Pastor Skip Heitzig guides us through First and Second Peter in the series Rock Solid.

First Peter, chapter 1, let's turn there for our first study in Rock Solid and we'll pray together.

Father, we began today with a song that really just says it all: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." We know, Lord, that solidity that comes from a relationship with you, and that daily walk with you, that relying on your promise, that trust and hope that we have from just knowing you, knowing all that you have provided, all that you've saved us from, all that you're going to provide for us in the future. And now, Father, as part of our worship we give you our attention in considering the man and the writings of Peter. Help us, Lord, to grab the lessons that you have for us individually, in Jesus' name, amen.

One of the most famous landmarks in the world is a little tower over in Italy called the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's pretty cool. I had the privilege of seeing it. It's famous not because of its height---it's only 179 feet tall. It's not famous because of its architecture---there's plenty of examples of Romanesque around the Tuscany area. It's famous for one reason---it's because it leans. It leans and it falls every single year.

It began to be built in 1173, so it's been around 840 years. And it falls one-twentieth of an inch every year. They're predicting that it's going to fall. In fact, they predicted that it was going to fall in the year 2007. It didn't and I'll tell you why later.

But I want to talk to you today about having the right kind of foundation. By the way, the word Pisa, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the word Pisa means "marsh" or "marshy ground." So if there's any indication as to why it's teetering, there you go. It's got very unstable foundations.

My dad was a builder in Southern California, and he would tell you that a building is only as good as the foundations. And when he would build homes for people, he would give them options: you can have this kind of carpet, or this kind of tile, or these kinds of doors, or those kinds of lights, or this kind of sink. But never on the list of options was a foundation optional. "Here's the house with the foundation. It'll cost you this much with and without." A foundation was never optional. It is the most important part of a building.

Our Lord Jesus taught the importance of building our lives on solid foundation. He talked about two men who built homes in Matthew, chapter 7. One built on the sand, Jesus said, and the other built on the rock. Both looked good. They both had great curb appeal. The difference was what's underneath, the foundation.

And Jesus put it this way, "The rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." That was the house that didn't have a foundation as opposed to the one that did have a foundation.

We begin, we launch into a study on First and Second Peter today. We call it Rock Solid. It was written by a man whose name means rock, Peter. Simon Peter, a.k.a. Rocky, let's call him. Jesus gave him that name as we'll see. He was one of the earliest followers of Jesus. To sum up Peter's life: Peter was a pebble who put his trust in a boulder and taught others how to build on a solid foundation.

I've always felt it beneficial that whenever you study the life of Christ, you should study also the life of a follower of Christ, because you ought to know how a person did it. Paul said, "Follow me as I follow the Lord." I think it's helpful to look at the lives of men such at Peter to find out what to do and what not to do. And so we're going to examine his background, and his calling, and the changes that took place in his life.

So, with your Bible open, let's look at First Peter, chapter 1, and let's take today all of verse 1. [laughter] "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." Using that verse I want to look at with you who he was, what he became, and what he wrote.

Who was he? Well, his name is given as ancient letters always gave the first name---Peter. Now, that was not his original name. Do you remember his original name? Simon was his birth name, Simon. Fifty times the four gospels refer to him as Simon. Interestingly, the name Simon means "one who hears," which I thought was an odd name for him. Because, yeah, he heard everything Jesus said, but he didn't always listen to it, as we have noted several times. But that's who he was. That was his original name, Simon.

Most people know of Peter inaccurately, incorrectly. For some, Peter has become more than really what he should become. He's become the first pope. For most people, Peter is simply the victim of bad jokes. All of the stupid, lame jokes about two guys who died and went to heaven and there was Peter at the gate telling them this or telling them that. Let's look at the real Peter. Let's meet Peter.

Who was he? First of all, Peter was a fisherman. He was born in a town called Bethsaida on the lakeside of Galilee, and he moved later to Capernaum, where Jesus was, as a fisherman, that being his occupation. He had a brother named Andrew, and his dad was named Jonah or Jonas or John, depending on what translation you have. His Hebrew name was Shimón Bar Yonah; Simon, son of Jonah. Even Jesus referred to him as such.

