In the sermon 'The Fall of Peter,' Jason Dohm examines Peter's denial of Jesus in Matthew 26:69-75. The sermon discusses the painful reality of Peter's threefold denial, particularly after his earlier confident declarations. The narrative highlights the Bible’s focus on Jesus, with Peter as a prominent character in the Gospels. Dohm outlines Peter's journey, from his initial meeting with Jesus, being named 'Rock,' to his various actions and statements throughout the Gospels that reveal his impetuous nature and deep involvement in Jesus' ministry. The sermon emphasizes the distinction between God's testing, which aims to mature believers, and Satan's temptation, which seeks to destroy them. Dohm explains that salvation does not eliminate human weakness or the need for God, illustrating this through Peter's overconfidence, subsequent laziness, and eventual denial. The sermon also contrasts Peter's denial with Judas’ betrayal, suggesting different motivations and outcomes. Dohm highlights the importance of recognizing sin’s progression and the necessity of prayer and vigilance to avoid temptation. Ultimately, Jesus’ restoration of Peter after his denial is emphasized as a testament to God’s grace and the possibility of redemption and growth even after failure. The sermon encourages believers to rely on God for strength and to recognize His sovereignty in their lives, leading to spiritual maturity.

Please join me in reading our sermon text for today, Matthew 26, starting at verse 69, going to the end of the chapter. Now Peter said outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you're saying. And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, this fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, surely you also are one of them for your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "'I do not know the man.' Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly. Oh, let's pray. Our Father, I thank you for your Word. Where would we be without it?

We would be left to our own thoughts and our own ways. But you, O God, have taken pity on us and have left us with higher thoughts and higher ways in the form of this great deposit, Your Word. And You've shown us what You think about so many different things and You've given us so many examples that can be fruitful in our lives when they are used by the Holy Spirit. God, I pray it would be so of this text. You would press these things upon our hearts, O God, and that we would see what a disciple of yours is capable of and it would make us fear in our hearts, fear you and run to you for strength.

God I thank you for the opportunity to be your people and to gather around your Word and to consider it. I pray that you would bless. Bless the preaching of your Word today. In Jesus' name, Amen. The title of the sermon today is The Fall of Peter.

It's some of the most difficult verses to read in the Bible in the sense that it's just painful to read, particularly after the overconfident declarations that Peter has made earlier in the chapter. Now to see Peter under pressure denying Jesus, not one time, not two times, but three times, is hard even to let your eyes rest on the words, particularly with how it ends with his bitter weeping and the regret that comes out of these few hours of Peter's life. The entire Bible is about Jesus. From Old Testament law to the Psalms to the prophets to the Gospels to the epistles that were written by the apostles, all of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is about Jesus. How much more so these four gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are particularly about Jesus in a special way, recording his incarnation, taking on flesh, taking on the form of a servant, and talking about his life and his death and his resurrection.

But after Jesus, Peter is the most prominent character in these four Gospel accounts. And I don't even know who you'd put in third place. Peter is such an obvious choice for second place in prominence in the Gospels. I don't even know where you'd go after that. There's a distant third somewhere, and I don't even know who it is.

But Peter is so prominent in all four Gospel accounts. And the name Peter is not going to be used again from now until the end of Matthew. So we've been encountering Peter by name almost in every chapter of Matthew but this is it for Peter. We're not going to see him again. We may mention him again because the other gospel accounts have him running to the grave after his resurrection.

So he'll probably be mentioned by name in another sermon, but Matthew doesn't mention him again. And so, I'm going to take this opportunity to review what we know about Peter to this point in his life, because we're coming to a man in this courtyard and it's a man in context. We know a lot about Peter. Much has been said in all the Gospel accounts, but as we've studied through Matthew bit by bit, we keep encountering him. We know quite a bit about Matthew.

You have to start though outside of Matthew when you talk about Peter. You have to start in John 1. In John 1, John the Baptist is with two of his disciples and He sees Jesus walking by and he says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. These two disciples of John the Baptist, having heard that, follow Jesus. And Jesus spends time with them.

One of these two disciples of John the Baptist is Andrew, Simon's brother. And Andrew goes back and he tells his brother Peter, We found the Messiah. And so Andrew brings Peter to Jesus. It's the first time Peter ever meets Jesus. And the first time he ever meets him, Jesus changes his name from Simon to Cephas, or Peter.

