A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Let me say something that might surprise you. The only thing God expects of you is failure. He knows you're going to fall short. He knows you're going to mess up. But often, through failure, we learn things we would not otherwise learn. If you've had a few failures in life, it's not a time to give up. It's a time to look up. Today, on A New Beginning, we bring this good encouragement. The doorway to success is often entered through the hallway of failure.

They say Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times to make a viable electric light bulb. When asked about all those strike-outs, Edison would reportedly say, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Today, on A New Beginning, we explore the failure of a certain apostle. He did the unthinkable, but we'll see the Lord responded with the unexpected. Spiritual failure came face to face with divine mercy.

I was around 18 years old when I gave my first sermon. I was at a camp for Calvary Chapel up at Idyllwild Springs in the mountains. I don't know why they let an 18-year-old kid preach, but they asked me to give a message. Pastor Chuck was in the front row. A lot of people I knew. I was very nervous. I wanted to do it right. I didn't want to mess up.

I got up in front of everyone. I was speaking from Ephesians chapter 6, which talks about spiritual warfare. From the King James, it says that you put on the armor of God so we can withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one. Fiery darts is King James for flaming arrows. Instead of saying "fiery darts of the wicked one," I got up and said, "And we need to guard ourselves against the diary farts of the wicked one."

Chuck was laughing so hard I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He turned bright red. No one remembered the rest of my message. Well, there's more things I've said over the years. Not that long ago, actually, I was speaking on David and Bathsheba. I was talking about when David first saw her. The Bible says she was a woman of unusual beauty. But instead of saying Bathsheba was a woman of unusual beauty, I said Bathsheba was a woman of unusual booty.

Now, that may have been true. I don't know. But that's not what I meant to say. Another time, I was wrapping up a message. It was at the end, right before I was going to invite people to come to Christ, and I would usually say something like, "Let's pray." But instead, I said, "Let's pee." Thankfully, no one took me up on that.

One more, this is my last one. These are my bloopers. I was speaking on Simon Peter, and I said, "And Jesus turned to Peter." Well, that's what I meant to say. But instead, I said, "And Jesus turned to Peepers." I called him Peepers. Okay, so that's my new name for Peter.

I want to talk to you about Simon Peter. You know, Peter's so easy to relate to. He was hopelessly human, just like us. There's no more relatable person probably in all of the Bible than Peter. 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, not only that, but 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? God looks at the big picture; we look at the small picture. We see the immediate; he sees what's going to happen. Jesus did not choose Peter because of his perfection; he chose him because of his potential.

And 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. I love Joel 2:25 where God says, "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten."

Let's start with the first time Peter and Jesus came together. Peter was out fishing. He was a seasoned fisherman, normally a successful one. But on this particular occasion, they had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus shows up and says, "Hey, why don't you get back into your boat and go out into the deep water and you'll have a great catch."

Now, they might have thought, "Who is this guy and what does he know?" Jesus was not a fisherman. He was what we might call a landlubber. That was not his area of expertise. But there was something about Jesus saying that to Peter that caused Peter to respond. It's interesting what Peter said. He said, "We've fished all night and we've caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, Lord, we will do it." They pulled in so many fish they couldn't contain them all.

What does Peter do? You would think he would say, "Thank you, Jesus," or "Can you show up tomorrow at the same time?" But instead, Peter says, "Depart from me, I am a sinful man." In other words, "Lord, you may have some idea of wanting to use me because Christ did say to Peter, 'Follow me and I'll make you a fisher of men.'" Peter is saying, "Don't waste your time on me. Lord, you don't want me on your team. I'm only going to disappoint you. I'm only going to let you down."

Jesus saw Peter for what he would become, not what he was. We might see a lump of clay; God sees a beautiful vase. We see a blank canvas; God sees a finished painting. We see a piece of coal; God sees a refined diamond. We see problems; God sees solutions. We see failures; God sees growth. We see weakness; God sees a warrior. We see an unfinished story; God sees a glorious ending.

Peter just saw sin. Jesus saw a spiritual leader. Jesus knew Peter would fail. Let me say something that might surprise you: the only thing God expects of you is failure. "Oh no, Greg, you're wrong. He expects us to succeed." No. God knows the future, right? He knows you're going to fall short. He knows you're going to mess up. So it did not come as a shock to Christ when Peter fell short in this area.

