Today we will be wrapping up our series on friends who fail. We will be taking a second look at Peter and what would probably be described as his greatest failure.
While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, ‘You were with Jesus from Galilee.’ But in front of everyone Peter said, ‘That isn’t so! I don’t know what you are talking about!’”
Matthew 26:69 - 70
Let’s talk about friendship...what exactly is a true friend. I’ve put a picture up here from my days as a police officer. This is a picture of me with my narcotics detection dog "Kena." I put this picture up for a reason. I had many partners during my law enforcement career, but this four legged partner stands out as a friend. You know what I mean, Kena didn’t care what radio station I listened to, she never complained about my choice of restaraunts, she went with me everywhere and she was always glad to see me.
Ultimately my k-9 partner was a great illustration of a true friend. Let’s look at a few of the qualities of true friends. A true friend is someone who understands you. They understand what motivates you. They understand your mannerisms and they understand your goals. Peter seemed to meet the qualifications of a true friend. He seemed to not only understand Jesus, but seemed to have deep insight. Look at the following scripture to see what I mean.
Matthew 16:15 - 17
“Then Jesus asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’
Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus told him: ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven.’”
Wow, pretty impressive. Peter must definitely be a true friend with that kind of insight. And if that wasn’t enough, Peter seemed to exemplify another trademark of true friendship. True friends will follow you anywhere. Not only will they go with you, but they do it without hesitation, without question, and even if they’re the only one. Once again from outward appearances Peter seemed to fit this mold.
Peter never questioned Jesus...he seemed to act almost instinctively.
Matthew 4:18 - 20
“While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fisherman, and they were casting their net into the lake. Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.’ Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.”
Matthew 14:28 - 29
“Peter replied, ‘Lord if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.’
‘Come on!’ Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.”
Now I know what you are saying. "Sure, but Peter sank in the waves too." You are absolutely right...we didn’t say Peter was perfect...but he was willing to follow. You don’t see any of the other disciples jumping out of the boat thinking that they really could walk on water do you?
Finally a true friend is loyal to the end. A true friend will never leave your side, they will fight for you until the very end and will defend you in any circumstance. Peter definitely seemed to fit this mold. He vowed he would remain at Jesus side until the very end. In fact Peter drew the sword against all odds. Look at the following scriptures:
Matthew 26:33
“Peter spoke up, ‘Even if all the others reject you, I never will!’”
Luke 22:33
“Peter said, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to jail and even to die with you.’”
John 18:10
“Simon Peter had brought along a sword. He now pulled it out and struck at the servant of the high priest. The servant’s name was Malchus, and Peter cut off his right ear.”
Wow, now we realize that at times Peter was a little misguided, but all in all he seems like a pretty loyal guy right? Well let’s expand our view of the illustrations I’ve given you about Peter, and we start to notice a pattern in Peter’s friendship.
Peter was somewhat of a fair weather friend. When the weather was good, Peter was right there. Let me explain further:
When Jesus said come and follow me, Andrew went with Peter to follow Jesus
Matthew 4:20
When Peter jumped out of the boat to walk on the water, Jesus was already walking on the water
Matthew 14:25
When Peter said he would remain at Jesus side, the others were also vowing not to leave
Mark 14:31
When Peter drew his sword, Jesus had already spoken causing the soldiers to fall back to the ground
John 18:5 - 6
This important truth becomes very clear with Peter, and sadly to say encompasses many of us here today:
"It’s Easy To Be A True Friend When The Audience Is Watching." For many people the quality of their friendship directly correlates to the quantity of allies.
Ultimately we must remember that Jesus knows. Jesus knew just how loyal Peter was. In fact Jesus told Peter what was going to happen. Peter’s denial was foreseen.
Matthew 26:34
“Jesus replied, ‘I promise you that before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.’”
Don’t be too hard on Peter, because many of us are guilty of having "Pressure sensitive faith." Our loyalty to Christ is directly related to the amount of external pressure exerted on us. Let’s look at Peter’s example of a loyalty that is pressure sensitive.
"While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus from Galilee.”
But in front of everyone Peter said, “That isn’t so! I don’t know what you are talking about!”
When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”
Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, “I don’t even know that man!”
A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, “We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee.”
Peter began to curse and swear, “I don’t know that man!”
Right then a rooster crowed." Matthew 26:69-74
Not only denial, but passionate denial. It wasn’t enough to deny the relationship, but then to swear and curse for added emphasis. For Peter’s sake, I hope no one was watching.
Unfortunately for Peter and for us Jesus sees it all. Sometimes we like to talk about "hidden sin", but we must remember that no sin is hidden. Jesus sees every action, every thought and he hears every word.
“The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered that the Lord had said, ‘Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.’”
Luke 22:61
When we deny Christ, we must remember that His eyes are fixed upon us. Searching our heart, searching our soul. You see Jesus came to this earth, knowing that Peter would deny Him. Knowing that you and I would hide our relationships with Him.
The question for you today is simple. Do You Have Fair Weather Faith? Fortunately for you and me, Jesus loves the fair weathered. Jesus died for your denials.
He died for your betrayals. He died for your weakness.
The Bible tells us that if we will confess our sins that He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us. What we see later in scripture is that Jesus meets Peter right where he is. He cleanses him, affirms him, and sends him out. Ultimately Peter would be a true friend. Willing to take a stand and ultimately giving his life for the one true friend in his life, Jesus Christ.
Today I am asking you to be true to the one who has been true to you. Jesus gave His life for you, He suffered for you and He rose again for you. All because He loved you and couldn’t bear to see you separated from the love of God for all eternity.
