Simon Peter: A Story of Denial and Restoration (1)

Introduction

Name, YP at FBCS, 21-years-old

I’m just a sinner who read his Bible and was changed by Jesus and tries to obey Him and follow Him.

The only reason I’m where I am today is because God put me here.

How many of you guys have some type of social media account?

I am part of really the first group of people that grew up having social media accounts.

Facebook has this really awesome thing to remind me of my time in middle school called “Facebook Memories”

On this day 8 years ago you posted this picture: mirror selfie (before front-facing cameras), American Eagle jacket, Aeropostale shirt, mean-mugging, and I’m wearing this hat that was only popular for like one winter, beanie but it covers your ears and has a string coming off of the top and on the sides, and the caption reads: “My new hat = swag”

There used to be these chain posts that went around on Facebook that said something like, “Ignore if you’re too ashamed to put Jesus on your wall. The Bible says, whoever denies me in front of men, I will deny in front of my Father in heaven.”

That verse is taken totally out of context and just so you know, God is not going to keep you out of heaven for not sharing an annoying Facebook post!

I do want to talk today about what it actually looks like to deny Jesus. You do it and I do it every day. I want us to look at how this happened in the life of one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Simon Peter.

Background of Peter

Simon, Peter a nickname given by Jesus meaning “rock.”

Listed first every time the 12 disciples are listed in the Bible.

Peter was a fisherman on the sea of Galilee with his brother, Andrew, who was also a disciple.

He had his world turned upside down when his brother comes from hanging out with John the Baptist and tells him, “We have found the Messiah.”

Peter was known for being a loud mouth who sometimes spoke before he could think and was humbled by a surprising outcome:

When Jesus told him to cast his fishing net on the other side of the boat, Peter talked back to Jesus, saying, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Peter caught so many fish in his net that he couldn’t even get them all into the boat! Then, his perspective on Jesus dramatically changed and he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

When Jesus told him to cast his fishing net on the other side of the boat, Peter talked back to Jesus, saying, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Peter caught so many fish in his net that he couldn’t even get them all into the boat! Then, his perspective on Jesus dramatically changed and he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Peter put Jesus to the test when the disciples saw Him walking on water from their boat and thought he was a ghost! Peter told Jesus to call him into the water so that they would know if it was really Him or not. Surely enough, Peter was able to walk on water towards Jesus through the power he received from Jesus in that moment to do that, but when he started to doubt, he began to sink.

There was a time when Jesus was rising in popularity and thousands of people followed Him around listening to His teachings and watching Him perform miracles. This is the same crowd where Jesus fed the 5,000 men plus women and children by multiplying the fish and the loaves. This crowd liked following Jesus until He started asking them to do things that were difficult. Jesus starts asking them to be satisfied in Him rather than in the things that He does for them. The truth comes out that the thousands were following Jesus, not because they loved Him and wanted to give their lives over to Him, but because they were interested in what He could do for them. The crowd thinned out, people walked away and stopped following Jesus until the 12 disciples remained. Jesus asks them, “Do you want to go away as well?” and Peter is the first one to pipe up and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter was the first of the disciples to confess Jesus as the Christ, or Savior, and the Son of the living God when Jesus asks them what they think of Him.

Now we arrive at this scene from the day before Jesus is crucified starting in .

John 13:31–38 ESV

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

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John 18:15–18 ESV

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

John 18:25–27 ESV

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 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?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Peter was like many of us in our faith: miles wide and inches deep

Externally, everything indicates that we are followers of Christ, but when the pressure comes and our true colors show our level of commitment to Christ doesn’t match the image we have created of ourselves that other people see.

Examples:

Instagram Bio: God first

You might wear the Christian t-shirts

You might have a reputation for being a church kid

Some of you might even be a pastor’s kid

You might lead the team prayer for your sports team

You might raise your hands when you sing songs of worship

But when all of the hype fades and the pressure is on, do you deny Jesus?

3 Ways to Deny Jesus

With our words

You might say, “I would never deny Jesus with my words like Peter did. Nobody is gonna arrest me around here for being a Christian.” And that’s true.

But, when you’re sitting around at the lunch table, what kinds of things do you say? What topics of conversation do you talk about? Do you gossip about other students at your school? Do you talk negatively about your teachers? Do you complain about anything?

When you’re in the locker room, how do you talk about the young ladies that you know? What kinds of words do you use? The only 4 letter words allowed in a locker room are “hard” and “work”

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

You deny Jesus with your words when you speak in a way that is contradictory to His teachings and is not glorifying to Him.

2. With our thoughts

(ESV)

With our actions

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Do you entertain hateful thoughts towards somebody else? Are you holding any grudges?

Do you find yourself having a bad attitude about things?

Are you using the God-given intellect God has given you to the best of your ability to learn and grow as a person the best that you can in your classes at school?

Are you using your brain to actually open up the Bible and learn about his stuff you may say you believe in but have no idea what it’s actually all about because you haven’t read the book?

You can take control of your thoughts and stop denying God in the way that you think.

3. With our actions

What you believe determines the way that you act. If you are living a lifestyle that is contradictory to the Bible, you need to ask yourself if you really believe it. Jesus says the wages of sin is death and if that’s the case it is not something to play around with. It is something to be avoided at all cost. We all mess up and God offers us forgiveness, but it’s a problem when a pattern of sin forms in your life and you’re okay with it.

James 2:17–19 ESV

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

This is not just a matter of avoiding the bad. It is also a matter of engaging in the good.

Are you loving those around you well? Are you befriending the kid who sits alone at the lunch table? Are you reaching out to the bully who acts out because he’s being bullied himself? Are you thanking your parents, teachers, and coaches for what they do? Are you helping your elderly neighbor with yard work? Are you getting involved and serving at your local church without your parents making you do so?

But not just the good things that only make an impact in this life—the good things that make an eternal impact!!!

Are you telling those around you about Jesus? Are you and your friends holding each other accountable so that you might grow in your faith together? Are you studying the Bible and memorizing Scripture? Are you attending church faithfully even when you don’t feel like it?

But, the truth of the matter is we can’t do any of these things until we have been transformed. We have all denied Jesus with a little thing called sin. In fact, it enslaves us all until we reach the point where we give our lives totally over to Jesus, confess our sins, believe in Him, repent, and are saved.

Peter’s Restoration

After Jesus has been crucified, spent three days in the grave, arisen from the dead, and appeared to many; He offers redemption and reconciliation to Peter.

John 21:15–17 ESV

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Have you been made right with Jesus?