Title: In order not to regret
The text shows Peter's denial of Jesus.
70- He denied it, saying, I do not know what you are talking about.
72 - He swore and denied, saying,
74 - He cursed and swore, saying,
By having three wives, you can see that he left a big, indelible stain in his lifetime.
Because of this, it must have been an irreversible heartache when he was alive,
If you look at it from the perspective of eternity, you can see this unfortunate appearance of eternal loss.
Seeing why Peter suffers such irreparable and heartbreaking things this evening and does things that result in eternal loss,
We too will be remembered as heartbreaking things on this earth,
I hope that even in the eternal kingdom of God, I will be raised up as a person who will not cause these kinds of things that will cost eternity.
1. Why did Peter have any regrets?
①Because of excessive promise (33)
(Matthew 26:33) Peter answered and said, Even if they all forsake you, I will never forsake you.
There are several reasons for his assertion.
First, because of a sense of superiority that trust is better than others,
Second, because of the competitive spirit of being ahead of others in everything,
Third, it was because of his impatience to deal with things emotionally without thinking deeply.
If you look at what we promise today, we are doing it for this very reason.
However, confession of faith and promise should not be confused.
A sincere confession is expressed in sincere action.
The beginning of Peter's mistake is that he said, 'Even if everyone forsakes you, I will never forsake you.'
'Everyone else will throw it away. But I will not forsake it.'
This kind of confession of Peter contains this kind of heart that he thinks he is the best over others, and this sense of superiority that he is better than others and doing well.
This is what makes me lose, regret, and ruin.
We should have the attitude and attitude of a publican.
(Luke 18:13) The publican stood at a distance, and did not dare lift up his eyes to look up to heaven, but beating his breast and saying, “God, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner.”
(Luke 18:14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified than the other. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
②Because I was sleeping (40)
(Mat 26:40) When he came to the disciples, and saw him sleeping, he said to Peter, Couldn't you have stayed awake like this all the time you were with me?
As he went up to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord commanded the three disciples, 'Keep awake with me.'
But even after hearing such a request, they fell asleep.
The problem is that things happen when you're asleep.
As for what happens,
(Mat 13:25) While the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the grain,
The enemy here symbolizes the devil.
Sleep means that the believer falls into a spiritual sleep without praying.
And the tares are unbelief, hatred, envy, laziness, and an evil heart that should not be in the heart of the believer.
While sleeping, the enemy comes and sows weeds.
While you sleep, you plant weeds in your heart.
So what did the Lord say?
(Mat 26:41) Watch and pray so that you may not fall into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
The test here refers to putting weeds in.
(1 Peter 5:8) Be sober and watchful, for your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
You can fall asleep while praying, doze off during worship, and doze off while listening to the Word.
But the problem is that when I doze off, the devil comes and sows weeds.
③Because he was savage (52)
Peter struck the ear of Malchus, the servant of the priest who had come to arrest Jesus.
At this time, the Lord said, 'Put back your sword, for he who takes the sword will perish by the sword'.
Peter thought that the way to protect the Lord in crisis was to swing his sword to protect him.
Thus, his hot-tempered spirit was activated and he wielded the sword.
But that was not the way the Lord wanted him to be loyal.
We often use violence, call blood, or challenge ourselves with evil emotions in the name of justice, for the Lord, or for the church.
But that's not the way the Lord wants it.
Do not draw a sword and wield it for the sake of the Lord and the church with the sword you have.
Rather, it is not for the Lord or for the church.
Why couldn't the Lord have used anything other than the sword to kill those who came as his slaughter? It wasn't because he wasn't capable.
But the Lord prays for them.
They say, 'God, have mercy on them because they are here because they do not know'.
If we don't want to be lost, regretful, or ruined, we must do it God's way, not mine.
Either way, wielding a sword is not the way the Lord wants it to be.
If you see something lacking, please pray for that soul. Ask for strength, ask for faith, ask for grace.
