Peter's Denial & Restoration Conclusion

In this final episode about the circumstances surrounding and immediately after Peter's denial we are joined by a guest and we discuss the whole matter.  

Transcript

 Hello and welcome back to Cultivating Growth. I wanna thank everyone for joining us again this week. This is our last episode in our series that we've been doing, discussing the denial of Jesus by the Apostle Peter. We've spent the last three weeks talking through the circumstances surrounding that, and this week we've got a special guest in with us.

Jeremy will introduce him in just a second, and we'll conclude our time on this topic. And so with that, let's get right to the discussion.

Well, John, you made mention we are here at the very end of our kind of discussion about Peter and specifically his denial. We do have a guest with us, Kevin Stockton, one of our elders here at Traders Point, has joined us for this discussion and it really has been a discussion. I've enjoyed it.

It's one of those stories you, you're familiar with and a lot of people are familiar with, but to kind of break it up. In the way that we've broken up, broken it up. I've really enjoyed it. And so we'll kind of do that for a few minutes, you know, here on this episode of kind of going back and working our way, working our way through.

And so I want to kind of take our minds back to, you know, that, that time in the upper room and we talked about it several weeks ago we need to really keep kind of in our mind this was, you know, not just your, hey, random AF Tuesday afternoon. You've just run into somebody and you're having a conversation.

I mean, this was hours before Jesus would be crucified, and certainly he is definitely aware of it and he is spending a pretty significant amount of time with his closest of followers. And he is really going over some important things for them. And it, it's an emotional time, especially if you work your way through John and his gospel in kind of chapters 13 through 17.

And, and there's a, there's a lot of emotion at play and there there's a lot of things that Jesus is trying to get across and it really is in this moment. That it kind of, Jesus dumps this. You know, kind of dumps it out and, you know, and he makes the point that, listen, everybody's gonna be made to stumble and it, there's, it, it's going to happen.

And, and nobody's immune from it. And, and Peter I is very quick to kind of throw it out there that if anybody else is maybe, but, but not me, I, I'll be willing even to die for you. And that, that's when Jesus lays on him that prophecy and the prediction that, listen. Before this night is up, you're, you're gonna deny even knowing who I am, you know, three times.

And Peter is just, he, he's put off completely by that. And certainly we know that that's happened. But I thought it'd be interesting for us kind of to begin our conversations and, you know, either one of you guys can kind of take this on. I think it's important to take note that in this heightened situation emotionally.

A lot of times it, it really becomes, we're less likely to take a moment. Less likely to take a breath, less likely to kind of think things through and, and here Peter is very, very quick to correct Jesus. I mean, that's ultimately what he does is he tells Jesus, Nope, that's not gonna happen. You're wrong about that.

And I think emotion is really paying a big part into that. And no question, emotion continues to play as. Peter Weeps bitterly after he denies and even is grieved there in John 21. And so emotion continues to play a role, but I think it really is interesting here at the beginning how emotion really kind of comes to the forefront of this.

Yeah. One thing we often talk about with Peter is he is somewhat of an impulsive man and he's an emotional guy, and that shows itself at several different points throughout his story and that emotion and that passion, and that can serve him well. And Jesus knows that and he's not, he's not trying to change that necessarily about Peter, but that does have to be controlled.

In a certain way and in a moment like this, it seems like Peter is losing control, a little bit of those emotions, and it's, they're getting the best of him and he's no longer able to use them as a strength. But now he is a, he's a slave to his emotions, essentially, and that's what leads to. You know, somebody who's been following Jesus and believes in him, to just look Jesus in the eye and say, you're wrong.

This isn't gonna happen. That, that's emotion taking over. In a, in a situation like that, I think it's a good lesson to us about how we have to be careful with our emotions and we use them appropriately. They're God-given and, and they are to be utilized in a beneficial way. But if we don't control them, they can lead to very dangerous places.

And that's where Peter found himself. Yeah. I think that's what makes Peter one of the most relatable people in the New Testament, is just that he's so real. And um, and we all struggle with different emotions in our lives. Some of us struggle with. With anger, some of us struggle with sadness or doubt, um, that that can, you know, be used by Satan to, to put us in situations that are difficult for us to overcome.

