Lesson One: About Simon

Lesson One: About Simon

Good evening class. Tonight we are going to begin a new series on the life of Simon, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. We will make a lot of observations about Peter from the Bible. We will be focusing on the real life applications we can take from his life. Simon Peter was a very interesting man. He was very authentic in his faith. There is a lot we can learn about human character through Simon Peter.

In this series we will be looking deeply at the life of Simon Peter in the Gospels and in his own writings to the church. We will examine the human characters from his life and see what we can apply to our own lives. This series will require some deep thought. The next few weeks we will see Peter’s great qualities (of loyalty, vulnerability and leadership) and also his flaws (foot-in-mouth syndrome, speak-first, act-second mentality), but overall through the good and bad we will see his spiritual growth!

Just to give you a brief biographical background: Simon was a Galilean fisherman who was married () and lived in Capernaum (), although he was probably born in Bethsaida1 (). His father was named Jonah (or possibly John, we will look at this further later tonight, ). The Gospel of John reports that Andrew and Peter were disciples of John the Baptist before they joined Jesus. John also reports that Peter was introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew, who had already recognized Jesus to be the Messiah ().

[Please turn your Bible to , let’s read this passage:]
Again the next day John [The Baptist] was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" He *said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

( NASB)

Simon was one of Jesus’ closest followers. In verse 17, he is given a new name by Jesus. We will get into more details about this in our next lesson. We see though that Simon is called “Cephas” or Peter. The only other disciples with a nickname directly from Jesus are James and John. They are dubbed “sons of thunder.” (John is also known as the “beloved disciple.” .) In verse 37 we see that these three special disciples2 were the only ones allowed to come with Jesus when he went in Jairus’ house to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead. These three were also the only ones with Jesus at the transfiguration () and during Jesus’ final prayers in Gethsemane ().

Not only was Simon Peter in Jesus’ inner circle but it is thought that Jesus was the eldest of the twelve. Jesus counts on him, not Judas, to pay the temple tax for the two of them, even though Judas has the responsibility of holding the common purse (). Camille suggests that Peter pays this tax because he is more responsible than Judas, who is suppose to have the responsibility of the “accountant” for the disciples.3 But I take personally think there is a few other things going on here.

Let’s read this passage for ourselves and see what we glean:
When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?" He *said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt. "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."

( NASB)

Notice two things: First “the sons are exempt” and second “give it to them for you and me.” The only two who have to pay the tax is Jesus and Peter and because “the sons” (or children) are exempt from this temple tax, we learn that Peter is the eldest. We also learn that the other eleven disciples are teenagers or very young men! God uses the young! Also I think that Jesus is trying to make a point to Peter in this passage. We see nothing really about responsibility or of Judas.

The next four lessons we are going to learn a lot about Peter. Peter was one of my favorite New Testament characters. I can relate to his temperament and his flaws.

Jesus knew well aware of Peter’s impetuous, sanguine temperament. And through-out the Gospels, Jesus certainly uses Peter’s personality and temperament in actions as an example for others to learn from. We will be examining many episodes where Jesus teaches Peter through-out this series. Peter’s passion and loyalty leads him to attempt to walk on water, defend Jesus with a sword, and brings him to vulnerability with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

We will see how Peter is both a leader and a learner. He loves to talk but sometimes he doesn’t think before he speaks. He didn’t always understand every situation, or the significance of the situations. I love that Peter is teachable, obedient, faithful, simple, honest, and bold. In the end we see a lot of spiritual growth through-out his life. Peter was humbled by his own weaknesses in character. Through this we learn a lot about how to be humble, how to relate to Jesus, and about the grace of God.

Simon was involved in the Jewish religion and as a disciple of John the Baptist was on the look out for the Messiah. Simon and Andrew knew something was different about Jesus. They realized that Jesus was Lord and Christ. We see Simon Peter’s famous good confession of Jesus as Christ in Matthew:

[Open your Bibles to ]

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He *said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. From 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. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

( NASB)

This passage there is a lot of great stuff! We see that Jesus is asking all of his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” But Peter is the first to speak up! And he gets it right this time! Another really neat feature is that Jesus calls him “Simon Barjona.”

And then after getting something right we see Simon Peter, getting something wrong and a classic case of his “foot-in-mouth syndrome” (more on that in a later lesson.)

Finally, we also see Jesus says “upon this rock I will build My church.” This is something worth further evaluation in our next lesson.

First though, let’s figure out Peter’s sir name. The Greek is Βαριωνᾶς or Bariōnas; of Ara4. Basically it is referring to Simon’s father or grandfather. He is the “son of Jonah,” Barjona is the equivalent to Bar-Jonah, a surname.

