How did Peter Search out his Faith?

Up to this point in our study, we have done little more than learn the structural terminology of faith development. You have a basic understanding of the five levels of faith and now you know the four struggles of Searching Faith. This is merely an academic exercise unless you learn how to apply these principles to your own faith.

Through the amazing book we call the Bible, the Holy Spirit has provided stories of the lives of real people who put their faith in Almighty God. We can gain practical application by studying the examples of these Bible characters. In this chapter we will be learning about how the faith of Peter grew during his years with Jesus. If you observe closely, you may find that you and Simon Peter have a great deal in common.

Peter came to Christ the same way most of us do. He started with Affiliating Faith. He had his brother Andrew to thank for introducing him to Christ (John 1:40-42). As soon as Andrew discovered Christ for himself, the text says,

He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).

- John 1:41

It should be the most natural thing for a believer, after coming to Christ, to want to share the good news with others. Through this sibling affiliation Simon Peter was blessed to make acquaintance with the Savior of the world. Andrew loved his Brother, Peter, so much, "He brought him to Jesus." John 1:42.

Let me fast-forward here to make a point. It was Peter, and not Andrew, who got the attention in the four gospel accounts, right on through Acts and the letters. Peter developed into a great apostle, a leader among the twelve. But before we leave Andrew, there is something worth learning from his example. We would not have Peter if not for his quiet brother who took the time to introduce him to the Lord. You may not be a "Peter" in the kingdom. You may be more of an "Andrew." Perhaps you stay in the shadows and do the unobtrusive, unnoticed jobs the Lord needs done, but if you can reach just one "Peter" in your lifetime and lead him to the Lord, think of the good you could do for the kingdom.

Now back to Simon Peter. Let's see how his faith grew after Andrew introduced him to Jesus. The scriptures describe how Simon's faith grew quickly and just like the rest of us, he had his struggles. Jesus worked with him and taught him how to bring peace and order into his life through faith.

In John 6 some disciples thought Jesus' teachings were too hard.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”

- John 6:60

Not just a few, "many of His disciples" were unhappy with the message Jesus was preaching. They were so unhappy they left. They stopped following Jesus.

Picture yourself being one of the apostles that day hearing Jesus preach. Suddenly almost the entire congregation gets up and leaves. All that work getting them to come put their faith in the long-awaited Messiah and they just tossed their faith in the trash like it was nothing and left Jesus. Then Jesus asks you (imagine you're one of the twelve apostles), "You do not want to go away also, do you?" John 6:67. Silence. What would you say? I know what Simon Peter said that day. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." John 6:68.

Think back to what you learned in the last chapter about the Practical Struggle. During the process of Searching Faith, some believers struggle with whether or not it is practical to follow Jesus. Clearly Peter did not have the Practical Struggle. He knew that following the Lord was well worth whatever discomforts or sacrifices he might have to make because Jesus was the only way to obtain the eternal life Peter desired. That's faith.

Peter also did not have the Emotional Struggle. This struggle asks the question, "How can I let go of _______?" In our previous chapter, chapter 7, the Rich Young Man served as our example of the Emotional Struggle.

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

- Mark 10:21

In the case of the Rich Young Man, he turned away from the Lord because he could not let go of his earthly possessions. He was too emotionally attached to his money.

Peter was there that day. He watched that young man who has so much potential turn down the richest possession he could have ever had. Then Peter looked into his own heart. "Am I holding back from Jesus? Do I have anything I am not surrendering?" That's when Peter said to Jesus,

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”

- Mark 10:28

If Peter had trouble giving up something to follow Christ, he had apparently dealt with it by this point. There was nothing in his life that Peter was so emotionally attached to he would not part with it for the sake of Christ.

So I guess Peter didn't have any struggles. He went right through Searching Faith without any battles. No scraped knees. Right? Wrong. Nobody goes through Searching Faith without a struggle.

Jesus told Peter one day,

⁴When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

- Luke 5:4-5

They caught so many fish the nets were breaking, both boats filled to the top rail with fish. After witnessing this miracle, this undeserved gift, Simon Peter utters these words: "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:8.

You can almost hear the shame in Peter's voice as he pours out his embarrassment over his lost and retched condition. He bears his soul. Anyone who has been through the Moral Struggle can empathize with the turmoil behind those words. Yes, Peter went through the Moral Struggle.

Those with the Moral Struggle reach a point where it finally sinks in just who Jesus is and what He has done for us. If you have ever felt like you are completely unworthy of the goodness you have received from the Lord, undeserving of His precious gift of spiritual cleansing, don't feel alone. Peter went through that struggle. Many of us do.

Feeling unworthy is not the problem when it comes to the Moral Struggle. We are unworthy. The problem is when we want Jesus to "go away" from us because we believe our immoral condition is too ingrained in us to ever be washed away even by His blood. Searching reveals even more about our sin than we realized prior to being baptized. The reaction sometimes is "There is no way I could be saved after what I have done." That's the problem.

