Peter-Why Did He Fail?

WHY Peter FAILED
SERMON #303; 2/27/2000; BY JOE McCLURE; Text: Matthew 26.31-75


We live among a great number of people who claim to be Christians. These great numbers have reached a comfort level with their religion.

In their comfort zone, they have become confident that the religious doctrines they believe are founded on the rock of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Most who name the name of Christ would tell you that they would not dare to ever disobey the teachings of Christ.

What is the difference in what the majority believes and what we believe?

There are two simple factors:

1. Perception of truth

2. Actual truth

If a person has been believing and practicing a doctrine, or following a particular system of religion their entire lives, it is understandable that they would reject the concept that they might be wrong, to the point of losing their souls.

The above is also true for us, to some extent. We should never get so comfortable in our faith that we stop studying and examining our faith by the faith of the gospel of Christ.

Today, I want each of us to humble ourselves, and to admit a truth that is brought out by our lesson today, that is, that we are just as likely to make a mistake as Peter was over 2,000 years ago.

Peter was blessed to have been with Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, and to sit at his feet, so to speak; and to have been privy to fellowship with the Son of God in the flesh. Peter walked with our Lord and expressed his love and devotion and loyalty to Jesus.

In a moment of weakness, Peter denied his Lord.

Turn with me to Matthew 26.31-35 for our first reading.

Matthew 26:31-35 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Most of you would make this same statement. It might even be said that most who proclaim to be Christians would cry out with us that nothing in this world could ever cause us to deny Christ.

We should all have this attitude, that even though we were crucified for being Christians, we would never deny our Lord.\

Today, in this lesson, I want to examine several factors, which may give us some trouble as we continue to serve Christ.

I. Conceit—in our reading, Jesus told Peter that he would offended because of Him that very night. Jesus was incapable of lying to Peter, and in His divinity, he could not be wrong in His predictions. Peter should have known these facts about his Lord.

We see the conceit of Peter in his answer to Jesus in Matthew 26.33, from our text.

Matthew 26:33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended.

While Peter’s protest is understandable from a human aspect, his protest is the same as accusing Jesus of not knowing what he is talking about.

Peter felt that if everyone else in the world denied Jesus, that he would be the one man left who would always remain loyal. To Peter’s way of thinking, it was inconceivable for him to fail Christ.

Even though our Lord told Peter that he would deny Him (3) three times before the crowing of the rooster that next morning, Peter refused to believe Jesus.

Matthew 26:35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Today, consider that many folks in the church come to a place in their spiritual growth that they believe that they are so grounded in the true faith of Jesus Christ that there is very little, if any chance that they will fall from grace.

When complacent Christians hear a good strong sermon, which admonishes of the dangers to the soul, they refuse to apply it to their own lives. Instead, they hear the sermon as applying to someone else. They silently think of all the sinners who need to hear that sermon. Many are so filled with self-confidence in their faith that they can no longer be touched with the truth.

Such self-confidence is extremely dangerous for Christians.

Ask yourself these questions:

· Am I so conceited that I think that I know and understand the message of all the Holy commandments of God?

· Am I so conceited that I believe that I am in complete obedience to all of God’s teachings?

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

· Am I so conceited that I refuse to admit the remotest possibility that I might fail at some point to obey the will of Christ in every part of my life?

Are you willing to take heed to your Christian service, considering that you might fall from your steadfastness?

2 Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know [these things] before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Too much self-confidence leads us to rely upon our own personal power, instead of placing our confidence in the power of God. To be a good servant, we must rely upon our master in all parts of our life.

Peter was conceited to the point that he knew with full confidence that, regardless of what Christ said, he could rely upon himself to stay true to Christ.

When we call ourselves Christians, we have committed to Christ to give up the old man of self, and to add the new man, which is in Christ.

Our confidence must be totally in Christ if we are to grow as Christians.

If Peter had trusted in the words of Christ, he would have known that he would deny Christ that night.

Our life in Christ must rest upon the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ; else we will have our life in the world, and in its lusts.

Hebrews 10:34-39 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Unless you misunderstand, here we see that we are to have confidence, but not that confidence which is from our human flesh.

The confidence pleasing to God is that which is based totally upon the word of God and that Word warns us of our weaknesses.

The Word in which we trust warns us that we will be tempted to depend upon our flesh instead of the spirit. The Word teaches us that our strength should come from a daily feeding of the soul by our communion with God.

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.

When the church has stopped trembling with fear, they are likely to look to themselves instead of to God for their leadership. We must continue to contemplate the greatness of our Father in Heaven, and the great Judgment Day where those who have rejected Christ shall experience His wrath.

One of the great problems of many who claim to religious is that they are more concerned with working out the salvation of everyone else, while ignoring their own salvation, secretly believing there is no possibility of falling from grace.

The cautionary note here is that we must realize the weakness of the human flesh compared to the perfect character of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must realize that human conceit is dangerous temptation that is arrayed against our souls. We need to realize our own personal need for humility before we insist upon that humility for others.

Proverbs 16:18-19 Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better [it is to be] of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Now, let’s look at the next reason why Peter failed.

