The Symbolism Surrounding Peter's Denial of Christ

 

Today as my wife and I listened to another powerful message from Pastor John Stickl at Valley Creek Church, God opened my eyes to some amazing revelations when he was continuing a series titled "It is Finished", (It is Finished, Separation), (It is Finished, Striving) (It is Finished, Shame) a reference to Christ's last words on earth as he was crucified. That simple phrase, just four syllables, so indelibly changed out relationship with God. The series has been very enlightening and full of hope, but more on that at another time.

Last Sunday May 4th, John spoke of how Jesus told Peter how he would deny him 3 times before the cock crowed. Peter, a large strong and powerful man because of his many years of fishing, was petulent and rash, assured Jesus he would not. In fact John would deny you before me. Everyone else maybe but never me. Not surprisingly he of course denied Christ 3 times, once to a servant girl who wasn't even an adolescent. The third time he denied Him, the cock crowed and Peter locked eyes with Jesus.

Can you imagine the shame and pain he felt? Peter ran away, in pain and anguish, crying, and returned to his fishing, no doubt trying to forget what had just happened.

As a foreshadow of how He acts with you and me today, Jesus pursued his disciples and came upon Peter fishing, Jesus calls out to the men on the boat in John 21:5 asking "Children, have you caught any fish?" to which they answered "No." Jesus then tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Following His direction they cast the net on the other side and caught so many fish they were unable to easily pull it into their boat.

That's when God revealed to me somethings I had not seen before in this passage, and the significance of this simple interaction was quite stunning to me.

The first thing that struck me was when they stopped relying on their EARTHLY knowledge their catch was far greater than they could have hoped for, and in fact more than they could handle. Understanding how these men thought, I can only imagine their amazement at how this stranger could so impact their results despite their many years of experience. And oh, by the way, the width of the boat being no greater than maybe 15 feet seemingly was all the difference in the world. Amazing.  But such is what happens when we stop thinking and using the world experience we have and LISTEN to what God would have us to do WHEN He would have us do it.

Second, He of course changed WHERE they fished, and perhaps even to teach them to go one more time even though they thought they had already tried that place. Perhaps the place was right but the timing was not, underscoring the importance of everything being in God's timing, and how He reveals to us what we need when we need it.  This of course a key part of the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread". Give us today the Word You would have me to hear and sustain me.

Third, I think it was clear this was a hint of things to come, when Jesus told Peter to follow Him and He would make him a fisher of men. The catch they experienced with Jesus' direction was greater than they alone could handle. So prophetic about what the future held for the work they were about to embark upon, and the groundwork they were about to lay.  Just as God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:5 your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky

Lastly, I thought about the significance of the previous stories about Jesus blessing a couple of fish and feeding thousands. How far then would these "fish" (the men the disciples had shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with and brought into the fold of believers) the disciples caught and brought to the Lord go with the blessings of Jesus? How many lives would they impact with His Word and guidance? How much light from His Kingdom would they be able to bring?

Far enough to fulfill the prophecy He gave Abraham. And then some.

The Importance of Timing in Your Life

Watching the videos below you can see some similarities between these two professionals and their swings. Each composes himself with balance and poise. One focusing on a moving object and the other on a much smaller stationery one. Each is noteworthy in their respective fields. Each is of a similar build, not over-developed muscular-wise.

If you have ever watched a natural hitter like Ken Griffey Jr, below, you notice a quick, fluidic, effortless swing which generates great batspeed and thus massive power.

Or perhaps you are more familiar with the phenomenon known as Tiger Woods:

Notice neither of these men are particularly BIG physically like Arnold Schwarzenegger for example. Rather they are tall and lean. There are few instances in which massive people like Arnold have the finesse for such skills as hitting a home run or a 400 yard drive.  Yet they make it look so easy.

For anyone out there whom has played either sport and gotten THAT hit, the one where there was no resistance of the ball against the bat or the club. That hit in the "Sweet spot" where you weren't even sure if you made contact for everything met at just the right moment and the right space in time.

So what is it about these swings that make them so beautiful and desirous to recreate?

