Seeing Jesus – Made New
Seeing Jesus
Sermon Manuscript | Together Church | April 20, 2025 (Easter)
Pastor Brandon Werner | Series: Made New
INTRODUCTION
Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Murrah building bombing in Oklahoma City. In anticipation of that anniversary, National Geographic dropped a new three-part documentary.
I watched it. At times I was moved to tears as I heard the stories of that terrible event from the perspective of people who were there (cried several times… tragedy & pain / light of love & sacrifice shining).
There’s something compelling about hearing stories and seeing things from someone else’s perspective.
Today is another anniversary… today is Resurrection Sunday! Today is the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!
Just like there were witnesses to the Murrah building bombing in OKC, there were many who witnessed the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection.
One of those witnesses was Simon Peter, an Apostle of Jesus.
Today, we are going to examine the death and resurrection of Jesus from Peter’s perspective. The Bible shares a lot of details about Peter, his relationship with Jesus, and his connection to this significant event.
Let’s look at it!
Where do we start?
In the bombing documentary, every story began with insights that helped us get to know the people telling their stories so we could relate to them and understand their perspective and connection to the event.
Let’s start by getting to know Peter a little better. Who is Simon Peter?
First, we know Peter was a Jew who lived in the northern parts of Israel near the Sea of Galilee.
We also know Peter was a fisherman by trade. He wasn’t highly educated, but he knew what he was doing out on the sea.
Now, let’s get our perception straight. Peter was not a hobbyist fishman tying his own flies and dropping a line in the water on the weekend before returning to his day job.
- Peter risked his life fishing for a living at the Sea of Galilee.
- He was physically strong, able to traverse treacherous waters in his motorless boat and capable of pulling up large nets filled with fish.
- He was mentally tough, often going out before sunrise, working after sunset, and, at times, even fishing through the night.
- Fishing in those conditions wasn’t easy. Peter was very determined and willing to endure suffering.
Part of Peter’s motivation was his family. Family is very important in Jewish culture. The scripture doesn’t report one way or the other about whether Peter and his wife had any kids. But we know from the Bible that, at very least, Peter had a wife and a mother-in-law.
Peter is one of those characters who is very relatable. How do you already relate to Peter?
- Do you love your family?
- Are you willing to work hard for those you love?
- Would you call yourself mentally or physically tough?
- Do you feel you have an average education but are very capable?
I bet you can already relate to Peter.
So, how did this rather ordinary guy go from fishing in Galilee to becoming an eyewitness of the most significant event in human history?
Simply put: one day Peter encountered Jesus; and that encountered changed everything.
The Bible reports what happened. Peter was out fishing with his brother when Jesus approached them. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” When Peter heard that, he dropped his nets, left them behind, and started following Jesus.
What a bazar thing! I mean, Peter had a job, a wife, and a house! Certainly, Peter was interested in Jesus… that much is clear. But
what would compel Peter to suddenly drop his nets, leave his livelihood behind, and start following Jesus?
To answer that questions, there’s one more thing we must understand about Peter… Peter was a person of faith.
Now, that shouldn’t come as a great surprise; after all, Peter was a Jewish man. But what was it about his faith that would compel Peter to leave everything behind and follow Jesus?
To understand Peter’s perspective, we have to get into his head a little bit. Peter was a Jewish man living in Israel during the first century. Ouch.
Why ouch? Well, in case you aren’t a history buff, you need to know Israel was not a sovereign state at that time. In the first century, Israel was subject to the Roman Empire and to Caesar.
That impacted Peter very personally. As a subject of Rome, he was constantly under Roman oppression.
- Peter was subject to extremely high taxes under Rome;
- Peter was discriminated against and mistreated because of Rome;
- Peter was limited in his freedoms because of Rome;
- and Peter and his loved ones lived in constant risk of danger & death.
Like most Jews, Peter despised Rome and longed for Israel to be free.
And that’s where Peter’s faith comes into play.
As a child, Peter had learned about the coming of a Messiah. He had been shown promises in scripture that explained how this Messiah would save God’s people and deliver them from bondage. He believed this Messiah would unite the nation of Israel, drive out the Romans, and establish a new kingdom. Like most Jews, Peter believed this Messiah was coming soon.
When Peter first met Jesus, Jesus’ ministry had just begun. But Jesus was already gaining notoriety. John the Baptist had already been prophesying about His coming. Jesus’ teachings and miracles had already caused people to take notice. And when Peter met Jesus, He believed that Jesus might be the Messiah God had promised.
Now, go back to the story. Can you see it? Why would Peter drop those nets to follow Jesus? Because Peter had specific expectations of God and what God might do for him personally.
Pause right there.
Can you relate to Peter and his expectations of God?
Have you ever had expectations of God and what you thought He could do for you personally? Maybe you’ve even bargained with God, making promises to Him if He would come through for you. I think most of us have had those kinds of experiences before.
Peter left everything and followed Jesus because he believed he might be the Messiah, and he had specific expectations of God.
So, for the next three years, Peter followed Jesus as one of His disciples. During that time, Jesus named Peter an apostle, meaning Peter was invited to be a leader and part of Jesus’ inner circle.
During those three years, Peter and Jesus grew very close. They worked together, ate together, and traveled together. Peter witnessed Jesus perform many signs and miracles. Peter saw God’s power at work in his own life and in the lives of others around him. Peter learned many lessons from Jesus and his trust in Jesus grew.
In time, Jesus became the most significant person in Peter’s life.
All along, Peter’s belief that Jesus was the Messiah grew and grew. At one point, Peter declared that Jesus was “the Christ” (that means Messiah), the Son of God!
As Peter’s confidence in Jesus grew, so did his expectations. Peter really believed that Jesus was sent by God to overthrow Rome, gather up the Jews, and establish a new kingdom of Israel in Jerusalem.
