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Speaker 1: and other Addresses by Andrew Murray Peter's repentance. And the
Speaker 1: Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the
Speaker 1: word of the Lord, how he had said unto him
Speaker 1: before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice and
Speaker 1: Peter went out and wept bitterly, Luke twenty two, sixty
Speaker 1: one and sixty two. That was the turning point in
Speaker 1: the history of Peter. Christ had said to him, thou
Speaker 1: canst not follow me? Now, Peter was not in a
Speaker 1: fit state to follow Christ, because he had not been
Speaker 1: brought to an end of himself. He did not know himself,
Speaker 1: and he therefore could not follow Christ. But when he
Speaker 1: went out and wept bitterly, then came the great change
Speaker 1: Christ previously said to him, When thou art converted, strengthen
Speaker 1: thy brethren, here is the point where Peter was converted
Speaker 1: from self to Christ. I thank God for the story
Speaker 1: of Peter. I do not know a man in the
Speaker 1: Bible who gives us greater comfort when we look at
Speaker 1: his character, so full of failures, and at what Christ
Speaker 1: made him by the power of the Holy Ghost. There
Speaker 1: is hope for every one of us. But remember, before
Speaker 1: Christ could fill Peter with the Holy Spirit and make
Speaker 1: a new man of him, he had to go out
Speaker 1: and weep bitterly. He had to be humbled. If we
Speaker 1: want to understand, I think there are four points that
Speaker 1: we must look at. First, let us look at Peter
Speaker 1: the devoted disciple of Jesus. Next at Peter as he
Speaker 1: lived the life of self. Then at Peter in his repentance,
Speaker 1: and last at what Christ made of Peter by the
Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. Peter the devoted disciple of Christ. Christ called
Speaker 1: Peter to forsake his nets and follow him. Peter did
Speaker 1: it at once, and he afterwards could say rightly to
Speaker 1: the Lord, we have forsaken all and followed thee. Peter
Speaker 1: was a man of absolute surrender. He gave up all
Speaker 1: to follow Jesus. Peter was also a man of ready obedience.
Speaker 1: You remember Christ said to him, launch out into the
Speaker 1: deep and let down the net. Peter. The fishermen knew
Speaker 1: there were no fish there, for they had been toiling
Speaker 1: all night and had caught nothing, But he said, at
Speaker 1: thy word, I will let down the net. He submitted
Speaker 1: to the word of Jesus. Further, he was a man
Speaker 1: of great faith. When he saw Christ walking on the sea,
Speaker 1: he said, Lord, if it be thou bid me come
Speaker 1: unto thee. And at the voice of Christ, he stepped
Speaker 1: out of the boat and walked upon the water. And
Speaker 1: Peter was a man of spiritual insight. When Christ asked
Speaker 1: the disciples, whom do ye say that I am, Peter
Speaker 1: was able to answer, thou art the Christ, the son
Speaker 1: of the Living God. And Christ said, blest art thou
Speaker 1: simon Barjona, For flesh and blood hath not revealed it
Speaker 1: unto thee, but my Father, which is in Heaven. And
Speaker 1: Christ spoke of him as the roc man, and of
Speaker 1: his having the keys of the kingdom. Peter was a
Speaker 1: splendid man, a devoted disciple of Jesus. And if he
Speaker 1: were living nowadays, every one would say that he was
Speaker 1: an advanced Christian. And yet how much there was wanting
Speaker 1: in Peter, Peter living the life of self. You recollect
Speaker 1: that just after Christ had said to him flesh and
Speaker 1: blood had not revealed it unto THEE, but my Father,
Speaker 1: which is in heaven. Christ began to speak about his sufferings,
Speaker 1: and Peter dared to say, be it far from THEE, Lord,
Speaker 1: this shall not be unto THEE. Then Christ had to say,
Speaker 1: get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savest not the
Speaker 1: things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Speaker 1: There was Peter in his self will, trusting his own wisdom,
Speaker 1: and actually forbidding Christ to go and die. Whence did
Speaker 1: that come? Peter trusted in himself and his own thoughts
Speaker 1: about divine things. We see later on more than once
Speaker 1: that among the disciples I was a questioning who should
Speaker 1: be the greatest, and Peter was one of them, and
Speaker 1: he thought he had a right to the very first place.
Speaker 1: He sought his own honor, even above the others. It
Speaker 1: was the life of self strong in Peter. He had
Speaker 1: left his boats and his nets, but not his old self.
Speaker 1: When Christ had spoken to him about his sufferings and said,
Speaker 1: get THEE behind me, Satan, he followed it up by saying,
Speaker 1: if any man will come after me, let him deny
Speaker 1: himself and take up his cross and follow me. No
Speaker 1: man can follow him unless he do that self must
Speaker 1: be utterly denied. What does that mean? When Peter denied Christ,
Speaker 1: we read that he said three times, I do not
Speaker 1: know the man. In other words, I have nothing to
Speaker 1: do with him. He and I are no friends. I
Speaker 1: deny having any connection with him. Christ told Peter that
Speaker 1: he must deny self. Self must be ignored and its
Speaker 1: every claim rejected. That is the root of true discipleship.
