When Your Faith Falters
Sermon Notes
Intro
Good morning….great to see you….Today we’re continuing our Visible God series as we walk through the book of John. You’ve probably noticed that this year we decided not to do teaching series focused solely on Christmas. But the really cool thing about the Bible and the Christmas story, is that no matter what passage of Scripture you read or study it actually all relates to Christmas. And I hope that as you’re learning to read and study your Bible, you are learning to see how the thread of the Gospel is weaved through the every page. Christmas just happens to be a time when we really focus on the birth of Jesus, which is a major part of the Good News of the Gospel. But just like every story, there are two sides to the Gospel….two sides to the Christmas story. There is the good news and there’s the bad news. You may be thinking what’s the bad news of the Christmas story? I don’t recall anyone sitting around the tree talking about that. But today, our text from John 18 is going to point us to the bad news of Christmas.
Context
Bookmark Mark 14 and Luke 22 as well. I will reference several verses from both places. It’s all the same story, Mark and Luke just have some additional details that will be helpful. We saw last week the arrest of Jesus in the garden. The Jewish leaders and soldiers came and found Jesus and his disciples, Judas betrayed Jesus and he was arrested which set the trial and crucifixion process into motion. And we know that his disciples scattered as a result. They ran away, probably scared for their own lives and shocked by what was happening. This is where we pick up the story today.
The Word
15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.
17 Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?”
“I am not,” he said.
8 Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself.
19 The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.
20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered him. “I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews gather, and I haven’t spoken anything in secret. 21 Why do you question me? Question those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said.”
22 When he had said these things, one of the officials standing by slapped Jesus, saying, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
23 “If I have spoken wrongly,” Jesus answered him, “give evidence about the wrong; but if rightly, why do you hit me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it and said, “I am not.”
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.
Peter, Peter, Peter…..infamous for his denial of Jesus, but let’s dig in a little deeper and see what’s going on here.
It’s important to give Peter credit here because when all the other disciples scatter after Jesus is arrested, Peter follows closely behind the entourage because he cares about Jesus. He is committed to his Lord, and he wants to see what’s going to happen. Remember, he already tried to fight on Jesus’s behalf. He’s not a coward and he’s not willing to just go home and go to bed. He wants to see how things are going to unfold. But Peter isn’t the only disciple following Jesus. There’s another disciple who knows the right people because when they get to courtyard of the high priest, this disciple gets to follow them in because they know him. Some scholars believe this to be John himself, but there’s really no reason he would have had a relationship to the high priest. Others think it is more likely to be Nicodemus or perhaps Joseph of Arimathea, both men of prominence in the Jewish ranks, but who were followers of Jesus. Either way, when Peter gets stopped at the door by the gatekeeper, this disciple comes back and tells the girl keeping the door to let Peter in.
This is when his trouble begins, because the girl recognizes Peter. Jesus had been teaching in and around the temple all week long and Peter was always close by. If people recognized Jesus, they would have also recognized his closest disciples. But Peter isn’t expecting this, it catches him off-guard and he makes his first denial of knowing Jesus. I think we can break Peter’s denials into three different stages. The first is that Peter is afraid.
If Jesus was arrested why wouldn’t Peter be arrested? If the mob came after Jesus, surely his disciples were at risk, too. None of us can say with certainty that we wouldn’t have done the same thing. The ironic thing about Peter’s response goes back a few hours. Mark records a conversation that takes place after the Last Supper. Mark 14:27 says,
27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written: I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
29 Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
31 But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.
Jesus called it. He knew what was going to happen, but Peter was so insistent that he was ready to die with Jesus. I believer Peter meant what he said, but I think he thought his death would come by the sword as he fought to protect Jesus. This is why he reacted the way he did in the garden. He pulled his sword, ready to fight. Peter is bold, and a little cocky. He had great intentions. He was ready for the physical fight, but not the spiritual battle. In one moment he seems fearless, but just hours later he’s denying even knowing Jesus.
