PETRA
PETRA
Sunday, August 26, 2012, The Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
In a dream on Thursday night, I saw “Petra” written out. Also, there were other words indicating a sermon. In the dream I could read the words, but the only other word that stands out now is “kingdom”. Between the words were some blank spaces.
The first meeting Jesus had with Peter, he addressed him, “You are Simon, the son of Jona. You shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone.” The word for “Cephas” is “Petros” or “Petra” and means a rock or stone.
There is a second “mystery” whereby I am led to preach this Sunday on Peter (Petros). A couple of months ago, prior to the Jubilee 2012 conference, the Lord spoke to me He said, “Do you love me as much as you did Don when you left everything to follow him?”
I did not fare any better than Peter did when the Lord humbled him by asking him this question three times. Peter was shaken. I was puzzled. I have yielded my all to the Lord many times in my life when I have answered the call with a commission; and again as the commissions have continued through the years. This time, it wasn’t a “call”. It was a question. My only answer was, “I believe I do, but only you Lord know my heart. If I don’t love you enough, please give me the grace to love you that much”.
One would think the “suddenly” of the move of Jubilee 2012 to the Marriott was His visitation in His chariot throne by a whirlwind. That was only the beginning. We are now like Peter walking on the water by Faith. The Lord bade Peter to “Come”, but when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink. He cried, saying, Lord save me. Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
I am not doubting, but walking in Faith. For those who will take the journey with me, it will be a walk of Faith. Our enemies will judge us. Those who are curious will ply us with many questions. All of which are unanswerable until we reach the other side. Our friends will love us, but all will be watching because they know we have been asked to take a leap of faith into the unknown, of “Do you love me enough to leave everything and follow me?”
We sing the song about “The Great Adventure”. “Saddle up your horses we have a trail to blaze, in the wild blue yonder of God’s Amazing Grace.”
I am not Peter. I do not aspire to his calling and ministry, but his life inspires us to be all the Lord calls us to be. Of all the human personalities whom Jesus re-made, Simon Peter is the one (next to Paul) about whom we know the most and the man who seems most like ourselves.
We tend to be a little hard on some of his failures until we are faced with the same questions and challenges. Jesus managed the tumultuous and fluctuating elements of Peter’s character as a perfect rider does a high mettled horse.
Matt. 16: 13-20: “… when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, who do men say that I the Son of man am? The disciples gave him the list: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Jesus says to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus answered, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but My Father which is in heaven. I say also to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock (Petra), I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”
It is clear that upon this Rock (Petra) is the kingdom which will be built upon (Jesus) Himself. The rock (Petra) is the statement Peter (Petros) made that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the foundation and corner stone of the church. Those who prevail as did Peter will be given the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Peter himself is careful to establish that Jesus is the “Stone”. 1 Peter 2: 4-9: “…The Lord’s coming is as to a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ…It is written, Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious; and he that believes on Him shall not be confounded. To you who believe, He is precious; to them which are disobedient, the stone (litho) which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner, a stone (Petra) of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to those who stumble at the word, being disobedient…”
The Apostle Paul settles this, “No other foundation can man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11).
The word “Petra” is used for “rock” in 14 verses of the Holy Bible. The first mention is the Lord Himself in Matthew 7:24: “Whosoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock (Petra).
The word Petra is used by Jesus in His parable on the Kingdom of God.
Luke 8: 12-13: “Those by the way side are they that hear; then comes the devil, and takes away the word of their hearts, less they should believe and be saved. They on the rock (Petra) are they which when they hear, receive the word with joy…”
1 Cor. 10: 1-4: “…our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea. They were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual meat. They all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock (Petra) that followed them; and that Rock (Petra) was Christ.”
In the Old Testament (Hebrew) the Rock (Tsuwr) always refers to God and His deity.
Deut. 32:4: “He is the Rock (Tsuwr), His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.”
The Lord took the unstable Peter and transformed him into the consistency of the “rock” of the Kingdom of God. Peter is not the “rock”, but part of the rock. Just as we as "living stones" are built into the spiritual house of the Kingdom of God.
Ps. 144:1; “Blessed is the Lord my rock, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.”
After Pentecost Peter became the personification of faithfulness to Christ.
