A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Simon Peter. He had moments of incredible bravery and also moments of outright fear. That's what makes him so relatable. Everything he went through, we say, "That's like me."

Guest (Male): Today, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to the Gospel of Luke to see how we can avoid Peter's failures but emulate his successes.

Greg Laurie: His greatest test would lead to his greatest trust in God. And we have this story here to remind us that God gives second chances.

Guest (Male): The Bible teaches us how to think and how to behave, and we see it demonstrated in the lives of the heroes of our faith. They were people of commitment and people of action.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us focus on one particular biblical action figure to see the steps that lead to spiritual failure so we can avoid them. Peter sometimes showed us what to do and sometimes what not to do. But the takeaway lessons are significant.

Greg Laurie: I want to talk to you about Simon Peter. He was hopelessly human just like us. There's no more relatable person probably in all of the Bible than Peter. And you wonder, why would God choose someone like Peter? Because he failed in a spectacular way.

He openly denied that he knew Jesus three times, yet Jesus chose him to be one of His apostles and to, in effect, be the leader of the apostles. Why would God choose a loser when He could choose a winner? Another way to put it, why would God choose you or me? Jesus did not choose Peter because of his perfection. He chose him because of his potential.

He did mess up. Maybe I'm talking to somebody right now who has messed up horribly in life. You've said something you wish you had not said. You've done something you wish you had not done. But here's what you need to know: failure doesn't have to be the end of your story. God gives second chances and third ones and fourth ones and on it goes.

Peter had his ups and downs. He had his highs and lows. But the worst of all was when he openly denied the Lord. That's what I would like to focus on for a few moments. This brings us to the first step to Peter's fall. It was self-confidence.

Matthew 26:33: "Peter answered and said, 'Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.'" Jesus says one of you is going to betray me, and they all say, "Is it me, Lord? Is it me?" But Peter thought this was a moment to boast.

"Even if all deny you," says Peter, "I will never deny you." James and John, sons of thunder, I don't know about them. Matthew, don't forget he used to collude with the Roman government. I don't know if you can trust that guy. But you can depend on me.

Then Jesus says, "Well, since you brought it up, Peter, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you knew me." Peter says, "No, Lord. I will never deny you." That might sound commendable that Peter is boasting of his love for God, but actually, he was contradicting Jesus.

The Bible says let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Peter's second step down was a result of prayerlessness. Peter wasn't praying when he should have been because now we find ourselves in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is getting closer to His death on the cross. He knows what's coming, and He's under intense pressure.

In fact, we read that He cried to the Father, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Dr. Luke points out he sweat as it were great drops of blood. What does that mean? Some medical experts think that that may have been a description of what is called hematidrosis.

Hematidrosis is a condition you can have when you're under intense stress and pressure. You can have blood mixed with your perspiration, so you're effectively sweating blood. Jesus was sweating blood because, being omniscient and knowing the future, He knew exactly what was about to happen.

He knew the torturous things they would do to Him. He knew that He would be nailed to a cross. Worst of all, He knew that He who was sinless and holy would have to bear everything that was sinful and unholy as He bore the sins of the world. He recoiled and said, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass."

He didn't just say it quietly. The Bible says He screamed it out, and He screamed it repeatedly. "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me." He asked one thing of Peter, James, and John. He said to them, "Can you guys just watch with me for one hour?"

As He's dealing with this horrible thing that's about to happen, He comes back and He finds them asleep. He goes, "Guys, come on. Watch and pray." Because of the self-confidence, they didn't think they needed to pray. But they should have been praying. Here's the problem: they were slumbering and sleeping when they should have been present and praying.

Peter had no idea that a storm was brewing. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his world as he knew it was about to change within minutes because here comes Judas Iscariot with the temple guard ready to arrest Jesus. Peter should have been praying. That was a sin of omission.

There are sins of commission and omission. A sin of commission is when you do what you should not do. A sin of omission is when you don't do what you should do. The Bible says to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Not to pray can be a sin.