Speaker 1: But Peter did not understand it and could not obey it.
Speaker 1: And what happened when the last night came? Christ said
Speaker 1: to him before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny
Speaker 1: me thrice? But with what self confidence? Peter said, though
Speaker 1: all should forsake THEE, yet will not I? I am
Speaker 1: ready to go with THEE to prison and to death.
Speaker 1: Peter meant it honestly, and Peter really intended to do it.
Speaker 1: But Peter did not know himself. He did not believe
Speaker 1: he was as bad as Jesus said he was. We
Speaker 1: perhaps think of individual sins that come between us and God.
Speaker 1: But what are we to do with that self life,
Speaker 1: which is all unclean our very nature? What are we
Speaker 1: to do with that flesh that is entirely under the
Speaker 1: power of sin? Deliverance from that is what we need.
Speaker 1: Peter knew it not, and therefore it was that, in
Speaker 1: his self confidence he went forth and denied his Lord.
Speaker 1: Notice how Christ uses the word deny Twice he said
Speaker 1: to Peter the first time, deny self. He said to
Speaker 1: Peter the second time, thou wilt deny me? It is
Speaker 1: either of the two. There is no choice for us.
Speaker 1: We must either deny self or deny Christ. There are
Speaker 1: two great powers fighting each other, the self nature in
Speaker 1: the power of sin, and Christ in the power of God.
Speaker 1: Either of these must rule within us. It was self
Speaker 1: that made the devil. He was an angel of God,
Speaker 1: but he wanted to exalt self. He became a devil
Speaker 1: in hell. Self was the cause of the fall of man.
Speaker 1: Eve wanted something for herself, and so our first parents
Speaker 1: fell into all the wretchedness of sin. We their children
Speaker 1: have inherited an awful nature of sin. Peter's repentance. Peter
Speaker 1: denied his Lord thrice. And then the Lord looked upon him,
Speaker 1: and that look of Jesus broke the heart of Peter,
Speaker 1: and all at once they opened up before him the
Speaker 1: terrible sin that he had committed, the terrible failure that
Speaker 1: had come, and the depth into which he had fallen.
Speaker 1: And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Oh, who can
Speaker 1: tell what that repentance must have been during the following
Speaker 1: hours of that night and the next day when he
Speaker 1: saw Christ crucified and buried, and the next day the Sabbath, Oh,
Speaker 1: in what hopeless despair and shame he must have spent
Speaker 1: that day. My Lord is gone, my hope is gone.
Speaker 1: And I denied my Lord, after that life of love,
Speaker 1: after that blessed fellowship of three years, I denied my Lord. God,
Speaker 1: have mercy upon me. I do not think we can
Speaker 1: realize into what a depth of humiliation Peter sank then.
Speaker 1: But that was the turning point and the change. And
Speaker 1: on the first day of the week, Christ was seen
Speaker 1: of Peter, and in the evening he met him with
Speaker 1: the others. Later on, at the Lake of Galilee, he
Speaker 1: asked him, lovest thou me, And till Peter was made
Speaker 1: sad by the thought that the Lord reminded him of
Speaker 1: having denied him thrice and said, in sorrow, but in uprightness, Lord,
Speaker 1: thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love thee
Speaker 1: Peter transformed. Now Peter was prepared for deliverance from self,
Speaker 1: and that is my last thought. You know. Christ took
Speaker 1: him with the others to the footstool of the throne
Speaker 1: and bade them wait there. And then on the day
Speaker 1: of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and Peter was a
Speaker 1: changed man. I do not want you to think only
Speaker 1: of the change in Peter in that boldness and that power,
Speaker 1: and that insight into the scriptures, and that blessing with
Speaker 1: which he preached that day. Thank God for that. But
Speaker 1: there was something for Peter deeper and better. Peter's whole
Speaker 1: nature was changed. The work that Christ began in Peter
Speaker 1: when he looked upon him, was perfected when he was
Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Ghost. If you want to see that,
Speaker 1: read the first epistle of Peter. Ye know where in
Speaker 1: Peter's failings lay. When he said to Christ in effects,
Speaker 1: thou never canst suffer it cannot be, it showed he
Speaker 1: had not a conception of what it was to pass
Speaker 1: through death into life. Christ said, deny thyself. And in
Speaker 1: spite of that, he denied his Lord. When Christ warned him,
Speaker 1: thou shalt deny me, and he insisted that he never would.
Speaker 1: Peter showed how little he understood what there was in himself.
