and we will be going back and forth from Luke to John. John read us this morning from Luke in chapter 22 and then also in John 21 that I just read. But before we do that, let's go to the Lord in prayer together. Our Father, we come to you. Where else would we go in a moment like this? We come to you to ask you for your blessing. We ask that you bless our time this morning, that it would be a message that is solely of Christ, and that it would be a blessing to your people, and it would be a true worship on our behalf. We can do absolutely nothing without you, Lord, and that includes everything we're here to do this morning. So we ask, Lord, that you'll be with us and bless our time. We also ask that you bless your children throughout the world as they get together in this morning of worship, but also as they make their way through this world which is not their home. We ask, Lord, that you'll give them strength and comfort as they go through the day-to-day lives until they reach their real home. We pray for Bonnie and Mary Our hearts are always with them. And we pray, Lord, that you'll continue to give them comfort and your love, the source of all good things. And do the same for all of your children. And we pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen.

Okay. So I love, I've said this before, I enjoy Peter a lot. For a couple different reasons. I connect to him in a way that I don't connect to a lot of biblical people, and I think that's common. I don't think it's just me. I think a lot of people feel that way. There are people in scripture that don't feel as connected to us. Peter is not one of those. Peter is uncomfortably close to us at times.

And these two pieces of scripture, and actually there's a third aspect to this, too, that we talk about earlier in Luke, where Jesus tells Peter, or Peter boasts about the fact that he would go to prison or death with Christ, and then Christ foretells the fact that he would actually end up denying him three times before the rooster crows. And then he does deny him three times before the rooster crows. And then before he even speaks to Christ again after those denials, Christ is crucified.

So I think about Peter in that position. The last time he spoke to Christ before, or even saw Christ before he went to the crucifixion, was the moment he denied him three times. And he didn't see him again. Not close enough to communicate until he was gone. which I can't imagine the position that put Peter in. And then after that, Christ comes back and he confronts Peter about the exact same situation that happened earlier in a way that's very unique.

And again, Peter, he's a very passionate individual. That's obvious throughout all the scriptures. He's passionate, he's very outspoken, and he loves Christ. That's obvious and true. But Peter falls. And Peter falls hard. And Peter falls hard over and over and over. Scripture does not give us Peter so that we can judge his actions. Peter is given to us so we can recognize ourselves.

I think it's interesting, and I did not do this on purpose, but in the last three weeks I've spoken about David, Saul, and now Peter. and they're all men of God. Two of them are apostles. One was literally said, a man of God, a man after God's own heart. And all three of them, utter failures. The definition of the depravity of man. And these are, quote unquote, the best men in the Bible. So today we're gonna look at two moments in Peter's life that show us once again the sovereignty of God and once again the weakness of men. We're gonna look at a moment in his life that was utter failure and also a moment in his life that was pure grace. And grace does not ignore failure or sin, it redeems it. And all of these things are shown to us through these events.

Before Peter even denies Jesus, this shows the sovereignty, once again, of God. Jesus tells him, you're going to deny me. He doesn't say, you better be careful or you might deny me. He says, you're going to. It's gonna happen. Matter of fact, before the rooster crows tomorrow, you're gonna deny me three times.

followed by Peter, of course, saying, Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death. Actually, what Christ says to him before that is, Simon, Simon, listen to this. Listen closely. Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift through you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. At that point, Peter says, Lord, I am willing to go with you to prison and to death.

Now that sounds like a pretty good answer on a human perspective. Would be a good line in a movie. Lord, I'm ready to go with you anywhere. But what Jesus had just told him, don't miss that, he says, Satan has demanded your soul, Peter. Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. And he follows that by saying, but I have interceded for you. It was a picture of the gospel in three sentences. Satan has demanded you, but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail. He had just told Peter, I have saved your soul. And Peter followed that with boasting about himself. That's how he responds. That's how we respond. That's how we would respond.

