Introducing First Peter

We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 40.

This is in the Scottish Psalter, page 259, Psalm 40, on the tune is Earshire.

I waited for the Lord my God and patiently did bear.

At length to me he did incline my voice and cry to hear.

We'll sing down to the end of the double, verse 5, to God's praise.

I waited for the Lord my God and patiently did bear.

At length to me he did incline my voice and cry to hear.

He took me from a fearful pit and from the mighty clay.

And on a rock he set my feet, establishing my way.

He put a new song in my mouth, our God to magnify.

Many shall see it and shall fear and on the Lord rely.

O blessed is the man whose trust upon the Lord relies.

O Lord my God, so many are.

O Lord my God, so many are.

The wonders Thou hast done.

Thy gracious thoughts to us were far above.

All thoughts are gone.

And no one can reckon them to thee if them declare.

And speak of them I would.

They more than can be numbered are.

Amen.

I will bow our heads in a word of prayer.

Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we do thank you that as we sing your praise,

it reminds us of all the many blessings and privileges that are ours.

Even as the psalmist says there that they are so many,

that they are so difficult even to number.

there are many beyond our comprehension

beyond all that we can imagine at times

the different ways and through the different means

that you bless us

we thank you for your word above all

for it is a word that gives us life

and tells us of the hope that there is in Christ Jesus

we thank you for your day

a blessing to us in the week where

we can be so many busy with so many other different things

but we thank you that there is this day

where we can come aside and come and worship you

and we thank you that even as we come in here today

it is that great desire that you put in our hearts

to meet with your people

but above all to meet with you

as our Lord and as our God

and so we pray your blessing on all that we do

that in the service here

and also in the creche and the tweenies

and the Sunday school

that you will be with us in all things

that you will help us to learn more of you

and to have a great hunger for you

to long for you to be Lord and God of all our lives

and to rule over us Lord as our King

and as one who knows all people so well

knowing every circumstance

knowing every trial and difficulty

knowing every reason for rejoicing that we all have

you know the great variety in our lives

you know us each by name

and we thank you Lord

for your great care and compassion towards us

and so we ask Lord that you will bless us

and be with us throughout this day

and each and every day

that we would know that Jesus is a great friend

who stays close to us

so Lord guide us in all we do

and pardon us for all we do are wrong as well

the many faults we have

and the many mistakes we make

we thank you that there is great forgiveness with you

and so we ask all things

in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

for his sake and glory

Amen

it's good to see many young ones here again today

and just want to say a few words to you

before you go out to the creche on the Sunday school

and the tweenies

what's the biggest or maybe the stupidest thing

you've ever done

has any of you made any mistakes

no

that's great

see if you were to ask me

if I have made any mistakes

or done any stupid things

it's not a question of

have I

but almost how many

mistakes and stupid things I've done

because I'm constantly doing

silly things

stupid things

and afterwards you think to yourself

why on earth did I do that

maybe it's something you've said

or maybe it's something you've done

and you just feel so stupid afterwards

and whoa

come on

why did I do that

and then if it stays with you

sometimes you can start to think

how am I going to make things right

how am I going to do things differently

what can I do

to change myself

or to make things right

sometimes it means

going to somebody

and apologizing for doing something

sometimes it means

trying to

mend the mistakes

that you've made

maybe you've broken something

you've done something

you shouldn't

you've stolen something

something like that

and you've got to try and make up for it

in different ways

but the reality is

every one of us does stupid things

every one of us makes mistakes

and today we're going to be starting a study

in a book of the Bible called

1 Peter

and if you know anything about Peter

or if you learn anything about Peter

you learn that he was someone

who made mistakes

mistakes

just like every one of us

even though he was a disciple of Jesus

someone who was very close to Jesus

he still made mistakes

and so often he regretted

these mistakes

but the great thing that he knew

was that there was someone

to make right

the mistakes that he had made

he didn't have to make up for it himself

he looked to Jesus

who was able to right

all his wrongs

and that's what we are reminded of

as we go through

the book of Peter

there are times

when we will make mistakes

but there is someone

who will make up

for all of our mistakes

so how can you fix mistakes

well

got a little tool here

now you won't all be able to see it

it's a tiny little tool

now after the service is finished

when I go back through

to the hall

maybe if you're still in the Sunday school

or creche

ask me to see this tool

and I'll show you what it is

it's a little tool

that helps me fix

some of the mistakes I made

because it's got lots of little gadgets on it

and I love

I always take this when I'm fishing

because when I'm fishing

things often go wrong

