 We're going to look at verses 66 through 72 as we continue our series here in the Gospel of Mark. I'll begin reading at verse 66 and conclude at verse 72. Mark writes, Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied it saying, I neither know nor understand what you're saying. And he went out on the porch on a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by, This is one of them, but he denied it again. And a little later, those who stood by said to Peter again, Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean, your speech shows it. Then he began to curse and swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak, in a second time the rooster crowed. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crowed twice, you will deny me three times. And when he thought about it, he wept. Now as we begin, this passage gives us a look into a personal failure of a very great man. When you read your Bible, you'll see that the Bible records victories of people of faith, but it also reveals their failures. This is seen throughout the Old Testament, beginning obviously with Adam and Eve. But as you continue through the Old Testament, you see great people of God, you see Abraham. But Abraham lied twice. He inferred that Sarah was only his sister. Moses in anger slew an Egyptian and in anger misrepresented God to the people and was not allowed into the Promised Land. Samson was a womanizer. David, the great king, the Psalmist of Israel. Well David committed adultery with a woman named Bathsheba and even had her husband Araya killed. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh, disobediently running from the call of God and Solomon married many foreign women, allowing idolatry to infect the nation of Israel. When you get into the New Testament, John the Baptist, who Jesus referred to as the greatest among men, doubted who Jesus was. Peter refused to eat with Gentiles, fearing, offending Jewish believers. John worshipped an angel and was rebuked for doing so in Revelation 19 verse 10 and Revelation 22 verse 8. Now we begin to speak about Jesus' hand-picked men, the disciples. They argued with each other about who was the greatest. They commanded a man to stop casting out demons in Jesus' name. James and John wanted to call fire down on a Samaritan village. And men tried to keep Jesus from blessing little children, tried to keep people from Jesus, failed to cast out a demon from a little boy, consistently rejected his teaching concerning his death and resurrection. And when Jesus was arrested, Peter tried to kill Melchus and in the end they all for succumbed and fled. So that gives us insight. It gives us insight into the amazing grace and patience of our Lord. In Lamentations 322 it says, through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassion fail not. Now that's not an excuse to continue in sin, it's simply a recognition of the reality of sin. No matter how hard we try, we still deal with human weakness. The Psalmist in Psalm 103, 13 and 14 says it like this. He says, as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, he knows how we are formed. He remembers we are dust. And so when you read your Bible, the Bible doesn't avoid failures of believers. It actually reveals them. And there's a good reason for this. In Romans 15 verse 4, Paul said, for everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction so that through endurance and through encouragement of the Scripture we may have hope. So we're going to examine a passage. And in this passage we know that there's no doubt that Peter loved the Lord Jesus Christ. Nowhere in Scripture is there any indication that he didn't. But in this passage we see him do something he said he would never do. You see Jesus had told him that he would deny him three times and Peter said that he never would. In chapter 14 here in Mark in verses 29 through 31, Peter said to him, even if all are made to stumble yet I will not be. And Jesus said to him assuredly I say to you that today even this night before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times. But he spoke more vehemently if I have to die with you I will not deny you. And they all said likewise, well in this passage we see Peter's denial of Jesus. Now in his denial we have an opportunity to learn what contributed to it. That enables us to be aware of what led to such a thing. You see by his failure we can learn how weak we can be and how gracious God is. We need to see that Peter's denial wasn't impulsive. This is because denying Jesus is never spontaneous. Denying the Lord is something that reveals the weakness of our faith. Denying the Lord is really the unmasking of the heart. It exposes what truly is within. Denying Jesus is what is called the revelation of a divided heart. You see the Bible tells us that we're to follow God with our whole heart. We're called to love Him and worship Him with everything that is within us. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 10 verse 12 it says, now Israel what does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God to walk in all His ways and to love Him. To serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. In Psalm 138 verse 1 it begins by saying I will praise you with my whole heart. You see that's because you can't love two things equally. Matthew 6 24 says no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he'll be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon speaks of riches or possessions. You can't love God and serve Him and serve riches and possessions at the same time. So whatever you choose to serve becomes what is called your master passion. In Romans 6 verse 16 Paul said don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin which leads to death or you can choose to obey God which leads to righteous living. So what I choose I follow what I follow I become like. Now many people struggle with competing priorities their hearts become divided. There are many things yet that can divide my heart. There are many things that compete for my thoughts my time my treasure my talents jobs can do that. You can't be in fellowship because of work or you don't go to church because you're just too tired. A relationship can replace my priorities. You pray to the Lord you're a single person and you say to the Lord I'd like to have somebody who loves you and serves you. You meet somebody you begin to date and before you know it you stop going to church because you're busy with that person. You can do that and your spiritual life can fade away. You have friendships that are with lukewarm people or carnal carnal or unsaved and your friends can influence you and slowly you begin to walk away from the Lord. Outside activities can slowly draw me away. Higher education through pagan teachers can undermine my faith and even family commitments can crowd Jesus out. None of this is evil by itself of course. We need jobs and relationships we need friends. We need outside activities obviously we need to be educated and we need family. All of those things are part of what makes us you know gives us a life. The problems arise when they begin to usurp the place God should occupy. Sometimes these things can influence us so slowly we don't even notice that we're drifting away. It's like that proverbial frog in the cold water. He placed him in a pan in water. He can't jump out but he stays in that cold water and you turn the heat on and very slowly as the water begins to rise in temperature the frog eventually boils to death. He doesn't notice the things around him. We can begin to drift away from the Lord and sometimes we float away and we float away slowly. Hebrews 2 verse 1 says we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard last we drift away. So as we study Peter's denial we need to review a few events in his life and it helps us put together what led to his denial. Now again Jesus had said to him as well as to all his men all of you will be made to stumble but Peter had said even if all are made to stumble yet I will not be. Now this wasn't faith by the way it was a revelation of his self sufficiency and his pride. He was entrusted in his own strength. He was unaware of his own weakness. When Jesus said this to him he immediately rejected such an idea and that was his first error. Your first step away from the Lord your first step into denial is rejecting what God's word says to you. You see in his pride he responded to Jesus' statement with self-confident unbelief. Jesus had said all of you will be made to stumble. So when God's warnings are unheeded we become vulnerable to failure. True self-knowledge always comes through knowing and applying the word of God. The Bible tells us in James 1.22 be doers of the word not heroes only deceiving yourself. You see he had been told by Jesus specifically you will deny me but in his self-confident arrogant his belief in his great love for Christ he refused to accept what he said. Well we have to be careful that we don't become dull to the teachings of God's word. You know there are people who say to themselves I've already heard this I need something new I need something fresh. Well the problem is as they may hear these things but they fail to apply them. And Peter failed to believe what Jesus said and when that happened he gave place to pride and according to Proverbs 16 and 18 pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. A second thing we've seen that led to his denial was he failed to pray to the Lord. He failed to depend on God. That was seen in the Garden of Gethsemane when he failed to watch and pray. With no dependence on God his faith was revealed to be in his own strength. When you depend on your own strength you inevitably will fail to trust the Lord. Now the great thing is God is gracious and God restores us if we call upon Him. In Psalm 145, 18 and 19 it says the Lord is near to all who call upon Him to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. He also will hear their cry and save them. With him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall, Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10, 10, 12. A third thing and I pointed this out when we're at verse 54 in this chapter, he followed Jesus but he did so at a distance. You can be in a service while you're hard as somewhere else at the same time. Some claim to be Christians but I never identifiable as his follower. I worked at a place in Huntington Park many years ago when Murray and I were first married and I had a salesman who would come in and he would represent his company to my boss and he would come in, he would sit with my boss, I was in the same office and he would say things that were improper, things like that. You kind of expect that obviously you're working in a secular environment, you're not expecting people to be aware of the way they speak necessarily. This person was kind of vulgar sometimes and he would take my boss out to Dodger games because my boss at that time was a Dodger fan