1250. The Fall And Restoration Of Peter, Part 2

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything so he established daily chapel services.

Today, that tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from The University Chapel platform. Today's sermon is the second part of an evangelistic message about the fall and restoration of Peter preached by Dr. Steve Pettit, President of Bob Jones University. We read here in Luke's Gospel tonight that about an hour passed and during that time Peter said nothing. But then he came back to the crowd.

And this time he started talking. And someone spoke up and let me put it in modern English. They said, dude, you are one of them because your accent gives it away. You're not from Jerusalem. Man, you, we know exactly where you're from.

You're from Galilee and that's where Jesus is from. And then all of a sudden the servant of the high priest recognizes Peter as the one who cut off his cousin's ear. For he was there just a few hours before where Peter pulled out a sword and cut off a man's ear.

By the way, I think that was an accident. I don't think he was going for the ear. I think he was going for the head. And either the guy moved his head or Peter's a really bad shot.

And he whacked the dude's ear off. And what did Peter do in his response? He did something to prove that he could not have possibly been a believer. He responded in such a way that it would have been confirmed he can't be a Christ follower because of what he just did.

And what did Peter do? The Bible tells us his mouth exploded with profanity. If there's such a thing as an F bomb in Hebrew, he said it. He began to curse. He began to swear. A string of the most awful expletives came flowing out of his mouth, so much so that no one accused him of being a Christ follower after his rant. He proved to everyone by his actions that he must not be a disciple of Jesus. So how do we deny the Lord?

Number one, we just don't want to be identified. Number two, we clearly violate his laws. And number three, we begin to live in such a manner as you think how can you possibly be a follower of Jesus by the lifestyle and the way that you're living. And here's the thing that is so sad that all of this happened within the ear of Jesus and Jesus heard it all and how it must have grieved his heart. So question, I mean how did Peter get here?

You ever wonder that? I mean we look at his life, we look at his fervency, his vibrancy, I mean let's be honest, how can people be a vibrant Christian and then a year later it's like, what in the world happened? And can I suggest to you tonight that the reason for his sin, number one, was because of the fear of man?

Actually in this case it was the fear of women because it was the girls that were speaking to him. Much of our backsliding begins when we fail to stand for the Lord in front of others. I should be identified with the Lord.

I should live in obedience to his commands and we don't want to be identified with the Lord. Secondly, surely it was self-confidence. Had Peter felt weaker, he would have been stronger. Because he felt strong, he proved to be weak and he fell because he did not really realize what Jesus said, the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. But then let me say that I believed he fell away and at the very heart and core of it was that Peter failed to follow Jesus' admonition to watch and to pray. Peter's undoing was his own inconsistency. Peter did not lack emotions. I mean he did say, I will never fall away.

I mean he was fired up but what he did lack was he lacked consistency. He was carried away by circumstances because he was not controlled by character. He was not steadfast in his devotions. When we fall away from God, it can always go back to the root of not walking with God. That there is a failure in the personal life to have a deep and intimate time with God. Let me say to all of you freshmen that one of the easiest places on the planet to backslide is in a Christian university.

Why? Because it's the atmosphere. Because everything here at Bob Jones University is intentional. It is for the purpose of your spiritual development so that you can thrive. And you come here and you get in the flow and you go with the flow and you go to classes and you hear the Bible and you go to discipleship groups and you go to church and you come to chapel and all of those things are good.

I know I sat where you sat. But I'm telling you tonight and I'm warning you that temptation is real because you have a sinful nature. Temptation is real because Bob Jones University is full of saved sinners. And depending on how you're doing I emphasize saved or sinner. Bob Jones is filled with saved sinners.

Nobody here has reached a state of perfection. Some of you are growing Christians. Some of you are not even Christians. Some of you haven't decided if you're going to follow the Lord. And some of you have fallen away from the Lord. And so you need the power of God because we're living in a world where we're going to be tempted by the world, the flesh and the devil.

And you need the Lord. And Peter's failure was a faith failure. Have you fallen away from the Lord? Well the fact is Christians do fall away because it wasn't just Peter. Because what did Jesus say on the night before He was crucified? He said to the whole bunch, He said you will all fall away because of me this night.