Peter was just told that Satan had demanded him, and rightfully so, that's exactly what Peter deserved. Christ tells him that he has been saved from this outcome by the intercession of Christ himself. And Peter makes it about Peter. And Christ already knew this outcome. You can see it in the sentences that he said here. Before Peter boasted, he said, and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Jesus did not say if you turn back, it says when you will turn back. He's already foretelling it before he's foretold it. You will turn away, and when you turn back, comfort your brothers. That is sovereignty.

And once again, Peter responds, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death. And Peter means it. He's sincere about that. but the sincerity of man has no strength. Nothing about us has strength. We can be as sincere as we wanna be, but what are we being sincere in? Man is so corrupt and so broken that we are boastful and sincere in our sin. That's what Peter's doing right now and he has no idea. He thinks what he's saying is right and commendable

And Jesus answers him, and he doesn't say, yeah, Peter, that's a great attitude, or yes, I know you would, Peter, I know you would go with me to death and prison, and I appreciate it. No. He comes to him with stifling certainty, saying, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow on this day until you deny me three times. Peter, your confidence is misplaced. And I'm gonna show you exactly that. That's what Christ is saying.

Jesus does not merely foresee Peter's failure. He tells him to his face. He ordains to use Peter's failures once again to show the weakness of man and the grace of God. Just hours later, this is another picture of Peter. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter proves that his problem is definitely not a lack of passion. He has a lot of that. This is as the guards are coming to arrest Christ. It says in John 18, then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. This is the same Peter. that said, I will go to death for you. Same heart, same intensity. Peter is always ready to do something. But notice, Jesus never asked him to do anything. Just the same as God doesn't ask us to do anything. In that situation, Peter swings a sword while Jesus is surrendering to his father's will. The Son of God, at that moment, was perfectly carrying out the orchestrated will of his father. And this little fisherman next to him is swinging a sword, thinking that he's making a difference.

Peter is fighting a battle that isn't even there. Jesus will be victorious in a way at that moment that no one could imagine, and Peter's only victory will be Christ's victory. And in that, Peter is definitely not unique. This is who we are. We always want to try to strengthen our standing with God. proving ourselves, earning our favor when the gospel tells us to rest. God's word tells us that our standing with God has been settled. There is no need to lift the sword. Our position is secure through the finished victory of Christ. And Jesus says to Peter, directly after he swings that little sword, put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?

You know, passion is common in modern day Christianity, shown in a lot of different ways. whether it's yelling from the pulpit or a big show, emotion, maybe some tears. Passion can be impressive to us, and it may look spiritual. It might feel courageous, but it often hides a very dangerous truth. We want to serve Christ on our own terms. We want to carry the sword. We want something to boast in. We want to feel good about the work that we have done. That is who we are to our flesh and to our core. And Christ says, put your sword in its sheath. This is my cup. Shall I not drink what the Father has given me? Your sword has no use here. Your works are worthless. I shall drink the cup that my father has given me and that alone will save you.

Moving on to Luke 22, 54 through 60. This is what John read for us earlier. It says, then seizing him, they led him away. This is talking about Christ. They led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance, which I think is not there by accident. He was scared already. He followed at a distance. He didn't wanna be associated with Christ at that moment. And he hadn't even denied him yet. And distance and denial go often hand in hand. Peter is trying to blend in with the crowd. Peter is trying to blend in with the world. And then it says that they kindled a charcoal fire in the courtyard and they all sat down together. So picture this now. They are arresting Christ and moving as a group. And Peter is in that group, but he's trying to blend in. He's trying not to be noticed as a disciple or as even a friend of Christ. And they come to a point where they build this fire and they all sit down. And Christ is there as well. And a servant girl says to him, this man was also with him. And he says, woman, I do not know him. And Peter doesn't even have a register of what's happening at this moment. The second time, a man says, another voice says, you are also one of them. And Peter says, man, I am not. And then a third, certainly this man was with him for he too is a Galilean. Peter says, man, I do not know what you are talking about. And immediately the rooster crows.