But it's a, it's a, it's an awesome story. His, his life in general, just the way he reacts and the way he responds, and then ultimately the way Jesus responds to him. There's an interesting thing that we didn't really talk about, um, that shows up in, in Luke's account of this story in, in Luke chapter 22.

And, and Kevin, when you were just talking, it made me think about it when Jesus is talking to Peter in verse 31 and he says, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you. That's a really interesting phrase. And I'll be honest with you, I don't exactly know what to do with it. I'm not exactly sure I'm fully confident as to what that means.

However, it does seem interesting that a similar phrase is used earlier in that chapter to talk about Judas. In verse number three, when it's talking about Judas, it says, then Satan entered Judas. Now those are two very different things. Satan entered Judas and Satan asked for Peter. Let's do very different things.

Both of them showing up in the same chapter makes me think that they're to be contemplated in, in some regard and connected together. But I think Kevin, to your point, it kind of in my mind it speaks to the man that Peter is, Satan wanted Peter desperately. He's not gonna get him. And, and that is a powerful statement for Jesus to make.

Satan's asked for you, but I've prayed for you, is what he says. I mean, you thought, you think about that, the, the spiritual warfare going on in that instance, but it not only speaks to the love that Jesus has for Peter. But also to the man that Peter is. And Jesus knows that his faith is going to be able to overcome this.

He's going to stumble, he's going to falter, but his faith is going to be able to overcome it. And that tells us so much about Peter and it really gives, all of us should give all of us hope that we can do the same. That, hey, Satan can ask for me all he wants to, but I want my faith to be strong enough. To be able to overcome whatever he's gonna put in my path.

I mean, it's a picture of temptation. I mean, that's temptation is coming and that's, you know, kind of the phraseology that's used. It was coming for Judas, it was coming for Peter. Sin is knocking at the door. You know, with reference to Kane we have a much more drawn out conversation behind the scenes that were told of Job with Satan and God, very similar kinds of.

Things are taking place, but temptation is coming and you know, John, you make a good point and, and there's a promise that's made in the pages of the New Testament. Resist the devil and he'll flee from you. Right? I mean that is, it's a very simple kind of statement, but that is a promise from God.

You resist the devil and he's going to flee from you. And you know, it, it's, we see, you know, Peter really working through this and I think Kevin made a really interesting point, and I think he's right. We, we talk a lot about Peter because he is so human and, and he's so real. You know, he, he says a lot, and so we have a lot of info about him, but he, he, he battles and he, he struggles and he, he tries hard and he's emotional.

Um, he's impactful. I mean, he's so many things, you know, kind of wrapped up. It's almost like no matter where you are. On in your relationship with Christ. There's somewhere biblically that you're like, that's exactly where, where Peter was. Right. Whether it's at the beginning, the middle, the end, close, a little bit of struggle.

You, you can, you can go somewhere and it's like, this is right where I am. Mm. With Peter. And then we can learn and we can grow from, you know, from him and certainly where he was there. We see, as you know, we follow this story from this conversation that Jesus has with him initially to then Jesus ultimately being arrested and Peter following from a distance and denying Jesus and Kevin we talked about in, in that episode we did, we talked about how the proximity to Jesus.

Is important, and when Peter was standing right next to Jesus. Whether it's at the beginning of this conversation when Peter is saying, I'm not gonna deny you, or in the garden when he draws his sword and he's ready to fight to the death, Jesus is right there. He's right next to him. But then when some distance occurs between Jesus and Peter and Peter's following from a distance, his faith weakens.

And so I'm curious if you, if you have any thoughts just about how maybe you've seen some of those things. In the world today and, and maybe how we need to think about our proximity to Jesus and the impact that that has on our faith because I think that detail is in there for a reason that he's following at a distance, and I think there's some things we're supposed to learn about that.

