Gospel by Mark, if you want to open there with me. As we open to the Gospel by Mark, we open to the words of Mark, capturing the experiences of Peter. Now, I mentioned last week that Mark was the human author that God, through His Spirit, guided to write these words down, but Mark was sitting next to that aged Apostle Peter. He was gathering and recording the experiences through the eyes of Peter. And the Gospel of Mark is the premier book of God's Word about hope. Hope for a new start. Hope for complete forgiveness. Hope in the God of the second chance. Because no one knew that better than Peter. This morning we're going to examine the life of a man called Peter. A man who knew Jesus better than any human on earth ever did. Next to Christ, No one in the New Testament is mentioned more frequently than the Apostle Peter. Peter knew Jesus. No one was ever honored like Peter. Jesus said to Peter, Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church. He didn't say that to anybody else. Peter was more honored than anyone else. No one was ever rebuked as sharply as Peter because Jesus called him a tool of Satan. He looked right at him, right after that great confession of the deity of Christ, and Jesus looked right at Peter and said, get thee behind me, Satan. And he was looking at that moment at Peter as a tool of the devil. No one ever claimed greater loyalty to Christ than did Peter. He said very loudly, twice, though everyone else shall deny thee, though everyone else shall depart from thee, I never will. In fact, he added to it, I'll even die for you. No one ever claimed greater loyalty and no one ever denied Jesus like Peter. Not once, not twice, but three times with cursing and swearing, he loudly proclaimed, I don't know that man that was being held in the courtyard of Caiaphas. Well, Peter was like no one else. He was no less than a man, which showed in his failure. But after that failure of denying Christ, no one was more totally smitten by his or her sin in the sight of Jesus than Peter. Because when Jesus looked at him, and we're going to see that tonight, this is such, the denials of Peter are so massive, so overwhelming in their impact on his whole life that we're going to spend tonight looking at Galikantu where Peter denied Christ. It's one of the most very moving sites in the whole Holy Land. But Jesus was positioned in Caiaphas' courtyard and they were carrying on and mocking him and rebuking and doing all their stuff. But Jesus always knew right where Peter was down in that courtyard. And just as Peter made his last denial, Luke records that Jesus turned and looked directly at him. Kind of reminds me, I told the doctors this week, I said, you're going to ruin my life. You see, I have been parenting for 20 years now, and I parent with the corner of my eyes. I go like this, and I can see what the kids are doing, and they don't know I'm watching them. With these new glasses, you have to look directly at them. You're supposed to point your nose so that you don't get disoriented. But Jesus knew exactly where Peter was. And when they were doing everything in the courtyard of Caiaphas' home, Luke 22 records, at the exact moment that down there in the courtyard Peter denied Christ, Jesus turned and looked right at him. And so, no one was ever more totally smitten by his or her sin than Peter. And no one was ever grieved more completely than Peter. For no one ever knew Jesus better, loved him more, and for that matter, wanted his approval more than Peter. Jesus was his hero. Jesus was his life. And Peter wanted Jesus' approval. When Jesus looked at him, and Peter remembered the words of Christ, how he warned him repeatedly he was going to deny, It says that Peter wept bitterly. Interesting word used. It's the same word, remember when the weepers would come to funerals and would make their loud lamentation? In that courtyard, those people that heard Peter cussing and swearing heard him loudly groaning, moaning, and wailing as he left and went out into the night. But finally, no one was ever restored more tenderly and completely than Peter. As Jesus said to him in John 21, feed my lambs. And what was the result? Perhaps the greatest life ever lived for the glory of God. Peter stands tallest among those that ever walked this planet. Peter's life was the life of the man that Jesus chose, the man that Jesus trained. And do you remember? The man that Jesus reached down and rescued from drowning. Jesus literally saved him. You know, all of us who are going to heaven can say, Jesus saved me. Peter can say, Jesus really saved me. Jesus pulled me out of sinking into the Sea of Galilee, became Peter, the man that Jesus warned, the man that Jesus watched in that courtyard deny him, the man that Jesus protected from the devil. Jesus said, Satan wants to sift you. He knows how crucial you are in what I have planned, and he wants to sift you But I won't let him have you." Jesus protected him. He became Peter, the man Jesus restored, the man Jesus used, as we'll see this morning, and the martyr who hung humbly upside down on a cross, church history records. Because he said, I can't die the same way Jesus did. Put me upside down. I'm not worthy to die in the same manner as him. And was faithful to the end. And he never denied him again. If there was ever a person that shows the love of Jesus, if there was ever a man that showed the compassion of Christ, if there was ever a human being that showed the patience of Jesus and his forgiveness and his restoring power and his empowerment and endowment for ministry, that man would be