Welcome to An Orderly Account with Pastor John Stewes as he continues a journey through Luke's orderly account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Church of the King strives for biblical worship, which views the Lord's Day as the time when God meets His people to renew His covenant with them. Covenant renewal is characterized by God's calling us to worship, a time for the confession of our sins, the hearing of God's forgiveness based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, the new life and His resurrection, presenting our offerings, approaching the throne of grace and prayer, and His teaching us from the Word of God. Now, here's Pastor Stoos. As we come to the text this morning, we can certainly be tempted to ask, what do you do with Peter. Simon, who Jesus named Peter, meaning the rock, has inspired and baffled saints down through the ages. Peter is a fisherman who was called to be a fisher of men. Peter was the disciple who very early professed that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God. He was also the disciple that was almost immediately rebuked by Jesus as a tool of Satan when Peter rejected the suffering Messiah. And that struggle continues now in the heart and mind of Peter here at the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus. And I trust this morning that we will learn some very important lessons for us as we study the sifting of Peter the rock. We need to continually remember that the Holy Spirit gave us four gospels, not just one. We have four witnesses of the earthly ministry of Jesus, which not only confirm with multiple witnesses the truth of what is presented, but adds to the richness of what we can see and understand. I trust that you will use these tools in the order of worship over these weeks to facilitate further study and discussions in our homes and other studies regarding these important matters. It is also important that we as Christians who understand that we as Christians need to understand that this is one of the critical areas where the skeptics love to attack the scriptures, arguing that the Bible is full. of contradictions. These accounts of the denials of Peter are one of their favorites. They'll make it on every list I think you can find of contradictions in the Bible. How can one gospel say that Peter will deny the Lord three times before the rooster crows and another say it will be before the rooster crows twice as Mark does? Was the second challenge or question brought to Peter the same servant girl? Was it a different servant girl? Or, as Luke would imply, was it some other man? These are clear contradictions in the mind of those who are trying to prove that the Bible is not the word of God. And if the Bible is full of contradictions, then it cannot be the authoritative word of God, something we would agree with. Now, Christians have given many answers down through the ages to try to explain these passages. But I want us this morning not to miss a major point that we should make and keep clear in our minds. These apparent conflicts actually confirm the authority of the Scriptures. Now, some have argued that Peter actually had six denials. There were three before the first rooster crowed and three more before the second rooster crowed. Well, that might be possible. But it doesn't seem to fit the flow of the text, especially when you put them all together. And that is our ultimate test, the Scripture itself. Now, those who live on the farms have a little less trouble with this passage because they know that while we often speak of the rooster crowing in the morning, they know well that the rooster doesn't just crow once. So it is not a stretch that Mark is specific in saying that Peter's third denial comes after the second crow of the rooster, while the others simply say after the rooster crows, noting very importantly that neither of the other gospel writers say that it was after the first crow of the rooster, which would be a clear contradiction. The same is true about who made the second accusation or question to Peter. Mark says that it was the same servant girl that asked the first question. Matthew says it was another servant girl. And Luke, as I said, seems to indicate that it might have been some other man. Now the skeptics surely have us. The Bible is full of contradictions, they will declare. Just look at those verses. But, if we look over at the Gospel of John, and that's why it's good sometimes to have these near each other, he tells us that they said to him, revealing that others had joined the first servant girl in a chorus of questions for Peter that led to his second denial. So we can explain the apparent contradictions. But I think you might still be asking, but how is this passage then an affirmation or a confirmation of the authority of Scripture? Well, it's important that we step back and see what our critics are saying. Those who hate God and do not want to believe that the Bible is the Word of God insist, as they must, that this is a man-made book. They insist that the Bible has been in the hands of the church for centuries. So today what we have is simply what the church wanted the Bible to say. That's the argument all of our covenant children will receive from the world and from the higher institutions of education, almost unanimously. And they argue that there is very little history left, if there was any history at all to begin with. Yeah, maybe a guy named Jesus lived a couple of thousand years ago, but we know very little about Him. For example, they'll tell us that the church added the miracles of Jesus in the later centuries to make Him look better. If their story of how we got the Bible is to be believed, and certain men in the church have changed the Bible as they saw fit down through the centuries, then why have they not cleared up these apparent contradictions? For example, why not make Mark match the other two by simply dropping the word twice? In fact, you can find