THE 7 BACKWARD STEPS OF PETER
Mk. 14:30-72
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A college student went into a large pet supply store and approached the pet food counter, “Hi! I would like to order 30,000 cockroaches to be picked up tomorrow, please.”
2. The astonished clerk said, “What in the world would you do with 30,000 cockroaches? I can’t think of any animals that could eat that many!”
3. The college student replied, “My apartment complex manager is not renewing my lease, so I have to move out tomorrow. And one of the stipulations of the lease is that I must leave the apartment in exactly the same condition that I found it!”
B. TEXT
30 Jesus said to [Peter], “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” 32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane…33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him…34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”….43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”…46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And [Peter] drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. 53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a distance [KJV – “afar off”], right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. 66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 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. Mk. 14:30-34, 37-38, 43-47, 50, 53-54, 66-72.
C. THESIS
1. The man Peter was, by his faith and actions, the greatest of the Apostles. Jesus changed his name from Simon ("reed") to Peter ("rock"), because He saw the possibilities in Peter.
2. Peter is the one who made the Great Confession that Jesus is the Christ; Caught the fish with money in its mouth; he was the only disciple to walk on water, and was in the inner circle of 3 disciples. The Lord Jesus saw him as a trusted friend.
3. Yet his loyalty to Jesus disintegrated to the point where he denied the Lord. How could that happen? We have an enemy named Satan who wants to ruin or destroy us. All believers can be vulnerable to attack by the forces of Hell and we must be on our guard.
4. No one falls in a moment; there must be preparation. There are many small failures that precede a great failure such as Peter experienced.
5. It must be understood that Peter's failure was brought on him by himself. Satan was working behind the scenes, but he couldn’t have been successful unless Peter cooperated.
6. So we’re looking at “The 7 Backward Steps of Peter.”
I. 1ST STEP – PRIDE
A. WARNED OF COMING TEMPTATION
1. At the Last Supper Jesus warned Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, to sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you that your faith fail not…” Lk. 22:31-32. The Lord was very aware of the enemy’s focus.
2. When Jesus told His disciples, “You will all fall away,” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” Mk. 14:27,29-30.
3. But Peter didn’t take the Lord seriously. He didn’t believe it was possible he could fail. Many Christians today are like that – nonchalant, unconcerned. The Bible says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall!” 1 Cor. 10:12.
4. Peter had spent a lot of time with the Lord, but these experiences with Christ didn’t make him invulnerable to Satan's attacks!
5. We should never say, "I have reached a place of spiritual knowledge and discipline to where I am no longer afraid of temptation!" Folks that person’s Satan's prime target!
B. PRIDE OPENS US TO ATTACK: QUEBEC INVASION
1. Oswald Chambers, who wrote “My Utmost for His Highest, once said, “Unguarded strength is double weakness.” Example?
2. In 1759, the French dominated much of North America – across Eastern Canada, the Mississippi River basin, and down to New Orleans. The British & French were at war.
3. The chief French city/fortress of Quebec (in Canada) was Britain’s greatest obstacle. It was built on the top of a steep cliff. The other sides of the city gradually sloped down and were well guarded. But no force had ever tried to scale that rock face, so the French never put a guard on that side.
4. The British, under General Wolfe, scaled that cliff at night and in the morning took the city, and the whole continent came under British, not French control!
5. An unguarded strength is a double weakness. Your heart, like Quebec, must be guarded!
II. 2ND STEP – EASE/ PRAYERLESSNESS
A. OUR CALL TO PRAYER
1. Jesus asked Peter and 2 others to come with Him and to pray for Him. They, being tired, fell asleep – three different times! Jesus didn’t ask them to do something that was beyond their ability; they could have stayed awake, but didn’t.
2. Peter needed prayer, Jesus told him to, but Peter failed to listen. In one short hour Peter was to be tested. He ended up being weak and unprepared.
3. If we neglect prayer, the study of God's Word, worship opportunities, and faithfully attending church, we will most likely live a defeated and fallen life.
B. SPEAKING OF SLEEPING AT THE WRONG TIME:
1. Lady to Pastor, "I hope you didn't take it personally, Reverend," an embarrassed woman said after a church service, "when my husband walked out during your sermon."
2. "I did find it rather disconcerting," the preacher replied. "It's not a reflection on you, sir," insisted the church goer.
3. "Arthur has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child."
C. FALSE SECURITY LEADS TO FAILURE
1. Peter had three opportunities to pray and notice that Peter denied Christ three times.
2. Why did Peter fail? Because he had a false sense of security! “Hey, look at all I’ve done; look how long I’ve been a Christian! I don’t need to seek the Lord! I’ve been getting by just fine.”
3. BUT FOLKS, IF THE SON OF GOD NEEDS TO PRAY, YOU DO TOO! Trials are moments we face problems greater than our former strength, so we need new, additional strength to meet the emergency.
III. 3RD STEP – RASHNESS
A. JESUS DIDN’T NEED PETER’S HELP
1. John 18:10-11 says, “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
2. When Peter cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear, he was trying to stop Jesus from being arrested. But did Jesus really need rescuing? The Lord told him in Mt. 26:53, “Do you think I
cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
3. If Jesus needed aid or power, He knew where to get it. Sometimes we think – like Abraham – that God needs our help for His will to be accomplished. We’re usually mistaken.
B. JESUS’ARREST WAS GOD’S WILL
1. Because of Peter’s lack of prayer, he wasn't grasping what God's plan was -- that Jesus had to go the cross for the sins of the world!
2. The Lord didn’t call for angelic backup because it was God’s plan for Him to die on the Cross. Peter was totally off course of God’s will.
