming to him as to a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious. You also, as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.

Therefore to you who believe he is precious but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme or to governors, As to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good For this is the will of God That by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men is free yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond-servants of God.

Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, Honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable if because of conscience toward God one endures grief suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your fault, you take it patiently?

But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.

Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Chapter 3. Wives, Likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel.

Rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. Husbands likewise dwell with them with understanding giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For he who would love life and seek good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And he, and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?

But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who ask you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear having a good conscience that when they defame you as evildoers those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed for it is better if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by whom he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient when once the divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water. There is also an anti-type which now saves us, baptism.

Not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. Chapter 4 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind. For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime enduring the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

They will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit. But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling, as each one has received a gift. Ministry it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are approached for the name of Christ, blessed are you. For the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in doing good as to a faithful creator. Chapter 5 The elders who are among you I exhort.

I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Shepherd, the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility.

For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while perfect establish strengthen and settle you to him be the glory and the Dominion forever and ever amen by Sylvanus our brother our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

She who is in Babylon elect together with you, greets you. And so does Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Thank you, brothers. That was a blessing. I can tell you guys were really prepared. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the reading of your word.

We pray that you would press these things on our souls in the coming months. He would teach us, bring us to maturity in Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen. So this is at least a first stab at an introduction to Peter. There will be more next week in terms of an introduction.

This certainly won't be a full length sermon given that we've already spent 20 minutes of the time in the public reading of the book. We've spent a lot of time with Peter. We've spent a lot of time with Peter, we've spent a lot of time on Peter in the book of Matthew. Thank heavens we spent more time with Jesus and more time on Jesus in the book of Matthew. But outside of Jesus, Peter is the next most prominent person in all the gospels.

And so we've seen a lot of him. And I don't know whether you had the same experience that I had as I've been reading and re-reading 1 Peter. It's sort of a shock to my system to go from all the things that we see about Peter in the Gospel of Matthew and then to read what he writes in 1 Peter. And my reaction is this guy wrote that. This guy that we were introduced to, that we've seen in so many different settings, saying so many different things, doing so many different things in the book of Matthew, wrote this letter that is so full of tenderness.

It's a fatherly letter. 1 Peter is a fatherly letter and there is nothing about Peter that is fatherly in the Gospel of Matthew. So we come to this letter and we say, can this really be the same man? Well, it is the same man, and here's the explanation, God. God explains how this man, who could be so frustratingly inconsistent in the Gospel of Matthew, could write this tender fatherly letter in 1 Peter.

And then there's more of the same in 2 Peter. God doesn't disciple overnight. He could. He could bring us to maturity overnight. We could get saved on Monday and be mature on Tuesday.

But God, for his own reasons, thinks it's wiser to disciple over time, to gain victory in the life even of a believer over time. So that we're not saved on Monday and then find ourselves magically mature on Tuesday. That's not how it happened in the life of Peter. That's not how it's going to happen in your life too, or either. But God does disciple.

And so when we see this Peter of Matthew and we have system shock when we come to 1 Peter, this letter that he's written, we say, well we thought we knew this man. We see him in so many different circumstances in the Gospel, we thought we knew him, but these were just snapshots in a life. That's all you have in Matthew is snapshots. And I want to say this because I think it's important, we learn this from the life of Peter. It's dangerous to look at snapshots in the life of a young zealot and say he'll never be different than that.

You end up discarding 1 Peter if you do that. If you look at the life of this frustratingly inconsistent man and say the snapshots is him and only him and that's all he can ever be. You've discounted God. You've discounted the work of the Holy Spirit of God in a life over time. You know any young zealots?

Do you know any people who haven't been in the faith all that long? And it's tempting to look at frustratingly inconsistent snapshots in their lives and say they'll never be any different than that. Well, you know what? God knows more than you. God's smarter than you.

And God is able to disciple Those whom his Holy Spirit indwells through time. This happened in the life of Peter, and it's going to happen in the life of some young zealots that you know that you've been tempted to write off. Don't you dare. All you have is snapshots. And the Spirit of God is bigger than the snapshots that you've been given visibility to in their life.

The story of Peter is a wonderful story about the work of God. First, in walking with a man in a very unique way. Peter was one of just a handful, well a handful and maybe a couple of toes, of men who walked face to face with Jesus Christ for three and a half years. And they ate with him. They sat with him.

They slept in the same places that he slept. They heard him preach. They watched him raise the dead. And he lived life with them for three years. And that's not like us.