line gets in a tangle

something breaks

and this little tool

comes in so handy

it's got a pair of pliers

it's got a little screwdriver

it's got a knife

all in this tiny little tool

that fits neatly

in your pocket

so it's easy to carry around

you can fix

so many mistakes

with this thing

so ask me

when I go through to the hall

to see this

and I'll show you more about it

but what it reminds us of

is that we have someone

we can take with us

anywhere too

just like I can take that tool

with me anywhere

and it helps me fix mistakes

we have someone

who we can take with us always

and that is Jesus

and no matter what mistake

we've got done

or what fault we've got

Jesus is able to fix it for us

and as we put our trust in him

as Peter put his trust in him

he knew that he was with him always

and there to help him

through every mistake

that he made

so we can take Jesus with us everywhere

every day of our lives

and he is the one

who is able to mend

all our faults

and all our mistakes

all the stupid things

that we do

day by day

he is able

to fix them

so may we come

and put our trust

in him

we're going to share

the Lord's prayer together

now

we'll say the Lord's prayer

our Father

which art in heaven

hallowed be thy name

thy kingdom come

thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven

give us this day

our daily bread

and forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors

and lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

for thine is the kingdom

the power and the glory

forever

Amen

well we again sing

to God's praise

this time in Psalm 77

let's sing Psalm's version

we're singing at verse 6

Psalm 77 at verse 6

to the tune Glencairn

throughout the watches of the night

my songs I call to mind

I ponder deeply

while my heart

an answer tried to find

we'll sing from verse 6

down to the verse 14

to God's praise

throughout the watches

of the night

my songs I call to mind

I ponder deeply

while my heart

an answer tried to find

forever will the Lord reject

and never show his grace

as he withdrawn

steadfast love

and turn from me

his face

for all time

has his promise

failed

his God

no longer

kind

has he

in his

great wrath

dismissed

compassion

from his

mind

then to my heart

there

care

this thought

on this

I will rely

rely

the years

of the

right

and of

hope

of him

is

most high

I will recall

the Lord's

great deeds

your words

of long ago

I'll meditate

on all your acts

your mighty days

I'll show

O God

most holy

are your ways

what God

comforts

within

you are the God

of miracles

who's power

the

God

of miracles

who's power

the

ancients

do

well can we turn together now and read in God's word in the New Testament the first letter of Peter 1st Peter reading in chapter 1 and we're going to read the whole of this chapter

chapter 1st Peter chapter 1 Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling for sprinkling for sprinkling with his

his blood

may grace and peace be multiplied to you

blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you who by God's power and are being guarded through

faith

though you have not seen him

you love him though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory obtaining the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls

concerning the salvation the salvation the prophets who prophesied about the great about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully inquiring what person or time the spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories

it was revealed to him

it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels longed to look

therefore preparing your minds for action and being sober minded set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

as obedient children

as obedient children

as obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance

but as he who was caught who has who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct

since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy and if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds conduct yourselves with fear through the

throughout the time of your exile knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers not with perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot he has foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake who through him are

believers in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love love one another earnestly from a pure heart since you have been born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God for

all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass the grass withers and the flower falls but the word of the Lord remains forever and this word is the good news that was preached to you

amen amen and may God bless his word to us

well again call upon God in prayer let's bow our heads in the word of prayer

as we continue to worship you as our Lord and as our God this day as we have read in your word we thank you for your word

and how it stands and how it stands and remains forever a word that is good news a word that is preached a word that is proclaimed even here today and

proclaimed throughout the world today and every day there is this word of hope that goes out to so many

and yet as the Bible reminds us in the parable of the sower and the seed we recognize too how there are other things that distract us or snatch this word away from us

we pray today Lord that you will prepare our hearts to receive your word that it will be the good ground that the parable speaks of

that we would receive it with great joy and that it would bear much fruit in us and even in many around us and throughout the world