But there are a lot of different understandings or translations. Later we see in that that Simon is “son of John.” According to John Gill “some read it Bar Joanna, the same with John; but the common reading is best; Bar Jona signifies "the son of a dove", and Bar Joanna signifies "the son of one that is gracious 5”. Long story short, according to Gill, his father was a good man, “like a dove.” In , Simon is named “son of John.” Nothing further is known of this John, except the different forms of his name. Jonas may be a contraction for Joanes.6 Another theory is that Simon Peter is in the genealogy of . (or at the very least in a metaphoric sense) because Simon Peter Jesus three times and seeks forgiveness, as Jonah betrayed God and spent three days in the mouth of a fish. The evidence for these theories is inconclusive.

Ok guys today we have only touched the surface on Peter. We have examined who Simon Peter is. We will pick up next lesson with the continuation of the passage, as there is still a lot of questions about what Jesus is talking about here. I want you to come back next week after studying this passage further. See if you can come up with an understanding for says “upon this rock I will build My church.”

Study Questions:

By what means was Peter able to make such confession? Why do you think that Peter rebuked the Lord the way he did? Is Peter the foundation to our church today?

Life applications found In The Life Of Simon Peter, for small Groups

This series is intended for an adult small group. It is an in-depth study of Simon Peter. The age group could range from young adults to ancient adults. It is a class of committed mature Christians. The time allotted for the class is about an hour and a half per lesson, but the students at my church are enthusiastic and typically do not mind the class running over a little. This document is basically like a script. It runs through the lesson how it is planned and includes Scripture and time for discussion. Parts that are in italics are either Bible readings or places of discussion, question and answer. In these sections this could be me talking or anyone bringing up these points in discussion format rather than lecture.]

Remission of sin and falling of grace

How can man truly have remission of sin if they are continually falling from grace?
Men do not fall from grace like that, not with EVERY SIN.
They are either saved or not.

Yes a saint could sin and still be a saint.
But a saint does not lose salvation every time they sin.

The doctrine on remission of sin makes it clear that we are forgiven of all of our sins when we confess Christ Jesus as Lord. We are made right by Christ's blood for ALL of our sin. It is separated as far as east is from west. We are forgiven. We are NEW.

A saint chooses to disobey and is still saved or was never really saved at all.

What do Arminius really think about remission of sin?

Tension: one of the reasons I love studying theology

I recently read a well thought out post by a Calvinistic friend who's posts I read often about Calvinism relating to unconditional election. He explained how Arminians try to solve tension. Arminians' quest to solve tension is one of their main problems/mistakes. There are a lot of tensions in Scripture and in theology. We do not have to solve these tensions. For example the Trinity, it does not make sense, but we do not find reason to resolve the tension created. The Trinity is not Irrational but it is difficult. Yet we understand that there is a certain amount of mystery involved in theology. Somethings that we humans cannot quite understand fully. One of the main points in Micheal's post is that Calvinists and Arminians take a different perspective. Both see that God is Sovereign, but in different ways. They both believe in predestination but the difference is in the basis of predestining.

"The Calvinist says that God’s predestination has no founding in the predestined in any sense. God did not choose people based on any merit, intrinsic or foreseen. This is called unconditional predestination because there are no conditions in man that need to be met. It does not mean that God did not have any reason for choosing some and not others, but that the reason is not found in us.

The Arminian says that God’s predestination has a founding in the faith of the predestined. In other words, God looks ahead in time and discovers who will believe and who will not and chooses people based on their prior free-will choice of him."

Michael brought a real interesting argument to the table. It is a good read and I suggest you take a look for yourself.

Scripture teaches both of God's Sovereignty and Man's responsibility. The Arminians found a solution to the conflict. Calvinists are left wanting more.
"To the Calvinists, man is fully responsible for his choice, yet God’s election is unconditional. Therefore, there is a tension that is created between human responsibility and God’s election."

Man may not know how to understand how it works. The balance and tension of man's responsibility and God's unconditional election...it is amazing to think about. It is amazing how God lets it all happen but yet is in control either way. It is great stuff.

This post really was great for me because of my stance on unconditional election and predestination. The more I study it the more I feel like I have no idea what I am talking about. But I do not feel satisfied with the extreme arguments of the two sides, in the false dichotomy of Calvinism and Arminianism.

It was refreshing to see others alongside of Michael in the comments section of his post reflecting on it and realizing that there is a tension and mystery to some issues like this topic. And there is a balance to the arguments. And that the truth is ultimately in God's hands.

Well anyways, thanks Michael for getting me exciting about theology again. This is one of the main reasons I love studying it...some of these things that I cannot get my brain around are fun to think about. The tension and mystery is like an adrenaline rush and a puzzle to piece all at the same time.

why people get so sad about being single

I don't get it...

If they truly believe that there is ONE person out there for them why do they think it has to be EVERY SINGLE GIRL they run into, every girl they have a crush on, or every girl in the city they live in?

they get upset about every girl that does not like them, every single girl that just wants to be friends every single girl that passed them up...

Why are they so stressed out? Why are they so when there are so many fish in the sea?

That is just crazy talk. First off because it is not about dating every girl or wearing your heart on your sleeve over every girl. Do be so desperate.

Second it is about finding the right person for you, not a popularity contest. Not about always having someone to date. Not about dating for the heck of it.

