A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Peter said, "I swear to God, I never knew Jesus Christ."

Guest (Male): The Apostle Peter took a giant step backwards in his integrity and proclamation of the Gospel. Pastor Greg Laurie says, God grants second chances.

Greg Laurie: Believers can fall. Believers can stumble, but believers can get up again. For Peter, his setback was going to turn into a setup. His mess would be turned into a message.

Music: This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Oh, can you hear all the angels singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.

Guest (Male): Golfers know the meaning of the word "mulligan." Bad golfers know it very well. A mulligan is a do-over. Take that swing over again. You're good. Thankfully, the Lord allows mulligans in the spiritual life.

Guest (Male): If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and fellowship restored.

Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.

Greg Laurie: We have a story before us now in the Bible, of a man who was overtaken by sin. A man who probably never realized that one thing would lead to another and through five steps he fell away from the Lord.

Greg Laurie: This man was a full-fledged apostle of Jesus Christ, and his name is known to all of us. I want to tell the story of Simon Peter and his fall, and his restoration, hence the title, a second chance in life.

Greg Laurie: Look with me if you will at Mark chapter 14, starting in verse 27. By the way, I'm reading from the New Living Translation.

Greg Laurie: On the way Jesus told them, "All of you will desert Me, for the scripture says, God will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I'm raised from the dead, I'll go ahead before you into Galilee and I'll meet you there."

Greg Laurie: Peter said, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will."

Greg Laurie: Jesus replied, "Well, I tell you the truth, Peter, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know Me."

Greg Laurie: "No," Peter declared emphatically, "even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you."

Greg Laurie: And all the others doubted the same.

Greg Laurie: Now, there are five steps that led Peter down to his denial of Christ. Here's step number one, if you're taking notes, his first step down was self-confidence.

Greg Laurie: Self-confidence. Go back to Mark 14, verse 29. Peter said to Jesus, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will."

Greg Laurie: This is after the Lord revealed that Judas would betray Him. So Peter's effectively saying, "Hey, even if Judas betrays you, I'll never let you down." He's almost boasting at the expense of others. "Even if these others fall short, I, remember you gave me that new name Rock, I, Rocky, will never let you down."

Greg Laurie: The Bible says, "Pride goes before a fall."

Greg Laurie: Peter's second step down was prayerlessness. I'm not even sure if that's a word, but it's a real thing, prayerlessness.

Greg Laurie: How many of us would be honest to admit that we need to pray more? I know that I do.

Greg Laurie: And Peter was sleeping when he should have been praying.

Greg Laurie: Going back to Mark 14, verse 37. They're in the Garden of Gethsemane now. Jesus says to the disciples, Peter, James, and John, "Watch with Me. Watch and pray."

Greg Laurie: And we read these words, and this is from the New King James Version. He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, why are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Greg Laurie: Again, He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. When He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to say to Him.

Greg Laurie: Here's Jesus contemplating the horrors of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, and according to Doctor Luke, He's sweating as it were great drops of blood. Literally sweating blood as He thinks about what is ahead.

Greg Laurie: All He asked for was a little companionship from Peter, James, and John, and they fell asleep.

Greg Laurie: You know, it's interesting, in the Bible, sleep is spoken of as sort of a negative thing. It says to Christians, "Now is the time to wake up, for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."

Greg Laurie: And we all know what it's like to fall asleep at an inappropriate time. Maybe you've fallen asleep in church.

Greg Laurie: By the way, pastors know when you fall asleep. I think it comes as a revelation to people to know that not only can you see me when I'm speaking, but I can see you. When someone nods out, and they may put their hands up to their face like they're praying, I know you're sleeping, okay? Especially when you start snoring.

Greg Laurie: But we always deny it when we're sleeping for some reason. Someone will say, "Did you fall asleep?" No, no, you did.

Greg Laurie: And these guys fell asleep, but you see, Jesus was getting them ready. He's saying, "Boys, you need to pray," because He knew a storm was brewing.

Greg Laurie: He knew that hard times were ahead and they needed to be praying. Literally, the devil's son is on his way with some armed guards to arrest Jesus.

Greg Laurie: And it's a reminder to us that prayerlessness can be as much of a sin as breaking a commandment.

Greg Laurie: See, there's not just sins of commission, that's when you do what you should not do, but there are sins of omission when you don't do what you should do.

Greg Laurie: The Bible says, "To him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Greg Laurie: So if the Lord impresses upon your heart the need to pray and you don't pray, that could be a sin. Jesus is saying to Peter, James, and John, "Guys, you need to pray."