some unreliable older copies of Mark where this was done, dropping that single word. Now, I would argue that we have here one of the strongest evidences that the Bible is God-breathed and preserved by the Holy Spirit, protected down through the ages for us. You see, mere men would have changed these things long ago. What we need to remember is that this is the Word of God. So with a greater confidence, let us turn to our text this morning. We're going to see Peter's darkest hour. But again, it was no surprise to Jesus. He tells Peter while they were still in the upper room, Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he might sift you as wheat. It will be Peter who later tells us in his first epistle, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Peter had learned the lesson well, and by the Spirit warns us all to be careful. The Bible gives us the most detailed picture of how Satan is allowed to operate in the book of Job, which actually has many parallels to this account in Luke. Job is a righteous man who Satan desired to sift as well. Job falters and must repent when God challenges him about what he had said and done. And finally, Job is restored with a double blessing, receiving twice for all that he had at the beginning. So I want to quickly review what happened to Job so that we understand the limits of Satan's work in Peter's life and, of course, ours as well. We are introduced to Job at the beginning of the book, as well as to his family and his riches. And then in verse 7, the scene shifts to heaven. And the Lord said to Satan, where do you come from? And so Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and walking back and forth on it. And then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man? One who fears God and shuns evil. So, Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him and around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in your land. But now, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has And he will surely curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay a hand on his person. Now, obviously, the lesson that we must learn here is that Satan is real and that he does not have our best interest at heart. He is at war with God And He is more than willing to use us as pawns in that battle. Now, God does allow Satan to do certain things to Job which we might not fully understand. We're not given a reason why God did what He did. But we must also see that God placed absolute limits on what Satan could do to Job. At first, Satan could destroy things around Job, including his own children, but he could not harm Job. It is only when Satan returns a second time, arguing that Job is still faithful only because God has kept Satan from harming him, that God allows even that. But again, we should note in verse two of chapter two that God says to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand. but spare his life. Satan goes on to cause great physical pain for Job, but he cannot take his life. Job learns the limits of his own strength and wisdom. And in the end, God greatly blesses Job. Such will now be the case with Peter. Jesus knows that Satan is about to sift Peter, but He adds, I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. Just as Satan could not kill Job, so Satan cannot extinguish the saving faith that Peter has been given. Though Peter will certainly now learn the limits of his own strength and wisdom, Jesus knows that Peter will be fully restored and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and so He reminds him to strengthen his brethren. Now, of course, Peter, who had just participated in that discussion at the Last Supper about who was going to be number one, denies that this could ever happen. In fact, he swears that he will fight for Jesus to his very death. Jesus then tells Peter that he will deny his Lord three times. before the rooster crows that very day. Now last week we looked at the agony that Jesus faced in the garden in His arrest, and now He is being led off to an illegal trial and Peter and John follow behind. John knows those at the high priest's house and is able to enter and gets Peter permission as well. And around the fire, Peter is first confronted by a servant girl. The man who insisted that he would fight to the death for Jesus is now frightened by a servant girl and says, Woman, I do not know him. Peter goes on to deny his Lord twice more as Jesus had predicted. And finally, Peter gives his strongest denial that includes cursing and swearing to make his point. It is at that point that Luke gives the most detail. Peter hears the rooster crow while he is still speaking. And Luke tells us that the Lord turned to look at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Now, we have often contrasted the lives of Kings, Saul and David to show how we in one man have a heart of stone and the other a heart of flesh. We have in the New Testament now an example of two men who have sinned grievously, having totally different reactions in their hearts, though both had open weeping and sorrow. A few hours before, Jesus had looked at Judas, saying, Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And now Jesus looks at Peter to remind him that he has denied him three times, just as he said he would. Peter weeps over his sin much like King David did when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. Nathan told David, you are the man. Here in our text, in the midst of his suffering and trials, Jesus looks at Peter to remind him, you are the man. You have denied me. David cries in Psalm 51, against you and you only have I sinned. And because of that repentance, He is fully restored. Peter goes out to weep bitterly, but these are tears of true sorrow and repentance. Because on Sunday morning, Peter will run, not walk, to the empty tomb. And the resurrected Jesus will visit him to restore him. Such was not the case with Judas, who also lamented and wept over his