and all and he would take him out and my boss would come back slightly inebriated quite often and this guy was actually supplying him with the alcohol so I would sit in the office, you know, I was a young guy at that time and he didn't really take notice of me and then one day I was speaking to him and he asked because he came in quite often and he asked me a few things about myself and I told him I'm a Christian, you know, and I'm moving towards these things and all we were having a visit and then he says, well I'm a born again believer too and I looked at him and I'm like, you know, I'm not judging the man. I said, well, you know, can you give me a beer? No, I didn't do that, you know, but I thought there was no evidence of that. I had another guy who I worked in a different place and this fellow used a lot of profanity and I would share with him on occasion and finally one day and I'll never forget how he put it, one day he said, David, you keep talking to me in that way, but he said, you wouldn't believe it, but I'm born again too and I said, no, I wouldn't. You know, the way he spoke and the way he acted, how would I know? Listen, the way we live is an identifiable element of who we worship. Never forget that. You're always being read by some man. You were a living epistle known and read by all men, Paul said. The way I live tells you what I believe is not just the way I think is how I act. It's a combination because my thoughts are put into actions. My lifestyle is based on what I believe. I always do what I believe. I behave according to what I believe. And so when people are saying, oh, I believe and yet live as if they don't, well, the way they're living tells you what they really believe. Now this doesn't mean that we have to be perfect and no, I'm not bringing some legalistic thing on you to say you've got to walk around with your halo never tarnished. What I'm saying is the consistency of our life demonstrates what we believe. And when we begin to drift away slowly, we may not even perceive that we're drifting away because a boat by the harbor, if it's untethered and you may be on board asleep in the boat, you may not even notice it as you begin to drift out because it can be imperceptive. You have to guard your walk with the Lord. You have to do conscientious things as it pertains to your faith in Christ. And so we need to be aware of those things because we can be drawn away. Now, as we look at this passage in verse 66, it begins in this way. It says, as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. So there he is, the apostle Peter. And he's seated in this courtyard of the high priest. Now the former high priest Anas and his son-in-law Caiaphas shared the same family dwelling simply in separate wings. And houses at that time could be built facing a common courtyard. Peter's in the courtyard. And he is there according to verse 54. He was there seated with the servants. I mentioned to you when we looked at that verse that the word servant speaks of the guards. And he was warming himself as we saw at the fire. In other words, he was trying to blend in with the others. Believers are to let their light shine out in the darkness, not hide their lights. When I was going to secular college as a young man and a young believer, I made a determination very early that I would be outspoken about my faith. Because I knew that if I sat in that class week after week and never said something, that eventually my witness would be blended, I wouldn't have a place of witness. So from the very beginning, when given opportunity, and the teachers very often back at that time, I don't know if they still do now. But the teachers would give us opportunity to speak of what we believed or who we were. And in every class that I was given an opportunity to, I would say it very openly. I would say I'm a Christian, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. I remember one professor when I was at Cal Poly Pomona. I was in a particular psychology class. And the professor on the first day, the very first day said to us, if you're one of those born-again Christians, he said, would you raise your hand? So I raised my hand along with about three others. And he looks at us and he says, I feel sorry for you. I have pity for you because you believe in that little book called the Bible. He says, I have put my faith and trust in scientific studies. And I remember him saying that, the very first day of class, the very first opening statement, I feel sorry for you because you believe in that book. Then he said, I believe in science and studies. And then one day in class, he said to us, people say that if you smoke cigarettes, you can get lung cancer. Well, I have studies on my desk that prove that that's not true, he said. He said there's no correlation with smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. And then eventually it found out he died of lung cancer. So from the very beginning in my walk with the Lord, I've had people who would give me opportunity to either hide my faith or openly speak of it. I had another professor at Cal Poly who was another, I took a lot of psychology classes because I knew it was crazy. So I took a lot of psych classes, I was a social science major. And another professor, a homosexual professor, had us write papers. And one of the papers he had us write was open to whatever we wanted. And so I wrote about the role of a man in the home. From a Christian perspective, it was a family class, you know, about