And he changes this man's name to Rock. Okay, so the first time we ever meet Peter, Jesus is changing his name to Rock. Now fast forward to the courtyard. And the rock, Peter, is going to deny his Lord three times. So we've seen that Jesus has prophetically changed his name, but Peter hasn't become a rock all at once.

And he's not without his stumbles. The second time we encounter Peter is actually in Matthew 4. In Matthew 4, it's Sometime later, we don't know how much later from this first encounter in John 1, but it's later. And Peter and Andrew, his brother again, are fishing in the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus comes and he says, follow me and I'll make you fishers of men.

And at that time they leave everything. They leave their father, and they leave their business, and they become disciples of Jesus. We see Peter in Matthew 10. Matthew 10 there is a list of the 12 apostles. Listen to Matthew 10 verse 2.

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. First Simon who is called Peter. And then the rest of the names are listed. And if you Look at the listing of the disciples. Anywhere you can find a listing of disciples.

There's actually four. There's Matthew 10 which I just read. There's Mark 3. There's Luke 6. And there's Acts 1.

Those are the four listing of the 12 apostles. Every single list, first name, Peter. And so in Matthew 10 verse 2, when the list starts out and says, first, Simon who is called Peter, that's not just first on the list, it's meaningful that he's first on all four of the list. Because you see that Peter, even though he's never given a title, a special title, that he's always the most prominent. He's the first among these equals.

In Matthew 14, the disciples are in a boat, they are struggling on the lake and Jesus comes walking by. On the water, they are in the middle of the lake, Jesus comes walking by. They think it's a ghost. Jesus says, it's me. Peter says, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water.

And out of the boat he gets." And this is very representative of Peter. We see Peter willing to do things the other disciples, the other apostles aren't willing to do or don't think it's a good idea to do. We see that Peter is a man of action everywhere in the Gospel accounts. This is what we see. Peter is a man of action.

Of course Peter gets out of the boat and he's walking on water and then he sees the winds and the waves and he starts to sing and he cries out. Jesus ends up saying, oh you of little faith, why did you doubt? The man who got out of the boat to walk on the water, Jesus says, you have little faith. That should make us think about our own faith. In Matthew 16, there are three things that happen in quick succession, back to back to back.

First, Jesus asks the disciples, who do people say that I am? And this is Peter's great confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. That's exactly how he answers the question. It's Peter and he says, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus acknowledges that Peter has answered rightly and then Jesus says, You are Peter and on this rock is name, on this rock I will build my church and I will give you the keys of the kingdom.

So Jesus is saying that Peter is going to be one of the foundation stones of the church And so it is when we look at the book of Acts, when we look at the epistles, it's just what Jesus has said. Peter is a foundation stone, one of the foundation stones, all the apostles are foundation stones of this early church. But Jesus singles him out in Matthew 16. Then the third thing that happens in this chapter in Matthew 16 is that Jesus begins to talk about his suffering and his death and his resurrection and Peter can't see it and Peter actually rebukes Jesus and says no this is not going to happen and Jesus looks him right in the eyes and he says get behind me Satan. And so chapter 16 is so representative of the New Testament testimony of Peter.

We see these great triumphs often followed right on the heels of some of the most spectacular crashes and burns in the New Testament. He has a very wide scope, Peter does, from the worst crashes and burns to some of the greatest triumphs. It's all in Matthew 16. Then in Matthew 17, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up to a mountaintop and Jesus is transfigured before them. He actually meets with Moses and Elijah who have been dead and gone for hundreds of years, but they show up on this mountaintop to speak with Jesus.

And Jesus is transfigured, his face shines like the sun, and Peter not knowing what to do and being a man of action says, Oh, it's good that we should be here. Can we make shelters for you? And the text says that while he was still speaking, God the Father interrupts him. He's saying something that is so silly that God just interrupts him. This is my son in whom I am well pleased.

Hear him. Stop talking. Hear him. In Matthew 18, it's Peter who asks the question, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Seven times.

And Jesus then goes on to tell the parable of the unforgiving servant, which is so valuable because it teaches us the weight of sin that God forgives to those who come to Him and repent. In Matthew 19, Peter says, see We have left all to follow you Jesus, what then shall we have? What are we going to get for having left all? At this point in the text you just have to say, he is going to get nuked again. Jesus is going to call him Satan again.

