A Second Chance in Life: Getting Back Up

You're listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Answers. Believers can fall, believers can stumble, but believers can get up again. For Peter, his setback was going to turn into a setup.

His mess would be turned into a message. Golfers know the meaning of the word mulligan. Bad golfers know it very well. A mulligan is a do-over. Take that swing over again.

You're good. Well, thankfully, the Lord allows mulligans in the spiritual life. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us follow the biblical account of a certain spiritual failure. We'll see what it was that led to the sin and how that sin was forgiven and fellowship restore. We have a story before us now in the Bible of a man who was overtaken by sin.

A man who probably never realized that one thing would lead to another. And through five steps, he fell away from the Lord. And this man was a full-fledged apostle of Jesus Christ. And his name is known to all of us. I want to tell the story of Simon Peter and his fall and his restoration.

Hence the title A Second Chance in Life. Look with me if you will at Mark chapter 14 starting in verse 27. And by the way, I am reading from the New Living Translation. On the way Jesus told them, all of you will desert me for the Scriptures say God will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised from the dead I will go ahead before you into Galilee and I will meet you there. Peter said, even if everyone else deserts you I never will. Jesus replied, well I tell you the truth Peter, this very night before the rooster crows twice you will deny three times that you even know me.

No, Peter declared emphatically, even if I have to die with you I will never deny you. And all the others vowed the same. Now there are five steps that led Peter down to his denial of Christ. Here is step number one if you are taking notes. His first step down was self-confidence.

Self-confidence. Go back to Mark 14 verse 29. Peter said to Jesus, even if everyone else deserts you I never will. And this is after the Lord revealed that Judas would betray him. So Peter is effectively saying, hey even if Judas betrays you I will never let you down.

And he is almost boasting at the expense of others even if these others fall short. I. Remember you gave me that new name Rock.

I Rocky will never let you down. The Bible says, pride goes before a fall. Peter's second step down was prayerlessness. I am not even sure if that is a word.

But it is a real thing. Prayerlessness. How many of us would be honest to admit that we need to pray more?

I know that I do. And Peter was sleeping when he should have been praying. Going back to Mark 14 verse 37.

They are in the Garden of Gethsemane now. Jesus says to the disciples, Peter, James, and John, watch with me. Watch and pray. And we read these words. And this is from the New King James Version. He came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, Simon why are you sleeping?

Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. Again he went away and prayed and spoke the same words. And when he returned he found them asleep again. For their eyes were heavy and they did not know what to say to him. Here is Jesus contemplating the horrors of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane. And according to Dr. Luke he is sweating as it were great drops of blood.

Literally sweating blood as he thinks about what is ahead. All he asked for was a little companionship from Peter, James, and John and they fell asleep. You know it is interesting and the Bible sleep is spoken of as sort of a negative thing.

It says to Christians now is the time to wake up for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. And we all know what it is like to fall asleep at an inappropriate time. Maybe you have fallen asleep in church. By the way pastors know when you fall asleep.

I think it comes as a revelation to people to know that not only can you see me when I am speaking but I can see you. And when someone nods out and they may like put their hands up to their face like they are praying. I know you are sleeping ok. Especially when you start snoring.

But we always deny it when we are sleeping for some reason. Someone will say if you fall asleep. No.

No. You did. And these guys fell asleep. But you see Jesus was getting them ready. He is saying boys you need to pray. Because he knew a storm was brewing. He knew that hard times were ahead and they needed to be praying.

Literally the devil's son is on his way with some armed guards to arrest Jesus. And it is a reminder to us that prayerlessness can be as much of a sin as breaking a commandment. See there is not just sins of commission. That is when you do what you should not do. But there are sins of omission when you don't do what you should do. The Bible says to him that knows to do good and does not do it to him it is sin. So if the Lord impresses upon your heart the need to pray and you don't pray that can be a sin. Jesus is saying to Peter, James, and John, guys you need to pray.

Yeah whatever we are going to catch some Z's right now. That was a mistake. His third step down was Peter trusted human efforts instead of God's power. He trusted human efforts instead of God's power. Verse 46 of Mark 14. They laid their hands on him and took them and one of them who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Now Luke fills in some details here.

And we find out who one of them was. It was Peter. And he is soundly rebuked by Jesus after he does this. And Christ says to Peter, put your sword in its place for those that live by the sword will perish by the sword.