marriage and family. And I wrote on the role of a husband. And at that time I went to this large library at Cal Poly looking for books on the role of a man in the home. And there was only one book on the role of a man in the home, only one. All of these other books were on the role of the woman. And there was only one book that was written that was in the library there. It was written on the role of the man in the home by a woman. I already know that, I'm married. So I wrote a paper on the husband as priest of the home. As a husband who gives devotions, who brings discipline, who demonstrates strength by his presence, his commitment, who teaches his children how to love by the way he loves the wife. So I wrote this paper on it and I got an A. But what I also got was he said, he wrote on top of my paper, he said, I have never heard this before. And so I walked with him to the car, my car as we were walking out. And we had a long talk. I would take opportunities. I had a professor at another college that I went to who had two PhDs and a master's, is a literature class. And I was very intimidated by her, she was very intelligent, very well educated. And I was speaking to a friend of mine and I said, you know I'm intimidated by this woman, she's brilliant. He says, well talk to her about the Bible and I said, she's a literature professor, surely she's read the Bible. And he said, you'll be surprised, so in class. I said something, I said something, you know like it says in the book of Job. And she says, in class she says, I've never read the Bible. And I thought, gotcha. So you take opportunities to share. You don't hide your light under a basket. You don't hide your light from people. You know the people that I know, we were given away, we were given away stickers. You know here, this is, you know, just a symbol of the church you go to. And I had people say, I can't do that. I can't put that on my car. Why? Because of the way I drive. And I told you, John, learn to drive better. You and your 2022, 2023, 2023, it's 2023, I fire thee. So you live openly. You live openly before people. You do that. Why? Well, one, we're called to. But two, because it's easy to begin to mute the gospel, it's easy to blend in with those around. It's easy, you have to make a statement then live up to it. So I would do that. I did it many times in many classes. I would, you know, and I'm not saying that to try it. It sounds like I'm boasting. I'm just saying that's what helped me to be strong is because I would say something that I had to live up to. Because when you're quiet and you blend in, it's easy to be like them. It's easy to be the way the world is. We're supposed to, as Christians, let our lives shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. In Philippians 2, it says at verse 15 that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. The darker it is, the brighter the light. And instead of us just muting it and hiding and trying to blend in, we need to be open. We need to be open about our faith when the opportunity presents itself. We need to be careful not to blend in to become indistinguishable from those who have no fear of God. In Ephesians 5, 8 and 9, Paul said it like this. He said, you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Well, the apostle Peter was hiding that light within him. Well, verse 67 says when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, you also were with Jesus of Nazareth. She saw him warming himself and looked at him. Now I mentioned in verse 54 that that word fire speaks of a source of light. In other words, Peter was trying to hide in the dark, but the light exposed him. He could be clearly seen. In Luke 22, 56 and 57 Luke records a servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, this man was with him, but he denied it. Woman, I don't know him, he said. Now Peter was one of Jesus' closest disciples. He is widely recognized as the leader of the apostles. When you read the names of the apostles in every place that their names are listed, Peter always is the first mentioned. The last mentioned is Judas. His name is always given first. He had given up everything. He was a fisherman with a successful business. And then he was mentored by Jesus Christ himself for three years. I want you to think of this. He listened and heard the teachings of Christ. He traveled with Jesus. He preached the message he was given by Jesus. He lived next to Jesus. He saw the miracles of Jesus. He even performed miracles himself. He walked on water. He saw Jesus cast out demons. He's the one who identified Jesus as Messiah. He was willing to die for Jesus, and we saw how he even fought for Jesus. And only a few hours earlier, he had vowed to die with Jesus. But now he's denying him. Under proper conditions, this can happen to any one of us. You see, there are many Christians who know their Bibles. There are many people who are experienced in walking with the Lord and they're even active in their church. But under the right kinds of pressures, under the right conditions, they can fold. And so as this is taking place again, verse 67, the high priest serving girl looked at Peter and identified him. She said, you were also with Jesus of Nazareth. Now John in his gospel in chapter 18 verse 15 tells us that John was known to the high priest. In John 18, 16, it says that John spoke to her to allow Peter access to the courtyard. And then at verse 17 of John 18, then she looked at Peter and said, you are not