Good evening. As many of you know, we've been studying the life of Peter periodically over the last several months, almost over a year now. And during that time, we've seen several high points in his life. But we've also seen a number of low points during his life as a disciple. But tonight, we come to what is clearly his lowest point, his lowest point as a disciple. we will be looking at Peter's denial of Jesus, a denial that's recorded in all four Gospels. And as we consider Peter's denial, I would like us to also look at how Peter's pride plays a role in his denial of Jesus. So if you would, please turn with me to the account that's given in Luke, Luke chapter 22. And we'll also be referring to the account in Matthew. So there's different aspects of what we'll be looking at tonight in both of these gospel accounts. But let's begin with Luke chapter 22. First, I'd like us to read here of Peter's denial that's foretold by Jesus. We find this beginning in verse 31 of Luke 22. Verse 31, we read this, Simon, Simon, Behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. And then if you would, skip down to verse 54 in Luke 22. Here we have Peter's denial of Jesus. In verse 54, we read this. Then they seized him, being Jesus, and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. And Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, this man also was with him. But he denied it, saying, woman, I do not know him. And a little later, someone else saw him and said, you also are one of them. But Peter said, man, I am not. And after an interval of about an hour, still another insisted, saying, certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. But Peter said, man, I do not know what you are talking about. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Well, let us pray for God's help again as we're seeking to understand the truths in his word. Dear Heavenly Father, we bow before you again and we just do plead for your help as we seek to open up these verses, this account of Peter and of his denial of you. We pray, Father, that you would guide us and direct us as we consider the truths contained in your word. We pray that that which we consider this night would be of benefit to us, but also be a warning to us. We pray, Father, that in these things that we might guard our hearts. Lord, help us this night to learn more of you, learn more of your love, but also to see more of our own sin. We pray that you would help us this night, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Pride. Pride is sin. It's a sin that many struggle with. And it's certainly a sin that Peter struggled with. Pride can come when a person has, he has an inflated view of their abilities. They compare themselves to others and they conclude, I'm better than they are. And this causes the person to think of themselves more highly than they ought. Pride can cause a person to be self-reliant. They look to their own strength and their own ability, and they fail to look to God, and they fail to trust in God and seek his help. Pride can lead to boasting, boasting of a person's abilities and of his talents, and they forget any success, any ability, any talent that they may have, it's a gift of God. For what do we have that we have not been given? And God hates pride. We read of this in Proverbs chapter six. In verse 16 we read this. There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that makes haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. We note in this list of things that the Lord hates. The first thing that is listed here is haughty eyes. In some translations, it is given a proud look. Haughty eyes, a proud look. They are an outward indication of what lies at the heart of the man. Pride lies at his heart. Matthew Henry says this, when pride prevails to that degree that it shows up in man's countenance, in their look, It witnesses against them that they overvalue themselves and they undervalue all about them. And I might add that this would also include an undervaluing of God. In scripture, we are given warnings against pride. Proverbs 16, 18 says, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. In commenting on this verse, Charles Bridges writes this, he says, the haughty spirit carries the head high. The man looks upward instead of to his steps. What wonder, therefore, if not seeing what is before him, he falls. He loves to climb. The enemy, though, is always at hand to assist him. And the greater the height, the more dreadful the fall. And there's often something in that fall that marks the Lord's special judgment. God smites the object of which the man is proud. What a sober warning this should be to a proud man. The object, the source of that man's pride, whatever it might be, whether it's his abilities, his gifts, his wisdom, his strength, his appearance, his wealth, his position, anything that's apart from God, The very thing in which a man derives his pride, God may focus on that thing to smite it, to reduce it, or to remove it altogether. And the result is a fall. The proud man will be humbled. He will be brought down from his high opinion of himself. Well, knowing these warnings against pride, Knowing that pride goes before