Various Passages
All of us either have, or will have at some time, what is defined as the lowest moment in our life. The lowest moment in Jesus’ life truly was when His shattered body was in the grave and He was dead. The joy of the resurrection is that Jesus’ lowest moment was followed by His greatest victory. Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and your sins, carried our sins to the grave and left them there.
But He did not stay in the grave. He arose. He lives. He is the victor over death and the grave. And that victory empowers our resurrection after our death.
But it also represents our victory over the darkest moments in our lives. We are given hope in our lowest point because of the Easter message. This was true for Peter. I want us to profile his life today and see Peter’s Easter.
I. Paramount
Peter was obviously a leader among the disciples. His named is usually mentioned first when the disciples are named (Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:16, Luke 6:14, Acts 1:13). He was one of the three that was in Jesus’ inner circle. When Jesus went to heal Jarius’ daughter, Peter was one of three that was allowed in the room (Mark 5:34-43).
At the transfiguration, Peter was one of three disciples who were invited further up the mountain to witness this historical moment (Matthew 9:2-6). And he was one of three who saw Jesus in his agonizing in prayer in Gethsemane. He was asked to stay awake and pray also, but he fell asleep (Mark 14:33-42).
He appeared to be the most committed. When Jesus told of His death, burial and resurrection, many people stopped following Jesus. Jesus asked His disciples, “Will you go also?” It was Peter who said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:66-69.
It was Peter who seemed to be the spokesperson for the other disciples. When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”, it was Peter who gave the great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” At that time, Jesus gave His vision of Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:13-19.
Peter is the most discussed of the 12 disciples. He was viewed as the rising star of Christianity. Walking on water, speaking out…
This was before Peter denied Christ. Peter was one of the bravest of the Apostles. It was Peter who pulled out a sword to fend off the arresters of Jesus. (John 18:1-11) 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" 5 They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"
That night Jesus was, in fact, arrested and tried. Only two disciples went to the palace to see the trial and the proceedings. The other disciples feared and hid. John 18:15-16 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.
II. The Plummet.
But Peter denied Jesus before men. Peter’s denial did not catch Jesus by surprise. Remember, Jesus had warned Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Remember that Jesus said that Peter would deny Him before the rooster crowed in the morning.
Joh 13:37-38 Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38 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.
And Peter did deny him, not just once, but three times…. Joh 18:25-27 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.
Luke shares with us the poignant moment of that third denial in greater detail. Luk 22:59-62 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." 60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
When Jesus looked at him, Peter probably remembered the teaching of Jesus. “…whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33. Did you catch that? Jesus said, “…whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
He had completely collapsed under sin and failure. He committed the worst kind of denial.
Jesus was found innocent in a flam of a trial, but was sentenced to death anyway. His judge, Pilate, said, “I find no fault in Him”, but delivered him over to the guards to be crucified (John 19:6, 16). Jesus was tortured brutally and then crucified in the cruelest manner.
Peter was defeated and full of shame and sadness. It was the lowest moment in Peter’s life. His ministry, his goals and ambition, his dreams and hopes, everything, was dead and gone.
III. The Promotion:
But then came Sunday morning. Jesus arose. The women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus and they found that Jesus had arisen. An angel remained there to explain to them what had happen. “And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." Mark 16:6-7.
The angel said, tell the disciples and make sure Peter knows Jesus is alive. Jesus’ vision and mission for Peter never changed. Remember before the arrest of Jesus and the collapse of Peter, Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31.
Now Jesus singles him out to make sure he receives the most important news. Jesus opened the door for restoration of Peter’s called ministry. Then Jesus completed Peter’s restoration with three confessions of love. Joh 21:14-19 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
Three times, the Resurrected Savior asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter confessed his love, Jesus directed him to resume his ministry of leadership. “Feed my sheep, care for my people, tend to my lambs”.
This is one who denied Jesus three times. Remember, Jesus said, “Whoever denies me before man, I will deny him before my Father in heaven.” Jesus never lost his vision for Peter, although Peter completely failed. But Jesus’ resurrection is a promise to us that He will also resurrect our ministry. He wants to resurrect your life.
IV. The Payoff.
Let me show you the power in this with one more thing. I remind you of Peter’s great confession. Let’s look at it briefly:
Mat 16:15-19 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Please focus with me on that verse 19 phrase, “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. One denomination says these keys were given to Peter, so he was the first Pope. The point is conceded that the Greek word for “you” is the dative singular form of “soo”.
Here is one who Jesus said would have the keys of the kingdom, but afterwards went through a strong rebuke (get behind me, Satan), a prediction that Peter would fail, but would be restored, a failed defense (cutting of Malchus’ ear), and the kind of denial of Jesus before men that Jesus said would cause a denial before the Father. And yet it was to this one that Jesus said, “to you alone, Peter, I will give the keys to the Kingdom of God. That would take some kind of resurrection. Yet, that is the kind of resurrection Jesus had.
Ill. When I come home, I unlock my door. Once inside, I put the keys away. Once the door is unlocked, the keys are not so vital or perpetually needed.
The keys to the kingdom were truly given to Peter in this way. He was the one who unlocked the door for the Jews to Christ’s kingdom in Acts 2. He is the one who unlocked the door of salvation for the Samaritans (or half-Jews, and outcast Jews) in Acts 8. And he is the one who unlocked the door of the Gentiles (the non-Jews) in Acts 10. It was Peter who unlocked the door for the nations of the world.
Once the door was unlocked, Peter falls to a secondary, ordinary preacher, to the Apostle Paul. The doors were unlocked for Paul to storm the world with the kingdom of God.
It was God’s plan to restore Peter from the very worst failure. It is God’s plan to restore mankind to Himself. Rom 5:10-10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
If you have never made peace with God, that is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about. You can have peace with God by receiving the gift He supplied through the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can choose to believe in Jesus and ask God to empower your choice by real faith. Will you do that today and make this not other people’s Easter, but your Easter, for the first time?
Let me talk to those Christians for a moment who have suffered a setback. Perhaps there is something in your life that seemed to stop your Christian growth, weakened your passion or broke your heart. Maybe you had a colossal failure and you are being told by the enemy that you are finished, you will never amount to anything in the Kingdom of God. That is was where Peter was when said, “Let’s go fishing.”
That is when Jesus came to him and restored his faith and purpose, asking him, “Do you love me?” What was the requirement of Peter’s restoration? Jesus made it clear. “Do you love me?” Do you love Jesus and trust the His resurrection insures your resurrection? He wants you to learn, grow, recover and be restored.
You see, Peter had all of the tools; energy, passion, commitment, courage. However, he lacked one thing: humility. God used his colossal failure to add humility.
If you love Him, allowing Him to guide you from this point, you can recover from that tragedy and be restored to His full service. Will you take responsibility for your failure, confess your love for Him, and be resurrected today? Make this your Easter.
You can do that, “Because He Lives.” “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
Arise today, stop licking your wounds and allow His healing. Acknowledge His forgiveness, forgive yourself, forgive the one who brought that pain. Do it because You Love Him. Stop allowing self-love to destroy you. Make this your Easter. It was Peter’s Easter, and today it can be your resurrection.
