To Be A Rock…and not to roll
Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation,
A stone. —John 1:42
Jesus nicknamed Peter, a stone or rock. What could that mean to be called a “rock” by Jesus?
Maybe it means:
*My faults are revealed. Like Peter, we all have faults. We all have moments we wish could rewind the tape and
keep our mouth shut, relive a moment and do it right this time. And yet, though my faults are revealed, I don’t
run from Him. There’s a strange comfort in knowing that He is perfectly aware of my flaws and does not cast me away.
*To be a rock with Jesus is to allow my genuineness to be examined. What
Christ wants from you is a genuine confession from your heart. He wants you to answer this question: "Who do you say
that I am?" We are measured by where our heart is, not by our success.
Watch Jesus get a snapshot
of Peter’s heart:
Jesus--"Will
you leave also?" Joh 6.67.
Peter--"Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. " v. 68
After all your failures and letdowns, after all your sin
and disappointment, after all your treason and hypocrisy, Jesus has one more question: "Do you love me?", Joh 21.16.
Jesus isn’t looking for what’s outside the rock, but what’s inside.
*To be a rock with Jesus is to allow my whole life to be sculpted by the hands of Jesus. Jesus looks at you and
sees what He can make out of your life. We see a hot-head, impulsive; a doubter who couldn’t handle the waves; a coward
who shot off his mouth to Jesus and then denied Him on three occasions. Jesus saw one who left his net immediately to
follow Jesus; a risk taker unafraid to step out of the boat; a man who came back to face his errors, did not run or hide from
his guilt. Peter went from denying the name of Christ to being arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and eventually executed,
all because Peter was able to say: “…we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
What kind of potential do you think Jesus can see in you?
David
A. Beirne, Pastor
