Bella Vista Church of Christ

06/02/2019 A.M.

Eternally Changed By Our Sin Failures

Luke 22.31-34 & 54-62

Go with me to Luke chapter twenty-two… We’re in the Upperoom… The night has been filled with excitement and expectation.

Jesus has observed Passover with the twelve.

He’s talked of a Kingdom coming… Then… Seemingly… Out of the blue He says… Simon… Simon… Satan has asked to sift you as wheat… I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail you.

Access a Worship Bulletin and let’s read the text together… Luke chapter twenty-two… We begin with the verse numbered thirty-one… “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” Now to verse 54… Seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said,“This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

It seems we’re all like Peter… We’ve all fallen… Violated our conversion… Have had to make things right because of our wrongs.

Yes… Most of us here know Jesus… Have acknowledged Him for who He is…

Repented of our sin failures… Been born again in genuine New Testament Baptism.

Peter had done this… Remember he acknowledged Jesus as the Christ…The Son of God… Back in Matthew16.16… Had followed Him 24/7 for three plus years.

But strangely enough… We hear Jesus say… When you are… Converted… Changed… Strengthen the church… Strengthen your brethren.

Indeed… It’s true… We, like Peter, are… Converted… Changed… Committed…Sanctified … Then Satan comes along and sifts us… Causing us to violate our faith… Even deny Jesus.

Scripture teaches us that… Like with Peter… Jesus is our advocate…In our failures…

• He prays for us…

• He calls us back to His side…

• Asks that we rededicate ourselves to the ministry of strengthening the church.

Like Peter… Our failures cause us to…

• See ourselves as we really are… Sinners in need of His continuing grace.

Grace is not a one-time event… Sinning and forgiveness are on-going… So must His grace be.

• In failure… We’re caused to understand again… What… Who… Whose….We are and What He wants us to be.

Church… God can and does use our sin failures to… Sanctify….Change… Restore… Shape… And mold our attitudes… Disposition… Behavior… Into the image of His Son.

This… Shaping… Molding… Remaking… Struggle is an ongoing process… It’s a daily struggle… It was for Peter and it is for us.

• Peter walked on water… But failed when he took his focus off Jesus.

• He was cocksure of his faithful discipleship… But denied Jesus.

Church… Where are we in this narrative?...Can we find ourselves in this event?

When arrested… Jesus was taken to the house of the High Priest. Being late at night… They build a fire in the courtyard and Peter sat among Jesus’accusers… And the arresting solders… Warming himself by the fire of Jesus’ enemies.

When identified as one of His followers… Peter begins to curse and deny Jesus… Not once… But three times saying… I never knew Him!!

No doubt it was pangs of guilt that caused Peter to look at Jesus…He shouldn’t have!!… Because Jesus was looking at him and the rooster crowed as Jesus predicted.

And the text says Peter left… Went out and wept bitterly!

What caused Peter to do such a thing?

What can we learn from Peter’s sin failures?...

First... We must be careful about following Jesus at a distance

Peter seems to want to be close enough to Jesus to see Him… And for Jesus to see Him... But not close enough for others to recognize that he is a… Follower... A Disciple... A Christian.

Peter wanted to be with Jesus...

• As He walks on water...

• As he raises Jarius’ daughter...

• As he feeds thousands...

• As he raises Lazarus...

• As he marches triumphantly into Jerusalem...

But not when discipleship demands he take a stand that is against political correctness.

Like us… Peter sings… Anywhere with Jesus I will gladly go… Anywhere he leads me in this world below

But now!!... He wants to remain unrecognizable… In the crowd... By the crowd… Any of us been there?

Indeed…Distant Discipleship… Our decision to walk in the world calls for… A heart change...Genuine Conversion... Restoration… Rededication.

I wonder how many times we compromise our faith walk with such distant discipleship?... Walking with one foot in the world... And one foot in the church?... A 110 percent faithful here in the building… But something less out there in the world?

Be careful with the company we keep.

Peter was Warming by the wrong fire.

When we repeatedly place ourselves in the wrong company… Anything can happen…And usually does!… And usually does!!

Paul tells us in First Corinthians 15.33... Don’t be deceived... Evil companionships... Evil communications... Evil company...Corrupt good morals... Corrupt good character… Every time… Every Time!!!

Peter was not a bad person… He intended to be faithful… But is wrongly influenced by the crowd... Here it is church...

• Following at a distance...

• Trying to remain neutral...

• Keeping the wrong company...

• Walking in the ways of the world...

Opens our heart up to Satan... Inviting him into our lives… Giving him an open door.

James gives us the remedy for such behavior… Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Thirdly we learn to… Never ignore God’s open door of repentance.

Peter denies Jesus three times… The rooster crows... OUCH!!

Was it coincidental... I think not!!!... It was the Divine Providence of God at work.

You see... God intervened in the life of one of His children... In such a way as to call him back to his senses... IF HE WAS WILLING!!

The rooster was saying… Peter, God is at work here… You have a choice… This failure doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship with the Christ you once confessed.

Church…This is not the first... Or only time such a thing has taken place... Nor is it the last…

• God prepared a great fish... Caused a storm... To call Jonah back to his senses.

• God dried up a brook to call Elijah back into service.

• He sent a Prophet to David with a story about a rich man and a poor man with a pet lamb.