Greg Laurie: Yeah, whatever, we're going to catch some Zs right now. That was a mistake.

Greg Laurie: His third step down was Peter trusted human efforts instead of God's power.

Greg Laurie: He trusted human efforts instead of God's power.

Greg Laurie: Verse 46 of Mark 14, "They laid their hands on Him and took Him, and one of them who stood by, drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear."

Greg Laurie: Now Luke fills in some details here, and we find out who one of them was. It was Peter, and he's soundly rebuked by Jesus after he does this.

Greg Laurie: Christ says to Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for those who live by the sword will perish by the sword."

Greg Laurie: "Don't you realize I can pray to My Father and He would provide Me with twelve legions of angels?"

Greg Laurie: In fairness, we can understand Peter's outrage. Judas Iscariot. He's hung out with this guy for three years plus, thought of him as a friend.

Greg Laurie: Here is Judas who's betrayed Jesus, and how did Judas betray Jesus? The Bible says with a kiss.

Greg Laurie: I mean, couldn't Judas just say, "Look, it's the guy I'm pointing to. That's Jesus, arrest him." Or "The guy I'm shaking his hand, there he is." He betrays him with a kiss.

Greg Laurie: In the original language, it wasn't just a peck on the cheek, it was repeated kisses. And he's appearing to be someone who loves Jesus when he's betraying him.

Greg Laurie: Jesus says to Judas as he approaches, "Friend, why have you come?"

Greg Laurie: "Friend?" He should have said, "Fiend, why have you come?" Jesus knew why he came.

Greg Laurie: I think Judas missed it, but Christ was giving to Judas one last opportunity to repent of his sin, and Judas did not take it. Remember, Satan filled Judas's heart.

Greg Laurie: So Peter's just ticked off. He's angry. He's a fisherman, not a swordsman. He pulls out the sword, takes his swing. Off comes the ear of a guy named Malchus, another Gospel tells us, who probably was leading the charge.

Greg Laurie: Jesus reaches down, picks this man's ear up and reattaches it.

Greg Laurie: So the last miracle of Jesus before He died on the cross was the healing of a man who was coming to arrest Him.

Greg Laurie: It was also a miracle that was done to cover the blunder of a disciple. What an amazing story that is.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Guest (Male): We're so thankful to hear from listeners who share how Pastor Greg's messages are touching lives.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, my brother is a youth pastor. He and a small group of adults were able to bring 16 kids from his youth group to one of your Harvest Crusades. At the end of your message, ten of the kids answered the altar call to follow Jesus.

Guest (Female): One of the girls expressed that she wanted to be baptized, and even my husband, who watched the live stream of the crusade, felt the Holy Spirit urge him to get baptized too.

Guest (Female): Thank you so much for these opportunities to grow closer to the Lord. God is moving.

Guest (Male): We're grateful to hear of the changed lives through Harvest Ministries. And if you have a story to tell of how Pastor Greg's messages have touched your life and that of a family member, I hope you'll contact us.

Guest (Male): Email Pastor Greg. Send it to greg@harvest.org. That's greg@harvest.org.

Guest (Male): We're studying Peter's failure in Mark chapter 14 today. Pastor Greg is helping us focus on why it happened. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: Two more steps that led to Peter's fall. Step number four. He was warming himself at the enemy's fire.

Greg Laurie: He was warming himself at the enemy's fire.

Greg Laurie: Go back to Mark 14, verse 66. We read, as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and she saw Peter warming himself.

Greg Laurie: She looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth."

Greg Laurie: He denied it, saying, "I don't know or understand what you're saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.

Greg Laurie: Remember what Jesus said? "You will deny Me three times before the rooster has crowed twice." So he's warming himself by the fire.

Greg Laurie: Have you ever tried to go undercover as a Christian? Sort of hide your faith, go unnoticed in the larger crowd?

Greg Laurie: Following at a distance, Peter became cold and was attracted to the warmth of the fire. He didn't think that anyone would recognize him there.

Greg Laurie: Now, he is following Jesus still, so we have to give him some credit. He hasn't run away, but he's not doing anything either.

Greg Laurie: In fact, we're given a detail here in Matthew 26, verse 58. We read that Peter went and sat with the servants to see the end. See, that's what he thought it was, the end.

Greg Laurie: There's no more hope. Everything's gone off the tracks.

Greg Laurie: Jesus, in Peter's estimation, was supposed to establish his kingdom and drive out the Romans, and now he's been betrayed by one of us. And now he's going to die on the cross.

