The Steps of a Backslider

“The Steps of a Backslider”

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The Gospels are full of Peter. I love the fisherman Peter, he was the spokesman for the disciples; he says more in the N.T. than all the other disciples combined. Sometimes what Peter says is ridiculous, and sometimes what he says is amazing. Sometimes he only opened his mouth to change feet, and at other times his words were filled with the wisdom of God.

Jesus addresses Peter more than any other of the disciples. No disciple was rebuked by Jesus as strongly as Peter was. And no other disciple ever rebuked to Jesus. Peter was the leader of the disciples, in the four list of the apostles given in the Gospels Peter’s name is always first, and Judas’s name is always last. The stories involving Peter in the Gospels are numerous, and often hilarious.

Peter was a real piece of work.

Peter was an outdoors man, a fisherman, Outgoing, impetuous; a natural born leader. Whatever Peter did he did it big, there was no middle ground for Simon Peter.

If it was a success- it was a big success!

If it was a failure- it was a whopper!

And the failure here in , is a whopper!

Of all the failures in Peter’s life this was the big one.

In these verses we see Peter, the leader of the disciples, the right hand man of Jesus, one of the inner circle deny that he knows Jesus.

Now think about it, if the spokesman of the disciples, the right hand man of Jesus, one of the inner circle of our Lord, who was on the Mount of Transfiguration and saw the glory of Jesus, was in the room when Jesus raised the 12-year-old girl from the dead. If Peter who saw all of this, and experienced the glory of Jesus, could backslide, it is possible for anyone in this building to backslide on Jesus!

A backslider is a saved person, a person who was once close to Jesus, in love with Jesus, serving Jesus, but they have slid back, drifted away from Jesus. You must know the Lord Jesus before you can slide away from Him. -“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways…

A backslider is a person that begins to do things their way, instead of God’s way. When we are filled with our way, and allow the flesh to lead us we are going to backslide! That is exactly what Peter did in this chapter; Peter backslides and denied he knows Jesus. What led to Peter backsliding? When we look in this chapter we see four steps that led to backsliding. We need to take a look at the steps so we can avoid taking them!

Step #1:

1. Placing Confidence in Your Flesh.

-Read.

Jesus has just told Peter that Satan wants to shake him to pieces and separate him from Jesus. Jesus told Peter he was praying for him, and that he was going to experience a fall. You would think that would break Peter’s heart and cause him to fall on his knees and says, Lord Jesus please help me, what can we do to keep this from happening?

But instead of humbling his heart and saying, be merciful to me Lord Jesus, please help me, and strengthen me. Peter answers and says, Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.

Peter is placing confidence in his flesh. He says,

“I” am ready… To go all the way with you all the way to death.

Do you hear the pride, and confidence Peter has in himself? He thinks he is strong enough in himself to remain faithful and loyal to Jesus all the way to prison and to death.

In Matthew’s account, -“Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

Peter says, Lord you are wrong, the Old Testament that predicts the sheep being scattered is wrong. Because I will never forsake you.

WOW- talk about Pride, Peter is placing a lot of confidence in himself!

Jesus says no, I’m not wrong, it is you that is wrong Peter:

-“You’re going to denied you know me three times before the rooster crows in the morning”

I see in what happens to Peter three signs that you’re placing confidence in your flesh.

1.You do not listen.

Jesus is telling Peter what is going to happen, but Peter is not listening, he thinks he knows more than Jesus himself.

2.You think you are stronger than you are.

Jesus said Peter saying is going to have his way with you, and you’re going to fail. But Peter says no, not me, I’m a Rocky, you can depend on me, I will never forsake you.

3.You believe you are better than others.

Peter said, everybody else may fail you, and for sake you, but not me, I better than they are, stronger than they are, more loyal than they are.

Peter is placing confidence in his flesh; he is full of pride! He is thinking more highly of himself than he ought to, he thinks he is the bomb, he is the Rock, he is invincible and indestructible. No matter what these other boys do, you can count of me Jesus, I got your back.

The Bible has a lot to say about pride:

· -“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

· -“A man's pride shall bring him low”

Someone said pride is being stuffed full of yourself.