But it's not so, You don't get what you expect in Matthew 19. Peter says, we've left everything to follow you, what will we get? And Jesus looks at his disciples and says, in the regeneration, you'll sit on thrones, you'll judge Israel. In this life, for everything you've left, you'll receive a hundred fold and you'll inherit eternal life. And then in Matthew 26, Peter has been very involved in almost everything that's happened.

So this is our current chapter. We are up to current times now. Matthew 26, in verse 31, Jesus has quoted the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 13 verse 7 is what Jesus quotes in Matthew chapter 26 verse 31 where God through the prophet says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will scatter. And Peter says, not me.

Peter wants to argue with the prophet Zechariah and with the Messiah, the Son of God. Peter says, even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble. Then Jesus says, really, this is paraphrased, really, before the rooster crows you'll deny me three times. And Peter's not done arguing. He says, even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.

That's what makes today's text so painful to read. Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. Then they go out and it's their job to pray. Jesus is agonizing because He is being made sin so that those who trust him might be made the righteousness of God." And he is instructed his disciples to pray and Peter can't pray. He is just too sleepy.

And he goes to sleep. And in verses 40 and 41 of our current chapter, Jesus says to Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." So Peter is in the garden, it's late at night, he has a willing spirit, but he has a weak flesh.

But he needs to be praying so that he won't enter into temptation. Jesus knows the hour. Jesus knows what's getting ready to happen but Peter doesn't know. Or even if he does know he can't stay awake. But he needs to be praying that God would give him strength for the moment of temptation moment of temptation because it's coming and it's really upon him.

In verse 51, the armed crowd is laying their hands on Jesus to arrest him and Peter is out with the sword and he is cutting the ear off of the high priest's servant. So again, Peter is the man of action, isn't he? In almost every text, Peter is not waiting for events to happen to him. He is driving events. He is the first one doing things and so it is.

He has the sword out of the scabbard and he is cutting a man's ear off. Jesus tells him to put his sword away and he actually heals this man's ear. In verse 56 it says, all the disciples forsook him and fled. What does that mean about Peter? Peter is included in all.

All the disciples forsook him and fled, so Peter forsakes Jesus and flees. But with Peter, it doesn't last for long because in verse 58 it says that Peter followed at a distance. And now we find him in the courtyard. So this is the profile of Peter at least at this point in his life. Much more could be said, but these things need to be said as context for this text.

Because the man in the courtyard has a history and we know a lot about the history. Now the events of the text, what's actually happening here in the text. All four of the gospels have preserved the account of Peter's denying Jesus three times. It's here in Matthew 26, it's in Mark 14 beginning in 66, it's in Luke 22 beginning in 55, it's in John 18 beginning in 15. 15.

All of the Gospel writers have recorded that Peter denied Jesus three times. When you take these four accounts and you lay them on top of each other, you have some work to do to harmonize them and understand how they can all be true and how they relate to one another. But when you think of what's really happening, that each of these four gospel writers is compressing several hours, multiple hours, into seven verses. Most of them give about that much space to this account. Multiple hours into seven verses, you can easily see that each of them is just representing a certain part of the events of these hours in order to serve the purpose that they are writing for.

Not all with an exactly identical purpose. They all fundamentally have exactly the same elements to their accounts. That Peter is there in the courtyard, that he's pressed three times about his association with Jesus of Nazareth, and that each of the three times he denies Jesus. And then three of the four Gospel accounts end with Peter weeping bitterly. And each of those three use exactly the same words.

He wept bitterly. John for some reason doesn't record the bitter weeping of Peter. So Peter forsook Jesus in the garden but not for long. He follows behind. He follows at a distance and now he is in the courtyard.

And verse 69 of our text says, now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. This is not like Peter. This is not what we know about Peter. Peter is action Peter. He is an action figure, right?

Peter is the one doing and climbing out of the boat and reaching for his sword and offering to make booths for Moses and Elijah and Jesus. Peter is the man who does, not the man who sits in the courtyard waiting for things to happen. So you have to know that Peter was jumping out of his skin sitting there in the courtyard. It's cold and so the people in the courtyard have kindled a fire and they're warming themselves together around this fire. You get that from Luke 22 and Mark 14.