In the Book of Acts we note that Peter takes a unique and early position of leadership in the church in Jerusalem. The First 12 chapters of the Book of Acts are the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the leadership of Peter.
The story of Peter is told to us that we might see how Peter who had the leadership position in the early church gradually carried the gospel beyond the boundaries of the Jews into the Gentile world.
It was Peter who prompted the choice of the twelfth disciple to take the place of Judas. It was He who spoke to the assembled multitude on the day of Pentecost. It was Peter who performed the healing miracle on the lame man. In Galatians 2:9, Paul speaks of Peter with James and John as “pillars” of the church. It was Peter who defended the cause of the gospel when the authorities of the Jews took action against the Apostles. He exercised church discipline in the congregation in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. He also spoke out against Simon the magician who sought to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Peter was delegated by the Twelve in Jerusalem to go to Samaria to look into the genuineness of the spiritual renewal which was going on there under the direction of Philip.
Following this Peter appeared in missionary activities in Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea, where he is especially mentioned as having been led to baptize the house of the Gentile, Cornelius.
Finally Peter appeared at the Apostolic Council where he defended the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian movement. From this point Peter disappears from the narrative in the Book of Acts.
1 Peter 1:13 indicates the letter was written from Babylon and that Mark was his secretary and interpreter, not only in Babylon but also in Rome. Many believe that the Gospel of Mark written by Mark is Peter’s first-hand account of the Lord’s ministry.
After the Lord’s commission to Peter in John 21:17 of “Feed my sheep”, the Lord prophesied to Peter of his death. “Verily, verily, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself, and walked where you wanted; but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not.”
History and even recent evacuations in Rome records that Peter spent the last 9 months of his life in the horrible prison of the Mamertime. In absolute darkness, he endured monstrous torture manacled to a post. Never before or since has there been a dungeon of equal horror. Historians write of it as being the most fearsome on the brutal agenda of mankind. It is said that the number of Christians that perished within this diabolic cell is beyond computation. It can be seen to this day, with the dungeon and the pillar to which Peter was bound in chains.
Today we live securely in our faith even taking it for granted. The soldiers of Christ suffered for our sake so we may be quickened to better appreciate the substance of our Christian heritage. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation”?
History tells us that Peter managed to survive those nine long dreadful months. Yet his magnificent spirit remained undaunted. It flamed with the immortal fervor of his noble soul proclaiming the Glory of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. History records the amazing fact that in spite of all the suffering, he converted his guards, Processus, Martinianus and forty-seven others.
We know the Presence of the Lord was so powerful in Peter, that even his shadow healed the sick. We also know by our Faith that Peter was sent to that prison by the Lord Himself to minister to the saints. That prison would have been filled with innumberable angels sent to bear witness of the Kingdom of God. The light of the Glory of God would have filled that dreadful dungeon. There was church there for the whole 9-months of Peter's stay.
Watchman Nee once wrote, "God dares to put His greatest apostles in prison". Brother Nee wrote this several years before he spent the last three years of his life in prison.
Peter the Rock, met his death in Rome by the hands of Nero, who crucified him. He refused to die in the same position is our Lord, declaring he was unworthy. Peter demanded to be crucified in the reverse position with his head hanging down-ward.
The Lord prepared him for his death by visitation, 2 Pet 1:14: “Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me.”
Nero publicly announced himself as the chief enemy of God. He was led on his fury to slaughter the Apostles. Paul is said to have been be-headed at Rome and Peter to have been crucified under him.
The appearance of St. Peter is described as; “his body was slender of a middle size inclining to tallness. His complexion was pale and almost white. His beard curled, and was thick but short. His eyes black but flecked with red due to frequent weeping. His eye brows were thin” (Ibid21).
They say that when the blessed Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, “O thou, remember the Lord!”(The Twelve, Edgar J. Goodspeed p. 157).
In Peter’s letters, he is writing to Christians facing a painful trial. The apostle directs their minds to the unshakeable bases of their status, the eternal purpose of God the Father, the historically completed work of Christ and the outwardly verifiable work of the Holy Spirit.
1 Samuel 22:47: “The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
Psalm 61:2: “From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is over-whelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.; I entered into the labors of William Steuart McBirnie Ph.d., The Search for the Twelve Apostles. Dreams, comments and conclusions are as given to my by the Holy Spirit and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.