If is easy to get filled with pride, God has blessed you, and you are living in victory and if you’re not careful, prayerful and thoughtful you start thinking that you are the one who has won the victories, that you are the one who has accomplished what has been accomplished.

And you are no longer bowing-down giving God the glory, you are standing-up taking credit for what God has done in your life, family, and ministry. That is a big mistake; you are headed in the wrong direction when you do that.

Have you learned that your flesh is unspiritual; and that it is an enemy to your spiritual life?

Jesus said, -“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Your flesh is flesh, it is not redeemed, it is headed to the grave, and you will get a glorified, redeemed body at the rapture of the church. Your flesh is not being sanctified, it is to be crucified! Your flesh wars against the Spirit ()

-“For we worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

-“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Paul goes on to say in that chapter, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

When you start placing confidence in yourself, and thinking you can do this Christian life, you don’t need to depend on God like you once had to, you are taking a step away from Jesus and you are headed for a fall!

We were in the pool with our grandkids a couple of weeks ago. And our little Maverick, 3 years old, wanted to take his lifejacket off, because “he said he could swim”… So Tess let him take off the life jacket and held him as he kicked his feet and moved his arms. They did this a few times and then Maverick said, “I don’t need a life jacket any more…I can swim. Tess told him no he couldn’t swim, he looked at her and said, “I got this”… so…he needs to learn… he does not have this!

She let go of him and down he goes and we pull him up and say, see you can’t swim, keep your life jacket on!

We need to learn…we do not have this, we need to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit every day of our lives or we’re going under!

Peter’s confidence in himself was total unfounded, he had no reason to be so prideful and

self-confident; his spiritual walk had been pretty wobbly up to this point.

· Jesus had told him; get behind me Satan when Peter tried to tell him he wasn’t going to the cross.

· On the mount of Transfiguration, Peter woke up from a dead sleep to say, let’s build three tabernacles up here, God spoke, this is my beloved Son in who I am well pleased.

· Walking on the water, sinking beneath the waves.

· You’re not washing my feet Jesus; OK peter then you have no part with me…

Peter did too much talking and not enough listening. What Jesus says, you better listen to.

You #1 enemy is your own flesh, do not place your confidence in your flesh, the arm of the flesh will fail you.

You are what you are by the grace of God, you have been redeemed by the blood of the son of God, and you live in victory by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Jesus said it this way, -“Without me you can do nothing”

-“Wherefore let him that thinks he can stand take heed lest he fall.

Do you think you know more than the Bible, do you think you’re too strong to fall, do you think you’re better than others? Then you’re on the path of a backslider.

Step #2:

2. Neglecting Your Time of Prayer.

-Read.

Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, he takes Peter, James and John to a private spot and asks them to watch and pray with Him. Jesus went a little further and fell on His face and prayed with a broken heart as he faced the cross and the sin He would bear on that cross. We are on Holy ground in these verses; Jesus is praying and sweating blood as He looks in the cup that symbolizes the sins of the world, and the wrath of God, that he would drink for us. What is Peter doing when Jesus is agonizing over the sins of the world, the cross and the cost he would pay for our sins?

He is supposed to be praying, but he is sleeping!

-“Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, what? Could you not watch with me one hour?

Notice Jesus calls Peter out; because Peter is the one who bragged and said, you can count on me Jesus I will never deny you. But Peter you can’t even stay awake and pray, how are you’re going to handle temptation, if you don’t spend time in prayer?

One of the sure signs you are filled with

self-confidence is when you don’t spend time in prayer! You think you got this, I can overcome temptation, I can be a Godly man, I can be a loving wife and mother, I can handle the temptations at school, I can handle the lust of the flesh…..I don’t need to pray!! Are you kidding me!!!

You need the strength and power of God that comes through prayer!!

Jesus had to wake Peter up 3 times during that prayer meeting!! Pride produces prayerlessness!!

A lack of prayer is a sign of pride.

I don’t need to pray about this, I know what to do; I can handle this on my own.

When you and I think we are so spiritual mature, and capable we neglect our time in prayer, we are headed for failure.