Peter. Peter, a man called Peter. This morning, let's examine the man behind the gospel, a man named Peter. As we do so, I want to read to you a little devotional. S.D. Gordon, you ever heard of Gordon Conwell Seminary and Gordon College? That was a man, a pastor up in New England, and he wrote a little devotional a hundred years ago. And I just love one page. I want to read it to you. He kind of writes down kind of an imaginary account when Jesus returns to heaven after the ascension. And the angel Gabriel steps forward to greet him. And as he brings him in, he starts talking to Jesus. And this is what S.D. Gordon wrote. Gabriel says, Master, you died for the world, did you not? To which the Lord replies, Yes, Gabriel. You must have suffered much, he said. And again Jesus answers, Yes. Then Gabriel asked, Do all of those humans know that you died for them? Jesus replied, No. Only a few in Palestine know about it so far. And Jesus was asked by Gabriel, well then what is your plan for telling the rest of the world that you shed your blood for them? To which Jesus responded, well I've asked Peter and James and John and Andrew and a few others if they would make it their business to no longer fish for fish but to give their lives to tell others. And then the ones that they tell would tell others and they in turn could tell others and finally it would reach to the furthest ends of the earth. And then everyone would know the thrill of the power of the gospel. After a long pause, Gabriel said, but what if Peter fails again? And suppose after a while that John decides not to tell anyone and James and Andrew are ashamed or afraid. What then, Gabriel said? To which Jesus said, I have no other plans. I'm counting entirely on them. What a blessing to think that after all the responsibility placed on the disciples, after three years of training, after the absolute confirming power of God, just absolutely showing that Jesus was God in human flesh, that those disciples saw. After all that, Peter, the leader of the twelve, denies that he even knows Jesus and becomes a complete failure. That is awesome. It's awesome that someone so close to Jesus could deny Him so vehemently. It's awesome that someone that knew so much, that knew the hand of Jesus saving Him in the storm, that knew the transfiguring power of Jesus, that saw Him in all of His glory, would so quickly fall away. But, that is not unique to God's plan. Apart from the brief ministry of Jesus Christ, All of the history of God's work on earth is the history of using unqualified people to accomplish His purposes. The twelve disciples, the apostles, are no exception. They had few characteristics or abilities that would mark them as being great from the standpoint of what God had called them to do. Yet God used them because God picks normal people and then pours out his abnormal, extraordinary grace upon them. God looks at what we shall be. Satan likes to point out what we are, and our mistakes, and our problems, and most of all, our sins. And he wants to convince us to give up. But one look at Peter should defeat that temptation. God said, My work is performed in weak individuals. Remember what Paul said? My weakness is where Christ's strength is perfected. Peter is a testimony of Paul's verse, that God's power is perfected in man's weakness, and God has always had only weak and sinful humans to work with. And this is what God has recorded in His Word. We saw a few weeks ago that after God used Noah to save humanity from extinction, he gets drunk and acts indecent in his tent. We saw a few weeks back after Abraham became God's eternal friend, the only one in the Bible called the friend of God three times. Right after that, he lies about his wife, doubts God, and has an affair with his handmaid. That's Abraham, the friend of God. After inviting Moses to come into his presence, after God allowed Moses to be the only human that knew him face to face, Moses gets irritated, Moses gets angry, Moses gets fearful of the people, and Moses strikes the rock, and God has to discipline him. In fact, I was talking to someone this week that they're dealing with one of their children that's angry. I said, remember, there's only three reasons people get angry. Either they're fearful, or they're frustrated, or they're guilty about something. I said, have you checked in your child's life what they might be guilty about? whether there's some secret hidden sin. Frustration, fear, we can deal with, but those secret things we have to watch out for. They make us angry. David, after giving David the thrill of crushing his enemies, God gave him that thrill. God gave him the joy of writing his psalms of worship. God gave him the honor of leading Israel as his flock, but yet he became an absolute, almost total failure as a dad. I mean, permissive, allowing his kids to do whatever they wanted and not showing love to them. and then he chases after his friend's wife in adultery. The key to God's plan is not the person that God uses, it's the Lord who can use them. We're all unqualified to be able to do what God wants done. The key is whether we have a willing and responsive heart. And that is all God is looking for. And what happens when we let Him use us? Great things. Great things. What great things did Peter do? Well, this morning, When you open this Gospel by Mark, you're seeing the experiences of Peter, and I'm going to take you through his stages of his life, because I see three stages in Peter's life. The first thing I see is that Peter walked with Jesus. Now, after, near the end, he had a failure, but he