Present time, we're sort of stuck in Mark
13 and 14.
And we'll stay there stuck for another week
or so, as tonight we will be going
to the Harvest Crusade there in Anaheim.
So just really study over Mark 13 and
14.
But this morning, let's look at Mark 14,
beginning with verse 66.
As Peter was beneath in the palace, there
came one of the maids of the high
priest.
And when she saw Peter warming himself, she
looked at him and said, and you also
were with Jesus of Nazareth.
But he denied, saying, I don't know what
you're talking about.
And he went out into the porch and
the rooster crowed.
The maid saw him again and began to
say to those that were standing by, this
is one of them.
And he denied again.
A short while later, those that were standing
by said, surely you are one of them.
You're a Galilean, your accent gives you away.
And Peter began to curse and swear, saying,
I know not this man you are talking
about.
Then the rooster began to crow the second
time.
And Peter remembered that Jesus said to him,
before the rooster crows twice, you will deny
me three times.
And when he thought on this, he wept.
Have you ever been disappointed with yourself because
of a failure, so disappointed you wanted to
cry?
Several years ago, when we were in the
little chapel, one of the young men who
became a part of our fellowship gave a
testimony one night.
He came from a very strong Christian home,
a wonderful godly mother.
And he said that growing up in this
Christian environment, looking at these kids wasting wasting
their lives in drugs, he said, I said
I would never be so foolish as to
take drugs.
He said, but one night with a group
of friends, someone had some marijuana and they
were passing it around the room and he
took a drag of it.
Afterwards, he said he was miserable.
He wept before the Lord, so disappointed that
he didn't have the strength to just pass
it by, but gave in to the peer
pressure.
But he said, I said to myself, I
would never do that again.
But he said on another occasion at a
party, there were drugs and again, he took.
But he said, I said, I will never
be addicted.
I would not be so foolish as to
become addicted to drugs.
But he said over a period of time,
I found I was addicted.
And he said, I said, well, I would
never deal drugs.
That's horrible to lead others into drugs and
I would never deal.
And he said, before long, I was dealing
in order to support my habit.
He said, I finally came to myself.
I looked at my life and I said,
what am I doing?
I know better than this.
And he said, I wept before the Lord
and I came here to Calvary and I
recommitted my life to the Lord and he
delivered me from the drugs.
Each phase he would go through, he said,
I would never go beyond this.
But he did until that day that God
sort of stopped him and helped him to
take sort of a personal inventory, to look
at his life, to look at what he
was doing and to realize this is so
far from what God would have me to
be doing.
Peter discovered that he was not as strong
as he thought he was.
The night that Jesus had dinner with the
disciples, Jesus said to them, all of you
are going to be offended tonight because of
me.
And Peter boasted, Lord, though all of them
will be offended, I would never be offended.
And Jesus said, Peter, before the rooster crows
two times, you will have denied me three
times.
Peter said, Lord, they could kill me, but
I would never deny you.
And as Peter is there in the crowd,
swearing and cursing, saying, I don't know this
man that you're talking about.
And the rooster began to crow, came into
his mind the words of Jesus, before the
rooster crows twice, you will have denied me
three times.
And we read that Peter went out and
he wept.
One of the gospels tells us he wept
bitterly.
So many times our disappointment comes because we
have made the mistake of thinking that we
are actually stronger than we really are.
It seems like it's very easy to be
deceived about ourselves.
In fact, the apostle Paul warns about this
in his letter to the Romans.
He said, for I say through the grace
that's given unto me to every man that
is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think, but
think soberly.
David declared that God knew him better than
he knew himself.
Talking about God's knowledge of him, he said,
such knowledge is too great for me.
I cannot attain to it.
But coming to that realization, I don't really
know myself as well as God knows me.
David prayed, search me, oh God.
Know my heart.
Try me.
Know my thoughts and see if there is
a way of wickedness in me.
Disappointment comes when we've had confidence in our
flesh.
When we think I can do it.
I would never give in.
Again, Paul wrote, for we worship God in
spirit.
We rejoice in Christ Jesus and we have
no confidence in the flesh.
It is that confidence in the flesh that
so often is a entry on into failure,
yielding to temptation.