Greg Laurie: But I guess I'll just stay here and see the end. But it was not going to be the end. It was going to be a beginning. A new beginning.

Greg Laurie: It's not a bad thing that he was warming himself by a fire, but he's with these people around the fire.

Greg Laurie: The Bible says in Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, or stands in the way of sinners, or sits in the seat of the scornful."

Greg Laurie: See, that's what was happening. He was mixing in with this crowd, and he's called out. Right there he should have said, "Yes, I'm a follower of Jesus."

Greg Laurie: But he denies it, denial number one.

Greg Laurie: Now his fifth step down, another denial. Luke's Gospel tells us some time elapsed before the first and second denial.

Greg Laurie: So Peter could have left that place, but he stayed inexplicably. He had plenty of time to think about it, and we might criticize him for it.

Greg Laurie: But wait a second, the last time you were tempted, did you flee? Did you remove yourself from that place where you were being pulled down?

Greg Laurie: When that scene in the movie came on the screen, did you walk out of the theater, or did you turn the TV off?

Greg Laurie: When your buddy mocked or cursed God, did you speak up for your faith? That temptation from that girl that came your way, did you flee like Joseph did?

Greg Laurie: It's very easy for us to critique, but we do the same. And we get compromised, and that's what Peter was doing right now. He was trapped in a miserable web of compromise.

Greg Laurie: Suddenly, someone recognizes Peter. Mark 14, verse 69, a servant girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them." But he denied it again.

Greg Laurie: A little later, those who stood by Peter said to him again, "You're one of them, for you're a Galilean and your speech shows it."

Greg Laurie: And he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the man of whom you speak." A second time the rooster crowed.

Greg Laurie: Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.

Greg Laurie: "You're a Galilean," they said. We don't understand what that means necessarily, but it was sort of an insult because those that lived in Jerusalem, a sophisticated city at the time, thought of the people that lived in the region of Galilee as being at a lower level.

Greg Laurie: It would be sort of like saying, "You're a country bumpkin," or "You're unsophisticated," or "You don't know what you're talking about. You're uneducated like we are in Jerusalem."

Greg Laurie: And then Peter denies again and the rooster crows. The interesting thing is it says, he took an oath. Peter should have just come clean and admitted he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

Greg Laurie: But verse 71 says, he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know this man of whom you speak." And then the rooster crows.

Greg Laurie: When the Bible says he cursed and swore, it doesn't mean that Peter swore like a sailor, though he was a sailor. But it's a different term. It means to take an oath and to swear to God.

Greg Laurie: It could best be described as the worst illustration of taking the Lord's name in vain. Peter effectively said, "I swear to God, and I take an oath right now, I never knew Jesus Christ."

Greg Laurie: Luke fills in an important detail. Luke 22, verse 59. While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Listen to this. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And then Peter remembered the word of the Lord what He had said to him, and he went out and wept bitterly.

Greg Laurie: The Lord looked at Peter. So at the very moment of his third denial, and the rooster crows, who appears on the scene? Jesus. They're leading Him from one place to another, and He makes eye contact with Peter.

Greg Laurie: Imagine that if you can. What kind of expression was on the Lord's face? Do you think He rolled His eyes like, "What a loser?"

Greg Laurie: Do you think He looked at Peter with scorn and anger? No, actually, I think He looked at Peter with deep love.

Greg Laurie: Did this all come as a surprise to Jesus? No. He knew Peter would do this. He told Peter he would do this. Did Jesus know Peter would fail? Absolutely. Was Peter still a believer at this moment? Yes, he was.

Greg Laurie: Believers can fall. Believers can stumble, but believers can get up again.

Greg Laurie: Peter needed to remember that Jesus said, "When you have returned, you will strengthen your brothers."

Greg Laurie: In other words, this setback is temporary. See, for Peter, his setback was going to turn into a setup, and God was going to use this failure as a way for Peter to encourage other people.

Greg Laurie: Yes, his mess would be turned into a message.

Greg Laurie: This is a great example to us that anybody can fall into sin. But Peter was really repentant. The Bible says, he wept bitterly. The Bible says, "Godly sorrow produces repentance."

Greg Laurie: See, everyone's going to sin. When you sin and feel bad about that, that's a good thing, because that means your conscience is working.

Greg Laurie: But if you can sin and sin again, and even sin some more, even committing the same sin repeatedly, and feel no remorse, no guilt, something isn't working right in your heart and in your soul.

Greg Laurie: The conviction of the spirit that will produce guilt is a reminder that you need to get right with God.

Greg Laurie: Peter wept bitterly. Are you sorry for your sin? Now let me ask a follow-up question. Are you sorry enough to stop?

