A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Finishing Exodus

Have you ever talked to someone who just heard some good news and they were just happy-happy-happy? We may tell them something like, “Wow, there’s just this glow about you!” Not that their skin is actually glowing—unless they’ve been out at the Y-12 nuclear facility out in Oak Ridge—but they’ve just got this look about them. Well, today we’re gonna see that when Moses came back down with the tablets of the covenant, he had a certain glow about him—but in this case, he was actually glowing.

Exodus 34:29-35—29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

We saw a couple weeks ago Exodus 33:11—The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. If you were to speak with God, face-to-face, would you ever be the same? I would think not. Well, Moses spoke with God face-to-face—we actually talked about that briefly a couple weeks ago—and he was never the same. We see many times that when God would speak to a person, and reveal just a portion of His glory to that man, that man would never be the same. Isaiah 6:1-8—1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple…5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts"…8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." And as an added bonus, guess whose glory it was that Isaiah saw? Read John 12:37-41.

There was a fellow named Job. We’ve heard of people having “the patience of Job”—he wasn’t quite as patient as people would like to think he was. In Job 1:1—There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. Job was a “good person” and Job “deserved” to be saved, right? For the first 37 chapters, Job almost sounds as if he is making that case, trying to convince himself and his friends that he didn’t deserve all the calamities that happened to him. Then, in Job 38-41, God lays out roughly 85 questions for Job to answer. Job 38:4-7—“4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?...5 Who determined its measurements?...Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” And God just knocks down every high thought that Job might have of himself and in Job 42:1-6—1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: “2 I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You…5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” 

And then there was a fellow who lived in the area around the Sea of Galilee, about 2000 years ago, made his living as a fisherman. His name was Simon bar-Jonah. Met a man one day—not just ANY man, of course—and his life was never the same. In fact, even his name got changed. Luke 5:4-8—4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Now, notice something in all three of these episodes. When all these men saw the Lord, what was their reaction? They saw God as being the glorious God that He is, and they saw themselves as being the vile, dirty sinners they were. Isaiah 6:5—"I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts" Job 42:5-6—“5 Now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Luke 5:8—"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 

That SHOULD be our reaction. Whenever we go into the presence of the Lord through prayer, our attitude should not be “OK, God, I'm going to twist your arm to make You give me all of my material wants!” Even though there are many who make a lot of money teaching people that very thing. In fact, one fellow said the following:  “As a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent because it is His Word.” But I won't mention Kenneth Copeland by name. Our attitude should be one of dependence and poverty, knowing that everything belongs to God, we own nothing, we deserve even less, and that it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we have anything. Unlike another fellow who said, “Let me be very clear—I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it.” But enough about Rod Parsley. We do not go to God and “command Him to a certain extent.” We do not command Him to ANY extent. He’s God—we’re not. Isaiah realized that; Job realized that; Simon Peter realized that—yet many who prop themselves up as preachers and teachers don’t get it. Our prayers should not be centered and focused on ourselves. Or on any other human for that matter. The focus of our prayers should start and end with God and His glory. When we pray for our friend to be healed, or when we pray for our loved one to find a job, the focus of our prayer should not end with that person being healed or finding a job—it should begin, end, and have one theme running all throughout it--that thing being the desire to see God glorified through us and through that person and how God will work through their circumstances.

If you want to see an example of a man-centered prayer--one in which the one praying tells God how much the person deserves to have God hear him--turn to Luke 18:10-13—“10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'” There was a writer named E.M. Bounds, who wrote VOLUMES on prayer. And in one of his works, called The Essentials of Prayer, he uses the episode of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18 to show us the kind of humility we should have when we pray.

“The Pharisee seemed to be accustomed to prayer. Certainly he should have known by that time how to pray, but alas! Like many others, he seemed never to have learned this invaluable lesson…The position and place are well-chosen by him. There is the sacred place, the sacred hour, and the sacred name, each and all invoked by this seemingly praying man. But…although schooled to prayer, by training and by habit, he prays not. Words are uttered by him, but words are not prayer…pride has poisoned his prayer offering of that hour. His entire praying [is full of] self-praise, self-congratulation, and self-exaltation…On the other hand, the [tax collector], smitten with a deep sense of his sins and his inward sinfulness, realising how poor in spirit he is, how utterly devoid of anything like righteousness, goodness, or any quality which would commend him to God…falls down with humiliation and despair before God, while he utters a sharp cry for mercy for his sins and his guilt…Here we see by sharp contrast the utter worthlessness of self-righteousness, self-exaltation, and self-praise in praying, and the great value, the beauty and the Divine approval which comes to humility of heart…when a soul comes before God in prayer. Happy are they who have no righteousness of their own to plead and no goodness of their own of which to boast. Humility flourishes in the soil of a true and deep sense of our sinfulness and our nothingness. Nowhere does humility grow so rankly and so rapidly and shine so brilliantly, as when it feels all guilty, confesses all sin, and trusts all grace.” 

