Theme: THE REPENTANCE OF PETER
Text: Luke 22: 54-62
Intro.
A. I know that you are very familiar with Peter. We know his background well. He was once a fisherman turned-a-disciple of Jesus. Being the most outspoken among the group, he was considered the spokesperson and leader of the twelve disciples. After the Pentecost, God used Peter in such a powerful way that he brought thousands of people to the Lord. What a successful evangelist was Peter! How we wish to be like him. How we wish to see people flocking to the Savior’s feet. How we wish to win the whole world for Christ!
B. But have you once considered the repentance of Peter after he denied Jesus three times? “What a great failure Peter did that time,” we would say. But, what do you see on it? How does it relate to us –to our lives, to our ministry?
T.S. Let’s closely look at the story.
1) The circumstances of his failure.
a) Peter was a very strong man. At the Upper Room he made a commitment to go with his Master even to prison or to death. And we can see how die-hard he was. When Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane, all the disciples fled except him. He drawn his sword and cut the ear of a temple servant. Peter was really a potential defender and protector of Christ. But the Sovereign Lord doesn’t need a protector. Peter did not understand that!
b) In this incident I want to appreciate this man. He showed great courage and bravery. A person of his kind is very rare today especially in the Christian circles. We are so timid, reluctant, fearful, easily become despondent, and most likely to compromise.
c) After the incident in Gethsemane, Christ was brought to the house of the high priest. Peter followed Him at a distance.
d) He was at the courtyard warming himself. There, in the coldness of the night, Peter met his great downfall. Someone was looking at him. Full of fury and condemnation, “You are one with them!” “You too were with Jesus of Nazareth!” It was Satan hurling darts of condemnation at him in a woman’s guise. Everyone’s eyes then were fixed at him. Peter was cornered. Fear gripped his whole being; his mind tried to grapple any option. Nothing. He denied his Lord!
e) Why such an inflection of emotion and commitment for a very short time? Early the same night, he expressed his bold commitment. Just a short period of time –eight or nine hours –the atmosphere of Peter’s commitment was changed. From bravery to cowardice. Why?
f) Well, we understand that Peter’s circumstances leading him to deny the Lord:
1. Were very unexpected.
Ø It would be so unbelievable that everyone has turned their back against Christ and His disciples. Peter would not have thought of it. He even tried to find refuge in a group of people warming themselves around a campfire. But they were not friends anymore, and no longer friendly to the band of Jesus. Peter was astonished, and was caught by surprise.
Ø But, the fact that Peter was one of the closest disciples of Jesus, it would be improbable, if not unthinkable, for him to be surprised of this world’s mistreatment to Jesus and to them as His disciples. Christ had already predicted it to happen. He heard it right from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus said to them once: “The world will hate you as the Son of Man was hated by it.”
Ø “There shall come tribulations; you shall be persecuted,” Jesus promised. A promise that we don’t want to claim!
Ø As Christians and followers of Jesus, we should not be surprised when hardships in any form come our way as we serve the Lord. They are promised to come as we follow Jesus.
Ø Later in his life, Peter learned that and wrote to all of us saying in chapter 4, verse 12 of his epistle, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes for the testing of your faith.”
2. Were so untimely.
Ø Peter was emotionally tensed and perplexed. He’s not ready yet for another “big fight”. But, you know, he himself had created his own perplexity. Christ had already told them about his suffering and death, yet he refused to agree and believe the words of Jesus. And there was time that he even rebuked Jesus about it. Had Peter believed the words of the Lord, he would have been ready to face any untoward circumstances consequential to the arrest of Jesus.
Ø Much of our confusions are our own making springing from our obstinacy to follow our own way. If only we were in constant agreement with God. I mean, that we agree with what He says, living in complete obedience to His words, there would be no perplexity but peace. We would be ready for any “big fight” in the spiritual arena of our life.
2) The reason of his downfall
a) Where did his downfall rest?
b) Peter had a robust personality. He’s outspoken, downright, and very aggressive. Psychologist could easily point out that he is extroverted. He’s a man of passion, a man of courage, a man of determination and a man of action. He had a very remarkable personality; he had the character and the qualities one needed to be a leader, to succeed in any endeavor, or to surmount any obstacle. But, he failed! You know why, because he trusted in himself. He thought he can do it all by himself. This is the danger of having a strong personality or having sufficient resources in hand. We tend to trust in ourselves. Psychology teachers (some professed to be Christian teachers) tell us the secrets or steps for success, one is “Gather your resources”. But Jesus said: “Do not bring any purse with you.” Who is right?
c) I am sad that some Christian teachers have placed personality with great importance in the ministry than the Empowerment, the Enabling, and the Leading of the Holy Spirit of God.
d) Personality is not an important issue with God.
