Great Mistakes!
Thesis: To err is human, to forgive is divine!
Text: Mark 14:27-31
"You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ’for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.
Peter declared, ‘ Even if all fall away, I will not.’
‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘today-yes, tonight-before
the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’
But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I
will never disown you.’ And all the others said the same."
Introduction: To err is human wrote Alexander Pope in the 18th Century. In 1982 the humorist Russell Baker expressed the same idea in more specific terms:
I make the average number of mistakes. Maybe 150 or so on a busy day. Most of them aren’t terribly serious. Putting too much sugar in the coffee cup. Picking up the telephone and dialing the number of the telephone I’ve just picked up. Spelling harass with two R’s. Yes, humans make mistakes. We goof up, and create mess. They miss-hear, misinterpret, miss-judge, misread, misspeak, misspell, misunderstand, and yes make the mistake of sinning.
Everyone will blow it! Even the great apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 7:14-25
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
The act of making mistakes is common even the great men of faith speak about this human short comings. Everyone makes mistakes! In fact, making mistakes is so ordinary, so basically human, some eventually start to just overlook mistakes without batting an eye. We even get to point sometimes were we just accept our mistakes as being right not wrong.
I. Making mistakes is just part of being human.
A. We even state we will not make mistakes but you now what we do any way.
* see Mark 14:27-31
1. The truth of the matter is man has been making mistakes since creation.
a. Great mistakes of the past:
1). The ancient Babylonians believed that the earth was flat in 8th Century B.C.. The sad fact is there are still people today who believe that the earth is flat. Their claims are based on their literal interpretation of the Bible, which, for example refers to "the four, corners of the Earth." They call themselves the "Flat Earth Society." There base is in Utah.
2). The disease malaria which comes from mosquitoes was originally named by the Italians because they believed that malaria came from bad night air around swamps. Mala- bad, and aria- air. And this sickness is still today called by the same name.
3). Diogenes researched out the belief that over moist bodies makes on less-intelligent. His theory is called "Dry Wit" he concluded that the reason people are smarter than others is because some have much more moisture in their bodies than others. He believed that the more moisture you have in your body the less intelligent you are. He even performed tests that he said confirmed his theory.
4). Pliny a Roman administrator who lived in 1st Century A.D. wrote an encyclopedia called "Natural History". It was published in the middle-ages which at that point became a reference book for 1,500 years. Here are some of his facts published in this work:
* He told of women giving birth to elephants in Africa.
* He stated that cats were one of the causes for driving people into insanity. He concluded that a cat did this by licking a humans skin with their tongue.
* Having trouble with tooth decay? He stated eat a mouse or inhale smoke from burning onion seeds.
* He also claimed that mouse droppings, rubbed into one’s head, caused hair to grow on bald spots.
* He reported that ear wax healed poisonous wounds.
5). Columbus - believed he landed in the East Indies and so he named the native people of America "Indians". I believe the Indians are glad he was not looking for Turkey or they would have been named "Turkeys".
6). In 1975 convicts at Saltillo Prison in Northern Mexico spent several months digging a secret tunnel, carefully planned to reach beyond the prison walls. The plan worked, but only to a point. The tunnel did lead out of prison, as seventy-five convicts discovered when they emerged in a nearby courtroom, they quickly recaptured.
B. Man never wants to admit that he can or is wrong. He/she is usually emphatic
that they are right. His tests are right, his perception is right, his interpretation is right, his plan is right, his knowledge is right, his books are right, his decisions are right when in reality he is dead wrong.
1. Peter in this passage of Mark believed that he was right and the Lord was wrong. He made a great mistake!
2. The primary lesson from this passage is to learn from Jesus. Peter should have listened to the Lord and not thought that he was better than others "Who me, I will never do that! Now John, Luke and the others might but not me!"
3. The thought here is never say never we are all sinners, we come up short!
TS. -- There are many people who even today believe that they will not blow it! They are above it "sin"! Others will do it but them "Hog wash!" But many forget Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
II. Peter’s a case in point! Peter’s great mistake. (Mark 14:66-72).
66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.
67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said.
68 But he denied it. "I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway.
69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them."
70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."
71 He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don’t know this man you’re talking about."
72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.
A. Peter the super disciple who emphatically claimed "I WILL NEVER!" made a great mistake. He was convinced that when push came to shove he would stand and he was wrong.
1. He not only does it once but three times!
2. Does this sound familiar? Can you relate to Peter’s crying?
3. Lesson from Peter’s mistake (Wisdom learns from others!)
a. Peter’s denial here is all so common for many of us. Why did he do it?
One simple four letter word describes clearly FEAR!
1). He made his great mistake because he feared for his life.
2). How many of us do this? We make mistakes because we are afraid to witness, to stand up for what is Biblical, afraid to confront a problem, afraid-afraid-afraid!
3). Peter’s denial here should teach us the importance of the right frame of mind!
4). The Lord proves to Peter that He knows him better than he knows himself.
5). I believe Peter’s response to the Lord when he informed him that he would fall should have been " Lord help be strong and be faithful even in the mist of danger and fear!"
6). Peter should have said Lord instruct me on how to stand with your word so I don’t fall! Give me instructions on How Lord!
7). But Peter did not want instructions he was positive that he knew what to do! Pull the sword and fight problem was when he did that he failed again and Jesus rebuked him and corrected his mistake again.
8). Peter actually failed because he for got to get the directions from the Lord in what to do!
- II Timothy 3:16,17 state, "All Scripture is God-breathed. And is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. In righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
- Illustration: The man removed all the toy parts from the carton and began putting them together. An hour later, fussing and fuming, he still did not have them assembled correctly. As gently as possible, his wife said, "If all else fails, try following directions."
Application: The human urge in some cases is to plunge ahead into behavior or action without much thought, help, or preparation. There are people who are so eager for results that they ignore the warning signs. As a result of their eagerness they fail and make a mistake. The reverse of plunging ahead is doing nothing at all which is just as much a mistake as trying and failing. Some people cling strongly to beliefs or behavior patterns, even though there are signs that change would be wise.
TS. -- We can be assured that when we make a mistake and ask for help Jesus will step in on our behalf.
III. The Restoration of Peter (John 21:1-25) read from Bible.
A. Peter even though he made a mistake was restored by the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. John 21 is one of the most loving scenes in the Bible I believe.
a. In this text we have the Greek language describing two kinds of love.
* Phileo - which means an inclination prompted by sense and emotion. It means to love in the sense of being friendly, to delight in or long for, to love to do, or to do with pleasure.
* Agapao - properly denotes a love founded on admiration, veneration, and esteem. It means to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of. It is to be full of good will both in thought and deed.
b. Peter’s restoration was only made possible by his willingness to admit his mistake remember Mark 14:72.
1). I believe Peter returned to his trade because of his recognition of his fallen condition. I wonder how many times the scene was replayed in his mind. It went on over and over. I believe he felt he was not worthy to represent the Lord anymore. He went back to what was successful at fishing.
Conclusion:
Mistakes will happen in this life. Some of them can be avoided if we follow His directions. But yes we will still make mistakes at times. The important point here is to admit your mistake repent and ask for forgiveness.
Mistakes in our life will be there. The difference between the world and Christians though is that the world believes their right in their mistakes. Christians on the other hand know that their mistakes are wrong. Well I should say some Christians know! A mature Christian will admit his mistakes ask for forgiveness and receive it from Christ.
WHAT’S the biggest mistake you could ever make though is this---- Never to have accepted Jesus Christ. I believe there are many in Hell saying "I MADE A GREAT MISTAKE!"