They all fell. And if it wasn't for the grace and the tenderness and the care of our great shepherd where would we all be? Where would I be? If it wasn't for the mercy of God at working in my life helping me to overcome sin where would we all be? And so tonight I want to say this as a plea to you.

Would you be honest tonight about where you are? Tonight I'm not preaching with a baseball bat trying to beat you in the head. I'm trying to be like a shepherd saying to you look okay you've wandered away but you're a child of God. Think about who you are. Think about what the Lord has done in your life.

Think about the mercy and the grace of God in your life. Remember the days when you felt close to God and today you've drifted away from the Lord. Remember all of those things because not only did He fall but the second thing I want us to see tonight is that in the midst of this terrible situation the Lord intervened on His behalf. And the second thing I want to talk about is Peter's restoration. And the point I would like to make tonight is that it wasn't that Peter didn't really in a sense Peter didn't restore himself. What it was really all about was it was all about the Lord restoring him. Because you remember he prophesied you're going to fall away but he also prophesied you're going to be restored. And the whole story here is really centered around the fact that those who are true Christians are going to be restored back to the Lord. In the Gospel we see here the difference between a true believer who backslides and a true apostate who does not come back to the Lord.

How do we see that? We see that in the story of Peter and Judas. Both of them denied the Lord. Both of them regretted what they did. But one went out and wept and the other went out and he hung himself.

What's the difference between a backslider and an apostate? Well it's the difference between a pig and a sheep. They both may end up in a pig pen but the pig loves the pig pen, the slop because it's in his nature. The sheep hates the pig pen because it's not in his nature. His nature is different and he wants out. Even in a backslidden condition you still know that this is not where you should be.

You still know that you're miserable. You still know that the joy that you once experienced and the power you once felt and the blessing that you once had, it is no longer there. And the fact that Peter is restored back to the Lord is the proof that he is the Lord's. And the issue tonight is not if a Christian falls, the issue is how does the Lord restore him? How does the Lord restore you and I? And we see this divine restoration in three specific ways, three elements. The first thing we see is the providence of God working in his life. For listen to what Jesus said, truly I tell you this very night before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times. What did the Lord do to get his attention?

It was the crowing of a rooster. Now when Peter denied the Lord the first time, the rooster crowed and Peter didn't seem to pay attention to what he heard. Oftentimes forgetfulness is one of the chief weaknesses that we have in a time of temptation because there's a spiritual dullness in our life. We're not sensitive.

We're not listening carefully. We go to church but we don't have the sense of the conviction of God. And by the way, when I go to church to worship God there should be a sense of the conviction of the Lord.

And I don't mean constantly guilty. What I mean by that is the Lord moving in my heart and stirring in my heart and working in my heart. And what did God do? God brought into his life a rooster and after the third denial the rooster crowed the second time and this time the chicken's voice cut straight to Peter's heart. God's providence brings into our life loud roosters to arrest our attention and to awaken our conscience.

Is there been a rooster in your life recently crowing, speaking to you? I was saved when I was 19 years old, Easter Sunday 1975, the first four or five months of my Christian life. You probably would not have known that I was Christian by the way I was living but I was growing a little bit. I was in the Bible.

I was growing in the Word but I was very convicted about my actions and the things that I was doing. And that summer something happened that really turned me around between my freshman and sophomore year. I was playing soccer every evening at the University of South Carolina trying to get in shape. And one day I was asked if I was willing to go down to the College of Charleston to play in an indoor soccer match. I had never played indoor soccer in my life and we played in the gym on a wooden floor. And during the middle of the match I went up to head a ball that was being crossed. I missed the ball and I came down off balance and I had my left ankle turned in and all of my weight came down on that ankle. Back in those days I weighed 195 pounds. You say how much do you weigh this morning?

None of your business. And I felt my ankle snap then I fell right through the floor and I grabbed my leg and I went down my leg and then I felt the ankle go out and come back in. I thought I don't think this is good. I went that night to the hospital in the emergency room and two and a half hours later they looked at my ankle. And the doctor said yeah you broke it. I said yeah I know. And he took the inside of my ankle here and the outside the bone was poking out a little bit and he took it and he pushed it in.

