Thinking About Peter
What’s the worst time that you’ve sinned? All sin is disobedience against God’s law but think about a time that you felt that you most disappointed God. Or maybe that time when you were most disappointed in yourself because of your sin. Some of you have heard my testimony about the time I missed a witnessing opportunity to a young lady outside of a sandwich shop by Vanderbilt because I was too busy for God. I felt pretty low that day. As you’re thinking about low points in your life, take a moment and become reacquainted with that emotion. How did you feel? What did you do about it?
The apostle Peter was well acquainted with this same feeling. He had spent several years under the discipleship of Jesus, and then celebrated the Lord’s final Passover meal, when Jesus reveal Judas as His betrayer. Peter was a fisherman by trade. He is often portrayed as a bigger man, and the Gospels reveal Peter as strong, quick to speak, and the first of the twelve to act. With that in mind, take a moment to read Matthew 26.
This is directly after the Last Supper! I’m usually on a mountain-top after the Lord’s Supper. I have examined myself and I feel close to the Lord. I’m sure that Peter probably felt similar. Then Jesus lowers the boom on him and tells Peter that he will deny Him not once, but three times. The understanding of Peter’s last denial is that Peter actual said something to the effect of “may God strike me down if I’m lying.” Then the scripture says that Peter wept bitterly. In this context, this is an act of repentance toward God. This was the godly sorry that is spoken of in 2 Corinthians chapter 7.
But that’s not the end of Peter’s story. We know that previously, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter that he would play an important role in the beginnings of His church. Peter repented of his sin, and began to proudly proclaim the Gospel, preaching the very first Gospel message in the second chapter of Acts. And guess what? About 3,000 people were saved that day.
What does this mean for us today? We all have sinned at some point in life and felt useless to God. But for those who are saved by Christ’s blood, His work through you is not over. Not near over. Have you denied Jesus? Have you resisted doing His will? Well guess what? The Gospel really is Good News to you! When we confess our sin and repent, the Word says that He is faithful to forgive us, just like He forgave Peter. And just like Peter, our Lord will use you to do a mighty work!
So, I encourage each of us to be in prayer about this, a continual spirit of prayer like we have prior to taking the Lord’s Supper. I regularly pray that God save the young lady who I didn’t witness to that day outside of the sandwich shop. I wouldn’t recognize her if I saw her, so there’s even a chance that he has used me since then to witness to her. Or maybe he’s used one of you. I won’t know about it this side of heaven, but I do know this – I’ll never miss another opportunity like that again. Christians are called to live in victory, not shame.
-Pastor Bruce