And around the fire, a servant girl looks intently at Peter across, he's in the fire light, and she says, you also were with Jesus of Galilee. And then in verse 71, the second approach to Peter, he is going to be called Jesus of Nazareth. So in 69 he is called Jesus of Galilee and in 71 he is called Jesus of Nazareth. And this is actually a fulfillment of a prophecy. Listen to Matthew 2 verse 23.

And Jesus came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene. And so it is here in the courtyard. They're around the fire keeping warm and the servant girl wants to associate Peter with Jesus and she says, you also were with Jesus of Galilee and in 71 it's actually Jesus of Nazareth. In John 1, Philip has been called by Jesus to be a disciple and he's gone to go get his brother, Nathaniel.

Listen to this, John 1 verse 46. And Nathaniel said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Nazareth actually has a reputation. It's no different here. Different parts of the company have different reputations.

You can think of backwood states that don't have that great of a reputation. If you wanted to insult somebody, you'd say they're from that backwood state. It shall remain nameless. But you know exactly which one I'm talking about and that is the point. And Nazareth is like that.

So much so that when Philip brings Nathaniel to Jesus, Nathaniel says, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? So in 69 when Jesus is from Galilee and 71 when he is said to be from Nazareth, these are not compliments. This is more than just describing where Jesus grew up. Peter denies it. Peter denies that he is with Jesus, but in a roundabout way.

Look in verse 70 how he denies this. I don't know what you are saying. I don't know what you mean. No oblo anglais. What?

He doesn't come out and say, I don't know Jesus. He just says, I don't even know what you're saying. He's trying to wiggle out. You see him in verse 70 trying to wiggle out. But it is a denial of Jesus.

And in verse 70 it says, before them all. So a servant girl has come directly to him and said, You are with Jesus, right? And He says, I don't know what you're saying, but he's saying it before them all. They're all around the fire warming themselves. Now Mark 14, it's interesting.

Mark 14 is an expanded account of what's happening here. Matthew has compressed it and he's leaving out things that don't serve his purposes. But Mark has got some different purposes and so he includes more of the detail. In Mark 14 verse 30, Jesus has actually said in the expanded version, in the fuller version, Jesus has actually said before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. So Matthew only talks about a single rooster crowing, But in the Fuller account, Jesus has said before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.

And then in Mark 1468, after the first denial, Mark records that a rooster crows. So Peter's been asked if he's with Jesus, he says, I don't even know what you mean, what are you even saying? And a rooster crows at that time. So this should hit the consciousness and the conscience of Peter now because Jesus has said before the rooster crows twice so we've already got a rooster crow after the first denial. I'd like to say something about Judas and Peter because Judas has betrayed Jesus and Peter is denying Jesus and they are both deeply sinful in what they've done, but they're also very different.

Judas, premeditated, has sought out the enemies of Jesus to betray him into the hands of these enemies. Peter, still sinning, no excuse, but Peter is backed into a corner he does not want to be in. Do you see that? And we're going to see where there's going to be much more talk next week about comparing and contrasting Peter and Judas. But they're in different boats.

Judas proactively sought out the enemies of Jesus to hand him, to deliver him over. Peter wants nothing to do. Peter can't get away from this fast enough. In fact, that's what we see. Peter clears out at this point.

First accusation, first denial, Peter clears out. Look at verse 71. And when he had gone out to the gateway, so I'm done warming myself by the fire and being asked uncomfortable questions. And he leaves that group and he goes out by the gateway. But he is not alone there either.

And in verse 71 another servant girl says, not to him but to those who stood by this fellow also was with Jesus at Nazareth." So do you see what's happening here? A buzz is being created. The first time it's a servant girl, she's coming directly to Jesus and she says to Him and then He denies it to everybody. The second time, it's not even said specifically to him. It's said to the people who are around.

This man was with Jesus of Nazareth. So a buzz is beginning to be generated in the courtyard. And there's an escalation happening here. You have to understand this about the text. There's an escalation.

First it was a servant girl saying it to him. Now it's a servant girl saying to those around, He was with Jesus of Nazareth. So things are escalating in the courtyard. And now, where before he was wiggling out of it, I don't even know what you're saying. What do you mean?

What are you even talking about? Now, he directly, in verse 72 says, I do not know the man! I don't know him! Not, I don't know what you're saying, I don't know what you mean, I don't know what you're talking about. But I don't know him!

