Established, Strengthened, and Settled E-Book

Dr. Paul G. Caram

• Herausgeber: Zion Christian Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

In his study of the Epistles of Peter, Dr. Caram discusses how one who was in the beginning, self-confident, rash, and impulsive, could be transformed to become the rock upon which Christ could build His church. As you read this book you will find essential keys to obtaining stability and strength in your walk with God so that your life will become a foundation upon which others can build.

Leseprobe

Established Strengthened and Settled

A Study of the Life and Epistles of Peter

Paul G. Caram, Ph.D.

“Established, Strengthened, and Settled”

(The Life and Epistles of Peter) Copyright © by Paul G. Caram

All rights reserved

    First printing:   Feb. 1997

  Recent printing:  Jan. 2021 (Version 2.1)

Front Cover Photo of Peter

  Courtesy of Good Will Publishers  Gastonia, N.C.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form

or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher,

except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the

King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.

Published with permission by Zion Christian Publishers

as an e-book in 2022

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-171-7

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DEDICATION

PALESTINE IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

Cities of New Testament Times

Memorize the location of each of the following:

Aenon - a place where John baptized because there was much water there

Arimathea - city of Joseph, the godly counsellor who buried Jesus in his own sepulchre (Lk.23:51)

Azotus - the city to which Philip was translated, after being in Gaza (Acts 8:26-40)

Bethany - the town of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

Bethsaida - in Galilee, hometown of Philip, Peter, and Andrew, near the place where Jesus fed 5000

Bethlehem - where Jesus was born, the city of David

Beersheba - the southern most part of Judea

Bethabara - another place where John baptized

Caesarea - Roman military base on the Mediterranean where resided Pilate, Cornelius, and others

Caesarea Philippi - at the base of Mt. Hermon, where Peter confessed - “Thou art the Christ.”

Capernaum - Christ made his headquarters here (in Galilee) during his ministry, also Peter

Cana - where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water to wine at the wedding

Chorazin - a city condemned by Christ because of the miracles they saw, but no repentance

Damascus - oldest city on earth / place of Paul's conversion / 140 miles northeast of Jerusalem

Decapolis - an area east of the Jordan River where Christ ministered

Ephraim - a town northeast of Jerusalem (Jn.11:54) near the wilderness where Jesus abode awhile

Gadara - a town near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus delivered the demon possessed man

Galilee - a sea, also a large territory in northern Israel where Jesus and all the apostles came from

Gaza - where Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch

Hebron - one of the oldest cities on earth, yet never mentioned once in the New Testament

Jericho - where Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus

Joppa - where Peter had the vision at noon of God cleansing and accepting the Gentiles

Jordan R. - beginning at the base of Mt. Hermon, going into the Sea of Galilee, to the Dead Sea

Judea - This is southern Israel. Jerusalem was the capital. The temple was here - the center of Judiasm

Lydda - where Peter healed Aeneas, and all that dwelt in Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord

Machaerus - the site of Herod's castle where John was imprisoned and executed

Mount Hermon - where Jesus is believed to have been transfigured

Nazareth - hometown of Jesus, twenty miles southwest of Capernaum

Nain - where Jesus raised the widow's son from the dead

Peraea - the area directly east of Jerusalem, across Jordan, where Jesus ministered

Phoenicia - area of Lebanon (Tyre) from which the Syro-Pheonician woman's daughter was healed Sycar - in Samaria, where Jacob's well was (Jn. 4:5-6) where Jesus spoke to the woman at the well

Especially fix in your mind the five main areas of Israel where Jesus ministered:

JUDEA

SAMARIA

GALILEE

DECAPOLIS

PERAEA

ESTABLISHED, STRENGTHENED, and SETTLED INTRODUCTION

The Epistles of I-II Peter were authored by Peter himself in the maturity of his life, just prior to his martyrdom in A.D. 66. Both epistles are saturated with the Apostle's life-experiences and reflect a polished and perfected Peter. These two inspired letters were his final admonitions to the younger, oncoming generations   of the Church.

