The Example of Christ

The thought that Jesus was to die and suffer perplexed Peter as he walked with Him. But later in life he was able to look back on these things and see the wonderful things that God wrought through this, and realise that Jesus was set as our example.

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I’ve been thinking about the life of Peter and what it was like for him to walk with Jesus. Every so often things happened which he could look back on and recognise the magnitude of what had happened. It’s the account of someone walking alongside Jesus and figuring out as the days progressed just who He was. This morning I want to attempt to convey to you the revelation to Peter of who Jesus was.

Matthew 16:13-20

By revelation, Peter rightly ascribed to Jesus “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” He’d seen enough already to be able to say that. He knew.

Matthew 16:21

After Peter said what he believed Jesus to be, it was as though this triggered Jesus’ explanation of what would happen.

Matthew 16:22-23

Peter had been jolted. He’d got it right, and now Jesus began to talk about suffering and being killed and being raised from the dead, and it was all a new thing.

And now, a week later, this happens ...

Matthew 17:1-5

That got to Peter, because he was involved with Jesus, witnessing Him talking to Elijah and Moses. Peter didn’t really know what he was saying – “Let me build tabernacles.” And as Peter spoke, God cut across Him – “This is my beloved son. Hear ye Him.” Those three words were placed in Peter’s heart. “Hear ye Him.”

Matthew 17:6-9

They were to keep quiet about things for the time being.

Matthew 17:10-12

That had happened just before this time :-

Matthew 14:3

Matthew 14:11

Peter, James and John would have linked up with that :-

Matthew 17:11-13

Thou art the Christ. And then He began to share how He would suffer, be killed, be raised from the dead. And then a week later He takes them up the mountain. His face shines like the sun. His clothes were whiter than white. Moses and Elijah talked to Jesus about the death that was to come. And now Peter hears “Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer.” Understandably this had a huge impact on Peter. In his second letter he refers to it.

2 Peter 1:16-21

He refers back to the time when he was on the mountain. He knew what it was like to hear the Word of God. And he says that the prophecies of the Old Testament weren’t from men. The prophets heard from God. And as everything was confirmed to Peter’s heart – all about the Old Testament and the prophecies – so he thought back to the prophecies concerning what would happen to Jesus.

Isaiah 53:1-7

What Peter now shares is the fundamental of the revelation of what he knew of Jesus Christ. He talks of Jesus as our example.

1 Peter 2:18-21

He was writing to people who would suffer for their faith. He knew what would come. If you do something right and you are persecuted for it, how will you react?

Who are we trusting? In your life this morning, your trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it that way? I trust it is, because what these verses reveal is that Christ as our example was the one who laid Himself down. He was guiltless and became guilty. He had committed no sin, but He became the one who took upon Himself our sin so that we would not have to be killed, not have to end our lives as a failure before God’s law. The whole theme of this morning is to do with the example of Christ and what He has done for you and me.

On Friday we looked at :-

1 Peter 2:15

Now we see :-

1 Peter 2:20

What’s your reaction when someone has a go at you for doing what is right? Do you want to attack the person? What is your reaction? Do you know you have committed your life to God, and no matter what the circumstances, your trust is in Him? No matter what is thrown at you against your stand, you’re trusting Him and your life is hid with Him in God. He’s my loving heavenly father. He loves me and gave Himself for me.

1 Peter 2:21

Peter had been aghast at the idea that Jesus would be put to death. But now he sees how Jesus went through the whole thing – suffering on the Cross and being reviled :-

Matthew 27:39-44

If ever there was a temptation to react against people, this was it. It’s strange – our minds, our intellect, our mature way of working things out, find it difficult to accept what all this is about. In fact, Paul said :-

1 Corinthians 1:25

It really is foolish in man’s eyes that everything is focused upon what happened in Jerusalem those many years ago. God chose that part of the world for this to happen in. God arranged for Jesus to grow up there, for Peter to be alongside Him, for Jesus to go about working miracles and speaking truth, the greatest teacher the world has ever known. It’s foolish. How can someone who grew up in Nazareth and ended up hanging on a cross be the very thing which sorted things out for us forever? It’s daft. It seems as though we must be kidding ourselves. But Paul was right – the foolishness of God is so much better than the wisdom of man. And as Peter thought back over his time with Jesus, he then remembered denying Him, remembered meeting Him when He came back from the dead, and Jesus told him to feed His lambs.

And now, from the perspective of time, he can see Jesus as our example.

1 Peter 2:21-25

You can see the echo of Isaiah. Getting rid of the penalty of sin is like bodily healing. And Peter likens things to a sheep being lost and found. What was meant to be for us a divine curse, because we went against His law, became His favour because of Jesus Christ. He was the one who became answerable for your sin – not you.

What’s it like to be a sheep astray? It’s lonely, perplexing, full of dissatisfaction. There’s no promise of improvement. That’s what it’s like to be a sheep astray. Before anyone becomes a Christian, that’s their life. There’s a lot of façade. But in the depths of a person – and I know because I was there myself – before a person becomes a Christian, it’s a lonely life, a dissatisfied life. There are things which fill the life, but only temporarily. That’s why with any addiction, there has to be more and more of it, because you can’t fill up your life. You can try. You can construct a whole intellectual argument about things, but inside you know, in your heart of hearts. There’s something about this foolishness of God, and the way He sorted things out through the death of His son.

What does it mean to be dead to sins? The guilt in your life goes. The condemnation in your life, which bugs you to death, goes. The penalty of our sins goes because Jesus Christ took the penalty. But the other side of it ... we are alive unto righteousness.

As Peter wrote, so Paul wrote :-

Colossians 1:10-14

It’s 100% different – the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Dear Son, the kingdom of light.

To some of you my words will have struck a chord, because God by His Holy Spirit wants you to release your need to. You need to return to the shepherd and overseer of your soul.

It’s not a complicated mechanism. It’s not like a carrot which is dangled but may or may not happen. You won’t be blinded physically as Paul was. Quite simply, you recognise who Jesus is and what He did for you. And God by His Holy Spirit brings that recognition. If you realise your need of Him, it’s God who is bringing that about. He loves you. By nature, we don’t seek after God, but He has a way of bringing to light our need of Him.