And he does it with an oath. So there is an escalation of the charge and there is an escalation of the denial in the second denial. And he does it with an oath, meaning he calls God as witness. He calls God as witness. That is what an oath is.

In last week's text, I believe it was last week's text, The high priest put Jesus under an oath by the living God. So it's calling God to witness. As God is my witness, I do not know the man. That's what the text is saying when it says that he did it with an oath. So Peter who said that even if everyone else would be caused to stumble, even if he had to die with him he would not deny him.

Now it's the second time and he's calling God as witness that he does not even know Jesus. Verse 73 says a little later those who stood by came up a little later. In Luke 22, this is our passage in Luke that talks about the same events. In Luke 22 verse 59, it says, after about an hour had passed. So when you are reading Matthew it sounds like it is all happening in quick succession but that is not really what is happening.

Multiple hours are being compressed here. And Luke has been more precise in saying that a little over an hour has passed between the second denial and when this group comes to him. So now we're getting further escalation. So it's a servant girl comes directly to him and then the second time a servant girl doesn't even talk to him, says to the people around her, He was with Jesus. Now it's a group of people saying, you were with Him, your speech betrays you.

Now, I'm sure they haven't rehearsed and they're not saying this in unison. That's not what's happening. But it's the group of people. The buzz has continued and escalated. And now the whole group is saying You had to have been with Jesus you've got that accent that Galilean accent and it's the same here right is southern drawl a southern drawl So Galileans have a particular accent and they can tell Peter just by hearing him talk that he is from Galilee.

Listen to Mark 14 verse 59. Mark 14 again is the passage in Mark that is recording the same events. Another confidently affirmed saying, surely this fellow also was with him for he is a Galilean. So this time, the third time, somebody is confidently affirming. They are saying, they are not wondering, they are not questioning, they are confidently affirming.

They are declaring that He was with Jesus for He was a Galilean. Now listen to what John 18 says. John 18 is the account in the Gospel of John of these same events. John 18 verse 26, one of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him, whose ear Peter cut off, said, Did I not see you in the garden with him? These are not the friendly confines.

The courtyard of the high priest are not the friendly confines. You have armed men there, undoubtedly armed men. In fact, where some translations render it, the servants where there are other translations, take that same Greek word and translate it as guards. And so this third accusation against Peter, one of the people making this accusation is actually the relative of Malchus, this servant that had his ear cut off in the garden. A couple of hours ago, didn't I see you cut off the ear of my cousin?

Verse 74 says, Then he began to curse and swear. I do not know the man. Now, this is not profanity. This is not swearing up a blue streak. Cursing and swearing in New Testament language, in biblical language, means that he's taking an oath and he's calling God to bring judgment on his head if he's not telling the truth.

I don't know that man and I'm telling the truth. May God strike me if I'm not telling the truth. That's what it means when it says that he's cursing and swearing. It's not profanity. It's trampling on the third commandment and the ninth commandment.

The third commandment is, Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The night commandment is, do not bear false testimony against your neighbor. Don't lie. So he's doing both. He's trampling all over the commandment not to take the Lord's name in vain because He is saying, Oh, may God strike me.

May God judge me if I am not telling the truth, knowing that He is not telling the truth. Immediately the rooster crows. The rooster who answers to God Almighty and who is crowing for the second time. Did you know that roosters answer to God Almighty? Did you know that Roosters take their orders from God Almighty.

God is sovereign over every atom in the universe. He directs all things. He doesn't just foreknow them. He directs them. He causes them to happen.

He's the primary cause of every single thing that happens down to a rooster crowing. They are secondary causes, absolutely, but God is behind them all, bringing history to exactly the point that He has always intended to bring it to. Listen to what Luke 22 verses 60 and 61 says, while he was still speaking Peter is in mid denial, okay, He hasn't even finished his denial the third time. While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.

So Matthew doesn't record it, but Luke records that this happened. There's somehow, there's a line of sight between Jesus and the things that are happening in this mock trial and where Peter is in the courtyard. And Peter is in mid-denial and before he has even fully gotten it out of his mouth yet, the rooster is crowing and Jesus turns and meets the gaze of Peter. And Peter remembers what Jesus has said and he weeps bitterly. I want to talk about principles that we ought to lift out of this text and applications.

Hopefully these are things that are so obvious in the text. There are seven of them. Number one, God tests to mature. Satan tempts to destroy. Two completely different things.

