Key Text
Mark 16:7 NKJV 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.
Thesis Statement
God is a God of second chances—and third chances, and fourth chances. When you fall, He calls you by name.
Outline
A. Introduction
B. Talking Points
I. The Fall—When Confidence Becomes Pride
II. The Prayers—Jesus Intercedes for Us
III. The Look—Jesus Sees Us with Compassion
IV. The Voice—Jesus Calls Us by Name
C. Conclusion and Appeal
Introduction
On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards in the wrong direction. Of course, the problem is that once you ran in the wrong direction, kag point ay sa kalaban. So one of his teammates, Benny Lom, outdistanced him and pinned him down just before he scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory. After Riegels was pinned down and it was stolen by the Georgia Tech resulting them to take the lead that seems it would ensure them victory.
That strange play came in the first half, and everyone who was watching the game was asking the same question: “What will Coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?” The men filed off the field and went into the locker room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor, all but Riegels. He put his towel around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby.
If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during half time. A lot of emotions are being poured out during this period of the game. That day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Then the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes before playing time. Coach Price looked at the team and simply said, “Men the same team that played the first half will start the second.” The players got up and started out, all but Riegels. He did not budge. The coach looked back and called to him again; still he didn’t move. Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second.” Then Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with a strong man’s tears. “Coach,” he said, “I can’t do it to save my life. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined the University of California, I’ve ruined myself. I couldn’t face that crowd in the stadium to save my life.” Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel’s shoulder and said to him: “Roy, get up and go back; the game is only half over.” And Roy Riegels went back, and those Tech men will tell you that they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half.
After a terrible and humiliating play from Riegels, Coach Price still believed in him and gave him a second chance.
The gospel is very much like that friends! It’s about a God who doesn’t get tired giving us another chance, amen?
Today we are going to study what is perhaps my favorite character in the entire Bible. I love this story not because of the main character’s virtue or strength or accomplishments. But rather it’s because of his weakness, it’s because of his failings yet still have the audacity, by God’s grace, to rise up from the humiliating experience.
I’m referring brethren to the story of Peter.
Let’s open our Bibles to gospel of Mark 16:7, one of the verses in the Bible which I consider the construct of the sentence to be a little bit weird but there’s a reason for that, and today we are going to know why.
When the Bible uses the phrase or the expression “…and Peter,” it seems totally unnecessary. Grammatically, it’s like writing to the Philippines and Romblon, or to all Central California Churches and Oakhurst Church. But later on we are going to find out why God, why Jesus through an angel mentioned Peter by name.
Now let’s study the backdrop. I know this a very familiar story but for the next few moments I would like to ask that may you clear all preconceived ideas and notions in your mind as if the story is fresh and new.
The Fall—When Confidence Becomes Pride
Mark 14:27-28 NKJV
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Jesus warned His disciples that they would all abandon Him. But Peter’s response revealed a dangerous confidence:
Mark 14:29 NKJV
Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.”
Other translations capture Peter’s boldness even more clearly:
- “All the other followers may lose their faith. But my faith will never be shaken.” (ERV)
- “Even if everyone else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won’t be.” (MSG)
- “Kahit iwanan po kayo ng lahat, hindi ko kayo iiwan.” (ASND)
Mark 14:30-31 NKJV
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.
Ellen White tells us:
“When Peter said he would follow his Lord to prison and to death, he meant it, every word of it; but he did not know himself.” (DA 673.3)
Here’s a powerful truth:
“Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand.” (SC 47.1)
God does not need your promises. He needs you!
What caused Peter’s downfall?
“Peter fell because he did not know his own frailty. He thought himself strong….” (SD 91.2)
1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
And then came the moment of testing:
Mark 14:53-54 NKJV
And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
Mark 14:66-71 NKJV
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 are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and 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, and your speech shows it.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!”
Mark 14:72 NKJV
A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.
Other accounts say, wept bitterly.
Have you been there? You did something that you didn’t imagine you would ever do. You feel the pain, you feel the remorse, and you’re asking yourself, “What have I done?”
And then you began to doubt: Does God still love me? Would God still accept me? What’s the sense of trying to get up and ask for forgiveness? I’m sure that I’ll mess up again soon time around. What’s the point?
Peter felt that way.
What have I done? Peter was surprised at what just recently took place.
I don’t know if you’ve been there, or are now there, but if not, kindly hear this message—it might soon be helpful to you if you slip and fall.
What enabled Peter to rise up from the shame and the scorn?
- The Prayers of Jesus
- The Look of Jesus
- The Voice of Jesus calling him by his name
The Prayers—Jesus Intercedes for Us
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Hebrews 7:25 NIrV
People now come to God through him. And he is able to save them completely and for all time. Jesus lives forever. He prays for them.
Romans 8:26 NKJV
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
So when it seems you’re all alone And your heart will break in two Remember someone is praying for you
Listen, you may not pray to Him (but I’m not advocating that you don’t), remember that He is still praying for you.
