Peter’s Collapse (Part B)

Maybe we'll get the wrong result. Maybe someone will cast me alike that I don't care to be casted something like that. I can say when I was in the world. I don't recall ever being ashamed of Christ. I don't recall ever.

Not wanting to tell people about him denying that I was a Christian, nor have I as a pastor. What I I do understand this that you can experience something that is so perplexing you become afraid this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio. Specifically, you can get a free copy of this teaching that lets join Pastor Rick as he continues with his message called Peter's collapse in Mark chapter 14 you don't have to be a coward to fail. Jesus part of you could just flesh can do it without cowardice. If anyone if Christ had walked out and someone had smacked the Lord in the face in front of Peter, do you think he would've gone beast mode. I have a doubt it would've been run over my dead body moment.

Unfortunately for Peter. This should've been an on over my dead body moment to refusal to deny the Lord.

Is this opportunity and he doesn't take it.

He would not have just sat there and watched his enemies abuse. Lord, but the flesh is making a fool of him and the result of fighting spiritual war and natural in the natural is a natural disaster. The lesson that we are getting the emphasis Christ is making. How many of you this week have failed to fight spiritually. Some natural event.

How many of you say will I fight spiritually.

I pray and I still get the feed yes but you fighting spiritually, you will not delight, deny the Lord in that in that strength in that fight. Peter he is collapsing under the weight of pride and profound confusion. Again, a confusion that is difficult for us to relate to having not walk with Jesus personally 3 1/2 years than see him arrested and carted away. How how would I get my head around that later. Peter would write in the spirit be clothed with humility.

First Peter five is writing to Christians who are persecuted as he is feeling right now. He says be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble nice quoting Scripture, but he's also lived that Scripture out it's not just the Bible quote he's saying I once was not humble and I paid for it yet here I am and I am here to teach and to suffer not just to teach. I believe that pastor should teach the work as I believe the Bible teaches that I believe the pastors are supposed to be in harms way because the Bible teaches that I believe savage wolves will come into the flock, not sparing it. If there is no Shepherd in the spirit and I believe that they that if the and in doing that.

The pastor is going to take bites and scratches.

He's going to get them in the back on the lake and wherever else the wolves can get him and I also believe that Christians should have the same kind of courage and same side kind of zeal for the interest of the Lord would love but also with this understanding that this is what it calls for to defeat the work of Satan in verse 72 a second time the rooster crowed and Peter call to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, behold, the rooster crowed before the rooster crows twice, you will be part of me, you will deny me three times and when he thought about it, he wept.

I'm gotta go back and read that whole verse again.

You of what happened is mentally.

I looked and I said I'm only 20 minutes into this, usually by 28 minutes. I met 45 minutes.

Verse 72. I want to reread it now, a second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times and when he thought about it, he wept, well-adjusted day-to-day thing for me if I fall behind in my devotions and I have a have a place in my mind how much I want to get rid of my personal devotions, not my study time. Not my sermon time, but they might just personal time and sometimes I lag behind because it's the Lord's fault, of course. But anyway then I'll catch up after a sermon and think that was the first I was looking for what that's what I wanted to say that's what I should've quoted there's a lot of frustration there and assist the recall of the Scripture and for Peter on certainly more intense level of that's what happened.

What's happening here is now recalling the rooster moment. Why didn't he remember when he got to the courtyard that this was that I was going to baby and maybe could've those well-equipped numbers. Once Larson is going to happen is going to happen, but we the lessons we draw from that as well. If it were me and I give it wasn't carved in stone that I would avoid it by staying at close to what God had spoken back to Peter. Here in verse 72. He is brave enough to hear the rooster crow as if he was hiding under a rock somewhere.

Equipment been any of the rooster crow so is important to me as I wrestled with this all weekend long. Is this the kind of you know, this dynamic between him being a coward and being afraid and they're not the same thing that how you know what I learn from this because I come across times in my life and what I am afraid for Christ. I don't want to say something that may be somebody is maybe it will get the wrong result. Maybe someone will cast me in a like that.

I don't care to be Kasten something like that.

I can say when I was in the world. I don't recall ever being ashamed of Christ. I don't recall ever.

Not wanting to tell people about him were denying that I was a Christian and nor have I as a pastor but I am I do understand this that you can experience something that is so perplexing you become afraid and give your personal example since I got so much time left. Thank you very much.