3. Are WE acting rashly, without forethought, not waiting to hear from God about His will for our lives?
IV. 4TH STEP – FOLLOWING AFAR OFF
A. GETTING AWAY FROM CHRIST
1. Because Peter didn’t pray, he was unprepared for the test when Jesus was arrested. He lost his boldness and courage. He began to walk “afar off” from Jesus. How’s your walk? Are you walking as close to the Lord as you used to?
2. He who used to be the first one to step out of the boat, but now he tried to stay in the shadows. Have you lost your passion for Jesus?
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. I’ve seen people sit in some of these pews and be on-fire for God. But they began to sporadically attend church. Next, their relationship with the Lord got cool. Earthly cares and entertainments, family functions, vacations, etc. became more important than God’s Kingdom. It didn’t happen overnight.
2. Finally they quit attending altogether. Years later I saw them: their marriage on the rocks; their family in a mess; and they’d drifted back into the sins they left before they were a Christian. That’s tragic!
3. The most miserable people in the world are backslid Christians! They know too much to be happy in the world and are compromised too much to be happy in God! You should serve God with more fervency than you ever served the devil! Why do anything half way? Get on fire!
V. 5TH STEP – EVIL ASSOCIATIONS
A. BEING FRIENDS WITH THE WORLD
1. Mark 14:54 says that Peter began warming himself at the fire of the Lord’s enemies. This is a picture of so many today who try to play both sides of the spiritual fence. They try to be popular with their lost friends and also want to thought of as good Christians.
2. The Apostle James called out this behavior when he said, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” James 4:4.
3. When the Lord Jesus saved me, He changed me so that I loved the things I once hated, and hated the things I had once loved. Instead of loving the honkytonks and bar-flies, I came to love Jesus, Believers, Church, and the things of God.
4. Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” Mt. 6:24. You must choose who you’re going to serve!
B. GOD’S REMEDY FOR EVIL ASSOCIATIONS:
God says, “Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” Matt. 6:24.
VI. 6TH STEP – OPEN DENIAL
A. THE SECRET PLOT OF THE ENEMY
1. Peter began his denial of Christ by telling a lie; he told the servant girl 2X that he was a not a disciple of Jesus. He was!
2. Then Peter lied a third time to those around the fire. Have you ever asked yourself why this happened to Peter? It was inevitable. Why?
3. Because the devil is never content with just getting you to compromise and fall into sin. His real aim is to get you to burn your bridges back to God.
4. He wants you to feel so bad about what you did that you think God will never take you back. That’s what the enemy did to Peter. Peter was so wounded (“sucker punched”) that it took a personal visit from Jesus to restore him.
B. FORGIVENESS IS AVAILABLE
1. That’s why Satan plants unkind people in churches, and why he tries to cause offense between husbands and wives – he tries to make you throw in the towel and walk away.
2. People get disappointed, bitter, feel unforgiveness – and it’s easy to drop out, backslide, feel miserable and feel like there’s no way back.
3. Many people think God wouldn’t take them back. But that’s a lie! God WILL take you back. There’s no sin you can commit that God won’t forgive. There’s hope for you! Jesus forgave Peter and He will forgive you!
VII. 7TH STEP – BLASPHEMY
1. You can’t live with the Son of God three years and not have a change in your speech. Those there knew the truth....they said his speech betrayed him. So the third time Peter denied the Lord, he cursed and swore. He lowered himself down to their level.
2. Profanity is becoming commonplace, even in movies for kids. It’s sickening! You can get a DVD player called “Clearplay” which can remove all the cussing and sexual content. I recommend it. It’s not God’s will for us to cuss or to choose to listen to profanity. It’s unavoidable in some jobs, but we shouldn’t choose to watch movies with cussing.
3. The Bible says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us….But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” Eph. 5:1-4, NIV 1984.
4. Luke 22:61 states that at the moment that Peter denied the Lord the third time, Jesus turned and looked at him. Peter then went outside and wept bitterly. That was the beginning of Peter’s return to the Lord. It’s the way back for us too!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: IS IT SAFE TO DELAY MAKING A DECISION?
1. A woman came to Dr. Chalmers one day and said, "Dr. Chalmers, I can’t get my husband to come to the Lord. I've talked and talked to him but it's no use." The Dr. said, "Let me
talk with your husband by myself and I will see what the Lord shows me."
2. One day he met the husband and engaged him in conversation; "You have been bothered a good deal about the matter of your soul’s salvation, haven't you? Suppose I tell your wife that you don't want her to talk about it for whole year, how will that do?"
3. The Scottish man hesitated a moment and replied, "Well, I don't think it would be safe to put off the matter for a whole year. Something might happen! I might die before then."
4. "Yes, that's possible," replied the doctor. "Suppose we say six months?" The husband didn't think that even that would be safe. "Well, then, how about three months?"
5. After a brief hesitation the husband replied, "I don't think it is safe to put it off at all." They knelt together & in a few moments the husband was radiantly saved. Think: It’s not safe to put off a decision for Christ!
B. THE CALL
1. Peter's tears were tears of repentance. Peter knew how terrible he had failed... He didn’t try to hide it, or deny it...he was guilty and he repented for his great sin.
2. I'm happy this message doesn’t end here! I'm happy the story isn’t over; Peter was restored and became the greatest of the 12 Apostles.
3. I am amazed at the love of God. We fail Him, yet He loves us still! Even when we give up He never does. He remains faithful and won’t forsake us. He stands ready with open arms. That’s our Almighty God and Savior – what a wonder He is!
[The idea for this message came from the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, entry #2746 and was augmented by a message “Steps that Lead to Falling” found on Bible Truth web site.]