Don't you realize I could pray to my father and he would provide me with 12 legions of angels. Now in fairness we can understand Peter's outrage. Judas Iscariot. He has hung out with this guy for three years plus.

Thought of him as a friend. And yet here is Judas who has betrayed Jesus. And how did Judas betray Jesus?

The Bible says with a kiss. I mean couldn't Judas just say, look it is the guy I am pointing to. That is Jesus. Arrest him. Or the guy I am shaking his hand.

There he is. He betrays him with a kiss. And in the original language it wasn't just a peck on the cheek.

It was repeated kisses. And he is appearing to be someone who loves Jesus when he is betraying him. And Jesus says to Judas as he approaches, friend why have you come?

Friend? He should have said, fiend why have you come? Jesus knew why he came. But I think Judas missed it. But Christ was giving to Judas one last opportunity to repent of his sin. And Judas did not take it.

Remember Satan filled Judas' heart. So Peter is just ticked off. He is angry. He is a fisherman not a swordsman. He pulls off the sword. Whoom.

He takes a swing. Off comes the ear of a guy named Malchus, another gospel tells us, who probably was leading the charge. And Jesus reaches down, picks this man's ear up, and reattaches it. So the last miracle of Jesus before he died on the cross was the healing of a man who was coming to arrest him. And it was also a miracle that was done to cover the blunder of a disciple. What an amazing story that is. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Hey everybody Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan had one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called Church in the Home.

I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents. Well we have Church in the Home for you every weekend. It's called Harvest at Home and you can find it at Harvest.org. We have worship and a message from God's word.

So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well we're studying Peter's failure in Mark chapter 14 today. Pastor Greg is helping us focus on why it happened. Let's continue. Two more steps that led to Peter's fall.

Step number four. He was warming himself at the enemy's fire. He was warming himself at the enemy's fire. Go back to Mark 14 verse 66. We read, As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came and she saw Peter warming himself. She looked at him and said, You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.

He denied it saying, I don't know or understand what you're saying. And he went out on the porch and a rooster crowed. Remember what Jesus said?

You will deny me three times before the rooster has crowed twice. So he's warming himself by the fire. Have you ever tried to go undercover as a Christian? Sort of hide your faith.

Go unnoticed in the larger crowd. Following at a distance Peter became cold and was attracted to the warmth of the fire. He didn't think that anyone would recognize him there. Now he is following Jesus still so we have to give him some credit.

He hasn't run away but he's not doing anything either. In fact we're given a detail here in Matthew 26 verse 58. We read that Peter went and sat with the servants to see the end.

See that's what he thought it was. The end. There is no more hope.

Everything has gone off the tracks. Jesus in Peter's estimation was supposed to establish his kingdom and drive out the Romans and now he has been betrayed by one of us. And now he is going to die on a cross. But I guess I will just stay here and see the end. But it was not going to be the end. It was going to be a beginning.

A new beginning. It is not a bad thing that he was warming himself by a fire but he is with these people around the fire. The Bible says in Psalm 1, blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly or stands in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of the scornful. See that is what was happening. He was mixing in with this crowd and he is called out. Right there he should have said yes I am a follower of Jesus but he denies it. Denial number one.

Now his fist stepped down. Another denial. Luke's Gospel tells us some time elapsed before the first and second denial. So Peter could have left that place but he stayed inexplicably. He had plenty of time to think about it.

And we might criticize him for it. But wait a second. The last time you were tempted did you flee? Did you remove yourself from that place where you were being pulled down?

When that scene in the movie came on the screen did you walk out of the theater or did you turn the TV off? When your buddy mocked or cursed God did you speak up for your faith? That temptation from that girl that came your way did you flee like Joseph did?

See it is very easy for us to critique but we do the same. And we get compromised and that is what Peter was doing right now. He was trapped in a miserable web of compromise. Suddenly someone recognizes Peter. Mark 14 verse 69. A servant girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by this is one of them. But he denied it again. A little later those who stood by Peter said to him again you are one of them for you are a Galilean and your speech shows it. And he began to curse and swear saying I do not know the man of whom you speak. A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times.

And when he thought about it he wept. You are a Galilean they said. Now we don't understand what that means necessarily. But it was sort of an insult because those that lived in Jerusalem a sophisticated city at the time thought of the people that lived in the region of Galilee as being at a lower level.

It would be sort of like saying you are a country bumpkin or you are unsophisticated or you don't know what you are talking about. You are uneducated like we are in Jerusalem. And then Peter denies again and the rooster crows. The interesting thing is it says he took an oath.

