luk 22v57 He Denied Him
The
Holy Spirit has recorded Peter's threefold denial of the Lord in great detail
four times. Peter was a true believer. He was pardoned, justified, and accepted
in Christ. Even when he cursed and denied the Lord, he was a man who in his
heart truly loved the Son of God. But he fell miserably. He was a man, like you
and me, a man whose heart was by nature full of sin. And on this occasion, the
evil of his heart broke out. The Holy Spirit offers no excuse or explanation
for Peter's sin, and neither shall I. But certainly
the story of Peter's fall and restoration is full of instructive lessons for
us.
WE SHOULD LEARN SOMETHING
ABOUT OURSELVES. This story seems to tell me, "Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed, lest he fall". All of God's people in this world
are still sinners by nature. The old man of sin is still with us. There is no
evil in the world of which you and I are not capable. Let us therefore watch
and pray that we enter not into temptation. Unless the Lord holds us up, who
can tell what might become of us?
WE SHOULD LEARN SOMETHING
ABOUT SALVATION. "By grace are ye saved through faith, AND THAT NOT
OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God." Child of God, your salvation
does not, even in the least degree, depend upon you or anything done by you,
either good or evil. We are saved by grace alone. Our only standing before God
is in Christ. He is all our redemption, all our righteousness, all our
strength, all our hope, and all our acceptance.
WE SHOULD LEARN SOMETHING
ABOUT THE BLESSED SECURITY OF GOD'S ELECT. We are in the hands of Christ,
and nothing can tear us from his hands. We weep and mourn over our sins. We
hate them. If we could we would live without sin. But, of this I am sure, if I am
in Christ, truly united to him by faith, my sin, no matter how hideous it may
be, MY SIN CANNOT EVER SEPARATE ME FROM THE LOVE AND FAVOR OF CHRIST.
Those who are in Christ are secure. "They shall never perish!"
WE SHOULD LEARN SOMETHING
ABOUT THE FAITHFULNESS
OF OUR LORD. He will never leave us, nor will he let us leave him. "He
abideth faithful." "His compassions fail not." As he prayed for
and preserved fallen Peter, he will pray for and preserve all of his own -
(Read I John 2:1-2). Our hearts are comforted and made to rejoice in the fact
that our Lord's faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness.