Three Strikes But Not Out.
In our Scripture readings we have seen this truth illustrated in the life of Peter, one of Jesus disciples. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples. “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd and the flock will be scattered.” But Peter replied, “Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and even to death.” Jesus answered, “ I tell you Peter, this very night, before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same( Matthew 26: 31-35). So let's see if Peter can keep that promise.
First of all we turn to the courtyard of the high priest, as Christ is standing trial, after his arrest. “While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the serving girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.“You also were with the Nazarene,Jesus,”she said. But he denied it. “I don't know or understand what you're talking about” (Matt.26:69,70).
Strike 1.
“Then he went out to the Gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, this fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth. He denied it again, with an oath: I don't know the man! Strike 2
Later another went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean. Your accent gives you away”( Matt.26:71,72).” We take note of the fact that Peter, through his lies, has boxed himself into a corner and now in order to save his own skin, he brazenly tried to lie himself out. “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Then Peter reverted to the vulgar language and cursing he had practised in his old life before meeting Christ. And he swore to them, “I don't know this man you're talking about.”Strike 3.
Just as he was speaking, in that moment a rooster began to crow. “Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And Peter broke down and wept bitterly”(Luke 22: 61,62). Peter is disqualified, we might even say that he is thrown out of the game. He who was to be the rock, was instead, mere pulverized sand. But that is not the end of Peter. Yes, he has Three Strikes against him but he is not finally out!
You will recognize this sermon title from the world of sport. When I refer to the game of baseball, nearly everyone knows what I am talking about. Not many are like the young lady who was invited to a baseball game by her boyfriend. Like many girls she wanted her hair to look just right and so she was fussing a bit and kept her boyfriend waiting. When they arrived at the game it was late in the fourth inning. He was very upset because they had missed almost half of the game. But when she asked what the score was he looked at the scoreboard and replied 0 to 0. She exclaimed, that's wonderful, we haven't missed a thing.
Above all I want this to be a message of hope and encouragement. Three strikes and you're out, can be bad news in the game of baseball, but in the game of life the player is definitely not out until he or she stops trying. In fact failure can sometimes be the back door to success. Can you name the big league baseball player who struck out a record of 1,330 times? A failure? No, because he also hit 714 home runs. His name was Babe Ruth. And he is remembered mostly for his home runs, not strikeouts.
I am always inspired by stories of people both in Bible times and in the present day who because of physical handicaps and severe losses, had three strikes against them. However, their records show that they were definitely not out because they refused to give up. Names like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen, Helen Keller, Mother Teresa come to mind. Also, we think of men and women in Bible times. Joseph, Moses, David, Job, Paul and many others. Three strikes were called against them but through faith in the Lord they won victories. Don't allow your life to be defeated by some failure. Rather, be concerned over the chances you miss when you don't even try. As a farmer friend of mine used to say, “If mistakes were haystacks, every man would have a cow.” I would have a whole herd.
So in the spiritual realm; Heaven itself is only reached by sinners saved by grace. No goodness of mine will ever merit the gift of eternal life. I can never make it on my own. My one and only plea is that Christ died for me. I've seen enough moral cripples, rehabilitated and headed for heaven, victors
over the worst the devil could throw at them, to convince me that Christ is still able to save, keep and satisfy all those who put their trust him.
Let us return to our story of Peter, who became one of Christ's most devoted disciples. We know from Scripture that on the night before our Lords crucifixion Peter vowed that he would stand with his Lord even unto death. Yet later, that same night, he denied three times that he ever knew Christ. Later Peter repented with bitter tears, confessed his failure and was restored to fellowship. Christ not only forgave Peter but permitted him to become a great preacher and leader in the early church. Suppose that Peter, having made that dreadful threefold denial, had thrown down his bat and left the cause of Christ forever; Christianity would have lost one of its most heroic leaders. Great was the fall of Peter but even greater was his repentance. Great was his denial but even greater his dedication. We might ask, what enabled Peter to come back to the Lord? I believe there were at least three factors.
#1 The first was a simple everyday incident, the crowing of a rooster, announcing the approach of dawn. No doubt Peter had heard a rooster crow many times before but this time it was different. This time he remembered Jesus words spoken in Luke 22:24, “before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you ever knew me.” The rooster seem to say to Peter – Peter you have sinned, before it is too late repent and return to your God.