walked with Jesus. And we're going to look at that. What a powerful testimony of his walk with Jesus. In the book of Acts, which the first 12 chapters are all about him, He works for Jesus. He's working for Jesus. And finally, he writes two little letters at the end of your New Testaments, and that's him waiting for Jesus. And so, Peter's life can be divided into three stages. He's walking with Jesus. He's working for Jesus. He's waiting for Jesus. And as I combed through and read, I actually read all of the chapters about Peter's life. In fact, it was just a recording, and I'm going to share all that, and we're going to look at all that. But you know what I thought? I thought, I kind of like his life. He walked with Jesus, worked for Jesus, waited for Jesus. Isn't that the way all of us should? We should decide we're going to spend time walking with Jesus each day, being in His Word, and then taking that Word and putting feet to it and hands and a voice to it and work for Him. And then, always with our eye upward, waiting for Him. What an example Peter is for us. So Peter the hasty, Peter the headlong, Peter, the speaking impertinently and unadvisedly, the ready to repent Peter, the ever wading into waters too deep for him Peter, the ever turning to his master again like a little child Peter. Peter was the greatest of the apostles and Peter's our focus this morning. Peter's gospel is our gospel and etched into our hearts are some of his most memorable words. Peter spoke more often than any other apostle. In fact, if you write down his words, and I'm just going to give you a few of them, Peter's words equal more than all the other 11 put together. I mean, Peter was at the front of the line. No one spoke as much, and as we listen to the words, think of how they remind us of the man who could never get enough time in Christ's presence. Oh, how Peter longed to walk with Jesus. And you can feel the passion of his heart as I read these words. In fact, each one of these words is a picture in my mind, and I hope it is in yours, as I survey. In fact, I call this list, Peter's Top 20. His unmistakable footprints. The footprints of a man who wanted Jesus with every ounce of his being. The first one is in Luke 5 and verse 8. So just turn to the next book, you're in Mark. Turn over to Luke chapter 5 and verse 8. And this is just one example. uh... when simon peter sought he fell down at jesus' knees saying now this is peter depart from me for i am a sinful man oh lord ever felt that way peter and his experiences are our experiences when we really get a sight of who jesus is we want to fall down at his knee and say depart from me you are holy and i am not You are sinless and I am not, and you are perfect and I am not." And Peter so evidences that. Let me just read some more, you don't have to turn to him. Lo, we have left all and followed thee, Peter said. What shall we have after this? You ever wonder that? Especially when you sacrifice for the Lord and make choices. Do you ever say, Lord, I'm doing all this, what am I going to get? Peter just speaks for us. Here's another one. Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall never happen to thee." When Jesus talked about the cross. Wouldn't that be something we would say? I mean, we want to keep everything like it is. Isn't that how we are in life? We don't want our kids to grow up, and when they get grown up, we don't want them to, you know, move out. And then after they move out, we don't want them, you know, we just, we like to keep everything kind of fun and like it was. And that's how Peter was. He was looking at Jesus kind of like, I like it around the table here, and let's not all grow up. And, Lord, be it far from me. You're going to die and leave? I don't like that. How about this? Lord, if it be thou, bid me to come to thee on the water. Now, what a statement that is. I mean, anybody ever walked on water before? I mean, what is that? He just, what did he want to be? He wanted to be where Jesus was. And if Jesus was out there, he wanted to be out there. And if there was a storm, he didn't care. He says, if you will bid me to come to you, I'll come to you. Do you see why God liked this man? Do you see why Jesus chose that man? Jesus takes imperfections and failures if he can see in us that there is an unswerving desire for him we want to be with him we want to know him we want to love him and then those instantly following words after Peter did jump out of the boat and walk across the water Lord save me hope as he's sinking down I can just see it and instantly Jesus hand I bet he never forgot that instant of feeling that hand I mean Going down into what the Jews thought was the abyss of the demons, which is what they thought the Sea of Galilee was, they thought all the demons were at the bottom because it was kind of like a bottomless lake, it was so deep. Amazing. Lord save me. Here's another one. Right after that, Peter said, the crowds pressed thee? How sayest thou, Jesus, who touched me? I mean, isn't he practical? Jesus was always swarmed with people and they were all crowding around and he says, what do you mean, who touched you? What are you talking about? I mean, he's just so impertinent. so real here's another one thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God followed up by these words to whom can we go but to thee thou hast the words of eternal life you're the one where else can we go here's another Peterism Lord it's good for us to be here let's make three tents one for you one for Moses and one for Elijah Again, he liked everything to stay