Peter Wept (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Mark 14:72

Peter had big failures, but he also had big regret. He was not blind to his sin, and he wasn’t too proud to grieve over and repent of it. That is why there was hope for Peter. And that is why I fear there may not be hope for some of our churches. 

You see, we have big failures too. Our churches today are full of big failures, major sins. But there is no weeping. No regret. No repentance like this. When was the last time someone came forward in your church and anointed the altar with holy tears? When was the last time someone wept over their sins? When was the last time you wept over your sin?

It’s not that we don’t sin anymore. It’s not that our failures and our sins aren’t that big. That isn’t it. It’s that we just aren’t that moved by them. We explain them away. We think that sex outside of marriage doesn’t really matter, that divorce doesn’t really matter, that greed and all manner of worldliness doesn’t really matter. And, perhaps worst of all, we think that repentance doesn’t really matter. So, we just move on and expect God to forgive us.

But sin that hasn’t been repented of is a hindrance to your intimacy with God. Many of you aren’t as close to God as you used to be and you can’t figure out why. And it’s because of your sin. Sins that you willingly committed against God and haven’t repented of. It is holding you back in your relationship with the Lord.

So, allow yourself to be broken over your sins. Name them before your God and ask for His forgiveness and see if He won’t restore you to close relationship and usefulness to Him, just as Peter was eventually restored and used in amazing ways.

From So Very Right to So Very Wrong

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven...

Matthew 16:15-17

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. Peter, ever the spokesman of the group, boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. This was a big step of faith for Peter. It seems to me that the disciples all hoped Jesus was the Messiah. They may have even believed that He might be the Messiah. But they seldom said it out loud. So, even though it may seem obvious to us now, at the time I believe Peter was taking a big step of faith to so boldly declare that Jesus was the Messiah. And Jesus responds to Peter's faith the way He always responds to faith, He blesses and affirms it. 

But what I find interesting is that so very soon after Peter got it right he managed to get it really wrong. In verse 21 of the same chapter, we read that Jesus began explaining to His disciples that He would be rejected by the chief priests and would be killed and would rise on the third day. But Peter cannot imagine that the Messiah will suffer, so in verse twenty-two Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him saying, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Continuing in verse 23 "Jesus turned and said...to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'”

Peter went from bold faith to opposing God's plan in record time. This is instructive for us. If Peter can go from being so very right to being so very wrong in such a short span of time, then so can we. We must be careful!

If you are reading this, then chances are that you have spent a considerable amount of time in church. You probably think you are getting quite a bit about your faith right... and you very well may be. But don't think for a second that you can't be wrong. Don't think for a second that you can't fail spectacularly. 

We need to understand that we can be very right about a lot of things in the faith, and still be terribly wrong about others. We see examples of this every time a pastor of note falls into doctrinal or moral error. They had so much right that we thought it couldn't happen to them. But it did. And it can happen to you as well. So be humble. Guard against thinking that you have everything figured out. Don't you dare believe you can't fall. Make time to sit at the feet of Jesus and His Word every day. And as you do, submit yourself to God's truth letting it guide you and keep you on the right path.

That One Time Peter Told Jesus to Go Away (W.o.W. Rewind)

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Luke 5:8

Everyone wanted to get closer to Jesus. Once, while Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, the crowds pressed in on Him.  As the crowd inched forward I imagine Jesus' feet finally met the water. Seeing Peter's fishing boat nearby Jesus put it to good use. They put the boat out a little from the shore and Jesus sat down to teach.

When His sermon was over Jesus told Peter to go out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. Peter knows this breaks every rule of fishing. There is a zero percent chance this is going to work. Yet for whatever reason, Peter did it. The nets were so full of fish that Peter couldn't haul them in by himself. He called his partners over and they filled two boats so full of fish that they were both in danger of sinking. 

That's when Peter looked over at Jesus. This miracle that was tailor made for a fisherman had given him a glimpse of who Jesus really was. So right there in the boat, knee deep in fish. Peter falls down before Jesus and asks Him to leave. 

Peter's response seems odd at first. Everyone wants to get closer to Jesus. The crowds had been pressing in on Him. But here is Peter, enjoying next level intimacy with Jesus and wanting to get away. He's sharing a small boat with Jesus receiving personal miracles, and yet he's telling Jesus to get away from him.