A couple of Scriptures before we move on. Matthew 6:7—“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Philippians 4:6—Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. That word ‘supplication’ means that we come to God admitting that we have nothing and that every thing He gives us is a gift of His grace. This whole “name-it-and-claim-it” nonsense is just that—nonsense. Not every single believer is going to be materially wealthy or physically well in this life. And we just need to accept that. In fact, one of those fellows, a man named Fred K. Price, would condemn our brother David here. Why, David, you don’t have any legs--how can you glorify God in that body? Quote from Mr. price--“How can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right?....What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside of a body where He can't see out through the windows, and He can't hear out the ears?” James 4:2-3 (NASB)—2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. When people pray something like, “God, give this to me because I want it!” They need to ready themselves for the fact that He might just say “no.” And we have to be okay with that. The point, again: God is God, we are not. Any “God” that we can command by our “faith” is an idol. Do with that what you will.

There’s another point I want to make with this episode of the shining face of Moses. The apostle Paul uses this episode to show how we humans cannot understand the things of God unless He helps us understand. 2nd Corinthians 3:7-16—7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Notice something here—Moses used that veil to cover what? His face. Why? Because it was shining with the glory of the LORD. BUT—in 2nd Corinthians 3:14, what does the veil cover? It covers the hearts of those who do not believe. Specifically, those who were still clinging to the Law of Moses for their salvation. 2nd Corinthians 3:14—But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. The OT—from Genesis to Malachi—was filled with pictures and prophecies and shadows and figures of Christ. But that’s Paul’s point here—Christ was in the OT but He was, so to speak, behind the veil of the Law and the Prophets. You see Christ all throughout the OT—but only in shadows and figures, not in His fullness. However, now that He has come and revealed Himself, the veil that was the Law and the prophets has been removed. The writers of the OT wrote about Christ, but they used terms and phrases and word pictures which only gave glimpses of Christ. But, now have Christ as Lord and Savior revealed in His fullness. In fact, he told the church at Colosse, Colossians 2:16-17—16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 

But, at the time that Paul wrote 2^nd Corinthians (and Colossians, and all of his epistles for that matter), the Jews still didn’t understand it. They still didn’t get it; they were still clinging to the Law and the Prophets. A couple of scriptures before we move on. John 5:39-40—“39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” Acts 26:22-23—“22 To this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Moses and the prophets said that? Really? Moses and all the other Old testament prophets said that "the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles"? Yes, they did. Luke 24:18-27—18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened…25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. All the Scriptures—being what? The Old Testament. And the OT is not only able to show us Christ, it is able to show us that salvation is by faith in Christ. 2nd Timothy 3:15—From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. You don’t need a guy sitting on a fancy chair in Italy, along with his red-robed buddies, to tell you what the Scriptures mean. The Scriptures themselves have that ability. Even Moses shows us that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But now, the veil has been removed from Moses by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill all the things which were spoken of by the Law and the prophets—not just in types and shadows, but in full.

So, that concludes Exodus chapter 34, then chapter 35 we see the offering taken up for the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle and then we see the architectural firm of Bezalel and Aholiab, LLC called to oversee the project; in chapter 36 the tabernacle is constructed (but not raised up yet); chapter 37 shows the furnishings of the tabernacle being made (the Ark of the Covenant, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the table for showbread and the anointing oil and incense); in chapter 38 the making of the bronze wash basin that would sit between the altar of burnt offering and the tent; the curtain around the courtyard is made; in chapter 39 they make the garments for the priests. That just leaves us with Exodus 40. In Exodus 40:1-33 the tabernacle is set up, it is anointed with oil, purified with incense, and everything is put in, around, and over top of it. The sons of Aaron are outfitted in their garments and anointed for the priesthood.

Then, finally, Exodus 40:34-35—34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. God said He would do this, back in Exodus 29:43-44—“43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar.” We see much the same thing happen when Solomon finishes building the temple in Jerusalem, 1st Kings 8:10-11—10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. While the tabernacle was being raised, and while the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was being hung, there were probably people going in and out of the various parts of the tent. They almost had to in order to make sure everything was done right. But now that the glory of the LORD has rested on the tent, now that the glory of the LORD has sanctified everything about the tent, God has declared that this is His resting place, and all the commandments concerning where people can and can't go are now in force. Eventually the glory would dwell only “between the cherubim”—or, the angels—on top of the Ark of the Covenant and the priests would be able to enter the first part of the tabernacle, but only the high priest would be able to go beyond the veil and into the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (or Yom Kippur). 

