Life / Religion / Philosophy / Science / Polictics

Tag: Peter

  • Are You Too Big to Fail?

    One of the greater mysteries of all of creation is the understanding that God is completely in control and yet at exactly the same time, mankind has free will.  I’ve mentioned this before and called your attention to Louie Giglio who has also referred to it as a great mystery.

    The fact is, God cannot help but be God.  And God sustains everything.  Is there any part of creation, in all of Heaven or Earth, that can wrench itself away from God and stand on its own?  I would suggest that there is not.  Can any part of creation, either in Heaven or Earth, ever surprise God, change the course of God’s great plan, or circumvent the will of God?  Once again, I would come to the conclusion that there is not.  To do otherwise would be to rob God of being God.  Of course God is in control, one hundred percent and at all times.

    And yet we have free will. at exactly the same time.  And how do I know that?  Well one reason might be because none of us is too big to fail.

    Consider the Apostle Peter.  When Christ found Peter fishing on the sea of Galilee, his name was Simon (Matthew 4:18).  But Jesus Christ had great plans for Simon and changed his name to Peter (the Rock) and said he would build His Church upon this Rock and promised him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:15-20).  Jesus Christ called Simon The Rock (Peter), said he was going to build His Church upon him (and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it), and said that he would have the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Obviously Jesus had great plans for Peter.  Obviously Jesus had great trust in Peter.  Has God ever entrusted you (or me) with the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven?  I don’t think so.  In the first place, I tend to believe they are still safely in the hands of Peter.  And no, I don’t think there are any copies.  And secondly, I think that God entrusts whom He will entrust.  And in this case, it was Peter.  Jesus Christ had great plans and great trust in Peter and he placed him in a position of great responsibility because of it.

    So here we have Peter, a greater human than you or I by any spiritual standard, and one who has been entrusted with much.  One would be led to believe at this point that either God would have a close eye upon Peter, lest he stumble and fall, or else that God would closely guard his path, lest the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven fall into the wrong hands.  Consider the fact that we don’t want Satan coming along and duping Peter into handing over the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  You would think that God would have a pretty vested interest in Peter remaining loyal and true to Him at this point.

    And yet consider just how far Peter’s loyalty actually went.  Jesus Christ had already placed great emphasis upon that loyalty.  He had stated that if anyone were to deny Him (Jesus Christ) before men, that person would be denied by Him (Jesus) before the Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:32-34).  Now consider the great consequences of that statement.  If you deny Jesus Christ before men, Jesus Christ will deny you before the Father in Heaven.  Probably not the best way to start eternity.  To be denied before the Father in Heaven is to not secure a place in the Kingdom of God for all of eternity.  Very, very serious consequences indeed.

    But that is exactly what Peter did, AFTER Jesus Christ himself had told him that he would do it (Matthew 26:33-35).  Peter adamantly proclaims his loyalty to Jesus and even goes so far as to say that the whole world could be offended because of Him, yet he would remain loyal to the end (and beyond).  And Jesus said, No, Peter, not even you will remain loyal to me during this time.  Not only will you not remain loyal, you will deny me before men three times in one night.

    And Peter does deny Jesus Christ three times that night (Matthew 26:69-75).  He even denies Jesus Christ with an oath.  And if you think about it carefully, Peter was in the palace of the High Priest, at a trial for Jesus, where witnesses were brought forth, for all intents and purpose, Peter was in a court of law (Matthew 26:58-66).  So you might consider that Peter was willing to take an oath in a court of law, and proclaim before the Judge that he never knew Jesus Christ.  He denied Jesus before men.

    The thing that I would like us to consider here is the very compelling turn of events.  Jesus Christ had called Simon, Peter, The Rock.  Essentially the Firm Foundation upon which He would build His Church.  Jesus Christ had also stated with great certainty that Peter would deny him before men, a most serious charge since Jesus himself had stated that those that denied Him before Men would be denied by Him before the Father in Heaven.  Jesus Christ had placed great trust in Peter, promising him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  You would believe at this point that Jesus Christ had a great deal invested in Peter and would do anything to keep him from failing.

    But he DID NOT.  Jesus Christ knew that Peter was going to fail, and yet he let him go ahead and fail.  Why?  Free Will.  You see I believe that for all of eternity Peter will remember that he failed (Luke 22:60-62).  And that will be a great lesson and testament to the Grace and the Mercy of God.