Watching these videos and even listening to the experts' analysis of Wood's swing we can glean these are finely tuned athletes with extraordinary muscle control, but there is one critical ingredient laying right before our eyes like an elephant in the room yet no one mentions it at all:

TIMING. 
The old cliche' "Timing is everything" is a cliche' because it is so true. There is nothing like showing up 15 minutes late to work, for your flight or to miss dinner at home with your family to make you realize that. NASCAR and NHRA fans understand timing. Expert marksmen and hunters understand it. Comedians and actors live and die by it.

With exceptional timing and being in tune with their body, these athletes show us what it is like to have the right timing for maximum result with less than maximum effort for they know by FORCING it or trying harder, they will fail to get the results they desire. In baseball it will be a pop fly because the tension in Griffey's muscles will squeeze the bat too hard and cause a slight drop in the bat angle leading to too much undercut. Or Woods will pull his hands in too close to his body and end up with a huge slice to the right. Instead, they realize by slowing down and keeping the proper timing, they will get extraordinary results.

The other thing I would point out too is once these athletes commit to their swing, there is no hesitation. No second-guessing. Once it commences, there is no reservation whatsoever. They are committed to it and execute it quickly.

Jesus of course realized the importance of timing also. For 30 years he labored as an obedient carpenter before breaking out into the role God had in store for Him. Waiting for His time and calling, Jesus was faithful, making the most of his craft while biding His time. He lived in the moment, not looking forward to the future. We humans are often looking to the future- to get off work, go on vacation, to eat, etc. Too often I hear people wishing their lives away by saying things like "I wish it were Friday" or "I am just killing time." These are powerful statements that provide us a glimpse into the psyche of that person.

But there's so much more to it than just Jesus waiting 30 years for His first miracle. Consider how He NEVER seemed to be in a hurry. Waiting for 30 years to perform His work. People would implore him to come and heal this person for they are sick and but he would deliberately take his time. This resulted in two ill people actually dying before He could arrive. But of course if He had hurried He would not have resurrected  Lazarus and Jairus' little girl in Mark 5:21-43. In Mark 4 we see Jesus and the disciples leaving a large crowd behind to travel to the far side of the sea. He spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.

He was never in a hurry because He was on GOD'S TIME! As it turned out, we see Lazarus and the little girl raised from the dead not just simply healed, a much greater miracle. His waiting for God's timing made these larger miracles. Leaving the crowds hungry for His Word and works made them pursue Him rather than sitting back, having been satisfied and feeling as though they had heard all they needed to know. They knew there was more so they pursued Him out of faith and hunger.

You don't have to go THAT far out of your comfort zone to
see a Big return on your investment!

Too often we are satisfied and comfortable with our walk and thus will not get out of our comfort zone to grow. Growing ourselves can be a scary proposition for the truly experience growth, we have to get outside our personal boundaries and push ourselves into uncharted territory.

Be that as it may, it is clear to me, whether you believe in God or not, we are all in place as a part of a plan. One that is orchestrated with an intellect and perfection we cannot begin to comprehend, but can be obedient to. God places us in positions for a reason but this reason may not be immediately clear. It may not even be for our own benefit but perhaps for someone around us. It has taken me more than a decade to begin to appreciate the lessons God has intended for me as a disciple but I was too proud in my walk to hear what He would have me to hear.

I now realize I may have been in a storm, but it was really a season. A season of understanding and openness with myself and God.  What I am trying to say is, when I entered this stormy season, I was upset and asked "Why me?" and I now realize the time for that part of my life had come to an end though I desperately clung to it and I needed to  LET GO first before I could take the next step.  Unfortunately, I was disobedient, trying to hold on too long and ultimately had to be humbled before I could begin to hear the lesson He would have me to hear.  I had to be removed from one career path to one substantially lower in esteem than the one I was on. That was not the humbling part for me. It was to stop asking "Why me" and start asking "Why NOT me?" and to thank Him for the grace He extended to me despite my disobedience.

What is just beyond YOUR comfort zone? What is just out of reach that God would hand to you? Reach out your hand and take it from Him for He is a loving Father and you are a beloved child of His. What father would deny his child anything beneficial for them? Commit to your swing right now. Take that step and watch what happens next in your life.

Five Lessons we can take from Christopher Maloney's X-Factor Audition

X Factor is an English talent show in which people sing before a panel of judges in the hopes of landing an invitation to join the show which challenges each performer to sing their best in different genre in music, trying to expose their inner weaknesses in which case the audience will vote them off or to keep them on the show.