This was not the first or the last time that God has used a simple incident or a long forgotten memory to convict of sin and lead to Christ. Many a marriage has been saved by the pure face of an innocent child. Many a young man or young woman has been delivered from the downward road that leads to destruction through the memory of a praying mother or a godly father. God can use many things – a sermon, a hymn, a prayer, a worn Bible, a precious memory, a sudden escape from danger or death. Anything that causes you to think about your soul, your better moments, your responsibility as spouse or parent, your promises to God. Anything that causes you to consider time in the light of eternity, can be God's messenger to you. Never underestimate the power of the Spirit of God speaking through the word of God to bring us back to the paths of purity and truth.
#2 But the crowing of the rooster in itself was not sufficient to bring conviction of sin to Peter's heart. That could only be accomplished by the look of Christ. Of all the scenes in the Bible, this is one of the most dramatic. Let us try to imagine the courtyard of the high priest at around 5 AM in the morning. In the centre of the courtyard we see the dying embers of a fire. And then suddenly Peters denials ring through the early morning air. He began to curse and swear, “ I know not this man of whom you speak.” And then, at that same moment, we see Christ being led from the judgement hall and through the courtyard. He is bound, bruised and bleeding from the cruel blows that he received at the hands of the Roman soldiers. We read that Jesus turned and looked upon Peter (V61) and Peter remembered the word of the Lord; “Before the rooster crows twice you shall deny me three times.” Here is a look that took a soul from the gate of hell and directed it on a course toward heaven. Notice, Peter did not look at Jesus except for a passing glance. In fact, at that moment the face of Jesus was the last one in the world he wanted to see.
No, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. God always takes the initiative, the first step toward us. He is the only one who knows all about us and loves us just the same. It was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. Christ's look was one of wounded love, it came from a broken heart and it brought Peter back to the Lord with tears of repentance.
Note that Jesus did not speak a word. He did not denounce Peter. There was no cry of amazement or anger. He did not say, “Peter, I'm ashamed of you. I'm shocked to hear you say these things.” Rather, the face of Jesus was like a window through which Peter looked into the depths of his own heart.
That look of Christ seemed to say, Peter I'm going to die on the cross for you. You have denied me three times but there is still hope. Satan has not yet gained possession of you. I pray that you may repent before it is too late. Then we read that Peter went out and wept bitterly. We can almost picture tears coursing down Peter's cheeks as he rushed from the courtyard with his head throbbing, his heart pounding. Like rotten timber he had collapsed under pressure.
There are tears that are shed over the wrongs and sufferings of mankind. There are tears of lovers upon whom the tragedy of life has fallen. There are tears shed at deathbeds over the departure of loved ones. But the bitterest, saddest tears of all are those of men and women weeping over their sins. If we had the power to listen today we would not need to go very far away. Right here in the ................ area, in beautiful ......................, in countless hearts and homes we could hear the echo of Peter sobs. Those who have drunk deeply from the cup of iniquity and found the dregs bitter. Those who have sowed their wild oats and are reaping a terrible harvest.
And we are not just speaking here of those outside of Christ. But there are many Christians who once walked with the Lord in the light of his Word but now they have become very cold and careless toward spiritual things. Some have even gone back to the idols of this world; they've lost the joy of salvation.
Is it not true that most, if not all, of us can recall moments when we felt very close to God and pledged full commitment to the cause of Christ. But we can also recall other times when our faith was weak and we even chose the path of denial. But only those who have never fallen, only those without sin should cast the first stone at Peter. There is no one in all the world so miserable, so unhappy as a halfway, compromising Christian. He or she has just enough of Christ to be unhappy in the world and just enough of the world to be unhappy with Christ and his church.
I find myself feeling different toward Peter than toward Judas. Judas did what he wanted to do, what he planned to do, what he was paid to do. Jesus looked at Judas also and gave him an opportunity to repent but his heart was hardened. But Peter did the very thing he did not want to do, he never planned to do, he declared that he would never do. So my first feeling toward Peter is one of sadness, I almost weep with him. I believe that most of us can identify with Peter, I know I can. I have been a Christian for over 60 years and you would think that by now I would be almost immune to temptations and have no trouble resisting them. But that is not the case. The devil is well aware of my areas of weakness and he often slips up on my blindside and throws me a curve ball. And I'll be honest with you, there have been times when I have struck out by the very sins that I thought I had victory over and would never face again.