Exodus 40:36-38—36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Simple: now that the glory of the LORD has filled the tabernacle, it will stay here for a while. But, when the glory is lifted, they are to pack everything up, look for where the cloud is moving, and follow it. When the cloud stops, they stop. If the cloud doesn't stop, they don’t stop. It’s not like when you go on a long trip, and you ask the wife, “How about we stop here for the night? No? How about here? No? How about here?” It wasn’t up to the wives to decide where the cloud was going to stop. It wasn’t up to the priests, or the high priest, or Aaron or even Moses—God and God alone was the one who said where they would go and where and when they would stop. If the cloud goes east, the people go east. If the cloud goes west, the people go west. There was no, “Yeah, but it’s kinda dry here, doesn't seem very comfortable. How about we pitch it over there?” It was not a matter of where the people chose to go; it was God simply saying “Follow Me.” Hmmm…seems as though I remember reading how somebody else told some fellows “Follow Me.” And in fact, at one point when that Man said "We must go to Jerusalem," one of those fellows said, “No, surely You don’t want to go THERE.” But He did say, “Yes, I NEED to go there.” And wouldn’t you know it, we’re talking about good ol’ Simon Peter. Again.

Turn to Matthew 16:13-17—13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Peter saw Christ for who He was—is. He saw Him as being the Christ of God. The Son of God, the Living Christ, the Messiah, Yehoshua Ha'Mishiacah. BUT—don’t forget, we’re talking about Peter. Skip down to Matthew 16:21-23—21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" The OT tabernacle was a picture of Christ. Christ dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh (John 1:14), and wherever that tabernacle went, His disciples were to follow. They were not to tell Him where to go, but He was to tell them where to go. He told two separate groups on two different occasions, “You guys go here and here and here, but don’t go there, or there or over there. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel, do not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5-6).

He tells Simon Peter, “Blessed art thou Simon bar-Jonah…Get behind Me, Satan.” And this is another area where we fall short in our prayers. We sometimes have a tendency to say, “Lord, You can send me anywhere You want—just so long as it isn’t _____.” Or we tell God—and this is one we fall into quite easily, when we listen to our flesh—“Lord, I'm gonna do this, and You will have to bless the work”—even though it is something He didn’t call them to. Again, twisting God’s arm. Thou shalt not test the LORD thy God. God may lead us to a nice city, where we will have running water and all the creature comforts we silly humans think we need. Or, He may send us to Peru to live in the midst of some of the most impoverished people on the planet. But that doesn't matter. If He says “Go,” we need to go. He may send us to Sudan or China or Iran to be arrested and put in prison—maybe even beaten and killed. Not necessarily to have our “Best Life Now.” But that’s what happens when we pray the way we should. You'll hear folks say “Pray according to your faith—not according to His will.” That is about the most asinine a statement as a person can make.

How did Jesus teach us to pray? Some folks would have you think he said, "And when you pray, pray in this manner: Our Father, who Art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, According to my faith, make it so!..." However, God said--yes, GOD said--“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” The first type of prayer (“According to my faith, make it so!”) is the type of prayer that commands God. The second type of prayer (“Thy will be done”) is the type of prayer Christ commands. Can we command God to make Him do what we want? We are to pray in faith, knowing that God can do all things. The prayer that accomplishes the will of God—which, again, is what should be the focus of all our prayers—is “Thy will be done.” It may not be God’s will for us to be healthy and wealthy and prosperous. And we have to accept that. The Israelites did not tell God where He should lead them—we don’t tell God what He should do in our lives. This ain't a democracy; you don’t get a vote. Let me finish with the words of an old, old hymn.

“Take up thy cross and follow Me,” I heard my Master say;
"I gave My life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today."
Wherever He leads I'll go
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

He drew me closer to His side, I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide, Wherever He leads I'll go.

It may be thro' the shadows dim, Or o'er the stormy sea,
I take my cross and follow Him, Wherever He leadeth me.

My heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
he is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I'll go.
Wherever He leads I'll go, Wherever He leads I'll go,
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

Not the other way around.