In the 2012-2013 season, a young English man named Christopher Maloney auditioned for the show and stunned the judges with a performance that must be heard to he appreciated. If you have not seen it, even if you have seen it, it is still a heart-wrenching performance when you see how nervous he is on stage. Take a few minutes and watch his performance here:



Towards the end the judges ask him why he had not sang in public before and he says people told him he was not that good.  Huh?  That is when it struck me-  God had given this man an unbelievable gift and because of the people he hung around, that amazing talent was kept hidden from the rest of us. I want to examine five lessons we can take from the Christopher Maloney performance.

1. While we are all gifted in some way from God, some gifts are more obvious than others. Many of us admire the athletic prowess of a professional athlete, or the literary gift of an author like Hemingway. A gifted actor like Jack Nicholson or an accomplished surgeon like Dr Ben Carson. Christopher is gifted with the voice of an angel, much like fellow Brit Susan Boyle who exploded on the scene after her audition on Britain's got Talent in which much of the audience were clearly judging her on her appearance. What she unleashed was a lesson in not judging a book by it's cover. Unlike Susan, Christopher was beside himself with fear and doubt, literally shaking like a leaf. Yet he was finally convicted to share his gift. I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to use these gifts God has given us. In fact, it is required to use these gifts. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14) explains this. A master gave 3 servants talents or money. One whom was given the most, 5 talents, used it most wisely and doubled the money. The second received 2 talents but likewise doubled that amount. The final servant was more concerned about losing what had been given, he never truly received the money and violated the master's trust. Furthermore, he actually, unintentionally cost his master money! He deprived his master of a small gain or bit of glory if you will. Likewise, gifts from God when displayed, honor Him and bring Him glory. If a gift is not utilized but instead kept inside us, then it was never truly given nor received.

2. Christopher listened to the wrong people for too long. His mother encouraged him but his friends kept him down. If you have watched these shows, especially the auditions, there are plenty of people who audition who need friends like Christopher's for they couldn't sing to save their lives! Be that as it may, we must be vigilant about those with whom we associate and entrust with our secrets. Those who build us up or we them, deserve our hearts and time. Those who tear at us and try to keep us down must be taken in small doses or none at all, depending on your strength and faith. Short of that, prayerful reminders of them to find their gifts are the most appropriate action.

3. When all eyes are on you, put your eyes on God. God has promised He will never forsake us or let us down yet we let Him down and take our eyes off Him all the time. I have no idea how Christopher found the ability to start singing, but once he did he was lights out. He gained strength and momentum once he hit his vocal stride. I know from personal experience, if He brings me to it, He WILL get me through it! I have faced many challenges as a leader and a parent when sometimes much hangs in the balance. I remember once when my boys were adolescents, they had made a bad decision and my wife had to call me at work which is something she has done once in ten years.  I had no idea how to handle the situation or what to say until I pulled up in the driveway when God gave me the words I needed. No physical punishment was needed nor a profane tirade. Rather I was poised and quite gathered in my message of displeasure. The message was received and nothing further was spoken of the incident again.

4. Face your fears.  I believe there can be no courage without fear for fear is a reaction but courage is a choice. What we do with that fear defines us. Courageous people stare it down and attack like a lion. They confront their fears head on and grow as a result either through the accomplishment or through a failure. Firefighters are often confronted with very frightening scenario with structure fires and they courageously run into buildings everyone else is running out of. While they have the proper equipment and training the civilians do not, it is still a spectacle to see people swallow an instinctual response of fight or flight and choose to fight.

5. Follow your dreams! I don't believe God will give us a dream that does not align with our gifts. By that I am not insinuating a boy dreaming of becoming an astronaut or pilot can't aspire to do so. What I am saying is a dream to have a family and loving spouse, for example, is within the grasp of everyone if they follow God's lead and the right person who complements their innate personality traits and character. I realize there are many dreams which are never fulfilled; for example some people fail to score the minimum MCATs score to enter medical school or they never make a professional team for the lucrative contracts so many envy. I would submit either these dreams were self-manifested or misinterpreted. Someone wanting to be around athletes might have been called to be a coach or trainer. A person wishing to be a Doctor might have thought that was the path they wanted to be on in order to care for patients when they fail to realize Doctors have little time to share with a patient but nurses and P.A.'s are the cutting edge of medical care.