It's called modern medicine. The next day I went up to Columbia to have ankle surgery. And after the surgery I woke up in the Baptist hospital in downtown Columbia and back in those days they gave every patient a copy of the Bible and as soon as I saw the Bible I knew why I broke my leg. God's rooster was growing. God was saying to me Steve am I going to get your attention?

Are you going to follow me or not? And I remember that very very clearly and I remember the working of God in my life and I want to say this it wasn't like a 100% turn overnight. It took me a little while. But there was a rooster crowing in my life the providence of God speaking to me.

Let me ask you a question. What rooster is crowing in your life? Then what does that tell me is the providence of God. It's the mercy of God. I mean think about it Jesus in eternity past planned this rooster to crow at the very moment that he denies the Lord. What does that tell us about the Lord?

In his providential watching care over the life of his own people. But it wasn't just the providence of God that the Lord used in his life but number two it was the grace of God. And we see that in verse 61 when Christ looked at Peter. Notice it said and the Lord turned and looked at Peter and Peter remembered the saying of the Lord how he said to him before the rooster crows today you will deny me three times and he went out and he wept bitterly.

That look did the work. The moment Jesus looked at Peter the darkness of his heart was driven out. Jesus said nothing but he didn't need to say anything because the look said it all. And what happened when Jesus when Peter saw Jesus when he looked in his eyes the Bible says and Peter remembered what did he remember? Well obviously he remembered what Jesus had prophesied but that look awakened maybe many more things all that Jesus had said all that Jesus had done all that Peter had experienced in the presence of the Lord all of these things.

How forgetful we are of the Lord in our life and how it is that when we come back to him we come back in our memory. And what kind of look was it when Jesus looked at him? What do you think he saw in his eyes? Do you think he saw him angry? Do you think he was mad at him?

Was he if I could use it in human language was he ticked? May I suggest to you tonight that the look of Jesus was not the look of the law. It wasn't the look of the law because the law condemns us but the law can't restore us. You can know the law but that doesn't really change you it just shows you what you are it's like looking in a mirror you can look in a mirror and a mirror can show you what you look like but there's no power in the mirror that changed the way you look. I don't think it was the look of law I think it was the look of love. The law may drive me away from Christ or to Christ shame and guilt or weak restores but compared to love and grace there is no comparison. I believe he saw in the life in the face of Christ in the eyes of Christ I think he saw the grief of Christ and at the same time he saw the love of Christ.

And it was that love that broke him. I remember attending a church when I was a student in college I'd been saved for oh I don't know maybe maybe six or seven months and I attended a small Baptist church and to be frankly honest with you I don't really remember the sermon the preacher was not that great to be honest with you. But we came to the end and they gave an invitation and I'd never been in a church that gave an invitation for a response. And we stood up and we began to sing a hymn I had never heard in my whole life and the whole congregation took the hymnal and they began to sing a song called Just As I Am. And as I began to sing the song I began to weep because I was overwhelmed with the words it says just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me oh lamb of God I come. Just as I am in waiting not to cleanse my soul of one dark spot to thee whose blood can cleanse and then oh lamb of God I come. And I remember standing there and I was dating a girl at the time and I was I started weeping in church and she thought what in the world what's wrong with you and I I didn't I couldn't even talk because I'm the kind of you know people sometimes people can cry and talk I can either cry or talk but I can't do both.

And she said what's wrong with you and I said that's all that came out. After church we went out and got in the car and I sat in the car and I kept crying because I was overwhelmed I was overwhelmed with God's love for me in spite of my own sinfulness. When God does a work in a person's life he always works through grace.