So as you know some of you know my background was in steel construction heavy steel was working on a particular job, Long Island, New York. It was a place where they were there building a plant to burn trash for the trucks would dump trash in this enormous pit. These overhead cranes would pick up the trash and dump it into the furnace and it would burn it all up and then they would recover the ash and recycled into ash. Get yourself a gallon of ash. Anyway, so this is why why am saying that is because of they know a simple straw high-rise were bridge say they're kind of straightforward, but these plants they weird because the house all this goofy equipment overhead cranes and it's all stuff and this is hard to work on these things of your climbing around steel like a monkey so still got some of that anyway the print it, it had snowed few days before and that meant we can't quit and work in the butt. So when it snows you go, you stay home and then the temperatures rise above freezing in the snow melt a little bit and then it freezes again a nice night you got ice on the steel and you go to work the next morning, which we did this… I see it there when you guys want to do. It was a little too bad will will will go to work and so we went to work will wallow on one of which 65 feet in the air might partner and I and the crew working to cranes is giving us the pieces dealing with putting them in place and I could see him out the corner of my eye giving a signal to the crane, which do but I did rub it in his face because humans got killed but I would like to rub it in his face and say I was right you are wrong. I don't mind sharing you how my flesh stinks because I know yours does the same thing but anyway then I look over to the crane operator and then out the corner of my eyes see him falling and tumbling like a ragdoll and a you hits the ground. He does survive this. He loses his spleen because he was careless the joke you lose it. How'd you lose your spleen.

I was careless. I couldn't remember where I put it anyway. So yeah, I know some of you is what time you got here you not awake yet.

So anyway, Mark was, as Mark falls hits the ground.

I'm praying for them all the way down, but I'm still stuck up on the steel I'm and is nothing under me, but him the ground 65 feet. I'm saving myself and what do he felt there was a narrow crevice to pieces of steel and assist. So what I'm telling you is I was confused that he step one of being in a piece of ice caused him to slip what happened in a few seconds. I lost eye contact with him so took me forever to get down because it was this fear of I want whatever happened to him to happen to me. I started to slide down the column which was typical but I'm thinking if that things got.

I saw this could happen to me to so my point is I don't know I'm back 20 years now working on buildings by my God, my point is fear when you don't know what's going on it it it can make you afraid doesn't make you a coward, but it does unravel you. It does take the nerve out makes his truck think way it just goofy way.

So when I got to the bottom. One of the guys said what took you so long, like man servant girl you are one of what took me so does he know I should just slid down the column. The 65 foot worth of columns, but again, I'm thinking men those things. I stop on the going that way. I should've gone that way. I thought about it often. So when I come to this section of Scripture I can identify with Peter being I know what to do. No is been unraveled and this was a true disciple who failed at a critical moment which makes it so important for me. Again, no pass. Matthew chapter 10 Jesus said whoever denies me before men, him. I also will deny before my father who is in heaven what are we doing something like this are clearly that's not the unpardonable sin mixed into it to go to your death. Denying Christ is unpardonable. That is the rejection of the Holy Spirit, whose work is to testify of Christ and salvation that he brings in who he is. This was a dismal failure for Peter and had he died in this state would've been a giant? Over his head. Christ wants us to know these things, a dismal failure with an amazing recovery. It was not unpardonable because he repented his tears with the beginning of that repentance. P. He did this was made right. This failure was not so far outside of our failures. Maybe you've been somewhere and you just you know you knew you were supposed to speak up on for Christ and you did not review denying the Lord that he gets a little sticky, does it not well then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said to him, there's the complete collapse of at that moment, it says, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times the third of the second trial of the rooster alone was not enough to dismantle that was not enough, there was something else that went with the fulfilled word of Christ. What was that it was the face of Christ. Luke tells us that Luke chapter 22 verse 60 Peter said, man. I do not know what you are saying immediately. While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord how you had said to them, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times to be no point in putting that in there that Jesus looked at Peter and this Peter, look at Jesus. At the same time there had to have been that I to I contact Simon was not looking away.

It may have been too painful for Peter to even repeat Mark chapter 14 verse 30 Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times, but he spoke more vehemently if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. They all said likewise in all of this is crashing down on him. His bold speech and failure to carry it out is over estimation of himself to fight in the spirit.

The look of Christ. What about that, what was that finally get all it was and I told you Peter Noller does not did not. A bruised reed he will not break smoking flax. He will not quench.

She's not petty it's not how could you, how could you filming what he know Christ who is going to fail him, and he knew how he could me know that you're all about it and certainly was not Peter, you coward, one pastor of old, says the look may have been more like this. Why are you wounding yourself Peter. That's closer to the character of Christ that I know you know the woman where your accusers you when it came, we caught her. We caught her in the act. They were bloodthirsty Christ sort of writing in the sand. We don't know what he was writing. I get the my thinking is, he was just ignoring them because he knew they were full of baloney and that's being polite I I you know, we read that in the Lord says after he exposes them for their hypocrisy and injustice. He says to the woman, where are your accusers, and she says Lord their God, and I have not and he says neither do I accuse you go and sin no more. So why would I think that the crisis that look that he has anything but love and promise a Peter probably would've been carnally better off in Christ been angry with him. What was that look of love and so we read and when he thought about it, we cannot dismiss the significance of that it is large how many Christians how many times we don't think about things you know I don't want to be so into Scripture that I have no joy in the song and I don't want to be such a songbird Christian that said that's all I've got a good music not right on the audio I don't be that Christian I I want the balance the blend in all live without. One of the other of the spirit is with me this when he thought about it in the Greek is closely translated says one Greek scholar. This way when he threw his spot upon it feelings were made servant to the word of Christ.

