Peter's Easter - John 20:1-10
Posted by Calvary Chapel Fremont at 4/4/2010 9:16 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Pastor Tim Brown Calvary Chapel Fremont Peter's Easter John
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Pastor Tim Brown Calvary Chapel Fremont Peter's Easter John
Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday April 4, 2010
Peter’s Easter
John 20:1-10
Being w/ Jesus for 3 years did not make Peter a better man. In fact, after being w/ Him for that time, Peter was worse than b4 he ever met Jesus and became His follower. He may once have been a happy man, but after being w/ Jesus, he is broken/disappointed/ heartsick. Maybe Peter even wished he had never met Jesus. Ever had a relationship w/ someone like that? It’s exciting/wonderful at first, but it eventually grinds down to where there is nothing left except regrets. Being w/ Jesus held so much promise yet, after 3 years, Peter was still ambitious/impulsive/arrogant – he hadn’t changed at all.
Did Peter make moral progress by being w/ Jesus for 3 years? Was his character beautified for having been w/ Christ? No indication of this. Not only had he not changed, it was shown that he had not changed, the defects of his character were displayed for all 2c, and failure left him a load of guilt & shame/disappointment & bitterness.
But Peter was in for a real surprise. Jesus had more than one or two shockers in store for Peter. The resurrected Jesus had so much more of an impact on Peter than the incarnate Jesus. Christianity is so much more than the teachings of Jesus. The teachings of Christ w/o His death/resurrection is like the beach w/o the ocean. Would people flock to the beach w/o the waves of the sea? A beach w/o an ocean is just a sand dune. Jesus didn’t come to make you a better person/Jesus came to make you right w/ God. The teachings of Jesus don’t make you right w/ God – His death/resurrection do.
Peter heard the teachings for three years. Better yet – he was w/ the Teacher for three years. And this did not make him a better man. But the resurrection of Jesus rocked his world.
Since we are studying 2 Peter on Sunday mornings, having just finished 1 Peter, I thought that we would take a look at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of Peter. There was a path leading up to his faith in the risen Jesus and a path leading from it. You will find yourself somewhere on this road. There were stages in Peter’s Easter.
S1 Unbelief in the words of Jesus - No
Matthew 16:21-23
This is the 1st time Peter heard anything of the death/resurrection of Jesus. Peter resisted this message. The crucifixion was outside the scope of his earthly ambition for Jesus/resurrection was outside the scope of his spiritual vision. Both the death/resurrection of Jesus made no sense to him. And he was, above all, a sensible man.
God has a way of being counter-intuitive. Cross is weakness/ foolishness of God. Jews value one thing/Greeks another – God brings them face to face w/ opposite of what they value. Death is victory/avoiding the cross would have been defeat. Peter is fully a man of this world. And even though he has spent some time w/ Jesus, there were some things waiting to sink into his soul.
Peter had put God in a box, he had Him neatly packaged. ‘This is who God is and this is what I can expect of Him. And if God were to become a man, this is what He would be doing/saying.’ But Jesus was saying some very un-godlike things.
S2 Curiosity at the empty tomb – Hmmm…
John 20:1-10
Besides Jesus' words, this is Peter’s 2nd encounter w/ the message of resurrection. It is interesting that even though he didn’t believe in it, he wanted to know what the commotion was about. He couldn’t deny that the tomb was empty, but there had 2b some explanation. Something had happened, what could account for it? It had 2b grave robbers, right? But these were sure tidy thieves. You wouldn’t expect grave robbers/body snatchers to unravel the body/then fold the clothes. Nor would this be expected of the Roman authorities had they taken the body of Jesus away – they were a gruff lot - men who break the legs of the crucified/thrust spears n2 their sides don’t strike me as being too domesticated.
The empty tomb, by itself, was not enough to convince Peter that the words that Jesus spoke were true. Even if he didn’t believe that thieves had stolen the body/that Romans had carried Him away/that the friends of Jesus had somehow overcome a Roman security squad and taken the body of Jesus to give it a more decent burial, the empty tomb was not enough to bring him to his knees.
Peter saw, but did not understand. There were incredibly important things happening around him, under his very nose, things he had been told would happen – but he misses it all. He didn’t believe. Neither did Mary Magdalene (or any of the others, for that matter.) Who can blame them – resurrection was incomprehensible. When she discovered that the tomb was empty, she didn’t think of resurrection, she thought of tomb raiders. Both Peter/Mary may have said, “Hmmm…”, but they were still not believing in resurrection.
S3 Belief at the revelation of the risen Jesus - Yes
John 20:19-20; Mark 16:40
Peter did not believe the words of Jesus/witness of the empty tomb/testimony of Mary that she had seen the Lord (John 20:18)/ Emmaus disciples. Now Jesus shows up/proves that it is Him/Peter believes. But Jesus also rebukes them for not believing the witnesses to His resurrection. If Jesus had said nothing about His resurrection throughout his ministry, no one could be faulted for not believing the combined voices of the witnesses. But Jesus had predicted His death/resurrection many times. He rebukes them for their unbelief because the witnesses only confirmed what He had already said. They weren’t bringing new info, they were only saying what Jesus had said repeatedly – that He would rise from the dead.