Peter should have just come clean and admitted he was a follower of Jesus Christ. But verse 71 says he began to curse and swear saying I do not know this man of whom you speak and then the rooster crows. Now when the Bible says he cursed and swore it doesn't mean that Peter swore like a sailor. Oh he was a sailor.

But it is a different term. It means to take an oath and to swear to God. And what can best be described as the worst illustration of taking the Lord's name in vain Peter effectively said I swear to God and I take an oath right now I never knew Jesus Christ.

Now Luke fills in an important detail. Luke 22 verse 59. While he was still speaking the rooster crowed listen to this and the Lord turned and looked at Peter and then Peter remembered the word of the Lord what he had said to him and he went out and wept bitterly. The Lord looked at Peter so at the very moment of his third denial and the rooster crows who appears on the scene Jesus they are leading him from one place to another and he makes eye contact with Peter.

Imagine that if you can. What kind of expression was on the Lord's face? Do you think he rolled his eyes like what a loser? Do you think he looked at Peter with scorn and anger? No actually I think he looked at Peter with deep love. Did this all come as a surprise to Jesus?

No. He knew Peter would do this. He told Peter he would do this. Did Jesus know Peter would fail? Absolutely. Was Peter still a believer at this moment?

Yes he was. Believers can fall. Believers can stumble. But believers can get up again. Peter needed to remember that Jesus said, when you have returned you will strengthen your brothers.

In other words this setback is temporary. See for Peter his setback was going to turn into a setup and God was going to use this failure as a way for Peter to encourage other people. Yes his mess would be turned into a message. This is a great example to us that anybody can fall into sin. But Peter was really repentant.

The Bible says he wept bitterly. The Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance. See everyone's going to sin. And when you sin and feel bad about that that's a good thing because that means your conscience is working. But if you can sin and sin again and even sin some more even doing the committing the same sin repeatedly and feel no remorse, no guilt, something isn't working right in your heart and in your soul. The conviction of the spirit that will produce guilt is a reminder that you need to get right with God.

Peter wept bitterly. Are you sorry for your sin? Now let me ask a follow-up question.

Are you sorry enough to stop? This is a hopeful story. Because Peter went out and wept bitterly but three days later Jesus rose again from the dead and what was the message? It was go tell the disciples and Peter he's risen.

He's risen. Why wasn't it go tell the disciples and John or go tell the disciples and Andrew or Matthew. It's go tell the disciples and Peter.

Why was Peter singled out? Because he needed a special word from the Lord. Am I talking to someone right now that needs a special reminder from God that you are loved by him?

Well let me say that to you. God loves you. God longs for a relationship with you and when you run from him or fall spiritually he longs for you to return to him again. God says in Jeremiah 3 22 return you faithless people and I will cure you of backsliding.

How is this all possible? Through the death of Jesus. Where was Jesus headed? He was headed to the cross to die for the sins of Simon Peter. To die for the sins of the apostles. To die for the sins of all the people of that day. To die for the sins of people of every generation. He was going to the cross to die for your sins and mine. I love the way that the apostle Paul personalized it when he said of Christ he loved me and gave himself for me. It's personal. Jesus died on that cross for you.

Why? Because he knew there was no other way for you to be made right with God. Do you think good works will get you to heaven? Do you think living a better life is going to get you closer to God?

It won't. No you see every one of us falls short of God's glory. Every one of us breaks his commandments and that separates us from him. But Christ died for our sin and paid for our sin. So what you need to do to come into this relationship with God. What you need to do to be forgiven of your sin. What you need to do to know that you'll go to heaven when you die. Or what you need to do to come back to the Lord is admit you're a sinner. Churn from that sin and put your faith in Jesus. Would you do that right now?

Yes. There can be a second chance in life for you. Jesus Christ who died on that cross and rose from the dead three days later is alive and here. And he's knocking at the door of your life and he's saying if you'll hear my voice and open the door I will come in. So why don't you open that door so to speak. Why don't you invite Jesus into your life. Listen if you would like your sin forgiven. If you would like to know that you'll go to heaven when you die.

If you would like that second chance in life I've been talking about. You can pray a prayer with me right now. I'll pray a simple prayer and I'll ask you to just stop what you're doing wherever you are.