But often, through failure, we learn things we would not otherwise learn, right? It's been said that the doorway to success is often entered through the hallway of failure. See, I think the objective is to fail forward. Does that make sense? To fail forward means I learn from my mistakes, right? It's been said, "If at first you don't succeed, relax, you're just like the rest of us." So we all fall short; we all have our moments of failure. But God can take our endings and turn them into beginnings.

The gospels are just full of the adventures and misadventures of Peter. The great statements, the bad statements. You've got to love this guy because he was always talking. Here's an occasion where he said the right thing. Jesus and the disciples are at a place called Caesarea Philippi. Jesus turns to them and says, "Who do people say that I am?" They said, "Well, some say you're Jeremiah. Others say you're Elijah."

Jesus said, "Okay, who do you say that I am?" Peter, inspired by God himself, said, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God." Jesus said, "Flesh and blood did not reveal that to you, Peter, but my Father in heaven. And you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." Quick commentary: Jesus was not saying he was going to build the church on Peter. God forbid that Jesus builds his church on any man or woman. No, he was saying, "I'm going to build my church on the statement you just made, that I am the Christ, the son of the living God." The church is built on Christ, not on a person. See, that's important.

But it was an awesome statement and it was an insightful one. Peter just hit a home run. All the others are probably thinking, "Oh man, I wish I would have said that." Then Jesus said, "You know, I the son of man am going to be betrayed, and I'm going to be crucified, and I'll rise again on the third day."

Peter, thinking he's on a roll, takes Jesus aside and says, "Jesus, this is crazy. You can't talk like that. This can never happen to you. Heaven forbid." Jesus turns to him and says, "Get behind me, Satan, because you're seeing it from a human point of view, not God's." Poor Peter. One moment he's inspired by God; the next moment he's inspired by the devil.

But then one of the classic Peter moments in the Bible is at the Transfiguration. Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John. Then he went a little bit of distance from them, and there he appeared with Moses on one side and Elijah on the other. Moses representing the law, Elijah representing the prophets. The Bible says Jesus was transfigured or was shown like the sun.

We say, "Well, that's a miracle." No, it was not a miracle that Jesus shined like the sun on that particular occasion. It was a miracle he didn't shine like that all the time. He was God walking among us. But he shrouded his glory, you see. So here's a moment where he just said, "Hey, in case you don't fully know who I am, check this out." There it is. That's who I am. Whoa!

Now, that's a moment to take in. Don't take your stupid phone out. I think we miss so many moments because we pull our phones out for everything. Can we just experience it every now and then? Well, they're watching, to just be quiet, behold the glory of God. No, Peter thought it would be a good opportunity to say a few words.

So here's Jesus, here's Moses, here's Elijah. Peter says, "It's good we are here." Who asked? "Let's build three tents: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." I love the commentary in the Gospel: it says this he said because he did not know what to say. Have you ever done that? Said something because you did not know what to say? Think about this: when you don't know what to say, don't say anything. There's an old proverb that says, "Better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and dispel all doubt."

So he said that. I wonder if Moses turned to Jesus and said, "Do you know that guy?" "Yeah, he's with me." "What's up with him?" "That's Peter. He just says whatever he's thinking." That was just a classic Peter moment.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with the second half of his message in just a moment. We love hearing from our listeners, whether it's a short word or they take some time to tell us what's going on with them. We read every word.

Guest (Female): Hi Pastor Greg. Our son Tanner was baptized at Pirate's Cove on August 16th. He attended the Harvest Crusade in Boise, Idaho, a couple of years ago. We praise God for all He's doing in Tanner's life. Thank you for all you do.

Guest (Male): Do you have a story to share with Pastor Greg? If so, would you let him know? Send him an email: Greg@harvest.org. That's Greg@harvest.org. Well, we're learning how to bounce back from failure in today's message from Pastor Greg. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: 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 starting with Luke 22. When Peter began his regression, when he fell, there were a number of steps that led to his fall that we can learn from. It all started when Jesus was with the disciples and he turned to Peter and said these words.

Luke 22:31: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brothers." Put yourself in Peter's sandals for a moment. Imagine you're just hanging out with Jesus, having a great time, and suddenly Jesus turns to you and says your name twice. And then says Satan has been asking for you by name. In the original language, it could be translated, "The devil has been asking excessively that you would be taken out of the care and protection of God." How scary would that be?

