In John 13:36-38, we have Peter's avowal that he would willingly lay down his life for Christ's sake. And of course, we also have the familiar words of Christ, "the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice". From here we may go to the latter part of John 18. In verse 17 we have the first denial, Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
The second denial is found in verse 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. Continuing on into verses 26 and 27, we find the third predicted denial, One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman who's ear Peter cut off, saith, did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew. After we read this sad account of a saint failing his Lord in the hour of trial, what application can we make to our own lives? Many times we can come down on Peter pretty hard and say, "He was wrong!" And he was. We might say, "He was weak!" And he was. We could continue on down the list saying, "He was more concerned about his physical fate than he was about his faith." "He did not love God enough", "He loved this present world", "He should have stepped up and confessed his Lord before them and counted it an honor to die with Christ". And all of this is true. However, I am reminded of the words of Christ in John chapter 8 and verse 7, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. I have thought, what would be the three main points in which we deny our Lord? You may have a different list than I, but here is the list that I came up with, and I am at least sure that these are very important areas that we tend to view more lightly than we ought.
1. We deny him in our Faith.
When trouble comes our way, we worry and fret as if this was a trial new to the world, forgetting that there is no temptation that we can experience but that which is common to man. Also overlooking the fact that we are to count it all joy, because the trying of our faith works patience.
2. We deny him in our Love.
Many times we forget that we are to, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. We want to "move under the radar" in our christian lives. Let me tell you, you won't sneak into heaven! There isn't a back door for the timid saints! We want the best of both worlds, and there isn't such a thing because there isn't another "best". The only best is God's world, as he designed it and with the guidelines that he has laid down in his word. Violate this and not only do you not have the best of both worlds, but you don't have any best because you have refused to take God's very best for your life. Stop loving the world! It is spiritual adultery! Love the Lord your God, with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
3. We deny him in our Giving.
And don't think that this means tithing. Tithing is wonderful but, if you give 10% it should only be 10% of your total giving. Everything you have has been given by God, so you should use it all for his glory. I don't mean physically placing your entire paycheck in the offering plate every month, because that wouldn't be enough! Live for God. I love the third verse of O Zion Haste, Give of thy son's to bear the message glorious! Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way. Pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious, and all thou spendest Jesus will repay!
Glory to God! If you are as much of a "Peter" as I, then let us Love, Believe, and Serve our Lord, who loved us and gave himself for us! How can we who have so little be less willing to give all that we have for a loving Lord and Saviour, than one who had all and willingly gave everything for sinners?