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. AMEN.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--"God Has Come to Test You, That You May Fear Him"

As I was reading this passage again this past week a couple of things came to mind. Let me read the passage for you and we’ll talk about them. Exodus 20:18-21—18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 20 And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. The people have heard God speaking with Moses. They heard the thunders and saw the lightnings. And they were afraid. Many people today are not afraid of God for one simple reason—we can't see God. These people saw God—although He was veiled by the smoke that sat upon the mountain. They heard Him speak. They may not have heard His voice, but they heard the noise created by His voice. And they were afraid. In the Scriptures, when many of the people God spoke to heard Him speak, they were afraid. It’s only natural. When Saul of Tarsus was traveling to Damascus, He saw the risen Christ, and he hit the deck and buried his face in the sand. When Moses heard God speak from the burning bush he would not look upon that bush. When Jesus appeared to a fisherman named Simon bar-Jonah and caused him to bring in such a huge catch of fish that it nearly broke his nets, he fell on his face and cried out “Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord!”
But the one thing these three episodes have in common is these men bowed their faces because they knew they were not worthy of being in the presence of God and they feared with a godly fear. Many of the people at the bottom of Mount Sinai, however, were afraid to approach God because they knew they were sinners but they didn’t want to be reminded of that fact. Now, if you recall, God had told Moses back in Exodus 19:24—"Do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them." This reminded me of something. Turn back towards the front of your Bible, to Genesis 2:16-17—"16 Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Same kind of scenario—don’t eat of that tree or you will die; don’t come up the mountain or you will die. Now listen to Genesis 3:8-10—8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." Again, same scenario—the realization of one’s sinfulness makes them want to hide from God. Adam was made in the image of God. Before this incident he had enjoyed being in the unhindered company of God. But, once he has sinned, and realizes he has sinned, he hears the voice of the LORD, and now he does not want to talk with God because he knows that he has sinned.


And because Adam sinned, that sin is inherited by every single human being who will ever live. And now, man now needs a mediator between himself and God. Man can no longer simply speak with God. But, between the time of Adam and the time of Moses, God chose certain men that He would speak through, starting with Abraham, then it was Isaac and then Jacob and so on until Moses and then the high priest and we’ll get to him sometime down the road.


Now, turn to the book of Acts, chapter 2. Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost. He is preaching to several thousand devout Jews who (are under the impression that they) are righteous because they are (under the impression that they are) keeping the Law. But Peter convinces them otherwise; he spells out, from the OT Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ of God, the only chance they have for salvation, and now they realize they have killed Him. And listen to what happens in Acts 2:36-37—"36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" We have murdered the Messiah—now what are we going to do? The response these men gave, when confronted with the fact that they were sinful men and had slain the one Mediator between God and man, was very similar to the response the people gave when they were at the bottom of Mount Sinai, and they heard God speaking. These men have seen that they were in the same condition as these people in Exodus, who thought that God was going to destroy them. Now they're thinking “Is God going to destroy us?”


BUT—God is speaking with these people, not to destroy them, but to save them. Flip back to Exodus 20 and listen to what Moses tells the people. Exodus 20:20—"Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." We should have the fear of God before us—it’s better than having the fear of God on us. And this fear of God is not simply a “healthy reverence”—when the writers of the Holy Scripture tell us we should fear God, they mean we should fear God. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 10:28—“Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell.” The word Jesus uses there is the Greek word phobeo. We get the word phobia from it. What is a phobia? It is a fear. We should FEAR God. Deuteronomy 6:1-2—“1 Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.”


BUT—We are not to fear God with a fear that simply makes us slaves to a list of commandments that we try to obey so we don’t get a whuppin’. We are to fear Him with a fear that leads us away from those things which He says are sinful, and are therefore eternally damaging to our soul, so that we may enjoy His rest when these bodies go into the ground. Adam Clarke said it like this—

“Fear not - Do not fear with such a fear as brings consternation into the soul, and produces nothing but terror…but fear with that fear which reverence and affection inspire, that ye sin not - that, through the love and reverence ye feel to your Maker and Sovereign, ye may abstain from every appearance of evil, lest you should forfeit that love which is to you better than life. He who fears in the first sense can neither love nor obey; he who does not fear in the latter sense is sure to fall under the first temptation that may occur.”

If we fear God just because we are afraid of going to Hell, then we will be slaves to our own fear and we will be miserable because we will be so afraid of God that we will not know how to love God. But we don’t love God because we fear God—we fear God because we love God. One cannot fear God if one does not love God. The world that does not know God does not fear God. Romans 3:18—There is no fear of God before their eyes.