We know that Peter was married. He had a wife. He had a mother-in-law who lived with him, according to Mark, chapter 1. And his wife is also mentioned not only in Mark, chapter 1, but in First Corinthians, chapter 9. So, Peter was married, had a wife, married to his wife, obviously, and he had a mother-in-law.

Now, if you are making Peter out to be the first pope, that's just an interesting fact you're going to have to deal with: that the first pope was married. He was also a leader among the twelve. Every time there's a list in the New Testament of the earliest followers of Christ, the names of them---and there's four lists, by the way: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the book of Acts. The names are not always in the same order, with went exception---Peter is always listed as number one on the list.

So, evidently, he was the leader of the twelve. And he is the leader in the book of Acts. The first twelve chapters of the book of Acts, Peter is the dominate figure. He's the one who starts things. He's the one who initiates things. He was the leader of the pack, leader of the twelve followers of Christ.

There is more written about Peter in the four gospels than any of the other followers of Christ. In fact, the only other person that is written more about in the four gospels is Jesus Christ himself. But before Peter was ever a leader, before anything was ever written about him, he was first and foremost a disciple.

The term "disciple" appears 245 times in the gospels, referring to those twelve early followers of Christ, disciples of Christ. You know what a disciple is? Technically it means: a student, a pupil, a learner, somebody who has a teacher or a mentor. And almost all rabbis had disciples, people who would follow them around, take notes, listen to what they had to say, apply it to their lives.

But when Jesus describes discipleship, anybody who would follow him, listen how he narrowly describes it. This is Luke chapter 9 verse 23, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Now how many people do you know that do that? "Anyone who desires to come after me, he must deny himself"---now just stop with that.

We live in America; how many people do you know that live with self-denial? We live in an entitlement culture. We live in a culture of personal rights: "It's my right to do this." Denying yourself is foreign to our thinking. "Take up your cross"? Man, that sounds painful. "Take up your cross daily"? That sounds fanatical. That's why I ask you: How many people do you know that are really disciples of Christ?

But that's where we must all begin and ask ourselves: Am I truly a disciple? That's where we begin, because we will never experience the thrill of God working through us until we have the experience of God working in us as true followers of Christ, that lifelong process. Here's what discipleship is: It's a lifelong progress of conformity to an alien will---his will. His will, not my will.

Well, there's more things we know about Peter. And these are all reasons that we actually love Peter. He was impulsive. He was impetuous. He was strong willed. Yeah, he was the guy who when Jesus said, "I'm going to Jerusalem, and they're going to kill me," said, "It's not going to happen to you, Lord."

He was the guy who when in the garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus, drew a sword and cut off the ear of a guy named Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Can I suggest to you that he wasn't aiming for the ear, that he was just a bad aim? [laughter] He was reacting to what was happening, and he was trying to cut his head off. And being a fisherman rather than a swordsman, he missed and got the ear. [laughter]

We also know that Peter was self-confident. John, chapter 13, he said, "I will lay down my life for your sake, and even if all are made to stumble this night, not me." He was also prideful. Peter was the guy who said, "Look, Lord, we have left everything to follow you." And when Jesus tried to wash his disciples feet, it was Peter who said, "You're not going to wash my feet," acting, like, super holy and spiritual. It was just pride.

We know that Peter struggled. He struggled with legalism. He struggled with hypocrisy. Read Galatians 2, some other time, not right now, and you'll discover the kind of legalism that he struggled with. And all of these are reasons that we relate to Peter. So much is written about him, so many conversations where he is talking to the Lord, and so many mistakes. And he is just so human that we all relate to him.

Also, Peter was very tenderhearted. At the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter suggested, "Let's build three tabernacles: one for you, Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." There's a lot of ways to look at that, but I look at that as him wanting to honor them all; tenderhearted. Jesus spoke more to Peter than to any of the other disciples, at least recorded in Scripture.

Now why is that important? Because all of those lessons that Peter learned from Jesus will be written about in First Peter, chapter 1, 2, 3, 4. We're going to look at it also in Second Peter. All of the lessons he learned from Christ are seen in these books.

Peter died around 67-68 AD. And most of you know that he died upside down; we've talked about that before. That Peter died in Rome and they crucified him. And he felt like he was unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord Jesus, so they took and turned the cross upside down, and that's how he died. Most of you know that, or a lot of you know that. What you probably don't know is tradition also says his wife died the same way at the same time.