Number three, Peter fell because he trusted in human efforts instead of God's power. Here they are now in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here comes Judas and the temple guard to arrest Jesus. Here's what happened next. Matthew 26 and verse 51, we read these words.

As they're approaching, Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's slave. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Don't you think I can now pray to my Father, and He will provide me with 12 legions of angels?"

Imagine this scene. In a way, I sort of admire Peter and understand what he did, but it wasn't the right thing. Here comes Judas, one of their own. He betrays Jesus. Jesus sees Judas and says, "Friend, why have you come?" It was one last chance to repent.

Judas betrays Him, of all things, with a kiss. In fact, it's implied in the original language it was multiple kisses, kissed Him over and over. He told the temple guard, "The guy I kiss, that's Jesus." Now they come rushing in to arrest Jesus. Peter is so angry he pulls out a sword and he starts swinging, and off comes the ear of the high priest's servant.

It lands on the ground. Jesus stops, reaches down, picks up the ear, and heals it. If someone came at me like that and was arresting me and their ear happened to come off, I'd just say, "I don't know, it's down there somewhere. Oh, here it is." I wouldn't have healed him. I'd say, "Yeah, you got what you deserved, loser."

Not Jesus. The last miracle Christ performed was covering the blunder of one of His disciples and healing the ear of a man that wanted to kill Him. But this is the problem with Peter. He was doing it through human efforts. He was doing it in his own strength.

The problem with Peter is he was boasting when he should have been listening, sleeping when he should have been praying, and now he's fighting when he should have been surrendering. He was fighting with the wrong kind of weaponry. This was a spiritual battle, but he missed that opportunity. But Jesus covered for him, bringing us to the next step of Peter: warming himself by the enemy's fire.

Matthew 26, verse 69: "Peter sat outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him saying, 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee.' He denied it before them all saying, 'I don't know what you're saying.' And when he had gone to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those that were there, 'This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.'"

"And again he denied it with an oath saying, 'I do not know the man.' A little later, those who stood by came and said to Peter, 'Surely you're one of them, for your speech betrays you.' And Peter began to curse and swear saying, 'I don't know the man.' Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you'll deny me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a Harvest version of Netflix. We have all of our resources in one place.

We have our movies like Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash: Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions, and much more. So go and download the Harvest Plus app.

Pastor Greg has brought us to the lowest point in Peter's life. In moments, he'll commit a sin that echoes through time. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: So he's now warming himself by the enemy's fire. He was cold, he was disoriented, he was afraid. He sees this fire and he's standing there with the wrong people at the wrong place, and he's about to do the wrong thing.

His first denial happens, then a second, and then a third. After his first denial, you'd think he'd say, "Hey, are there any roosters around here? Didn't Jesus say something about a rooster?" And then he denies Him again. A period of time passed between each of these denials.

But here's what's interesting. One of them says, "You were with them. Your speech betrays you." What she was saying is you have the Galilean accent. When you travel around the country or around the world for that matter, you notice people have different accents.

If you're in the South, it's like, "Hey, how y'all doing?" If you're in New York, it's like, "Whoa, what are you looking at me? You want some of this? Where can I get some coffee?" I'll talk to someone and they go, "Where can I get some coffee?" I go, "Are you from New York?" "How'd you know?" The way you said coffee.

So we have different accents, different ways we say things from different places. People tell me that I have a California accent. I say there is no California accent. They go, "Oh no, there is. You've got the California accent." Whatever. I don't ever say that, but I guess we have an accent too.

But really it was a put-down too because in Jerusalem they thought of themselves as sophisticated and educated and very religious and very devout. The people in Galilee are like living in the sticks, backwood people. They sort of thought less of them. "Oh, you've got the Galilean accent. Obviously, you're not really educated. You're not sophisticated." It was a put-down.