Peter is a great example of growing faith for us because we can relate to so many of his experiences. What is it about Peter's walking on the water that intrigues us so? More sermons have been preached from that text than any other in the Bible. It's stirring. It's convicting. It's motivating. It's also a bit humorous.

The event took place when "the boat was already a long distance from the land," Matthew 14:24. The waves were high and "the wind was contrary." Jesus came to them walking on the water. They thought he was a ghost and so He assured them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27. It was Peter's idea to walk out to Jesus. "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Matthew 14:28. Peter's confidence in the Master was so strong, all Jesus had to say was, "Come!"

Peter actually walked on top of water. This is not a fairy tale. Let it diffuse into your brain that Peter experienced what is physically impossible because he trusted Jesus. Do you have any idea how much faith it requires to walk on water? Yes, he also faltered at one point. He sunk down in the water because his faith wavered. That's true, but he still walked on water. The other apostles didn't even want to get out of the boat, but Peter walked on water. He was eager to test his faith.

Of all the lessons we could learn from that windy evening on the Sea of Galilee, the most precious one is this: Be brave enough to venture out but keep your eyes on Jesus. Peter learned a lesson that day about the importance of staying focused.

The next titillating event in the progress of Peter's growth was his incident in Matthew 16. Jesus was trying to get away from the crowds and spend time with only the twelve in the northern region of Caesarea Philippi. He asked the question, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Matthew 16:13. The apostles offered some of the rumors they had heard. It was obvious from these guesses that the commoners still did not know who Jesus was. "But who do you yourselves say that I am?" Matthew 16:15. It was one thing for the general public not to know who Jesus was, but these men had been following Him. Bet you could have heard a pin drop after Jesus asked that question. These were His hand-picked apostles. They should have known the answer.

It was Peter who bailed them out. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:16. Atta boy, Peter! From the ensuing response Jesus gave, it was obvious He was pleased with Simon Peter. "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 16:17. Jesus commended Peter's theistically inspired observation and blessed him. Then six verses later Jesus is telling Peter: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's purposes, but man's" Matthew 16:23.

Peter went from hero to heel and it only took him six verses. Jesus had to rebuke him for being a stumbling block. What happened?

Peter was so confident (maybe even a little cocky) from his great accomplishment that when Jesus began to explain how He was going to die in Jerusalem, Peter pulled Him aside to rebuke Him. The text says,

²¹From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. ²²Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”

- Matthew 16:21-22

That's right. Peter was now so spiritual he could even rebuke Jesus Christ. Jesus had to put him in his place. "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me." Matthew 16:23.

Peter received another helping of "humble pie" that day. Bible readers through the ages have all had a good chuckle at Peter's expense. But before you laugh too loud, consider this. Peter was making mistakes, but at least he was trying. He had his highs and lows but he was growing because he was putting his faith into practice.

During high school, we had a player on our basketball team who had no turnovers. He never made a bad pass, never even missed a shot. Do you know why? He never played. If you are scared to make a mistake, the only way to avoid it is to do nothing. But if you choose to do nothing, do not expect God to bless your life. He has no appreciation for those who bury their talents, Matthew 25:18. Disciples of Jesus are to be active and productive. God has a tough time guiding someone who is not moving.

Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John looking specifically at Peter and you will see how his faith progressed. For instance, in Matthew 17 only three apostles were invited to the Mount of Transfiguration. "Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves," Matthew 17:1. While on the mountain, "Moses and Elijah appeared to them," Matthew 17:3. They were there to have a talk with Jesus. An oddity that should be pointed out is that Moses and Elijah had been dead for a long time when this event took place.

Simon Peter had this great idea about building three great monuments in honor of these three great men. "I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah" Matthew 17:4. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. God, however, did not think it was a good idea. "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them," Matthew 17:5. God interrupted Peter. He didn't want to hear the rest. Then God said to Peter, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!" Matthew 17:5. The thrust of God's message to Peter was LISTEN TO HIM! "Do you get it, Peter? You lost your focus again, just like you did when you were walking on the water. Stay focused on my Son, Jesus. Listen to Him." Again, Peter ventured out. Again, Peter was in the wrong, but again Peter learned more about his own faith because at least he was applying the faith he had.

Let's turn the pages to the Gospel of John. Do you think Peter learned anything the night Jesus was washing the disciples' feet in the upper room before the Passover? In John 13 the towel clad Master washed feet. He moved meekly from one dirty foot to the next until he came to the soiled soles of Peter. "Lord, do you wash my feet?" John 13:6. That should have been obvious, considering what Jesus had just done to the other apostles? Of course He was going to wash his feet. Unless Peter meant, "Lord, do you wash MY feet?"

Perhaps Simon Peter felt unworthy, still having a bit of that Moral Struggle. Here is the King of kings kneeling at his feet doing the job of a slave. This sounds similar to the inner turmoil Peter faced in Luke 5:8: "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" The thought of the Master washing his feet was unbearable.