As a youth, Peter had been adventurous, self-confident, aggressive, daring, rash, self-willed, impulsive, outspoken, inconsistent, quick-tempered, presumptuous, and argumentative. In spite of all his shortcomings, Peter had an immense hunger for God and was eager to hear “the words of eternal life.”  God saw the desire of his heart, and converted this rough fisherman into one of the finest saints of all time. This transformation, however, did not come overnight.

It would not be possible to fully appreciate Peter’s two epistles without first having an understanding of his early years as an immature follower of Christ. In this study we are comparing the youthful, unrefined Peter with the fully developed Apostle Peter who later in life had become “established, strengthened, and settled” and one of the chief foundation stones of the Church.

We are also considering some of the same character flaws in Peter that we see in ourselves—defects that require a deathblow if we would be a partaker of the  coming glory. The subject of “glory” is found no less than 16 times in Peter's epistles — a glory that is preceded by much suffering.

Therefore, in this exciting study, we are not simply assimilating Peter's two epistles. In actual fact, we are looking at the entire life of Peter, a man who ranks among the most colorful of all the New Testament characters.

PETER'S  BACKGROUND

From Galilee

In the time of Christ, Palestine was divided into three main regions. Galilee was to the north, Samaria was in the center, and Judea was in the south. (See map on opposite page). Jerusalem and the temple were in Judea. In traveling from Galilee to Judea, it was necessary to pass through Samaria, where the travelers were not always received graciously. There was great animosity between the Samaritans and the Judeans because of their religious differences (cf. Lk. 9:51-56; Jn. 4:9).

Galilean Characteristics

When our Lord prayed all night to know which disciples to select as his twelve apostles, the Heavenly Father directed Him to choose all Galileans. God by-passed those who were born and raised in Judea, possibly because they were so entrenched in tradition. There was a new message to be brought to birth and proclaimed, and the Lord would only ordain men who were pliable and open for change. He needed new wineskins, vessels that were elastic. The historian Josephus and the Talmud (Jewish writings), describe the regional characteristics of the Galileans as follows:

Josephus: “The Galileans were ever fond of innovation, by nature disposed to change and sedition, to follow a leader and to begin an insurrection; were quick-tempered, and given to quarreling.”

The Talmud: “The Galileans were anxious for honor more than for money. They were quicktempered, impulsive, emotional, and easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, and loyal to the end.”

All the apostles were Galileans, either by birth or by residence (cf. Acts 1:11, 2:7). These regional characteristics are vividly seen in every one of them, especially in Peter.  They were excitable, adventurous, impulsive, ready to support a new and unusual cause, and open for a change of order.

One's temperament and disposition descend from two sources: 1.) Ancestry - the traits passed on to us through our bloodline; and,  2.) The region where we grew up. Our personality is molded by the spirit of the locality where we were raised.  The Galilean characteristics come out strongly in Peter, and they blemished his testimony. These foreign elements contaminated his faith.  Therefore, Peter had to have many specific trials to purge him of this Galilean mentality.  The same mentality was clearly manifested in James and John and all of the other apostles as well. On the other hand, they possessed great openness of spirit, a quality needed for the next move of God.

Hometown

Peter was from Bethsaida, a little town in Galilee (Jn.1:44) as also was his brother Andrew, and Philip. Bethsaida was on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mk. 6:45), just a few miles from Capernaum, where Jesus made His headquarters during His ministry in Galilee. Peter lived in Capernaum (Mk.1:21, 29-31) at the time of Christ's ministry there.  Nazareth, also in Galilee, was about twenty miles southwest of Capernaum.

Peter grew up in a devout home, evidenced by the fact that he had never eaten anything “common or unclean” since his youth (cf. Acts 10:14).  He was ceremonially meticulous and possessed deep spiritual convictions. Also, he eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah (Jn.1:40-41).

PETER'S LIFE IN THE FOUR GOSPELS

Peter's Need to be Converted

1. The Man Who Said Never

Peter was firm about everything he believed. Ten years after the resurrection when he was commanded in a vision, “Rise Peter, kill and eat,” he responded; “No Lord, for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean” (Acts 10:13-14). In the vision, God was showing His acceptance of the Gentiles, who were generally considered “common and unclean” by the Jews. There were still traces of prejudice and tradition in Peter and the other apostles (cf. Acts 10:28; 11:2-3). Peter's response of never related to his upbringing, but it was hindering many Gentiles from coming into the Church.  Peter, who often blurted out “never” ended up saying “ever.” And when he was converted in this particular area of his life, he was able to strengthen many Gentile brethren.

