The midland journal., 1946-04-26
DECISIVE MOMENTS
In PETERS LIFE

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LESSON TEXT-John 1:42; Mark 8:27-29;
Luke 22:54-57, 81, 81; John 21:15.17.
MEMORY SELECTTON-We ought to obey
| God rather than men.-Acts 5:29.
Men are of primary interest to
God. Our Lord Jesus has always
been concerned about men, eager
that they should be filled with all
the fullness of His love and the
beauty of His grace. He it is who
stands by in the hour of weakness
and failure to give renewed strength
to His repentant child.
The life of Peter runs the gamut
of human feelings from the height
of JOY and assurance to the depth
of despair. He learned many of his
lessons the hard way-by a stubborn
struggle in the school of experience
but he came out into glorious
and triumphant faith in Christ.
1. A New Name and Great Con-
fession (John 1:42; Mark 8:27-29).
When a man comes to Jesus In
true faith and devotion he becomes
changed man. The Bible speaks OF
it as naw birth, radical change
from darkness to light, going from
death to life.
A name is important in its bear
ing on the individuals life. How
often parents hinder or embarrasS
| child with an unworthy name,
or a foolish imitation of the name
of some giddy individual in the pub
lie eye, but lacking real character.
Simon, which means hearing"
was completed by the name Peter
meaning "rock," token of this
change of direction of life. The
Lord gave it to him, and He knew
all about the man, his past, present
and future, the longings of his heart
which were to be fulfilled in serv-
ice for Film.
The great confession of Christ
mark 81, which became the foun-
dation of the church (see Matt. 16:
16), was the expression of the heart
of this spiritually changed man.
"Thou art the Christi" Such is
the conviction and confession of the
man or woman with the reborn lifel
III. An Awful Failure and Deep
Repentance Nuke 22:54-57, 81, 62).
Peter had vaunted himself in de-
claring his everlasting loyalty to the
Lord. His old self-satisfaction and
boastfulness had overcome him. He
had even come to the place where
he felt capable of telling the Lord
that He was mistaken.
He MADE the grave mistake of fol-
lowing the Lord "afar off, ". 54).
He did not intend to deny the Lord,
but he had allowed himself to get
into a position where it was hard to
stand up for Him.
The lesson for us is evident. If
we want our faith to be steady and
true in the hour of the enemy's at
tack we must not get far from the
Lord, nor may we find our fellow
ship with this Christ-denying world.
Peters strong denial of our
Lord, his use of language unbecom-
ing to believer, his quick false
hoods-all these mark the thing he
did for what he knew it to be when
he heard the cock crow-a terrible
sin against the Christ.
The look of Jesus doubtless car
ried conviction, but one somehow
feels that it was even more look
of tenderness and of assurance of
the Lords promised prayers for
him.
The thing which brought the tears
of repentance was the remem-
brance of the Lords own words ".
6D. 1t is the recollection of the
Word of God which brings man to
his senses spiritually.
Peters repentance was real. So
we find that Peter was restored and
reinstated in his place of service for
the Lord.
Ill. A Complete Restoration and
an Obedient Service John 81 :15-1T.
Jesus met Peter on the first Eas-
ter morning, so he was assured of
forgiveness. But Peter and the others
had returned to their old life as
fishermen. They seem to have lost
| their vision, or had become dis.
couraged.
But the Lord had not forgotten
them. He appeared and told them
where to catch fish, and then we
have the lovely scene around the
fire as they breakfasted together.
There it was that the Lord met
Peter, and as he had denied Christ
thrice he is asked to thrice declare
his devotion to Him. He is standing
by Christ's fire now. There is no
hesitancy and no uncertainty in his
witness now.
The man who thus declared his
readiness to serve Christ to the end
had many an opportunity to prove
the sincerity Of that profession. He
met persecution and Imprisonment,
but to every effort of man to close
his mouth or to change his witness
he had the simple reply of absolute
obedience to the Lord.