that there will be great rejoicing over sinners being saved that there will be great rejoicing over your church being built up

that there will be great rejoicing that throughout this world that you have made and the people that you have formed

that there will be people who will be responding in faith and receiving your word with gladness

so we thank you that that power and that salvation is not of ourselves it belongs to you

and we pray that we will be able to rejoice in that that we can call upon you as our God and Father in heaven

the one who is able to do so much more than we even ask or imagine

and so we pray that our confidence and our hope that will be placed in you today and always

that no matter the discouragements we see around us no matter the trials that we go through

that we would see that we are more precious to you than even gold that is tied in the fire

we thank you that we are of great value to you that we are precious in your sight

so precious Lord that you gave your own son who came to give his life

to give it as a ransom for many

that through his shed blood we can know the forgiveness of our sins

that all our faults all our mistakes can be wiped away and cleansed anew

as we come in through repentance and faith to you

we thank you Lord that you teach us

that you instruct us and that you guide us

we pray that we will know Lord you're leading your guiding day by day

that we will know Lord what it is to have prayers answered according to your own will

and you know as we sang before that we'll be able to wait with patience upon you

so often we may become frustrated with our prayers

when we see them not answered in the way that we want them to be

we'd be praying for ourselves or praying for others

or praying for many situations we see around us in this world

and in our own land

we know the many difficulties and trials that people are going through

little health

those who are growing old and weary in this world

those who are suffering in many different ways

those who are experiencing times of tragedy and loss and grief

those who we see in different parts of the world

those who are experiencing war

famine

natural disasters

we know that our trials are many

that we pray Lord that you will give us the strength

to go on

the strength to look to Jesus

and to put our hope and our trust in him

and so we ask that your word will be blessed to us

that it will help us

even today and as we go on in this week

to encourage ourselves together

to discuss and to talk about the wonders of the good news

and the blessings that are ours in Christ

may you help us to fix our eyes on him

we pray for our communities

we pray for all around us

we pray for our schools and our young people

we ask your protection over them Lord

that you will instruct them in your ways

in their young years

we pray Lord for your spirit

to move among us

we pray for a day of revival in our midst

we pray to see Lord

your hand upon us for good

as a people

and as a nation

may you turn us back to yourself

that we will be able to rejoice in you

that we would see your goodness to us Lord

that as we

are commanded in your word

to return to you

and we have that great promise

that you will return to us

may we see churches flourishing

may we see your word

bearing much fruit

may we see a people

flocking to hear

the good news of Jesus Christ

and be blessed

by those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

we pray for our leaders

and all who rule over us

and we pray for them to have wisdom

to have guidance

to have a concern

not just for themselves

but for all our people

for all our lands

throughout the world

that we would see a day of great turning

a day of great peace

a day of great blessing

something that seems so far from our eyes

at this time

but yet we look to you

as the one who is able

so Lord may you guard us

today and always

may you keep us

in the hollow of your hands

may you uphold us

and strengthen us

in every situation we are

and may we know

your blessing upon us

we ask it all

with the forgiveness

of our sins

the many faults

that we have

we thank you

that you are able

to cleanse

and so we come before you

humbly

bowing our neem

bowing our heads

and pleading with you

to have mercy upon us

and to do us good

for all we ask

we ask in the name of Jesus

our Lord and Saviour

for his sake and glory

Amen

We're going to sing again

to God's praise

in Psalm 138

in the Scottish Psalter

page 431

of the Psalm book

Psalm 138

We sing from verse 1

to verse 5

in the tune

of Winchester

Thee will I praise

with all my heart

I will sing praise

to Thee

before the gods

and worship will

toward Thy sanctuary

We'll sing from verse 1

to 5

to God's praise

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

Amen

We will I praise

with all my heart

I will sing praise