None of us are ever going to have that experience. But Peter didn't just walk with a man who was also the Son of God. Peter was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. And a lot of his maturity happens after that. And that is just like us.

So you won't be like Peter in living with Jesus day after day in the way that he did for three years. But you will be like Peter where Most of his maturing happened, where most of the seasoning of his soul and being brought to maturity happened when he was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and then the Spirit began to produce the Spirit's fruit in his life. He became sanctified. A lot happens after these snapshots that we see in the book of Matthew. So today really what I'm talking about is not the book of 1 Peter, it's about the author of 1 Peter.

And my objective is to bring us to current with the author of 1 Peter, because it's not the same guy. You might have noticed this. Where we left Peter and Matthew was having denied Christ three times, and he's weeping bitterly in all the gospel accounts that says the same things. He went out and wept bitterly. And now we come to this letter that's so mature, that's so fatherly, we've got to close the gap.

And so my objective this morning is to close the gap and to bring us current with the author of 1 Peter. I'll begin by speaking of Peter in the Gospels. There are four lists of disciples. Matthew 10, Mark 3, Luke 6, Acts 1. And all four of these lists of disciples, Peter's the first name on the list.

And Judas is on the last name of the list. Acts 1 doesn't have Judas at all. But in those other four where they name all 12, Peter's first, Judas' last. And what you get from that is not a random ordering of names. What we see with Peter is that he's first, not just on the list, but he is the most prominent of these men that Jesus called to live with him and to be his disciples, to be his learners, to be his pupils in the final years of his life.

John 1 records that it was Andrew, it was Peter's brother, who saw Jesus first. Andrew was actually a disciple of John the Baptist and Andrew was standing next to John the Baptist when John sees Jesus and he says, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And so Andrews goes to see Jesus and he actually spends a day with Jesus. And he comes and he brings a report to this fisherman brother of his, a partner in a fishing business, his brother, Peter, who at the time wasn't Peter, was Simon, and he says, guess who I spent the day with? The Messiah.

Now this is my terrible paraphrase, but you'll have to forgive my terrible paraphrase. Guess who I spent the day with? The Messiah. And Andrew brings Simon, his brother, to Jesus. And in this first encounter, Jesus changes his name.

You're not Simon anymore. You're Cephas, or you're Peter. So your name goes from Reed to Rock and this isn't even the calling of Peter to be to be his disciple It's later that Peter is actually called to be a disciple and to live with Jesus. But that's how it starts in John 1, where a disciple of John the Baptist, here's John the Baptist say, Behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and then he brings his brother to see Jesus, having told him that he had met the Messiah. And after that, Peter is always out front.

When all the disciples are thinking a question, Peter's the one who asks it. It happens over and over again. We saw it probably happen ten times in Matthew. The disciples are thinking something, Peter asks the question. He's always out front And he's always the recipient of extra opportunities.

For instance, Jesus raises a little girl from the dead. All the disciples are left behind, except for Peter, James, and John. They're taken in and they see with their own eyes Jesus raised this little girl from the dead. Or the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples are left behind, but Peter, James, and John, these same three, are brought up on top.

And they see Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses and he's transformed. He's transfigured before them. Or Gethsemane. They're all brought into the garden to pray, but Jesus takes Peter, James, and John a little further on so they would be nearer to him as he agonizes and wrestles with the cup of wrath that he's going to have to drink down to the drag. So Peter's always out front and he's always a part of the extra opportunities that are reserved by Jesus for just a few of his disciples.

The story of Peter in the Gospels is a story of potential. You don't want to be that guy at work. Or they say, man, that guy has potential. Usually, it can be just a young buck who's got a lot of talent and people know he's going to go far. A lot of times though when it's used that way at work, it means the guy who hasn't really lived up to expectations.

He's the guy with potential, the P word. Oh no, You don't want that to be said of you at work. And this is what we see with Peter. Glimmers of greatness ending in spectacular crashes. These spectacular crashes of the gospels always seem to involve Peter.

He's a raw talent is what we see in Peter who can never quite finish. Three examples of this and I did not have to stop at three. This is just merciful time management that I stopped at three. Matthew 14, Jesus comes walking by the boat on the water. The disciples think that they're seeing a ghost.

Jesus says, Don't fear, it's me. Peter says, if it's you, call me to come out of the boat. He comes out, he's walking on the water, but then he notices that the wind is boisterous and that the waves are large and his faith fails and he begins to sink. And That passage in Matthew 14 ends in verse 31 with Jesus saying, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? So it began with a raw talent crawling out of the boat and it ended with the guy who just can't quite finish.