Now, someone who knows Scripture may say “Well yes, but doesn’t it say that ‘perfect love casts out fear’?” Yes it does. But what exactly does that mean? The passage in question is 1st John 4:17-19—17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us. Now, the key to this passage is verse 17, Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. What John is talking about here is fear of the final judgment of God. If we love Him, we will not fear standing before Him on Judgment Day. That is the fear that perfect love casts out. And how do we know if we love God? 1st John 2:3-5—3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. And it is that perfected love of God that casts out the fear of God’s final Judgement.


And guess what? That brings us back to Moses. Exodus 20:20—"Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." God gives the commandments to Moses; Moses gives the commandments to the people. Why? So that they may keep God’s commandments, in order to perfect the love of God in themselves, so they will not have to fear God’s judgment. We don’t keep the commandments in order to love Him. We keep His commandments because we love Him. Just like obeying your parents isn't what makes you love them; rather obeying your parents is something you do because you love them.


So, let’s move on. From here, we see the commandments applied to everyday situations. God has told the people “You shall do this” and “You shall not do that.” But now, He’s going to get into some more specific areas of the application of these commandments. Exodus 20:22-26—22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.'” Verses 22 and 23—real simple. God is simply repeating what He commanded in the first two commandments.


So what about the verses about building altars? Well, let’s start with Exodus 20:24—“An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen.” Again, real simple. Any altar that was to be made for the purpose of making sacrifice to God was to be made of earth. Just take some dirt, pile it up and that’s your altar. Because what do we human beings have a tendency to do once we get a design in our head for something? We think we have to "improve" on it. Lowe’s, or Home Depot, one of the two, had a commercial where these folks vow that "I will not turn this simple project into putting a new addition onto the house." We do that. We say “That’s a good idea—but I can make it better.” And in this case, we would be trying to improve on the ideas of God. Which is why He goes on to say, in Exodus 20:25—“And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.” God knew, when He gave this command, that man has the tendency to want to outdo his neighbor, even in matters of religion. We see that every year around the month of December. Don’t we? Richard’s Christmas display uses 200,000 lights, so Bo has to make his Christmas display out of 210,000 lights. Then Tim has to use 220,000 lights. And then Pastor Phil has to make a display out of 300,000 lights. And what happens—whether it’s Christmas lights or building and altar of cut stone—is it becomes a competition to see whose design is better. Another thing to think about—where had they been living for the last 400 or so years? Egypt. What were they doing in Egypt? Building monuments to Pharaoh. Cutting stones to build temples and altars. To a man.


Now, not only does the cutting of stones build up pride in men, it also has a tendency to make sin look pretty. These altars were a way of reminding the people of their sins, and if they started decorating them in any way then what would happen is they would not be reminded of how ugly their sins were. And sorry, but I'm gonna preach here for a moment. If there’s one thing I can't stand to see, it’s going into a store and seeing “decorative” crosses. You know what I'm talking about? Somebody will fashion a cross to hang on the wall, and the woodwork or the metalwork is real intricate and it’ll have little fake gemstones in it, and they look real pretty. I can't think of anything that is more offensive to God and Christ than that. Using a cross as a decoration. Making it look pretty. Making a cross look pretty takes away from the cross. The cross was not pretty—it was ugly. It was where Christ died. It was where God punished all of our sins in the body of the Son that He dearly loved—pouring out upon that dear Son all of God’s holy, burning wrath because of our sins—and we use it as a decoration and make it look pretty? Somebody may say “But that’s where God showed His love.” And it’s also where He showed His wrath, and His hatred for sin. But we make it all nice and pretty so we don’t have to feel too bad about it. OK, I'm done preachin’.


Exodus 20:25—“And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.” Jonathan Edwards—

“God's altar was to be very plain and very low, so that they might have no occasion to go up to it by steps. The heathen greatly adorned their altars with the curious works of their own hands, and worshipped in high places, and built their altars very high, thinking hereby to put great honors on their gods, and make their services very acceptable to them. But God lets his people know that their seeming adorning, by their own art and handy work, will be but polluting, and their recommending themselves by their high altars will be dishonoring themselves.”

Now, last part. Exodus 20:26—“Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.” Again, back to Genesis 3:9-10—9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." If we remember Noah, after the ark came to rest, he was in his tent and he was drunk and naked and what did Ham do? Genesis 9:22-23—22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness. Habakkuk 2:15—“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pressing him to your bottle, even to make him drunk, that you may look on his nakedness!” Nakedness is always condemned in the scripture. You’ve got some people who will ask “Where does the Bible say that pornography is wrong, or that strippers are sinning?” Well, now you know a few places. We even have instructions for modesty in the NT. 1st Timothy 2:8-10—8 I desire that…9 women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness.