I'm going to say that again. God tests to mature. Satan tempts to destroy. God brings his children, his people, into circumstances to make them grow up. He's bringing them to maturity.

He's helping them to grow in grace. As painful as it often is, he is making disciples. He is taking his learners and he is teaching them. Satan is trying to orchestrate things to bring people down. They have completely different objectives.

Listen to James 1 verse 13. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. God never has, doesn't now, never will lead people into evil. Let No one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God.

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. James goes on to say, when you are tempted, it's your corrupt inward desires. And you go a hundred other places in scripture and you find Satan praying on corrupt inward desires that are present in all of us. Just praying on those things and using our internal corruptions against us for destruction. Now listen to Deuteronomy 8.2, just write this down so you can go back to it later.

Deuteronomy 8.2, And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and test you To know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. Now, Deuteronomy is written to who? The people who died in the desert? No way! Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law.

It's written to those people who were younger than 20 years old, when the people refused to go into the promised land the first time. And now after 40 years, and after that unfaithful generation being killed off in the desert, the law is being given again to a people who are right standing looking over the promised land getting ready to cross over into the promised land. That's who Deuteronomy is written to. This verse about the testing in the wilderness is not written to the generation that has died off. It's written to those who are going into the promised land.

Listen to it again. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and test you to know what was in your heart whether you would keep His commandments or not. God was making a people ready to go into the promised land. He was humbling a people, God is humbling Peter. God tests His people, His disciples, to make them ready and to humble themselves so that they will depend upon them and to bring them to Maturity for the things that he has for them in the future How is God testing you think about the things that you're sorry about in your life right now.

God is testing you if you are His. If you are one of His people, God is testing you. He is bringing you to maturity. He is causing you to grow. He is humbling you because you wouldn't be humble without it.

And He is making you ready for things that He has in front of you that you don't even know about yet. How is God testing you? What is He making you ready for? You are not going to confidently know the answer to that question. You're not going to know with confidence exactly what He's making you ready for.

But in our testings we should be asking that, what is God making me ready for? Because it's a mindset that acknowledges the sovereign hand of God over every atom of the universe. If this is happening in my life, God is testing me to humble me and to make me ready for the things that he has in the future. And this has us taking these testings and not despising them, but acknowledging the wisdom of God in them. This is what we should be as disciples of the living God.

Not despising the times of testings that God has brought in our life but wondering out loud to ourselves, what is God doing? What is he making me ready for? How is he causing me to grow? How is he blessing me through these testings? Number two.

Number one was God tests to mature Satan attempts to destroy. Number two is salvation does not cure weakness. Salvation does not cure weakness. Or another way to say it and probably a better way to say it is salvation does not eliminate our every minute need for God. It does not.

When you get saved you are not home free in that sense. Your every minute need for God is every bit as great as the minute before you got saved. You need Him. This minute, and the next minute, and the next minute, and the next week, month, year, decade. You need Him.

God has made the world so that we are wired for dependency upon Him. And our dependency upon Him exists every day, whether we feel it or not, acknowledge it or not, run to Him or not, we need Him every day, every minute of every day. So that it's possible for a disciple of the Lord right after the initiation of the Lord's Supper to deny Him three times. Can you believe what we've seen in chapter 26? Jesus takes the bread and he blesses and he breaks it and he gives to his disciples and says, this is my body given for you.

He takes the cup and he says, drink from it all of you. This is the blood of a new covenant. It's for the remission of sins. Three hours later, four hours later, Peter is denying Jesus three times. We need him every minute.

Our need is desperate. And When we lose the sense of desperation for our need we can never be more vulnerable than that Which means we're vulnerable a lot First Corinthians 10, this is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 12 and 13, therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Be careful, if you think you are not vulnerable, be careful. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. What Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 12 and 13 is that our self-confidence is the problem and God is the solution.

Our thinking that we stand is the problem that actually increases exponentially our vulnerability And that fleeing to Christ is the antidote for that. It's the solution for that problem. Number three. Number three. The slide into sin often follows a well-worn pattern.

The slide into sin often follows a well-worn pattern. And Peter shows us the pattern. Overconfidence, not being careful where we stand leads to indolence. Indolence is a nice word for laziness. Okay.