You could bow your head close your eyes if you like. You can pray with your eyes open if you want. But I would ask you to pray this out loud. And this is a prayer where you are asking God to forgive you of your sin. A prayer where you're asking Jesus Christ to come into your life. Or a prayer where you're recommitting your life to the Lord.

If you need to do this do it right now with me. Let's pray. Pray these words. Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner but I know that you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen. Hopefully you prayed along with Pastor Greg Laurie just now and entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you did we'd like to first of all say congratulations.

You've just made the best decision of your life. But would also like to make available our New Believers Growth Packet that will help answer some questions you might have and help you build a solid foundation for your relationship with the Lord. You can request it free of charge when you write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click the words know God. Well Pastor Greg one of our station managers has really been enjoying hearing about your friendship with Billy Graham. His name is Rick McClary. In fact he's probably listening right now. Hi Rick. Hey Rick. He's general manager of 91.5 and 102.7 The Word in Saint Cloud and Pequot Lakes Minnesota. Can you say that like a DJ though you're saying that say it like a DJ would say it. 91.5 The Word in Saint Cloud Minnesota.

Much better. Well he texted me yesterday and let me let me read you his text. He wrote I've been enjoying hearing Greg talk about Billy Graham. I surrendered my life to the Lord while watching Billy on a TV broadcast while living in Ventura California.

I was 18. It was during the Jesus people revival that swept through the country. I thought you could pass this on to Greg and thank him for sharing his stories. Yeah well you know Billy that's an amazing thing because so in the 70s when the Jesus movement was happening some people thought that it was some kind of weird religious cult but you know who got it. It was Billy Graham.

I was a brand new Christian and I remember picking up a book in a Christian bookstore. I think the title was The Jesus Generation and Billy fully embraced it and because he was at that moment the face of evangelicalism and probably the most respected Christian in the world that really was a great shot in the arm if you will for all of us because we really were coming to Christ and our lives are being changed and of course then Billy went on to speak at the Xplo event there in Texas working with Campus Crusade and that was one of the biggest things to happen in the Jesus movement in the early phases. So yes there's so many stories of lives that have been impacted by Billy Graham going back so many years and his ministry still continues on to this day but the reason I wrote this book Billy Graham the man I knew was because I wanted to show what he was like personally and I'm happy to say that he was the same man privately that you saw publicly. You know Dave it's been my privilege to meet a lot of famous people a lot of famous preachers. I've shook the hands of four US presidents.

I've been in the oval office and prayed for the president two times. I've met movie stars and rock stars and and no one ever impressed me more than Billy Graham and I think it was because he was just so humble and so down to earth but yet his fame in many ways eclipsed all of them and but it never went to his head or to his heart and and he was always as he would describe himself a country preacher. It wasn't fake humility that's how he saw himself and when you think of Billy Graham's story it almost reminds you of a bible story.

You know you read of Gideon hiding from the Midianites threshing his wheat when an angel of the Lord calls him to lead a mighty army. You look at David keeping watch over his flock when the prophet comes to town and anoints him as the next king of Israel and you think of Billy a farm boy with aspirations to become a professional baseball player and just a normal red-blooded American southern boy who God hand-picked to become the greatest evangelist in human history and I think one of his secrets was he never lost sight of where he came from. He still was rooted as that simple boy Billy Frank who used to milk his dad's cows very early in the morning and had this humility about him that he carried to his last dying breath. Yeah well he was a man we all wish we knew personally and you'll get to know him in Pastor Greg's new book. It's an inspiring journey to walk through his story in Billy Graham the Man I Knew. In fact Ann Graham Lotz, Billy's daughter, commented about the book. She said this, in this page turner of a book I learn things about my father that I never knew.

Isn't that something? Greg Laurie has done a masterly job of setting my father's life in historical and cultural context. I pray that Billy Graham the Man I Knew will draw readers to the gospel where they'll find the love of God that he preached so fervently and faithfully. So can we send a copy your way? Pastor Greg is making it available to thank you for your donation of any size and please know there are no churches or large organizations covering all the broadcast expenses.

No it's only through the investments of listeners that these insights can come your way each day. So thanks for being a partner with us. With your donation today be sure to ask for Billy Graham the Man I Knew. You can write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300.

Call anytime that's a 24-hour phone number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org. Well next time Pastor Greg takes a revealing look at the significance of the Lord's death at Calvary. It's a look at what Jesus sacrifice means to believers today. Tune in next time for A New Beginning. Hey everybody thanks for listening to A New Beginning. This is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. So for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner just go to harvest.org