Special Series #12: Peter & John - Bible Characters and How they Finished

Peter & John: Faithful to the End

Jesus called Peter and John away from their work as fishermen to follow Him and become "fishers of men" (Matthew 4.18-22). Though we don't know their exact ages when called, Christ's call on their lives was a lifelong commitment.

Peter's Journey

From his brash early days to his denial of Christ, Peter was transformed by the resurrection and Pentecost into a bold leader of the early church. Even when he faltered years later in Antioch (Galatians 2.11-14), he accepted correction and continued serving faithfully.

In his second letter, written shortly before his death, Peter exhorts believers: "Be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3.17-18)

John;s Legacy

John, once known as a "Son of Thunder," became known as the apostle of love. In his final 15-20 years (AD 80-98), he wrote five New Testament books:

The Gospel According to John (AD 80) First, Second and Third John (AD 90-95) The Book of Revelation (AD 94-98)

His most productive literary ministry came in his elderly years, showing how God can use us powerfully in every season of life.

God's call on our lives, whenever we first said "Yes" to following Him, is to be faithful till the end. The idea of "Retirement" is not an option for us as Christians. We live in obedience to His claim on our lives every day that He entrusts to us.

Transcript

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:27

I hope you're enjoying focusing on the lives of men and women and how they finished in the Bible. I hope it sets you on a course of thinking about that wherever you are, maybe you're a young person listening to this, and I want to encourage you to have older mentors in your life. I've had them, and they've made all the difference in the world to me and my own personal development. But then, as you age, and we all age, let's focus on how to best serve God in our aging years, retirement or a certain age does not mean we're finished. God wants us to complete the race to the very end of our lives, and so we see that in characters in the Scripture. So let's focus on them. But before I do remember this poem, Robert Browning, memorize it with me. Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be. The last of life for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand, who saith, a whole I plant a whole lifespan. Trust God, see all nor be afraid. The last years should not be timid years. We want to live them to the hilt, as we could say. Now today, I want to look at two characters from the New Testament, Peter and John, both disciples of Jesus. Let's consider two of the 12 disciples, summarize their lives and draw some conclusions. Let's start with Peter. Peter and John were two of the first disciples that Jesus called then they followed him. They were each joined by their brother. Jesus called them away from the work their work as fishermen. And he said they would now be fishing for men, by the way, I think that's what we all do when we follow Jesus. You know, we may be bankers, we may be teachers, we may be husbands, we may be wives, we may be teenagers. We may be be at all sorts of different levels in our life, but we're all called to catch men, to see the Spirit of God change the lives of others, transform them. As Paul says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. It's the best we can do for God as we live this life, do our work well, but catch people along the way. As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter Andrew, cast the net in the sea, for they were fishermen. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately they left their nets and followed him. It's a change of life. He saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother. And he called them the same way. And they left their nets and their father and followed Jesus. While we do not know the exact age of these disciples when they were called to follow Jesus, we can make some general observations follow Me. Jesus was approximately 30 years of age when he began his ministry. Luke tells us that in Luke three, verse 23 as these men were fishermen, they seem to be well established in their careers. Now, some people would say they might have been teenagers, older teenagers. I'm inclined to believe they were in their mid 20s, or a little bit closer to Jesus age. We do know that Peter was married. You remember when Jesus came into his house and healed his mother in law, restored her? When Jesus died in the cross, He entrusted his mother. He remember Jesus would have been 33 he entrusted his mother to His Apostle, John number five. While we also know from rabbinic history that a young man's discipleship journey under a Rab a rabbi might begin at ages 13 to 15, seems to me that the disciples were a bit older, perhaps closer to the age of Jesus, maybe in their. Mid 20s, we simply do not know. Now, let me say this. I think Peter died in his early to mid 60s. So if he had been in his 20s, that would have been 40 years later. So we have a 40 year insight into his life for decades. A principle for our study might be this, whatever your age, when Christ called you to himself, don't stop following Jesus. His call to us is to finish well through every year. We know that these two disciples had much to learn about being Christ like don't we all now, John and his brothers were called sons of thunder. I don't know what that conjures up in your mind, but they were brash. They could take on the world. They were not timid people. We know that their mother thought they were exceptional. She made a prideful request to Jesus. If you recall asking if one of them could sit on one side of Jesus and one of the other in the coming Kingdom, we also know that they wanted to call fire down from heaven who would not follow Jesus like they did. They asked Jesus, should we call fire down on them? No, no, no, just follow me. We also know the brashness of Peter. He opposed Jesus plan concerning his death. You know, he says to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan, God. That's scary. And he refused Jesus, washing his own feet in John 13, sadly, even the night of his betrayal, we see Peter with a sword and his subsequent denial of Jesus during the night of his trial. But the resurrection had a massive impact on them. Don't you love that? I hope the resurrection has a massive impact on you and me. Would to God that we would never live a day without realizing the power of the resurrection and the filling of his spirit as we live you know that alone will compel us, propel us to finish. Well, they were both given insights into how their lives would end. You can read that at the last chapter of John's gospel. And after Pentecost, both disciples are now bold leaders of the early church. It's amazing to me how both men's lives changed since they were first called to follow Christ. You know, there should be a deepening of our commitment to follow Christ in the