But Peter's response isn't all that odd or unique really. Consider Isaiah's response when he entered God's presence in a vision. "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips..." (Isaiah 6:5). When God first spoke to Moses at the burning bush Moses hid his face in fear (Exodus 3:6). When the people of Israel heard God speak at Mt. Sinai from the midst of the cloud and the fire, they were so afraid that they told Moses not to let God speak to them anymore (Exodus 20:18-21).

The key to understanding Peter's response is in the second half of verse eight. Peter asks Jesus to leave him because he is a sinner. When Peter got a glimpse of who Jesus really was it made him more acutely aware of his own sinfulness. Far from a rejection of Jesus, Peter's statement is a form of worship. It's like he was saying, "I am unworthy to be in Your presence." 

When was the last time you felt unworthy of God? How long has it been since you were so moved by a passage of Scripture or so overwhelmed by the power of His presence in some place that you said to God "I am unworthy of You. I don't deserve You." This is the appropriate human response to entering God's presence. If we don't occasionally respond to God in this way then we have a problem. Either we think too highly of ourselves, we think too little of God, or we simply aren't seeing how good God really is. Take some time today to fall down before the holy God and declare yourself unworthy.

That One Time Peter Told Jesus to Go Away

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Luke 5:8

Everyone wanted to get closer to Jesus. Once, while Jesus was teaching by the Sea of Galilee, the crowds pressed in on Him.  As the crowd inched forward I imagine Jesus' feet finally met the water. Seeing Peter's fishing boat nearby Jesus put it to good use. They put the boat out a little from the shore and Jesus sat down to teach.

When His sermon was over Jesus told Peter to go out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. Peter knows this breaks every rule of fishing. There is a zero percent chance this is going to work. Yet for whatever reason, Peter did it. The nets were so full of fish that Peter couldn't haul them in by himself. He called his partners over and they filled two boats so full of fish that they were both in danger of sinking. 

That's when Peter looked over at Jesus. This miracle that was tailor made for a fisherman had given him a glimpse of who Jesus really was. So right there in the boat, knee deep in fish. Peter falls down before Jesus and asks Him to leave. 

Peter's response seems odd at first. Everyone wants to get closer to Jesus. The crowds had been pressing in on Him. But here is Peter, enjoying next level intimacy with Jesus and wanting to get away. He's sharing a small boat with Jesus receiving personal miracles, and yet he's telling Jesus to get away from him.

But Peter's response isn't all that odd or unique really. Consider Isaiah's response when he entered God's presence in a vision. "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips..." (Isaiah 6:5). When God first spoke to Moses at the burning bush Moses hid his face in fear (Exodus 3:6). When the people of Israel heard God speak at Mt. Sinai from the midst of the cloud and the fire, they were so afraid that they told Moses not to let God speak to them anymore (Exodus 20:18-21).

The key to understanding Peter's response is in the second half of verse eight. Peter asks Jesus to leave him because he is a sinner. When Peter got a glimpse of who Jesus really was it made him more acutely aware of his own sinfulness. Far from a rejection of Jesus, Peter's statement is a form of worship. It's like he was saying, "I am unworthy to be in Your presence." 

When was the last time you felt unworthy of God? How long has it been since you were so moved by a passage of Scripture or so overwhelmed by the power of His presence in some place that you said to God "I am unworthy of You. I don't deserve You." This is the appropriate human response to entering God's presence. If we don't occasionally respond to God in this way then we have a problem. Either we think too highly of ourselves, we think too little of God, or we simply aren't seeing how good God really is. Take some time today to fall down before the holy God and declare yourself unworthy.

The Sword vs. Prayer

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Acts 12:1-5

This is a dangerous time for the church. The last time Rome aligned itself with the Jewish religious leaders against the church it ended with Jesus' crucifixion. That was 11 years ago and around this same time of year. Once again the great superpower is pandering to the desires of its political base in Jerusalem. Herod Agrippa I has already beheaded James. Now Peter sits in prison awaiting a certain execution. It was against Jewish law for anyone to be tried or executed during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. If it wasn't for that, Peter would almost certainly already be dead. And once Herod has dispensed with Peter, what is to stop him from killing off the rest of the apostles too? What can the little community of believers do against the armed might of Rome?