destruction, with all of this knowledge from Scripture, you would think that Peter would be on the alert against the sin of pride. But I believe that it's Peter's pride that is a significant contributor to his fall, to his denying Jesus. So let us consider Peter's pride as it relates to the denial of Jesus. And we'll use the following simple outline. First, we'll look at Jesus' warning to Peter. Second, we will look at Peter's pride. And then thirdly, we will look at Peter's fall. Well, first then, Jesus' warning to Peter. Jesus begins his warning to Peter in Luke 22, verse 31, with these words. He says, Simon, Simon, behold, As Jesus begins his warning to Simon Peter, he repeats his name twice. As he does so, it's almost as though Jesus is revealing his heart and his love and his compassion for Peter. In these words, we hear a heartfelt concern for Peter. It's as though he's saying, I am pleading with you, Peter. Hear my words. Simon, Simon, behold. Pay attention. Be alert. What I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance for you. What I will say will be a shock to you, but you must listen. Listen carefully to what I am about to say. And then Jesus goes on to say this, to warn Peter, he says, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat. What a fearful warning that should have been to Peter. Satan, who from the beginning has been the adversary of God's people. Satan, who ruthlessly attacked God's people throughout the centuries. Satan has now set his sights on the disciples. For although Jesus is speaking directly to Simon Peter here, it should be noted that the you in this statement here is a plural you. Satan has demanded to have you, all of you, all of the disciples. And while we know that Satan is a powerful adversary, yet thankfully we do know that Satan is limited. He has to ask for permission. This might remind us of how Satan attacked Job and he had to ask for permission to attack Job. And it was only then after God granted Satan permission that Satan was able to strike at Job. Well, here again, Satan must ask. Albeit, he is so bold as to demand to have you. He demands to be allowed to have access to the disciples. He wants to have the disciples. He wants to have them for the purpose to sift them like wheat. To sift like wheat. Well, what does that mean? Well, we're told that sifting wheat, that's a process that's used to get grain from a stalk of wheat. It's a harsh process. The stalk is beaten, it's crushed, sometimes it's tossed in the air with the purpose to expose the grain. And then the grain would be shaken vigorously in a sieve to separate the chaff from the grain. But Satan's desire is to beat and to crush and to shake the disciples, to subject the disciples to a harsh trial, to test them. But it's not for their good. It's not to remove their chaff to expose their grain. No, he is seeking to remove the grain to expose their chaff, to expose their weakness. And in doing so, his desire is that they would fall. As one man put it, Satan wants to sift them, not to get rid of the chaff in them, but to get rid of the wheat. He wants to expose the disciples' weaknesses in order to cut short the work of grace in all of them, and to make it more difficult, if not impossible, for them to serve Christ in his church. When God tests us, he does so for our good, to get rid of the chaff in us. But when Satan tempts us, he's hoping to harm us, to destroy us, to destroy the work of God in us. This is Satan's demand. He's demanding to sift the disciples like wheat. But we should also note that Jesus then further warns the disciples what will be taking place that night. He warns them that they will all fall away. We read of this in Matthew's account. Matthew 26, 31, there we read this. Then Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. Jesus lets the disciples know that the events of that night are going to happen, but they're going to happen in accordance with God's word. Jesus here is referring back to the prophecy of Zechariah. In Zechariah chapter 13, verse seven, it's written. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. I will turn my hand against the little ones. Although these words come in the midst of a prophecy against the nation of Israel, yet this prophecy is also pointing forward to Jesus, my shepherd. It points to the suffering and the death of Jesus, the sword that will strike the shepherd. And when the shepherd is struck, all the sheep will be scattered, all will fall away. Jesus the Great Shepherd will be struck, and all of his sheep, all of his disciples, they will all fall away. They will all be scattered. And it may be that Jesus is making this reference to this prophecy in Zechariah to bring a measure of hope to the disciples. To help them to understand that all the tragic things that will take place that night, the striking of the shepherd, the scattering of the sheep, all of these events will take place in accordance with God's plan and his purpose. So that they remember this, God is in control. Satan is not in control. While returning again to the account in Luke chapter 22, in verse 32, speaking now to Peter, as he is speaking to him, we read that Jesus then goes on and says this, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. After declaring that Satan demands all of you, demands all of the disciples, then Jesus here speaks more directly to Peter. The you in these words of Jesus, it's a singular you. These words are applying specifically to Peter. And by these words, it is clear that Satan has a specific interest in sifting Peter. Perhaps it's due to Peter's current role as an outspoken leader of the disciples. Perhaps it's due to Peter's future role in building Christ's church. One man noted this, Satan aims his energies at those who actively speak against his interests, who zealously support and serve the cause of Jesus. Satan wants to silence them and curtail their service. And he will do anything he can to counter their effectiveness for God. He has a special eye for those in key positions of influence. Knowing Satan's desire to attack Peter, Jesus then tells Peter, I have prayed for you. I have prayed for you. Specifically, I have prayed for you. And what was his prayer? He is praying that your faith may not fail. In the midst of Satan's attacks, though Peter will fall, Though Peter will turn away, despite these failures, one thing will not fail. Peter's faith will not fail. And think for a moment of the love and the mercy of Jesus in these words. Knowing what he's about to endure that night, knowing what he is faced with, yet he still has concern for Peter, his disciple. And he says, I have prayed for you. Satan, the accuser, he has demanded to sift Peter. But Jesus has come to Peter's defense. Jesus has interceded at the throne of grace on behalf of Peter. And Jesus does this even though he knows that Peter will turn away from him. But Jesus does not turn away from Peter. Jesus does not give up on Peter. Jesus prays for Peter. And Peter can be assured Jesus' prayer for him will be answered. Later in verse 32, we read these words. Jesus tells Peter, when you have turned again, not if you will turn again, but when you will turn again. Here then is a promise of hope for Peter. despite the fall, a severe fall, a turning away, yet Peter's faith will not completely fail. Peter will repent and Peter will turn again. So we've considered briefly then the warning of Jesus to Peter, but now let us look at Peter's pride. Peter's pride. How does Peter respond to this fearful warning? You would think he would tremble at the thought of being sifted like wheat by Satan, to be attacked by Satan, and then further hearing what will take place that night, that Jesus the shepherd will be struck, that they, the disciples, the sheep, will be scattered. Hearing this warning from Jesus, Peter should have cried out to Jesus for help, but instead Peter responds with words of pride and self-confidence. Let us look at his response given to us in Luke 22 verse 33. We read there that Peter said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. In these words, do we not hear Peter's pride? Pride that causes him to have this inflated view of himself. Pride that causes him to actually disagree and contradict Jesus and what He is saying. What arrogance on the part of Peter. So he's saying, no Jesus, you're wrong. I hear your warnings to me. I hear that you're telling me Satan's gonna sift me. I hear that you're applying this prophecy from Zachariah to us that all of us will fall away. I hear that you're praying for my faith that it will not fail, but listen to me, Lord. I know myself better than you do. I am strong. My faith, my faith is strong. I will not turn away. I am ready to go with you. He is so overly confident in his readiness to suffer alongside of Jesus, and he has such pride that he boldly claims this, that he will go with Jesus even if it means to go to prison, even if it means death. Such pride. But then if you would look at Matthew 26, verse 33 with me for a moment, here we see another aspect of Peter's pride in his response. In his pride, Peter is boasting that he's better, better than the other disciples. We read this in Matthew 26, 33. He says, Peter answers him, answers Jesus, and he says, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. Like many who are proud, they look at other people, and they like to compare themselves to other people. And they believe that they're better. Here, Peter's comparing himself to the other disciples. And he sees them as weak. But he thinks of himself and thinks of his great strength. It was just earlier that night that they were arguing over who was the greatest. And undoubtedly, Peter was right in the midst of that argument, involved there asserting himself as the greatest. So it's not surprising to hear him now proclaiming that he was better than the other disciples, thinking that he alone will stand, that he will never fall away, even if all the others will fall away. In both of these responses of Peter, we also hear his reliance on himself. I, I am ready to go. I, I will not fall away. Keep in mind, Jesus has just warned Peter that it's Satan who's demanded to sift him. Who is able to stand against such a powerful cunning adversary? This warning, as I said before, it should have driven Peter to his knees. to humbly pray to the Lord, to cry out to Jesus for help, to look to the only one, the only one who has power to stand against Satan. But instead, Peter is looking to himself. Peter is self-reliant, thinking he can withstand the attacks of Satan on his own. What pride, what overconfidence, what foolishness on Peter's part. So we have looked at Jesus' warning, we've seen Peter's pride, and now let us look at Peter's fall. In response to Peter's objections that he will not fall, Jesus then foretells that Peter will fall. He will turn away, and he will do so by denying that he knows Jesus, and that he'll even do it that night. We read of this in Luke 22, verse 34. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. Jesus not only tells Peter how he will fall, that he will deny that he knows Jesus, he also tells Peter when he will fall before the rooster crows that day. Jesus even goes on to give the specific number of times that he will deny him. It will be three times. But even after Jesus so clearly foretells that Peter will deny him, instead of being humble and crying out for help, again, we read of Peter's proud response to Jesus. In Matthew 26, 35, Peter says, after hearing this, he says, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. Well, later that night, Within a few hours of Jesus having warned Peter and the disciples, after Jesus had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas arrives with a crowd, a mob, a mob of people armed with swords and clubs. Judas kisses Jesus, it's a sign of his betrayal, and the mob seizes Jesus and takes him away. Takes him away to the religious leaders to be tried by the council. And as Jesus is taken away, We are told in Matthew chapter 26, verse 56, then all the disciples left him and fled. The scriptures are fulfilled. The shepherd has been struck. The sheep of the flock, the disciples were scattered, just as it was written. But then looking back, if you would with me, to Luke chapter 22, we'll look at Peter's specific denial In Luke 22, picking up in verse 54, we read, Then they seized him being Jesus, and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. And Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Although Peter initially fled, as did all of the disciples, we find that Peter was now following at a distance, following Jesus to the house of the high priest. And after following Jesus to the house of the high priest, Peter then enters into the courtyard of the high priest. But why was he there? Clearly, he was not there to come forward in the defense of Jesus. He was not there to boldly proclaim that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He was not there to give testimony of the signs that he had witnessed, the great deeds of mercy and love which Jesus had done, of how Jesus had given sight to the blind, how the lame has walked, how lepers were cleansed, how the dead were raised. Signs that proved that Jesus was the Messiah. He was not there to stand with Jesus. He was not ready to go to prison. He was not ready to die with him. No, Peter was just there as an observer to see what would happen to Jesus. But he did so at a distance, a distance he thought was safe. But it is here, while he is in the courtyard, warming himself by the fire, trying to blend into the crowd, It's here that Peter is confronted by, of all people, a servant girl. A servant girl who recognized Peter. And in verse 56, we read this. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light, looking closely at him, said, this man also was with him. She's accusing Peter of being associated with Jesus. Well, how does Peter respond? In verse 57, we read his response. But he denied it, saying, woman, I do not know him. This once proud man, who earlier was so bold to proclaim that he would never fall away, claiming that he was ready to go with Jesus both to prison and to death, when questioned by a servant girl, Peter denies that he knows Jesus. As we go on reading in verse 58, Peter was then questioned a second time. You also are one of them. Again, he was accused of being a follower of Jesus. And a second time he denies it. He says, man, I am not. And then after one hour, he was questioned a third time. In verse 59, we read, certainly this man was also with him, for he too is a Galilean. And a third time, Peter denies it. In verse 60, he says, man, I do not know what you're talking about. Peter has fallen so far that in Mark's account, it adds this, that he began to invoke a curse on himself and swears, I do not know the man. Peter, who earlier that night had emphatically stated, if I must die with you, I will not deny you. Now he's emphatically denying that he even knows Jesus. And he does so three times, just as Jesus said he would do. Well, as he is speaking this third denial, we read in verse 60 of Luke 22, and immediately the rooster crows. And along with that rooster's crow, Luke adds this, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And although it's unclear how Jesus was close enough to look at Peter, yet at the sound of the rooster's crow, the Lord did look at Peter, and Peter saw that look of Jesus. I can't imagine what that look must have been like. Perhaps it was a look of compassion, but perhaps it was just a convicting look. For it was