Number two, Matthew 16. There's a discussion about the identity of Jesus. Some people say this, some people say that. Jesus says, who do you say that I am? Peter says, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

This is a spectacularly accurate pronouncement. Seven verses later, Jesus is saying, get behind me Satan. This is Peter, frustratingly inconsistent, getting it so right in verse 16. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God's stunningly accurate pronouncement of who Jesus is. And then seven verses later, when Jesus is saying what it means that he's the Christ, the Son of the Living God, it means that he is going to die.

He is going to suffer and die. Peter can't accept that and he has the audacity to rebuke Jesus Christ and Jesus says, get behind me Satan. Now this is especially significant for the writer of 1 Peter. In Matthew 16, the thing that gets Peter in trouble is that he can't believe that the Christ would suffer and die. And so he has the audacity to rebuke Jesus for even suggesting it.

1 Peter is all about suffering. 1 Peter, it's all over. I think Jim counted it up this week. Suffering appears 15 times in 5 chapters. That's what the book of 1 Peter is about.

So the author of 1 Peter isn't the same man of Matthew 16. It's a different man. It's a man who can write to other believers about how to understand and embrace suffering. Not the Peter of Matthew 16. Thirdly, Matthew 26.

Jesus is preparing his disciples for what's getting ready to happen. They're getting ready to lay hands on him and take him away and crucify him. And he says, according to Old Testament prophecy, when the shepherd is struck, the sheep are going to scatter. What does Peter say? Not me.

The Old Testament prophecies don't pertain to me. These are his exact words. Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble. A few verses later he says, even if I have to die with you I will not deny you. And Matthew 26 ends with him denying Jesus three times just like Jesus said he would and Peter going out to weep bitterly.

It started out well. And it ended up with one of these spectacular crashes that seem to be reserved for Peter in the gospels. Now, Peter in John 21. John takes the account of Peter, the life of Peter, further than the other gospel writers do. Most of them leave him right here, denying Jesus and going out to weep bitterly, but not John.

So turn to John 21. And as you turn to John 21, I'm going to read Luke 5, 1 through 11. John 21 is the end of Jesus's life. And Luke 5 is Jesus's calling of Peter. And they have a close connection.

So I'm going to read Luke 5, 1 through 11, while you're turning to John 21. Luke 5, 1. So it was as the multitude pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God that he stood by the lake of Gennesaret and saw two boats standing by the lake. But the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.

And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon answered and said to him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both boats so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, He fell down at Jesus' knees saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken. And so also were James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, do not be afraid.

From now on, you will catch men. So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed." So this is the calling of Peter. He met Peter through his brother Andrew, but he wasn't called here until Luke 5 and that account. Now John 21, I'd like to read verses 1 through 19 and make some brief comments. John 21 verse 1.

After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And in this way, he showed himself. Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. They said to him, We are going with you also.

They went out and immediately got into the boat and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore. Yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, Children, have you any food? They answered him, No.

And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. So they cast and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment for he had removed it and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat for they were not far from land but about 200 cubits, dragging the net with fish.

Then as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it and bred. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish which you have just caught. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish, 153, and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, Come and eat breakfast. Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, Who are You, knowing that it was the Lord?

Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs.

He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? He said to him, yes Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me?

And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you." Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. Most assuredly I say to you, When you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished, But when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, Follow me, follow me." So much could be said about John 21, and I'm not going to say hardly any of it, really.

But two things I'm going to say. The first is that something has to be done about the denial. Something has got to be done like this. This is not something that can be swept under the rug as if it never happened. Peter denied his Lord Jesus Christ after saying, even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble." And before the rooster crowed, he had done it three times.

And so this is not something that can be swept under the rug or glossed over. It's going to have to be dealt with. Peter has to know Jesus' disposition towards him after this three-time denial. And so Jesus has Peter reaffirm Peter's love for Jesus three different times. He denied him three times and Jesus has Peter reaffirm his love for Jesus three different times.

Did you notice he took back his name? Simon, do you love me? Reed, tossed by the wind, Reed, do you love me? Yes, Jesus, I love you. So Jesus and their first meeting had changed his name from Reed to Rock.

But now after these denials, Jesus comes and says, Reed, do you love me? But he has Peter reaffirm his love for Jesus three times, once for each denial, and he completely restores him. Peter does reaffirm his love for Jesus three times, but this time without all the bravado. In Matthew 26, it's bluster and bravado. Even if everyone is made to stumble, I won't be made to stumble.