But then Jesus adds these words: "But I have prayed for you." This reminds us of the fact that the devil is not omnipresent, which means present everywhere. God is omnipresent. He's everywhere. The devil can only be in one place at one time. Sometimes we'll say, "The devil was tempting me the other day." I wonder if many of us have ever been tempted by the big guy himself. Probably by one of his demon forces, one of his minions. Not those kinds of minions, you know, the demonic minions. But in effect, you were tempted by the devil. I'm not denying that.

But Satan himself was personally asking for Peter. "I want that fisherman. I want that dude. I want him, and I want you to give him to me right now." He's been asking for you by name. Jesus says, "But I prayed for you." A commentator from days gone by named Robert Murray M'Cheyne made this statement, and I quote: "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me." End quote.

Isn't that a great statement? Because the Bible tells us in Romans 8:34, who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died, more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God interceding for us. So who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Yes, he was praying for Peter. "You're going to stray, Peter. You're going to mess up. But you will be back. You will return to me."

This brings us to the first step to Peter's fall. It was self-confidence. The first step to Peter's fall 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.'" So Jesus says, "One of you is going to betray me." And they all say, "Is it me, Lord? Is it me?"

Now, if Judas was as obvious as we think he was, they would have all known it was him. So often when you see a religious painting of Jesus and the disciples or a depiction of it on film, you always know who Judas is. Everybody else is in white robes; he's in a black leather robe with a collar turned up and sunglasses, right? There's Judas, always lurking in the shadows. If he was as obvious as we would think he might have been, they would have all pointed in unison and said, "It's Judas, isn't it?"

But instead they said, "Is it me?" So this is a moment to be concerned. But Peter thought this is 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." Now, that might sound commendable that Peter is boasting of his love for God, but actually he was contradicting Jesus.

Self-confidence. Be careful. Sometimes we'll see a person fall into sin and we'll say, "I would never do anything like that." Oh, shut up. You are capable of committing any sin, as am I. Now, that doesn't mean we should, nor does it mean we will, but it means we could if we chose to. So don't ever say, "Oh, I would never do such a thing." We are capable of doing the worst thing imaginable. We all are. As that old expression says, "But for the grace of God, there go I." The Bible says pride goes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. So that was his first step down. "I will never deny you. I will never let you down." Actually you will. Self-confidence. Be careful. The Bible says let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Peter's second step down was a result of prayerlessness. Prayerlessness. Now, I don't even know if prayerlessness is a word, but I've been using it for so long, it's a word to me. It just means not praying about things. And 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. Because being omniscient, knowing the future, knowing the torturous things they would do to him, knowing 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 he said, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass."

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

So the second step down was prayerlessness. You see, 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. And Peter should have been praying.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with some important insights today from the story of Peter's failure at such a critical time. And there's more to come from this message here on A New Beginning. The good news is that the Lord allows second chances. If you've had a time of failure, or if you've never come to the Lord to ask for his forgiveness, you can do that today. Let Pastor Greg help you.

Greg Laurie: I would like to just pray a prayer and I would ask you to pray it after me. You might even pray it out loud. Pray these words: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I also know that you are the Savior because you died on the cross for my sin and you rose again from the dead. Jesus, come into my life and forgive me of every sin I've ever committed. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer, Lord. And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, I want you to know on the authority of scripture, God Almighty has heard your prayer and he will answer this prayer. You are now a newly minted child of God. So congratulations. You've made the right decision and welcome to the family of God.

I want to send you a special gift because of that prayer you've just prayed. It's called the New Believer's Bible. So the New Believer's Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believer's Growth Pack. But let me get this New Believer's Bible into your hands as quickly as possible. Here's Dave to tell you more.

Guest (Male): Yeah, just get in touch and let us know you prayed with Pastor Greg today, and we'll be glad to send you that New Believer's Bible free of any charge. Here's our number: 1-800-821-3300. You can call anytime: 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to Harvest.org. Well, Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity, and we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further. Isn't that right?

Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend? Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well, listen, God says all souls are mine. God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And you can make your donation right now at Harvest.org. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number: 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, more insight from the story of Peter's denial of Jesus. So much to be learned from this account. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.