Never Say Never

Today's Verse:

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended…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. ~Matthew 26:33, 75

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All of us can recall when we said we would never do something only to wind up doing it. When a decision like this is made, it brings shock and disappointment to both us and the people who know us. This morning, we see a man who did something that he said he would never do. This morning, let us be careful of saying “never.”

We see the privileged disciple.

Peter was one of the twelve Apostles who were handpicked by our Lord. In fact, the night before Peter was called, Jesus had prayed earnestly over his name and his life. Peter was one of the inner three who accompanied Jesus on certain choice missions. Peter knew that he was one of the privileged three. Peter was boastful, brash, and proud. He had been present at all of the major miracles that our Lord performed. He even cast out devils and healed the sick himself. Peter had many private times with Jesus. Let’s stop and consider the privileges that we have as disciples. Are we closer to God with each privilege bestowed upon us? Are we more sincere and fervent in light of our privileges?

We see the predicted denials.

On that fateful evening in which He would be arrested by sinful men, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times. He told him that before the cock would crow, the three denials would have taken place. Peter in brazen confidence told the Lord he would never deny Him. Jesus told him that He was praying for him that his faith would not fail at the critical moment. Later that evening, Jesus was arrested. Peter lingered in the background and followed as the accusers took the Lord Jesus to be tried. There, in the company of an unsaved assembly around a fire, Peter was asked on three separate occasions if he was one of Jesus' disciples. Each time, Peter denied any association with Jesus. In fear for his personal security, Peter caved in and his weak flesh took the path of escape. In the last denial, Peter was agitated and he cursed, sweared, and denounced anything to do with Jesus. How well do you represent the Lord when you are by yourself and under pressure of loss and persecution? We sing "Praise the Lord" in the company of our brothers and sisters in Christ, but when we are alone in the midst of a crooked and perverse society, what kind of boldness do we have?

We see the painful distress.

The cock crowed right after Peter made his third denial. The sound of that rooster brought chills into Peter’s bones, and as he looked up from a distance, his eyes met the eyes of the Lord. As Peter looked at his Lord’s eyes, Peter remembered the words that he would deny Him. Peter’s mind flooded him with many painful thoughts. There before a lost and unsaved company of people, he denied that he had anything to do with Jesus. Peter immediately left that crowd, went out, and wept bitterly. Peter at that moment saw how weak and little he was. Peter blew his opportunity to prove how much he loved Jesus. For many days, Peter would be bothered in conscience and soul about his failure. His faith did fail at the most critical moment. He was tormented and distressed in the lowest moment of his life.

We see a prudent discretion.

There are manifold lessons for us in this sobering incident. We must remember to watch and pray always. We must be careful of presumptuous sins that will snare and take us captive. We must be careful of associations that weaken our conscience. We must take heed to Peter’s failure lest we fall. None of us are stronger than we think we are. Be careful of saying "never."

Have a cautious God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Zechariah 1-7

#Matthew #Betrayal #Failure #Peter #Vigilance