II. EASE—Peter was not alert and watchful over his own soul in the time of his denial of Jesus.

Again, we shall see that Peter denied for himself the truth of what Jesus had said. Jesus had warned the disciples that His hour was near. He and His disciples moved to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus went off to pray. When Jesus had prayed a while, He came back and found them asleep.

The disciples were at ease in the hour of His trial.

Matthew 26:37-41 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt]. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.

By His own words, Jesus warned them of the weakness of their flesh. In such times, He pointed out to them of their need for prayer to sustain them in the moment of temptation.

Many times we fail to recognize the dangers around us in life.

We go off to work, or to play and those around us are busy with life, serving sin. For the most part, our fellows around us are not talking to the Lord. We must depend upon God’s Word to remind us of the need to watch and pray.

We are in danger of spiritually letting down our guard, and becoming at ease when danger is all around us.

Peter was not vigilant in watching against the temptation to deny Christ, and was not praying for strength to stand with Christ. Instead, he admitted that he believed that he would not deny Christ. Since no danger existed for Peter, there was no need to watch out for that danger, or to pray about it.

Later on in Peter’s life, he wrote this warning:

1 Peter 5:6-9 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

At the time when Peter failed, he was not vigilant. He was not watching and praying. He was at ease spiritually.

Peter should have been in prayer asking God for the strength to stand with Jesus in His hour of trial.

We fail sometimes to realize the dangers, and that in a figurative sense there is a Judas in our life that will bring Satan to attack us.

One danger is that our worldly friends can kill our spiritual life, if we allow it.

We must be on our guard against the desire to be like the rest of the world. If you are not alert, and watchful, with prayer; you can find yourself being led astray by those you admire the most.

III. RASHNESS—Another factor for Peter’s denial of Jesus was his tendency to make rash statements, and decisions.

In other words, we need to think a while sometimes before deciding a course of action; to meditate on God’s teaching, and think about what scriptures might apply to our situation, and how they lead us.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

After we have studied the Word of God, and learned its meaning, these words help prepare us to face the temptations of the world. However, when we are in battle against Satan, it is important for us to be access God’s message in our minds, for our strength and guidance.



1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Peter should have been prepared to face the capture and trial of the Lord. When Jesus was arrested, even though Peter had been taught to turn the other cheek, and to depend upon God, Peter’s first inclination was to fight with the sword.

As if not even thinking twice about what he had heard taught by Jesus, he reached for his sword as the answer.

John 18:10-11 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Why did Peter act so rashly in this situation?

Peter should have known that Jesus was against using swords to protect Him. Peter did not show any trust in the power or will of God in this situation, but depended upon his own abilities to attack those who came to arrest Jesus.

Many times we are forced to react without thinking.

Sometimes we act rashly before thinking of the will of God.

When we are attacked by Satan, we should be prepared by our study of the Holy Scriptures, which will guide us; whether we are totally aware or not.

What does the Bible teach us to say, or to do in any given situation?

Doe we think about God’s will for most of our daily decisions?

Peter should have realized that God would take care of any vengeance upon the guilty.

Peter had sat and listened to the following teaching from the Lord:

Matthew 5:38-39 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Their enemies were evident. We have those today who are against us when we stand with Christ, and we should not act rashly when attacked.

We are tempted to use our own human power or wits when we should rely instead on the teachings of the gospel.

The cause of bringing the message of salvation to the lost must be promoted with love and not force.

Some religions use force to coerce the masses to assume their religion, but not Jesus.

We need to back up our words of conviction with Christlike actions.

We must find some way to love those who are against the truth; some way to love those who stand against us in every way. How to express such love is shown to us in the Scriptures, so the answers are in the Word, if we will but learn them.

It is hard from a fleshly standpoint to show love for someone who has just hurt you in some way; or for your enemies.

[ASV] 1 Peter 3:8 ¶ Finally, [be] ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?

Jesus, through the inspiration of Peter, teaches us to not do evil to those who do evil against us. We are to bless those who curse us.

In the flesh, this is almost impossible to do; but it is possible ‘in Christ’.

We are to follow the example of Christ, and how he reacted when he was abused.

1 Peter 2:20 For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God. 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Do you follow this example, or do you insult those who insult you?

The only way possible is to live unto righteousness, or the way revealed by our Lord.

When someone shows that they dislike you or hate you, do you continue to do good things for that person, or do you withhold your favor until they apologize?

The rash thing is to respond as a human, but the spiritual thing is to stop and think and meditate upon the will of Christ before acting.

IV. FOLLOWED AFAR OFF—The fourth reason that Peter failed is that he was not close to the Master in the hour of temptation. As Jesus was being led to His trial, where was Peter?

Matthew 26:57-58 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.

Again, Peter showed his humanity.

To walk with Jesus means that we will be judged like Jesus. When there is a controversy between people, with some holding to the teachings of the gospel, and others departing from the truth; there are always some who are weak, and follow afar off.

Some consider that it is safer for them to not get involved and to stay quietly in the background, and wait until the dust settles, so to speak. If they choose the winning side, they won’t be persecuted; but if they wait to take sides with the resulting majority, they won’t suffer, from a fleshly view.