to Thee

before the gods

and worship will

toward Thy sanctuary

I will praise

Thy name

for Thy truth

and kindness

of Thy love

for Thou

Thy word

has magnified

all Thy

great name

above

Thy

didst me

answer

in the day

when I

to Thee

did cry

and

Thy

my

fainting

soul

with strength

did strengthen

inwardly

all kings

upon

the earth

shall

give

praise

O Lord

when

as

they

from

Thy

mouth

shall

hear

thy

true

and

faithful

word

yea

in

the

righteous

ways

of

God

with

gladness

they

shall

sing

for

great

the

glory

of

the

Lord

who

doth

forever

reign

so we're

going to

begin a

study in

this letter

of Peter

first Peter

today

and in

going through

it I would

encourage you

to take your

own time to

read through

this letter

to see what

it has to

say to you

personally

I would

encourage you

to talk

about it

with others

around you

as well

because it

does raise

many issues

that we

face

today

many issues

of our

heart

many issues

about faith

many issues

about the

things that

go on

around us

in the

world

so it's

worth

pondering

and spending

time in

your own

study

reading it

through and

seeing what

it has to

say but

there may

be many

questions

that it

raises in

your heart

as well

many answers

that you're

searching for

and you

maybe don't

understand

exactly what

it's saying

so it's

good for

us to

talk about

it with

one another

and especially

if you have

any particular

questions you'd

like to ask

of me

there may be

questions that

and the things

I raise

or the things

that we're

looking at

that you

might have

well please

do ask

if you have

any questions

that we may

arise through

our study

in this

letter

we're going

to begin

today with

just an

introduction

to the

letter

setting the

scene

if you like

and our

focus is going

to be on

the first

couple of

verses

of this

the opening

verses of

this letter

verse 1

and 2

we can just

read that

again

1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

at verse 1

Peter

an apostle

of Jesus

Christ

to those

who are

elect

exiles

of the

dispersion

in Pontus

Galatia

Cappadocia

Asia

Bithynia

according

to the

foreknowledge

of God

the Father

in the

sanctification

of the

spirit

for obedience

to Jesus

Christ

and for

sprinkling

with his

blood

may grace

and peace

be multiplied

to you

from the

outset of

this letter

there is

something we

have to

remember

that this

is a

very

personal

letter

a handwritten

letter

that Peter

spent time

through

God's

spirit

preparing

to send

to a

people

who as

we see

have been

scattered

around

many

different

parts

he has

taken

his time

to

prepare

this

letter

to make

sure

it gets

sent

to them

and that

there is

so much

in it

that he is

praying

over

that will

encourage

and build

them up

letters

are indeed

very

personal

things

especially

when they

are handwritten

there is

always

something

behind

them

there is

almost

always

something

that will

make you

consider it

more deeply

when someone

has taken

the time

to write

some words

to you

in many

different

kinds

of

situations

I am

sure

you have

all

experienced

receiving

cards

and letters

maybe

in times

of

difficulty

times

of

grief

times

of

sorrow

but also

in times

of

great

joy

maybe

a birth

or a

wedding

it may

be

a sadness

in the

family

and people

have taken

time

to write

kind

words

to you

and they

mean

so much

I still

have kept

many

letters

I used

to receive

when I

was working

away

at sea

people

taking

their

time

to let

me

know

what was

happening

in their

lives

or back

home

and just

taking

that time

to send

some news

to me

and they

meant so

much

and still

do

even when

I go

back

and read

them again

we also

have

letters

in our

family

that were

written

many years

ago

we have

letters

that my

great uncle

wrote to

my grandfather

during the

second world

war

my great

uncle

was lost

during that

war

and therefore

these letters

have so much

more meaning

behind them

the stories

that he was

telling

the things

that he

was saying

they're very

moving to

read these

kinds of

letters

and you

imagine to

yourself

the people

who Peter

was writing

to

and as we're

going to see

the situation

that they were

in the

experiences

and the

trials that

they were

going through

and to

receive this

letter

written by

Peter

with these

wonderful

words to

them

how precious

this letter

was to

them

that they

were remembered

in their

trials

not just

by Peter

but more

so by

God

this was

big news

to them

this was

precious

to them

and to

ourselves

today

it should

be precious

too

that this

is a word

of God

to us

a word

that still

speaks

into our