Sure. I, you know, when our prayer life is what it needs to be, when our time in the word is what it needs to be, then we're a, we're, we're close in proximity to Jesus. And those things that might tempt us in other times are not gonna be as strong. We're gonna be able to fight. Through him to resist. But you know, when we're away from him, when we're away from our brothers and sisters, when we're not, when we're not worshiping, we're not assembling, we're not in class together learning, then that proximity is not close.

And, you know, we are, we are in Satan's playground, if you will, then. And, and we're not protected. And it's easy. It's easy to fall away. I, I, I like to think sometimes about, you know, the, the scene at the cross and who would I have been there that day. Yeah. You know, we like to think the best of ourselves.

We like to think that we would've been, you know, maybe John. Yeah. Right there. It's right there. Right. John, right there at the cross with John and the women. But most likely we would've all been. You know, hopefully Peter, but many of us might have been Yeah. In the mob. Yeah. Or we may have run like the other disciples.

You know, I, I would, I don't want Satan coming after me in a spiritual warfare like we see here, but what an honor it is that Satan knew his name. That's true. You know, it's interesting too, you know, just kind of thinking about it a little bit from that, you know, distance of Jesus and that is the lesson, you know, there's a question about it, but you know, even Kevin made a good point.

Jesus has lumped these men together for a reason. You know, he, he didn't just choose one guy to be, you know, kind of his follower. He chose 12, and, and even when he kind of went off in a special way, he, he never just took one guy with him, right? It was Peter, James, and John. I mean, you see, you know, you see this throughout, even when we get to the book of Acts, you know, kind of right after this story, certainly where Peter, you know, plays a huge role at the outset.

You, you see all of Christ's followers operating together. Um, even Paul, when he's traveling, or Barnabas when he's traveling, you know, they're always, you know, with somebody. But here, Peter, certainly, he's away from Jesus. There's no question about that. But there, there ain't nobody else, you know?

Right there, it, it, there, there's no other disciples there with them, much less than any of the apostles. I mean, there's no disciples there because he's picked out individually very, very quickly. And, and so there, there's no, you guys made mention of, Hey, I, I know you guys have been with them. You know, it, it is only Peter individually, and, and I think you, I think.

I think Kevin, you make a good point because certainly we've gotta maintain that relationship and proximity to Jesus. But he's put us together for a reason. That's God's design. God's design is the church. God's design is the closeness of the church. And I think there's even a lesson in that right here with Peter.

Well, I think you, you can take that point that you just made. Follow this story over the next few weeks and get to Acts chapter one and all the apostles are together. Their intent on replacing Judas because they need to fill his spot. They go about teaching in Jerusalem together. Now Peter is doing a lot of the teaching, but they're there together.

And I, and I think you're right. I mean, it, it showcases just how important it is to lean on one another in those moments. And, and really you follow, I mean, the rest of the Bible, even, even when Paul's traveling all over the world, he's always with people. There's always people with him. And, and it's, it's a testimony to the power of unity and the power of togetherness.

And the power of doing God's work with other people. And in this moment that we're talking about, Peter's all by himself. And to Kevin's point, that's just where Satan wants us. If he can isolate us, man, that's exactly where he wants us. And he was able to do that. In this moment, he was able to isolate Peter and the result is exactly what we should have anticipated it to be, because that's just how dangerous it is for a Christian to be on their own in the world.

When Satan's got us in his cross, hes, and if you combine that isolation with guilt, you've got Oh yeah. An even bigger problem. And you know. I, I don't know that, that Peter had any more guilt than Judas. I mean, Peter felt awful. But Judas was isolated too, and he allowed his guilt to result in a, in a really bad outcome.

Yeah. Whereas Peter eventually surrounded himself again with people of faith and, um. Was able to overcome. Yeah. Each of the gospels, we may mention this, you know, weeks ago, each of the gospels make mention of Peter's denial. You get a little bit of different facts and you know, kind of pictures of the story, you know, from each one.

But all of them make mention of at the end he's weeping bitterly. All of them do. You know, we do learn that it seems that there is a, a, a. A moment that Peter sees Jesus. All of the gospel writers don't give us that, but certainly that's there. But all of them give us, he wept bitterly. Yeah. And, and it is the guilt.