The effect of grace is a change of heart and a change of attitude and a desire to walk away from your sin. And then there was one last thing I want to say about the divine elements of restoring Peter and that is not only God's providence and God's grace but the third is God's power. Jesus had promised to his own disciples that he would preserve them he would keep them. We read in John 6 37 all that the Father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never cast out and this is the will of him that sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. In other words let me just say this that you are not kept by your own power you don't keep your salvation you didn't work to get your salvation and you don't work to keep your salvation it is God that keeps you it is the preservation of his people. God has put us in the palm of his hand and no one can pluck us out and Peter's fall would have been final. Peter would have been an apostate had it not been for the fact that Peter was Christ's own and Peter did not ultimately fall away why because of the prayer of Jesus. He said Simon Simon behold Satan hath demanded to have you that he may sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not and when you have returned again strengthen your brothers. The reason why you and I are preserved eternally even in the midst of our own failures is the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to pray for you and to pray for me. What a savior we have one who loves us in the midst of our stupidity in the midst of the terrible choices that we make in the midst of our denying the Lord in the midst of our disobedience to the Lord even in the midst of us acting like we're not the Lord's. The intercession of Christ is the reason we are preserved the intercession of Christ is the reason why we persevere we keep God keeps his own by his own power and what Satan sought to destroy when Satan sought to destroy Peter's faith what did God want to do in this situation this failure because here's the end here's the point did Peter fall yes did Peter was Peter restored yes because all you have to do is go back and read the New Testament and what happened to Peter Peter the one who was who denied the Lord what happened on the day of Pentecost what happened he stood up in front of everybody and he preached he went from fear to faith he went from evading the truth to boldly declaring the truth and what Satan wanted to use to destroy Peter's faith God sought to strengthen Peter's faith because the very thing that Satan used God used and God turned the tables on the devil through Peter's fall God took out of Peter what needed to come out of Peter you see what did Peter's fall reveal it revealed first of all that he was fearful it revealed obviously that he was weak it revealed obviously that he was inconsistent that he he didn't watch and pray and therefore Peter could not be an apostle until these issues were resolved and God used Peter's failure to expose Peter and to drive him back to the Lord and what was the result he watched and prayed in the upper room what was the result he was empowered by the Holy Spirit and what was the result he went out on the day of Pentecost and boldly preached the gospel and God fulfilled his promise when he said and when you have turned again strengthen your brothers it was Peter who led the church it was Peter who led his brothers and it was Peter who went out and preached and 3,000 were saved on the day of Pentecost God uses our falls through his restorative power to accomplish his purpose in the world maybe some of you are sitting here tonight and you say I don't know if God could ever use me I've messed up let me tell you something you come back like Peter you get brokenhearted in your heart and Peter like Peter did God will take you and God will do amazing things for you listen I know preachers all over the United States who went to Bob Jones University and they went to Bob Jones Academy and they got kicked out some of the best preachers from Bob Jones Academy got booted go figure I'm serious because for a believer his falls are not final because God is going to restore and God is going to change you and God is going to take you and God is going to use you when you have turned again strengthen your brothers so tonight I ask you this question how many of you need to be like Peter and turn again how many of you have fallen then God is speaking the rooster is crowing Jesus is looking he has been praying and you have to be like Peter he went out and wept bitterly what does that mean he experienced true godly sorrow he was really broken over sin and it was that breaking he never forgot and God used him the rest of his life may God help restore those who have fallen away from him and may God bring you back to him tonight would you bow your head as we pray tonight father I thank you this evening for your word and I thank you for your faithfulness Lord I thank you for your restoration that you bring in our lives even when we fall your promise that you're able to keep us from falling and to present your present us faultless before your presence with exceeding joy Lord I pray for every young person in this building tonight who have fallen that they would come back they would acknowledge that they have denied you and Lord I pray tonight that you would work and show your power we pray for your blessing now on this invitation in Jesus name amen you've been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Steve Pettit president of Bob Jones University if you appreciate this program and benefit from the faithful preaching and teaching of God's word would you consider sending us a special financial gift you can easily do that through the website thedailyplatform.com I'm Steve Pettit president of Bob Jones University thank you for listening to The Daily Platform the Bob Jones University School for continuing online and professional education offers convenient and affordable online programs whether you're seeking to expand your skills pursue a passion or develop a ministry on your own time qualified and engaged instructors will help you reach your goals for more information visit scope.bju.edu or call 888-253-9833 thanks for listening and join us next time as we'll hear more soul stirring sermons on The Daily Platform.