Luke's Gospel tells us there was time that elapsed between these denials, which means that he had plenty of opportunities to get this right. But he went further and further into sin. In his last denial, it's really sad because it says he began to curse and swear.

Does this mean that Peter swore like a sailor? He was one. But it actually doesn't mean he used profanity. When it says he cursed and swore, it meant he took an oath as if to say, "I swear to God I never knew Jesus." In the worst imaginable version of taking the Lord's name in vain, Peter took an oath swearing to God he never knew Jesus.

The rooster crows, and then the Bible says Jesus looked at Peter. So here he is by the fire, he utters his third denial, the rooster crows, and they're moving Christ from one place to another and He makes momentary eye contact with Peter. Can you see it in the glow of the fire?

What kind of look do you think Jesus gave Peter? Do you think He looked at him and rolled His eyes like, "Really?" I think it was a look of compassion and love. Don't forget Jesus predicted this. He knew Peter was going to fail. He knew he was going to fall short.

Peter went out and wept bitterly. He says, "That's it. That's the end for me." Did he fail? Yes. Did he deny the Lord? Again, yes. Was he still a believer? Absolutely. But he was a fallen believer. Don't forget what Jesus said. He said, "When you return, you'll strengthen your brothers."

Peter's going to deny me, not once, not twice, three times. But you're going to return, and when you return, you'll strengthen your brothers. In other words, the setback was temporary. Peter would be back. His setback would ultimately become a setup for greater things. His mess would turn into a message. His test would be a testimony. His disappointment would lead to a divine appointment.

His greatest test would lead to his greatest trust in God. We have the story here to remind us that God gives second chances. What a hard lesson to learn. Peter, what you're going through, they're going to be talking about it in church 2,000 years from now. Everyone's going to know this story.

But this isn't the end of the story because they're also going to know what happened after. They're going to know that I forgave you because after Christ is crucified, He rises again three days later, and then the message goes out: "Go tell the disciples and who?" Does anyone know? Peter.

Go tell the disciples and Peter He's risen. Not go tell the disciples and Peter, James, and John or go tell the disciples and Mary and Martha. Tell the disciples and Peter. In other words, I want you to send a special message to Peter, and here's what it is: "I'm risen, and I'll see you in Galilee. So don't miss the appointment."

Isn't that great that God gives second chances to all of us? He did that for Peter and He will do it for us as well. Simon Peter, a man of contradictions. He was praised and honored and even rebuked by Jesus Himself. One moment he's walking on water, the next moment he's sinking.

He had moments of incredible bravery and also moments of outright fear. That's what makes him so relatable. Everything he went through, we say, "That's like me. That's what I do." Exactly. That's why he's here in the Bible to show you that God uses flawed people.

God picks losers, so to speak, and turns them into winners ultimately and can restore you no matter what you have done. God can take your ending and turn it into a beginning. Jesus invaded Peter's world. Peter's world was all about fishing.

Jesus steps right into his world. "Hello. You want to catch some fish? Do what I tell you." Jesus did that for many people. How about that woman caught in the act of adultery in a horrible predicament? They said, "The law says she should be stoned. What do you say?" He clears a room. "Let him that's without sin cast the first stone."

They leave from the oldest to the youngest, and He turns to her and says, "Woman, where are your accusers? Go and sin no more." Then there's that man that was disabled and he couldn't move. He had heard a rumor that if an angel touched the water he was near, that he could be healed if he got there first.

One day Jesus Himself shows up and asks him a question, "Do you really want to get well? You want to change?" The man said yes, and Jesus healed him right there. He invaded his world. God invaded my world. Didn't He invade yours?

The last thing I planned on doing on that day in 1970 at the age of 17 was becoming a Christian. I was going the wrong way in life, making bad decisions, using drugs, hanging out with the lowest of the lowlifes. No one even engaged me with the Gospel. No one took the time to say, "Greg, here's how you can become a Christian."

I remember I would hang around at the fun zone down at Newport by the ferry, and I would lean up against a wall and my hair would hang in my eyes. Use your imagination. I had a tough guy persona, and people wouldn't come up and approach me.

