Peter's Repentance (Matt. 26:75b)

 

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 26^th 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

 

 

PT-3 "Peter's Collapse" (Matthew 26:69-75a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/6/2024 9:05 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                          Focus:  PT-3 “Peter’s Collapse”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75a

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times.’”

 

            Now as we begin this SD by looking at the end of verse 71 we read another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."  She did not say this directly to Peter, but it seems that she obviously was seeking to humiliate Peter by saying what she said.  Than after that we see an unidentified man also join in the accusation, saying, “You are one of them too!” (Luke 22:58a).  Now this time Peter not only lied but did so with an oath, as he hoped to reinforce the deceit.  MacArthur writes “A Jewish oath was always assumed to be made in God’s presence, whether or not His name was invoked.  In effect, therefore, Peter called God as a witness to his lie.  Angry, frustrated, embarrassed, trapped, and frightened, Peter desperately tried to hide his identity and especially his association with Jesus.”  I have to believe that all of this was truly hurtful to the Lord, and even though He prophesied that this would happen, it still, to me, was very painful to the Lord.

 

            What Peter was doing was going against the very grain of his nature as a child of God as he vehemently refused to acknowledge his relationship to his Savior and Lord, and this was in my opinion due to fear on Peter’s part.  Yet at the end of his life Peter would watch his wife being crucified for the cause of Christ and then Peter would be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy of being crucified the same way that his Lord was crucified.  That was then and this is now as Peter persisted in arrogant self-reliance on not knowing the Lord and oh how this would in just a few minutes hurt him deeply.

 

            MacArthur writes “Determined to stay near his Lord despite the embarrassment and danger, Peter perhaps drifted across the courtyard toward Caiaphas’s wing of the mansion, hoping perhaps to discover how the proceedings were going.  By this time Jesus had been declared a blasphemer and was being beater, spat upon, and taunted (see Mark 14:64-65).  Because at one point Jesus was able to look at Peter (Luke 22:61), it is possible that much of Jesus’ abuse was witnessed by Peter and others in the courtyard.

 

            “Probably incited by the events they saw transpiring in Caiaphas’s chambers, the crowd intensified its dogging of Peter.  A little while later, which Luke specifies as being ‘after about an hour’ (22:59), the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely you too are one of them; for the way you talk gives you away.’  Peter’s Galilean accent was readily recognized, and he was cornered again.”

 

            John tells us in his account of this that Peter was also recognized by sight.  One member of the crowd was a slave of the high priest and a relative of Malchus, the man “whose ear Peter cut off.”  Having been among the multitude who came to arrest Jesus, he said to Peter, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” (John 18:26).

 

            Now at this point Peter hit rock bottom in his emotions, and in his being as he still refused to either claim or rely on Jesus, he dug himself still deeper into denial as he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!”  MacArthur adds “Katanathematizo (to curse) is a very strong term that involved pronouncing death upon oneself at the hand of God if one were lying.  In perhaps the most serious taking of the Lord’s name in vain that is conceivable, Peter said, in essence, ‘May God kill and damn me if I am not speaking the truth.’  Omnumi (to swear) was a less extreme pledge of truthfulness but was nevertheless a strong affirmation.”

 

            As we look at this event we can see that Peter has lost all sense of reality and seemingly all awareness of God.  Comparison of the gospel accounts we can see that they reveal that there were three periods of incidents of accusation and denial ant that each incident involved repeated accusations by the members of the crowd and they repeated denials by Peter.  As the accusations became more specific and incriminating, Peter’s denials became more intense and extreme.

 

            It was even “while [Peter] was still speaking’ (Luke 22:60), immediately a cock crowed” a second time” (Mark 14:72).  At this time also we see that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:61), and this happened apparently through a window that was overlooking the courtyard.  As Jesus looked directly at Peter this look must have penetrated the disciple’s very soul, burning deep into his heart and conscience the evil of his sin.  Seeing his Lord standing there with His hands bound and His face covered with spit and bruises was more than Peter could bear.

 

            MacArthur concludes “As if that visual indictment were into enough, while he stood transfixed, suffering the most excruciating pain of his life and he looked into his Lord’s eyes, Peter also remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” As Jesus’ remembered words augmented His gaze, Peter’s already unbearable anguish was made still more unbearable.”

