Peter Rocks

THE CHURCH WAS FOUNDED BY JESUS; BUILT BY HIS CLOSE FRIENDS. THE DISCIPLES. SIMON PETER WAS BILINGUAL. GREW UP IN BETHSAIDA RECEIVED A NORMAL ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND A TRADE. MATTHEW 4:18-22 (THE CALLING OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES) - 18 AS JESUS WAS WALKING BESIDE THE SEA OF GALILEE, HE SAW TWO BROTHERS, SIMON CALLED PETER AND HIS BROTHER ANDREW. THEY WERE CASTING A NET INTO THE LAKE, FOR THEY WERE FISHERMEN. 19 “COME, FOLLOW ME,” JESUS SAID, “AND I WILL SEND YOU OUT TO FISH FOR PEOPLE.” 20 AT ONCE THEY LEFT THEIR NETS AND FOLLOWED HIM. 21 GOING ON FROM THERE, HE SAW TWO OTHER BROTHERS, JAMES SON OF ZEBEDEE AND HIS BROTHER JOHN. THEY WERE IN A BOAT WITH THEIR FATHER ZEBEDEE, PREPARING THEIR NETS. JESUS CALLED THEM, 22 AND IMMEDIATELY THEY LEFT THE BOAT AND THEIR FATHER AND FOLLOWED HIM. AT ONCE (PETER & ANDREW) & IMMEDIATELY (JAMES & JOHN) IT WAS A MINDSET. JESUS WANTED THEIR HEARTS ANDREW INTRODUCED PETER TO JESUS. THIS IS THE EXPERIENCE OF PETER. MATTHEW 14:22-36 - 22 IMMEDIATELY JESUS MADE THE DISCIPLES GET INTO THE BOAT AND GO ON AHEAD OF HIM TO THE OTHER SIDE, WHILE HE DISMISSED THE CROWD. 23 AFTER HE HAD DISMISSED THEM, HE WENT UP ON A MOUNTAINSIDE BY HIMSELF TO PRAY. LATER THAT NIGHT, HE WAS THERE ALONE, 24 AND THE BOAT WAS ALREADY A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE FROM LAND, BUFFETED BY THE WAVES BECAUSE THE WIND WAS AGAINST IT. 25 SHORTLY BEFORE DAWN JESUS WENT OUT TO THEM, WALKING ON THE LAKE. 26 WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW HIM WALKING ON THE LAKE, THEY WERE TERRIFIED. “IT’S A GHOST,” THEY SAID, AND CRIED OUT IN FEAR. 27 BUT JESUS IMMEDIATELY SAID TO THEM: “TAKE COURAGE! IT IS I. DON’T BE AFRAID. 28 “LORD, IF IT’S YOU,” PETER REPLIED, “TELL ME TO COME TO YOU ON THE WATER.” 29 “COME,” HE SAID. THEN PETER GOT DOWN OUT OF THE BOAT, WALKED ON THE WATER AND CAME TOWARD JESUS. 30 BUT WHEN HE SAW THE WIND, HE WAS AFRAID AND, BEGINNING TO SINK, CRIED OUT, “LORD, SAVE ME!” 31 IMMEDIATELY JESUS REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND CAUGHT HIM. “YOU OF LITTLE FAITH,” HE SAID, “WHY DID YOU DOUBT?” 32 AND WHEN THEY CLIMBED INTO THE BOAT, THE WIND DIED DOWN. 33 THEN THOSE WHO WERE IN THE BOAT WORSHIPED HIM, SAYING, “TRULY YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD.” 34 WHEN THEY HAD CROSSED OVER, THEY LANDED AT GENNESARET. 35 AND WHEN THE MEN OF THAT PLACE RECOGNIZED JESUS, THEY SENT WORD TO ALL THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY. PEOPLE BROUGHT ALL THEIR SICK TO HIM 36 AND BEGGED HIM TO LET THE SICK JUST TOUCH THE EDGE OF HIS CLOAK, AND ALL WHO TOUCHED IT WERE HEALED. IT TAKES EYES OF FAITH TO RECOGNIZE WHEN JESUS IS AROUND. PETERS RESPONSE TO THE WAVES THAT MADE DOUBT SURFACE OBEDIENCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF BEING SPARED ADVERSITY. OCUS AND CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST TO BE OBEDIENT. (SIMON) MEANT “HEARING”. ACTS 12:1-18 - 12 IT WAS ABOUT THIS TIME THAT KING HEROD ARRESTED SOME WHO BELONGED TO THE CHURCH, INTENDING TO PERSECUTE THEM. 2 HE HAD JAMES, THE BROTHER OF JOHN, PUT TO DEATH WITH THE SWORD. 