Overconfidence leads to indolence. You don't think you're vulnerable, you don't think you're at risk, and so you get lazy because you don't think there's anything to do. There's nothing that requires doing. You have no need. And this leads to a breach in the defenses.

Sometimes the breach is so small, just a little breach in the dam, Which leads to greater and greater and greater compromise. So that at the end you're doing things that would have repulsed you at the beginning. You would never have believed that you could end up here. But it doesn't happen all at once. That's not how it happens.

Overconfidence leads to laziness, which leads to a little breach in the defense, and then there's greater and greater compromise. This is what happened with Peter. Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble. Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you. It's his overconfidence and it leads to his indolence So that Jesus actually has to tell him, wake up and pray that you won't be led into temptation.

Get up and pray. Which leads to a little breach in his defenses. I don't even know what you are talking about. What are you even speaking of? Which leads him into things that he would have sworn he would never have engaged in.

He did actually. Matthew Henry says this, the way of sin is downhill. Way of sin is downhill. Picking up speed every bit of the way. Compare yourself to this cycle right now.

Overconfidence to laziness, to a breach in the defense, to greater and greater compromise. Where are you in this cycle? You better take the opportunity of this text ask yourself that question? Where am I? Am I an overconfidence right now and I better cut that out?

Or am I already to indolence, ease, laziness, not praying, watching and praying, lest I be brought into temptation? Or is there already a breach and now it's downhill, it's an acceleration. Use this as an opportunity to find out where you are in that cycle that we see Peter in and repent. Number four. The fear of man is a snare.

This is what catches Peter. The fear of man is a snare. This is exactly what Proverbs 29 verse 25 says. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." Again, fleeing to God for help is the answer to this problem.

Jesus has already said in Matthew, Don't fear the one who can kill the body only. Peter is in the courtyard fearing people who can kill the body only. That's all they'll ever be able to do to Peter is kill his body. But God can kill the body and the soul forever in hell. Fear God.

If Peter was in the courtyard fearing God as he should, the fear of these people would just shrink. It would shrink up to nothing. God offers us much more strength than we seek. God offers us much more strength than we seek. God offers us much more strength than we seek.

I've already quoted this out of our chapter Matthew 26 verse 41. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. That is what God is commanding His disciples to do. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.

The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. It starts by just acknowledging that even though your spirit is willing, your flesh is weak. Did you know that when you're born again, only your spirit has been resurrected? When you're born again, your spirit has been resurrected, but your body has not been resurrected. There is a bodily resurrection, but it only happens after Jesus comes the second time, and the trumpet blows, and the judgment happens.

And then our corrupt bodies will be raised incorruptible. You don't even know what that's going to be like, and I don't either. It's just going to be wonderful. We know enough. It will be incorruptible then, but it is very corruptible now.

And so you have a spirit that's willing, that has been raised from the dead, if you've trusted in Christ. But it's still here with this corrupt body. The New Testament calls it the flesh. And it is at war with your resurrected spirit. And essentially what Jesus is saying is, your resurrected spirit better be at war with this unresurrected body too.

Because it's at war with you. Listen to Matthew 6. Matthew 6 is our pattern for prayer, right? That disciples ask Jesus to teach us to pray, and Jesus says, pray like this. And in Matthew 6 verse 13, right in the middle of the prayer, Jesus teaches them to pray, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Oh God, please don't lead me into temptation. You know my weakness is God. Please keep me from temptation. Deliver me from the evil one. It's silly to think how often we pray and not ask for those things.

Given that Jesus has said, pray like this. God offers much more strength than we seek. We should seek it. We should ask and seek and knock that God would give us the strength to overcome temptation. Overcome temptation.

Number six, for the believer sin equals bitterness of soul. For the believer, sin Equals bitterness of soul. This is what we see with Peter. He's weeping bitterly. His sin has brought him here.

He never intended to come here. He didn't want to go there. But he sinned and it brought him to grief and weeping and regret. Sin, friends, takes you there. That's the deal with sin.

It promises pleasure, relief, And it delivers the weeping, the bitter weeping that we see from Peter in our text. And we better know it, because Sin is never advertised to us that way, is it? Ever. It's promoted as one thing and it delivers bitterness of soul. Number seven.

Number seven. And this is, if you don't remember one other thing that I've said, please remember this. Losing the battle doesn't mean losing the war. So clear from the life of Peter. Losing the battle does not mean losing the war.