And the man, bold enough to strike the ear off a soldier, was afraid of a servant girl. And at that moment, It's proven that passion cannot sustain faith. Peter didn't lack passion. Emotion cannot sustain faith. Which this world often relies on. Only God can sustain faith in his people. Because faith is his to begin with. It is a gift from God. We should be so grateful that faith is a gift from God. If it was ours, it would be worthless. It would be gone in the first stiff breeze. But faith is a gift from God. So in that fact, our faith is completely independent from our weakness. It is created and perfected by God himself. It cannot be shaken, even though we can.

And it said right after the rooster crows, it says, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. I just, I try really hard sometimes to put myself in these positions. I cannot imagine what that would feel like. All of a sudden, you realized exactly what was said to you by your Lord and Savior, not even one day before this, has just happened. You have denied your Savior three times right in front of him. And then he looked at you. Scripture doesn't describe the look, but it does not have to. Peter remembers the words of Jesus, and Luke says, he went out and wept bitterly. These are not shallow tears, this is the grief of a man who realizes, I am not who I thought I was. the true revelation of who we are. Nothing apart from Christ. Worthless. Weak. Complete lack of strength. No life. And it crushed Peter. And the amazing part is that is the last time that Peter and Christ have a connection before the crucifixion. Imagine that position that Peter is in, that difficult, difficult position.

So then we go all the way over to John, and in between there, all of the crucifixion and the resurrection happens. And in Book of John 21, after the resurrection, Peter is going fishing, and they fish all night, and they catch nothing, and Jesus appears to them on the shore. I'll read some of that right now. It says, when they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these? And he says before that, that they actually built a fire. Now, that fire is a special kind of fire. It's actually a charcoal fire. The phrase for charcoal fire is Greek. It's called anthrakia, and it was only used twice in the entire New Testament. The other time, the only other charcoal fire in the scripture was the fire that they built when they sat down and Peter denied him. It's the only two times that anthrachia was used, when Peter denied Christ, and when Christ showed up once again to ask Peter about his love.

Jesus is recreating that moment, not to shame Peter, but to open his eyes. Redemption is accomplished, and it had been accomplished at the cross. Peter's sin is paid for at Calvary fully, objectively, and decisively. Nothing that is about to happen at that shore with Christ and Peter changes or adds to what Christ has already done. But Peter still lives inside that guilt and that memory. The secured child of God must be made aware of the grace that he has been given. God's people must be shown their shortcomings. Their utter failures are nothing when compared to the grace of God shown to them through the blood of Christ.

So Jesus asks Peter three times, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Three times. One to address every denial. First time, do you love me more than these? Peter, once again, before had claimed superior devotion, I will follow you to death. Now he only says, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Now he says, once again, no boasting, no comparison, just says, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

And then the second time, do you love me? Same response. And then the third time. Simon, do you love me? And it says Peter was hurt. And Peter answers, Lord, you know all things and you know that I love you.

Peter no longer has the passion and the gusto that he had earlier in Luke at this point. Peter no longer trusts his own words. Peter no longer trusts his own resolve and his own strength. Peter no longer trusts in his own passion. Peter would never claim anything of himself at this point. Instead, he appeals to Christ's words and Christ's sovereignty because he realized that Christ is the only one whose word is final.

So he says, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Lord, I don't even feel worthy to say it anymore. You know me. You know my heart. Which in a worldly way that people would think that that's a good thing. But we know better. You actually know my heart. You know what I really am. And yet I'm yours. In spite of all that I am, I love you. And that can only be because of the gift of God. We would not love God were it left up to us. And neither would Peter. This is a gift. In spite of all that I am, I love you.

Peter had no confidence in himself at this point, but he had full confidence in Christ, the source of his love and the source of his faith. Almost ashamed to say it, yes, I love you. And this is where the connection to Peter feels so real. You can't hide who you are from Christ. He knows every aspect of you, to the darkest corners, and yet you are his.

And Jesus, after that, doesn't say anything about trying harder or going down a better path. He just says, feed my sheep. And the man who knows he is nothing without Christ is the man that Christ entrusts with his people. God does not use men that are confident in themselves. He uses men that are fully dependent on Christ.