That Peter is gone in John 21. Do you see this here? It is a humbled Peter. All the bravado is gone. Jesus said, do you love me more than these?

And there's multiple ways that you can interpret this. I think it's, do you love me more than these other disciples love me? You who said you were nothing like them, you who stood head and shoulders above them and could never be made to stumble, do you love me more than these? And Peter, now without the bravado, says, all I can say is I love you. I'm not a man anymore who's going to put myself head and shoulders above these other brothers and think I'm in a different category.

All I know is that in my heart I love you." Secondly, so the first thing is something has to be done about these three denials and Jesus does something. He restores Peter. Secondly, Jesus charges Peter three times to be a shepherd of his people. The Lord's people are going to be shepherded by Peter. And he charges him three times, feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.

And this brings us right to 1 Peter. What do you think Peter is doing in 1 Peter? He is shepherding the people of God. That's what drives him to write this letter. Is care for, love for, tending of, feeding the Lord's people.

And so when we get to 1 Peter 5, And we see Peter's exhortations to fellow elders to shepherd the flock among you. This just fits in so perfectly with what Jesus has charged Peter to do. 1 Peter is a fulfillment of Jesus' charge in John 21 to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, feed the sheep. So the rest of Peter's life is going to be formed and shaped and given over to doing what Jesus tells him to do in John 21. Now Peter in Acts, Peter in Acts.

The Peter in Acts is the completely different Peter, not the Peter of the gospel who is so frustratingly inconsistent. The highest highs and the lowest lows. But the Peter in Acts is a transformed Peter, humbled by Matthew 26, established by John 21, Empowered by Acts 2. This is the Peter that brings us to 1 Peter. Humbled by Matthew 26 and his denials and fully acquainted with his heart.

The beginning of Matthew 26 Peter is not fully acquainted with his own heart. He does not know his heart. So he thinks he can stand head and shoulders above his brethren and though the rest of them be made to stumble, he won't stumble even though it would be a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. This is a man completely unacquainted with his own heart. Jesus has acquainted him with his own heart.

He's a humbled Peter. He's established by John 21. Jesus' mercy on him, Jesus' disposition of tenderness and love towards Peter even after the three denials and his restoring him in John 21. Peter is established there. He's a different Peter.

And Peter is empowered by Acts 2, the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So the transformed Peter is humbled, established and empowered. In Acts 1, the very beginning of Acts, some of Jesus' last words is Acts 1 verse 8 where Jesus says, but You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And you know this is a good summary of what we see Peter doing in Acts 1 through 12. With the exception of an appearance in Acts 15, Peter really disappears after Acts 12.

He's Acts 1 through 12 and then Paul really takes center stage towards the end of Acts. But what we see Peter doing in Acts is having these concentric spheres of influence. Starting in Jerusalem, just like Acts 1a, And going out to Judea, we see him in Samaria, and then we see him preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. Here's what we see of Peter in Acts. In chapter 1, Judas is replaced.

Who leads that? Peter. Peter's right out front again. This is a carry over from the gospel, but it's Peter's idea to replace Judas with another man. He's replaced with Matthias.

I'm glad we have a Matthias in our congregation, because that's straight out of Acts 1. So Peter's already leading right at the beginning of Acts. In chapter 2, we have one of the most amazing sermons in the New Testament, the Pentecost sermon. It's one of the clearest, boldest declarations of Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead, glorified, that you'll find anywhere in the New Testament, including Jesus' sermons. Peter is on fire in Acts chapter 2 literally because it's the sending of the Holy Spirit.

Peter has this holy boldness, not bravado. The bravado is gone in Acts chapter 2. Holy boldness. When you look at the gospels, mostly what you see from Peter is bravado. That's why it starts well, but he's never quite able to finish and it ends with these spectacular crashes.

But in Acts, that's not what you see at all. You see Peter finishing. You see Peter staring down, persecution. And the bravado is gone, and the holy boldness is there. And they're never to be confused with one another.

Holy boldness does not equal bravado. So to the extent that we have bravado, we need to get rid of it and just be characterized by holy boldness. That day there are 3, 000 converts from this mighty spirit filled preaching. In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John are going to the temple to pray. And they meet a crippled beggar who's looking for a few coins.

