Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share John 1:40-42
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
John 1:40-42
John 1:40-42
When I was a youngster, it seemed like every week or every month I was getting a new nickname. Somebody would decide to call me something different. Nicknames are interesting, aren’t they? Have you ever thought about the nicknames in the Bible? Barnabas was a nickname. It means “son of encouragement.” And Peter was a nickname. John chapter 1 verse 42, “And when Jesus beheld him, He said, ‘Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is by interpretation, a stone).” I suppose we could stretch our imagination a bit and say He gave him the name “Rocky.” Here is Simon, which means “a hearer” and he gets a brand new name, “a stone.” Now it’s possible that those who knew Simon chuckled when they heard this. Simon, a stone?
When you think of a stone or a rock, you think of that which is stable and he was somewhat unstable! Up one day down the next. He was aggressively following the Lord, and then denying the Lord. When you read the four Gospels, you find the apostle Peter is very human. In fact, he’s very much like us today. Oh he’d make great promises and he didn’t keep them. Went to sleep when he should’ve been praying, fighting when he should’ve been submitting. But you know, the Lord Jesus Christ looked at Simon and said, “I’m going to make a rock out of you. It’s going to take some time. I’m going to have to apply some heat and some pressure. You’re going to have to go through some experiences that won’t be easy, but Simon, you’re going to live up to your new name. You’re going to be a rock.” And that was true. When you read the book of Acts, you find that Simon Peter was indeed a rock.
What does this mean to us today? Well, God knows what you are. We can’t fool Him. We can’t change His mind. He knows what we are. Just honestly say, “Lord, this is the way I am!” He knows what we can be. He knows the tremendous potential in that clay, and He can take that clay and with enough heat and enough pressure He can make a rock out of it. In fact, by the time you get to the book of Revelation you have the vision of the holy city. The apostles are the foundation, precious stones. He takes the rock and turns it into a precious stone. Let Him make you today. He’s got a plan that is perfect.
View all episodes
By Back to the BibleJohn 1:40-42
When I was a youngster, it seemed like every week or every month I was getting a new nickname. Somebody would decide to call me something different. Nicknames are interesting, aren’t they? Have you ever thought about the nicknames in the Bible? Barnabas was a nickname. It means “son of encouragement.” And Peter was a nickname. John chapter 1 verse 42, “And when Jesus beheld him, He said, ‘Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is by interpretation, a stone).” I suppose we could stretch our imagination a bit and say He gave him the name “Rocky.” Here is Simon, which means “a hearer” and he gets a brand new name, “a stone.” Now it’s possible that those who knew Simon chuckled when they heard this. Simon, a stone?
When you think of a stone or a rock, you think of that which is stable and he was somewhat unstable! Up one day down the next. He was aggressively following the Lord, and then denying the Lord. When you read the four Gospels, you find the apostle Peter is very human. In fact, he’s very much like us today. Oh he’d make great promises and he didn’t keep them. Went to sleep when he should’ve been praying, fighting when he should’ve been submitting. But you know, the Lord Jesus Christ looked at Simon and said, “I’m going to make a rock out of you. It’s going to take some time. I’m going to have to apply some heat and some pressure. You’re going to have to go through some experiences that won’t be easy, but Simon, you’re going to live up to your new name. You’re going to be a rock.” And that was true. When you read the book of Acts, you find that Simon Peter was indeed a rock.
What does this mean to us today? Well, God knows what you are. We can’t fool Him. We can’t change His mind. He knows what we are. Just honestly say, “Lord, this is the way I am!” He knows what we can be. He knows the tremendous potential in that clay, and He can take that clay and with enough heat and enough pressure He can make a rock out of it. In fact, by the time you get to the book of Revelation you have the vision of the holy city. The apostles are the foundation, precious stones. He takes the rock and turns it into a precious stone. Let Him make you today. He’s got a plan that is perfect.