1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB)
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Good and Bad
God has given us many examples, both good and bad, of people in the Bible. Some did incredible things, because of their faith and trust in God. Others, did not do so well, because they did not put their faith in God. In this scripture, Paul is telling us that this is one of the major purposes of the Bible.
As we grow,
Sports
When I was a boy, someone showed me how to throw a football. I’m sure my first attempt, like most people, was pretty pathetic. After trying again, failing, being corrected and encouraged by others, I eventually learned how to throw a decent spiral pass. It’s the same with soccer, baseball, or even walking. At first, we were not good. Over time, with practice, we got better.
Examples
Something that has always helped me more than anything is watching someone else do what I want to do. To be a good baseball player, you watch good baseball players. To be a good gymnast, you watch good gymnasts. If you want to be a godly person, you watch godly people around you. You can also read about many in the Bible.
I have also found that it’s easier to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them myself. These are all things we see in God’s word, the Bible. We see both good and bad examples. We also see people’s real personalities — how God can use us with all of our unique abilities and idiosyncracies.
Peter
Peter had been a fisherman, in business with his father and brother, Andrew. He was first introduced to Jesus by Andrew. Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. He heard John saying that Jesus was the Son of God, so he followed Jesus and spoke with Him, then brought his brother.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB)
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother.
41 He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
42 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).
Left His Business
Later, we see Peter and Andrew at work, fishing.
Mark 1:16-18 (NASB)
16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Jesus told Peter and Andrew that He had a higher calling for them. He was calling them to become “fishers of men.” In other words, Jesus was calling them to first follow Him, then lead others to Jesus.
Strong Faith
One night, after ministering to crowds of people, Jesus told His disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and prayed through the night. In the early hours of the next morning, a little before sunrise, the disciples were still trying to get across the Sea of Galilee, because they had strong winds and waves working against them. Jesus came by the disciples, walking on the water. They were all terrified, thinking it might be a ghost. Jesus said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27). Peter was always a man of action.
Matthew 14:28-32 (NASB)
28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
We can see a few things about Peter from this encounter.
- He had a strong faith in Jesus — strong enough to believe that he could come to Jesus in the water.
- He was the kind of person who would act before thinking.
- Fear was not the first thing on his mind, but it was still there.
Peter was doing well as long as he had his eyes on Jesus. When he looked at the wind and waves around him, that’s when he started to sink. This is a great example for us. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, instead of what things look like around us, we just might find ourselves doing the impossible.
Not Perfect
We see that even though Peter trusted Jesus enough to get out of a boat in the middle of a storm, he wasn’t perfect. After Jesus was arrested, Peter stood outside where Jesus was being tried. Some people started accusing him of being one of Jesus’ disciples. Afraid that he might also be arrested, Peter denied it.
Mark 14:71-72 (NASB)
71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”
72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.
Forgiveness
Yes, Peter, who had walked with, lived with, and ministered with Jesus for over three years, denied that He knew Jesus. He immediately knew he made a mistake. Jesus forgave him and renewed his calling.
After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, Peter and some other disciples went fishing. Jesus appeared on the beach and called to them. He performed a miracle and let them catch 153 large fish, all at one time, without breaking their nets. Jesus then cooked some of the fish that they had just caught and gave it to them.
John 21:17-19 (NASB)
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
From what we see in the Bible and church history, Peter never again denied Jesus. In fact, some historical accounts (not in the Bible) tell us that when some evil people had decided that they were going to crucify Peter, he actually asked that they crucify him upside down. He told them that he was not worthy to be crucified the same way that his Lord was. Jesus predicted this in verse 19 above.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist had what most of us would consider a hard life. He was born to elderly parents, who probably died when he was young. Because his father was a Jewish priest, he should have been a priest. Instead, when it was time for him to enter the priesthood (at age 30), God called him to be a prophet in the wilderness.
Mark 1:4-7 (NASB)
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.”
This was a hard life, but he had to come to prepare the way before Jesus could start his ministry. After a ministry of only about 6 months, he was arrested, simply for preaching righteousness and telling the king that he was living in sin, because he had married his brother’s wife. His wife plotted how to get rid of John the Baptist, using her own daughter.
Matthew 14:8-11 (NASB)
8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.
10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
A Waste?
We might think that this was a waste of a precious, promising life. In God’s view, though, John was a faithful servant. This is what Jesus said about him.
Luke 7:28 (NASB)
28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
John the Apostle
John the Apostle was not impetuous like Peter, but he loved and served Jesus just as much. He was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, along with Peter and James (his brother). While Jesus was dying on the cross, he looked at John there with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since He could no longer do it, He entrusted John the Apostle with taking care of His own mother.
John 19:26 (NASB)
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
Mary and Joseph
Mary, the mother of Jesus also (obviously) had a critical ministry. She was entrusted with giving birth to the Son of God. Then, both she and her new husband, Joseph, were given the critical role of raising Jesus in a godly home, keeping Him safe as He grew, until He was prepared for His ministry, at the age of 30.
Different People
All of these people had different backgrounds, different personalities, different talents, and different shortcomings. They were all able to be used by God, though.
Just because you look different or act differently does not mean that God can’t use you. He is calling everyone to come close, receive forgiveness, and reach out to everyone around you. You are unique, and God wants to and will use your unique abilities and weaknesses. All you have to do is let Him.
More…
We would love to speak with you or have you worship the Lord with us. Please let us know how we can serve you.
Leave a Reply