At this point in Peter's life. All his feelings had to line up behind what Christ said in the face of Christ, the countenance the Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, lift up his countenance on you and that's that countenance that Peter saw and hating himself for the thing he was not able to be all we been there to see what were not able to be and I think I got some mail this morning from a mega-church somewhere. Mega churches always make me feel like I'm failing to get all the money to be able to do this and that.

What am I doing well and they could, you know they could be no dressed up in hockey suits or something on Sunday mornings doing everything wrong that the hockey just you don't want to church a baby coming with hockey mask and stop but it doesn't matter. We have to face alive who we are and what I have to add this it's taken me years to understand what I am built for is a Christian and what I'm supposed to be doing and once I got there so liberating. It's so nice to know this is what I'm support. I was an usher in New York. I knew that this is what I was supposed to be doing and I loved it. I love this to well sometimes I do love it as much, but usually to someone else to blame is better for me that way anyway. He wept. Matthew adds wept bitterly.

The Greek so when the Lord wept at the grave side of Lazarus.

We read Jesus wept. That's a different Greek word for wept there there it means in the Greek that he shed tears here, as when he looked at Jerusalem and wept over Jerusalem it means to burst out in tears, bawling, wailing, heavy crying, you know the one where you need you just don't have enough dishes and this is what was happening for Peter. He burst into tears. The angel will single out Peter, the extraterrestrial messenger of God will send by the women, Matthew and Mark 16 will get to it sometime in the future but go, tell his disciples and Peter. He is going before you into Galilee, and there you will see him as he said to you, singling out, singling him out what you did. Peter was not unpardonable we can fix this.

It was unpardonable for Judas Judas never came back in second Samuel, when the woman of Toccoa came to King David. With this elaborate story that Joab had made up to try to get David's banished son out of Moab, where he was in exile in back to Jerusalem, she says in her story, for we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up yet God does not take away a life, but he devises means so that his banished ones are not expelled from him. That's Peter's story.

There none of us live for Christ. Naturally, if you think you can live for Christ. Naturally, you don't get it.

You don't understand what it means to be born you.

We use the word born again, but the Greek is also born from above.

Is this something is a spiritual feature to our salvation that is absent from every other salvation you know the books like the Koran, for example, distal prophecy in their this and certainly no no proofs of what is written there whereas you come to the Scripture and is prophecy all over the place.

Much of it already fulfilled and much of it still to be fulfilled, and in our own day.

If you are a valid Christian. It is because you know how to hurt you have struggled you have suffered in Jesus name and you are you've learned to pray in front of Phil time with prayer.

Jesus, as I mentioned, intending to rebuild this collapse. This servant looks gospel records, when Peter Peter was warned. The Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren and all that happened this faith failed.

It faltered, Judas, by contrast, his faith failed. Christ knew that Peter would recover and was a part of it.

And thus we read the New Testament letters Paul talking about Christ at the right hand of God interceding for us.

And there he is interceding for Peter you're never suffering alone. You Christians. You are never alone in your suffering. You may think no one understands, no one knows, there may be some truth to that. I can't speak for everyone, but most of the time someone else's likely praying for you to because that's how big the Holy Spirit is anyway in acts and in first Peter and throughout church history. Those impacted by the life of Peter. We will see that the it is a victory in Christ.

Peter fails again at Antioch when when James sends up hit school heart up to and yet James the brother Lord, the writer of the epistle to James. He was a it was a problem for for for Paul and when Jake and it's very clear in Galatians chapter 2 that they came from James to spy out our liberty and 10 Paul laments even Barnabas was taken by them. Even Barnabas would it hurt Paul and my point is a P was Peter the same time Peter is going to fail again.

But then he'll recover from that to we don't see Paul feeling too much and he just was a dynamo.

So if you are afraid of intellectuals, very smart people, you better. Thank God for men like Paul. The Bible is filled with very smart men like Isaiah you read the prophecies I this guy new places in geography and language. He was just a sharp cookie, and then we have the fishermen have the apostle John is just a fisherman that wrote like a poet anyway. The cleansing tears of Peter he dies in the end, of course and speed as Jesus told him he would Peter when you're older going to take you to where you don't want to go and he was talking about his crucifixion is lionlike. Courage is forged by faith.

So closing now. Like all of us. Peter was strong when he could not see the temptation coming and he was weak when it appeared move.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com what you there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast that that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Reiki on cross reference radio