Listen, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been saved, or how spiritually mature you are, or how strong of a Christian you are, if you neglect your prayer life you will backslide on God, and deny Jesus sooner or later! NO ONE is so strong that they can go without meeting with God every morning! Miss breakfast, but don’t miss you Bible and prayer time!

Now watch this- a crisis comes in the Garden of Gethsemane; Judas and the religious leaders come with soldiers to arrest Jesus. Peter wakes up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he is not in tune with Jesus, he is not in the spirit of prayer, so he reaches for his sword and pulls it from the sheath and swings it to defend Jesus, he is trying to cut this guys into, but he moves and Peter cuts off the guys ear, V:50.

Peter was a good fisherman, but he was a poor swordsman’s.

One of the characteristics of a person who is not spending time in prayer is when a crisis comes they will hurt other people! When you are not listening to the words of Jesus and you are not spending time in prayer you are dangerous!!

If you neglected your time of daily prayer you will discover that you are hateful and hurtful in your relationship with others.

When we neglect our prayer life we become snappy, ugly and mean-spirited.

Also when we don’t spend time in prayer we don’t have any discernment. Peter’s enemy was not Malchus, he was just a servant of the high priest. When we are not in prayer we forget who the real enemy is; our enemy is not the abortionist, the seller of pornography, the homosexual, the whiskey maker. The enemy is the Devil himself, he is the one that is behind killing babies, selling filth, selling alcohol, and perverting human sexuality.

We are to love these people, they are not our enemy; Satan is!!

-“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but might through God to the pulling down of strongholds!

Peter had the wrong enemy, and used the wrong weapon- a physical sword, instead of the sword of the spirit with is the word of God! And he had the wrong attitude, he was angry.

When you neglect your time of prayer you will fight the wrong enemy, use the wrong weapons and have the wrong attitude also.

Jesus told Peter, V:51-“put up your sword…”

John tells us in his gospel that Jesus said:

-“Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

When Peter heard that he probably thought, what cup are you talking about drinking? The one I was praying about Peter….Oh wait, you were asleep.

Prayer puts you on the same page with Jesus. When you neglect your place of Prayer you are on the road to backsliding.

Step #3:

3. Following Jesus at a Distance.

Jesus is arrested and he is being led away to Caiaphas the High Priest house for an illegal trial. I can see Jesus being led down the slope of the Mount of Olives by the soldiers; the disciples have all ran away. Where is courageous Peter? V:54-“But Peter followed at a distance…

Peter is getting further and further away from Jesus, he is drifting away from Jesus physically and spiritually.

There had been a time in Peter’s life when he followed so close to Jesus that he almost stepped on him. There was a time when Peter was close to Jesus and nothing could push him away.

But now Peter is following Jesus at a distance, this speaks to us about Peter’s spiritual condition at the time. Peter is still a disciple, he is following Jesus, but he is hanging back, lagging behind. Peter is staying far enough away that he can see what is going to happen, but doesn’t what to be involved in what happens.

Peter does not want to be recognized as a disciple of Jesus, he wants to be able to take off and escape if he needs to. His attitude is:

· I don’t want people to think, I am with Jesus.

· I don’t want people to know whose side I am on.

When you are following Jesus from a distance you are backslidden. There are Christians here today that want to be a follower of Jesus at a distance, you are curious, but you are not commitment!

You can’t be a non-committal Christian and be close to Jesus at the same time! When you distance yourself from Jesus, and refuse to stand with Him you are a backslider.

Let me ask you a question; are you as close to Jesus today as you once where? Are you close to His heart; are you commitment to him no matter what happens to you? A step of a backslider is trying to follow Jesus from distance, half-hearted, spare-time, pocket-change Christian.

Jesus said, the man that puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. Jesus said he that is not with me is against me.

With Jesus there is no neutral ground; we are to be close to him, draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Notice how it works:

1st Peter is trusting in himself, and then Peter doesn’t feel his need to pray so he sleeps. And when the crisis came he is powerless, offended, and filled with fear and follows Jesus from a distance.

It is a slow-fade, little by little, step by step, a bad decision here, a bad decision there and you look up and you are a LONG way away from Jesus!