Listen…I hope you believe that God is at work in your life… Providentially…

• Causing roosters to crow… Drying up brooks

• Opening doors…

• Calling us to a godly sorrow for our sin… Repentance…. Change… Rededication.

Eyes met eyes... And Peter remembered what Jesus had said... And he wept bitterly.

You see... True hearts... Genuine hearts... Are sensitive to the look of Jesus… Sensitive to roosters that crow… Peter was… and so must we be!!

Church…We must ask ourselves…

• Are we practicing Distant Discipleship?

• Are we keeping the Wrong Company?

• Are we ignoring the Providential Working of God in our life?… As He calls us to the open doors of… Repentance…Change… Recommitment… Re-engagement in Ministry?

I pray we are sensitive to these three concerns.

Well…What other lessons might we learn from this narrative?…

Number one… None of us is beyond the possibility of Moral failure.

Jesus said Satan will… Try you… Tempt you… Sift you.

Later in life… Peter would write… Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him… Stand firm in the faith.

Listen church… Better men than we… Great men of faith have felt his sifting…

• Noah got drunk… Exposed himself to his sons…

• Abraham lied allowing another man to sleep with his wife…

• Jacob was a cheat and thief…

• David committed adultery…Then killed a man to cover up his sin.

Temptation… Satan’s sifting… Comes to each of us... We dare not take his tempting lightly or for granted.

Scripture tells us that sometimes Satan even comes to us…

• In sheep’s clothing…

• As angels of light.

I think this says Satan may come to us in religious clothing… Tempting us with such behavior as…

• Judging others when we have a plank of sin in our own eyes…

• Like the Pharisees…Setting ourselves up as doorkeepers of orthodoxy… Making rules where God has made none.

• Sometimes we become conceited in our own self-righteousness.

Behaviors that Jesus plainly taught against.

This brings us to our second point… Satan attacks at the point of our strength.

The last thing Peter ever dreamed of was that he would deny Jesus.

Six hours before this denial… Peter insisted… I’ll follow You regardless… I’ll never deny You.

But… Sadly… Suddenly… Swiftly… Unexpectedly… The opportunity is presented… And the boldest of all disciples falls… Denies the One he had just pledged eternal faithfulness.

It was Paul who reminds us… If you think you are strong…Standing firm… Be careful that you don’t fall!

Then…If we will allow… Failure reshapes our character.

Maybe we’re like Peter… Guilty of thinking that life is all about me…

• I am strong…

• I was raised in the church…

• I’ve been a member of the church for years…

• I’m Church of Christ University or Preacher School educated…

• I know the truth…

• I’ll never fall… REALLY?… OH REALLY???... Indeed… They used to sit right there… And there… And there… Remember!!

How many do we know that Satan has gotten to with this kind of thinking?

• Never again would Peter believe in himself and his own power like he did that night.

• Never again would he presume that he is better than his brother disciples.

• Never again would he be so cocky and self-confident.

Listen…How about us?... Will we allow our failure to… cleansE us… Change us… Mold…reshape… and remake us… As did Peter?

• Will we regain or resign our faith because of our sin failure?

• Will we allow our failure to make us bitter or better?

• Will we allow failure to make us eternally ashamed or will it push us into Kingdom boldness?

• Will our sin failure prompt us to re-confess Jesus… Proclaiming Him in our own Pentecost opportunity as did Peter?

Church…Are we learning from our failures?... or…

• Do we try to excuse them?…

• Hide from them…

• Even deny them?

Here it is… God touches our broken places using our failure to make us better people… stronger in the Lord… Amen?

This leads us into number four… god stands ready to redeem our mistake.

Did you notice Jesus’ words… When you are converted… When you turn back… Not if… but when…Jesus had more faith in Peter than Peter did in Jesus.

Doctors tell us that a properly set broken bone is made stronger than before the break…

Likewise…

• Peter’s guilt brought him to a better understanding of grace.

• His shame gave him a greater symphony for others who fail.

• His failure led to a greater faithfulness.

Reminds us of Jesus’ words at Simon’s House… He who is forgiven little loves little…He who is forgiven more loves more.

Peter was a different person after this incident…

• He lost his vanity…

• Pride…

• Self-confidence…

• Rash impulsiveness…

• Unfaithfulness in confessing Jesus.

He gained humility…

A new confidence in God and His Son Jesus…

He gained a new brand of courage.

Listen church… God is ready to redeem and reshape our character in our failures if… IF we will allow it!... Amen?

Well…We must stop…

• But this narrative tells us that there is HOPE for the FALLEN…

• There can beFaithfulness after failure

If Peter can fall… Anybody can fall.

You and I can and will fail… Today… Tomorrow… What will we do with our sin failures?

Peter is telling us… Don’t dispair… God still loves you no matter what you’ve done.

You see…

• No sin we’ve committed is beyond His grace to forgive…

• No sin is so ugly that God cannot use it to reshape us into a better person.

So…Where are you and your preacher in this narrative?...

Have we given our life to Jesus by… Faith… Confession… Repentance… Obedience in New Testament Baptism?...

Are we confessing Jesus daily by the way we live?…

Are we allowing God to remake us into the image of His Son by using our failures to reshape our character and our daily walk?

Accept the challenge to confess Jesus daily as we stand and sing this song together.