also one of this man's disciples, are you? And so the question actually is posed in such a way that it made him easier to deny the Lord. And he did in verse 68 it says, he denied it saying, I neither know, I don't know Jesus nor understand, I can't comprehend what you're saying. And he went out on the porch in a rooster croat. I don't know Jesus. I don't understand what you're talking about is what he's saying. And he leaves the warmth of that fire and he goes to the porch. The rooster now crows. Well in verse 69, the servant girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by, this is one of them. He was just trying to hide. But he doesn't want to completely abandon the Lord. So in verse 70, he denied it again. This is his second denial. Now here's something for you to think about for just a moment. As is true with sin, after doing it once, it was easier to do it a second time. The first time I got very drunk, very drunk. I drunk before, but I was very drunk. It was on Washington's birthday in 1966. Why do I remember that? I don't know. Other than I was arrested, we somehow, a friend of mine and I, got into somebody's backyard. And they called the police and they came and took me away. They put us in jail, both he and I. And I do remember a little bit of that. I do remember laying on the ground because I couldn't sit. And I do remember him sitting on a bench with my face facing him as he was sitting there. And I'll never forget him vomiting all over me, all over my face. And I remember saying, his name's Bill. I said, Bill, stop. And he said, I couldn't. And I remember a sheriff saying, you guys go to see this. Didn't come in to help me. He didn't move me. Guy just puked all over me. You know, that was not a good memory. But guess what? I did it again. And I did it again. And I did it for several years. I still drank. I just made sure I didn't lay down in front of Bill. The first time you do something, you may feel bad about it. The first time you do something, you may even feel guilty about it. The first time you do something, you may think this is the worst thing I've ever done. I shouldn't have done that. Why did I do that? But guess what? You can do it the second time. And the second time isn't as hard as the first, is it? And the third time isn't as hard as the first, too. What happened? You got used to sin. It became your way of life. And before you know it, it's what you do. It's who you are. People know you by that. They'll know you. They'll know you for what you do. They'll remind you of things that you used to do. Some of you know what I mean when I say that. I've been reminded of things that I've done by friends who knew me in high school and stuff. I remember one friend named Harold. Harold and I burglarized the jewelry store. We got busted for it. He went on to become a fire captain in Huntington Beach. I became a pastor. Interesting how the Lord works in our lives. But I hadn't seen him for a long time. And I was at a wedding of a mutual friend. And he began to speak to me, Harold did. And he started reminding me of some of the things I did in high school, because I was crazy in high school. And he knew me. You remember when you did this and you remember when you did that? And I still remember just smiling at him. I didn't say anything. I just would nod my head. And finally, Harold said this to me. He said, you don't like to be reminded of that, do you? He was into Christian. And I said, no, that's a past life that I'm not, I don't enjoy talking about, Harold. No, I'm not that man anymore. But he remembered. And some of your friends remember what you were like. Some of your friends may even tell you what you were like. You were known for those things. You were known for that. That was your reputation. I had a friend of mine. His name was Paul. Paul was from Whittier. I went to school in Whittier. I became friends with him in high school. He moved up north. He lived in Pacific Grove. I got saved. Two friends and I went up. I wanted to share with Paul the gospel of Jesus up in Pacific Grove just outside of Monterey. And I still remember showing up. And when I got to his place, he had an apartment. I still remember Paul saying to me, just a minute I have some friends who are coming. I want them to meet you. And I said, cool. I had gone specifically with the purpose of sharing with him about Jesus. And I still remember how his buddies showed up. And this is how he introduced me. He said, guys, this is David. David's the one who got me high for the very first time. That was my reputation. David is the one who got me high for the very first time. They thought I was cool for doing that. And I looked at Paul. And I looked at his two buddies. And I said, Paul, that's true. I helped you to get high the first time. But I came here with one purpose. And that is to tell you how you can get saved. How you can know Jesus Christ. But the way he knew me was as a Lodi. Your reputation in some people's minds remain. That's why it's important for our light to shine. So people can say, you're not the same person you used to be. My cousin Ray, when I got saved, said to me, you're no fun anymore. You used to be a lot of fun. And now look at you. Because I was a clown. I was a joker. I made people laugh. And I said, no. I said, I've given my heart to Jesus Christ. Because I want to be known for that. You know, don't hide your light. Don't try and blend in. And when you sit and remember that, it becomes easier the second time. And he