④Because I followed you far away (58)
(Mt 26:58) Peter followed Jesus from a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest's house, and went inside to see the end, and sat down with his servants.
It is better to follow at a distance than the disciples who fled early, but 'far off' is neither this nor that.
The same is true from the pastor's point of view.
I'd rather run away, have pity,
When I see the saints following me from afar, my heart breaks and it hurts.
Gentlemen, if you have followed Jesus in the past, I hope you will follow closely, not far away.
If it's a little unfavorable to him from a distance, he's ready to run away if he's too far away.
It's comfortable to watch. It is also good to hide your identity. So if you leave, you run away.
We must not be far away.
There should be no gap between Jesus and me. However, the larger the gap, the more likely the problem will occur.
There are things that shouldn't be far away.
Between Jesus and me, between husband and wife, between friends, and with the church should not be far away.
But the farther from sin, unbelief, doubt, and laziness, the better.
Now, take a look at how many meters are the distance between you and the Lord.
⑤ Because it was caught between subordinates (58)
(Mt 26:58) Peter followed Jesus from a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest's house, and went inside to see the end, and sat down with his servants.
Peter went into the scene where Jesus was dragged in. And then he sat in the midst of the subordinates.
It was a suitable place to hide.
Who are the subordinates?
They are harsh in words and deeds.
These are the people who undertake any action at the command of the master.
They are rough, vulgar, talkative and disorderly people.
what do you mean?
Peter is sitting where he shouldn't be sitting.
Even if we die, we should be with Jesus, but we are caught in the midst of the subordinates.
where are you sitting?
If we sit among our subordinates, we will lose our soul, do things we will regret, and will perish.
⑥Because he sat in the outer courtyard (69)
(Matthew 26:69) As Peter was sitting in the outer courtyard, a messenger came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
Peter was also sitting in the outer courtyard as he watched the exasperated crowd and his servants spit, beat, and punched in the face of the Lord.
Outer yard here means outskirts.
So, Peter was on the outskirts.
You cannot become a protagonist if you wander around the outskirts of history without entering the site of history.
You cannot become the owner of the church if you only go around the periphery of the church and do not participate deeply.
If you go to a rice mill in the countryside, there are small wheels that follow without need because the big wheels turn.
It's a sham.
We shouldn't be in a gullible life.
If you turn away from Jesus and the church, you cannot accomplish the work of blessing.
2. How can we overcome these problems?
① I remembered the words
Immediately after Peter cursed and denied the Lord three times, the rooster crowed.
He woke up to the crowing of the chicken.
I remembered the words of the Lord in verse 34, “Tonight before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Those who remember the Word will not fall forever.
Those who remember the Word will repent.
Augustine also remembered the Word and repented.
If we are to overcome the stagnation of faith, crises and problems, we must remember the Word at that moment.
Those who have closed spiritual ears, eyes, and hearts should pray to God to open them at this time.
② went out
When you think of the Word, you must go out quickly.
We must go out of the field of unbelief, the field of stagnation, the field of selfishness, the field where Satan dwells, and the field of sin.
If you stay there any longer, you will choke to death.
There are only two types.
It is outside of Jesus and outside of sin.
If you run away from Jesus, you die.
(John 15:5) I am the vine and you are the branches; if he is in me and I in him, this man bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
But if you jump out of sin, you will live.
If you turn your back on Jesus, you die, and if you look to Jesus, you live.
③Wept bitterly (75)
(Matthew 26:75) Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” So he went outside and wept bitterly.
Most scriptures interpret Peter's weeping as repentance.
And I think his repentance that day made Peter new.
Peter's wailing was tears of thorough repentance for all his mistakes, a confession, and a decision.
If I want to be a new person, I have to go out and weep bitterly.
If you want to receive forgiveness of sins and become a new person, you must have Peter's weeping.
If you want to be healed and become the protagonist of a strong life, you must have weeping tears.