Peter and the other disciples couldn’t be reasoned n2 belief in the resurrection – and this was the most pious bunch of people in the land. They were the most pious/most biased. If anyone wanted to believe, they did – but it went against the grain of everything they knew was possible. They knew He was dead.
One lady wrote n2a q/a forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? Sincerely, Bewildered. Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for six hours; run a spear thru his side…put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens.
V20 It wasn’t the empty tomb, but the risen Jesus that convinced the disciples. It wasn’t the empty tomb, but the risen Jesus that convinced Saul/Paul. It wasn’t evidence of Jesus, but experience of Jesus that changed them. Belief is evidence/experience driven.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
There is evidence enough, but is there willingness?
S4 Restoration by the mercy of the risen Jesus - Alright
John 21:15-17
Failure was forgiven/fellowship was restored between Jesus/Peter.
When you say YES to the resurrection, ur saying YES 2a whole lot more. What Peter had lost, Jesus recovered. More powerful than his failure burning a hole in his conscience, this encounter w/ Jesus brought medicine to his soul that quenched the burning fires of failure. Jesus told him he would fail/he swore that he would not/he did exactly what Jesus said he would do and didn’t know he was doing it until it was over. Sound familiar? No one in this room hasn’t experienced the fires of failure/burn of conscience/burden on soul/weight on mind/remorse and grief at moral & spiritual failure. There’s no follower of Jesus in this room who hasn’t thought, “God doesn’t like me. I am black sheep of the family of God.”
What the risen Jesus did for Peter He desires to do 4u. The resurrection is the doorway to restoration. If a corpse can be raised never to die again/appear & disappear at will/go through walls – just think of what He can do in your life.
S5 Usefulness by power of the risen Jesus - Wonderful
Acts 2 - It was Peter that God used to preach the 1st gospel message. Yes, the same person who denied Christ so publicly/shamefully was the 1st person to boldly proclaim/announce the risen Jesus. Not only does the resurrected Jesus want to reveal 2u that He is alive/ not only does He want to restore u2a living fellowship w/ Him/He wants to use you.
S6 Transformation by the Spirit of Jesus - Glorious
Acts 3-4 - Peter’s message was no longer about how strong/tough he was – it was all about Jesus now. He didn’t flee trouble any longer, he stood for Christ. Peter experienced more change in a short while by the power of the resurrected Jesus than he did being w/ Jesus for three years b4 the cross and the empty tomb.
At what stage ru? No/Hmmm…/Yes/Alright/Wonderful/Glorious
Download | Duration: 00:50:48
Peter’s Easter
John 20:1-10
Being w/ Jesus for 3 years did not make Peter a better man. In fact, after being w/ Him for that time, Peter was worse than b4 he ever met Jesus and became His follower. He may once have been a happy man, but after being w/ Jesus, he is broken/disappointed/ heartsick. Maybe Peter even wished he had never met Jesus. Ever had a relationship w/ someone like that? It’s exciting/wonderful at first, but it eventually grinds down to where there is nothing left except regrets. Being w/ Jesus held so much promise yet, after 3 years, Peter was still ambitious/impulsive/arrogant – he hadn’t changed at all.
Did Peter make moral progress by being w/ Jesus for 3 years? Was his character beautified for having been w/ Christ? No indication of this. Not only had he not changed, it was shown that he had not changed, the defects of his character were displayed for all 2c, and failure left him a load of guilt & shame/disappointment & bitterness.
But Peter was in for a real surprise. Jesus had more than one or two shockers in store for Peter. The resurrected Jesus had so much more of an impact on Peter than the incarnate Jesus. Christianity is so much more than the teachings of Jesus. The teachings of Christ w/o His death/resurrection is like the beach w/o the ocean. Would people flock to the beach w/o the waves of the sea? A beach w/o an ocean is just a sand dune. Jesus didn’t come to make you a better person/Jesus came to make you right w/ God. The teachings of Jesus don’t make you right w/ God – His death/resurrection do.
Peter heard the teachings for three years. Better yet – he was w/ the Teacher for three years. And this did not make him a better man. But the resurrection of Jesus rocked his world.
Since we are studying 2 Peter on Sunday mornings, having just finished 1 Peter, I thought that we would take a look at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of Peter. There was a path leading up to his faith in the risen Jesus and a path leading from it. You will find yourself somewhere on this road. There were stages in Peter’s Easter.
S1 Unbelief in the words of Jesus - No
Matthew 16:21-23
This is the 1st time Peter heard anything of the death/resurrection of Jesus. Peter resisted this message. The crucifixion was outside the scope of his earthly ambition for Jesus/resurrection was outside the scope of his spiritual vision. Both the death/resurrection of Jesus made no sense to him. And he was, above all, a sensible man.
God has a way of being counter-intuitive. Cross is weakness/ foolishness of God. Jews value one thing/Greeks another – God brings them face to face w/ opposite of what they value. Death is victory/avoiding the cross would have been defeat. Peter is fully a man of this world. And even though he has spent some time w/ Jesus, there were some things waiting to sink into his soul.