We should never be afraid to side with God. Are you following afar off, or are you jumping into the fray with both feet, willing to suffer for the cause of truth?

When your friends speak out against something you believe to be the truth, do you follow afar; that is, do you choose to stay silent?

Ephesians 4:25-27 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

Peter followed Jesus, but not very close. This is the way of many today claiming to be Christians. We claim to follow Jesus, but how close are we following?

Do we follow close enough to be condemned when the truth is on trial?

We are not only taught to follow Christ, but to also walk with Him, to be near Him, and to be close to Him; in communion with Christ.

James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

V. EVIL ASSOCIATIONS—As Peter denied Jesus, he found himself in the company of the enemy. If he had been with all of the other disciples, walking by the side of Jesus, it would have been a lot more difficult to deny Jesus.

Many times today, when the truth is put on trial, there are many weak brothers and sisters who camp with the enemy.

It is easier for the weak to be convinced to do wrong when they are with the enemy than if they were in fellowship with those who would help them stand in the face of temptation.

The young and the middle aged and the elders are all supposed to work together to be of one mind and one judgment.

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The youngest Christians are in the greatest danger when with the enemy. We have an example of the young converts from idolatry, in the city of Corinth, who were too weak to give up their old associations. Paul needed to teach them to not camp with the enemy, who would weaken their faithfulness to Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

Peter warmed himself at the fire of the enemy when the Lord was put on trial.

John 18:18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

If Peter had been somewhere else, he might have found no temptation to deny the Lord as he did.

We must examine where we stand.

We need to examine our associations we choose.

Jesus associated himself with the sinners of the world, but in doing so, He taught them the truth. He brought spiritual healing to those who were under bondage to sin. Jesus was strong enough to associate with the sinners, and was not corrupted by them.

Whose fire do you warm by? Do you choose to stand with the world while the truth is put on trial in your presence and say nothing to defend it?

Peter placed himself in that arena of temptation. No one made or forced him to go where he went.

We can avoid many temptations that we may be too spiritually weak to withstand. If we know that we are about to face a tempting situation, we can prepare by much prayer, by studying and meditating on God’s Word, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, even at the cost of losing the friendship of the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you think that Peter would have denied Jesus if he had been standing by the fire with only the other disciples of Christ, and in prayer for Jesus?

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak [this] to your shame.

While it is important that we surround ourselves with truth, and those of the same mind and spirit; it is especially important for the young and those who might be weak in the faith.

It appears that Peter’s denial was furthered by his choice of companions in those final hours.

VI. OPEN DENIAL—Finally, Peter denied that he knew Jesus.

John 18:25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also [one] of his disciples? He denied [it], and said, I am not.

Many folks today who have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who have openly declared their faith, love, and loyalty to Jesus Christ are in many cases guilty of open denial of Jesus by the way they end up living their personal everyday lives.

Peter had declared his faith, but he denied Jesus.

A declaration of faith alone is not an assurance that a person will always stand strong in the face of temptation.

We must do the righteousness of Christ. We need to not only say the right things, but also do the works of righteousness.

Some are weak, and deny Christ everyday but Sunday for the time they at the church house with the other saints.

So too were some of those in the 1st Century AD:

Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Just because you make a strong proclamation of your faith does not mean that you are a pure believer. The world should be able to tell whether you are a follower of Christ by your actions.

Most who proclaim to be Christians would loudly proclaim that they would never deny Jesus Christ.

If you are disobedient, you are denying Christ.

Every time you give in to the tempting of the world, you are denying Jesus his rightful place in your life to direct your steps.

Peter was one of the chosen to become an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He had been honoured with the deepest confidence and affections of the Lord. He shows us today that, even though we walk with Christ, there are great dangers that continue to face us everyday.

We can and should learn a lesson from Peter’s hour of temptation and his denial of Christ.

Regardless of all the reasons for Peter’s denial, our wisest fear, as a Christian, should be that of losing our precious relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We should always be aware of all that Christi has done for us, and the promise of glory to come in Christ.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with [him]: if we deny [him], he also will deny us:

If we realize that every Christian faces the possibility of denying Jesus, let us realize that was salvation for Peter, after that he repented.

Peter repented and continued on as a great worker and Apostle of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 26:73-75 And after a while came unto [him] they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art [one] of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, [saying], I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Peter found repentance and the strength to overcome his fear of the Jewish religion and he shows us that we too can overcome.

As servants of our Lord, who came to bring healing to many, let us be diligent to share these teachings of grace and repentance to not only those outside of Christ, but also those who have been wounded in battle.

By studying the life of the Apostle Peter, we can see that we too can overcome our fears and weaknesses. Like Peter, we can repent and go on to grow stronger spiritually, even after a weakness of the flesh has caused us to fail; even after we have denied Christ in our works, and even after we have allowed our fear of men to cause us to momentarily deny our faith.

1Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

We serve a loving and a forgiving Lord, one who loves a repentant son or daughter.

Who will you choose to stand with today? What about the rest of the week? Today is the easy part, but once out among the world, we will be faced with some of the same temptations of Peter.