at that moment that Peter is reminded of the words of Jesus. Jesus uses the sound of the rooster's crow, excuse me, God uses the sound of the rooster's crow and Jesus' look at Peter to trigger Peter's memory. He remembers the words of Jesus. Jesus is warning that he will deny him three times. And very likely as he's remembering this, he's also remembering his proud boastful response that he would never deny Jesus. Commenting on this, Lenski writes this, he says, At this moment, Peter realizes his sin. He has denied Jesus. He has denied the Lord whom he loves. And with this realization, Peter is broken. And he went out from the courtyard. He wept bitterly, weeping tears of sorrow and uncertain tears of repentance. But as we read of Peter's denial of Jesus, I have to ask myself, and I'm sure you may ask, well, why? What drove Peter to deny Jesus? Why did he deny Jesus? We're not told in God's word why specifically he denied Jesus, but I would suggest that just as the rooster crowing and the look of Jesus caused Peter to remember the words of Jesus and Jesus' warning to him, that we should look back to Jesus' words of warning and Peter's response to those warnings for an indication as to why Peter denied Jesus. Remember Jesus' words of warning, warning that Satan demanded to sift all the disciples like wheat and that Satan had a specific aim to attack Peter. And remember that Peter proudly responded that he was ready to go to prison and to death, that he would never fall away. I believe that Satan sifted Peter like wheat to expose Peter's weakness, his weakness of his pride. Pride that's evident in Peter's own words as he's responding to Jesus' warning earlier that night. Peter was proud of his courage. I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death. Peter was also proud of his faith. I will never fall away. Even after Jesus specifically warned him that he would deny him three times, Peter still has proud words. Even if I must die, I will not deny you. And so therefore I suggest that Satan is sifting Peter by attacking his pride, the pride in his courage, and the pride in his faith, with the purpose to cause Peter to fall, to deny Jesus. First note that Satan attacks Peter's pride, his pride in his own courage. I think we should acknowledge that Peter does have a measure of courage. Peter sincerely loved Jesus and he was loyal to Jesus, even to the point of foolishly trying to fight for Jesus. Remember that when Judas came with a crowd, a crowd armed with clubs and swords, though Peter was greatly outnumbered, though Peter being a simple fisherman that really didn't have any training in battle, it's Peter who drew his sword and began to fight. Many might see this as a courageous but foolish act. However, Jesus told Peter to put away your sword. Here are Jesus' words to Peter in Matthew 26, verse 52 through 54. Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father, and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled? That it must be so. In these words, I believe that Jesus is reminding Peter that Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom by force. For if that was the case, he would call down legions of angels to fight for him. No, that's not why Jesus came. Jesus came to suffer and to die, to fulfill the scripture. And then later that night, Jesus attacks Peter's courage. It's in the courtyard of the house of the high priest in the dark of the night. In the midst of the officers and the servants of the high priest, when surrounded by all who oppose Jesus, he's questioned by a servant girl and then others, and then he denies that he knows Jesus. I suggest that the reality that Jesus has come to suffer and to die has become apparent to Peter. And Peter is now standing there on his own, in the darkness, surrounded by the opposition, and it's here that his courage dissolves into fear. Fear of being identified as a follower of Jesus. Fear that he might also be arrested. Fear that he might suffer alongside of Jesus. Fear of death. And as Satan attacks Peter's courage, he also aims his attack at Peter's faith. And we should keep in mind that Peter did have faith in Jesus. Peter truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ. Remember earlier, he confessed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. But it seems that Peter's faith in Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, his faith may still have had elements of his earlier wrong thinking. Peter's hope may have been that Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom. That Jesus would restore the Jewish nation. And now, Jesus has been arrested. Not by the Romans, but by the religious leaders. And I can only imagine that this had to cause doubt in Peter's mind. He may have been thinking, if Jesus were the Messiah, how could these things be happening? Jesus who began that week, you may recall, he entered Jerusalem to the praises of the crowd. They were crying out, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. But now Jesus is a prisoner. He's on trial in front of the religious leaders of the nations. There are none that's coming to his defense. All have fled away. And worse, Jesus has now been declared to be a