Pastor A

During the time Jesus was tried, crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead, Peter was living a tumultuous life on earth. However, something happened in Peter’s life after the roller coaster ride of denial of his Lord. For forty days Jesus lived with the disciples prior to His ascension into heaven. For ten more days, the disciples stayed in Jerusalem, waiting and praying. Some have suggested that the new power in Peter’s life was his knowledge of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Unquestionably, that was a thrilling thing to know; but it was not the key to Peter’s consistent spiritual victory. He had known about the resurrection for all but three days of those seven weeks and had experienced no new power. The “secret” was what Peter and the other disciples were waiting and praying for during those ten days in Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, before He ascended into heaven, had said to them in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“

The new power in Peter’s life was not the result of something: it was the result of Someone – the Holy Spirit. Once Peter was controlled by the Holy Spirit, he became a powerhouse for his Lord. No longer did he have to rely on his own abilities to motivate and lead others. Now he was charged with the very power of God Himself. Of course, Peter sinned and blundered even after his discovery; but these failures were the exception, not the rule.

Maybe you are riding a spiritual roller coaster like the one Peter rode for such a long time. You want to get off, but you do not know how. Take heart, because you can experience in your life the same transforming power that changed Peter from an unpredictable disciple to the “rock” of the early church.

Of all the men portrayed in the drama of the Scriptures, Peter is perhaps the most popular. He was the kind of guy you would vote for as “Most Likely to Succeed.” He was the extrovert of the twelve disciples. Peter was impulsive, aggressive, dynamic, enthusiastic, and more! But Peter was not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. He has more than his share of faults. He was very accustomed to doing the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way. Maybe this is why we can identify with Peter. When we think about the tremendous way in which God used him, in spite of his failures, the thought occurs: “Maybe there is hope for me, after all!”

The turning point in Peter’s life was the day he discovered a “secret” which revolutionized his service for his Lord. The Gospels reveal the “old” Peter, riding a spiritual roller coaster. The book of Acts reveals the “new” Peter, experiencing consistent spiritual victory.

In the Gospels we read of Peter denying the Lord, spiritually defeated by a young servant girl in Matthew 26:69-75, “Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.“

But in the book of Acts we witness thousands being saved and baptized after Peter boldly preached the Gospel. Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.“

Tomorrow we will examine, what happened in the seven short weeks between Peter’s denial and his first sermon!