Peter's Denial
Notes
Transcript
Good Morning
Did you know that alligators can live up to 100 years! Which is why there is an increased chance that they will see you later.
Pray for the Association Search Committee as we are meeting this Wednesday. We think we are getting close to having God’s man for us.
This Wednesday we are going to hand out flyers for the blessing bags we are going to be giving out on Saturday. Since it gets dark so early, we will go and hand out the flyers and then meet back at the church for a meal.
This morning we are going to be in Mark 14:66-72. We are going to finish chapter 14 today!!
Last week we saw the power of hate. We saw what it can make people do. We saw the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body in Jerusalem, they broke many of the very laws that they loved. They acted like the Gentiles that they hated so much. We saw them spit and hit Jesus in the face and mock Him. These were supposed to be dignified men! These were educated men and they were men that were looked up to. They allowed hatred to consume them. Hate is of the enemy.
We also saw Peter follow from a distance and watch. He was curious about what was going to become of His Lord.
Today we are going to look at what happened to Peter as he stayed at a distance from Christ. I like to give Peter a hard time because he is always messing up, but let’s give him some credit. He is the only disciple here right now. He is scared and fearful for his own life, but he is at the camp of the enemy. This is a temptation that Peter was told about earlier. We can see in Luke 22:31-32
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus warned Peter that Satan was after him. Peter could see that from Jesus statement, he was going to fail but he would be restored and Jesus told him to strengthen his brothers! Jesus also told Peter that they would be scattered and they were. One thing to take away from this passage in Luke is that even when we are being tempted by Satan, Jesus is praying for us and interceding for us! He loves us so much that He is always encouraging us and looking out for us. We are never alone! He never leaves us or forsakes us!!
Today we are going to look at what happens to Peter while Jesus is in His mockery of a trial. When we read this it seems like this is all happens very quickly, but in reality, this takes about two hours for all of this to unfold. Peter had time to think in between his denials!
Please stand as we prepare to hear God’s Word.
66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Pray
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You To receive the food of Your holy Word Take Your truth, plant it deep in us Shape and fashion us in Your likeness That the light of Christ might be seen today In our acts of love and our deeds of faith Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us All Your purposes for Your glory
Peter is at Annas’ house, it is more than likely Caiaphas’ house also, since he was the son-in-law of Annas. In those days, families would build rectangle house around a central courtyard. Each family would have their own house but a common area to be together in. This is why in such a short time, the Jews tried Jesus at Annas’ house and Caiaphas’ house, they were right next to each other!
While Jesus’ trial is ongoing, we are going to step outside and see what is going on with Peter. We were told last week that Peter came into the courtyard and was warming himself by the fire with the guards and servants.
We are told that one of the servant girls of Caiaphas came and was curious about this guy she didn’t know standing by the fire with the guards. So she came and got a closer look. When she got closer, she said to Peter, “you were with the Nazarene, Jesus”.
We don’t know how she recognized Peter, possibly from the 2 days that they spent in the temple leading up to the Passover, after all, the servants of the high priest would have been in the temple a lot. Maybe she was part of the crowd that came to arrest Jesus and she noticed Peter then. We are not told how or why but she did recognize him.
We can see Peter’s first denial! This denial was not premeditated or anything like that. I believe that this first time, Peter was caught off guard and was honestly not expecting anyone to notice him. He was shocked and just reacted to try and stay alive.
He tells the girl, I don’t know what you are talking about or what you mean. He basically said, “ whatch you talking about Willis!” You younger people won’t know what that is from. We can see Peter’s reaction to being caught off guard.
What a difference an hour or so makes! Peter was ready to die for Christ in the Garden. He was swinging his sword and acting like he was a Spartan solider. He was ready to take on the world for Jesus. Now, after His arrest, Peter has lost his confidence. He went from being outgoing, almost annoyingly so, to don’t look at me, I hope no one notices I’m here. Peter is still trying to do things in his own power and knowledge. Again we get a front row seat to Peter’s failure.
We are told that he walked away from the fire and the servant girl to the gateway. This gateway was like an alley way the lead to the courtyard from the street without going through one of the families homes. It would have been like a large vestibule. It was a way for guests and servants to come and go without disturbing the homes of those who homes were connected to the courtyard.
This last part of verse 68, really caught me when I was studying for today. I had read this numerous times before and never thought about it.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God is so good! He always provides a way of escape so that we are not over taken by the temptation. Look at the last part of verse 68, and the rooster crowed!
Seems like just part of what Jesus told Peter, what the big deal. This was God providing Peter a way out. There is no doubt that Peter heard this rooster crow, he just wasn’t thinking about what Jesus had told him. He was scared and had just been caught off guard and was trying to hide.
If he would have been paying attention, when that rooster crowed, it would have brought back to Peter’s mind what Jesus told him and he would have realized that it was time to get out of there. He could have left and not denied Jesus on prepose. His first denial was just a reactionary denial, nothing planned. God gave Him a reminder as to what Jesus had told him, but he was not thinking about that! He was in self preservation mode! The enemy was attacking and for the moment, winning with Peter!
Even after God’s reminder to go, Peter stays just outside the courtyard and he can hear the servant girl saying to the others, this guy is one of them!! That is never good when your behind enemy lines and you hear someone say about you, he is one of them!! That would have been the que to get out of town! This servant girl is just not letting it go! She has it in for Peter!
Look in John 18:26
26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
This servant girl was related to the man who Peter tried to kill!! No wonder she won’t leave Peter alone!
