Anchored: The Life and Letters of the Apostle PeterУзор

If you are anything like me, a cross (or two) probably adorns your home. For those of us redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the cross is a beautiful symbol of our faith. But what is normal to us might have been perplexing to Jesus’s first disciples.

For the disciples, a cross was a symbol of death and represented humiliation, misery, and shame. So, for Jesus to characterize being His disciple with carrying a cross would have been appalling to His followers.

Just before this shocking discipleship requirement was stated, Jesus had asked His disciples the question, “Who do you say that I am?” Although a variety of answers were given, Peter provided the divinely inspired correct one: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16 NIV).

Certainly, this was a high moment for Peter. Unfortunately, he followed it with a classic blunder.

Following Peter’s confession, Jesus took that teachable moment to prepare the disciples for His death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21). As the prophetic words left Jesus’s mouth, impulsive Peter had the audacity to rebuke Jesus for even considering death as a possibility. He stated that what Jesus had predicted would never happen (v. 22). To which Jesus responded in Matthew 16:23,

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

What a turn of events! One moment, Peter was praised for receiving revelation from the Father, and the next, Jesus called him Satan. Why the whiplash? Jesus needed to confront Peter’s profound misunderstanding about the plan of redemption and the nature of the kingdom of God.

In God’s kingdom . . .

. . . victory comes through surrender.

. . . death precedes resurrection.

. . . we lay down our lives to find them.

. . . when a seed falls to the ground and dies, it bears much fruit.

Peter needed to understand that God’s will for Jesus meant death on the cross, so that through Him, resurrection life would come to those who believe. Jesus was fully surrendered to His Father’s will and embraced the cross because He understood the glory that would come. Because Peter didn’t yet understand this and was thinking from a human perspective, Jesus rebuked him in the sharpest terms.

But decades later, when Peter wrote his epistles, he not only understood the kingdom principle of dying to self in order to live for Christ, he embraced it.

To be crystal clear: God doesn’t desire for us to repeat Jesus’s sacrificial death. Jesus paid our redemption price in full (1 Pet. 2:24). Rather, we should “arm ourselves” with the same attitude, mindset, or way of thinking as Jesus by being willing to die to our agenda and surrender our will for God’s. Why? Because a heart surrendered to God’s will means the enticement of sin loses its grip on us. The Message does a great job of clarifying this point in 1 Peter 4:1-2 (MSG):

“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old, sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”

Christians who arm themselves with a Christlike mindset are those who consider themselves “dead to sin and alive to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24, NIV). Therefore, they choose to live not for evil human desires, but for the will of God.

Peter told them they had already spent enough time in sin and should be aware of how those still in sin would treat them.

When I first surrendered my life to Christ, I faced questions and skepticism from friends who knew the old Marian. I also experienced rejection from some because my new life in Christ dampened their “fun.” We must realize that our transformation will be unwelcome to some of those still indulging in sin.

Peter stated that the time of final judgment he referred to in verses 5-6 was close at hand. Hence, he encouraged us to be clear-minded and to practice self-control, especially in prayer. It is through prayerful dependence on Jesus that we can resist temptation and remain faithful.

Peter gave clear instructions for how the church was to function as God’s judgment draws near. Most importantly, we are to love one another with a deep love that enables us to forgive and restore. We are to express that love through hospitality and by using our giftedness to serve. Not for our own benefit but for God’s glory.

Friend, I lived my first twenty-five years imprisoned in the darkness of sin, fueling my life with alcohol and searching for love in all the wrong places. I hurt for those who still practice these things because I know the lies Satan uses to lead them down that path. I also know the shame he uses to keep them bound.

However, here are two truths I share to those captives.

1. Jesus is a great Redeemer, and there is not a prison door that He can’t swing open! If you feel stuck in the darkness, cry out to Jesus; He specializes in setting captives free.
2. Jesus is better! Nothing rivals Him. When you surrender to Jesus, you step into the life that is better than anything this world could ever offer.

Jesus is life and freedom, and worthy of our full surrender! Even if the world rejects us, the One who died for us is worthy of our worship.

Anchor Your Life to This Truth:

Those of us who belong to Jesus are called to live holy and distinct lives—daily choosing to take up our cross, die to our old sinful nature, and surrender our lives to follow Him. We resist anything that pulls us into the darkness so that our lives radiate His goodness to a lost world. While the struggle will be real, the blessing of abiding in God’s will far outweighs anything the world has to offer!

Read 1 Peter 4:1-2. Worship and praise God for His transformative work in your life. Pray that He continues pruning you and shaping you for your next season of life.