like it was. He said, this is great. I don't want anything to change. Here's another one. You ever thought this? How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Like, I'm really magnanimous. I've done it twice, you know. That was Peter. Here's another Peter. Thou shalt never wash my feet. Immediately followed by this statement, Lord, don't wash my feet only. Wash my hands. Wash my head. Do you see in Peter, he makes these bravado statements, and as soon as he realizes they were wrong, he changes. That's what God can use. He was willing to acknowledge he was wrong. Here's another pair of them. Though all men deny thee, yet I will not. And just a few verses later. I know not that man. Three times. with cursing and swearing. He said that. Right after the resurrection, Peter said these memorable words, I go a-fishing. You know what he's saying? I'm going back to something I can predict and I know what it's about. This Jesus thing just, I don't know. I don't know if I can do it. So he was having second thoughts. Here's another Peterism. Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. That was his restoration. Here's one in Acts 3 in his ministering life. Silver and gold have I none. But what I have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Those are memorable words. I love this one. Neither is there salvation in any other. for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Here's another one. Talk about a flip-flop. Listen to these words in Acts 10. Not so, Lord. Now that is a paradox. You don't say no to the Lord. Peter was a paradox. And then he followed up. for as much then as God gave them a gift like unto us how could I withstand God well real quickly let me show you what Jesus did in his life turn back to Matthew chapter 14 and this is how I want to introduce Peter to you this morning and we will finish his life next week and then look at his message after that before we dive into his gospel but chapter 14 of Matthew's gospel verse 27 Jesus rescues Peter And I want to just underline in your mind a few truths to think about in your life as I've thought about them in mine. Starting in verse 27, Jesus rescues Peter, but immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I. Do not be afraid. Verse 28, And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if you command me to come to you on the water, I'll come. Verse 29, He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Verse 30, But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me." First point, you know what I have written in my Bible? Jesus rescues Peter. Do you know what that means? Jesus wants to control our future. Jesus rescued Peter to show him he was totally in charge of his future. Peter was a goner. And Peter needed to learn you can't go through life on your own. And walking on that water was the perfect example. As long as he was locked onto Christ, he did not fail. He did not sink. He did not fall. But when he looked around, he got afraid. And fear is absent when we're aware of the presence of Christ. He forgot about Jesus as he looked at the storm. He sunk. But as soon as he looked back at Jesus, Jesus saved him. Jesus wants to control our future. Look at chapter 17, just over two chapters. Here's another major event in Peter's life. There are seven major events. Jesus rescues Peter in Matthew 14 because Jesus showed him he wanted to control his future as he does ours. But Jesus has to refocus Peter. Look at verse 5 of chapter 17 of Matthew. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. This is on the Mount of Transfiguration. And suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved Son, it's God the Father, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." Now what did Peter just say? He said, I want to build three tents. Isn't that human? Put them all equal. Jesus' tent, Moses' tent, Elijah's tent. God says, no. No, no, no. Let me refocus you on what matters in life. It's not the Law and the Prophets, it's the Savior Jesus. And why did Jesus refocus him? because Jesus wants to be in control of our ambitions. You see, Peter had an ambition to keep everything the way he was comfortable with. He liked life. If one thing is about Peter, he liked things the way they were. He didn't want change in his life. He had an ambition to have everything, kind of all of his ducks in a row. Did you know Jesus was constantly battling that back and saying, I want you to give your ambitions to me. I want you to give me your goals and your plans. I want to be the one in charge of those things. Jesus refocused him Jesus wants to refocus us look at Luke Matthew Mark Luke 22 real quickly Luke 22 go over two books in verse 61. Here's a third one from Peter's life Jesus rebuked Peter It says in verse 61 and the Lord turned and looked at Peter Luke 22 61 and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Jesus rebuked Peter. Why? Because he warned him. Jesus warned him that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Do you remember? That's how they walked into Gethsemane. And Jesus pulled Peter aside and allowed Peter and John and Andrew to come into that intimate circle into the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus warned him about the flesh and he says Peter watch out your flesh is weak watch out you're gonna deny me you're gonna deny me you're gonna deny me and he says I'm not gonna deny you you see he denied the power of his flesh and Jesus rebuked him to show him the power of his flesh you know what Jesus wants to control our flesh he doesn't want it to dominate our lives Peter had to