Sermon "One Word" 1 Peter 5: 1-10

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-10    Title: One Word

Collaboration: Jimmy Skeen & Nancy Cantrell          Date: May 4, 2008

 

If you could use one word to summarize your parent’s life what would it be? How about your best friend’s life? How about your children? Your teacher? Your pastor? (Be careful now!) If you could use one word to summarize your life what would it be?

You could summarize his life in one simple word … Independence. From the earliest of days he did life his way. When the family wanted to go to McDonald’s he voted for Wendy’s. At school the other students fought over the monkey bars but not him. He liked to find the closest teacher on duty and engage them in some contest, a friendly game of one on one or a lively debate. He was always doing life his own way often finding himself sitting all alone.

As a teenager things were no different. Despite the best efforts of his parents he simply chose to be independent. He loved his parents, he even thought they were good people, but his life was his life. One day he was off to rendezvous with his buddies when his father encouraged him to stay home. There was a good reason. They were all headed over to his grandparents’ house. Dad warned him “if you leave now you won’t be back in time and we will have to leave without you.” He loved being at his grandparents house. The laughter, the fun, the cooking…it was worth any price he had to pay; except the price of his independence. Truly meaning no harm to his father he set out to do life his way. Off he went.

Lost in the joy of the moment he forgot all about grandma and the trip the family was taking. When he remembered … his heart began to pound, his palms began to sweat, and his mind began to race, “Oh no!” he cried and with that he tore off like he was being chased by a tiger. His legs grew tight as he pushed them to their extreme limit hoping to get home before his family’s departure. Panting, aching, and sweating he arrived at his destination … and they were gone. He stood up for his independence and now he sat down on the porch alone.

Independent that was him. His independence appeared to make him a natural born leader. As an adult he commanded the respect of his peers just on the sheer force of his personality. He continued to do life his way and people would follow. Anyone could work with him, learn from him, add to his career as long as they did things his way. He was great at leading but never followed. Those who tried to convince him, control him, or correct him found themselves cut off, cut loose, or cut down. And when there was a confrontation, an argument, or a difference of opinion he made sure to do life his own way. Every time he stood up for his independence and every time he sat down finding himself alone.

Business was slow that day. The fish just weren’t biting like he had hoped. He decided to head into shore and make use of the time repairing his nets. He had no more tied up to the bank when a large crowd backed him right up to the water. They were there following Jesus. Jesus told him to get back in the boat so they could push out, using that boat as a pulpit Jesus preached.

When Jesus was finished, he turned to Peter and said, “Push out into the deep water and let your nets out for a catch.” Now Peter was tired, he stood up and stretched his back, looking toward the shore. This tough old knowledgeable fisherman knew these waters. Jesus was a carpenter for heaven’s sake, what does he know about fishing. Peter turned and said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow.”

You could have heard a pin drop, the two men standing looking at each other, Jesus and Peter. What would Peter choose? He really did know allot about fishing. It was his opinion that this was the wrong time of day to even try. He was certain everyone on the boat was hungry and tired. No one had slept a wink and they had stayed awake while Jesus had preached, from his boat wasn’t that enough?

But there was something in this man Jesus, something that Peter could sense. There was authority in his Words. So, Peter stooped down and picked up the net, obediently casting it over the water. It was no sooner said than done – a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to some other fishermen nearby to come out and help. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Independent, standing tall, that was Peter, that’s how he defined himself, that’s how others defined him. Normally his mind would have been tabulating the money this catch would bring. Normally he would have loved hearing everybody hollering what a great fisherman he was, the hero. But when Peter saw the catch, he turned away from it and fell to his knees before Jesus. For the first time in Peter’s life, for the first time in front of his co-workers and friends, for the first time he bowed down to someone else. He knelt before Jesus, the catch didn’t matter, the money didn’t matter, being the boss didn’t matter, success didn’t matter. All he could think of was the times he had forced his independence. The many times he had to do life his own way and how he was left all by himself. With his head bowed he said, “Lord, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” He fully expected to be left by himself. He fully expected to end up sitting alone and empty.

But not this time, not this time. Jesus reached out to Peter and stood him back on his feet and said. “There is nothing to fear, from now on you’ll be with me, I will never forsake you, I will direct your path, I will be your guide, you will never be alone or empty again. As a matter of fact from now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” With that they pulled the boat up on the beach and Peter followed Jesus. He gave himself to the kingdom, he submitted completely and he was not alone. This burly, rough and tumble, calloused handed fisherman, the man who always had to have his way, the man who didn’t take anything off of anybody, the fella that always had to be right, be first, be the leader… later in life penned these words, humbly words, words of one who knew how to submit, our text for today.

1 Peter 5: 1-10 NIV    ¹To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ²Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. ⁵Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud  but gives grace to the humble." ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  ⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ¹⁰And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.       

By kneeling down Peter was lifted up. By bowing to the will of God Peter is currently sharing in the glory to be revealed. By submitting to the Word of the Lord he has received the crown of glory that will never fade away. By following Christ he became a gentle shepherd of the church, serving and an example for us to follow even today. By humbling himself to the will of the Father he could cast all of his anxiety away and trusted God to carry it for him, so can we. By surrendering his career, his family, his dreams to the Lord he was safe from the enemy who would seek to destroy. Peter was able to stand firm in the faith even to the point of death, crucifixion upside down and beyond death. And today the word we associate with the name Peter is Christian. Christian, Christ-follower, preacher, teacher, godly, Christian.   

If you could use one word to summarize your life what would it be?If others could use one word to summarize your life what would it be? Christian or something else?  Today we can either stand up, exert our independence and stay in charge of our own life or we can kneel submitting to the Lordship of Christ. That is what will define us, which ever we choose that will be the word what summarizes our lives.