It is the shame. And I think you're right, Judas, he felt that for sure. I mean, we're, we're told, I mean, his story didn't end when he got up from the table and, you know, went out to and, and got the folks and met. Jesus and the other disciples in the, you know, in the garden. I mean, his story didn't end there.

We're told he, he's going back, he's trying to give the money back. He, he's trying to work his way through and he's just not able to work through it, but. Maybe to the point that we keep making, but he's working through that all on, on his own. We have no indication he's pulled Peter or Andrew or John or James aside, or Jesus, you know, aside to have a conversation or to, you know, to ask for help or forgiveness or, you know, we don't see anything like that.

And so he's trying to deal with that all on his own. But yet Peter on the other hand, he has a very, you know, he has a. Faithless moment for sure, but he pretty quickly is surrounding himself. Um, e even after the resurrection Peter, Peter is there with the other apostles. It, it, you know, when we get to John 21 and he has that pretty private conversation with Jesus, John's gospel tells us the other apostles have already.

Met with Jesus and they've all been there except for the one time Thomas wasn't there. But you know, certainly Peter would've been, and so he's already right there he is surrounding. So I think it's a lesson learned in a lot of ways. I'll, I I'll add on one other thing. We made mention of the book of Acts.

You know, it is interesting there in Acts chapter two, all of the apostles are there together and, and, and, and they're preaching and they're teaching the next really. Big obstacle to Peter's faith happens in Acts three and four when he's arrested very, very quickly, but not by himself. Right. I mean, John is, John is right there with them, right?

I mean, John is there with them. And he is going through all of that with John. And when they're released outta prison, they're in Acts chapter four. They go immediately to the brethren are and, and so it just. It, it is such a powerful lesson that we see working its way out is when you get to the book of Acts, um, that you know Peter is all by himself.

And when you're all by yourself, boy, it really becomes pretty tough. You use, you know, Satan's playground. And he absolutely got bombarded and he just crumpled under it. Luckily, he makes a, he makes a turn unlike Judas, but certainly he crumbled there. Well, and you know, we kind of were, we used the terminology in our second episode that, thankfully with Peter, there's an episode three there, there wouldn't be with Judas, but with Peter there is, and, and that.

Episode really centered around John Chapter 21 and the conversation that Jesus and Peter have where Jesus three different times asks Peter, do you love me? And Peter's response every time is, you know that I do. And he becomes grieved because Jesus is asking this question repeatedly and I, I have to think in that moment.

Perhaps there is still some guilt in Peter that I hate that Jesus has to ask me this three times. You know, I can imagine that that may be is, is present as well. But Jesus seems very singularly focused on moving past what happened and preparing g or preparing Peter for what's next, and that, that really speaks to Jesus's love for each of us individually.

His willingness and ability to forgive and to move forward and to use people who have denied him for good works and his service moving forward. All of those things are really important lessons for us to learn from this chapter. So, Kevin, anything in particular there in John chapter one in that conversation that stood out to you?

In, in John 21? Yeah. Yeah, in John 21. Yeah. I, I think it's just just a beautiful picture and I, you know, when we. When we have let our savior down, when we've sinned in our lives and we go and ask for forgiveness, we, we have to be confident in, in a faithful way that, that, that has happened. I can't imagine though the joy that Peter felt when he knew, you know.

We're good. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we've all been in those situations where maybe we've had a disagreement with someone and we had to work through things and, and, and you'll look at each other and say, are we good? Yeah. And yeah, we're good. Yeah. And that, that just had to feel amazing. I, I love, I think John and his gospel does a really good job of this, this is the only place, you know, in anywhere the gospels we have, you know, kind of the picture of this conversation.

And it's a, it's a one-on-one. And, and John and his gospel does a really good job at these one-on-one conversations, whether it may be Nicodemus or the woman at the well. I, I mean, you, you see this picture of Jesus and you know, in a lot of ways it, it's the, the picture that works for the most of us.