The reason for the injunction against a raised altar is simple—at the time, most people just wore simple, flowing robes, and if you had to go up even a few steps, it didn’t take much for your—uh, you know—to become exposed. So God prevents this by commanding that any altar be built on the ground so that one would not become exposed. We will see down the road that God gave instructions for the design of undergarments for the priests to make sure that didn’t happen. Next week we will be talking about slaves in ancient Israel and the commands concerning them, and why they were actually quite fair.


Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.

"Blessed Be"--Simon Barjona (Matthew 16:13-19, 21-23; John 21:15-19), part 2

Part 1 here.

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Peter was a MAN OF FAITH. But, he was also a MAN WITH FLAWS. Look at Matthew 16:21-23. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." But he turned, and said unto Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

Poor Peter. Talk about a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease. "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona…Get thee behind Me Satan." **SNAP** Like that.

You see, Peter, he kinda had the same idea about the Messiah that many of his Jewish brethren did. He thought the Messiah was gonna come in, drive out the Romans and set up His kingdom here on earth. No quite. Jesus told Pilate in John 18:33, "My kingdom is not of this world." Peter, ya had it, but ya let it slip away. In John 18, when the guards come to arrest Christ. Jesus stands, unmoved, ready to go to His death. Not Peter. John 18:10, Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. "You ain't takin' our Lord! Come on, Lord, let's get 'em!" The next thing Jesus tells him is, "Peter, put it away. Those who live by the sword die by the sword." He still didn’t quite get it.

Then, just a little while later, Peter would come to the lowest point in his life. He would be asked three times, "Hey, I know you! You're a friend of that Jesus, from Nazareth! Your speech gives you away!" And Peter, that bold man of faith. The one who said, "I'll go to jail with ya! I'll fight for ya! I'll die for ya!" But now he's faced with the choice. Not once. Not twice. Three times he says, "I do not know the man." What have you done in your life that was so awful? What sin or addiction or lifestyle have you been in that you think can't be forgiven? "Oh, I've done such awful things God could never forgive me." Friend, you have never done anything so bad, so sinful, so awful as abandoning your Lord and denying you even know Him, or that you ever did. That's what grace is all about. You can read it in Matthew 26:69-75.

Ya want to know what grace is? Look out. Look out over these hills. These rooftops. The windows and doors and apartments. What goes on around here every day? Drugs. Prostitution. Crime. Abuse. Yet I tell you this my friend. If every sin and every crime that has ever been perpetrated in these projects had all been committed by one man and one man alone, they would not even come close to being as wicked as the sin of denying the Lord Jesus Christ. But I tell you this also. That one person who had committed every crime in the history of Western Heights would not be out of the reach of God's grace. And they would not be so far gone that the blood of Jesus Christ would not cleanse them of everything they would have ever done. That is grace. That is what Peter found after this tragic event. Turn with me to the last chapter of the Book of John. Peter was a MAN OF FAITH. Yet he was also a MAN WITH FLAWS.

But in the end, he was a MAN WHO FOUND FAVOR. John 21:15-19—
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than [you love] these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”
This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

OK, quiz time. What name did Jesus use when He first met Simon in John 1? What name does Jesus use when He's speaking to Simon at the end of John 21? And this is another place where Catholics have it wrong! When we sin and we grieve the heart of God, we do not get forgiveness by sitting in a box and talking to a guy with a funny collar! There is no man on earth that can give you forgiveness when you sin against Almighty God!! Your sins can only be forgiven by the grace of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!!

"Well, son, you committed this sin. Now go say 25 Hail Mary's and 4 novenas and give to the poor and that'll make up for it." NO! There is no amount of things you can do that will erase the stain of sin. There is nothing you HAVE TO DO to serve any kind of penance for your sins! There is nothing in the bible that says anything like that! Did Jesus tell Peter to go give to the poor? Say a bunch of prayers? Roll a string of beads around in his hand? No! "Simon son of Jonah, do you love Me? Feed My sheep. Feed My Lambs. Tend My sheep. Feed My sheep." Peter had said "I do not know the Man" a couple nights ago. Now, the first time they speak, Jesus restores him to a state of forgiveness without any mention of penance or giving or anything else. Only the grace of God.

Then He tells Peter that Peter will glorify God through his death. Won't hear Joel Osteen tell ya that. Tradition tells us Peter was crucified upside down. Kenneth Copeland would say poor ol' Peter just didn’t use his faith words.