Peter says, silver and gold have I none. But such as I have, give I thee. And he heals this beggar. And then he has to explain because a crowd gathers and there's more preaching and it's more holy boldness. It's more clarity.

And Peter is just preaching Jesus. That's all we ever see Peter preach, Peter preach, in the book of Acts. It's Jesus and Him crucified and Him raised from the dead. In Chapter 4, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees take Peter into custody and they say, stop preaching in Jesus' name. And Peter says, I can't.

So The man who denied him in Matthew 26 is gone, along with his bravado. And the holy boldness is here to stay. And Jesus, in a replay of Jesus' death, right, Called before the Jewish leaders, everything seems to be playing out the same way, but Peter is not afraid. Peter says, no, I won't stop preaching in the name of Jesus. I cannot do it.

Chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira bring their half-gift, representing it as the whole gift. And they bring it to put it at the feet of the apostles and it's Peter who speaks on behalf of God saying, why have you lied to God? And Ananias and Sapphira die in their turn and are taken out and a holy fear falls upon the people of God. Imagine that. In chapter 8, Philip has gone into Samaria.

He's our preaching deacon. We've got a couple of preaching deacons around here. And Philip is a preaching deacon that has gone and is preaching the gospel in Samaria. And the apostles hear of this and they send Peter and John to go help establish these converts in Samaria. So remember Jerusalem, Samaria, the ends of the earth.

Now Peter is in Samaria and he helps there. And then in verse 25 of chapter 8 it says, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. In chapter 10, Peter is on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner in Joppa, having just raised Dorcas from the dead in chapter 9. So Peter is continuing in the works of his Lord, even to the point that he's raising people from the dead in the name of Jesus, or at least this one woman in Acts chapter 9. Chapter 10 he's on Simon the tanner's rooftop and he has this vision of the blanket coming down and all these forbidden animals and a voice from heaven saying, arise Peter kill and eat and what does Peter say?

Not so Lord! God is teaching Peter that the Gentiles aren't unclean anymore. The Gospel is going to the Gentiles. So the very next thing we see is Peter at the house of Cornelius in Caesarea. So this Gentile man, this Gentile household is receiving the word of God from Peter.

The Gospel is beginning to go to the ends of the earth. In fact, 1 Peter is a testimony of that. In 1 Peter 1, I think verse 1, we're going to see who he's writing to. He's writing to Gentile territories, Gentile Roman territories. So Peter is the apostle to the Jews, but not just to the Jews.

Peter is used mightily by God among the Gentiles as well. And it actually starts with Peter. In Acts chapter 11, Peter explains this to those of the circumcision. The Jews that want the ceremonial law to continue and want to impose ceremonial requirements on the Gentiles are breathing down Peter's neck for doing what he did with the household of Cornelius. And he says, look, back off.

That's another bad paraphrase. Back off. God poured out the Spirit on this household just like he did at us to Pentecost. If God poured out his Spirit, who was I to withhold baptism from these Gentiles? In Acts chapter 12, Herod imprisons Peter having already martyred James.

So James has been martyred by Herod. Then Herod takes Peter into custody, but an angel frees Peter. And then in Acts chapter 15, the Council of Jerusalem, where all of this church led by the apostles takes up the matter of whether ceremonial requirements should be imposed on Gentiles. And the first one to speak, again the first one to speak is Peter in Acts 15 verse 7. Here's a summary of Peter.

To boil all this down, the summary of Peter in the book of Acts is that he's a bolder Peter. Bravado gone, and he's bolder. But it's an older kind of bolder. This is what you get of Peter in the book of Acts. It's an older kind of boulder.

It is boldness. It is clarity. But it's mature boldness. It's mature clarity. It's just what local churches need.

That's what has been wrought in the life of Peter. It's an older kind of boulder where God has been at work in Peter's life to make him a blessing to the people of God, so that he can feed his lambs, so that he can tend his sheep, so that he can feed his lamb, so that he can tend his sheep, so that he can feed his sheep. Now Peter in Galatians, Peter in Galatians, we're five minutes from done. Peter appears first in Galatians 1. Galatians 1.18 says that three years after being converted, Paul goes to Jerusalem and spends two weeks with Peter in Jerusalem.

And Peter actually affirms that Paul's gospel is really Jesus' gospel. Paul's gospel is stamped with approval by Peter for two weeks, three years after Paul is born again on the way to Damascus. Then Peter appears rather unflatteringly in Galatians 2. Listen to Galatians 2.14. Paul writes, But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

So Paul nails Peter for not being straightforward about the truth of the Gospel, which is that there is a new covenant and the Gentiles are grafted in. So it's not appropriate to sit separate anymore because the wall of separation has been torn down. And Peter's not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel and Paul calls him on it not in private but in public. Here's the background of this. Here's the background to that scene of Paul publicly rebuking Peter.