    So, do you think you are too big to fail?  Because if one in whom so much trust and responsibility had been placed, was allowed to fail, don’t think that God won’t allow you or I to fail as well.  But the great lesson for all of us is, God is a God of Mercy and Grace.  And it is because he has given us Free Will and allows us to fail, that His Mercy and His Grace may be manifest in all the world.  Praise Him!  Oh the Love that drew Salvation’s plan, Oh the Grace that brought it down to man, Oh the mighty gulf that God did span, At Calvary.

  • Why Did Peter Have A Sword?

    I’ve heard a number of sermons on the passage found in  John 18 over the years.  In this Chapter of the Bible, John recounts the point in Jesus’ life where he is taken into custody by the Roman Guard at the insistence of the Jewish Religious Leaders of the day.  In all of the sermons I’ve heard or read or studied on this passage, no one has ever asked the question “What was Peter doing with a sword?”

    Say what you will, but the fact remains that Peter, who was consistently in the presence of the Son of God, carried a weapon on his person.  And we must assume here that at no point did Jesus Christ ever instruct Peter to do away with his sword.  Jesus knew that Peter carried the sword.  And Jesus knew the purpose of the sword.   And I don’t think Jesus was surprised at all that Peter drew his sword and used it to cut off the ear of the high priests’ servant.  The idea that the Son of God did not know what was going to occur within the garden that night is a fallacy in the understanding of God himself.  And yet Jesus allowed Peter to accompany him to the garden that night carrying his sword.

    The idea that we are not in a battle and are to protect ourselves and our loved ones is simply an egregious one.  Jesus Christ came to this earth in peace being born of a virgin, but he will come again as a God of justice and of war.  And his servants will accompany him armed and prepared for that battle.  I will be numbered among that army.  And the only reason for that army is to fight a battle.  A very real battle that will, unfortunately be fought within the physical realm.

    And so I am curious as to why no one wants to ask the question “Why did Peter carry a sword?”  There might be many answers to this question.  A sword, after all, could have been a very useful tool in Peter’s profession.  Peter was a fisherman and a sword might have had all kinds of uses.  However, Peter was in the Garden of Gethsemane and was many miles from any body of water.  Furthermore, a sword might have required more upkeep in the harsh environment around water than a more simple knife.  A sword would have also been a more expensive option for Peter during that time.

    My speculation is Peter carried the sword because he was prepared to defend and to fight.  A cause and a purpose that obviously was with justification and was not counseled against.

    There are Governments today that want to control the sword.  Because when you control the sword, you keep the people in subjection.  Here in the United States of America we have the specifically identified right to “keep and bear arms”, the right of the sword.  Or in today’s world, the gun or firearm.  This is a right that is not afforded many in the world today.  But it is one that I hold precious and take very seriously.

    There are those in the world today that want to remove the sword from the hands of the people, however they don’t want to give up the sword, they want to keep the sword in the hands of those that govern or control the people.  And they have many reasons or arguments for making this case.

    They argue that possession of a firearm leads to accidental injuries or deaths.  And this is true.  But possession of a car, or fire, or chainsaws also lead to accidental injuries or deaths.  And the Governments are not out to control or take those items away.  In some cases, a lot of cases, there are items in our everyday lives that lead to many more injuries and deaths than a firearm and Governments do not call for them to be banned or even as heavily regulated.  The one difference is unlike a car, or fire, or a chainsaw, the firearm gives the individual the power to rise up and take their destiny into their own hands. The sword allows people, as has been demonstrated many times in history, to rise up and fight a just fight for a just cause.

    I appreciate the role that Governments play in protecting the people.  I myself have served in armed units of the United States Military and I work for the United States Department of Defense today (and have for many years).  But I also recognize that when the thief comes in the night that Police may not be there in time to protect me or my family.  There is a time when I may need the equalizer that is the sword to ward off a would be attacker that wants to do harm to myself or my family.  I also understand the deterrent that is the sword should an unjust regime rise up and try to control the people.

    And so I, like Peter, own a sword.  I, unlike Peter, do not live in a State that allows me to freely carry (bear) that sword, but it is still a right that I believe in and strongly support.  The sword potentially allows me to be part of the good fight should the need ever arise.

    We know there are Spiritual battles in today’s world, but Spirtual battles spill over and manifest themselves in the physical realm.  And we need to be prepared for both our Spiritual and our physical battles.  The last battle will certainly be fought in the physical realm even though it will be among Spirtual forces.

    There will certainly come a day when our swords will be beat into plowshares and the lion will lay down with the lamb, but until that day comes, we should be good soldiers in both the physical and the Spiritual realms.  And I, for one, stand ready with my sword.  I may die by the sword, but I am much more likely to die in a traffic accident out on the nations highways, and the fact that I may die by the sword is not reason enough to willingly lay down my sword nor do I believe it is just cause for those that would take that sword away.