circumstances

today

letters

from the

past

can often

be put

on display

when they

have a

great meaning

behind them

and some

of them

can have

great value

and I'm not

sure if you

knew but

once there

was a

letter that

was sold

at auction

that reached

fetched a

price of

nearly four

million

pounds

it was a

letter that

was sold

back in

2013

and it

had been

written by

a man

called

Francis

Crick

back in

the year

1953

he had

written to

his son

Michael

and Francis

Crick had

been one

of the ones

involved

in the

discovery

of the

structure

and the

function

of DNA

it was a

momentous

time

a momentous

discovery

in the

history of

mankind

and he'd

written this

letter

seven pages

that he

said contained

the secret

of life

and Francis

Crick

described this

discovery

as something

beautiful

and this

letter fetched

four million

pounds

well before

us today

we have access

to a letter

of far more

worth

access to a

letter that's

priceless

even

and does

indeed contain

the real

secret

to life

not

DNA

but what

life is

through

the Lord

Jesus Christ

and what

he has

done

for us

the abundance

of life

that is

found in

him

and so as

we go

through this

letter we

want to

see just

how precious

this is

it is the

word of

God

to us

and today

as we set

the scene

for this

letter I

want us to

think of

three things

noting how

personal this

letter is

first of all

we're going to

think of the

one who wrote

the pastor

Peter

then we're going

to think of the

people that he's

writing to

and then thirdly

we're just going

to touch on the

purpose of it

and all of these

things will expand

on more as we go

through this

letter

the first thing

we want to see

is the pastor

behind the letter

Peter

look at the

opening verses

in this letter

Peter

an apostle

of Jesus

Christ

Peter

an apostle

of Jesus

Christ

now to

understand how

remarkable

these words

are we have to

remember

what Peter

himself

has come

through

Peter it says

here

an apostle

of Jesus

Christ

here Peter

is older

in his years

now

the impulsive

Peter

the Peter

who made

so many

mistakes

in the past

he has learned

through all his

experiences

he has learned

through many

trials himself

and here he is

writing

later on in his

life to encourage

people that no

matter what

circumstances

they are in

no matter what

mistakes

they have made

that there is

still hope

to be found

in Christ

Jesus

he has been

through the

highs and

lows

in life

but here he

is able to

speak of the

wonder of a

saviour who

is Jesus

Christ

and the

wonder that

he is able

to be a

servant

of his

saviour

Peter

is an

ordinary

man

who has

known

amazing

grace in

his life

from an

extraordinary

God

and that

is indeed

what everyone

who comes

to know

the Lord

Jesus

Christ

experiences

and that's

the hope

that every

one of us

has

that no

matter even

how far

we may be

away from

God

no matter

how much

we may

have forgotten

of him

no matter

how much

we may

feel we're

undeserving

of any

of his

mercy

that he

is able

to help

us

in our

time of

need

there is

so much

we could

see of

Peter's

past

that just

helps us

to understand

what he

is writing

here and

the reasons

that he

is writing

what he

says

but there

are three

things

I want to

highlight about

Peter as

we go into

this letter

three things

from his

past that

highlight to

us how we

know more

of him and

more of his

experiences

and how that

helps us to

understand

our own

situation

the first

thing we

know about

Peter is

that he

was far

from

perfect

he had

many faults

he made

many mistakes

he was

rash

and impulsive

so often

he was

saying things

he would

then regret

soon after

and who

of us

doesn't

do that

we all

make mistakes

for example

Peter

when Jesus

had just

told them

the disciples

that he was

going to

suffer and

die

Peter

it says

in Matthew

Matthew 16:22

16

verse 22

he took

Jesus aside

and began

to rebuke

him saying

far be it

from you

Lord

this shall

never happen

to you

but he

turned

that's

Jesus

turned

and said

to Peter

get behind

me Satan

you are a

hindrance to

me

for you are

not setting

your mind

on the

things of

God

but the

things of

man

he was

impulsive

he said

the wrong

things

and Jesus

rebuked

him

and again

we've been

there

we've been

there

we've said

the wrong

things

Peter also

perhaps as

hard as time

was when

the Lord

was crucified

and when he

heard the

cock crow

and he

knew he

had denied

the Lord

how difficult

an experience

that was

for him

and you

read of it

in all

the Gospels

it's interesting

that Matthew

Mark

Luke and

John

all record

this incident

not everything

is always

recorded in

the four