Those were Peter’s expectations, but Jesus had other plans.
Now we arrive at the moments leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let’s see it through the eyes of Peter.
One day, Jesus led His disciples to go to Jerusalem. The temple of God was in Jerusalem! If there was going to be a revolution, surely it would start there. Perhaps hope stirred in Peter’s heart. Maybe he thought, “Could this be it? Is this the revolution?”
But while they were going up to Jerusalem, Jesus said something that shocked Peter to his core…
Mark 8:31-32a
31 And he [Jesus] began to teach them [his disciples] that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly.
Peter was floored! Jesus was going to die? He couldn’t die! He’s the Messiah! Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. So…
Mark 8:32b-33
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
All along, Peter had specific expectations of who Jesus was and what he was going to do. Suddenly, his confidence was shattered.
Can you relate to Peter? Do you think it’s possible that you’ve ever had expectations of God based on your own assumptions or desires, but your expectations were not really God’s plans in the first place?
The story continues…
Later, Jesus gathered His disciples for what we call “The Last Supper”. Peter was there. During that supper, one of Jesus’ closest disciples – Judas Iscariot – got up from the table. Jesus knew why… Judas was going to betray Jesus to death by the hands of his enemies. Jesus knew, and He allowed it to happen; He knew it was part of God’s plan.
While Judas was out arranging His death, Jesus spent some final moments with His 11 remaining closest disciples, including Peter.
In those last moments, Jesus and Peter shared this exchange…
Luke 22:33-34
33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Listen to Peter’s intention! He loved Jesus! He wanted to be faithful to Jesus. He wanted to do the right thing.
But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. As much as Peter loved Jesus, Jesus knew that Peter did not yet have the power to stand faithfully with Him no matter what. So, in love, Jesus revealed Peter’s condition to him when He said, “Peter, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Shortly after, while they were still talking, Peter watched as Judas arrived with the enemies of Jesus. The Bible says…
Luke 22:47-51
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
Is this the moment, Jesus? Should we attack? Should we revolt?
50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
Luke doesn’t tell us who drew their sword and cut off the servant’s ear, but John’s gospel does! It was Peter!
51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.
Peter wanted to attack, but Jesus loved and healed His enemies. Clearly, Peter’s expectations and plans were not aligned with Jesus.
Peter watched as the guards took Jesus away. He followed, but only at a distance. The guards led Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest. At that point, the story takes a dark turn for Peter…
Luke 22:55-62
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
What a terrible moment for Peter. But it got worse…
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Can you imagine what Peter must have felt when he looked at Jesus?
What a terrible moment. Peter had done what he thought he would never do… Peter was unfaithful to the person he loved most.
Can you relate to Peter? Have you ever been unfaithful to a person you loved? Have you ever acted out of your own self-interest and betrayed someone you cared for deeply? Have you ever hurt someone who loved you and felt deeply ashamed by what you had done?
I know you have! We can all relate to Peter. You may have had the right intentions. You may have wanted to do the right thing. You probably never meant to hurt them the way you did. But you did it, and tore you up inside.
And the truth is, every person in this room has done this to God! We have all betrayed God because of our sin. Every person here been unfaithful to God and caused Him tremendous pain. He is our God, the one who made us, and, like Peter, we have all denied Him out of our own self-interests.
Can you relate to Peter? Their eyes met. When Peter saw Jesus, what did he see?
- He saw his sin and betrayal.
- He knew he had done the unthinkable.
- He was overwhelmed by guilt and shame.
- His sin caused him to distance himself from Jesus even more.
- He left that place and went out and wept bitterly.
I imagine that had to be the darkest moment in his life. Would this moment define him forever?
That’s what Peter saw when he looked at Jesus.
But when Jesus looked at Peter, He saw everything from an entirely different perspective!
When Jesus looked at Peter, he looked past his sin; He looked beyond his shame. When Jesus looked at Peter, He looked with eyes of love.
Jesus was not ignorant: He knew what Peter had done. But Jesus forgave Peter and loved him. Why?
Peter wanted Jesus to come deliver him from Rome. But Jesus came to do something far, far better for Peter. Jesus came to deliver Peter from sin and shame. He came to make a way for Peter’s sins to be completely forgiven by God. Jesus came to bear Peter’s shame and die to save Peter’s life. Jesus hadn’t come to set up a new kingdom in Israel, He came to deliver Peter from the kingdom of Satan back to the Kingdom of God!
So, when Jesus saw Peter, He saw with eyes of love. Then, while Peter still couldn’t see what Jesus was doing, Jesus went to the cross to carry out God’s plan so that Peter could be saved. This is what Jesus knew…
SHARE THE GOSPEL
Romans 10:13
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9
9 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
CONCLUSION
Peter’s witness of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus led him to believe that Jesus is alive, and He is Lord of All. Because of what Jesus has done, and because Peter confessed and believed, Peter was MADE NEW by God. How? God sent His Holy Spirit to change Peter and fill Peter so that he would never be the same.
INVITATION TO SALVATION
God wants you to be saved. At first, Peter couldn’t see what Jesus was doing. Eventually, Peter saw it. Can you see it? Lock eyes with Jesus. Let go of your expectations of God. Embrace the better thing Jesus has done for you. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
INVITATION TO BAPTISM
When the Holy Spirit filled Peter and the other disciples with him, he was the first one to stand up and publicly proclaim this gospel that I am sharing with you today.
When He did, God’s Spirit moved and 3000 people believed in the resurrection of Jesus, confessed Jesus is Lord of All, and were saved – made new by Jesus!
When Peter shared, those who listened were “cut to the heart” and asked, “What should we do?”
Peter’s answer?
Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.