Peter said, "Never shall you wash my feet" John 13:8. There, that settled it in Peter's mind. This cannot, will not happen. Of course, Jesus knew Peter needed to deal with this weakness of faith. "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." John 13:8. Jesus put Peter in a position where he had to face his struggle head on. Since Jesus was putting it that way, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head." John 13:9.

Peter. You gotta love him; always swinging from one extreme to the other. I'm so grateful the Holy Spirit included this account in the Bible. Jesus was teaching him; molding him into the pillar of faith he would later become. In the end Jesus washed his feet and Simon Peter learned how to work through the Moral Struggle. That Moral Struggle is not an easy one to deal with. Watch out. Sometimes it comes creeping back on you.

It is fascinating to watch the way Jesus shaped and molded Simon. You can tell that Jesus loved this fiery young disciple very much. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:31-32. Peter's reaction to Jesus' message reminds us so much of ourselves. Rather than thank Jesus for praying for him, he reacted offensively to Jesus' suggestion that his faith might actually fail. "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death." Luke 22:33.

It is good to be confident in your relationship with Christ. Peter believed he had Mature Faith where nothing could dissuade him from following the Savior. Many Christians thought the same thing Peter did. "I'll die for you, if that is what it takes, Jesus." The truth is Peter was not as ready as he thought he was. "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me." Luke 22:34. Even after Jesus told him that he would deny his Lord three times, he did not believe it.

In the first half of this book you learned the five levels of faith. In chapter three I explained why I believe the majority of our members are at Affiliating Faith. When you read that part, did you catch yourself saying something like, "Yup, most of these church members are at Affiliating Faith but I know I am higher than that"? Let me caution you, with Peter as an example, do not think of yourself as having a faith more mature than it actually is. You may be dreadfully disappointed with yourself the next time your faith is tested. In order for this study to be of benefit to you, you have to be willing to be honest with yourself. Look at what happened to Peter.

⁵⁹After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” ⁶⁰But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹The 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.” ⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly.

- Luke 22:59-62

After Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus, the Luke account observes that Jesus was looking straight at him, Luke 22:61. What was in Jesus' look? "I told you so?" No, not from Jesus. "I'm disappointed in you?" No, Peter already had enough of those kind of looks. "I still love you." Yes, that was likely the message written on Jesus' face as He saw Peter fail to stand up for his Lord.

How crushing that must have been. How humiliating. But humility is not a bad thing. It is actually essential to maturing in our faith. Pride weakens our faith and leads us further away from God. If you think you have Mature Faith, you could be right. But keep in mind that Peter thought he had Mature Faith. Beware of your own pride.

Jesus worked with Peter and taught Him how to be a disciple. It took time but watch as Peter was transformed into one of the strongest believers Christianity has ever known. After Peter had denied Jesus when the resurrected Lord asked Peter if he truly loved Him, Peter was guarded, careful not to overstate his loyalty again. "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" ... "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." John 21:15. When Christ inquired about the level of Peter's love, He asked about agape love, the unconditional love which Christ had showed to Peter by dying on the cross. But Peter replied by pledging phileo love, friendship love. "Simon, do you love me [unconditionally] more than any other disciple" "Yes, Lord; You know [I am your friend.]" That was not what Jesus asked. He didn't ask if they were friends or not.

"He asked him a second time, "'Simon, son of John, do you love [agape] Me?'...'Yes, Lord; You know that I love [phileo] You.'" John 21:16. Long gone is the swaggering, haughty, self-appointed leader of the apostles. The new Peter was careful not to overstep his spiritual limitations, but he was still not giving Jesus the answer He was looking for.

"He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love [phileo] Me'" (John 21:17)? This time Jesus used the word phileo. "Simon, are you even my friend?" Ouch! This conversation may sound insensitive, but time had run out for babying Peter along. Jesus had to know if this man was going to carry on the work of the kingdom. It was time to suck it up and be a man. "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love [phileo] You." John 21:17. In other words, "Lord, you know I am at least your friend."

It is better to think less of yourself, than more of yourself. It takes more spiritual maturity to see your own inadequacies and admit you have some growing to do. I don't mean some false humility, saying you are not that great but deep down believing you are better than others. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." I Corinthians 10:12. Like Peter, we set ourselves up for a fall when we assume we have Mature Faith and really we are not even close. It doesn't do any good to beat yourself up and think you are worthless, but do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, Romans 12:3. Be patient. Stay humble.

Through the life of Peter we see that spiritual growth is a struggle, but if you have read the book of Acts then you know that in those early years the church was richly blessed because Peter developed into the rock solid disciple Jesus knew he could be. Through the life of Peter we can see how the five levels of faith come into play as well as the four struggles of Searching Faith. Now that you know what to look for, you can identify these stages through the lives of other biblical characters. This will give you a fresh new way to approach your personal Bible study. Read the Word daily and watch for the progression of faith in Bible characters. Most importantly, apply what you learn to your own life.