Lessons from Simon Peter A Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Lessons from Simon Peter Keyword: "doubt" "restoration” Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Matthew 14:25-33* 25. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." 28. And Peter answered Him and said, "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 afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31. And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32. And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!" Questions 1. What do you see in the story above that you would want to imitate?   2. What do you see in that story that you would not want to imitate?   Practical help The apostle Peter was the leader of the early church, chief among the apostles, one of the three closest friends of Jesus, writer of two New Testament letters, a giant among men. But if we want to get a complete picture of Simon Peter, we need to see another side, because he had another side. While he was a truly remarkable man, he was not a perfect man. In his imperfections he reminds me a lot of the man I see in the mirror every day. He might remind you of somebody you know, too. Peter's feet were solid clay, as we see in the story of Jesus walking on water. We commend Peter for having the faith and courage to get out of the boat and start walking toward the Lord (this makes Jesus and Peter the only two people in history to walk on water!) Peter recognized that Jesus' command, "Come!" would be sufficient to enable him to walk on the waves. He heard the Lord's command, and over the side he went. Way to go, Pete! We do not know how far he had walked before he became conscious of where he was and the circumstances in which his boldness and faith had placed him. I like to think that he walked more than a few feet. Maybe he took quite a few steps. But, after walking some distance, Peter's attention turned from the Lord to the sea. He stopped looking at Jesus, and he sank like a stone. Peter cried out, "Lord, save me!" (verse 30, above). Now, what did the Lord do as Peter sank? He reached down and rescued him. This is what we who struggle with porn (and other issues) need to see. Jesus did not just let him sink. He pulled him back to the surface so that Peter could once again walk — on land or sea — with Jesus. Are you sinking? Reach out to Jesus, and He will pull you back up. He wants you to be restored, even after a failure, to walk with Him again. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2004 by eXXit *Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. ----