Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20051002.htm

JESUS CHRIST'S DISCIPLING OF SIMON PETER: A STUDY IN MAKING DISCIPLES
Part II: Getting Peter To Forsake Himself
B. Teaching Peter To Forsake Self-Reliance To Rely Upon The Lord
(Matthew 14:24-33; 16:13-28; 17:1-13, 24-27)
  1. Introduction
    1. After Jesus directed Peter to forsake the lures of this world to do God's will, an even more invasive lesson followed in a series of events that would have radically affected the very self-reliant, self-starting "type A" personality in Peter -- that of getting himself to cease relying on himself to rely upon the Lord!
    2. Jesus gradually wrested Peter from his control of his own life, and that in every area as follows:
  2. Teaching Peter To Forsake Self-Reliance To Rely Upon The Lord.
    1. Jesus directed Peter to surrender self-reliance in crises to trust in the Lord, Matthew 14:24-33:
      1. While watching the Lord walk on the water to the boat of His disciples, Peter asked Christ if he himself could walk on the water to meet the Lord, Matthew 14:24-28.
      2. Christ approved, so Peter left the boat and began walking on the water to meet the Lord, Mtt. 14:29.
      3. Then, seeing the superhuman crisis of the waves, Peter began to sink, and cried out for help, 14:30!
      4. Jesus saved him, chiding him on Peter's lack of faith, Matthew 14:31!
      5. Accordingly, Jesus directed Peter to cease relying on himself to rely on the Lord in life's crises.
    2. Jesus directed Peter to surrender self-reliance in his methods of ministry to trust in the Lord, 16:13-28:
      1. After Peter had made his marvelous confession of faith in Matthew 16:16, he was encouraged by the Lord's rewarding promise of a great future ministry in the Church age, Matthew 16:17-19.
      2. Impressed by his great future ministry, Peter then authoritatively but errantly rebuked Jesus for predicting His suffering at the cross, Matthew 16:21-22. In Peter's view, he could not see how he could humanly rule in Christ's kingdom if Jesus was thus so badly mistreated!
      3. Jesus harshly rebuked Peter for his view, indicating his thinking was of Satan! (Mtt. 16:23) Indeed, Christ then told of the need for Peter to deny himself to follow the Lord in God's power, Mtt. 16:24-28.
      4. Accordingly, Jesus directed Peter to cease his own agenda and methods of ministry to do God's will.
    3. Jesus directed Peter to surrender self-reliance in his beliefs for God's revelation to trust in the Lord:
      1. When Jesus appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, Peter blurted out a bad suggestion, asking if they could make three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Mtt. 17:1-4!
      2. God the Father rapidly and graciously interrupted and corrected Peter's suggestion, urging the disciples focus on Christ's supremacy as were Moses and Elijah, cf. Matt. 17:4-5 with Luke 9:30-31.
      3. After this event, the disciples needed further theological correction in learning the forerunner of the Messiah had already come in the person of John the Baptizer, cf. Matthew 17:9-13.
      4. Accordingly, Jesus directed Peter to surrender his own theological suppositions for God's truth.
    4. Jesus directed Peter to surrender self-reliance in discipling others to follow God's leading, Mtt. 17:24-27:
      1. When temple tax collectors asked Peter if Jesus paid the temple tax, Peter sought to represent Jesus as righteously law-abiding, and so replied that Jesus did pay that tax, Matthew 17:24-25a.
      2. Later, Jesus corrected Peter: as God's Son, He was exempt from the tax on His Father's House, the Temple, so it was theologically incorrect for Peter to assume or relate to others that Jesus was subject to it as a Being less than God's Son, Matthew 24:25b-26.
      3. However, Jesus replied that these tax collectors who did not believe Jesus was God's Son would have though He was disobedient to the law as a sinner were He not to pay the tax; accordingly, Peter was to heed the sovereign Lord's command to cast a line with a hook on the end of it and pull up a fish that had a coin in its mouth that would pay for the tax for both Jesus and Peter, Matthew 24:27.
      4. Accordingly, Peter learned he had to cease self-reliance in how he spoke to others about Christ!
Lesson: In every realm of life, be it life's crises, ministry methods, our beliefs or even our efforts to disciple others about the Lord, we must learn to lean upon God, and teach our disciples to do the same!

Application: May we yield to God's leading in all areas of our lives, and may we direct those we disciple to do the same thing that GOD might become our ALL-SUFFICIENT Lord in all realms of our lives!