 

            Peter will learn and know that the Lord forgave Him as seen in the 21^st chapter of John when Jesus asked Peter three times “Do you love Me.”  Knowing you are forgiven and yet feeling the pain of denying the Lord because of your sin is still very painful.  It was for Peter and it is for all believers since then. 

 

7/6/2024 9:46 AM 

PT-2 "Peter's Collapse" (Matt. 26:69-75a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/5/2024 7:57 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                          Focus:  PT-2 “Peter’s Collapse”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75a

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times.’”

 

            Now as we look at the words of the servant girl in other gospels they are slightly different which suggests she made the same basic statement on several occasions, and the fact that Peter denied it before them all indicates that many people in the crowd had heard her accusation.  Now the order of the denials also seems to vary among the four gospels, which could be explained by the writers’ reporting  different aspects of the three incidents of Peter’s denial, each of which may have lasted several minutes or perhaps even longer as the involved considerably more dialogue than is recorded in the Scriptures. 

 

            As we look at Luke 22:57 which says “Woman, I do not know Him, and then to the others (them all) who had been listening, “I do not know what you are talking about.”  The truth is that Peter had been called by Christ, lived with Him, learned from Him, and witnessed thousands of miracles performed by Him.  He was not a young or new convert but the veteran of three years of very intensive discipleship and was the leader of the Twelve.  However this intimate friend who only a few hours earlier had vowed to die before he would forsake Christ now denied even knowing Him.  I have to say ashamedly that I have lied on occasion and when that has happened there was a pain that went on in my mind, as it came from my conscience, and that is truly an uncomfortable pain.

 

            MacArthur writes “Had Jesus commanded Peter to physically stand beside Him and defend Him whatever the cost, perhaps Peter could have mustered the courage for such a heroic display.  He had, after all, drawn his sword and started to take on the entire retinue of soldiers and Temple police singlehandedly.  But he stumbled when a much less dangerous demand was made of him.  He may have planned how he would defend himself if confronged by soldiers in the courtyard, but he was totally unprepared when caught off guard by the much less threatening challenge that now faced him. He was prepared to do battle on his own terms but not on Satan’s and much less on Christ’s.  Because of his self-assurance, he had neglected the Lord’s admonition to be on guard and to pray.  Consequently he was vulnerable to a blind-side attack from a source he never expected.”

 

            Now as I quote more from MacArthur’s commentary he talks about believers today or it could also be about earlier believers in the church age.  “In much the same way, Christians can plan detailed strategy for evangelism or for the defense of a cherished doctrine or moral standard, only to be confronted by an issue or circumstance they had never considered and for which they are totally unprepared.  Like Peter, we often carefully prepare on the basis or our own wisdom and resources while neglecting the guidance of God’s Word and the empowering and leading of His Spirit which He provides through prayer.  

 

            “Peter was like Elijah, who was brave when facing the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, but who, after he left the mountaintop of victory foundered in fear over what one woman, Jezebel, might do to him.  Peter was a living illustration of Paul’s admonition ‘Le him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall’ (1 Cor. 10:12).  In the courtyard his valiant protestations were no longer heard, and the arrogant hero shivered into a cringing coward.  His self-preserving instincts prevailed, and his boldness evaporated.

 

            “A person’s involuntary response to the unexpected is a more reliable indicator of his character than his planned reaction to a situation he anticipates.  It is when we are caught off guard that our true character is most likely to show itself.  Peter’s proud self-confidence was his Achilles’ heel, and that, of course was precisely where Satan aimed his arrow of temptation.  Peter’s stubborn trust in himself and his unwillingness to fully  trust in the Lord made him vulnerable to the simple taunt of a young servant girl.

 

            “To escape embarrassment, Peter inconspicuously ‘went out onto the porch’ (Mark 14:68), which apparently was near the gateway.  He probably walked away slowly so as not to attract attention or give the impression he was running away after being caught in a lie.  The porch, or vestibule, was the second warmest place in the courtyard, protected by a wall in back and a roof overhead.  Perhaps Peter wanted to be nearer the exit in case a Temple officer tried to arrest him.  It was also darker there, and he would less likely be recognized than by the fire.  But despite his precautions, a little later’ (Luke 22:58, another servant-girl saw him.’”  And with that I will end this SD, but Lord willing will pick up more in my next SD.

 

7/5/2024 8:31 AM

PT-1 "Peter's Collapse" (Matt. 26:69-75a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/4/2024 9:56 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                          Focus:  PT-1 “Peter’s Collapse”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75a

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times.’”