Those of the circumcision have been chirping in Peter's ear for a long time already. So this is a powder keg. This is a powder keg. And the Peter of the Gospels would have been carrying a torch ready to light the fuse to the powder keg. But that's not the Peter now.

That Peter is not alive and well anymore. It's a humbler. It's a humbled Peter. It's an established Peter. It's an empowered Peter.

If Peter is the same prideful, stubborn, self-willed Peter that we see over and over and over and over and over again in the Gospels, then there's going to be a hard split between Jews and Gentiles in the early church. Do you see that? In Galatians 2, when that happened, if Peter is the old Peter, you have a split between Jews and Gentiles in the early church. But he's not the same Peter. So Peter eats humble pie.

He knows Paul's right, and he repents, and he acts differently. And in 2 Peter we're going to see where Peter calls Paul's letters scripture. There is no fissure between these men. There is no breach that has to be healed because of these men. Peter is able to eat humble pie because he is a humbled Peter and he is an established Peter and he is an empowered Peter.

I think this is Peter's final appearance in Galatians and his name's never called out but I'm going to say this is his final appearance in Galatians. Galatians 5, 22 and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, There is no law. When we look at the fruits of the Spirit, and if we were to overlay them on the book of 1 Peter, maybe we'll do that as we go through.

Maybe we'll overlay what Peter is writing on top of the fruits of the Spirit and just see how many places it matches up. The Spirit of God has been at work in the heart of this man. And probably, it's been for a long time, Jesus died in either 30 or 33, something like that AD. There's some debate about that. Paul probably writes 1 Peter in 62 or 64 AD, something like that.

And so it's been 30 years. The Spirit of God has indwelt this man. And The Spirit of God has been producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control that I miss a lot. He's been producing all these fruits over a period of decades in this man's life. Now he's ready to write in a way that we see on display in 1 Peter.

The fruit of the Spirit, when you look at these character traits, this is the ethos of 1 and 2 Peter. Ethos is a Greek word and it means distinguishing character or sentiment. The distinguishing character, the sentiment, the feel of 1st and 2nd Peter is the fruits of the Spirit. Maturity. These are letters that ooze maturity.

These are letters that ooze patience. These are letters that ooze tenderheartedness. These are letters that ooze fatherliness. None of these things can you say of Peter in the Gospels. But he's not the Peter of the Gospels when we get him writing to be a blessing in 1 and 2 Peter.

It's one thing to be a raw talent, to have been given certain gifts by God that are even spectacular when you see them in action. But local churches don't primarily need that. Local churches don't primarily need raw talents. Even things that are spectacular when you see them in action. They need the older kind of boulder.

They need the boldness that has been stripped of all bravado so that it really can be said to be a holy boldness. The older kind of bolder is what Peter has and what is on display in 1 and 2 Peter. Come sit at his feet with me. This is the invitation between now and mid-November, I think, or late November is when we'll be done with 1 Peter. Let's go sit at his feet.

This man who has been indwelt by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God has been producing these beautiful fruits of the Spirit for three decades, and has brought this man to maturity so that his letters ooze maturity and patience and tender heartedness and fatherliness. Peter's offering to take us where he's gone. This is the offer from Peter, one who has been discipled, pupiled, taught by Jesus Christ. He's offering to take us where He's gone. This is the offer from Peter, one who has been discipled, pupiled, taught by Jesus Christ.

He's offering to take us where He's gone. It's beautiful to see the work of God in his life. I want that. I want that for this life. Let's go sit at the feet of Peter who sat at the feet of Jesus.

It's really sitting at the feet of Jesus to sit at the feet of Peter. And let him take us where he's gone. Let's pray. Father, that You would do this among us. We pray, Lord, that You would do this among us.

We see who Peter is in the Gospels, and then we see who he is in the book of Acts and the book of Galatians, in the books of 1 and 2 Peter. We so desire to have that kind of maturity brought to fruitfulness in our own lives. That your Holy Spirit would work and produce these fruits in our hearts as we see. So evidently that the Spirit produced these in the lives of Peter. God, as we sit at this brother's feet between now and November, we pray for a mighty working of your hand.

In Jesus' name, Amen.