e) The truth is: No matter what your personality is, God cannot be limited by it. It doesn’t matter whether you are introvert or extrovert, melancholic, choleric, sanguine, or phlegmatic, when you place your self in the hands of God, when you allow the Holy Spirit to permeate your whole being, you can be an effective tool in His work. He will use you to accomplish what He has purposed in His heart through you –and that is regardless of your personality.
f) Let us have an honest and truthful examination of ourselves! Are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Have we given ourselves fully to Him for empowerment? Are we following His direction?
g) Peter was so self-confident (Another psychologist’s step for success, but Peter failed). He did not even join Christ in prayer –in that most crucial hour of his master. Peter and all disciples would have been dreaming to win the whole world for their Lord, desiring to see that all nations worship Christ. But at Gethsemane, they’re sleeping! What shallowness! He failed!
h) Like Peter, we too would have dreamt to win the people around us, and if possible the whole world for Christ. We want to see great revival. We want our churches to experience great awakening. But we know that this can be possible only when we have the outpouring of the Spirit of Christ. But how can we experience Pentecost when we are shallow in our prayer? Friends, before Pentecost, there must be Gethsemane and Calvary. We can never expect the outpouring of the Spirit to come upon us, upon our churches, our ministries, bypassing the discomforts of Gethsemane and the bleeding of the cross. And we can never win the world with unscarred knees! There must be the agony of Gethsemane and the suffering of Calvary.
3) The result of his downfall
a) In Luke 22: 54-65, Jesus was already arrested and was brought to the house of the High Priest. Peter followed Him at a distance. And at the courtyard he met his downfall.
b) After Peter denied Jesus three times, the cock crowed giving the signal of his downfall. Then in verse 61, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. When their eyes met, Peter had realized something that pierced and broke his heart so badly that he wept bitterly. No, there was no anger or malice in that look. There was nothing to dread. It was a look full of love, a look full of compassion, concern, and kindness; but it was a very convicting look.
c) Peter was engulfed with awful shame to his Master. And the verse said, “He wept bitterly!” What a remorseful view! Of course because he denied his Lord. Because he failed his Lord. Because he cheated his Master. Because he disowned his faithful friend. That would be our apt response –we condemn him. But before casting your condemnations to Peter, why not pause a while and close your eyes. Picture Jesus in your mind. Now look straight to his eyes, he’s looking at you too. What is His eyes convicting you of? Is there something that you must be ashamed of before Him?
d) I don’t know, maybe a failure; maybe an act of disobedience; maybe a compromise; I don’t know, but you know about what Christ is convicting you now. C’mon get real! Be honest with yourself and with God.
e) Now he wept bitterly. He did not mind the reaction and opinion of the people around him any more. He came out from the life of denial and pretension to openness and reality.
f) Many people, even pastors, hide their real self –their feeling, their circumstances, their state, because they are ashamed and afraid of the opinion and judgments of other people. So they tried to appear joyful, contented, and victorious according to the expectations of others. But inside them is the dilapidating sense of failure, despondency, and exasperation. Many Christian workers (it’s my hope that none is among us) lived in constant pretension, not honest enough to realize and confess that he was burnt out, exhausted, bored, discouraged, defeated and have done something shameful in the eyes of the Lord. Repent!
g) Let us repent of our pride, our disobedience and our misplaced confidence. Let us repent of our shallowness, our hypocrisy and pretensions, and our lightheartedness over the task that God has given us.
h) Let us repent of our self-centeredness and our material oriented-ness!
i) Let us now unburden ourselves before the Lord. Let us now come out from the life of constant hiding to a life of openness. Lay down before God any feeling of discontentment, exhaustion and boredom. Lay down before the Lord any feeling of disappointment, discouragement and dryness.
j) Above all, let us ask the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon us, upon our churches, and upon our ministries. There’s no power without Him. There’s no victory without Him. There’s no revival without Him.
CONLUSION:
I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ANYMORE BUT REQUEST YOU TO STAND. CLOSE YOUR EYES. FOCUS YOUR MIND ON GOD, TO THE LORD WHO CALLED YOU TO SALVATION AND SERVICE. Look straight to His compassionate eyes. Do what he says. Confess, if there is anything to confess. Ask, if there is anything you want to ask. You don’t have to hide anything from God now. You don’t have to be afraid of the opinion and judgment of others. He wants you –you!
PRAYER:
Father, I’m tired of trusting in my resources, in my abilities, in myself. I’m tired of my self-centeredness, of my material-oriented-ness, of my shallowness and hypocrisy. I’m tired of hiding my true feeling: my disappointment, my dryness, my discontentment. I’m tired of a powerless ministry. Empty me from my self –and let the outpouring of your Spirit be upon me now.
