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Free Will Baptist Church
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Ironton, Ohio 45638

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Have You Ever Messed Up?

Sunday Morning, May 06, 2007

Bob Bradley

_________________________ 

Matthew 26:31-35

 

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

 

 

Do you think Peter was being honest when he said that?  When Jesus said that all the disciples were going to be offended and scattered abroad because of Him, do you think the whole crowd that was there, were sincere? 

 

Sometimes we think that our wives are the grouchiest people that ever lived.  Sometimes wives want to think that the husbands are the grouchiest people that ever lived.  Sometimes we want to think that our wives are the most contrary and most hateful people. The reason that we do that many times is that we have issues ourselves. 

 

When Peter said, "...the rest of them may run off, they may be offended because of you but not me." 

 

Many times, we say that we will never do things, but if you take inventory of your own life how many times that, you have said, "I'll never do that."  Yet you find yourself doing the very thing that you said that you would never do.  I am not condoning that.  As long as we are on planet earth and have a body of flesh there are going to be times when we are going to mess up. 

 

Messing up does not mean something that is done everyday.  We do not go out here and act like idiots everyday.  I am not talking about those things that are habitually or continually.  I am not talking about that. 

 

There are going to be times in my life and in your life that the decisions we make in a split second of time may not always be right.  I could point out many of you that have made decisions impulsively that were not right.  Maybe it was something that you said.  Maybe it was something that you did.  Maybe it was somewhere you went.  However, there have been times in our lives that we have done something like that. 

 

Peter said, "Lord, I'll never do that.  They all may be offended because of you.  They all may mess up but I am not going to do that." Jesus said, “…before cock crows three times that you (Peter) are going to deny me.” Peter said, “Lord I am not going to do that.”

 

As the story progresses here, we know that they go to the garden and get Jesus.  They started shifting Him around between Ananias and Caiaphas.  As you read the story, you will find out that when they came and took Jesus, Peter followed them from afar off as you go on down through this chapter, You are going to find out what Peter does as Jesus is being questioned, mocked, ridiculed and all these things.  Peter is on the outside while they are doing these things to Jesus.

 

69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

 

Here comes a little girl and says that this man was with Jesus.  Peter says, "Not me."  Just a few hours before this, he says that I will never deny you.  He was sincere about that but pressure changes what we do and what we say sometimes in our life.  He is following Him from afar off. 

 

If Peter were around the other disciples and this damsel would have come out and said that he was one of His disciples.  Peter would have said that he was one of them.  However, since Peter was all alone, the statement is made that he is one of the disciples.  He says no.  I am not doing that. 

 

Its quiet remarkable sometimes how you and I wilt when we are around the world.  I understand that with young Christians.  I understand that we wilt many times and we do not have the courage to stand up.  However, when we have been at this thing for many years, we should not deny that we love Jesus Christ. 

 

Peter walked with Him for three and half years.  He saw the miracles that He did.  Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ.  Peter knew that.  Yet, he fails here.

 

71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

 

Two times that Peter has done this here in just a matter of moments.  He denied even knowing the Lord.  We do that a lot.

 

73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.

74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying , I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

75 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.

 

Peter did exactly what Jesus Christ said that he was going to do.  The Lord did not make Peter do that, but the Lord knew what Peter was going to do.   The Lord knew that Peter was going to mess up.  The Lord knew that Peter was going to deny Him.  The Lord knew that and He told Peter that. 

 

Many times, we are told that we are not as strong as we think we are.  Many times, we think that in our Christian life, that we know more than we actually know.  When we get in those positions, we mess up and we fall.  We do things that we should never do.  We all have sinned.  Every one of us sitting here today, after we got saved, have sinned.  There have been times in my life and in your life, since we got saved, we have done things that has broken our relationship, or fellowship with Jesus Christ.  We had to go back and ask the Lord to forgive us of our sin and to clean us up.  We have done that.  That is a great thing about our Savior.  The first time we mess up He does not cut us off and say, “I'm done with you.”  God does not do that.  He is a loving God. 

 

After some things happen, we know that Jesus met with Peter on the shore of the sea of Galilee.  We all know the story, when Jesus asked Peter to come over to where He was after they had some fish and so forth.  Jesus asked a question.  “Peter do you love me more than these?  Do you really love me Peter?  You said back there that you really loved me.  Do you really love me?  Do you really love me?”  Peter said “Lord you know all things.”  Jesus said “feed my sheep.”  He asked him again.  “Peter, do you love me?”  Peter said “Lord you know I love you.”  He said “feed my lambs.”  Then He asked him a third time.  “Peter do you really love me more than these?”  It no doubt upset Peter some as the scripture says.  He said “Lord you know all things.  You know everything about me.  You know I love you.”  Then He says “feed my sheep.” 

 

What I want us to understand is this.  Just because I messed up yesterday does not mean that I have to quit working and serving the Lord today.  If I sinned and messed up yesterday, I should have asked for forgiveness yesterday.  If I have not done that yesterday then I need to do that today.  Life is too short to go through life miserable, being contrary, being mean and upset.  When we do things that, we know that we should not do and we continue in our lives, we get bitter, angry, mad, and nothing satisfies us. 

 

We have many folks sitting in church pews today that had a good start and did many great things but they allowed un-confessed sin to rob them of their joy.  They are sitting today too proud to ask God to forgive them, and too proud to tell God “I'm sorry. I messed up. Please forgive me.”  That is all they need to do, but they are too proud to do that.  They are willing to go through the rest of their lives being miserable and hateful, contrary and above all separated from the love of God. 

 

The bad thing is not messing up.  Sin is horrible, but the bad thing is when we allow our sin to continue to separate us from the love of God.  God loves us.  God wants to forgive us and He will do that if we will just simply ask Him to.

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