They would come up with their little religious tracks and booklets, and they'd give them out to people and walk up to me and walk away. I'd say, "Give me one," and I'd shove it in my pocket like, "I don't care, give it to me." Then I would go home and read them and try to figure them out.

I had a drawer in my little room that I lived in, and I would put all this religious literature in this drawer. It was sort of like my "God drawer." I didn't know what any of it meant. Every now and then I would empty it on my bed, and I would sit there and try to figure it out. How can I know God? I needed someone to tell me. No one told me.

So Jesus just personally invaded my world. I'm walking across my high school campus and I come across a group of Christians singing about their faith. I hear the Gospel for the first time. It wasn't even presented to me. I was eavesdropping on it. Then I realized what Jesus Christ could do for me.

My life changed because He invaded my world. He's ready to invade your world right now in the best possible way, no matter who you are. You say, "Well, I've tried to make my life better. I've tried to improve myself." And you've failed, haven't you? You need God.

You need to call out to the Lord, and you'll be amazed at what He can do despite the predicament you find yourself in now, despite the fact that you've made a mess out of your life. As I said earlier, He can turn your mess into a message. He can transform you, but you must come to Him and say, "God, help me."

That's what Peter did, and Jesus changed him. Maybe there's somebody I'm talking to right now that you're a Christian, but you have denied the Lord in some way, shape, or form. You've fallen short, you've done something you wish you had not done, you've said something you wish you had not said. Well, God can forgive you, but you must come to Him.

We're going to close now in prayer, and I'm going to extend an invitation for anybody here or wherever you are. Christ is ready to come into your life. He went to that cross and He died for your sins, and He rose again from the dead. He's alive and He's here and He's ready to come into your life.

Jesus stands at the door of our life and He knocks and says if people will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. If you've never asked Jesus to come into your life, you can do it right here, right now. Or maybe you've fallen away from the Lord and you need to come back to Him. You can do that as well.

Father, I pray that you will speak to every person wherever they are. If they don't know you, I pray that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince them of their sin and bring them to yourself. Help them to see their need for you. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Male): An important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie today here on A New Beginning. And if you'd like to make that kind of change in your relationship with God, Pastor Greg wants to help you do that right now.

Greg Laurie: As you've been listening to this today, maybe you've heard another voice. By that I mean, yeah, you heard me say a few things, but you heard God's voice speak to you deep in the recesses of your heart. It suddenly dawned on you, "This is what I need," or to state it more accurately, "This is who I need. I need Jesus and I want Jesus."

Maybe you don't know how to make that connection. Let me help you. God is only a prayer away. He stands at the door of your heart and He knocks. Jesus says if you'll hear His voice and open the door, He'll come in. Let me help you open the door, so to speak, of your heart as you invite Jesus to be your Savior and Lord.

Here's what I would like you to do. I'd like you to stop what you're doing and I want you to pray a prayer after me. I'll lead you in this prayer, and as you pray it, God will hear you. Pray this after me right now if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life.

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sin. And I need your forgiveness right now. Would you come into my heart and my life as Savior, as God, as friend? I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

I know that was a relatively short prayer. Maybe you felt something as you prayed it, maybe you felt nothing. That doesn't really matter because God's word says, "These things we write to you who believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

It doesn't say so you may think you have it or you may hope you have it if God's in a good mood. No, that you can know it. And I want you to know if you prayed that prayer in minute, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come into your life. So congratulations. You're now a Christian. Now continue to follow the Lord.

Guest (Male): And to help you, we'd like to send you one of the most valuable resources you could have as someone just beginning to walk with the Lord. It's Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. There are scores of study helps that'll answer many of the questions you might have and get you started off right in your new relationship with the Lord.

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Well, next time, Pastor Greg shows us the remarkable faith of a mother who wouldn't give up. Some strong encouragement coming our way. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.