 

            It may seem like a problem as at the first reading, the gospels seem to give contradictory accounts of the first phases of our Lord’s trial.  Let us look at John 18:13 “and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”  John is reporting here that Jesus was first taken to the house of Annas, the former high priest, whereas Matthew speaks of His being taken to the house of Caiaphas, who was the son-in-law of Annas, the ruling high priest at the time as seen in Matthew 26:57 “57 The men who had seized Jesus took him off to Caiaphas the High Priest in whose house the scribes and elders were assembled.”

 

            This seeming discrepancy can be easily explained as MacArthur writes “In the ancient world it was common for several generations of a family to live under the same roof.  It is therefore likely that the palatial mansion of the high priest had been enlarged over the years to accommodate Annas’s five sons, who had successively served as high priests, and now Caiaphas and his family.  Large homes of that day backed to the street, with living areas facing a private, inner courtyard.  With such a layout, Annas and Caiaphas would have had separate ‘houses,’ or wings, of the manor while sharing a common courtyard.  Consequently, the courtyard of Annas, of which John speaks (18:15-16), and the courtyard of Caiaphas, which Matthew mentions (26:57-58), were the same place.  When Jesus was transferred from Annas’s house to Caiaphas’s, He was imply taken through the common courtyard or perhaps through a connecting passageway.”

 

            Peter was following Jesus, but got to the gate and could not go any further.  However we read in John 18:16 “but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.”  I have to believe that it was John who spoke to the doorkeeper as John never mentions his name in the gospel that was written by him.  We really don’t know how long John was there, but as mentioned he was the one who got Peter into the courtyard.

 

            Jesus had told all of the disciples, including Peter what the outcome of this trial would be, but he desired to go in and see for himself, something that I believe that he wished later on that he would not have been there, but this was prophesied that it would happen and so Peter went in, not only to fulfill the prophecy but because he wanted to be there.

 

            I will end this SD with a quote from MacArthur’s commentary:  “By the time Jesus appeared before Caiaphas, it was probably about 1:00 A. M. While Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, ‘with the officers, and warming himself at the fire’ (Mark 14:54), a certain servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You too were with Jesus the Galilean.’  The term Galilean was frequently used as an epithet of derision by citizens of Jerusalem, who felt themselves superior to their less sophisticated neighbors to the north.  To refer to someone as a Galilean was to suggest he was backward and unprogressive.”

 

            This same kind of thing happened in the neighborhood that I grew up in as many of the people living there were from Ohio, while some moved in from West Virginia and were at times looked down on.

 

7/4/2024 10:28 AM   

           

PT-3 "Intro to Matthew 26:69-75"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/3/2024 10:02 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-3 “Intro to Matthew 26:69-75”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

 

            I want to finish the steps which caused Peter’s denial of Christ as we looked at the first two in yesterday’s SD.  Peter’s third step toward denying Christ was prayerlessness, which was a manifestation of sinful self-confidence.  As we look at the life of Jesus Christ on earth He had a constant prayer life with His Father.  Dr. Wiersbe writes about what “Prayer without ceasing” means as he states that one has to keep the phone off the hook.  He wrote that when the majority of people had land lines, not cell phones.  Jesus always had the phone off the hook, and in this case Peter did not.

 

            MacArthur writes on this subject:  “When Jesus took Peter, James, and John farther into the garden and left them to watch and pray while He spoke intimately with His Father, all three of the disciples fell asleep.  When he found them asleep, Jesus addressed Peter as leader and spokesman of the Twelve, saying, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?  Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation’ (Matt. 26:40-41).  The Lord went away to pray privately two more times, and each time Peter and the others fell back to sleep (43,45).  Jesus had just warned them that ‘the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’ (41), but they felt no weakness and saw no need to be watchful or prayerful. Because they did not take seriously the Lord’s warnings about their deficiencies and frailties, they did not take seriously His admonition to be prepared and strengthened.  Self-confidently trusting their own judgment above the Lord’s, they were indifferent to His call to prayer.”

 

            Now we look at the forth step toward denial and that was Peter’s independent, self-generated impulsiveness.  It does not take too long to find this characteristic of Peter in the New Testament, and I know that the Lord was putting up with it because of how He planned to use Peter especially after His return to heaven. 