exercise of trusting Him every day. Reminds me of one of my favorite verses in following Christ throughout our years, for those he foreknew, He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He that is Jesus, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Think about that for a second. How much am I being conformed to Christ in my latter years, in my last decade, in the final challenges I face in my life, I think of Paul in Philippians three conform to the fellowship of His death, understanding that through the very end of our lives, that's our mission. Throughout our lives, we need the encouragement of others to stay faithful. We may have a tendency to stray, as we've seen in some of our characters, but the commitment of others to stand strong for Jesus can make a huge difference in our lives. Even 15 years later, Peter finds himself strained a bit, and he is confronted by Paul to keep his faith straight in Jesus. Listen to the text, when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him, Paul says, because he stood condemned for prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they became when they came, he began to withdraw himself and stand aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. Paul says, but when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas or Peter, in the presence of all, if you being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews. How is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? So Peter takes them on. I mean, Paul takes Peter on face to face, and helping him to stay focused on Jesus in the right way. And finish, well, you. As far as we know, both Peter and John both continued to live strong lives for Jesus to the very end. So should we so let's see how they finished. Peter in his life, he continued to serve and exhort the church to stay faithful in his first letter, his introductory verse gives a strong sense to the extent of his ministry. Now watch this Peter, an apostle of Christ, to those who reside at aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who are chosen. Now I have a map here. Look at the sphere of Peter's ministry all over what we would know today as the nation of Turkey, all those areas, Asia, Bithynia, Galatia, Cappadocia, Pontus, they're all there. This was the world of Peter. So we see he had an active itinerant ministry, even near the end of his life, when he writes the first epistle of Peter. Seems that Peter's life is finishing well, doesn't it? Let's continue. He writes his second letter, probably from Rome, from Rome, just before his death, approximately the mid 60s, 6667 ad, Peter says in Second, Peter, I consider it right as long as I am in this earthly dwelling to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying Aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent. He's nearing death, and I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure, you will be able to recall these things to your mind. Peter is thinking about his his death and what he leaves with his followers all across Asia. Minor. Watch this. Peter's very last line of his second letter is a gripping way to finish. Look what he says, Be on guard and grow watch it. I'm going to read the text. You therefore Beloved. Knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. Now watch this, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory both now and to the day of eternity, for forever, amen. Is that a way to finish or what this is Peter's exhortation for the final years of his life, for the final days of his life, his execution is imminent. Would they be our words? Would they be yours? But what about the God? The apostle, John. We know, watch this. This is amazing. We know nothing of his life from the record of Scripture, but let's first consider what he wrote and the approximate dates of when he wrote them. We know the gospel of John. He chronicles the life of Jesus and his time with him. But then we know nothing of John from the Scripture unless we look at what and when he wrote them. Follow me. I believe the Gospel of John at the earliest would have been written in when John was in his 70s, probably his early 80s. I'll think about that. What did John been thinking of all his life? And he finally, he says, I want to write a story of Jesus from my perspective. What would you write when you're 80? What story of Jesus out of your life would you write? Then he writes first, second and third. John in his late 80s, early 90s. They were penned around AD 90, and then the book of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ. He writes from the Isle of Pat no Patmos when he was in his 90s. I want to ask you again, what, what would you write in your 90s? I want to say this is what he did the last 15 years of his life, I find that he finished his life in a marvelous way, faithful till the end he lived a long life. It seems that this is what Jesus had in mind for when he answered Peter's question in John 21 Peter wanted to know how long he would live, and how long John would live. And Jesus says, Don't worry about John. Peter. Peter, you live your life well. And whatever I have for John, I'll have for him, just mind your own business and finish well, you might say, my conclusion, listen to this God's call on our lives whenever. We first said yes to following him is to be faithful in our lives till the end, the idea of retirement is not an option for us as Christians. You know, Jesus did not live in the day of retirement at the age of 60, nor did His followers. We live in obedience to His claim on our lives every day that he entrusts to us. Is that not challenging? Is that not encouraging? The final days, the final years of your life, as Robert Browning said, grow old along with me. The best is yet to be I think about that with John. What if he had not written the Gospel of John? What if he had not written the epistles, one, two and three? What if he had not written revelation? I don't know what God's calling you to do in your latter years, but listen, he has something special for you and for me and then Peter, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with every day of our life are we on the growing edge in our latter years of learning and loving and serving Christ brings me to my final verse as I conclude each of these sessions with Psalm 90, verse 12, written by Moses, the oldest Psalm writer, maybe somewhere as a centenarian or beyond, somewhere during that 40 year wandering in the desert, he wrote so teach me to number My days that I may present to you a heart of wisdom, you know, but that's our invitation from God. Let's finish well. Hal, let's finish well, put your name. There are those around you watching this, or if you're just studying this on your own, may God give us a heart to finish strong and well to the very end of our lives. To that end, we live a life of praise and glory to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And as I might say, if I were preaching and all of us said, Amen, you.