It is Spoken

For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. -1Peter 1:23

Before the apostle Peter could even make such a statement as the one above, he first had to have a true encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ himself. The same goes for us. God has predestined each one of us to do His good works (Eph 2:10), but it is not something that usually (more like rarely) happens overnight. He uses our spiritual victories and falls to draw us closer to Him, ultimately bringing us to the point He created us for…if we are willing to be teachable along the way. Follow me on this.

The word was spoken over him

            Take a look at Matthew 16, where Jesus is asking the disciples who others say that He is. They respond with answers such as John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Peter confirms Jesus’ true identity and deity with the statement, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (v 16)  Jesus commends Peter’s answer and gives the disciple a specific admonishment: “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.” (v 18)  Wow! Can you imagine the way Peter must have felt at that given moment? God literally spoke a word over Peter’s life.

How soon we forget

            Unfortunately for Peter, a few verses later he speaks up out of ignorance rather than the same Spirit that had just revealed Jesus’ Lordship to him. Jesus rebukes Peter and even references him to Satan (v 21-23)…talk about a change in momentum! I’m wondering, how often does God speak a word over us or give us specific instructions…only for us to fall back in the flesh so quickly? I know I can’t be the only one, right?

God gives us glimpses of who He truly is

            One chapter later, Peter and two other disciples have one of what has to be the greatest and most life-altering experiences of their lives as they are witnesses to the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain (Matt 17:1-8). You see, up until that point, they only knew of Christ in the flesh, albeit His Devine nature as well. The Transfiguration is an example of how a loving God, despite our slips and falls, will still continue to reveal Himself along the way in order to accomplish His ultimate purpose for our lives. John 4:24 tells us that we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth; so despite our human nature, we are all spiritual beings created to worship a God that is spirit as well.

Hitting rock bottom

            Fast forward a few more chapters and we find Jesus arrested, bring tried, and eventually to be put to death. But before that, at the last supper, Peter once again boldly proclaims his undivided allegiance to the Lord by stating that even though others may leave Jesus, he never would. In fact, Peter even states that he would even die for Him! Once again Jesus breaks the news and lets Peter know that not only will he leave Him, but Peter will deny Jesus three times (Matt 26:31-35, 69-75). This just goes to show how weak and pathetic our flesh can really be. The apostle Paul backs this up in Philippians 3:3 by telling us to put no confidence in the flesh. How often does it seem when we are just getting some good traction for the Kingdom that we screw up so incredibly bad? However, going back to the beginning of Peter’s story, God had spoken a word over him and the Bible tells us in Romans 11:29 that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable”.  So watch what happens next…

Peter’s Restoration

            John 21 finds us at a familiar scene- the disciples out fishing. Jesus has been crucified and unknowing to the men, He has risen as well. Eventually they are alerted to Jesus’ presence and once again Peter finds himself having a heart to heart with the Lord. Jesus NEVER once brings up Peter’s mistakes; but rather gives Peter the charge to feed and tend to His lambs (“I will build my church”).  A couple pages later, in the book of Acts, Peter boldly shares who Jesus is and what He has done and more than 3,000 people become believers! He never looked back. Two thousand years later, we are still living in the overflow of Peter’s restoration. (From The Daddy Gap by myself and Dawn Walker…to be released this spring)

God’s spoken word fulfilled

So there it is. Jesus spoke a word over Peter’s life back in Matthew 16, and over 2000 years later the Church is still continuing to grow and thrive! Let me ask you a question: What has God spoken over your life? Perhaps it is to do the amazing or miraculous in His name; or perhaps it is to raise godly children, start a nonprofit, or lead a small group. The point is God’s word is eternal and trumps all else. So for Peter to tell us that we are born again of an imperishable seed, he himself first needed to die, be born again, and live God’s word out in his own life. The exact same is true for you and I as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o