Speaker 1: But when I read his epistle and hear him say,
Speaker 1: if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy
Speaker 1: are ye, for the spirit of God and of Glory
Speaker 1: resteth upon you. Then I say that it is not
Speaker 1: the old Peter, but that is the very spirit of Christ,
Speaker 1: breathing and speaking within him. I read again how he says,
Speaker 1: here unto ye are called to suffer, even as Christ suffered.
Speaker 1: I understand what a change had come over Peter. Instead
Speaker 1: of denying Christ, he found joy and pleasure in having
Speaker 1: self denied and crucified and given up to the death.
Speaker 1: And therefore it is in the Axe we read that
Speaker 1: when he was called before the council, he could boldly
Speaker 1: say we must obey God rather than men, and that
Speaker 1: he could return with the other desires and rejoiced that
Speaker 1: they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's name. You
Speaker 1: remember his self exaltation. But now he has found out
Speaker 1: that the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is
Speaker 1: in the sight of God of great Christ. Again he
Speaker 1: tells us to be subject one to another and be
Speaker 1: clothed with humility. Dear friend, I beseech you look at
Speaker 1: Peter utterly changed, the self pleasing, the self trusting, the
Speaker 1: self seeking, Peter full of sin, continually getting into trouble,
Speaker 1: foolish and impetuous, but now filled with the spirit and
Speaker 1: the life of Jesus. Christ had done it for him
Speaker 1: by the Holy Ghost. And now what is my object
Speaker 1: in having thus very briefly pointed to the story of Peter.
Speaker 1: That story must be the history of every believer who
Speaker 1: is really to be made a blessing by God. That
Speaker 1: story is a prophecy of what every one can received
Speaker 1: from God in heaven. Now let us just glance hurriedly
Speaker 1: at what these lessons teach us. The first lesson is this,
Speaker 1: you may be a very earnest, godly, devoted believer in
Speaker 1: whom the power of the flesh is yet very strong.
Speaker 1: That is a very solemn truth. Peter, before he denied
Speaker 1: Christ had cast out devils and had healed the sick,
Speaker 1: and yet the flesh had power, and the flesh had
Speaker 1: roomined him. Oh, beloved, we want to realize that it
Speaker 1: is just because there is so much of that self
Speaker 1: life in us, that the power of God cannot work
Speaker 1: in us as mightily as God is willing, that it
Speaker 1: should work. Do you realize that the Great God is
Speaker 1: longing to double his blessing, to give tenfold blessing through us,
Speaker 1: But there is something hindering him, and that something is
Speaker 1: a proof of nothing but the self life. We talk
Speaker 1: about the pride of Peter, and the impetuosity of Peter,
Speaker 1: and the self confidence of Peter. It all rooted in
Speaker 1: that one word self. Christ had said, deny self, and
Speaker 1: Peter had never understood and never obeyed. And every failing
Speaker 1: came out of that. What a solemn thought, and what
Speaker 1: an urgent plea for us to cry, Oh, God, do
Speaker 1: discover this to us? That none of us may be
Speaker 1: living the self life. It has happened to many a
Speaker 1: one who had been a Christian for years, who had
Speaker 1: perhaps occupied a prominent position, that God found him out
Speaker 1: and taught him to find himself out. And he became
Speaker 1: utterly ashamed, falling down broken before God. Oh the bitter
Speaker 1: shame and sorrow and pain and agony that came to him,
Speaker 1: And till at last he found that there was deliverance.
Speaker 1: Peter went out and wept bitterly. And there may be
Speaker 1: many a godly one in whom the power of the
Speaker 1: flesh still rules. And my second lesson is it is
Speaker 1: the work of our blessed Lord Jesus to discover the
Speaker 1: power of self. How was it that Peter, the Colonel
Speaker 1: Peter self willed, Peter, Peter with the strong self love ever,
Speaker 1: became a man of Pentecost and the writer of his epistle.
Speaker 1: It was because Christ had him in charge, and Christ
Speaker 1: watched over him, and Christ taught and blessed him. The
Speaker 1: warnings that Christ had given him were part of the training.
Speaker 1: And last of all, there came that look of love
Speaker 1: in his suffering. Christ did not forget him, but turned
Speaker 1: round and looked upon him. And Peter went out and
Speaker 1: wept bitterly. And the Christ who led Peter to Pentecost
Speaker 1: is waiting to day to take charge of every heart
Speaker 1: that is willing to surrender itself to him. Are there
Speaker 1: not some saying, Ah, that is the mischief with me?
Speaker 1: It is always the self. Life and self come comfort,
Speaker 1: and self consciousness and self pleasing and self will. How
Speaker 1: am I to get rid of it? My answer is
Speaker 1: it is Christ Jesus who can rid you of it.
Speaker 1: None else but Christ Jesus can give deliverance from the
Speaker 1: power of self and What does he ask you to do?
Speaker 1: He asks that you should humble yourself before him. End
Speaker 1: of Peter's Repentance,