 

            Peter sensed no need to ask the Lord’s advice or help, he took matters into his own hands.  This can be seen as soon as the Roman officers laid their hands on Jesus that Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of the slave of the high priest, and make no mistake Peter was aiming for his head.  Jesus and also the others were taught by Jesus that it was the Lord’s will for Christ to go to the cross, to suffer and die and then be raised from the dead.  (Matt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19)  Peter just refused to believe it as remember when he said “Not so Lord.”  After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples Peter was a different person and understood the reason why Jesus had to go to the cross, and that was to pay for the sins of the world.

 

            Now we move to the last, the fifth step towards Peter’s denial of Christ which was his compromise in allowing himself to be in a place of spiritual danger—such as the courtyard of the high priest—where his faith might be tested above his ability to resist.  MacArthur adds “The Lord’s promises not to allow His children ‘to be tempted beyond what [they] are able’ (1Cor. 10:13) and ‘to rescue the godly from temptation’ (2 Pet. 2:9) do not apply to willful disobedience.”  (That is a really good point to understand.)

 

            He goes on “Peter could not accept the word of the Lord because he was so controlled by his ego and self-sufficiency that he felt infallible.  And perhaps because he had just seen the entire multitude suddenly fall at Jesus’ feet (John 18:6), he also felt invincible as long as the Lord was nearby.  If Jesus could miraculously save him from drowning when he tried to walk on water (Matt. 14:31), He could protect him now.

 

            “But again Jesus had to tell Peter he was out of God’s will and pointed out to him how foolishly presumptuous he was to think that He, Jesus, needed to depend on Peter for safety (Matt. 26:52-53).  Well-meaning and humanly courageous as he was, Peter continually placed his self-centered human understanding above the Lord’s divine revelation.  His own human will was a barrier to obeying the Lord’s will.”

 

            We will look at two subjects about Peter’s denial as we finish this last section of the 26^th chapter of Matthew, a chapter that we began looking at on the 6^th of April this year.  “Peter’s Collapse” and “Peter’s Repentance” are the two sub-sections we will be looking at and the first one will take us the longest to get through.

 

7/3/2024 10:52 AM

PT-2 "Intro to Matthew 26:69-75"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/2/2024 9:12 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-2 “Intro to Matthew 26:69-75”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

 

            I mentioned at the end of my last SD that I would quote a paragraph from John MacArthur’s commentary which I have had trouble with and I am sure that all believers from time to time have too.  “Every Christian at times comes before the Lord overwhelmed and broken by the awareness of his sinfulness.  A person who never has such an experience either is very cold spiritually or is not a Christian at all.  Nothing is more shattering to a believer than suddenly realizing he has denied the Lord by what he has said or not said, done or not done.  And yet nothing is more exhilarating to him than knowing God’s gracious forgiveness of the unfaithfulness after it is confessed.”

 

            Now let us think more about Peter and why it was that he had denied the Lord at this particular time.  This denial was not merely a spontaneous response to unexpected danger or embarrassment, and the reason is because Peter had already laid the groundwork for defection.  Or if we use another metaphor, Peter had taken many steps toward denying Christ before he even entered the courtyard of Caiaphas. 

 

            Now we will begin to look at these steps, and the first step was his boasting when he said in Matthew 26:33 “even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (Matt. 26:33).  When Peter spoke those words he not only revealed unfounded confidence in himself but he directly contradicted what his Lord predicted that all the disciples would fall away that very night as seen in verse 31.  This was based on his feelings of self-confidence and devotion to Jesus that Peter considered himself incapable of disloyalty.  He could not imagine anything that would cause him to waver, and not even the Lord’s explicit prediction could convince him otherwise. Peter was certain he had come to the place of spiritual maturity with his priorities which were straight, his convictions that were steadfast, and his faithfulness invulnerable.  So it was therefore inconceivable to him that he could be capable of defecting from the Lord.

 

            Next we will look at his second of five steps that caused him to deny the Lord, and that was insubordination, manifested in his defiantly persisting to reject Jesus’ assessment of him.  It was even when the Lord had singled him out and predicted that he not only would flee like the others but would deny Him three times before the next morning dawned, Peter blatantly contradicted Him and continued to defend his own faithfulness.  Peter said the following in verse 35 “Even if it means dying with you I will never disown you," said Peter. And all the disciples made the same protest.”  Now we will look at Mark 14:31 to add more to this subject:  “But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also.”

