I think about Peter, a loud and probably burly fisherman on the Sea of Galilee who had his fishing boat boarded by Jesus of Nazareth. Peter hadn’t caught a fish all night – and this was his livelihood. Jesus told Peter to cast his nets on the other side of the boat – Peter did, and he pulled in so much that his nets were breaking.
Peter’s response was that he fell down and worshipped – He said, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord”.
Have you been to Peter’s grave in Rome? It is a massive cathedral to which thousands of people come to visit – perhaps if they are lucky they can be taken into an underground cavern to see one of his finger bones in his 1st century resting place.
Far greater than this man made construction (which was built – by the way – through some very wicked schemes), Revelation tells us that the new Jerusalem (being constructed in heaven) has walls – and the walls of this city have 12 foundations, and on the foundations are inscribed the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. One of those names is that of Peter, the fisherman.
Truly, the grace of God is something amazing. The power of God that can take an ordinary untaught fisherman and make him one of the very foundation stones of the New Jerusalem is mind blowing.
Jesus is calling each one of us into not a performance relationship, but a loving grace relationship that has the power to transform us in the inner self.
I have a professor this semester that noted how he realized one day that he did not understand the grace of God (while he was a seminary professor, by the way). So, he meditated upon this grace for days…he was so overcome by this grace that he sat one day in chapel weeping. A student came and put his arm around him and said “we’re praying for you brother”. To this the professor responded, “Oh no, I am weeping for joy!”.
I was visiting with a Cuban pastor at his home in Holguin, Cuba. He said that he always used to see his dad crying when he read his Bible. As a boy, he said he never understood this. Now as a man who has experienced the grace of God, he said “I understand it now”.
I was reading Revelation at an assisted living facility – an older woman named Eleanor was sitting there; she always cries whenever we sing or read about Jesus. One time she said “I just love Him so much”. I read from Revelation 21; it says “and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” It almost made me cry myself.
“To him who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…To the one who conquers…I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)
Who is the one who conquers? 1st John 5:5 (ESV) tells us – “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Have you ever had a nickname? We like nicknames because someone gave us that name because it spoke personally to what we meant to that person or group of people. If it is a good name, it makes us feel loved – understood.
I wonder what my new name will be? I’m sure that it will describe exactly who God created me to be in the first place – I will no longer be the one that you see scarred and bruised by sin, but I will be transformed in complete holiness as one who is pure enough to dwell in the very dwelling place of God.
Only by the blood of the Lamb! To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.