Peter had gone from saying I will follow you to death to saying you know all things. He had gone from saying I to you. Peter's sword was gone and Christ's cross was embraced. Peter's hope was not that he loved Jesus enough. Peter's hope was that Jesus knew him fully. and still called him his own. That is our hope. It is not the strength of our faith, but the faithfulness of our savior. That is what we look to, that is what we lean on. It is not our grip on him, it is his grip on us.

And if you're standing in failures of your own, which you will, hear this, God's grace does not meet us where we pretend to be. We're pretending to be strong or striving to reach a certain point. God's grace does not meet us there. It says in 2 Corinthians, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. God's grace doesn't meet us where we're sick. It meets us in the darkness of death. We are dead in our transgressions and sins. God's grace doesn't meet us where we hope to be or where Peter boasts to be. It meets us exactly where we are, a helpless estate. And just like Peter, we are helpless against our current estate. One failure after another. But just like Peter, all of God's people are still victorious in the victory of Christ.

Then he says to Peter, follow me.

The depravity of man is a constant part of the gospel. You cannot have the gospel without discussing the depravity of man. And it's completely true. We have nothing good to offer God. We are dead in our sins without Christ.

But that does not mean we have to go through life with our head down in shame. I am naturally I lean that way. I know Joe did too. I get weighed down by things, especially when I consider myself at times. That is not how we're taught to live. We don't have to walk around in shame because of our sins and because of who we truly are.

We have been given life. We've been given eternal life. the righteousness of Christ is ours. Through his death and resurrection, it is finished, it's ours. We can go through life the same way that we will eventually approach the throne, with utter confidence in our Savior.

Not with confidence in ourselves that we would say, like Peter, go with Christ, I would go with Christ to prison or to death, with all of our confidence in Christ, in that He, the Son of God, has already gone to death for us. What is left for us to boast in? We can't even say the same thing that Peter did. Go, I'll go with you to death, Christ. Christ has already gone to death in your place. You were not a part of it. You were the benefactor. You received grace. That was your role in gospel. You're a sinner and you received grace. That's your role.

But Christ Christ gave up himself, he gave up his rightful place on the throne to join us here as a servant, to give up his own life, to spill his own blood, and to be, to experience the utter wrath of his own father. to pay for every sin of every believer so that it may be put away forever and that a perfect place for every single one of his people is created, perfected, and guaranteed for them. That's the gospel. That's the work that's been done.

Peter wants to boast in what he can do, so do we. What did we do in that? And it's finished already. What else can we add to it? It's done. All we have brought to this is sin. But we have a Savior who loves sinners.

Are you broken? Good. Christ came for the broken. And again, you don't have to walk around, I'm sad because I'm broken. This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad. Don't look at yourself. The more you look at yourself, you will either focus on your shortcomings, which isn't even a word. We don't have any comings. We will either get brought down by who we are or we'll get caught up in who we think we can be. Look to Christ. He has done it all. And it's finished. That's what Peter was taught here.

Peter, you're so boastful in what you think you can do. You're gonna follow me to death. You're gonna follow me to prison. Within the next 12 hours, you're gonna deny even knowing me. I'll show you who you are. I will put you in your actual place and you will see your position in this. You have nothing, Peter. But what you do have is a savior. And that's each of us, God's people. We have nothing, but we have a perfect savior.

So again, when Peter says, I will go with you to prison or death, whenever you think that you might have something to offer, I'll go to death with you, Christ. Remember, he has already gone to death and defeated it. It's over. Are you his? Then he has prepared a place for you. Rejoice. Be thankful.

Our Father, we thank you for the way that you show us your gospel in so many ways. We need to be reminded of it constantly. We are so quickly and easily distracted. And we ask, Lord, that you'll always keep it in front of us. Keep your grace and your truth in front of us. And Christ, we thank you so much for everything you are for us. For your love and your work, your accomplishment. We thank you that we can love you, even though it is not in our nature. We thank you for our love for you. And we thank you for your love for us. And we pray this in Christ's perfect name, amen.

Take out your hymnals once again and we'll turn to number 421.