Listen, write down this reference. Listen to Psalm 37 verses 23 and 24. Psalm 37 verses 23 and 24. The psalm says this, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way. So we're not talking about nice people in Psalm 37.

We're talking about people who have been made righteous through Christ. When you see good man, you just have to understand this in the context of the Bible. Good men are those who have been made righteous by Christ. There is no one who is good without Christ. So I will go back to reading the psalm.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in His way. Though He fall, He shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds Him with His hand. When God makes a man or woman or boy or girl his, though he fall, he or she shall not be utterly cast down. In other words, not ultimately cast down. Why?

Because the Lord upholds him with His hand. This goes to John 10, where Jesus says, My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me. No one is able to snatch them out of my hand. No one. I turn in your Bibles to John 21.

We're going to conclude in John 21. Because this is not the end of the story. This is where we end up with Peter in the Gospel of Matthew. But it's so far from the end of the story of Peter. And it goes right to what the psalmist is talking about.

Though Peter falls, he is not utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him with his hand. Now as you turn to John 21, I want to read two verses from Luke 22, which record what Jesus says to Peter before the denial. Before any of these denials, Jesus says this to Peter, Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. That I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren." Jesus says this, knowing about the first denial, knowing about the second denial, knowing about the third denial, knowing about everything Peter will ever do, but especially the things he will do in the next few hours.

And Jesus says directly to Peter, Satan has asked that he might sift you as wheat. But I prayed for you that your faith wouldn't fail. And when you have returned to me, Jesus is able to look out and see the sign, see the time when Peter has returned to him. Why? Because he is able to hold him within his hands.

No one can snatch him out of his hands. That's why Jesus can say this to Peter and see that time because he is able to keep him. Now we are in John 21. In John 21, Jesus has appeared to the disciples in John 20. And then at the beginning of John 21, Peter says, I am going fishing.

And the rest of the disciples say, we're coming with you. They're fishing, they catch nothing. There's a man on shore who says, try the other side. They try the other side. It's just like earlier.

Their nets can't hardly hold the catch and they realize that it's Jesus. And John says, Peter it's Jesus. And Peter can't wait for the boat to get to shore, takes off his outer garment and he jumps in and swims to shore to get there before everybody else. And they have breakfast and then I'll begin reading in John 21 verse 15. Beginning in verse 15.

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes Lord you know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him again A second time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? He said to him, yes Lord, you know that I love you.

He said to him, tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.

Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. Peter is unfaithful and he denies Jesus three times. And Jesus comes to Peter after his resurrection and he restores him by calling forth from him three times a declaration of his love for him.

For every denial in the courtyard there is a declaration of Peter that he loves Jesus when Jesus comes to restore him. And he even says, Lord, you know all things. Peter at this point is done saying, even though all will be made to stumble, not me. Even if I have to die with you, Peter is done with that. And he says, Lord, you know all things.

And he has been humbled by the testing of the Lord and God is bringing him to maturity and making him ready. And when you read the book of Acts you say, is this even the same man? Could this be the same man who is so fearless who appears to be completely free from all fear of man, completely free? Or else he would never preach like that. He would never say those things.

He's asking to be martyred and he is martyred. Speaks of it here. Tradition holds that he was martyred around AD 64 in Rome by Nero, the wicked emperor of Rome. The sermon title was The Fall of Peter, But it's the fall of a disciple. Judas isn't the fall of a disciple.

But Peter is the fall of a disciple. And It's all within the sovereign plan of God to bring this man to maturity, to make him the man who fearlessly preaches in the book of Acts, who writes 1 and 2 Peter, which are so humble and helpful and practical. God is able to take even these things that are so grieving to us, that would cause us to weep bitterly and use them for His glory. This is just what God does. And we see it in the life of Peter.

And we should know that this is how God deals with His disciples as He is bringing us to maturity, as he is making us grow up. He is using these things to humble us and to test us so that we would see the things that are in our hearts and we would run to him. We would be those who watch and pray lest we be led into temptation because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for this time.

I thank you for this text. And I pray that we would consider the frailty of our own hearts and it would cause us to run to you to be humbled before you and to seek you for strength. I thank you that it is true that no one can snatch your people from your hand, but they are safe. Because you are able to keep them and bring them all to heaven, every single one. Oh God, make us a people dependent upon you humble.

We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.