Why do we face trials?

The economy has been hard on all of us- some more than others. Well, let me rephrase that: The public's perception of the economy has been hard on us. I say that because really, our economy WAS doing fine, even though gas has shot through the roof. But now, we have a pandemic of banks failing after they backed shaky loans on A.R.M. loans people should not have bought into. This and other factors has caused a ripple effect which has now had a dramatic impact in nearly all aspects of our (and the world's) economy. These factors have impacted everyone in the United States for the most part in a negative way. People stressed to their limits from budgetary concerns were exacerbated by the compounding effects of the recent (non) crisis.

Our problems pale in comparison to these facts and the current situation with so many of our neighbors from Houston are just recently returned to their homes 10 days after Hurricane Ike hit SE Texas, taking everything from some people.

When we do face a trial, we are quick to ask "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Why has God forsaken me?"

Well, the real question might better be "Why NOT me?" Sometimes we bring things upon ourselves, and other times we are being tested. How can you tell the difference? Sometimes, you can't. Only with prayer and meditation can some of these answers be had. One day a few years ago, as I was driving 1 1/2 hours to an account, it suddenly hit me: We all have a cross to bear in our lives; some are bigger than others. For some it is financial, for others it is health, fidelity, or maybe job security, or any combination thereof. During these times, we may think we are the only ones experiencing what we are going through at the time, but truth be told, many others have been there before, and many more will be there after, but most importantly, many are going through the same thing you are at the same time.

You have not been singled out. Remember Job was tested for his faith in God, and lost EVERYTHING because of a wager made by Satan. Job, like the rest of us, asked why many times, and still proved his faith by not losing sight of what was first in his life- his realtionship and communion with God.

During the sermon last Sunday, Pastor Ron talked about why trials happen. While I had never verbalized why, the reasons he listed I felt were dead on:

1. Suffering develops maturity of faith (like fire tempers and strengthens steel) James 1:2-4


2. Suffering helps us identify with Christ (which is why he suffered, so he could identify with US) Phillipians 1:29


3. Suffering proves we are God's children Hebrews 12:7-8


4. Suffering helps us become holy Hebrews 12:10


5. Suffering produces righteousness & peace Hebrews 12:11


6. Suffering can lead to godliness Hebrews 12:24-25


7. Suffering allows us to minister to others in a personal way 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

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When Ron was speaking about these reasons for trials, he also gave us some startling facts:

• Since Christ's death 2,000 years ago, 43 million believers have been martyred, over 50% of which have been in the last 100 years.
• 200 million Christians face persecution daily around the world.
• 300 Christians die daily for their beliefs
  
  - Source: World Evangelical Encyclopedia www.persecution.com

Now what I am facing pales in comparison to this persecution, and I would believe our neighbors in Houston would, for the most part, agree their problems are pretty trivial compared to what some of our Christian brothers and sisters are facing.

My wife and I grew up together. That is to say, we started dating when we were 16, so we have been through a lot together. From the difficulties of being a soldier deployed, the pain of the separation to the anxiety of transitioning from the military to the civilian sector, buying a home, having children and professional downturns, we have run through many trials, and our marriage has only gotten stronger. Not because we are so devout and such great Christians, but because we comfort and strengthen each other in times of need. When I am feeling weak, she bolsters my confidence when I need it most, and vice versa. The only thing I wish I could change is the hardship she and my children have experienced for it has been difficult at times. (We have gotten a lot of love,prayers and support from dear friends and the church as well!)

I look back on those periods with a certain degree of pride AND humility- we weathered the storms with our faith, but would not have been able to do it alone. Without His strength, grace and love, we would have faltered long ago; but we are stronger for it, and I think we have a lot more character because of these trials. I wouldn't trade them for anything, for I am proud to carry my cross as a child of God.

I have also noticed during the hardships, the more we take our eye off the "problem" and keep our eyes on God, the easier the hardship becomes. When I pray and commune with God, I find it much easier to deal with the storm, and thereby become more holy (if you will), more spiritual, more understanding. And because we are more understanding after a trial, we can identify with others going through their hardships, and relate more and provide greater love and support in their hour of need.

Please share with us some of your experiences in which you faced a trial and your faith saw you through it!