I also believe this is one reason Jesus got upset with Peter when he kept falling asleep in the garden rather than praying. He knew that Peter needed to be as passionate about fighting the spiritual battle as we was about fighting a physical one. Unfortunately, Peter’s over-confidence and hard head (he did argue with Jesus!) set him up to be caught off-guard when people recognized him. In that moment the fear for his personal safety took over. The fighter was frozen by the unexpected spiritual attack.
As Peter makes it inside, he’s now well aware that he needs to stay out of the spotlight. So he tries to blend in with the soldiers who are warming themselves by the fire while the High Priest and the Sanhedrin began to question and make accusations towards Jesus.
Instead of standing up with boldness (what we think of as normal “Peter” behavior), he’s trying to hide and blend in. This can be a good warning for us to be careful of the same….we should be careful not to hide in the shadows so no one notices us, we shouldn’t blend in with the culture so much that we look the same as the world. There should a difference between a Christian and a non-Christian. We should be in the world, but not blend in with the world.
As the story continues it’s important to remember that this scene is taking place over the course of a couple of hours…probably between 1:00 and 3:00 in the morning. I point that out because of what we read next in John 18. After this questioning, some of the people in the courtyard (who’s attention up until this point had probably been captivated by what was happening to Jesus) look over and recognize Peter again. But again Peter denies knowing Jesus. This time he’s not caught off guard. He’s had plenty of time to regain his courage and prepare for how he will answer if someone asks him again if he is a disciple of Jesus. But, apparently the answer he prepared is still to deny it. This second stage of Peter’s denial is shame. He is ashamed and embarrassed of Jesus, who is standing there not defending himself, not doing anything to stop what is happening. How can this Lord that he has given his life to for the past three years let everything come to this? What if Jesus isn’t really the Messiah? What will he tell his wife, his family, the other disciples? Everything is unraveling for Peter and he can’t handle the emotions of it all. I imagine Peter’s first detail with eyes wide open…like a deer in the headlights. I imagine this second denial with his head hung low….still in shock, but with his heart very heavy…wondering why Jesus isn’t doing something to make this stop. And then with his third denial his face becomes red and he responds with anger.
Mark 14:70 says, “After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”
71 Then he started to curse and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
At this point Peter just wants them to leave him alone! Everything is out of his control. The night is not going at all like he thought and he doesn’t even know who this Jesus is anymore…and what does that say about him? He’s mad at himself, he’s mad at Jesus, he’s mad at the people standing around. Can you relate to Peter in this moment? Have you ever been angry with God? Wondered why he isn’t showing up and doing something? Or have you ever felt so guilty over your sin that it just makes you mad at God, made at yourself, and mad at the people around you? This is exactly what the enemy wants from us because it pushes us away from God, and this is exactly what the enemy was hoping to get from Peter when he asked Jesus to for permission to test him. (Luke 22:31).
But then something incredible happens. Luke records a powerful detail to the story. In Ch. 22:60 Luke says,
60 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.
Can you imagine the dagger to Peter’s heart in that moment. Jesus hears the rooster crow and looks to Peter. As heavy as his heart is for his own situation and what’s coming, I believe he cared deeply for Peter and felt sorrowful for him. He was burdened over Peter’s sin,…which was literally taking place as Jesus is being accused and beaten for that very sin. Peter turned his back on Jesus, while Jesus was getting beaten on the back for Peter’s (and our) sake. A moment Peter will never forget! And it breaks him. Immediately he remembers everything that Jesus said. He remembers the warning, the argument, falling asleep in the garden, and he’s broken over his sin….and starts weeping bitterly. The word bitterly can be translated as violently….sobbing, shaking…right there in the courtyard.
There’s only ever two reactions to our sin….1.) we are repentant, or 2.) we are resistant. By that I mean, we are either broken over our sin and turn to Jesus, or we shrug it off as if it’s not a big deal. We make excuses, everybody does it, we justify our behavior. Peter was deeply convicted by his sin, but that conviction led to his repentance rather resistance. He didn’t get defensive and make excuses. He didn’t run and hide. He broke down and wept. We should mourn and even weep over our own sin, and then accept the grace and forgiveness that Jesus offers us.