Nothing will ever change in our lives if we do not allow God to change our minds (Rom.12:2). Actually, this is quite a sobering thought!  On several other occasions, Peter insisted that he would never (under any circumstances) tolerate certain things. In John 13:8, he protested, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.”  Christ replied, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.”  Peter's reaction to this was, “Well then, give me a whole bath. Wash me all over, my hands, and my head.” Now he was going to the other extreme—from no washing at all, to being washed all over. With Peter, it was an “all or nothing” situation. Frequently he gave no contemplation or forethought to his actions and words.

In Matthew 26:33 Peter asserted, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”  Peter was very sincere when he made this declaration. He was wholehearted for the Lord, but he was also following Christ in his own strength.  (Self-strength is a big obstacle for many young Christians, and it leads to major let downs.)  Peter was so emotionally aroused that he was paying no attention to the warning his Master teacher had just given him. He stressed that in order for the Scripture to be fulfilled (Zech.13:7), the pressure would be so great that all His apostles would flee from Him. Peter disagreed with Him vehemently, setting himself up for a terrible failure.

In Matthew 16:21-22, after Christ revealed to his disciples that he must suffer many things and be killed, Peter took hold of the Lord and began to rebuke him, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”  Never!  This shall never be, Lord.  He did not want his Lord to suffer, but he did not understand that redemption required this sacrifice.  Also, perhaps it was upsetting his expectations of grandeur. Maybe his calculations were something like this: “If my Hero dies, so will all my dreams of power, prestige, and rulership.” Young Peter still did not properly understand that a crown is always preceded by a cross.  These issues that baffled Peter as an immature believer, later became his greatest emphasis in life, as we will see later in his two epistles. Repeatedly, Peter mentions the sufferings of Christ, but also the glory that follows (See 1 Pet.1:11, 1:21,  4:13-14,  5:1,  5:10).

Matthew 16:23 - “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.”  Christ then proceeded (in verses 24-26) to tell the disciples that the way to life is by way of a denial of self. It was because of the self-seeking motives in Peter's heart (motives that savoured the things of man), that Satan gained an entrance into Peter, who urged Christ not to go to the cross.

2. How Many Times Must I Forgive Before I Can Hold a Grudge?

Matthew 18:21-22 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”   Seventy times seven is another way of saying “Do not bother to count.” Forgiveness is for our own sake as much as it is for our offenders. When we are unable to forgive, our hearts become infected with evil and bitterness (Heb.12:15).

By the act of forgiving we are releasing others from the offenses they have committed against us. Otherwise, we are keeping them as prisoners in our thoughts. As the prison keeper, we are in prison too, preoccupied with the debts our captives owe us. Under the New Covenant, Christ has made provision for the believer to be able to forgive and release others.  The Master Teacher taught his disciples to pray daily: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt. 6:12). “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6:14-15).

In the account of the woman who brought an alabaster box to Jesus (Lk. 7:36-50), the Lord made this interesting statement: “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loveth much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Lk. 7:47).  Our love for God depends upon understanding how much we have been forgiven. The more light we have, the more aware we become of the multitude of trespasses from which we have been freed, and therefore, the more we love God. This makes us indebted to release others of their obligations to us. The legalist or self-righteous person feels he has offended very little, and has little to be pardoned. Therefore, he loves little.

Peter's failures and shortcomings in life brought much brokenness of spirit and mercy for others. He had come to realize how much he had been forgiven.  At one point, Peter was unable to forgive or accept himself. Perhaps he felt he had committed the unpardonable sin or had permanently lost the favor of God. Peter had denied his Lord with cursing and swearing.  Yet, Christ had not rejected him; Peter had rejected himself. The Lord's acceptance and forgiveness of Peter rescued him from self-destruction. Psalm 130:4 declares, “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be [revered].”  People cast off all restraint when they think there is no hope or forgiveness. Forgiveness makes it possible for men and women to regain self-respect and in turn have respect for God. Let us therefore show acceptance to others and forgive “seventy times seven.”