had denied the Lord. And now it's a little bit easier that second time. It says in verse 72, a little later, those who stood by said to Peter again, surely you are one of them. For you are a Galilean. Your speech shows it. You have an accent. That's what he's saying. Because the Galileans and the Judeans, though it wasn't that far away geographically in terms of miles, there were different accents that they had. Here in the United States, we're familiar with that. Because you can go to New York, there's an accent. You can go to Texas, there's an accent. You can go to Ontario, there's an accent. Chino, you name it, it's a lot of accents. But there are accents. You carry that with you. And so they heard his speech. They said, no, you're a Galilean. And the ones who are walking with Christ, they're all Galileans except for one. 11 of the 12 apostles were from the north. There was only one that was from south. And that was Judas. Judas was from a place called Carriott, which is outside of Jerusalem in the south. The others had accents from the north. And so your speech betrays you. We can tell by the way you're speaking, the way that you're saying your words, you're definitely not from here. Your speech shows you have an accent. Now, there was an eyewitness that Peter was one of Jesus' disciples. In John 18, 26, and 27, it says, one of the high priest servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him. Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove? Again, Peter denied it. And at that moment, a rooster began to crow. Well, when this is taking place, verse 71, he began to curse and swear, I don't know this man of whom you speak. Now, when you read your Bible, and I've heard teachers say this incorrectly, so I'll try and give a correct understanding of this. They say, well, he was an old burly fisherman, and you know fishermen and sailors cussing this and that. Now, when it says he began to curse and swear, that doesn't mean he was cussing. That means he was invoking curses upon himself. That word curse is a word that we, it's anathema, that's what the word means. That's what the word is, anathema. It means to devote yourself to destruction. It speaks of calling upon yourself the death penalty. He was, I don't know how to say this properly, anathematizing himself, cursing himself. May God strike me dead and send me to hell if I know this man. That's what he's saying. When he says he began to curse, that's what it means. Now that word curse is used in New Testament in 1 Corinthians 16-22. If any man doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Let him be accursed. In Galatians 1-89, though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, then that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you, then what you've received, let him be anathema. Let him be cursed. It's calling upon yourself the death penalty and preaching false gospels. Let him be penalized with eternal destruction. That's how strong the message of the gospel is, by the way. So he was saying, literally, may God kill me and send me to hell if I'm lying, if I'm lying. So he swore before God that he didn't know Jesus and he's calling curses upon himself. Notice verse 72, a second time, the rooster crowed. Now as that rooster crowed, there's something else that's taking place. Luke records it and it's a very, very touching portion of Scripture in Luke 22, 61 and 62. As the rooster's crying and all this denying's taken place, the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him. Before the rooster crowed today, he'll disown me three times. And he went out and he went bitterly. He went out and he went bitterly. As Jesus is being led, apparently, away, he turns and he looks straight at Peter. And you can imagine that for a moment. There's Peter. I don't know him. May God judge me forever, send me to hell. And he's seen with such passion. You can almost see him as he's seen it with such passion. May God curse me. I don't know the man. And then Jesus, he sees Jesus somehow in their eyes lock. And as Peter's looking, he sees Jesus's beaten face because Jesus has already been abused. And perhaps he could see the spit that was still on his face because they had not only beaten him, they had also spit on his face. And as he's looking at this one that he loved so much, as he's looking at this one, that he walked with, that he would sit next to, that he had fellowship with, they admired, that he loved. When Jesus would speak those gracious words proceeding from his mouth, he would drink them in. He loved Jesus so much that when so many a multitude of soldiers and officers came in to that garden, when he saw them approaching Jesus, he just pulled out his sword. And he took a swing at anybody, I'm gonna go down fighting. I would die for you. And he was sincere. No one calls in to question that. See, it's not under those conditions that you know, I'm being tested, I'm gonna stand up for Jesus. It's in the times that it's like a sneak attack. It gets you when you're not prepared. It's through a simple question. You're not one of his, are you? You're not one of those born-againers, are you? You're not one of those freaks, are you? In your mind, you're thinking, well, I'm not the way you think I am. So you say, well, no, because it's easier to say no than to get canceled. To get ridiculed, it's easier. And I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. No, I'm not one of them. Listen, it's so important to know this. It really is some