Gospels

but this

is

and in

Luke's

account of

it in

chapter 22

verse 60

it says

immediately

while he

was still

speaking

that was

Peter still

speaking

the rooster

crowed

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

you will deny

me three

times

he denied

the Lord

three times

and imagine

how he felt

in that

moment

look at

what it

says

the Lord

turned

and looked

at Peter

the feeling

of

disappointment

the feeling

of letting

the Lord

down

isn't an

experience we

all go

through at

times

and just

think of

Peter

in that

situation

this is a

Peter

who is

writing

with such

a pastor's

heart

to a

people

who have

been

scattered

and who

are

suffering

but perhaps

the third

thing we

note about

Peter

that helps

us

to understand

what he's

why he is

writing with

such passion

is this

that he

knew the

restoration

of Christ

after the

resurrection

you have

the wonder

of and

beauty of

Jesus

restoring

Peter

and you

read about

it in

John 21

John 21:17

verse 17

and the

verses around

it when

Jesus asks

Peter three

times

do you

love me

and the

third time

he asks

him

it says

this

in John

John 21:17

21

verse 17

Jesus

said to

him the

third time

Simon

that's

Peter

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

everything

you know

that I

love you

Jesus

said to

him

feed

my

sheep

Jesus

restored

him

despite

all his

mistakes

despite

all the

ways he

let the

Lord

down

Jesus

restored

him

and where

do we

find

Peter

now

in his

old age

he is

feeding

the

sheep

he is

feeding

the

lambs

he is

as it

says

here

Peter

an

apostle

of

Jesus

Christ

a

servant

of

Jesus

Christ

and that's

the wonder

of God's

grace

someone once

said

the way up

comes

by going

down

restoration

comes

after

trials

and Peter

could certainly

testify to

this

and in our

own lives

how many

experiences

we have

to go

through

and how

many

experiences

perhaps

is the

Lord

using

even

just

now

to help

us to

realize

to help

us to

see

our need

of him

and to

see the

wonder of

his grace

his restoring

gracious

love

for us

the Lord

uses

so many

different

ways to

remind us

that we

need him

there was a

man called

Oswald

Smith

back in

the year

1920

his great

ambition

was to

be a

missionary

for the

Lord

to be

sent into

the fields

of mission

throughout

the world

that was

his burning

desire

it had been

his prayer

for a long

time

and on this

day in 1920

he was standing

before the

board of a

mission

organization

they were

interviewing him

and asking

him questions

and finding

out more

about him

as to

the reasons

why he

would be

suitable

to be a

missionary

he went

through

that experience

he went

through that

day of

answering

and trying

to show

himself as

worthy

to be a

missionary

for the

Lord

but the

Lord had

other plans

and the

mission board

didn't accept

him

and he said

to the

Lord

afterwards

Lord

you know

I want

to be

a missionary

for you

will you

not open

a door

of service

to me

that door

had closed

but the

Lord laid

on his heart

something

different

he took

him in a

different

direction

he took

him on

a detour

and what

he ended

up doing

was Oswald

Smith

he prayed

to God

and God

gave him

another idea

another way

of serving

him

instead of

being a

missionary

he came

to form

a church

that would

become a

church

that would

send out

missionaries

and the

church that

he formed

in Canada

sent out

more

missionaries

than any

other

during that

period

God had

other plans

for him

and our

plans

they don't

always

work out

just like

Peter's

plans

Peter's

ideas

they didn't

always work

out the way

he wanted

to

but God

had a

greater

purpose

and God

used him

to his

glory

in serving

him

Peter

is an

apostle

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

a servant

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

a servant

who loved

the Lord

now the

question for

us as we

come to

this is

do you

love the

Lord

and do

you have

that openness

to be used

by God

to serve

God

in whatever

way that

he may

have planned

for you

to give

your whole

heart

to him

we will

not be an

apostle

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

but we

can all

be servants

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

we all

have our

faults

we all

have our

mistakes

in the

past

we all

have things

we've done

that we

may regret

but we

can all

know that

amazing

love of

God

that restores

us in

a right

relationship

with him

Jesus

asks us

always

do you

love me

just like

he'll ask

Peter

and if we

love him

we are to

do as he

commands

and we

may not

write letters

like this

that will be

recounted