blasphemer. He's deserving of death. And I believe that Satan uses the events, all of these events of the night, to succeed in casting doubt in Peter's mind, turning Peter's faith in Jesus to doubt. When Peter is then questioned in the courtyard, his courage is turned to fear, his faith is turned to doubt, his weakness is exposed, his sin of pride, and Peter, this once proud man, he fails the test. Peter denies that he knows Jesus. He denies him three times, just as Jesus had foretold. So in these verses, we have learned and we've read that Jesus warned Peter, we learn of Peter's pride, and we learn of Peter's fall, his denial of Jesus. But what can we learn from this dark, tragic night in Peter's life? How does that apply to us today? Well, I would say one thing for certain, beware of pride. Peter was warned by Jesus of the attack of Satan. Yet, Peter did not heed that warning. Peter was proud. In his pride, he chose to rely on his own strength. He failed to pray to Jesus for help. And when he was tested by Satan, Peter found out how weak he actually was. And in his weakness, he fell. But have we not also been warned? Warned that Satan is still active today? In 1 Peter 5, 8, we are warned this. Be watchful, be sober-minded. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around seeking someone to devour. We must take heed to this warning. Take it seriously. Let us not presume to have the strength to stand alone against our adversary. Do not be proud, do not be self-reliant. We must acknowledge our dependence on Christ. Satan is a powerful enemy, he's a powerful adversary, and we cannot win the battle with Satan on our own strength. We need to pray to Jesus, look to him for help to stand against the schemes of the devil. And also we should be careful to examine our hearts. And as we do so, if we find pride in our heart, thinking that we can stand in our own strength, we must repent. We must confess our sin of pride, come to Christ in humility, seek his grace, that we may be able to resist the attacks of the evil one. For remember that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Be careful of the sin of pride. Heed the warnings in God's word. Do not presume that you will not fall. Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls. But then secondly, if we sin, remember that we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus himself is our advocate with the Father. Jesus prayed for Peter and Jesus is praying for us. His people, Jesus is even now interceding on our behalf. Jesus is upholding us before the throne of grace. Despite Satan's accusations and his attacks against us, and despite our own weaknesses and the wickedness of our remaining sin, Jesus is pleading on our behalf. Jesus died for us. He paid the price. We are redeemed, washed by his blood. And know this, that He continues to pray for us, and He will not lose any of His sheep. No one, not even Satan, can snatch them from His hand, no matter what our sin might be. If we repent, if we turn back to Him, if we pray for forgiveness, He will forgive. We have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, whoever lives to make intercession for us. He is our advocate with the Father. Therefore, we have hope. But before I close, I have a brief word to those who have no faith in Jesus. You have denied Jesus. You have denied that he is the Christ, the son of the living God. And perhaps you might think because you have denied Jesus, you might think that there's no hope for you. Why, I say to you, look to Peter, a man who had great privilege, a man who was called by Jesus, a man who walked with Jesus, who was taught by Jesus, who witnesses Jesus's power and his love and his mercy, a man who actually saw the majesty revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. But yet this man abandoned Jesus. He fled. He even denied Jesus three times. But even to this proud man who fell so far, Jesus shows his love and his mercy. Jesus prays for him, gives him hope that he will be restored. And when he returns, when he repents, he will be forgiven and accepted. So therefore, know that there is hope for you. So I urge you, Turn, turn from your sin of unbelief. Turn to Jesus, put your faith in him, for he is a merciful Savior. He is ready to forgive you, no matter what your sins may have been. Well, let us close our time in prayer. Our dear Heavenly Father, we bow before you and we are so grateful for our great high priest. We are so thankful that you are even now interceding on our behalf. that you are praying for us, upholding us before the throne of grace, and how desperately we need your prayers, for we are weak. We are sinful, we fail, but we thank you for the forgiveness we have through Christ. We thank you for his blood that cleanses. And we pray, our Father, that for those that do not know that forgiveness, that even this night, as they hear the account of Peter, one who fell so far, may they see even your mercy and love to him. May you cause them to repent. May you cause them to turn to Christ. We pray that they would not rely on their self. We pray that they would look to Christ and to Christ alone to be saved. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.