One thing about Peter and about his death is that Peter lived knowing that he wouldn't die until he was an old man. Did you know that? Remember after the resurrection when Jesus came to Peter and restored him? And said, "Now, Peter, when you were younger you got dressed and you went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, others will take you where you do not want to go." And John said Jesus was there predicting his death.

So Jesus tells Peter, "You're going to die when you're an old man." That's why in Acts, chapter 12, when Peter is in prison chained between two Roman guards, and the Bible says Herod had just killed James with a sword, and the next morning he was going to kill Peter with a sword, in Acts, chapter 12, we find Peter in prison---get this---sleeping between two Roman guards.

Can I just ask you a question? How do you sleep at night when you know the next day they're going to chop your head off? Easy, he knew the next morning he wasn't going to have his head chopped off. "Herod could do and say what he wants, but Jesus gave me a promise that I'm going to die as an old man; good night." [laughter] Now that is trust in the promise of Christ. That's Peter. That's who he was.

Let's look at what he became. Notice it says, "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." He wasn't always an apostle; he became an apostle. Now, let's sort of look at the changes in Peter's life in three stages: first of all, there was a name change; second, there was a status change; third, there was a heart change.

First of all, there was a name change. By the way, it's not uncommon in the Bible for the Lord to change the name of one of his own---all the way back to the time of Abraham. That wasn't his original name. What was his original name? Abram. God changes his name to Abraham because that's what he would become. He would become the father of a multitude of many nations. So God gave him the name before that actually happened.

Jesus also liked to change names. The two brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Jesus changes their name to the Sons of---what?---Thunder. Why the Sons of thunder? Because it was James and John who suggested nuclear proliferation for the city of Samaria that denied the entry of Christ. They said, "Let's just nuke them all." So Jesus affectionately calls them "Sons of Thunder," not sons of Zebedee anymore, Sons of Thunder. "Here come thunder boys."

I believe it was Jesus who changed Levi's name to Matthew. And here we have Simon being changed to Peter. Now let me read to you the account of the name change. This is John, chapter 1; I'm going to read to you three verses beginning in verse 40.

It says, "And one of the two who heard John the Baptist speak and followed him, was Andrew, Simon'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' (which is translated, A Stone)."

Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent of petros, same name---stone, Rocky. "You are Simon, you shall be called Rocky." "You shall be called [Peter or] Cephas." Now, first notice that Jesus saw him and it says, "He looked at him." It's a very important word; it means "to gaze at" or "to look at intently upon," or "to consider as you look." It's as if Jesus was looking right through Simon Peter seeing not only who he was, but seeing who he would become.

"Simon---that's who you are naturally. Peter---that's what you will become supernaturally." Jesus saw people differently; you know that. I love that Scripture when God spoke to Samuel and he says, "For the Lord does not see as man sees, man looks at the outward appearance, but it's God who looks at the heart." Jesus saw into the heart of Peter and he saw all the failures, all the frailties. He saw who he was naturally, but he also saw what he would become supernaturally. And so he renamed him Peter.

Ah, but get this, this is interesting: even after the name change, we frequently see Peter referred to by his original name, and often by Jesus himself. He changes his name, but he calls him by the old name, Simon, for two reasons. Reason number one: that was his historical identity. Everybody would know him as that. That was his birth name.

But number two: when he acts like his old self, then Jesus calls him by his old name. Yeah, he's Peter, but he keeps acting like Simon. So Jesus will say, "Simon, . . ." Example: Peter swore that he would never deny Jesus, that he loved Jesus. "You can count on me, Jesus. I'm going to be there till the end," then he denies Jesus. So after the resurrection, now having been caught in disobedience, Jesus approaches him. And he says, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?"

In Luke, chapter 22, after Peter has been bragging that he's going to be faithful to Jesus, and after the disciples have been arguing about who will be the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus said, "Simon, Simon"---twice---"sinful, sinful," "old man, old man." "Simon, Simon! Satan has asked for you, that he might sift you like wheat."

Now, here's another interesting fact: in John's gospel he is often referred to by both names---Simon Peter. Not Peter, not Simon, Simon Peter. "Simon Peter said this." "Simon Peter went there." "Simon Peter did that." And I think that's just because John knew Peter, and half the time he didn't know if he was sinful or spiritual, so he just---"Simon Peter."