Listen, Jesus was in front of a thousands, multiple times. He had people crowding around him all the time. But, and you know, sometimes we put into our mind of. You know, may, maybe, may, maybe God's too busy, or maybe there's, there's so many people and there's so much going on. Does he really care? You know, about what, what's, you know, happening with me?

I mean, you can start battling, you know, all those kinds of things. Well read the Gospel of John. Because the gospel of John really showcases that God does care. He, he cared about Nicodemus he cared about the woman at the well. He, he certainly cares, you know, here about Peter and there was lots of other things going on, but he knew this is important right now.

And certainly he understood how important Peter is, is going to be, and Peter needed to pick himself up because there was, there was something else. You know, something else to happen. I was thinking, um, you know, after last week's episode, it's almost a very Elijah like, and, and it a little bit where, you know, Elijah was, you know, certainly feeling sorry for himself.

He, he kind of had a faithless moment. You know, when he was dealing with, you know, kind of, you know, just feeling sorry for himself and, you know, he, he was kind of struggling a little bit and he, he has this kind of one-on-one with God, and God is working him through some, some things and, and it was God.

Laying on him. Th this is what I have for you. Th there's, there's still more, there's still more work for you to do, right? I, I need you to find Eisha and anoint him as my next pro. There, there is, there's things still for you. And that's where Jesus is with Peter. Yeah. I mean, there's still something for you, and I mean, you, you know, I know we gotta.

You know, you turn from John 21, literally two pages, and, and you're already in, you know, you're in the book of Acts. It's a, you know, a few, you know, just short time for where we are here. And yeah. Peter, he, he plays a, a pretty important role as we kind of get into the book of acts and, and that it's just a really powerful picture.

I think we, we've talked about Peter's guilt that he would've felt, and, you know, guilt is one of those emotions that God has given to us. And. It can and should be a really important tool in our tool belt that leads us to repentance. But we can't stay in a guilty state. God doesn't want us to live in that.

That guilt needs to spur us to repentance, but then we need to be able to move forward. Confident that God has forgiven us, confident that he has good works in store for me to do. And confident that, to your point, Kevin, we're good and, and far too many people, I think get stuck in guilt and, and if we just live in guilt.

And just wallow in it for all of eternity because of things we've done in the past. Then we're never going to fulfill the purpose that God has for us as his children. That's where Peter was. If he just stayed feeling guilty and feeling sorry for himself, then the Peter that we see in the book of Acts never would've happened.

He had to be able to move past that, and we do too. Guilt serves a purpose and it's important, but we also be, need to be able to move on from it. We need to be able to be, have confidence in the forgiveness that God offers and move forward confidently knowing that we are good and that he has things that he needs me to do, and that that's an important lesson that I'm gonna take away from this time in Peter's story.

I mean, it is. A tool that God can use to bring us together. Guilt. I mean, that's what, that's what is designed, that's the purpose. You know the point that you just made, John. But if we're not willing for it to be used for that purpose, Satan's gonna use it as a tool. And I think that's what he's doing with, that's what he does with Judas.

Right? I mean, Judas is feeling guilty and, and Satan is whispering his ear and telling him. Now you can't get over this. I mean, this, this is it. And you, you, I mean, look at what you, look at what you've just done. And there there's no, there's no going back from this. I mean, there is nothing to be done here.

And, and now he, he, Satan has taken that tool out of, you know, we've allowed, you know, we've taken outta God's hands and handed it to Satan when we do that. But I think you're right. When we get to John 21. You know, it's, it, it's Jesus. And he's saying, listen, do you love me? I know you do tend my sheep.

Follow me. And, and most certainly, that's exactly what, what Peter does. All right. So for either of you guys, anything else you want to add from the entirety of this story that you wanna throw out? If not, we'll we'll close it out. And with the passage in John 17. I think I've said all I have to say about Peter's denial.

Now. That's it over the last few weeks. All right, let's close it out. We've read the same passage each and every week. We'll do it again here in John chapter 17. Jesus is praying. To his father and he makes mention of his disciples. And in John 17 of verse nine, verse nine and 10, he says, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me for, they are yours and all mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified in them.