 

            Here is the problem as MacArthur describes it:  “Peter did not take seriously the voice of the living God he confessed with his mouth, and he rejected and resented His reproof.  Like many believers since, he proudly refused to submit himself to God’s Word and Spirit.”

 

            As I think about the reasons that Peter fell as he denied the Lord perhaps the chief reason would be pride.  Pride is a sin that everyone from time to time has committed.  This usually happens after a great victory while serving the Lord, and then one thinks that they are invincible and immediately falls because of pride.

 

            I hope to look at the last three reasons why Peter fell and denied the Lord three times in the next SD which will then finish the introduction to these verses.

 

7/2/2024 9:46 AM

PT-1 "Intro to Matt. 26:69-75"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/1/2024 9:58 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-1 “Intro to Matthew 26:69-75”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 26:69-75

 

            Message of the verses:  “69 All this time Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maidservant came up to him and said, "Weren’t you too with Jesus, the man from Galilee?" 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." 71 Then when he had gone out into the porch, another maid caught sight of him and said to those who were there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath — "I don’t know the man!" 73 A few minutes later those who were standing about came up to Peter and said to him, "You certainly are one of them, it’s obvious from your accent." 74 At that he began to curse and swear — "I tell you I don’t know the man!" Immediately the cock crew, 75 and the words of Jesus came back into Peter’s mind — "Before the cock crows you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

 

            I begin this SD with what is probably the most important message that has ever been stated, and I will quote it from John MacArthur’s commentary, although this is not the only place that you can find it.  “The single greatest gift God could conceivably give to mankind is the forgiveness of sins.  Without forgiveness, there could be no salvation from sin, no reconciliation with God, no spiritual life, no victory over death, no prospect of heaven.”

 

            MacArthur entitles this 17^th chapter in his fourth commentary on the gospel of Matthew “The Restoration of a Sinning Saint.”  In this section we will be looking at the three times that Peter sins as he denies His Lord three times while waiting in the courtyard of the high priest’s house.  Jesus said that he would do this, but Peter said that he would rather die than do it.  In the last chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus talks to Peter as He asked him three times “Do you love Me?”  Peter got a bit upset because of being asked this three times, but the three times were asked by Jesus because of the fact that Peter denied Him three times.  Peter would understand this later on in his ministry for the cause of Christ.

 

            When I think about the Lord forgiving all my sins I am truly astounded by this truth.  I suppose that too many unbelievers this means little to nothing to them.  However to me I believe this truth but sometimes I have a hard time living like I believe it and the reason has to do with a guilty conscience.  Before I became a believer, and I have mentioned this recently I had a hard time saying a sentence around my friends and co-workers without swearing.  It began when I was very young, perhaps ten years old.  I went fishing with some older friends and because they were younger I wanted to impress them and I thought the way to do this was to swear, and that began this terrible sinful habit that lasted until the 23^rd of January in 1974. I believe that when I became a believer that God did a miracle for me, actually two miracles, and the first one was to save me and the second one was to clean up my mouth.  Not only did He do this but He took the desire to swear from me, and for that I am thankful.  I have mentioned that I had other issues that He did not take away from me like the swearing one, and I believe like my wife has said that if God took all sinful habits away then perhaps pride would come in, but also I would not try to stay close to the Lord in my walk with Him.  Romans 8:28 comes to my mind as I think about this:  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV).  

 

            The following is how the Lord revealed Himself to Moses as found in Exodus 34:6-7 “6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7  who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."  The prophet Micah proclaimed, “Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity?” (Mic. 7:18).  Next we look at what the apostle John declared, “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7,9).

 

            I conclude this SD with a quotation from MacArthur’s commentary “Peter’s denial of the Lord is usually looked on as a great tragedy, which it obviously was.  But viewed in the light of Peter’s repentance and the Lord’s gracious forgiveness, the story also brings great encouragement.

 

            “In all the history of redemption, few saints have fallen to the depths of sin and unfaithfulness that Peter did in denying Jesus.  Yet few saints have been so powerfully used by God as Peter was after he repented and was restored.  The account of his denial is a sobering testimony to the weakness of the flesh, but it is also an encouraging testimony to the power of God’s grace.  Even in the extremity of His children’s sin, the Lord is there to forgive and to restore.”

 

            I will pick up in my next SD to quote another paragraph that goes along with some of the struggles that I have from time to time.

 

7/1/2024 10:38 AM