SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/7/2024 7:36 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “Peter’s
Repentance”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
26:75b
Message of the verse: “And he went out and wept bitterly.”
I have mentioned that I began looking at the 26th
chapter of Matthew on April 6, 2024 and I hope to finish looking at this chapter
today July 7, 2024 so that is a day over three months looking at this one
chapter, but this chapter has a lot of things in it as we have seen.
When a person sins like Peter did and is a true
born-again believer then that is really not that true person as we see in Peter’s
denial of Christ. However in his
repentance the first stage of which was deep remorse we once again to see the
true Peter as he becomes broken because of his sin, and Peter finally realized
the sin that he had committed, and so he turns from it in revulsion. Like Judas, he fled into the night, however
unlike Judas, he returned to the Lord in faith.
His faith had slipped and weakened, but it was genuine faith unlike
Judas’ faith, and so Jesus Himself had prayed that it would not fail as seen in
Luke 22:32 “but I have prayed for you, that your
faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your
brothers.’”
MacArthur writes “When the magnitude of what he had
done finally dawned on Judas, he experienced great regret and a kind of
remorse. He probably wished he could
live the last three years, and especially the last few hours, of his life over
again. But he had no change of
heart. He had never repented of his sins
and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, and therefore, contrary to Peter, Judas
had no faith to weaken. Jesus could not
hold Judas because Judas never belonged to Him.”
Peter was overwhelmed by his Savior’s
love and grace and by his own sin and unfaithfulness, so Peter went out and
wept bitterly. Where he went is not told
and how long he was there we are not told.
It is possible he returned to the Garden of Gethsemane where he was
suppose to pray but instead slept. Wherever
it was it became a private place of confessing sin and seeking forgiveness.
MacArthur writes “Peter’s tragic
experience in the garden teaches a profound lesson about self-trust and
unpreparedness and about God’s forgiveness and restoration of a sinning
saint. Although the awareness probably
did not come to the disciple until his anguish subsided, he had learned never
to distrust Jesus’ word again. In
finally dawned on him that what the Lord said would happen would happen.”
Now just became the Lord forgave
Peter does not mean that he did not go through a dreadful time, and it
certainly would have been better if he had listened to the Lord and relied on
Him rather than on himself. Forgiveness
is needed when a believer sins, but the results of the sin are still
there. For instance if a believers
decides to get drunk and the result of that ends up with a broken arm, the Lord
will forgive him but the arm is still broken.
MacArthur goes on “It was not until Peter
saw the Lord’s face and remembered the Lord’s words that he came to his senses,
acknowledged his sin and helplessness and repented. His sin did not make him repent. Many people are very much conscious of sin in
their lives, readily admitting its reality and its consequences. But until it is surrendered to Christ for
forgiveness and cleansing, the mere acknowledgement of it will only drive a
person deeper into despair and hopelessness and even deeper into sin. Forgiveness and restoration come only from
turning from sin to God. That is why
true preaching and teaching of the gospel is not simply calling people to turn
from their sin. It is lifting up the
Lord Jesus Christ so that, in His righteousness and grace, sinful men not only
will discover the heinousness of their sin but also the only pope for its
removal.
“The Lord made good His promise that
Peter’s faith would not fail. After
appearing to the disciples several times after His resurrection, Jesus three
times questioned Peter about his love for Him, Just as Peter had three times
denied that love. And just as he had
thrice denied his love for Christ, Peter then thrice affirmed it (John
21:15-17).
“Many years later, near the end of
his life, Peter no doubt still remembered vividly that experience in the
courtyard. The tragic event was probably
in his mind as he admonished fellow believers: Beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest…you
fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:17-18).”
7/7/2024 8:09
AM
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