And so those names sort of represent two sides of his character where he struggled. You know, sometimes he listened, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he was strong as a rock, sometimes he was as weak as sand. He just struggled like all of us do. That's a name change.

Then there was the status change from disciple, follower, learner, pupil, student, to apostle. The word "apostle" means somebody who's sent out, somebody who's commissioned. In classical Greek the word apostle, apostolos, speaks of an expedition or a fleet of ships that would go out and represent a kingdom. So it means somebody who is sent out on a mission.

So, the disciples will become apostles. Let me give to you that change. This is Matthew, chapter 10, "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority. Now these are the names of the twelve apostles." So, they go in one sentence from "disciple" to "apostle." "These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is called Peter."

Now here's what you need to know about an apostle, but you might hear that term even these days in certain circles and in certain churches. The Bible will use the term apostle in two ways. Most frequently in a very strict sense, a very narrow sense referring to the original twelve who followed Jesus. They were the first generation, hand-picked followers personally commissioned by Jesus Christ to go out. There are no more of them. They died with the twelve.

These are the ones who saw him, heard him, followed him, and were commissioned personally by him. It was those twelve that had miraculous power. Paul the apostle will say, "I am an apostle because I work the works, the signs of an apostle." It was the apostles or those associated with the apostles who wrote the New Testament. It's why Paul says in Ephesians 2, the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets." So, in a very strict, narrow sense; there are no more apostles.

There's a secondary sense, however, in which that term is employed, and it refers to people like Barnabas and Paul and Silas and Timothy, Andronicus, and Junia---all people who were not the original followers, but are also called apostles in the New Testament, because they went out as missionaries.

And did you know in Eastern churches to this day missionaries are still called apostles, sent out representatives. So the stages were this: convertdiscipleapostle. And I think that's a healthy progression for any Christian. It was Jesus who said, "As my Father has sent me, so I'm sending you."

I have a book in my library called Why Churches Die. Hollis Green is the author. And he said, "Churches die when converts don't become disciples, and when disciples don't become apostles." That's when churches die. That's when people die spiritually.

Three levels: Are you truly converted? Has there been genuine repentance and a surrender of your life to Christ? That's number one. Number two, after conversion: Have you become a disciple, one who denies yourself, takes up your cross daily, and follows after Christ? And number three: Are you discovering your sphere of influence into which you are "sent out" to represent him? Three very important stages of growth.

But this personal friend of Jesus, and this one personally commissioned by Jesus also failed Jesus. Three times he denied him. And that brings us to the third change in what he would become, and that is, a heart change. Now this comes after the resurrection of Christ, after Peter had denied Jesus, and the Lord himself comes to Peter on the shores of Galilee and commissions him again.

He asked him a question three times. Do you remember what the question is? Yeah, "Peter, do you love me?" That's the question: "Do you love me?" And Peter said, "Yes, Lord, I love you." And Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." And then he asked him a question a second time, "Peter, do you love me?" He said, "Yes, Lord, I love you." Jesus said, "Tend my sheep."

And, now, if it wasn't awkward already asking him the same question twice, he asked him the same question a third time. "Peter, do you love me?" And finally Peter, I think, hung his head and said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I'm fond of you." It's literally the word. "You know that I love you." And Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep."

"Feed my lambs," "tend my sheep," "feed my sheep"---can I suggest those are the most gracious words you could ever tell a fallen leader? "Peter, I am entrusting to you the most precious thing I know and I have, and that is, my own flock for whom I died. I'm making you not only a fisher of men, but a shepherd of sheep. I want you to feed my sheep, my lambs. Tend them. Feed them."

We would understand it if Peter, after the resurrection, was approached by Jesus and Jesus said, "You know, Peter, you are a flake. You open your mouth a lot, and you have deep-seated character flaws. So, yeah, I can forgive you and you can still be my disciple, but I can never use you again as my apostle. You're just too scarred." Now, Jesus restores him and entrusts him, and because of that, there's a deep heart change that happens.

Because of this Peter will go onto preach the first sermon on the day of Pentecost and lead three thousand souls to Christ. Peter will go on after this and approach Cornelius the first Gentile and have him converted to the faith. Peter will go on after this and spread his wings north into Antioch of Syria and oversee the growth of the church there. And Peter will also address the Jerusalem council.

