John chapter 18 and verse 15 and Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple. That disciple was known unto the high priest and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. Christian backsliding is our topic this evening. It's a condition that We all are susceptible to. There's no Christian that is too strong. There's no Christian that is too knowledgeable, that is from, that is too knowledgeable in the word, I should say. There's no one that is prone, not prone to denying their Savior. In fact, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10, after delineating a number of failures by our fathers in the wilderness, in the Old Testament, he issued a warning to new covenant believers saying, therefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. Here in John chapter 18 there is a turn of events with another one of our Lord's disciples. This time it is Simon Peter who has lost his power. Not his salvation, he never did, but his power. He denies his Lord three times just as was predicted. When Peter saw the angry mob of temple soldiers, it became apparent that these men make business. And if Peter got in the way, he would become a casualty. These were not little men. These were temple soldiers who approached Jesus. And Peter Mighty Peter denied his Lord. But as we said before, the Lord Jesus does not need our defense. And that is why Peter denied the Lord. It was not Peter's fault. But he bore responsibility. Jesus was called to suffer for sinners. And he did not need Peter's help in that process. This hour I want to look at Peter from the vantage point of a backslidden Christian. Peter never lost his salvation but I believe God is teaching us an important lesson and that lesson is without me you can do nothing. In this narrative we find Peter three places in his walk with Jesus. You probably hear me share this before in the setting of a morning class. We find him following the Lord at a distance. Now it's not clear in verse 15, but in other supporting text it is quite clear. We read, And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. When sheep follow their shepherd at a distance, they can easily be caught by wolves. And you know this. We're told in Genesis 19 and verse 26, a very sobering thing about Lot's wife. We're told But his wife looked back from behind him and became a pillar of Saul. And wives need to pay attention to this because God has established leadership. And here we see Lot's wife position lagging behind. And that's a spiritual metaphor. Not alongside, but behind. At times when noticing some church members carefully, we begin to see some danger signs. They don't see it. They're not shepherds. They never see these signs themselves, obviously. First, they walk at a distance from the Savior. Backsliding never starts drastically, but gradually. Do you hear what I said? Gradually. Attendance become on and off. Seasons of prayer are shorter, if any at all. Conversations with fellow brethren becomes scarce. This is when one's walk is at a distance. One couldn't say that Simon Peter was not following. The text says, and Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciples. He was in company with another disciple. Some assume that this disciple was John. John's name is never mentioned in the gospel. And we cannot argue others dispute whether it was John or someone else. But it really doesn't matter. He was with another disciple. In the Matthew 26 account 57 and 58. Matthew gives a closer picture saying, And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas. The high priests were the scribes, and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants to see the end. Matthew tells us Peter followed afar off, a distance. The last time we were with Peter, he was close to Jesus. He was so close to Jesus that Jesus intervened when he got in his rage and drew his sword. This time he is at a distance. couldn't hear the voice of Jesus, was not subject to his correction as he was when he drew his sword. And this is what it is when you are at a distance from God. This is how it is with many in our churches and our congregations today. Today is a good time for many to find themselves at a distance. They can do as they please when they are at a distance. No accountability, no transparency, because they are at a distance. It's a stage, it's a backslidden process. But the scripture teaches the opposite concerning a new covenant believer. It says, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast, firm, the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful, but promise quite the opposite for new covenant believers. Let us draw near. You think that God doesn't know that your five minute rambling through the Bible is nothing more than attempting to appease him? He knows that. Or do we think that our all-seeing God doesn't know that our rushed prayer is only out of desperation? He knows these things. He knows when we are walking at a distance. But the problem is we don't know. All these things are apparent when you or me walk with our Lord afar off. So in our first point we find Peter walking at a distance behind the Savior. But we come to our next point of reference where we find Peter standing by the door. Verse 16, this is a process that I'm looking at. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, here the name is not mentioned again, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Peter is outside the door. He is no longer interested in his partner in fellowship anymore. You see that? His partner went in, but Peter stood without. It is a sad regression by Peter, the apostle. I have seen some that were once members of our church, ease their way to the back. And when I see them used to sit there and they finally get there, watch out. The next place you will see them is by the door. He left the church. Peter went from the sword to a distance, from a distance outside the door. That is how it has become for many. When our walk is a distant walk with Jesus, we will invariably and literally find ourselves at the door of the church. Others may come to the church, but the quickest place they seem to find is the door. Wonderfully, verse 16 tells us, let's look at it again. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Now this verse tells us that this unnamed disciple rescued Peter from the door. Peter had a good spirit about him. He did not fight against his brother. And at times the hardest people to retrieve are those who are in a backslidden state. Those who are outside the door of the church, they are the hardest people to win. You and I can observe a lesson from what this other disciple did in retrieving Peter. The Bible says, commands us, brethren, if a man be overtaken with a fault, You, which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. There is no arrogance about restoring a backslidden Christian. The Bible tells us, bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceive himself. Galatians 6, 1 through 3. There ought to be this spirit of maturity in us if we are safe people to seek to restore fallen brethren. There's a lot of gossip going on from this church. And I don't know we are so few But we still have time to gossip. Let's do what we do in restoration in a spirit of meekness. In this dark season, the church is seeing many of its people at the door, literally. Some men be never seen again. you hear me say this from the onset of this thing you may never see some people again I believe we can be as this unnamed disciple his name is not mentioned for a reason because we don't have to make ourselves known if we are inside once we are inside we can intercede for others Observe again what this other disciple did. Then went out that other disciple which was known unto the high priest and spake unto her that kept the door and brought in Peter. This in itself is an important message for us to intercede for others. To do this we must be known by the high priest. I hope you get it. The only way we can influence others for Christ is by having a right relationship with our high priest. This disciple knew the high priest. One of our problems today is that we never go out. We have no outreach whatsoever. To be inside can be just as dangerous as being at the door. If you know what I mean. Sometimes we can sit in a pew till we rot. I like this, the other disciple, whoever he was, whether it be John or Lazarus, was known by the high priest. And if our high priest knows us, we can ask him on behalf of others. Even though the context is about Peter, it is dripping with much gospel application in Christian conduct. So we have seen the path of the back sitting person. We began following at a distance. Then we find ourselves at the door. But thirdly, we see Peter denying the Savior, verse 17. Then said the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, the one that led him in, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He said, I am not. It don't take much for people to deny Christ. I told you that there are people that would deny the Lord Jesus and the church affiliation they have for a few dollars very quickly. Peter might had well stayed at the door he came in and he denied the Lord Jesus Peter not only lied about his knowledge of the Savior he stood with those who hated the Savior look at verse 18 and the servants and officers stood there who had made a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves, and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself." You see the regression? Now he's with the crowd that hate Jesus. J.C. Ryle noted this, an excellent devotional on the Gospels, And I quote, it shows us the painful influence of the fear of men. Few are aware, perhaps, how much more they fear the face of man whom they can see than the eye of God whom they cannot see. People are fearful of men. Look at this time we are in. Here Peter stood with the unbelievers. He did the same thing Judas did back in verses 4 and 5. Jesus therefore knowing all things that should come unto him went forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas also which betrayed him stood with them. He did the same thing. That's why brethren, you and I have to be very humble in our walk with the Lord Jesus. Very humble about it. Peter was not much different than Judas. Peter is a believer though. The next time we find Peter, he was by the empty tomb with the same disciple. He, as a matter of fact, he outran the other disciple. Something went wrong or right with Peter. John 20, 3 and 4, Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple came to the tomb. So they ran both together and the other disciple did outrun Peter. I have it the other way and came first to the tomb. I guess the other disciple loved the Lord Jesus more than Peter. Because he picked up more speed than Peter. Peter's denial was not a lifelong habit. It was not a regular occurrence. You and I shouldn't take comfort in a situation of sustained denial. You shouldn't take comfort saying, well, you know, Peter denied Jesus. He did it just for a matter of hours. That's all. So I don't want you to take comfort if you are constantly denying the Lord Jesus. As a matter of fact, some people's lives are worn of denial. They live in denial. They see the signs and they think they're fine in spite of the promptings and the warnings. The Bible says that this is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we believe not, yet he abide of faithful. He cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2, 11-13. But sometime later, we find Peter at another door. This time he was not denying, but proclaiming. We read of him in Acts 12. You remember After Peter was released from prison by the power of God, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. And one of the sisters were astonished to see Peter at the door. We read in Acts 12, 16 and 17 these words, but Peter continued knocking. and when they had opened the door and saw him they were astonished but he beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison and he said go show these things unto James and to the brethren and he departed and went into another place. This time Peter had a message. He had a message that the Savior had released him from prison to the brethren of course. So may I ask you this our brethren in these difficult times that we are in we're Are you in your Christian pilgrimage? We can be distancing ourselves and yet not at a distance from our Lord and our Savior or even each other for that matter. Peter's brother played a vital part when he was at a distance. You saw that. No man is an island As I speak to you, I have often said, many have reached out to us having heard the gospel, yet many are still at a distance. Conveniently, I wonder about that. Our pastors need encouragement. You heard the letter from Pastor Brock Carlson. Our brethren need encouragement. Outside the door is no place for a Christian. Backsliding starts gradually, not drastically. And many of you have started as Peter without knowing it. Without even considering it. You know, sometimes the Caribbean is a dangerous place to go. At least for me. Miguel, you know what I mean, right? When you went back to the Dominican Republic, you find yourself with some of your friends, right? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I bet you they were at a distance. He's laughing. But that's what I'm talking about. Be careful. It starts gradually. Some are often moved to change by one sermon. Casually somebody would come to me, oh brother I really appreciate that sermon. One sermon can't change you if you are at a distance. Peter heard many sermons from the best preacher. Many. He was there for the Sermon on the Mount. He was there for the Olivet Discourse. He was there with the parabolic discourse. He asked Lord explain that parable. And some of us think that one sermon can change us. It will not change us. I have seen how some slowly, slowly drift away from the Lord after making professions of faith. You don't think that I'm concerned? We should ever endeavor to stay close to our Lord. We should take time to be holy. Like the song says, we should make friends with God's children. And some of us are not friendly. When I meet godly men, and they call me, I am so excited not to lose that relationship. Some of us like to shy away from people, friends, that appear to be godly. I say appear, or you don't know. We don't want to be with them. Let me tell you, Sister Louise, you don't want to have many friends in this church. Don't feel bad. I said appear. You know why? Distance. Take time to be holy, man. Make friends. Call. Ask questions. How was your week? How was your time with God? We ain't going that side with those words. We're not going there. But once professing Christian began to drift, the last person they want to communicate with is someone they perceive to be walking in fellowship with God. My best friend. Spent much time with him in Pierre. Went many places together. Come out my house, sleep in my bed. Best friend. Apostatized. Never heard from him again. unless I run into him on the island when he's down there gallivanting. Call no name. It was because of him that I was influenced with the gospel. It was because of him that I met Marcel. So what I am telling you is what I have experienced. I must be careful to walk very humble because I can become a statistic. Had not for the grace of God, there's no telling where I would have been. People will find themselves at the door. The door can be a good place for some. But the door can be a bad place for others. Paul said that there was a great door open. That was a door of opportunity. Peter was at another door at Mary's house, another door of opportunity to witness. So the door can be a good place. But there's the door that leads to denial. I hope you're not at that door. the exit ramp to backsliding and apostasy. But as we know, Peter was wonderfully restored. After Peter was restored, he was never the same. His arrogance was turned to humility. But when Jesus asked Peter, Peter, do you love me? Peter could not answer. God dealt with him. to show him. Learn to keep your mouth shut and your hands at your side. Many people are ever ready to jump up and say that there are Christians and are troubled when someone challenged that confession. Jesus challenged Peter's confession three times. Peter, do you love me? Peter could not answer. His confession was challenged. Peter learned not to be too quick to say what he would do and what he would not do and thus he kept his mouth shut. Lord you know everything. You know everything. I learned from what you taught me. When Jesus asked him if he loved him, Peter was hesitant to answer. He was helped by his Savior. On the day of Pentecost, no one had to ask if Peter loved the Lord. His life showed it. As a matter of fact, Peter was crucified just like his Lord. The only difference is historian Josephus said he was crucified upside down because he said He don't want to go as his Savior. And you see how broken this man was? Brethren, may we find these lessons practical in our lives today. May we pray for each other. May we come together when there's time to come together. May we be in tune with each other and with our Lord in our walk. Backsliding never begins drastically. But it begins drip by drip by drip and before long you have a bucket full of backsliding attitudes. But the backsliding soul can be recovered once the Lord is in our presence we can seek his restoration just as Peter did. So brethren this is our lesson it is our 51st lesson from the gospel of John if you want to get it lesson number 51 John's gospel that is prayer. Our father and our God we have explored a subject based on Peter Christian backsliding And oh Lord God, no one is exempt from this disease. We pray that you, according to Jude, would keep us from falling and to present us faultless before your throne with exceeding joy. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.