Peter Denies Jesus
Today as we continue our series about the Passion of Jesus we are going to answer the question: What can we do when we make a huge mistake? Or more specifically, when we fall into sin, when we fall morally and spiritually?
To begin today, a short historical science lesson on the study of things that fall, or falling bodies.
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher in the 300’s BC a student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great.
Proposed that heavy objects fall faster than lighter object because they want to get to their natural place more
That last part, I am not so sure about, the first part seems to make sense.
He was so respected that his ideas were not successfully changed until almost 2,000 years later.
Until Galileo, mid 1,500-1600’s AD, an Italian scientist, claimed that objects of different weights fall at the same rate regardless of their weight, if we neglect air resistance.
Galileo showed that gravity is a great equalizer.
Gravity is a powerful and universal force. Gravity affects everything, pulling it toward the center of mass
Exp, side by side a 1 pound bowling bowl and a 100 pound bowling ball would fall and land at the same time.
Galileo allegedly tested this by throwing objects off the leaning tower of Pisa where he taught math.
But what about a leaf and a rock? They fall at different speeds, right?
The slowly falling leaf and rapidly falling rock would seem to support Aristotle’s viewpoint.
But it is the resistance of the air that slows the leaf down, the rock is much denser and is not affected as much.
There is a famous NASA video showing Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott dropping a metal hammer and a falcon feather on the Moon; in the airless environment, the hammer and feather both fall together perfectly.
My point!? Just like gravity conquers all objects on earth, so sin conquers every human at some point
Some people appear like a leaf, they just don’t seem to fall like a boulder
But really, gravity is affecting them with the same force.
What are you saying?!
It doesn’t matter what we think we are made of, Sin affects all, all fall.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The outer appearance of some people can make it seem like some people just don’t struggle, others just fall harder, some of are too heavy to escape gravity’s pull
But the reality is that all people struggle with temptation and sin and we all have come crashing down at times.
We can believe the lie that certain people struggle and certain people don’t
You might think you are that heavy rock, destined to fall quickly, intensely, and frequently
This doesn’t have to be
You might think you are a feather, you don’t fall, watch out.
Today we are going to study two falls
Like an Accident Re-constructionist, we can reverse engineer
We can replay the actions and forces that led to an accident
We are doing that with two men’s falls today, Judas and Peter, as the gospel records them.
Judas End Matthew 27:1-5 1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial: Matthew 26:31-35 31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[a] 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
Peter Denies Jesus: Matthew 26:69-75 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Things we learn from Peter’s fall
Pride come before the fall
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proximity is not the same as intimacy. John v Peter, Peter was just as close physically, but not spiritually.
John 13:21-25 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
It’s slimier to a husband and wife who are more like room mates than a married couple in love.
Peter was in close physical proximity to Jesus, but his heart and soul was not fully there.
Peter was close enough to know what Jesus’ BO smelled like, yet he denied he knew him.
Later John is see at the foot of the cross with Mary. While Peter is out weeping from his denial.
Jesus had John’s heart, Peter was still second guessing.
Things we learn from Judas’ fall
Sin is deceptive, It seems Judas did not fully take into account what would happen to Jesus. Maybe he thought Jesus would fight and overthrow Rome… either way, he is filled with remorse and regret.
Sin never tells the full story up front, sin leads to, “How did I get here?”…
The devil will use whatever he can in your life to work his plan, Judas greed more money control
So that is the fall but what about the fallout after the fall? How do we get back up?
When we fall…
How to feel?
Both men felt their sin in every way. But they handled it differently.
Peter: Wept bitterly. He was full out ugly crying on this one.
Judas was filled with regret, remorse.
What was the difference?
Judas emotions took over to the point where he couldn’t see any other way out.
Peter let it out, Judas kept it in.
Peter expresses his emotion even though it was painful. He knew he could not hide from it.
Judas kept in in, tried to hide the un hide-able and it destroyed him.
Emotions are like the lights on a dashboard in a car. Those tell you what is happening in the engine/car.
Emotions, they tell you what is going on in your mind and body.
Emotions can be very helpful to stir us into action.
If you were walking in the woods and saw a bear, your fight or flight emotion would kick in and
You have 2 seconds to decide if you can outrun your hiking partner or not.
Or at my house we call it Rage Cleaning, people are coming over and TIME TO CLEAN:), it fuels you.
That emotion has a physical impact on your body that readies your body for physical action.
Other emotions acts in other ways
However, we are not to be ruled by emotions we are to steward our own emotions wisely.
That doesn’t mean being a stoic, emotionless person, we are designed to have emotions, they are good.
If you car’s low oil light comes on: what do you do? If the engine is overheating? You stop, rest.
Emotions are actually messengers of utmost importance. We just have to learn to interpret them.
And like Peter, who was feeling sad and torn up in side, by stopping and weeping, it probably helped him then.
Judas just kept running the engine even when the light was on, and it led to destruction.
Who to go to?
We must go to the right people. Judas went to the wrong people - chief priests/elders aren’t going to help him.
The 12 might have helped him through it.
Peter went back to the 12, I am sure they helped him in some way.
Judas didn’t seek help he isolated and ended his life tragically
When you fall, find loving, gracious people who can walk with you through it.
Don’t worry about the haters, you will never make them happy.
But I really hurt someone, I went to them and they don’t want to talk to me.
They might not now. First find some folks that can help you, get healthier and then pray for reconciliation.
How Deal with the Devil?
Deal with the devil? What?
In Luke we see Jesus setting some context for Peter’s denial.
Luke 22:31-34 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
And we know the devil entered Judas
John 13:27 Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
I am not one to think there is a demon behind every action or thought. However, I actually do think that there is far more spiritual influence in our lives, Godly and not, that we usually think.
And I know that Hollywood sort of makes demonic stuff look like a horror film. And I think that might be a great trick of the enemy, lets make demonic influence look a certain way, so people don’t recognize the accepted - familiar version that is actually impacting their lives.
To recover from a fall we must deal with the devil, with the spiritual darkness that might be in our lives.
Now we could spend a lot time on that but Jesus put it pretty simply
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 11:24-26 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” He was dealing with highly religious people. They would artificially clean up, but inside no.
Dedicate your life to God from the inside out.
James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
I have have times where I was stuck in sin, knew I needed to change, but I was not committed, no dedication same devils.
God can lift you from any pit, but you have to commit.
Maybe you are here today and you have fallen, you are really struggling. God’s grace can help you where you can not seem to help yourself, but you also have to commit.
You have to want to follow Jesus, and commit to the plan, spiritual discipline, community, physical/mental health.
Deal with God?
Judas couldn’t see the grace of God, only his failure.
The difference between Judas and Peter wasn’t that they both didn’t fall and experience the fallout of it.
Peter still sees his failure but keeps looking for Jesus at the same time. He doesn’t have the strength but he knows Jesus will come rescue him.
John 21:1-19
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Peter believes in Jesus’ faith in him even when he has none himself.
Peter is still looking for Jesus even though he can’t look himself in the mirror.
He is struggling but hopeful
He is willing to be vulnerable and transparent with Jesus about his failure and trust Jesus to forgive and restore him
When you fall remember three things:
Everyone falls
Jesus will always pick you back up
You don’t have to keep falling for the same thing
I gave you the first part of Romans 3:23 earlier, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The second part it this in verse 24 “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."