· Drop out of visitation.

· Quit Wednesday night service.

· Drop out of Sunday night service.

· Can’t afford to tithe and give to God’s work.

· Start missing on Sunday morning.

Next thing you know you’re far away from God!

Oh yeah you can rationalize and make excuses for you lack of commitment to Jesus; but the fact is your far away from the heart of Jesus!

Step #4:

4. Hanging Around the Wrong Crowd.

V:55-62.

In these verses we are at Caiaphas house, Jesus is inside on trial, Peter is outside in the court yard.

The book of John tells us it was cold, so Peter was standing around the fire with the servants and soldiers getting warm.

-“And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

Peter you are not spiritual strong enough to be with this crowd. Peter should have known that standing with the enemies of Christ was going to bring a defeat into his life.

-“Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

Peter is standing with sinners, and then he sits down with them. Peter is warming his body, but not thinking about his soul, that had become colder than his body!

Peter put himself in a position he was not prepared for. He was spiritual weak, full of pride, powerless from a lack of prayer, now he is hanging out with the enemies of Jesus; it is a receipt for failure!

You can see it coming; I see it coming for some of you, if things don’t change!

Now comes the pressure, denial #1:

V:56-57“ but a certain maid, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, this man was also with him. But he denied him, saying, woman I do not know him

It was a maid with a duster, not a solider with a sword that confronts Peter, he is spiritual weak!

Denial #2:

V:57-“after a little while another saw him and said, you also are them. But Peter said, man, I am not”.

Matthew tells us that Peter denied Jesus with an oath, it’s like he’s saying, I swear I don’t know him.

Denial #3:

V:59-“then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, surely this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilean”.

They said to Peter, Yes you are one of them, you have an accent, you’re a Galilean.

V:60-“Peter said, man, I do not know what you are saying!

Again Matthew tells us that Peter started cursing and swearing and saying, I don’t know the man!!

What Peter said he would never do, he did! He denied Jesus 3 times, he was a backslidden Christian.

Are you a backslidden Christian today?

· Did you walk down a church isle and kneel and pray and promise Jesus that you would love him supremely.

· Did you stand and testify and commit to follow Jesus.

· Did you say, I will never turn my back on you Jesus?

And then your started walking in the flesh, quit praying, drifted away from Jesus, got with the wrong crowd and now you have denied Jesus!

You acted like you didn’t know Jesus when someone said something about those Christian, or about that church- you denied Jesus!

You went too far with your girlfriend- you denied Jesus!

You visited a web-site that had filth on it- you denied Jesus!

You went to a party, a bar and drank and hung out with the wrong crowd- you just denied Jesus!

Peter denied Jesus three times and on that third time, the rooster crows; Jesus had predicted exactly when the roster would crow, V:61-62-“And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times”

We asked little kids, what did the rooster say?

He said cock-a doddle-do, yes and no.

· The rooster said to Peter, it’s time to wake up and see where you are, you are backslidden on Jesus!

When Peter heard that rooster crow he left the courtyard and went out into the night and:

V:62-“ and Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

That word bitterly means- to wail aloud, to sob uncontrollable.

Peter is turning back toward God; if you’re backslidden on God the first step back to God is repentance!

Peter is convicted and he repents, he is filled with Godly sorrow, true repentance toward the Lord.

If you will repent of your sin today Jesus will forgive you!

The rooster said, WAKE UP and repent!

· The rooster said, wake up it’s a brand new day dawning!

Peter because you are broken and sorry over your sin and are repenting, you can have a brand new day. -“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”

Remember Judas- he had remorse, not repentance and the Bible says, he went out and it was night.

But Peter went out and wept, he repented, and that was the dawning of a new day for him.

Because Peter repented we hear a lot about him in the rest of the Bible, Jesus forgave Peter and restored him and used him greatly. And Jesus will do the same thing for you if you will hear God’s rooster, name Eddie Bumpers crowing to you this morning to repent and ask God’s forgiveness today.

No matter what you did yesterday; with Jesus you can begin again, take the step of repentance and turn to Jesus today. Come and ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you of your sin, and restore you and use you; and He will!