This time Peter’s denial is premeditated. He knows that he has been identified and is trying to stick around and see what is going to happen to Jesus and He has had time to think about his actions. He still has not remembered what Jesus told him.
Then the third time the bystanders say to him, you have to be one of them, you are a Galilean! Oops, Peter has been found out. Even though Galilee is in Isreal, it is not the same. It would be like someone from New York coming to our service. It would be hard to figure out that they were not from around here! Peter was sticking out like a sore thumb. Once again Peter didn’t think things all the way through before he acted. His third denial is the worst! He called a curse down on himself and was swearing.
He was saying that if I know Him, may God strike me down. It was kind of like the oath that Caiaphas put Jesus under to try and get Him to talk. Peter was bringing God into his denial of Jesus.
He was not swearing like a sailor, he was swearing like someone would who was lying and trying to convince everyone that they were telling the truth. He was saying I swear on the Old Testament, I don’t know Him! He dug a really deep hole and only Jesus was going to be able to get him out later on.
We are told that immediately as he said this last denial, the rooster crowed for the second time. When that rooster crowed, Peter finally remembered what Jesus had told him!
Look again in Luke 22:61
61 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 today, you will deny me three times.”
Imagine how Jesus looked when Peter saw Him. He had been spit on and they had been hitting him in the face. This wasn’t the Jesus he had spent the last three years with. This was the Jesus that was taking on our sin. He was beginning the process of becoming our sacrifice!
I imagine the look on Jesus’ face was not one of anger! I imagine it was one of tinder love and mercy. Jesus saw Peter and had compassion on him and conveyed that in the look He gave Peter. With that look, Jesus was telling Peter, you have fallen but in time I will come and pick you up and restore you, I love you!
The look Jesus gave Peter was so compassionate, look at how Peter reacted. He broke down and wept! In Luke we are told that Peter wept bitterly!
Peter was broken when he realized what he had done!! So he wept bitterly!
We can see the contrast between Peter and Judas!
Peter would repent, turn to Jesus for forgiveness, and receive a full pardon. Judas would only regret his decision, go to the religious leaders to try and make amends, and then go and hang himself. If only he had turned to Jesus like Peter did! Even though his sin was great, he would have discovered that God’s grace was even greater!!
Let’s not be to hard on Peter. This is really the first real test he has had to face alone. On the water Jesus was there with him.
It’s like me taking you and teaching you all I know about fire alarm. You may watch me do work and listen to me teach, but you never do the work yourself. I one time send you out with another trainee to do some small work but nothing real hard. Then when I am done teaching you, I send you out all by yourself with no one else even in the same state! You are going to mess so stuff up! Learning in a class room by listening to someone teach and watch them do the work is nothing compared to doing it yourself. Until you go out and do it yourself, you will never truly learn. You will have knowledge but wisdom! Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. Applying the knowledge you have will get you the wisdom you desire.
Peter was not set up to fail. He had everything he needed to succeed. But he didn’t have wisdom, just knowledge. Peter gain some wisdom that night! When Jesus restored him three times, he got more wisdom.
It is good for us to come to church and listen to God’s Word on Sunday and also on Wednesday. It is good for us to read God’s Word every day!
That is not enough though!!
We have to go and apply that knowledge that we have gained through listening and reading God’s Word so that it can become wisdom! We will fail some times, that is ok. We just have to have the right attitude when we do fail. We need to be like Peter, not Judas.
Failure does not mean we give up. It means we get up and learn from that failure and through that process, we get wisdom.
Knowledge is good, Wisdom is great!
Knowledge allows us to work.
Wisdom allows us to work well.
When our knowledge is turned into wisdom, our faith is strengthened and matured. Testing produces wisdom. In James 1:2-3
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
When we are tested, we are perfected. Testing is part of the sanctification process. If we never go through a test, then our knowledge will never become wisdom.
We are called to go and make disciples! We can only do that if we have the wisdom from going. If we only have knowledge, we have small faith, untested faith. When we go through a test, we come out the other side stronger and more able to help each other. Testing while not always fun, is extremely necessary.
We can see in John 16:33 that Jesus tells us that we will have tribulation and temptations.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
We can never overcome these on our own, it is in Christ, who has overcome the world, that we to can overcome! When we take the knowledge that Jesus gives us and we put it to work and turn it into wisdom, that is when we begin to realize the peace that is in Christ.
We need to be turning our knowledge into wisdom. The more wisdom we have the better we can help others and tell about our King.
Who would you rather go to battle with, a hardened combat veteran, or a private who just got out of boot camp? Let’s go use our knowledge and get some wisdom!
Finally, I want us to know that even though we fail, just like Peter, there is redemption and forgiveness! All we have to do is turn back to Christ, just like Peter did, and He will restore us just like He did Peter on the shore! Jesus doesn’t expect us to get it right every time, He does expect to try. We are not called to idleness. We are called to be active, going and telling. While we are being active, we will fail sometimes. What we do with that failure is important. Do we handle it like Judas or Peter? Do we give up or do we get up and ask for forgiveness and go again? It is through our weakness that He get all the glory. Don’t be afraid to fail, be afraid to not try. Jesus is there when we fail to help us back up and restore us.
Failure is not the end. It is through being active, succeeding and failing, that our faith is strengthened. We must be living out our faith, Jesus did not die so we can sit and do nothing. He died so that we can live and go and tell others about what He has done for us.
Liberty, has Jesus done something for you worth telling someone about? Don’t be afraid to tell others, even if you say something wrong! We have nothing to fear, we have Christ!! Let’s go and tell those that God puts around us about His Son and what He has done for us?
Let’s pray