3 WHEN HE SAW THAT THIS MET WITH APPROVAL AMONG THE JEWS, HE PROCEEDED TO SEIZE PETER ALSO. THIS HAPPENED DURING THE FESTIVAL OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. 4 AFTER ARRESTING HIM, HE PUT HIM IN PRISON, HANDING HIM OVER TO BE GUARDED BY FOUR SQUADS OF FOUR SOLDIERS EACH. HEROD INTENDED TO BRING HIM OUT FOR PUBLIC TRIAL AFTER THE PASSOVER. 5 SO PETER WAS KEPT IN PRISON, BUT THE CHURCH WAS EARNESTLY PRAYING TO GOD FOR HIM. 6 THE NIGHT BEFORE HEROD WAS TO BRING HIM TO TRIAL, PETER WAS SLEEPING BETWEEN TWO SOLDIERS, BOUND WITH TWO CHAINS, AND SENTRIES STOOD GUARD AT THE ENTRANCE. 7 SUDDENLY AN ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED AND A LIGHT SHONE IN THE CELL. HE STRUCK PETER ON THE SIDE AND WOKE HIM UP. “QUICK, GET UP!” HE SAID, AND THE CHAINS FELL OFF PETER’S WRISTS. 8 THEN THE ANGEL SAID TO HIM, “PUT ON YOUR CLOTHES AND SANDALS.” AND PETER DID SO. “WRAP YOUR CLOAK AROUND YOU AND FOLLOW ME,” THE ANGEL TOLD HIM. 9 PETER FOLLOWED HIM OUT OF THE PRISON, BUT HE HAD NO IDEA THAT WHAT THE ANGEL WAS DOING WAS REALLY HAPPENING; HE THOUGHT HE WAS SEEING A VISION. 10 THEY PASSED THE FIRST AND SECOND GUARDS AND CAME TO THE IRON GATE LEADING TO THE CITY. IT OPENED FOR THEM BY ITSELF, AND THEY WENT THROUGH IT. WHEN THEY HAD WALKED THE LENGTH OF ONE STREET, SUDDENLY THE ANGEL LEFT HIM. 11 THEN PETER CAME TO HIMSELF AND SAID, “NOW I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THE LORD HAS SENT HIS ANGEL AND RESCUED ME FROM HEROD’S CLUTCHES AND FROM EVERYTHING THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE HOPING WOULD HAPPEN.” 12 WHEN THIS HAD DAWNED ON HIM, HE WENT TO THE HOUSE OF MARY THE MOTHER OF JOHN, ALSO CALLED MARK, WHERE MANY PEOPLE HAD GATHERED AND WERE PRAYING. 13 PETER KNOCKED AT THE OUTER ENTRANCE, AND A SERVANT NAMED RHODA CAME TO ANSWER THE DOOR. 14 WHEN SHE RECOGNIZED PETER’S VOICE, SHE WAS SO OVERJOYED SHE RAN BACK WITHOUT OPENING IT AND EXCLAIMED, “PETER IS AT THE DOOR!” 15 “YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR MIND,” THEY TOLD HER. WHEN SHE KEPT INSISTING THAT IT WAS SO, THEY SAID, “IT MUST BE HIS ANGEL.” 16 BUT PETER KEPT ON KNOCKING, AND WHEN THEY OPENED THE DOOR AND SAW HIM, THEY WERE ASTONISHED. 17 PETER MOTIONED WITH HIS HAND FOR THEM TO BE QUIET AND DESCRIBED HOW THE LORD HAD BROUGHT HIM OUT OF PRISON. “TELL JAMES AND THE OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS ABOUT THIS,” HE SAID, AND THEN HE LEFT FOR ANOTHER PLACE. 18 IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS NO SMALL COMMOTION AMONG THE SOLDIERS AS TO WHAT HAD BECOME OF PETER. JESUS’ FIRST WORDS TO PETER WERE “COME, FOLLOW ME”.We encourage you to take your own notes for this week's sermon. Just click the "Add notes" button below to type in whatever you'd like. Then you can email it to yourself for review later.