We've got to be careful about boasting of
our flesh.
What I will do or what I won't
do.
Paul again writing to the Romans said, for
I know that is in me, that is
in my flesh, there dwells no good thing.
The will is present, but how to perform
it I just can't seem to find.
I have found that my flesh is always
disappointing me.
John tells us of Jesus that he did
not commit himself to men because he knew
men.
He knew what was in man.
Do you think that Jesus was disappointed with
Peter's failure?
Of course he wasn't.
He knew that Peter was going to fail.
Even though Peter argued with him, he knew
that Peter was going to fail.
He predicted Peter's failure.
Thus he couldn't be disappointed in it because
he knew all the while that Peter would
indeed fail.
The psalmist said he knows our frame, that
we're but dust.
We sometimes think we're super saint, men of
steel, but God knows we're just dust.
It's good to know that when we fail,
it doesn't disqualify us from the game.
Jesus told Peter that same night when he
predicted his failure.
He said, Peter, Satan has requested for you.
He wants to sift you like wheat, but
when you're converted, strengthen your brothers.
Peter, you're going to fall.
And this was the sifting.
Peter was going through the sifting and he
failed.
But Jesus said, when you come back again,
when you're converted, then strengthen your brethren.
Sort of speaking of a continued ministry that
Peter was to have.
Jesus did not eliminate Peter from leadership just
because he failed.
But Jesus sought to tenderly restore him back
to the place of service.
We remember that when Jesus met the disciples
up at the sea of Galilee after his
resurrection, he called Peter aside and he said,
Peter, do you love me more than these?
And Peter said, yes, Lord, you know I
love you.
The second time Jesus asked Peter, do you
love me?
And he said, yes, Lord, I know you
know I love you.
He asked him the third time.
You see, Peter had denied his knowing the
Lord three times.
Now Jesus gives him three opportunities to affirm
his love for the Lord.
But on each occasion when Peter affirmed his
love, Jesus recommissioned him.
If you love me, feed my sheep.
If you love me, Peter, tend my little
lambs.
If you love me, feed my lambs.
So the Lord recommissioned Peter.
He didn't say, you lousy critter, you denied
me, I told you and and you know
through with you forever.
But he tenderly restores Peter to the place
of service and ministry.
In Acts chapter four, Peter is brought back
to the place of failure.
Brought back to the council of the high
priest.
The place where outside the council he denied
his Lord three times.
Peter is now not outside the council.
Peter is in the council.
He is the one who is being tried
before this council.
Interesting how that the Lord will often bring
us back to our place of failure to
give us the opportunity to succeed.
And so here's Peter.
He's standing before the council.
The prosecuting attorney said concerning the lame man
that would have been healed, by what name
or by what power is this man able
to walk?
And Peter responding to him said, be it
known unto you all and to all of
the people of Israel that by the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by
him does this man stand here before you
whole.
This is the stone which was set at
not by you builders, which has become the
head of the corner and neither is there
salvation in any other for there is no
other name under heaven given among men whereby
ye must be saved.
Peter passed the test, no longer denying that
he knew the Lord, but now boldly proclaiming
that Jesus was the promised Messiah and they
rejected him.
But there's not any salvation to be found
anywhere except through him.
Restored back serving the Lord again.
Now I don't want you to worry and
think, well now the pastor is going to
tell us some horrible sin he's just committed.
Not so.
Doing pretty good lately so.
But I've been dealing with some pastors that
have gone through some difficult times and oftentimes
the feeling is I've disqualified myself.
I'm going to be set aside.
I received a letter this week from some
people in a church where the pastor did
have a failure and they were
sort of upset because we didn't demand that
he leave the church.
And they sort of wondered, you know, what
is your attitude when a man fails and
his was in a financial matter.
And so I responded to the letter and
I said, we believe in seeking to restore
such a one in the spirit of meekness
as we consider ourselves, lest we also be
tempted.
And pastors are not perfect.
And so oftentimes when we look at a
pastor we think that they would never stumble,
they would never fall, but that's not true.
Pastors do stumble and they do fall.
And that's why it's important that we keep
our eyes on Jesus rather than on a
pastor.