When Jesus looked at him, it wasn’t to condemn him, it was to remind him that he loved him. He remembered all that Jesus had told him, even how he prayed for him for this very moment. In Luke 22, Jesus told Peter, 31 “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus allowed Peter to be tested, but he knew that his faith would be strengthened as a result. This became such an important moment in Peter’s growth that set him up for the what was to come. Peter’s faith faltered but it never failed. Sometimes we have to go through trials and tests because God wants us to grow and develop a greater trust in him. And when we fall down in those moments, we can humbly accept the grace and forgiveness of Jesus…just like Peter. We shouldn’t mistake conviction for condemnation, and we should be repentant rather than resistant to admitting our sin.
This is an incredible story of testing, failure, repentance, and restoration that points us so clearly to the human condition. I said earlier that this points us to the bad news of Christmas. The bad news of Christmas is that the Savior was born because we are in need of saving. We can’t understand and celebrate the good news of Christmas without the bad news of Christmas. Why would we celebrate the birth of our Savior if we didn’t understand our sinful condition that puts us in desperate need of saving? And Peter (and the other disciples for that matter), show us our human condition. We are weak, we are selfish, and we are depraved because of our rebellious, God-forsaking hearts. But there is the good news of Christmas! God knew our condition and came to put on flesh and live the perfect live we could never live. Jesus proved his power and faithfulness over and over. And because all the prophecies were fulfilled and God’s promises were kept, we can be confident that he will continue to keep his word. I want you to remember this today: You faith will falter but Jesus will never fail. You’ll get knocked down, you’ll take some steps backwards, but if you truly believe in Jesus then your faith will never fail because Jesus will never fail. He faced every temptation known to man. Satan put him to the test. But Jesus stood strong. He never failed. He never even sinned. This makes him the Great High Priest. He knows the troubles and temptations we face, and his blood covers even our biggest slip-ups and darkest sins. And if you are not a believer today, then you need to know that there is a Savior who is more than capable of redeeming your life and setting you on a new path. This is the great hope of Christmas. Jesus is looking you in the eye (like he did Peter), with compassion. He has paid the price for your sin, and he is offering you his grace.
We are just like Peter. You may never be at risk of arrest or crucifixion, but you will be put to the test by the enemy. You may never have a physical sword pointed at your head, but the flaming arrows of the enemy are aimed for your heart every day. We have to fight the spiritual battle everyday and guard our hearts. And we have to be quick to repent and accept forgiveness when we sin, not harden our hearts in resistance to it. And so I want to give you some practical lessons from Peter’s story for how to handle the spiritual attack…how to be prepared, rather than caught off guard. It’s a great time to evaluate our lives, identify some things we regret from the past year, but plan for what we can do differently in the next. Maybe all the chaos of 2020 really did catch you off guard, not only physically, but spiritually as well. We can’t change what’s behind, but we can, as Jesus told Peter, turn again and follow him. And, we can have a fresh perspective moving into 2021.
4 Lessons from Peter:
Be Humble
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for Peter was his arrogance. He was so sure that he would never stumble and deny Jesus that it caused him to do just that. He thought he was impenetrable so he didn’t armor up, and he also didn’t listen to Jesus’ warnings.
You may not see yourself as over-confident in your faith, but we all have blind spots and areas of weakness. A good question to ask yourself is, “If the enemy were going to take me out today, how would he do it?” In other words, where are you most susceptible to denying Jesus?
None of us are super saints. We are all prone to stumble. If we admit that and are aware of that, we will be much more likely to resist the temptation when it comes.
Author Jon Bloom says, “Facing and admitting our failures is one way Jesus teaches us what the gospel is. Our failures show us what we really are: great sinners. But that’s not what Jesus wants us to focus on. He wants us to look to the cross and allow our failures show us what Jesus is: a great Savior.”
We have to be real about the bad news in order to live in light of the good news. This is one reason being a part of Christian community is so important. Because a lot of time it takes other people who love us and speak truth into our lives to help us see our failures. We tend to have a high view of ourselves. Be humble so that you don’t get knocked off your pedestal.
