Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, October 11, 2015 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister REVIVAL MESSAGE TOPIC: Christian Living, Hope It Ain't Over Till Its Over! Luke 22:54-62 (NKJV) Please turn with me in your Bibles to the twenty second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. And let's read verses 54-62. LUKE 22:54-62 (NKJV) 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, This man was also with Him. 57 But he denied Him, saying, Woman, I do not know Him. 58 And after a little while another saw him and said, You also are of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not! 59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean. 60 But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying! Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster[ crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. P R A Y E R
I N T R O D U C T I O N ILLUSTRATION: Recently, the baseball world was saddened by the death of YOGI BERRA, died at the age of 90. Berra was one of only two catchers to ever win the Most Valuable Player Award three times. He was selected to the All-Star Team fifteen times and after his retirement he was selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But Yogi Berra wasn't only famous for his stellar career in baseball, he was also known for his famous sayings. In fact, his sayings have been dubbed, YOGISMS. Here are just a few of Yogi Berra's famous sayings... If you come to a fork in the road, take it. A nickle ain't worth a dime any more. Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel. He hits from both sides of the plate, he's amphibious. Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours. But without a doubt, Yogi Berra's most famous saying was, It Ain't Over Till Its Over! While many people are familiar with that saying, few know its origin. When Yogi was managing the New York Mets in 1973 his team was in last place half way through the season. One day a sports reporter interviewed Berra. He said, Yogi, what do you say to all those die-hard Met's fans who want you fired? Berra responded, I say, it ain't over till its over.
And sure enough, before the season ended the Mets had gone from last place to first place, and wound up in the World Series, where they were defeated in seven games by the World Champion Oakland A's. ************************* The Bible is filled with numerous accounts of great comebacks where GOD brought individuals back from certain defeat or miserable failure. These wonderful accounts give all of us the hope and reassurance that with GOD, It Ain't Over Till Its Over! I believe a message that can never be heard enough in our Churches today is that GOD IS A GOD OF COMEBACKS...HE IS A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES. He is FAITHFUL to us even when we have miserably failed Him. That means that even though we fail, and fail miserably, in the eyes of GOD It Ain't Over Till Its Over! In tonight's message we are going to look at the account of one of the greatest comebacks in all the Bible. I'm talking about the apostle Peter.
First of all, let's consider... I. Peter's RENUNCIATION 1. Peter was a rugged, strong-willed, passionate man who never did anything half-heartedly. When it came to FISHING, he was as determined and dedicated as any fisherman on the sea. And when it came to FRIENDSHIPS, Peter was loyal to the core. 2. Once Peter decided to follow JESUS there was no turning back. He vowed to be a loyal and faithful follower of JESUS to the death, if necessary. 3. Back in verse 31, Jesus had sternly warned Peter, that Satan had asked to sift Peter like wheat, in other words Satan wanted to rattle Peter's faith to the point Peter would fall away from Christ. But Jesus reassured Peter that He had prayed for him that he would not fail. You know what? I believe JESUS prays that same prayer for us! He knows Satan desires to sift us like wheat, trip us up and rattle our faith. And I believe Jesus prays that you and I will not fail.
4. But you know, despite JESUS' stern warning that Satan was out to get him, Peter didn't take the warning seriously. He believed his faith was strong enough that he would never fall away or fail Jesus. But Peter was dead wrong! 5. Here in our text, Luke draws a sharp distinction between how Peter and Jesus responded to pressure. -When Jesus stood before the powerful Jewish Sanhedrin and was pressured to reveal His true identity, Jesus courageously confessed that 6. In our text, Luke draws a very sharp distinction between how Peter and Jesus responded to pressure. -In Matthew 26 when Jesus was brought before the powerful Jewish Sanhedrin, the High Priest said to Jesus, I put You under oath by the living GOD: tell us if You are the Christ the Son of God. Under great pressure Jesus courageously answered, It is as you said. In other words, 'Yes, I am the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living GOD.
- But here in our text, when Peter was pressured by the young servant girl to confess his loyalty and allegiance to Christ, Peter cowardly answered: Woman, I do not know Him. 7. When you place Peter's great confession in Matt. 16:18 where he said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God next to Woman, I do not know Him you wonder how in the world these same words could have come out of the same mouth. 8. How did Peter go from making the greatest confession about JESUS to renouncing Him in a span of a few months? Well, I'll tell you this: It didn't happen instantly, it happened gradually. 9. Listen carefully: Spiritual failure is always the result of a slow leak, not a blow-out. Nobody is walking closely with JESUS on SUNDAY and then experiences a complete SPIRITUAL MELT- DOWN ON MONDAY. SPIRITUAL FAILURE is always the result of making a few compromises here and there that gradually erodes our faith to the point we fall and fall hard.
