What If I Stumble?

I know of a young man who grew up in church. Every Sunday he was in the pews and every Wednesday was at youth group. He said that he loved God, but spending time in prayer and reading the bible, spending time with God was something that didn’t suit him. When he got into high school he started running with the wrong crowd and even though he never got into any real trouble, they drug him farther and farther from God. After high school he ended up going to bible school. Where God got a hold of his life, changed him from the inside out. Unfortunately after bible school when he got home, he had no Christian fellowship. Soon was running the the same crowd as in high school and began drifting from God. This led to depression. It wasn’t long before he started trying to find relief from depression in the bottom of the bottle...

Luke 22:47-62

What do we do after we stumble? After we make a mistake? We will feel guilt from betraying Jesus, but where does it lead us?

Judas

Judas fell, he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

v.48

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.

This was a common greeting in the ancient world.

It was a symbol of love, of friendship.

Judas uses this as a symbol to those who he would lead to the garden in the dark of night, which one to arrest.

I don’t know if Judas thought that they were just going to beat Him, or throw Jesus in prison.

When he realizes that Jesus is condemned, he changes his mind. Then comes trying to make it right.

Matthew 27:3-4

Matthew 27:3–4 ESV

3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

Understand, he feels guilty. Knowing that what he had done was wrong.

Matthew 27:5

Matthew 27:5 ESV

5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Overcome with grief, Judas hangs himself.

Guilt

The guilt that he is feeling is so overwhelming, that the only relief that Judas see’s is to end his life.

We all know the feeling of guilt. When you have done something wrong. When your burdens are building up and you don’t know what to do with them.

Judas hanged himself to find relief.

Some find relief in alcohol.

Some in drugs.

Some in doing good, thinking that if they can outweigh the guilt maybe they will feel better about themselves.

Some people become angry and bitter, blaming others for the guilt that they have and burdens they experience.

Some go to psychiatrists, who give them medication to numb the guilt that they have.

None of these things will give you permanent relief, none will remove the burden that you face.

God has given us guilt as a check engine light. To tell you something is wrong.

If you distract yourself from the guilt, pretend it doesn’t exist or numb yourself against it, that is like putting tape over the check engine light.

It might make is easier to ignore it, but the underlying cause is still there.

You have to fix the problem in the engine, or soon you’ll have a real problem.

If you have that guilt light going off in your life and you don’t know what to do, call me, come and meet with me. Let’s go to God and get the problem fixed.

Peter

He was very passionate about defending Jesus at first.

v.50

John reveals this was Peter.

The guards came and Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant.

But after Jesus is taken.

v.54

We see that Peter was more timid, making sure that he followed at a distance.

v.56

A servant girl.

Not the high priest, or a guard. But a little girl recognizes him.

Peter denies it.

Let me also note, if they were going to arrest Peter, they would have in the garden.

v.58

Someone else later on, Peter denies again.

v.59-60

Peter denies a third time, in Mark 14:71 we are told that Peter not only denies, but begins to curse at the man.

v.60-62

The Lord looked at Him.

The gaze of Jesus cutting into the very soul of Peter.

His realization that he has betrayed His Lord.

He weeps

This shows guilt, not repentance.

John 21:15-19

After the resurrection, we find Peter fishing.

v.7, 11

It is very possible that after denying Jesus, he feels unworthy of being a disciple and spreading the news of the resurrection. So he goes back to the trade that he knew.

First, I want to point out that Jesus invites him back in to join in the ministry.

Feed My Lambs

“feed my sheep”

After guilt, there is repentance. Where you turn back to what you should be doing.

Then reconciliation.

Where the relationship is restored.

Here, we see the Lord reaching out and reconciling with Peter.

Peter’s guilt didn’t destroy him like it did Judas, because Peter was reconciled to Jesus.

When we have guilt in our lives. It is important that we use that:

To understand where we failed so we can set up safe guards and not fail again.

Use what we learned from our suffering to teach others.

David expresses this in the Psalms.

Psalm 51:13

Psalm 51:13 ESV

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

Then I will teach them your ways.

This is why Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:32 to return and strengthen his brothers.

Jesus Meets Us

Peter cannot agapao Jesus, he can only phileo.

So Jesus, restoring Peter, meets Peter where he is.

We look at the chasm and think, it’s to great, I can’t do it.

NO ONE CAN, we all sin.

God meets us and strengthens us to where He wants us.

Going back to the guilt, will you let it destroy you?

Or will you go to God for forgiveness and be restored, and reconcile the relationship.

The rest of the story. The young man was consumed by depression, looking for relief in alcohol and trying to have fun. He realized it was from the guilt of not having a right relationship with God. He repented, was reconciled to God, and is now your pastor.

In Christ we have freedom from guilt.

In Christ we can be restored.