Facing Failure

Mark 14:27–31 NASB 2020

And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all fall away, yet I will not!” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” But Peter repeatedly said insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well.

Luke 22:54–62 NASB 2020

Now they arrested Him and led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know Him, woman!” And a little later, another person saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he, too, is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Prayer of Illumination

Gracious God, on this Sunday of Joy, fill our hearts with Your light and truth. As we hear Your Word, renew our joy and strengthen our hope. Even in this season of reflection, let us rest in Your grace. Speak to us now, Lord—we are ready to listen.

Amen.

Introduction

Imagine with me for a second. There were once two brothers who were very different.

Both loved their parents, but like all children, they sometimes made mistakes.

One day, the younger brother stole five dollars out of his mom’s purse and went down to

the corner store to get some candy. After the sugar high wore off, he felt remorse for what

he’d done and went to apologize. They had a long talk about his behavior, and he never

stole again.

The older brother was different. One day, he took five dollars from his mother’s purse

and went to the store to buy some goodies for himself. However, he didn’t tell his parents

what he’d done. When asked, he got defensive. Although his parents approached the situation

gently, he decided this one bad act was a sign that he was bad. And if he was bad, he

may as well stop trying to be good.

In today’s scriptures, we see part of Peter’s story. When Jesus told his disciples they

would all fall away, Peter promised he would not. Although Jesus specifically predicted Peter’s

own denial, Peter assured Jesus it wouldn’t happen. They all promised to follow Jesus

to death. Today’s message is a reminder that even in the midst of human frailty, we serve a

God of compassion who offers us new life.

1. Human Frailty

a. Peter’s actions on the night Jesus was betrayed are the epitome of human frailty. Peter, who was always so quick to jump in, swore he wouldn’t fail Jesus—yet he failed mere hours after promising Jesus he wouldn’t.

i. Like Peter, we often have good intentions to do what is right, but due to our human frailty, we ultimately fail to follow through.

Why do we suffer human frailty?

Human Nature/Our Tendency to Sin

Self vs. Spirit

Broken World

Evil

b. Peter did exactly as Jesus predicted, denying Jesus three times.

i. Today’s passage says that Peter called down curses when one person asked if he knew Jesus. This doesn’t mean he was using profanity. He was essentially saying that if he was lying, he should be cursed. That’s a pretty serious denial!

Jesus overcame the greatest curse: SIN.

ii. It’s likely that Peter was overconfident in his faith. When Jesus told his disciples they would fall away, Peter immediately said that wouldn’t happen. When Jesus told them to pray in the garden, Peter fell asleep like the others. He was so confident that he didn’t critically consider his own weaknesses and how they might put him in temptation’s path.

Peter meant well, but trusting in his own strength led to his downfall.

He ignored Jesus' instructions, and the outcome reveals the consequences.

c. Peter’s story is a reminder that even close followers of Jesus can fail. We’re not supposed to fail, but we’re frail, so we often do.

i. We don’t like to think about failure. Failure brings so many different emotions that overwhelm us and help us recognize that we are not invincible.

ii. But as long as we remain human, failure is unavoidable.

d. To combat our own frailty, we must continually seek God’s face and live into God’s presence. When we pack our lives full of what God has to offer, there’s less room for temptation and sin to enter our lives.

i. We must recognize our our weakness and need for God.

ii. We use what God has given us to overcome temptation and sin.

Prayer

God’s Word

The Holy Spirit

2. Peter’s Remorse

a. After Peter denied Jesus for the third time, the scripture tells us, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” Peter immediately remembered what Jesus had predicted.

i. Even the closest follower of Jesus suffered failure. What was prophesied came to fulfillment.

Zechariah 13:7 NASB 2020

“Awake, sword, against My Shepherd, And against the Man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of armies. “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.

b. Jesus was bruised and beaten. Peter probably saw him as he was being taken to his trial before the Sanhedrin. Peter didn’t only have to face the reality that he’d failed—he also had to look into the eyes of the One he failed.

i. Are we willing to look into the eyes of God and admit we failed? When we do, we can understand that God’s love remains and His grace abounds amidst our failures.

c. Peter went and wept bitterly. There’s something to be said about how deeply he felt the weight of his own failure. Although he would later know Jesus’s forgiveness, he didn’t treat his failure as if it were no big deal.

i. I can only imagine the weight of guilt Peter felt after betraying Jesus. It overwhelmed him to the point that he ‘wept bitterly.’

ii. The Greek word translated as "bitterly" (pikros) conveys a strong sense of grief, pain, and sorrow. It implies that Peter's weeping was not just a simple tearful expression but a deep and heartfelt lament. He was truly sorry for what he did and I am sure he wishes he could turn back time and make it right.

d. When we fail, we should feel remorse too. Sure, we know we need only ask forgiveness to receive it from God.