The second lesson is to:
Be Prepared
This is similar to being humble, but takes it a step further. You don’t just see and admit that you have weaknesses, you do the prep work to prepare for battle. So often we go through life with our head down and then act surprised when difficulty comes our way. 1 Peter 4:12, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is coming upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.”
We’re going to see this more in Jan. when we study 1 Peter together, but it is an expected part of the Christian life to face the kind of testing that Peter experienced. God’s love for us is not shown by putting us in a holy bubble. He allows us to be tested so that our faith will be strengthened and we will learn to trust him more. Peter missed the opportunity to both listen to Jesus and to pray. But we can learn from Peter’s mistake. The only way to stand firm in our faith is to develop the daily practice of listening to God through his word (The Bible speaks directly to us…our code), and the practice of crying out to him in prayer. This has to be a regular/daily part of our lives because we never know when the attack is coming.
John McArthur says, “The strategies of Satan are not long, drawn-out revelations, they are fast-paced trip-ups when least expected.”
Be prepared. Put on your spiritual armor because the fiery arrows are coming your way.
The third lesson is to:
Be Confident
This may sound contradictory to our first point, but I’m not talking about confidence in yourself, I’m talking about confidence in God. When we bow before God and place our lives in his hands we can be confident that God will see us through any and every thing that we will face.
The fact is that every sin that we commit, every stumble in our faith ultimately comes from a lack of belief and trust in God. If I sin in my anger, in that moment I not believing God is big enough or good enough to handle the outcome of the situation and I need to take things into my own hands. If I find myself coveting or lusting after something I think I need to have, I’m not trusting that God really is enough for me and my satisfaction comes from him alone. If I’m anxious, I’m refusing to believe that God is sovereign over all. If I’m lazy, then I don’t fully believe that God has ordained this day for me and I’m not stewarding it well. If I’m a workaholic, then I’m likely playing God because I believe if I stop working things will fall apart.
We need to pray for a greater confidence in the person and work of God. Paul says in Philippians 4:9, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This means that if we believe in Jesus, then we can believe that every physical, emotional, and spiritual need is met through him. Simply put, God is enough.
Our confidence (or lack thereof) in God will determine how we move forward in our faith.
The last lesson is to:
Be Dependent
When we are confident in God, we can put our full dependance in him. It’s like the ‘ole trust fall. My kids like to do the trust fall, but as much as they trust me to catch them there are still times when they bend their knees because they just aren’t sure I’ll catch them. They’re scared to commit, scared to put it all on the table (or the floor in this case). The ironic thing about that is that when they bend their knees, that’s when they end up on the floor. Instead of falling into my arms, they sit down on the ground.
We can’t be foolish enough to think that we can stand up on our own. We will get knocked backwards, and if we can’t keep our legs straight and be dependent upon God, we’ll end up on the ground.
This is the beautiful thing about the story of Peter. He did get knocked down, but he learned from that experience and afterwards he showed a complete trust in Jesus. He became a living sacrifice and eventually a martyr for his faith because he saw and believed that although he had messed up, Jesus proved to be everything he said he was. Peter’s confidence in Jesus resulted in a complete dependance on him.
Conclusion
The question is, where are you in relation to Peter’s journey? Are you confident in yourself and refusing to listen to Jesus? Are you sleeping while the spiritual battle is taking place all around you? Have you been caught off-guard and now you find yourself ashamed or even angry at yourself and God? Or, are you broken over your sin and ready to put your complete trust in Jesus.
We will all go through each of these season….multiple times in our lives. Our human flesh is weak but we can remember that even though our faith will falter, Jesus will never fail.
To the non-Christian, choose the path of Peter and not Judas. Ask God to soften your heart towards him and to help your unbelief. See your sin for what it is, and admit your need for Jesus.
To the Christian, let that add a greater depth to your celebration of Christmas this year and let it also propel you forward into 2021 with a fresh outlook and hope for continuing to grow in your faith. Keep getting back up. Keep pressing on. Don’t let the lies and condemnation of the enemy keep you down. That’s exactly what he wants. But we are forgiven and free in Christ!