The church finds itself facing a big problem. What will they do? Where will they turn?

First, let's look at what the church didn't do. They didn’t attack Herod. They didn't raise up arms to try to overthrow Rome. They didn’t start a petition or go to Herod and beg. They didn’t take up a collection to start a Peter Defense Fund or to try to bribe Herod with. As far as we know the church took only one action... 

The church prayed.

They prayed! They realized that only God could save. and they turned to Him, and Him alone, for help. This passage pits the power of the world against the power of God. Rome vs. the church, the sword vs. prayer. In verses 6-11 we find out that prayer prevailed and the power of God carried the day as an angel rescued Peter from prison. 

Make no mistake, the same war that was being fought in this passage is being fought in your life day-by-day. You aren’t fighting against Rome or the sword. You are fighting against someone else. The Bible tells us that you have a supernatural enemy, an accuser, a deceiver, named the Devil. According to Peter, this enemy is out to devour you (I Peter 5:8). He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is watching and waiting for you to slip up, to stumble, so he can attack. That means that as long as we live in this world, we will be under attack. 

If you aren’t facing some type of crisis today, then you will be tomorrow or next week or next month. If we call ourselves Christians then we must be certain that we know how to respond to these attacks. Our first response must always be to go to God in prayer. We must be firm in our conviction that God alone controls our fate. He alone can save us. So let me ask you, are you praying? Are you lifting up your situation to the Lord and asking for His help? If not...you really should be. 

The Other Parable about Two Brothers

"There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?"

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Matthew 21:28-32

She's not quite two years old yet but my daughter is already using the two words that parents everywhere detest. I've never actually seen any data on this but I feel confident that if a poll were taken parents would unanimously agree that the words "no" and "why" raise our blood pressure more than any others. My sweet little girl says "no" or "why" to nearly every instruction now, but that is only her first reaction. And as parents we are gently working with our little twenty-three month old rebel to help her understand our authority and our reasons for telling her to do certain things. Though it may take her some time to get there she is obeying remarkably often in the end. And as it turns out, that's what is really most important to her Heavenly Father.

In the story above, Jesus makes two points. Let's look at them each in turn. 

1. It isn't about what you say; it's what you do that matters. 
2. It's not about what you've done; it's what you've believed that determines how God sees you.

It's not about what you say. It isn't our words but our actions that ultimately matter to God. The Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking were experts in the Jewish traditions, in politics, in the law, and in one more thing: hypocrisy. Jesus said many times that God is not impressed with smooth speech or big shows. He wants ordinary, everyday obedience. This is the fruit produced by a changed heart. Is your Christian faith displayed in action?

It's not about what you've done. God doesn't care where your relationship with Him begins. He cares where it ends. It isn't your first state that matters but your last that is important to Him. Consider the Apostle Peter. He had many foibles, faults, and missteps. But upon His bold declaration of faith in Jesus as the Christ, Jesus began to prepare Him for a leadership role among the twelve. (Matthew 16:13-20) After denying Christ at His trial, Peter would repent and be restored. He would later become the first person to take the gospel to non-Jews. (Acts 10:1-11:18) History tells us that he died a martyr's death after a long and fruitful life of ministry. So don't worry about where you started or what you've done in the past. Don't even focus too long on where you are now. Look ahead to where you want to be in your faith when Jesus returns and begin moving forward in faith so you can be sure to end well. 

Here are some ways you can start doing, believing and moving forward in your faith in 2015. 

• Read your Bible. It's not too late to start a Bible reading plan to try to make it through the whole Bible this year. Invest in your own spiritual health in the New Year.
• Repent and believe. What sin is still hanging around your life holding you down in repeated patterns of shame? Believe that God has set you free from sin through Christ's death and resurrection. Repent of that sin and begin the arduous process of casting it out of your life for good.
• Commit to honesty and accountability. The church doesn't need any more believers who are too insecure to admit their struggles. Don't make yourself out to be holier than you are. Be honest with other believers so they can pray for and encourage you.
• Cast off shame. Refuse to be weighed down by the shame of actions that Jesus has already paid for. He didn't suffer for us and save us so we could wallow in self-loathing. Rejoice in the greatness of your undeserved salvation and get to work telling others your story.