learn that through his colossal failure that when he operated in the flesh, he would lose. Guess what? Nothing's changed. When you and I operate in the flesh, when we think, hey, I'm strong enough to resist this, we'll find out, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he what? Fall. And Peter fell. Jesus rebuked Peter because Jesus wants to control our flesh. Just over to John chapter 1, turn to the next book, chapter 1 verse 42, Jesus also renamed Peter. I love this. John 142, and he brought to him Jesus, and when Jesus looked at him, he said, Your Simon, son of Jonah, John 142, you shall be called Cephas, which is translated, a stone. Now think about who Peter was when Jesus met him. Simon, son of Jonah, he was a crusty, crass fisherman with a foul mouth, When he met Jesus, he said, depart from me. And so what did Jesus do? He changed him into a new person. When, you know, a person's name was identifying who they were, Jesus changed Peter's identity. You know what I've had? I've had a complete personality change. I've had a personality transplant. When I got saved 42 years ago, God transplanted a brand new personality in me. I was born crusty and crass and self-willed. And God put a new personality in. And when I operate the system, it goes back to crusty and crude and crass and self-willed. But when I allow the Lord to run my life... You see, Jesus renamed Peter because he wanted to control his identity. He wanted to make him a new person with a new identity. He wanted to please Jesus with all his strength. That's what happened when he got that new identity. He just wanted Jesus. Let me ask you, has that ever happened to you? I talk to people all the time and ask them if they know Christ. And you know what? I rarely meet someone who with all their heart and all their mind want to please and do His will. Jesus said, those that are going to heaven are those that do the will of My Father in heaven. They want to yield and bow and submit and become His servants. I met one this week though, dear fella from I don't know what country, Kenya or something, I was talking to him, about to pull out the track and he looked at me with the biggest smile and he, those big white teeth and he says, I know and I love and I serve and I am Jesus's. And I thought, what a testimony. That's what we all, we all have a new identity. Paul said, either the world is squeezing us into its image or Christ is squeezing us into His. The choice is ours. It's one we make one day, one page, one verse at a time. Jesus renamed Peter. Look at the end of John's Gospel. Now I want to finish this. John 21. John 21, Jesus reminds Peter that he had control of his ministry. verse 5 Jesus said children have you any food John 21 5 and they answered no and he said verse 6 cast your net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some so they cast and now they were not able to draw it in therefore the disciple whom Jesus loved that's the Apostle John said to Peter it's the Lord and when Simon heard that he put on his outer garment he had removed it and he plunged in the sea Jesus reminds Peter that he's in control of his ministry and we need that reminder to It's not how well we prepare. It's not how well we plan. It's not how well we study. It's not how well we've been trained. It's whether or not we have the anointing of the God of the universe upon our life. And Jesus reminded Peter of that. And Jesus said to him, I want to control your ministry. And look what he does in verse 15. He doesn't just remind him, he restores him. And so in verse 15, when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Simon son of Jonah do you love me and he said yes Lord verse 16 he said a second time do you love me Simon son of Jonah wait a minute when's the last time we heard that Simon son of Jonah stuff that was in chapter 1 verse 42 of John's gospel that was his old name and Jesus is saying old Simon old crusty old self-willed old do-it-yourself Simon do you really love me I gave you a new identity you're not acting like it But the God of all grace and mercy and comfort did that three times to restore him for every time he denied him. You know, Jesus restores Peter because he wants to control our failures. Did Peter get the message? Yes. He writes about in his little epistle, He says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us to a living hope, the God of the second chance, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven, who are kept by the power of God. Jesus refreshed Peter. He restored Peter. Jesus reminded Peter. He did all of these steps that we just looked at. to show him that his eternity, his destiny, was in Christ's hands. Well, every time I pick up the Gospel by Mark, I remember the one that stumbled, Peter and Mark. And I remember I've stumbled. And I remember that God is the God of the second chance and the third chance and the fourth chance, because He's the God of new beginnings. Let's bow together for a word of prayer. Father in heaven, I thank you this morning that we have the privilege of loving and serving you. Thank you for your identity change, for giving us a new heart, a new spirit, a personality change, making us brand new. I pray for any who have never allowed you in, who know all about you, but they don't know you personally, that they might today, whom to know is life eternal, that they would realize that today, if they will hear your voice, and harden not their heart that you can give them salvation as you've given to us to know you. We'll thank you for what you do in our hearts and lives for Jesus' sake. Amen.