Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20051127.htm

JESUS CHRIST'S DISCIPLING OF SIMON PETER
Part IV: Getting Peter CONSISTENTLY To Forsake Himself To Follow Jesus At The Same Time
B. Peter's Final Maturity Status: A Measuring Stick
(2 Peter 3:15-16 with Galatians 2:11-15)
  1. Introduction
    1. After weeks of studying Christ's discipling of Simon Peter, and viewing the many steps through which the Lord had led him from Peter's learning to forsake himself to follow Christ as a constant way of life, we may ask, "How does a believer know he has arrived' at being mature in the Lord?!"
    2. The answer to that question is found in viewing what Peter was supposed to overcome: in his case, Peter struggled with a lifelong problem of concern about what others thought of him! (1) Before denying Christ, he had vowed before all that though all others would forsake Jesus, he would not do so, cf. Mtt. 26:31-33. (2) When Peter did deny the Lord, that sin arose out of his fear of what others would think and then do to him were he to admit he was a follower of Jesus, cf. Mtt. 26:69-74. (3) After Christ's resurrection, when Jesus told Peter he would be martyred by crucifixion for his faith, Peter compared his destiny with that of John's, wondering if John would suffer the same ignoble death with him lest Peter be alone in his humiliatin g death, John 21:18-21. (4) Then, as an apostle, Peter feared what legalistic Jews might think were he to eat with uncircumcised Gentile believers, so he had hypocritically withdrawn from them, Galatians 2:11-12. Thus, we may measure Peter's SPIRITUAL MATURITY by how he OVERCAME his HABITUAL BATTLE over what OTHERS THOUGHT of him!
    3. Peter overcame this battle as evidenced in how he wrote of Paul who had corrected him (as follows):
  2. Peter's Final Maturity Status: A Measuring Stick, 2 Peter 3:15-16 with Galatians 2:11-15.
    1. The Scenario: Paul was used of God to correct Peter in front of other believers that Peter had misled. This event recorded in Galatians 2:11-15 would have been especially threatening on the human plane for Peter in view of his habitual concern about how others THOUGHT of him!
    2. Peter's revealing response to Paul following Paul's public correction shows Peter had matured in overcoming his concern about what others might negatively think about him (as follows), 2 Peter 3:15-16:
      1. Following Paul's public correction of him, Peter did not slander Paul, but expressed LOVE for him, 2 Peter 3:16: instead of yielding to his natural tendency defensively to attack Paul for exposing his weakness to others, Peter wrote to other Christians of Paul as his "beloved brother," 2 Peter 3:15b!
      2. Following Paul's public correction, Peter did not "just tolerate" Paul, but recommended his ministry of the Word as being effective for other believers for their edification, 2 Peter 3:15-16. Peter's sinful nature would have motivated him to shy away from exalting Paul for his having publicly critiqued him before others, but Peter admirably resisted that temptation by recommending Paul's ministry, 3:15-16!
      3. Following Paul's public correction, Peter defended Paul's reputation before his critics, 2 Peter 3:16.
        1. Peter characterized those who reacted unfavorably to Paul's epistles as being "unlearned" (KJV) ["ignorant" NIV, ESV] and "unstable" (KJV, NIV, ESV) and who "wrest" (KJV) ["distort" NIV; "twist" ESV ] Paul's words, thus casting an unjust negative light upon Paul's beliefs and reputation.
        2. Humanly, in reaction to Paul's critique of him before others, Peter would have been tempted to let Paul's own reputation go unjustly slandered by others! However, Peter did not tolerate this, but admirably came to the full defense of Paul's reputation before other people, 2 Peter 3:16!!
Lesson: In place of defending himself from the criticism Paul had leveled at him, and that by hating Paul and despising his ministry and undermining his reputation as Peter's NATURAL tendency in his SIN NATURE would have goaded him to do, Peter showed REAL MATURITY by ACTIVELY EXPRESSING LOVE for Paul, and DEFENDING Paul's WORK and REPUTATION before others.

Application: (1) We can measure our spiritual maturity by examining how we COUNTER so as to OVERCOME those TENDENCIES to ERR in our lives and beliefs that have HABITUALLY typified our spiritual WEAKNESSES, and that when we face trials that cause us to FACE the temptations to err as before. (2) When we OVERCOME them, we exhibit success by God's power in forsaking ourselves to exalt our Lord Jesus Christ as a CONSISTENT way of life!