of you, especially if you're younger in your faith. It's easy when it's black and white. It's easier when the line is drawn and you know, you're gonna have to say yes or no. It's easier to say yes. But when somebody is actually giving you opportunity to deny and it's more comfortable to do that, it may be easier to say no. And later on say, well, you know, Jesus, I wasn't denying you. I was denying what they think you are. And then we make up our excuses. So he said it. I don't know him. May God judge me and send me to hell forever. I don't know him. And there's Jesus. And he looks up. After all this passion, I don't know him. And you look at Jesus looking at him. What kind of look do you think he gave him? Jesus knew, remember? Jesus has said, no, you're gonna deny me. Simon, Simon Peter, Simon, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to obtain you that he may sift you, even as wheat has sifted. But I have prayed for you that you fail not. And when you've been converted, when you get right, strengthen your brethren. Simon, you're gonna be broken in a way you never thought you could be. Simon, you will deny me. You will deny me three times. No, I won't, I'll die for you. Everybody else could run, but I'll die for you. And when they came in, he showed that, pulled that sword and took a swing. Put away your sword, Jesus had to tell him. Put it away. All of that adrenaline, all of that fight in him. He was a powerful man. He wasn't afraid, but later on, sitting by the enemy's fire. Innocent questions, you were with him. Your speech betrays you. You're not a follower of Christ, are you? In those circumstances, no. No, I swear to God, I am not. And there's Jesus looking at him. And you can see him. And his face is already bruised from the people punching him. There's still spit on his beard from the spitting in his face. My son, Joseph, when he was a little boy, he could do something wrong, all children do. They have their mother's nature, just kidding. They have my nature, the Adamic nature. And Joseph could do something wrong on occasion he did. But he was the one kid that I would look at him and I'd say, Joseph, that highly, highly disappoints me and you. It's all I had to say to him. You've disappointed me. And he'd have those little fists all tight. He's angry. But when I'd say, son, you disappointed me. He'd look at me and his little fists would unclench. And he'd think for a moment. And then he'd start to tear up and he'd say, I'm sorry, daddy. And I'd hold him. Then I'd chain him to the bed and not let him out of the house for a week. No, he would. It wasn't an angry look that broke my son. It was a loving look. It was a statement. I'm disappointed in what you've done. I think more highly of you than that. When Jesus looked at the apostle Peter, I don't believe that it was a look of condemnation. I believe it was a look of compassion. And it was the compassion and gaze of Christ into the eyes of the apostle Peter that broke him. And the Bible says that he went out and he wept bitterly. When it says he wept bitterly, that speaks of prolonged, strong tears. It speaks of weeping loudly. Some of you have done that. Some of you have been hurt. Some of you have lost somebody you love deeply. And you didn't even make an attempt to not cry loudly. It was the most natural thing you could do is just to cry loudly, bitterly. You wept with passion. That's what Peter did. It wasn't just his eyes becoming little moist with tears. It was tears running down his face. It was him walking away just weeping and sobbing. And what this shows us is deep and sincere sorrow. And it also reveals repentance. Somebody said the reason his tears were so strong was that he knew his sin was very great. That's the tears of repentance. You don't always cry when you repent. Some people, when you got saved, you were a sinner. We're all sinners. We needed God. We needed his grace and salvation through Christ. Some of you, it just, man, it's like the weight of the world just rolled off your shoulder. When I got saved, I didn't cry. As a matter of fact, I didn't begin actually showing emotion for years into my walk with the Lord. When I got saved, I had this amazing experience of it's over, it's done, they're forgiven. The weight is gone and I was so joy-filled. I had to tell people about it. Look what Jesus Christ can do. And I would tell my friends and I told my family and there was still this deep joy of my salvation. My wife was at that time, not even my girlfriend. My sister Madeleine led Marie. My wife now, my sister Madeleine led Marie to faith in Christ. Madeleine was the first person I ever led to the Lord. Madeleine got saved the same day I did. When I got home, I told her what Jesus did and she went to bed that night and said, "'Whatever you did for my brother, please do for me.'" So that leading her to faith in Christ resulted in her leading a young woman to Christ who became my wife. And I spoke to my girl, my wife Marie. We were already married and she said, "'I don't know if I'm saved.'" And I said, why is that? She says, because when you got saved, you had all this emotional joy. She says in me it just like, it just makes sense. I said, no. I said, you didn't have as much to regret as I did. And the joy of his salvation overwhelmed me. The apostle Peter has been forgiven. He just doesn't know it yet. His sin was very great. You see, he was aware of his sin, but he was also truly repentant. In Psalm 51 verse four, it says it like this, "'Against