Peter had put God in a box, he had Him neatly packaged. ‘This is who God is and this is what I can expect of Him. And if God were to become a man, this is what He would be doing/saying.’ But Jesus was saying some very un-godlike things.
S2 Curiosity at the empty tomb – Hmmm…
John 20:1-10
Besides Jesus' words, this is Peter’s 2nd encounter w/ the message of resurrection. It is interesting that even though he didn’t believe in it, he wanted to know what the commotion was about. He couldn’t deny that the tomb was empty, but there had 2b some explanation. Something had happened, what could account for it? It had 2b grave robbers, right? But these were sure tidy thieves. You wouldn’t expect grave robbers/body snatchers to unravel the body/then fold the clothes. Nor would this be expected of the Roman authorities had they taken the body of Jesus away – they were a gruff lot - men who break the legs of the crucified/thrust spears n2 their sides don’t strike me as being too domesticated.
The empty tomb, by itself, was not enough to convince Peter that the words that Jesus spoke were true. Even if he didn’t believe that thieves had stolen the body/that Romans had carried Him away/that the friends of Jesus had somehow overcome a Roman security squad and taken the body of Jesus to give it a more decent burial, the empty tomb was not enough to bring him to his knees.
Peter saw, but did not understand. There were incredibly important things happening around him, under his very nose, things he had been told would happen – but he misses it all. He didn’t believe. Neither did Mary Magdalene (or any of the others, for that matter.) Who can blame them – resurrection was incomprehensible. When she discovered that the tomb was empty, she didn’t think of resurrection, she thought of tomb raiders. Both Peter/Mary may have said, “Hmmm…”, but they were still not believing in resurrection.
S3 Belief at the revelation of the risen Jesus - Yes
John 20:19-20; Mark 16:40
Peter did not believe the words of Jesus/witness of the empty tomb/testimony of Mary that she had seen the Lord (John 20:18)/ Emmaus disciples. Now Jesus shows up/proves that it is Him/Peter believes. But Jesus also rebukes them for not believing the witnesses to His resurrection. If Jesus had said nothing about His resurrection throughout his ministry, no one could be faulted for not believing the combined voices of the witnesses. But Jesus had predicted His death/resurrection many times. He rebukes them for their unbelief because the witnesses only confirmed what He had already said. They weren’t bringing new info, they were only saying what Jesus had said repeatedly – that He would rise from the dead.
Peter and the other disciples couldn’t be reasoned n2 belief in the resurrection – and this was the most pious bunch of people in the land. They were the most pious/most biased. If anyone wanted to believe, they did – but it went against the grain of everything they knew was possible. They knew He was dead.
One lady wrote n2a q/a forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? Sincerely, Bewildered. Dear Bewildered, Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for six hours; run a spear thru his side…put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens.
V20 It wasn’t the empty tomb, but the risen Jesus that convinced the disciples. It wasn’t the empty tomb, but the risen Jesus that convinced Saul/Paul. It wasn’t evidence of Jesus, but experience of Jesus that changed them. Belief is evidence/experience driven.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
There is evidence enough, but is there willingness?
S4 Restoration by the mercy of the risen Jesus - Alright
John 21:15-17
Failure was forgiven/fellowship was restored between Jesus/Peter.
When you say YES to the resurrection, ur saying YES 2a whole lot more. What Peter had lost, Jesus recovered. More powerful than his failure burning a hole in his conscience, this encounter w/ Jesus brought medicine to his soul that quenched the burning fires of failure. Jesus told him he would fail/he swore that he would not/he did exactly what Jesus said he would do and didn’t know he was doing it until it was over. Sound familiar? No one in this room hasn’t experienced the fires of failure/burn of conscience/burden on soul/weight on mind/remorse and grief at moral & spiritual failure. There’s no follower of Jesus in this room who hasn’t thought, “God doesn’t like me. I am black sheep of the family of God.”
What the risen Jesus did for Peter He desires to do 4u. The resurrection is the doorway to restoration. If a corpse can be raised never to die again/appear & disappear at will/go through walls – just think of what He can do in your life.
S5 Usefulness by power of the risen Jesus - Wonderful
Acts 2 - It was Peter that God used to preach the 1st gospel message. Yes, the same person who denied Christ so publicly/shamefully was the 1st person to boldly proclaim/announce the risen Jesus. Not only does the resurrected Jesus want to reveal 2u that He is alive/ not only does He want to restore u2a living fellowship w/ Him/He wants to use you.
S6 Transformation by the Spirit of Jesus - Glorious
Acts 3-4 - Peter’s message was no longer about how strong/tough he was – it was all about Jesus now. He didn’t flee trouble any longer, he stood for Christ. Peter experienced more change in a short while by the power of the resurrected Jesus than he did being w/ Jesus for three years b4 the cross and the empty tomb.
At what stage ru? No/Hmmm…/Yes/Alright/Wonderful/Glorious
Comments