God is patient with leaders; we ought to be patient with them as well. God is developing them. Any time you find somebody with leadership capacity like Peter, somebody who initiates, somebody who speaks out, somebody who moves and acts, they're going to make mistakes. Jesus restores them. He goes from Simon to Simon Peter, to just here, Peter. He goes from disciples, to here, apostle. He goes from failure to faithful, from clay to rock. That's what he became.

Let's close by looking at what he wrote. We'll finish off the rest of the verse. "To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia." If you have a GPS, and you're trying to program those in, good luck. Those places don't exist anymore. Those are all ancient designations of the Roman Empire in what was called Asia Minor, all of them in present-day Turkey.

But all of them in places where these believers were scattered, dispersed, and now a church was forming in those areas. To some of them Paul will write letters. Here Peter writes this general letter to Christians scattered in these areas all in these newly formed churches.

Question: The very first time Jesus uses the word "church" in the New Testament; do you remember who he was talking to? Peter. It was in a conversation with Peter. At Caesarea Philippi he said, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" "Well, some say you're John the Baptist, others say you're Jeremiah, Elijah, one of prophets."

Second question: Jesus said, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. I say you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Now, stop right there.

In hearing that sentence some have actually believed that Jesus was building his church upon Peter. "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." And they say, "Well, his name means 'rock,' he's building his church on Peter." Can I just say, if he built his church on Peter, we're all in hot water. That is not a great foundation to build on.

He was not building the church upon Peter the rock, but upon the rock of what he just said about Jesus. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"---"I'll build my church on that." Let me give you a translation from the Greek and you'll see the difference: "I say to you that you are petros," which means a pebble rock, a tiny little piece of rock. "You are petros, and upon this petra"---this large massive stone. "What you just said about me, I will build my church."

So when you think of Peter the rock, don't think like Rocky Balboa: "Uh, yo, Jesus, I'm the rock." Think more like Pebbles in Flintstones, that kind of rock. [laughter] The church wasn't built on Peter, pebbles; it was built on Mount Messiah. It's what Peter said about Jesus---"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." "I'm going to build my church on that confession." That's what all that is about. Paul will say later, "For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has already been laid, which is Christ."

Now, what does he write in this letter? Well, I'll tell you one of the great themes of First Peter---suffering. Now, if that causes you to perk up because maybe you're going through an experience of suffering, can I just say, this book is going to minister especially to you. Fifteen times in the book he mentions suffering. I know, because I've read the books, both of them, through thirty times before this study.

Fifteen times he speaks about suffering and he uses eight different Greek words to describe it. So there's a lot about that. He's going to tell us about suffering in the will of God. He's going to tell us about living victoriously in the midst of hostility without getting bitter. He's going to teach us about how to live now as we wait for the coming of Christ.

We're going to learn about God's foreknowledge, and God's election and God chose you before time began. We're going to speak about our eternal inheritance, holiness, excellent behavior, the Word of God causing growth. And we're going to learn about our responsibility to human government, the marriage relationship, defending the faith, etcetera.

But let me close by finishing the Leaning Tower of Pisa story. So, years ago all the experts were sitting in a little restaurant just below the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And they in that restaurant predicted that in the year 2007 the Leaning Tower is going to hit the restaurant they were seated in. They corrected it. They strengthened it. And they moved it back eighteen inches to its 1838 position.

Now, they're predicting it won't fall till the year 2300. But that's not my point. Eventually, they say, it will fall. They're predicting 2300, but a storm could blow through that could cause it to fall sooner. So, if you ever want to go up it, it's always a risk. The thing about a storm is you never know when it's coming. Jesus said about those two houses, one built on the rock, one built on the sand, "The rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house, and great was its fall."

You never know when a storm is going to blow through your life. So all of us should make the choice like the song we began put it: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."

Father, we want to really begin the book, but close this service with that thought, with that idea. Looking at the life of Peter, a man who was a pebble, who put his trust in a boulder, and taught others how to live on solid ground, the foundation of Christ, the framework laid by the early apostles and prophets; the very church that you came to build, we are a part of, and we begin with that confession that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and his righteousness. It's in his name we pray, amen.

For more resources from Calvary Albuquerque and Skip Heitzig visit calvaryabq.org.