Is there any greater favor God can show us—other than saving us—that He does when He says He wants to use us? Paul said in Philippians 1:21, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. Consider the martyrs who give their lives to tell the lost in India or Iran or China about Christ. Consider those who seek the lost right here in this country—a country, by the way, which is about to see an influx of missionaries from China bringing the gospel to America. People ask, "What happens to the people in the jungle that never hear about Jesus?" They are just as lost as those people in America that never hear about Jesus.

Jesus tells Peter that he will glorify God through his death. Then He gives him the same command He did when they first met. "Follow Me." Don’t worry about John, and whether he's going to die before I return. "You, follow Me." Don’t get so wrapped up in how God uses other people. Thank God that He does use people in different ways, and pray for them.

Peter was a MAN OF FAITH. He was A MAN WITH FLAWS. But in the end, he was A MAN WHO FOUND FAVOR. But, in the end, he was a man. A man who was used greatly by God. But he was not—never was—the "visible head of the church." Nobody succeeded him as "Bishop of Rome." The RCC uses terms like "apostolic succession" to claim that they hold the keys to the kingdom. No, my friends. Peter was never the head of the church. But he was a blessed man. "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona."

"Blessed Be"--Simon Barjona (Matthew 16:13-19, 21-23; John 21:15-19), part 1

Peter was an interesting fellow. He would be the first to tell you, "I love the Lord! Nothin' I wouldn’t do for Him! Do I need to fight for Him? I'll do it! Do I need to go to jail for Him? I'll do it! Do I need to die for Him? I'll do it!!" When Jesus came walking on the water during the storm, who was it that walked out to join Him? Good ol' Peter! When the soldiers came for Christ at Gethsemane, who was it that pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus? Good ol' Peter! Who was it that denied he knew the Lord Jesus three times the night they arrested Him? Peter. But who was it that Jesus told to feed His lambs? Good ol' Peter!

Matthew 16:13-19—When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." He saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona." Happy, to be congratulated. It's the same word Jesus uses in the Beatitudes. "You are to be congratulated, Simon Barjona, because you did not come up with this on your own, but my Father in heaven showed you this!" What does Jesus say to him in verse 23? "Get thee behind Me, Satan!" Peter had it…almost.

Contrary to what some people think, the Bible was not written in English. Contrary to what some people think it was not written in King James English. The New Testament was written in Greek. And when we're studying a passage that some people may disagree on, the best thing to do is go back and read what the writers originally said in Greek. A little side note: There are many "paraphrase" Bibles—The Living Bible, the Contemporary English Version, and that abomination called "The Message"—some of them are nice to read, they give you a good idea of what the writers were saying. But I wouldn’t try building a doctrine on them. So, right now, we're going to go into a little lesson in the Greek. We're gonna look at some words here.

First, let's look at the name "Simon" in verse 17. That's a name that means, "hearer." It also means "a wavering reed," or simply "a waverer." But I found this definition and it was like a light bulb went off and we'll see why in a moment. The name "Simon" can also mean, "sand-like." Why is this important? Look at verse 18. There are 4 different Greek words--and one Aramaic--in the Bible that get translated as stone. Jesus uses two of them in this verse when He talks about rocks and stones.

He looks at the wavering sand and says, "Thou art Peter." The Greek word is "Petros." It means "a stone." It can even mean "a large stone." The best definition I found is, "a detached but large fragment of rock." Now, doesn’t the definition of "Simon" as "sand-like" mean a little bit more? "Blessed art thou, sand…thou art a stone." I don’t have the exact numbers, but Jesus refers to Simon Peter in different ways at different times. Sometimes He calls him "Simon." Sometimes He calls him "Peter." Sometimes He calls him "Simon Peter." In John 1 He calls him "Cephas." We'll see why this is important later.

"Thou art Peter." Then Jesus says, "…and upon this Rock…" He uses a different word—petra. Here's the difference. The word "petros" means "a stone." The word "petra" means "a large, projecting rock," or "a large boulder," or even "rocky ground, a bluff, bedrock." Let me give you an example of the difference. The word "petra" is used 13 times in the New Testament. Listen to how it is used in several verses:

Matthew 7:24; Luke 6:48—both of these record the words of Jesus saying, "Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (petra): And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock (petra)." You cannot build a house on a stone. You have to build it on solid rock. Bedrock.
Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46—Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock (petra), and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher. Now you cannot build a tomb out of a stone, even a large stone. This "petra" was the rock that made up the hill where He was buried.
Romans 9:33—As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumblingstone and rock (petra) of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
1st Corinthians 10:4—…they drank of that spiritual Rock (petra) that followed them: and that Rock (petra) was Christ.
1st Peter 2:8—And a stone of stumbling, and a rock (petra) of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient…
Every time the word the word "petra" is used, it is used of rock that is part of the earth. The rock which makes up the hills and mountains. The rock which is underneath the grass and dirt, upon which everything sits.