It is about finding your soul mate. Relax. this will be an adventure. This will take some time. The first girl you pluck out of the crowd is probably not going to be the answer. It might....but why have such high hopes.

Maybe it is just me. I like myself. I am unique and special. I am a not the type of person every woman/girl is going to even want to date. That is cool. I do not want to date every single girl either. I am holding out for some one who fits with me.

I am a specialty item. Novelty, per say. I am proud of it too.
Why cry about that? That is good stuff.

Alex

Works Cited for the devotional I made and posted this past week

Schooley, Keith. (8-2-06)“The New Perspective and Ephesians.” The Schooley Files blog. Detroit. MI.
Accessed on 11-8-08 from http://www.schooleyfiles.com/2006/08/new-perspective-and-
ephesians.html
Kinnaman, David and Lyons, Gabe. UnChristian: What a new generation really thinks about
Christianity…and why it matters. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. 2007.

Willard, Dallas, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding how God changes lives. San Francisco:
Harper Collins, 1991.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1952.
Zodhiates Spiros,. The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary: New Testament, World Bible Publishers, 1992.
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Grand Rapids: Discovery
House Publishers 1963.

Day Seven – What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

Day Seven – What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?
Passage: Pet
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Does the term “living sacrifice” scare you a little? It should. When Paul is asking us to transform our minds and our lives in order to sacrifice, he is not joking around. The same is true with Peter’s writing. Also let’s not forget the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in , “You will be hated by all because of My name.” You will suffer as Christ did, if you are serious about obedience and humility. But learning from Christ and learning to be like Christ means that we will be living sacrifices.
So what does it mean? As we have studied this week, learning from Christ and learning to be like Christ means that we be humble. We need to be willing to set aside our own agenda. Sacrifice our time, energy, and money for the Lord to serve other men. Being a living sacrifice mean we die to ourselves. And we instead let our entire beings be used by God for his purpose. We give up our own bodies and mind to God every day. All of it is His!
It is worth it in the end. When we suffer for Christ, we are free from sin! We are choosing to do God’s will. It is amazing to fathom. As says, we are new creations in Christ. And to end with one note of encouragement: Dallas Willard upon reflecting on , asks us to imagine the cost of non-disciple. Sure the cost of discipline is high, but the cost of non-discipline is even greater (Willard, 1). Take on the yoke of the Lord and humbly serve others!

Day Six – Obedient Servant

Day Six – Obedient Servant Passage: , ,
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul reflects on Jesus’ teaching again. In , Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” Paul goes an extra step. He says there are two choices, sin or obedience. In his letter to Romans, we see that when we offer ourselves in obedience, this is pleasing to God. It is an act of worship! Can you fathom what is happening here?
We are given only two choices, but when we decide to do the right thing, God is excited! God is happy! It is not just “status quo” to be obedient; it is not “following rules,” but an act of worship! When we obey, we are showing respect, devotion, and honor to God. And God blesses us for that. He blesses us with His will, His perfect and pleasing will. Will you be a slave for Christ? Or will you be a slave to sin? Those are the choices!

Day Five – In but not of the world Passage: Rom 12:1,2, John 17:13-16, Phil. 4:8-11

Rom 12:1,2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Jn. 13-16 “And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

Phil. 4:8,9Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world…” “they do not belong to this world…” Paul and Jesus both taught that Christians are to live separate and different from the rest of the secular world at large. Jesus calls us to protect others from the evil one. He reminds us of our perspective. We are not from this world, nor is anyone else, but rather, all of us are from God. This world is ruled by the evil one, Satan. We as Christians are to serve others and bring them to God. We have a paradox because we are not supposed to be a part of this world, controlled by Satan, but we are supposed to transform the people of this world. So it is necessary for us to be IN the world but we cannot conform to and be a part OF this world. Do you see the difference?
How then are we to be transformed? How do we renew our minds? The answer is simpler than one might imagine. The Word of God transforms the mind. It focuses us on God and His will. It brings pleasant thoughts to our mind. We as Christians are to reflect on those things. As Phil. 4:8,9 command us to, we are to think on things that are good.

Day Four – As bond servants

Day Four – As bond servants
Passages: Gal 2:20, 1 Pt. 1:16

Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1Pt. 1:16 - for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy."
Paul claims to be a bond servant in the introduction of many of his letters, a bond-servant to Christ. What does this mean? The Greek word, behind this text is "doulos" and it basically means “slave” (Zodhiates). Another way to think about it is “one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.” I love how Oswald Chambers puts it, “The passion of Christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I do not begin to be a saint (Chambers).”
Being a bond servant or a slave is not easy. Paul is calling us to be crucified with Christ. He is calling us to live by faith, not flesh. And Peter repeats Moses’ call for us to be holy as God is holy. Romans 6:13 says, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” This means we need to do three things: First we must refuse to give ourselves to sin. Then we must yield our whole self unto God. This means to give in to surrender. Finally it means to yield ourselves as instruments of righteousness unto God. We are not slaves to sin. We are not slaves to self. We are to be slaves to God and God only.