From Failure To Forgiveness Series

From failure to forgiveness 

John 18:12-27

Introduction

Max Lucado wrote, “Failures are not fatal. It's not that he loves what you did, but he loves who you are. You are his. The One who has the right to condemn you provided the way to acquit you.” That is good to hear, because we all fail in our discipleship. Today, we are going to look at a great failure of an outspoken disciple. It is significant and heartbreaking. It is recorded in all four Gospels.

Last week we were in the Upper Room, where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Today we are in John 18. Jesus and the disciples have entered the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas has betrayed Jesus. Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus. Jesus is bound and begins a series of illegal trials through the night, each escalating in violence and accusation. Before we think about what Jesus endured, we want to focus on a significant moment in Peter’s faith journey.

John 18:12-27 ESV

17 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.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

...

25 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.” 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?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

In this lowest point in Peter’s story, we see…The man who wielded a sword in the garden in front of a squad of soldiers, now withering before a servant girl in the light of a fire. The man who swore he would die for Jesus, now swearing that he doesn’t even know him. The man Jesus called a Rock, now a blob of jelly. Peter failed. And in this failure, we learn three truths about failure that we all need to know.

1. Failure is a Fact

Failure is a fact in the Bible. Adam and Eve failed, though in a perfect environment. Abraham failed when he lied about his wife and abused Hagar. Moses failed in the wilderness, to his own great regret. David failed appallingly in his acts of adultery and murder. Every king of Israel failed in one way or another. The people of Israel as a whole failed generation after generation.

In the New Testament, the pattern continues. Even in this story, we often single out Peter but was he alone? Matthew tells us that all of the disciples forsook him and fled. They had all said the same thing as Peter: We won’t disown you or deny you. With the exception of Jesus Christ, the Bible is a story of human failure.

Failure marks every life. I fail, you fail, and so does every other Christian on the planet. Peter denied Jesus in that courtyard; we may deny Him with our words, with our silence, or with the way we live. Failure is not only a fact, it is also foreseen.

2. Failure is Foreseen

The failure of Judas, Peter, and all of the others, too, was foreseen by Jesus. An old hymn has the line, “Jesus knows our every weakness”. This is not a putdown or a threat, but a comfort. Jesus knows, and Jesus can cope with it. There is hope. Our failures grieve the Lord, but they don’t surprise him. His foreknowledge is not permission to sin; it’s comfort when we do.

When Jesus was in the Upper Room with the disciples, he told them several things that were going to happen. When Jesus said that Peter was going to deny him, Peter protested! But Jesus is clear: 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. (JN 13:38).

Notice what happens next. John’s original writing had no chapter headings or verses. Jesus went straight from all that had been said in chapter 13 to these words: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1). One of you is going to betray me, another deny me - but don’t worry, don’t panic! Trust me! Failure is foreseen, and Jesus can be trusted even in the midst of it.

3. Failure is Forgiven

Peter’s nerve failed. His courage failed. But because Jesus prayed for him, Peter’s faith ultimately did not fail.(Luke 22:32 “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”)