• Mat 16:16-19 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (17) And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
• Blessing is revelation
• Enemy is my flesh & blood – F & B is my way.
• Curse is – empowered to fail (cursed is the man who trusts in his flesh)
• Blessing is – empowered to succeed
What is Jesus Doing – I Will Build My Church
• (18) “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (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.“
• Darkness is defeated – only when Jesus Builds His Church
Jesus Builds with what We Give Him
Jesus can build His Church only by taking up what we give Him. We supply the building material. What is the building material? Christ substituting our way with His way, our will with His will – is the material used to build His Church. That alone defeats the gates of hades. We alone supply the building material. Christ gives us the keys of the Kingdom of heaven to bring heaven’s supplies to our situation
Team Member at Three Spheres
• Family as your team
• Team member at work
• Spiritual team member sitting with Greater Friend
• Spiritual team member where you are the Greater Friend
• Joh 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Why am I in the Team?
• In the Team for what I can get – that’s how we begin – in need
• In the Team for opportunity I have to give what I like to give – seeking space & time to minister with my gift
• In the Team to lay down my life at all times
• Joh 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Why I am in A Team
• Christ called me – to learn Christ
• To Give all I can from my strengths – know & share my strengths
• To share my weaknesses & share weaknesses of others
• Convert to strength where I am weak
• Team is a mirror
• Pass it on
Three Days that Changes Your World
1 Day you are Born Again – belong again in a community
2 Day Jesus places you in His Team chosen by Him for you = Jesus called whom He wanted
3 Day Jesus’ Work for you takes precedence in your life
• In a Team with a Leader, learning Christ’s leadership while learning to lead others in Christ
• Leadership style – Mat_18:3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• We can impart only what we learnt & that which converted us. – Learn, convert, impart
Turn Point
• Luk 5:1-3 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; (2) and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. (3) And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.
• Crowd – Pressing around Him
• Community – continue with Him, form the circle
• The Core – become the Hub
Searching Our Life Teaming
• Lord tracked Simon to his morning after of failure when his Self strength was breaking
• Simon was not one to allow others into his boat space – area of expertise & power. Lord Jesus gradually cultivated the relationship to this moment to violate his space on a vulnerable morning.
• Have you allowed the Lord to do this? Have you allowed anyone else to do this?
• Real koinonia begins when you allow a Greater friend to enter your vulnerable space. For this reason God creates the morning after..
One Brings Another
• Joh 1:42 Andrew brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
• This was probably after Simon rejected the call to be Cephas (rock piece) when Andrew took Him to meet Jesus
• How were the circumstances arranged when you turned to Christ?
• Can we think of 3 from our Oikos – how will the Lord help us track them until they come to Christ
Jesus Says – Cephas; Simon says – No Thank You
• Cephas is a piece of rock – I will fit with others fitting my shape
• Called to be fitted with others into God’s Spiritual House
• Probably did not appeal to Peter – to be one among others – having been the great captain of the boat – undisputed champion of Sea of Galilee
• Jesus’ prophecy will have to be walked out with Simon – prophecy = potential. Pastor walks it with the person.
Softening Simon
• Mar 1:30-31 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they *spoke to Jesus about her. (31) And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.
• Simon saw the gentleness of the Saviour
• Simon Understood the Saviour close at hand.
• Many commentators say Jesus was in Simon’s House before Simon converted
• What were the sovereign interactions that prepared you for total surrender?
I Will DO As You Say
• Luk 5:4-7 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” (5) Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” (6) When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; (7) so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.
• Healing miracle for mother in law – made Simon do this
• I will do as you say – even in daily work
Wrong prayer – Right Heart
• Luk 5:8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!“
• Why “Go away”. Simon did not want Jesus see him in his weakness
• Public act of Simon surrender before all his companions
• Simon saw the physical miracle – but an even greater spiritual miracle happened
• Biggest Fish in the Sea of Galilee – Simon Surrendered to Jesus
Captivating Miracle
• Luk 5:9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;
• When you are poised for a miracle all your companions will come to Christ
• What will be that miracle that will make all your companions come to Christ?
• Life change
• Healing
• Wealth increase
• Total surrender
Eternity Business
• Luk 5:10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”
• The old verb Zōgreō means to catch alive, not to kill. So then Peter is to be a catcher of men, not of fish, and to catch them alive and for life, not dead and for death
• Jesus’ business is catching men for eternity – in this venture, be Jesus’ Team member
• In this Venture seek your team members – group of twelve
Teaming With Jesus
• Luk 5:11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him
• Leave everything that will prevent you being Jesus’ team member to catch men for eternity
• When will change come – Transformation – we are with Jesus 51% of me is for His business. Jesus owns majority shares
• We have to work on the other 49% which we own
• Why Was Being Team Member with Jesus Different to Captain of Fishing Boat
• Jesus was Captain – not Peter
• Captain of a boat – quick intuitive decisions
• Single command – Jesus’ work as Team
• Fishing Industry – to keeping lambs. Quick profit to patient care
• How do professions make us? How has your work role made you? How will Jesus’ team be different
• How do I need change for life team membership with Jesus having been what I was
One Night – 3 Yrs Later
• Simon thought he knew better than his Master
• Luk 22:31-33 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; (32) but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (33) But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
• Are you there – shall we repent?
• Only where you convert can you make another strong
• Luk 22:60-62 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. (61) The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” (62) And he went out and wept bitterly.
Jesus Begins Recovery
• Jesus looked – Peter wept
• He was too scared to go to the site fo crucifixion, now that his false bravado was shattered
• Foot prints of Jesus were yet there – too take Peter back to the upper room, where he had his last strong heart grasp from Jesus
• Recovery begins
• Lord says – tell Peter I am risen. Jesus knew there was unfinished business with Simon Peter. Don’t allow people to languish in failure. Recover fast