However, it’s important to know what that forgiveness cost Jesus. That’s one of the big reasons we spend so much time talking about what Jesus endured in his last days.

i. We grieve over our sin because it distances us from God and disrupts our relationship with Him.

ii. We place our faith in the finished work of Calvary, knowing it secures God’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Christ paid the ultimate price—willingly, for you and me.

iii. Everyone likes to give Peter a bad rap for his failures. But in his failures, he always followed-up by doing it right.

3. New Life

a. While it isn’t covered in today’s passage, that isn’t where Peter’s story ends.

We know that Peter went on to become a great apostle. Although Scripture doesn’t record his death, historical records from the time suggest that he was martyred for his faith. The man who denied Jesus ended up dying for Christ.

b. Peter shows us that broken things can be restored.

Like a bone becomes stronger when it heals from a break, Peter’s commitment to Jesus became stronger. He went from a hothead to a man on fire for Christ.

i. In John 21, after His resurrection, Christ restores Peter by addressing his denial. Just as Peter denied Him three times, Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love Me?”—offering redemption, restoration and renewal.

ii. He takes the broken pieces of our failures, restores them, and redeems us, creating something more beautiful than before.

The Broken Pot Scenario: Imagine a potter shaping a lump of clay on a wheel, only for the pot to collapse in on itself. Instead of giving up, the potter gathers the clay, reshapes it, and creates a beautiful vase. Key Point: Just as the potter doesn't abandon the clay after a failure, we can overcome our own failures by learning from them and trying again.

c. Failure doesn’t have to define us. We shouldn’t stay there.

i. We should mourn our failure, but in a way that doesn’t prevent us from going to God’s throne for forgiveness.

ii. For example, Peter went and wept bitterly when he failed Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, went and hanged himself. Judas’s reaction to his failure didn’t leave space for reconciliation with his teacher.

Failure doesn’t define us. Our response will.

Will we respond like Peter or like Judas?

iii. Failure, even a major one, is an opportunity to learn and grow. We can become more devoted followers of Jesus when we continue to seek God’s face, even when we’ve made grave mistakes.

In the aftermath of failure, we are refined, enabling us to live in deeper surrender to Him.

To Sum It Up: Even in our moments of failure and denial, Jesus looks at us with love, offering grace, restoration, and a new life when we turn back to Him.

Conclusion

It’s easy for us to point to Peter’s failure and think, I wouldn’t do that. After all, he failed Jesus in the exact way Jesus said he would, mere hours after Jesus’s prediction. It seems pretty silly to us today. The problem is—we’re just like Peter. We make big promises to God and fail to fulfill them. You might even be sitting there right now, promising God you won’t fail in a certain area of your life anymore. I want that to be true. God wants that to be true.

But if we’re honest, we’ve made promises before, and we still fail. Maybe we lose our temper or give in to temptation. Maybe we ignore the nudging of God’s Spirit when we see someone in need. Jesus sees and knows all of that—but he still looks at us with love and compassion. When we mourn our sin, confess, and repent, life with him is waiting for us.

Where will you go from here today? If you’ve sinned this week, how is that shaping you? Have you repented? Are you turning away from that life to something better? Allow Christ to take your failure and to restore and redeem it.

He understand what we go through and wants to show us His forgiveness and mercy, only if we, like Peter, will run to His fountain of mercy and forgiveness. Today, choose to follow Jesus with all you have, leaving behind what’s come before.

Prayer Following Message

Lord, we come before You humbled by our imperfections and failures. Thank You for the grace that meets us in our brokenness and for the refining work You do in our lives. Help us to rise from these moments, transformed by Your love and strengthened in faith. May we live more fully for You, surrendering ourselves to Your perfect will and reflecting Your glory in all that we do. Amen.

Blessing and Sending

Charge: Go now into the world as disciples of Christ, carrying His love, His truth, and His light into every corner. Live humbly, serve generously, and proclaim the hope of His resurrection in all you say and do.

Blessing: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you, now and always. May His peace guide your steps, His joy fill your heart, and His power equip you for His work. Amen.