you, you only have I sinned "'and done what is evil in your sight. "'So you are writing your verdict "'and justified when you judge.'" My mom is a very open woman. And people would say to her, and she told me this. She says, you know, Dave, sometimes people would tell me what you've done because my sin was in the open in my neighborhood. So they'd say, you know your son, blah, blah, blah. And she says, you know what, I tell them, and I said, what mom? She said, I tell them, I bet you he's done worse. You just don't know, that was my mom. But what happened with me and what happened to the apostle Peter, what happened happens to us is very simple. My sin is ever before me. I go to sleep at night and I remember I'm a sinner. First thing I think of in the morning when I'd wake up is I'm, something wrong with me. My sin was always before me, the things I did. But then, when God forgave me of all my sins, when he cleansed it, the Bible tells us that the blood of Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. And when he washed me with his blood, forgiven me of my sin, and that weight fell off of my shoulder, and the joy that came was a surprise. I was surprised by it. Well, at this moment, the apostle Peter, all he can see is what he has done. And he never forgot. When he wrote in 2 Peter chapter three, verses 17 and 18, when he wrote that, he said this, he said, beloved, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and save your Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Be on your guard because the enemy, like a roaring lion, is seeking whom he may devour. And Peter says, I know this, because I was trapped by him. Be on your guard, be aware, because an unguarded strength is really a weakness. Be aware of that, be aware. You see, when you wake up in the morning, the enemy is waiting because you have committed yourself to Jesus. So he's gonna do what he can to undermine you, to throw obstacles, to trip you up. He's been doing that to me for 52 years. Trying to trip me up, sometimes he's been successful. But every time I've fallen, I've gotten up and moved forward because Jesus is the one who has forgiven me of my sins because he cleanses me from all unrighteousness. And he's simply a prayer of confession away and he's ready to forgive. That's the God that we serve. He knows that I am just flesh. He's aware of my weaknesses. He's aware of yours. And guess what? He calls you anyway. He's aware of what you can do and he called you anyway. He called you to himself anyway. Don't forget that. Don't forget that. Don't forget that the Lord Jesus Christ is rich in mercy. He's great in compassion and he's able to do that which you cannot do. That's why I cast my cares on him because he cares for me. That's why I'm quick to say God be merciful unto me. I am a sinner. I have failed and thought word indeed. But Lord, you are rich in mercy. You forgive. I don't use that as an excuse. I use it as a way to derive hope in this hopeless world because you're on my side and I'm wanting to be on yours. You have forgiven me of all my sin. Not a single one is gonna be held against me. May I live as the one who knows he's forgiven. May my life be a tribute to your grace. May my words bring honor to you. And Lord, before I go home to be with you, give me opportunity to draw as many people to you as I can because you are a righteous and a good and a loving God and you have forgiven me of my sins. You are rich. You will forgive others too. And that's Christianity. It's not that we're perfect people. It's that we worship a perfect savior. Jesus Christ died for us and we follow him. It's that simple. It's that simple. Never forget. Never forget. And be aware. You may think of yourself as being a nothing. No, when you gave your heart to Christ, you are an enemy of the enemy. You are an enemy. He will take you down. But guess what? If God is on my side, what can man do against me? I mean that sincerely. Somebody says, and I'll close, somebody says, how have you walked with God for 52 years? A lot of people started and they didn't finish. Because I know my own weaknesses. Because I know without him I can do nothing. Because I have cast my cares on him. And because he has promised, he said to me, I will never, never, never leave you nor forsake you. I am with you always even until the end of the age. And my Holy Spirit dwells within you, has sealed you into the day of redemption. And I am there for you because I love you. And that I have discovered over 52 years that God doesn't lie and God never leaves. He's with me now. He's been with me 52 years. And one day I'll be able to see him face to face. So will you and be able to say to him, thank you for your goodness to me. You have blessed me in ways that I never imagined. There are so many good things. How can I count the good things you've done all these years? Jesus, you gave me a beautiful wife, beautiful children, beautiful grandchildren. You gave me friends, church, family. You gave me so much. How can I not serve you? How could I not serve you? You forgave me of all my sins. You've cleansed me from all unrighteousness. You gave me a new life, a new name. You took away the shame and you gave me peace and joy, you gave me love, you gave me everything. Why wouldn't I remain faithful to you? But the enemy still comes after us. Be aware that this is a new year and it's a new opportunity for him to undermine you. Stay strong with Jesus. Let's see what God will do. Our Father, we bless you.