But Charles Gabriel, in the song that we
opened with this morning, expressed it so well.
I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus
the Nazarene and wonder how he could love
me, a sinner condemned, unclean.
How marvelous, how wonderful.
And my song shall ever be how marvelous,
how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.
Take a look at your life today.
Maybe you are doing things that at one
time you said you would never do that.
But maybe you've been caught up.
And you find that today you're involved in
a situation that you said, I would never
do that.
And yet you're doing it.
You failed the test and you feel that
there is really no point of trying to
continue on with your walk with the Lord
because you discovered a weakness.
You were disappointed in yourself.
Maybe you've wept over this situation as you've
struggled to gain victory.
You feel that the Lord is disappointed with
you, ready to dump you because you are
so disappointed with yourself.
As we read in the psalm, David wrote,
out of the depths have I cried unto
thee, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to the voice
of my supplications.
If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord,
who would stand?
But there is forgiveness with you that you
might be reverenced.
I wait for the Lord, my soul does
wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than
the night watchman waits for the coming of
the dawn.
Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with
the Lord there is mercy.
With him is abundant redemption.
There's a bitter disappointment when your world comes
crashing down.
And you find that love is missing and
the circle isn't round.
Every memory comes back broken, every heartache magnified.
All your dreams are dashed to pieces.
You can't keep it all inside.
But Jesus won't let you go another day.
He knows every place you hide and what
you say.
He can see through all your darkness in
the corners of your soul, and he promises
he will never let you go.
You can spend your life running, turn your
back upon the past.
You can hide in dark deception, walk away
and not look back.
You can say that nothing's real, but it
will catch you down the road.
There's a story called the truth, and it's
dying to be told.
He won't give you more than you can
take.
He makes perfect every one of our mistakes.
This didn't take him by surprise.
In fact, this is the reason why he
died.
Jesus won't let you go another day.
He knows every place you hide and what
you say.
He can see through the darkness in the
corners of your soul, and he promises he'll
never let you go.
Oh, how wonderful, how marvelous, and my song
shall ever be.
The grace with which Jesus deals with our
failures.
Though we are disappointed and have bitter disappointments
in our discovery of our weaknesses, he understands.
He knew it all the while.
He's not disappointed, but he seeks to restore
you and get you back on your feet
again.
I've always said the greatest sin isn't falling.
The greatest sin is just lying there in
the mud instead of getting up, brushing yourself
off, and getting back to work, back serving
the Lord.
Don't wallow in the mire, but get up
and walk with Jesus.
He's got a work for you yet to
do.
Don't shirk it.
Father, we thank you for your grace with
which you deal with our weaknesses, for your
love and your concern, and Lord, we thank
you that you do come as you did
with Peter, and you deal with those areas
of our failure, and you recommission us and
put us back on the road.
Lord, there are those here today very conscious
of their failure, and they feel, Lord, that
you can't use them any longer.
But even, Lord, as you dealt with Peter
and put him back to work, so deal
with them, Lord, and recommission them.
Let them know again, Lord, the joy of
your salvation.
Let them know again the thrill of serving
you.
Let them know, Lord, that you've forgiven.
Help them this day.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Shall we stand?
The pastors are down here at the front
to pray with you who would like this
day to be strengthened in the Lord.
You know, it's interesting that our failure usually
comes not in the places where we know
we are weak.
If Satan attacks me in a place where
I know I'm weak, I immediately say, Lord,
help.
You know, I'm weak.
Help me.
And he gives me the strength.
I rarely fall where I know I'm weak.
Where I fail is where I think I'm
strong.
Okay, Lord, watch me.
And that's where I stumble because I'm depending
upon myself instead of upon the Lord.
I've known those bitter disappointments of failure.
We all have.
And if that's where you are today, the
Lord wants to restore you.
These men are down here to pray with
you and to pray for you that you
might experience the restoration, the forgiveness, and the
help.
And so do come down and let them
pray with you as soon as we're dismissed.
The Lord wants to work in your life
again in a very special way.
The Lord bless thee and keep thee.
The Lord make his face to shine upon
thee.
And be gracious unto thee.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee
and give thee peace.