Now, let's look at the word "Petros." This word is used 162 times in the New Testament. Guess how many times it is translated "stone"? Once. The other 161 times, it is used as a name for Peter. It is never used to describe something on which a building, or a house, or—especially—a church could be built on. Because that's not what it means. It means "A detached but large fragment of rock." And it is not what Christ said He would build His church upon. He said He would build His church upon the "petra." The solid Rock in which all things consist, by which all things are held together. Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our Petra.

OK, now for the keys. These "keys of the kingdom of heaven"—does not mean that Peter is the head of the church. Don’t ever think it does. Roman Catholics have got this verse backwards. Jesus is NOT saying that Peter has all authority on earth, and that his word is final. So many people think that when they get to them pearly gates, ol' Saint Pete is gonna be the first one they see. WRONG! Peter is not standing guard at the gates, deciding who he's going to let in and who he's going to keep out. That is absurd.

The verb "bind" is in the perfect tense. It happened in the past, and its effects continue. This is one of those places where the KJV doesn’t quite say it the best way. The NASB really has the best translation of this verse. Matthew 16:19—"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." In other words Jesus is saying, "Whatever you allow or prohibit on earth will have already been allowed or prohibited in Heaven." He was not giving them the authority to bind and loosen. He was giving them the ability to determine whether something should be bound or loosened. The "keys to the kingdom" are gifts like discernment and insight to know what God allows and does not allow.

The best example is Acts 15. There is a conflict between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians over circumcision. Peter and Barnabas and Paul and James gather to hear the matter and decide upon it. Let me stop here one moment. If Peter was the "visible head" of the church, as is believed by the Roman Catholics, he could have very easily declared a papal decree, thus settling the matter once and for all. Why then did he take council with these other apostles, who were, in the eyes of Rome, subject to Peter's leadership?

That said, after much discussion the council declares, in Acts 15:28-29—"…it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality." When they made this declaration, it was not a case of the apostles said it and God gives His Divine thumbs-up. It was this: that the matter was decided and bound in heaven. Then, having been bound in heaven, the apostles declared it, published it and made it known, thus making it binding on earth. So, we know who Peter wasn’t. Now let's look at who Peter really was.

First, Peter was a MAN OF FAITH. Verses 15-16—He saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." We don’t really hear a whole lot about Peter's brother Andrew. But it was Andrew that led Peter to Christ. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. He had been following John for quite some time, and the day when Jesus came to that John to be baptized, and the skies opened and the Holy Spirit came down and the voice called out, "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," Andrew was probably there. It's not clearly spelled out, but from reading the passage—John 1:35-41—you could reasonably assume that he was there. And the next day, Jesus comes to them again, and tells Andrew "Follow Me." Then, in John 1:40-42, it says, One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas."

Cephas is Aramaic for "a stone." But something else I want you to notice is that Jesus says "You are Simon son of Jonah." Remember that. I mentioned earlier the significance of names. We're going to see that later on in this message. Now, about that name "Cephas." Stone. What had Peter done up to this point to earn this type of attention from Christ? Nothing. He was a fisherman. He was minding his nets. Minding his own business.

Can you imagine being Simon at this point? Your brother Andrew, who has been hanging out in the desert with this crazy guy that ate bugs and honey. And one day he comes running up to you and says, "The Messiah that all of Israel has been hoping and praying for! He's here!" And that long-awaited Messiah walks up to you, points His finger right at you and says, "You shall be a stone. You shall be consumed with a desire to tell the world about Me." And then He goes on His way. Many of us, when we are called to follow Christ; when we are called to some ministry, or some mission, we kinda push it back into the back of our minds.

But not Simon son of Jonah. He kept it in his mind, meditated on it, kept holding on to that until Christ came back. Then, the day after that, in Matthew 4:18-20--Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Peter had faith enough to know that when Jesus says, "Let's go," there ain't no delay. There's no, "Let me go bury my father first." Peter left his nets, left the only thing he ever knew. He left the comfort and security of a good living being a fisherman to follow this man who didn’t even have a roof over His head. Forget what you hear on TBN, Jesus did not live in a big mansion. Yet Peter left it all, and followed Him. He was a MAN OF FAITH.

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Part 2 tomorrow.