Greg Laurie: This is a hopeful story, because Peter went out and wept bitterly. But three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead, and what was the message? It was, "Go tell the disciples and Peter, He's risen."

Greg Laurie: Why wasn't it, "Go tell the disciples and John," or "Go tell the disciples and Andrew or Matthew?"

Greg Laurie: It's, "Go tell the disciples and Peter." Why was Peter singled out? Because he needed a special word from the Lord.

Greg Laurie: Am I talking to someone right now that needs a special reminder from God that you are loved by Him?

Greg Laurie: Let me say that to you. God loves you. God longs for a relationship with you.

Greg Laurie: When you run from Him, or fall spiritually, He longs for you to return to Him again.

Greg Laurie: God says in Jeremiah 3:22, "Return, you faithless people, and I will cure you of backsliding."

Greg Laurie: How is this all possible? Through the death of Jesus. Where was Jesus headed? He was headed to the cross to die for the sins of Simon Peter, to die for the sins of the apostles, to die for the sins of all the people of that day, to die for the sins of people of every generation.

Greg Laurie: He was going to the cross to die for your sins and mine.

Greg Laurie: I love the way that the Apostle Paul personalized it when he said of Christ, "He loved me and gave Himself for me." It's personal.

Greg Laurie: Jesus died on the cross for you. Why? Because He knew there was no other way for you to be made right with God.

Greg Laurie: Do you think good works will get you to heaven? Do you think living a better life is going to get you closer to God? It won't.

Greg Laurie: No, you see, every one of us falls short of God's glory. Every one of us breaks His commandments, and that separates us from Him.

Greg Laurie: Christ died for our sin and paid for our sin. So what you need to do to come into this relationship with God? What you need to do to be forgiven of your sin? What you need to do to know that you're going to heaven when you die, or what you need to do to come back to the Lord is admit you're a sinner.

Greg Laurie: Turn from that sin and put your faith in Jesus. Would you do that right now?

Greg Laurie: Yes, there can be a second chance in life for you. Jesus Christ, who died on that cross and rose from the dead three days later, is alive and here.

Greg Laurie: He's knocking at the door of your life, and He's saying, "If you'll hear My voice and open the door, I will come in."

Greg Laurie: So why don't you open that door so to speak? Why don't you invite Jesus into your life?

Greg Laurie: Listen, if you would like your sin forgiven, if you would like to know that you're going to heaven when you die, if you would like that second chance in life I've been talking about, you can pray a prayer with me right now.

Greg Laurie: I'll pray a simple prayer, and I'll ask you to just stop what you're doing wherever you are. You can bow your head, close your eyes if you like. You can pray with your eyes open if you want.

Greg Laurie: But I would ask you to pray this out loud, and this is a prayer where you are asking God to forgive you of your sin, a prayer where you're asking Jesus Christ to come into your life, or a prayer where you're recommitting your life to the Lord.

Greg Laurie: If you need to do this, do it right now with me. Let's pray.

Greg Laurie: Pray these words. Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner.

Greg Laurie: But I know that You are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin.

Greg Laurie: I turn from my sin now, and I choose to follow You from this moment forward.

Greg Laurie: Thank you for hearing this prayer, and thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Dave: Well, hopefully, you prayed along with Pastor Greg Laurie just now and entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Dave: If you did, we'd like to first of all say, congratulations. You've just made the best decision of your life.

Dave: We'd also like to make available Pastor Greg's new believers' Bible. It'll help you get well-grounded in God's word and build a solid foundation for your relationship with the Lord.

Dave: You can request it free of any charge when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click No God.

Dave: Let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry and for supporting it through your generous donation. It's an investment in kingdom business. Isn't that right, Pastor Greg?

Greg Laurie: Yeah, it's really true, Dave. And I believe it's so important because, you know, the Gospel saves lives. It saves eternal lives because when a person believes in Jesus according to scripture, they passed from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God.

Greg Laurie: Then of course, that changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children. The Gospel changes everything. And thousands and thousands of people respond every single year.

Greg Laurie: Thanks to the Lord, also thanks to you for your investment in this ministry, enabling us to reach people wherever they are.

Greg Laurie: So if this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment in A New Beginning and Harvest Ministries.

Dave: Yeah, that's right, and we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today. It can make a real difference, not just for today or this week, but for eternity.

Dave: So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org.

Dave: Next time, Pastor Greg takes a revealing look at the significance of the Lord's death at Calvary. It's a look at what Jesus' sacrifice means to believers today.

Dave: Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.

Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.