John F. MacArthur - 40 Lives in 40 Days: Experiencing Gods Grace Through the Bibles Most Compelling Characters

40 Lives in 40 Days

2022 John MacArthur

Portions of this book were excerpted and adapted from: Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, Unlikely Heroes, A Tale of Two Sons, The Gospel According to Paul, and The Gospel According to Jesus.

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ISBN 978-0-7852-9561-7 (audiobook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-9560-0 (eBook)

Epub Edition May 2022 9780785295600

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File

ISBN 978-0-7852-9559-4

Printed in the United States of America

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Ebook Instructions

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?... Feed my lambs.

JOHN 21:15

With the long nights required to bring in a decent haul and the violent storms that could erupt with barely a moments notice, being a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee was a rough job. In fact, rough is how one might describe Simon before he was forever changed by Jesus. Simon, the fisherman-turned-disciple, was impetuous, impulsive, and overeager. He often put his foot in his mouth, and he has the notable distinction of being the only person in the Gospels Jesus addressed as Satan. And yet, despite Simons turbulent persona, Jesus gave him the nickname Peter, or Rock.

In every list of disciples found in the New Testament, Peter is listed first. He was part of Jesus inner circle, and it seems he enjoyed a special relationship with the Lord. Simon could certainly be rough around the edges, but that didnt prevent Jesus from utilizing His friend for kingdom leadership. By nature Simon was brash, vacillating, and undependable. He tended to make great promises he couldnt follow through with. He was one of those people who lunges wholeheartedly into something but then bails out before finishing. Jesus changed Simons name, it appears, because He wanted the nickname to be a perpetual reminder to him about who he should be.

Peter was exactly like most Christiansboth carnal and spiritual. He succumbed to the habits of the flesh sometimes; he functioned in the Spirit other times. He was sinful sometimes, but other times he acted the way a righteous man ought to act. This vacillating mansometimes Simon, sometimes Peterwas the leader of the Twelve.

Jesus chose Simon Peter not because he was doing everything right but because He knew his great potential. Even though he needed training and life experience, Peter had the raw materials that make an excellent leader.

First, he was highly inquisitive. It was usually Peter who asked the Lord to explain His difficult sayings (Matthew 15:15; Luke 12:41). It was Peter who asked how often he needed to forgive (Matthew 18:21). It was Peter who asked about the withered fig tree (Mark 11:21). He always wanted to know more, to understand better.

Second, Simon Peter was willing to take the initiative. When Jesus asked His disciples, But who do you say that I am? it was Peter who answered boldly (and correctly): You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. This willingness to take the initiative sometimes ended badly, howeverlike in the garden of Gethsemane when Peter, staring down hundreds of armed soldiers, swung his sword at one of the high priests servants and cut off his ear.

Finally, Peter was the sort of person who always wanted to be personally involved. It was he who asked Jesus if he could get out of the boat and join Him in walking on the water. It was also Peter who followed Jesus after He was arrested. And in the courtyard of the high priests house, Peter was close enough that Jesus could turn and look him in the eyes (Luke 22:61).

Of course, the reason Jesus turned to look at Simon Peter was that he had just denied knowing the Lord three times. Though the fisherman had done something terrible, Jesus was not done with him; He still planned to make him into the Rock He knew Peter could be. He knew Peter would deny Him; He had predicted it and had even given Satan permission to sift his friend (Luke 22:31). But Jesus told Simon Peter, I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren (v. 32).

What was this all about? People with natural leadership abilities often tend to be short on compassion, lousy comforters, and impatient with others. They dont stop very long to care for the wounded as they pursue their goals. Simon Peter needed to learn compassion through his own ordeal, so that when it was over, he could strengthen his brothers and sisters in theirs. Jesus took the rough fisherman Simon Peter, full of inquisitiveness, initiative, and a need to be personally involved, and cultivated within him a spirit of submission, restraint, humility, and loveall to make him live up to his nickname, Peter, the Rock.

Thankfully, Jesus doesnt leave us to smooth out our rough edges on our own. He calls us to be transformed in Him into the people He intends us to be.

What should we make of the name Jesus chose for Peter?

[Your Notes]

What do we learn from the fact that Jesus did not reject Peter despite his brashness?

[Your Notes]

Which of his characteristics contributed to making Peter a good leader? How are you cultivating those traits in your own life?

[Your Notes]

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah.

JOHN 1:41

Unlike his brother Simon Peter, who tended to be impetuous, to rush ahead foolishly, and to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, Andrew was quiet, reserved, and always seemed to know the right thing to say. Whenever he acted apart from the other disciples, he did what was right. In fact, almost everything the Bible tells us about Andrew shows that he had the right heart for effective ministry in the background. He did not seek to be the center of attention, nor did he seem to resent those who labored in the limelight. He was evidently pleased to do what he could with the gifts and calling God had bestowed on him, and he allowed the others to do likewise.