At moments that you feel that you’re so dirty, you feel so distant from God that you don’t have the guts and the desire to pray, remember that you may not pray to Him but He is always praying for you.
One of the most beautiful promises in the Bible, one that I’m still grappling with the magnitude of:
2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Despite our unfaithfulness, He still remained faithful.
God is praying for you!
The Look—Jesus Sees Us with Compassion
Luke 22:60-62 NKJV
But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 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.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
When overcome by temptation, look to your Savior. He is not angry. He is looking at you with pity and compassion.
“At that moment Christ looked at Peter, and beneath that grieved look, in which compassion and love for him were blended, Peter understood himself. He went out and wept bitterly. That look of Christ’s broke his heart. Peter had come to the turning point, and bitterly did he repent his sin.” (COL 152.3)
“While the degrading oaths were fresh upon Peter’s lips, and the shrill crowing of the cock was still ringing in his ears, the Saviour turned from the frowning judges, and looked full upon His poor disciple. At the same time Peter’s eyes were drawn to his Master. In that gentle countenance he read deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there.” (DA 712.4)
“The sight of that pale, suffering face, those quivering lips, that look of compassion and forgiveness, pierced his heart like an arrow. Conscience was aroused. Memory was active. Peter called to mind his promise of a few short hours before that he would go with his Lord to prison and to death. He remembered his grief when the Saviour told him in the upper chamber that he would deny his Lord thrice that same night. Peter had just declared that he knew not Jesus, but he now realized with bitter grief how well his Lord knew him, and how accurately He had read his heart, the falseness of which was unknown even to himself.” (DA 713.1)
1 John 2:1 NIV
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
“To go forward without stumbling, we must have the assurance that a hand all-powerful will hold us up, and an infinite pity be exercised toward us if we fall.” (SD 154.4)
When we fall, remember God doesn’t look at us with disgust nor with anger. He looks at us with love and compassion.
Romans 8:31-32 NKJV
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
The Voice—Jesus Calls Us by Name
Mark 16:7 NKJV
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.
“It was not John, the one who watched with Him in the judgment hall, who stood beside His cross, and who of the Twelve was first at the tomb—it was not John, but Peter, that was mentioned by Christ after His resurrection. ‘Tell His disciples and Peter,’ the angel said, ‘that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him.’ Mark 16:7.” (Ed 90.3)
Peter was called by name because he thought he was no longer worthy to be Christ’s disciple, and God was affirming the very thing that he was doubting. God was saying to him, “You are and will always be mine Peter. There’s nothing that you could ever do to make me stop loving you.”
“Peter denied his Lord in the hour of trial, but Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple. Although Peter hated himself, the Lord loved him, and after His resurrection He called him by name and sent him a loving message. Oh, what a kind, loving, compassionate Saviour we have! And He loves us though we err.” (TSB 258.2)
God is a God of chances.
One day a newly employed IBM worker committed a mistake that cost the company $10,000 dollars. He was then called to the office of his boss expecting to be fired. Perhaps, he does not want to carry the burden of being fired so he decided to file a letter of resignation.
Upon entering the office, he then blurted out, “Boss, I resign.”
The boss then replied, “What?! Resign? Why would you resign now? We cannot afford to lose you now. We just invested $10,000 dollars for your education.”
It cost the company so much, we cannot lose you now.
Likewise, God is saying, “Why are you giving up on Me? I just gave up my Son, my everything, I cannot afford to lose you now!”
Even if we have committed a grievous mistake, heaven is saying “we cannot afford to lose you now.”
Can’t lose you now. Can’t lose you now.
The fact that Jesus died for us tells us that He will never give up on us!
Conclusion and Appeal
Many of our heroes in different arenas, in one way or another have failed:
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Abraham Lincoln was defeated in several elections. The Beatles were rejected by several recording companies.
Heard of TRAF-O Data? Perhaps you haven’t because it quickly fell because of the mismanagement of its owner. Its founder is Bill Gates.
Bible characters failed too:
Moses was a murderer. Mary Magdalene failed in keeping her purity. The woman at the well failed to have a happy marriage. James and John had temper problems—often called sons of thunder. Abraham lied. Noah got drunk. Lot tried to give his daughters to be raped. Joseph was proud. The prodigal son disgraced his family. John the Baptist doubted Jesus. Jacob cheated his brother. Peter denied his Lord.
But there is at least one similarity with all these stories. It is this: They came to Jesus just as they are and they were transformed. If God can change their lives, He can change ours as well!
You can go to Jesus as a sinner and go for Him as a saint!
“There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (SC 64.1)
Have you fallen over and over again? Look to Jesus—there’s forgiveness and power in Him! He can keep you from falling!
Shall we close this message by reading one of the most powerful verses about salvation:
John 1:29 NKJV
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Let’s pray.