There are two verses of Scripture that I find very helpful and I encourage you to meditate upon. “So be careful. If you are thinking, Oh I would never behave like that –let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin. But remember this – the wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same temptations before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptations power so that you can bear up patiently against it “(1 Corinthians 10:12, 13 LB).
#3. And finally, we read how Christ's prayer for Peter became the third factor that brought him back to his Lord. “Satan desires to have you, to destroy you in body and soul but I have prayed for you Peter, that your faith may not fail. When you have returned to me, go and strengthen your brothers.(Luke 22:31).” And we find that Christ's prayer for Peter was answered. His faith did not fail. Satan thought he had Peter, and he almost did. Satan thought he had put out the light in Peters soul so that in the bitterness of his grief he would sink into the hell of shame and condemnation. But the prayer of Christ was too much for Satan; the prayer and the look of Christ won the battle.
Peter went forth from that experience a changed man. The account of his restoration is recorded in John chapter 21.After a threefold affirmation of love and loyalty we see Peter being reinstated by the master coach. He is back on the team and in the lineup, but that is another sermon in itself.
It is interesting to note that according to the Bible, Peter never backslid again. That is not to say that he was perfect but throughout the first chapters of the book of Acts we find Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, being greatly used of the Lord to reach many for the kingdom of God. It was Peter who spoke words of healing to the lame man at the beautiful gate of the temple (Acts 3:1– 11). It was Peter who defied the Sanhedrin when he and John were arrested for preaching the gospel. (Acts 4:1-22). It was Peter who opened wide his Jewish arms in Christian love to the gentile Cornelius.(Acts 10: 23-48). Yes, cowardly, crumbling Peter truly did become a cohesive, concrete Christ centred rock.
And the most wonderful part of the whole story is that Christ can do the same for each one of us if we are willing to give him a chance to work in our lives. And so each one of us has choice. We can leave this service with a hopeless attitude toward life. We can have vain regrets over some of the bad choices we have made in life. We can face the future with little hope of change. Or, we can do what Peter did. He remembered the word of the Lord. He experienced godly sorrow leading to salvation. Some people are sorry that they are caught in sin. But godly sorrow leads to a change of heart and a change of direction. So Peter repented, made a right about-face. He was restored to fellowship and went on to serve the Lord more than ever before.
And so today, I believe that God has a dream, a plan for each one of us. When we turn our backs on God's plan and go our own selfish way, we not only break God's law, but even more serious, we break his heart. Sin stands between what we are and what God wants us to be. Even though God longs to forgive us he cannot do so unless we acknowledge our need for forgiveness, and our willingness to repent. Repentance includes genuine sorrow for sin and a determination to leave it behind and march in a new direction, trusting the Lord for the power to do so.
There may be those here.....................who are facing some very difficult, seemingly impossible problems. Perhaps you even feel that you are at the end of the rope. Your stubborn struggle may be a terrible habit, even an addiction you cannot conquer by your self. Or perhaps your marriage is almost on the rocks. Or it may have something to do with your career, your education, your health or you may be facing some financial frustrations. But remember,God specializes in things that we think are humanly impossible. Whatever seems impossible to you – take your hands off and ask God to take over. Before you can get back on your feet you need to get down on your knees. I'm not saying the problem will be solved overnight, but you will be headed in the right direction.
Our God is a God of new beginnings. He gave Peter another chance; he gave David another chance; he gave Samson another chance; he gave John Mark another chance and he is ready to give you another chance. When you turn to him with an open heart, he accepts and forgives you, then gently begins to re-create you. In this broken world of closed doors and dead end streets God can give you the fresh start you need. Even if you have 3 strikes against you, don't give up; you are definitely not out. The past cannot be changed but it can be forgiven and the future can be different by the grace of God.
But our story would not be complete without reference to the conclusion of Peters great sermon on the day of Pentecost. “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers what shall we do?” Peter replied, “ Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Peter had to repent himself before he was qualified to demand it of others). With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number that day.(Acts 2: 36-41). A strike-out, NO! Peter hits a “Grand Slam Home Run.”