10. That is exactly what happened to PETER. Just after Peter made that great confession in Matthew 16:18, Jesus began to tell His disciples specific details about what was going to happen to Him. MATTHEW 16:21 (NKJV) From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Well Peter just couldn't accept what Jesus was saying, and so he took Jesus aside and rebuked Him for talking such nonsense. And Matthew tells us, Jesus turned to Peter and said, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. 11. You see, Peter's renunciation and denial of Jesus on the night Jesus was arrested wasn't a sudden spiritual blowout, it was the end result of a slow-leak in Peter's faith that had begun many months earlier. Had Peter's story ended right here, this would have been a tragedy indeed. But remember: It Ain't Over Till Its Over!
Let's consider... II. Peter's REMORSE (v. 60-62) 1. After having already denied Jesus two times, Peter is given one last chance. Look at verses 60-62... LUKE 22:60-62 (NKJV) 60 But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying! Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. 2. Proverbs 17:18 (NKJV) says, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Peter had proudly boasted to Jesus, That even if all these (referring to his fellow apostles) fall away, I NEVER WILL! Jesus said, and I paraphrase, Oh yes you will. In fact before the rooster crows the next morning you will deny me three times.
3. Peter proudly believed in his own commitment more than he believed in the word of the LORD! And that is a recipe for disaster! 4. When Peter heard that rooster crow he plummeted to the depths of hopelessness and despair. Every time he closed his eyes he could see those loving, penetrating eyes of Jesus staring back at him. When he tried to doze off to sleep, no doubt he heard those haunting words of Jesus playing over and over again in his mind, Peter, you will deny me three times, Peter you will deny me three times. 5. And as Peter went out and wept bitterly he knew in his heart that he was finished and beyond hope. 6. Just as Jesus had told Peter and the rest of the apostles, He was handed over to the wicked religious leaders and was crucified on Calvary's hill for the sins of the world. Jesus finished what His Father had sent Him to do. But Jesus wasn't finished with Peter. REMEMBER: IT AIN'T OVER TILL ITS OVER!
On the morning of the resurrection, Mark 16 tells us that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome took spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. But when they arrived they discovered that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus' body was not in the tomb. Listen to what the angel instructed the women to do: MARK 16:6,7 (NKJV) Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. (now listen closely) BUT GO TELL HIS DISCIPLES-----AND PETER that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. Did you catch that? Go tell His disciples...and PETER! IT AIN'T OVER TILL ITS OVER! Finally, let's consider... III. Peter's RESTORATION Turn with me to JOHN 21. 1. Just as He had said, Jesus met up with His disciples in an old familiar place: along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. 2. Feeling as though he was completely washed up Peter had gone back to his old life as a professional fisherman.
3. Just as they he had done when Jesus first called him to be a disciple, Peter had fished all night long and caught absolutely nothing! Pretty soon a man hollers from the shore, Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you'll catch some fish. Well before they could say, tim-buck-too their net was filled to overflowing. 4. About that time, John turned to Peter and said, (and I paraphrase) You know who that man is, don't you? And Peter says, Who? John says, Its the LORD. 5. Well when Peter heard that it was Jesus, he threw on his outer garment and jumped out of the boat and started swimming towards the shore. 6. JESUS had already fixed some breakfast, but Jesus had more in mind than filling Peter's belly. He intended to restore him to useful service in His kingdom. Let's look at that beautiful dialogue between Jesus and Peter in verses 15-19. John 21:15-19 (NKJV)15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah,[a] do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs. 16 He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah,[b] do you love Me? He said to Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. He said to him, Tend My sheep. 17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah,[c] do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, Follow Me. 7. Peter had failed miserably! But with the Lord, failure isn't fatal. With the LORD, 'Its never over till the LORD says its over! 8. From that day forward, Peter was a changed man! Never again would he turn his back on Jesus. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 souls were won to Christ. He was instrumental in establishing the early Church in Jerusalem. He went on to write two New Testament books. And years later when Peter was confronted once again about his allegiance to Jesus, he boldly declared his undying loyalty to Christ, and was crucified upside down. ************************************************************************ C O N C L U S I O N At some point along our journey to heaven each and everyone of us fail, and some fail miserably. Perhaps you have been through a divorce and you feel like a second-class citizen in the Church. Perhaps you got involved in an adulterous relationship years ago and you are still haunted by guilt and shame. Maybe you failed miserably as a Christian parent and you are burdened with guilt because your adult children don't want anything to do with the Church. Or perhaps you failed miserably in some other way, known only to you and the LORD. If you have truly repented, GOD is faithful to forgive.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 1:16 (NLT) That We can be confident that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters: IT AINT OVER TILL ITS OVER!