Audio - Peter's Denial of Christ
Play Audio
MP3 Download (20mb)
The First Sunday in Lent
February 10, 2008
Peter's Denial of Christ
TEXT: NKJ John 18:15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another
disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus
into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside.
Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to
her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept
the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"
He said, "I am not." 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of
coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood
with them and warmed himself....25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.
Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He
denied it and said, "I am not!" 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?" 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
Last week we examined the arrest—binding—and leading of Jesus before the
father-in-law of the high priest—Annas
In the middle of that text in John chapter 18—is John’s record of Peter’s denial
of Jesus—we will consider Peter’s denial—beginning with Jesus’ prediction of
that denial—and a quick look at who Peter was in his relationship with his
Lord—which will help us understand why this denial is important to us
WHO WAS PETER IN RELATION TO OUR LORD?
Peter was among the first disciples called by Jesus—and the first to be renamed
NKJ John 1:41 He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon, and said to him,
"We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought
him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of
Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
NKJ Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they
were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers
of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
We get the opinion from Scripture that Peter was a tough guy—willing to take
risks—and willing to step out and be first—but that’s not why Jesus gave him the
name that means rock—Jesus gave him that name because of what he would become—by
the grace of God—after Jesus’ ascension—Peter would become the foundation of the
New Testament Church—but not because of his tremendous human courage or physical
strength—but because of his seemingly unending faith
Peter was the only disciple to have the faith and the desire to follow Jesus
wherever He went—Peter—a fisherman who understood all too well that you cannot
walk upon the waters of the Sea of Galilee—yet when his Lord said he come—Peter
stepped out of the boat and walked
NKJ Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command
me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come
down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw
that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out,
saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and
caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Peter’s courage is well-documented in God’s Word
NKJ John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high
priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
Peter’s human courage really comes through in this verse—its as if he is saying
“Get behind me Lord, there are only a hundred of them. I can take them!”—A
braver man may never have lived
One last aspect of Peter’s relationship with Jesus—is that Jesus had an inner
circle of disciples—these disciples were allowed to go where the others could
not go—we will examine the examples of the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the
dead—the transfiguration of Jesus—and the prayer in the garden just prior to
Jesus’ arrest
NKJ Mark 5:37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and
John the brother of James.
NKJ Mark 9:2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them
up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer
on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they
were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is
good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah" -- 6 because he did not know what to say, for they
were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came
out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" 8 Suddenly, when
they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
NKJ Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and
said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37 And He took
with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and
deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful,
even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."
Peter was strong—his faith was strong—and he was as close to the Savior as any
man
JESUS’ SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH PETER
Peter understood who Jesus was—and he made his confession before Christ—and
Jesus identified Peter as a leader of the New Testament Church
NKJ Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked
His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they
said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter
answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus
answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "And I also say
to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 "And I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then He commanded
His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Jesus knew Peter would fall—but He also knew he would get up again—stronger than
ever
NKJ Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for
you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your
faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your
brethren." 33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to
prison and to death." 34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not
crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."
And now knowing these things about Peter—let’s look at Peter’s denial
PETER DENIES CHRIST
NKJ John 18:15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now
that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the
courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the
other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who
kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door
said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said,
"I am not." 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood
there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them
and warmed himself….25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they
said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and
said, "I am not!" 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?" 27
Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
This account is presented in all four Gospels—therefore we know that God really
wanted us to understand the lesson it teaches
As has been our practice—we begin our discussion with an Old Testament reading
NKJ Jeremiah 17:5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And
makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be
like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit
the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
The prophet is telling us not to trust in ourselves and our strength—but to
trust in the Lord—and that is exactly what Peter is doing in this text
He trusts in his ability to get out of a dangerous situation as a man—and upon
his evaluation of the situation—decides to lie rather than confront the enemy
who greatly outnumbers him—he would deny any knowledge of Jesus
How many times have we as Christians stood in silent denial when confronted with
a hostile coworker or relative?—are we any better than Peter?
Jesus had 12 disciples—one became possessed with the devil and the things of
this world—money—and sold Jesus to the Jews—nine scattered from the garden when
Jesus was arrested—two followed Jesus to the high priest’s residence—one close
to the action because he was familiar to the servants of the high priest—and
Peter, who watched from a distance
And now we come to the real meat of this matter—the application of this
Scriptural lesson
THE APPLICATION OF THE LESSON OF PETER’S DENIAL
There are so many New Testament events that are covered only by one or perhaps
two Gospels—and yet this event—Peter’s denial—is written into all four
Gospels—and that’s because it reveals the real understanding of the passion of
Christ—forgiveness!!!
Peter denied Christ—but immediately repented
NKJ Matthew 26:75 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.
Peter was truly sorry for his sin—this big hulk of a fisherman—wept bitterly—now
look at what happened after Jesus died—and rose the third day—just as He
promised—the women reported what they saw—but most of the disciples didn’t
believe them
NKJ Luke 24:9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the
eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of
James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11
And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen
cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had
happened.
Peter didn’t just go to the tomb—he RAN to the tomb—Peter wanted to know what
happened
Jesus wanted Peter to understand—He asked to women at the tomb to give Peter a
message
NKJ Mark 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going
before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
And finally—Peter is reinstated by Jesus—after all—Jesus was going to build His
Church on this “Rock”
NKJ John 21:15 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." 16 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." 17 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. 18 "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." 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when
He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Notice that Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved Him—and after Peter’s first
response—Jesus says feed My lambs—teach all things to My little children—what a
valuable lesson for us today—the first and foremost instruction given to the
reinstated Apostle is teach the children
Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved Him—because Peter denied Him three
times—but the third time—Peter responded with a reference to the omnipotence of
Jesus who is God the Son resurrected—Peter said you know all things—you know I
love you
Jesus ends the discussion with reference to the death Peter would suffer—Peter
would follow Jesus to the cross
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!