actions. But Judas did not repent. He rather returned the money, wanting to blame others, and ended up going out and hanging himself. Just as King Saul refused the admonitions of the prophet Samuel, making excuses for his sin, and in the end, dying with the witch of Endor before his death in battle. Jesus had prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, and it did not. This is the confidence that we should have as saints in the hands of Jesus. There is also a caution. I think there's a caution that we need to take to heart here about judging the hearts of others. If we had observed David over the year prior to Nathan's confrontation while he was having an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband. Would we have thought him to be a good Christian? More to the point this morning, if we had stood in that courtyard somewhere and we had overheard Peter cussing and swearing, As he denied adamantly that he even knew Jesus, would we have thought him a Christian at all? Now, this does not mean that we are to look the other way when we see brothers and sisters in sin. We're called in the Scriptures rather to confront them and to call them to repentance. But we must be so careful not to judge their hearts. Rather, we must plead with the Savior to restore them if they are his own. Even the ultimate church discipline of excommunication is done with the desire that Satan might buffet the flesh and that a repentant sinner might be restored to the church. Now, while we can rejoice that Peter's faith did not fail and that he was restored, there are still some lessons that we can learn from his fall into sin. How did a disciple of Jesus, the rock that was to be the fisher of men, find himself in such a sorry state? Well, as is always the case with grievous sin, there are many steps along the way. We could begin earlier that evening at the Last Supper, where Peter allows himself to fall into the sin of pride. Participating in that argument about who would be number one. Later in the garden, we see a lack of prayer. Even as Jesus took Peter and John and James close to himself, admonishing them three times to pray lest they fall into temptation, they chose to sleep. That was followed by Peter's rash actions during the rest of Jesus. We see this both with his drawing and using his sword rather than looking to Jesus and with his flight in fear when he should have stood with his Savior. Peter goes from fear and flight to finally choosing the wrong company. He had quickly forgotten that Jesus had warned him that he would deny the Lord three times that very night. So what does Peter do? He proceeds to put himself in a position surrounded with people where that type of situation was almost sure to happen. And finally, because he put himself in that situation, we see the denials where all the actions of Peter that night leave him in a state of mind and a place where he sees no choice but to lie. How often have we found ourselves in such situations? Not because the Lord has led us there, but because we have refused his good counsel and his warnings all along the path to great sin. Just as Paul tells us that the Old Testament saints with their sins and problems are there for our example, so we have the account of Peter to remind us that there but for the grace of God go we. Jesus had prayed for Peter. And we know from John chapter 17 that Jesus has also prayed for all of us. That our faith would not fail. We will fail. But our faithful Savior will not fail. Whether we fall into great trials and sins because of our own neglect, as Peter has done this night, or whether it is part of God's great plans and not any fault of our own, like we see with Joel, we know that in the end, God protects his people and brings restoration and resolution. In the cases of Job and Peter, we see the great restoration in the here and now. Job is given twice the blessings that he enjoyed before his trials, including the doubling of his children, getting 10 new children to join the 10 covenant children that he now has in heaven. Peter is visited by Jesus on Easter morning and will go on to proclaim the good news to all of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost with great power. and effectiveness. Even when we don't see God's restoration or resolution, we know that God cares for his saints. We know that suffering saints will have rewards beyond our wildest imagination. The psalmist Asaph was depressed about the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73, but God showed him their end when he went to the temple, that they were on a slippery slope leading to their destruction. But more importantly, Aesop was comforted when he acknowledged to the Lord, you will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Now, if we ponder that thought, what earthly trial can set us off course? We must remember that God is in control. However, we must do all that we can to avoid the pitfalls of sin. Jesus has come to save His people from their sins, and this included Peter. Jesus promises that His children are safe in His hands, even when He allows them to be attacked by Satan or they allow themselves to fall prey to the ravages of sin. Those who are His sheep, like King David, And the disciple Peter hear his voice, especially when the Lord is calling on them to repent of their sins. Thank you for listening to Pastor John Stewes of Church of the King. Join us next week at the same time as the journey through Luke's orderly account of the gospel of Jesus Christ continues. You're invited to join us for Sunday worship at 11 o'clock, where biblical worship is characterized by the active and vigorous participation of the entire congregation. Church of the King is a pro-life, pro-family church where all baptized children participate in worship, including the Lord's Table, on a weekly basis. To learn more or to hear this message in its entirety, visit orderlyaccount.com or call 916-451-5660. Still that fencing walk.