Peter's Denial and Brokenness

Driving home: However, unlike Humpty Dumpty of the famous nursery rhyme, Peter is put back together again. He's not left in his shameful state of base denial, but the passage closes with the record of his deep and his thorough brokenn…

The nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty is used to introduce Peter's 'great fall' from privilege and confident boasting, but with the contrast that Peter, unlike Humpty, is 'put back together again' by God's grace.

I'm quite certain that regardless of what our cultural or ethnic backgrounds may be, that almost all of us here of any age this morning have at one time or another heard or even memorized the well-known nursery rhyme concerning the little egg man called Humpty Dumpty. And that little nursery rhyme goes like this. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

5:43 - 6:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: After about an hour, Peter is confronted again, his Galilean accent and a witness from the garden betraying him; in desperation, he begins to curse and swear, calling God's wrath…

The distinct Galilean accent that betrayed Peter is compared to someone from Mississippi or Alabama being recognized by their accent in New Jersey, or a Brooklynese man being identified in a rural area, to illustrate how speech can reveal identity.

they that stood by said to Peter, now notice how much more their conviction is expressed, of a true man. And so we are told that they that stood by said to Peter, now notice how much more their conviction is expressed, of a true man. And so we are told that they that stood by said to Peter, not impressed with his initial denial of even understanding the allegation, not impressed with his second denial, even with an oath, they said of you are one of them, for you're a Galilean. Know that all of his followers, except Judas, were Galileans. Now, how did they know he was a Galilean? Well, you're t...

25:00 - 26:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: After about an hour, Peter is confronted again, his Galilean accent and a witness from the garden betraying him; in desperation, he begins to curse and swear, calling God's wrath…

Peter's cursing and swearing are explained by recalling a childhood practice of saying 'I cross my heart and hope to die' to affirm truth, showing how Peter invoked God's judgment upon himself if he were lying.

Let him be accursed of God. This is what Peter is doing, and you'll see how it's done to this day. He begins to call God's self if he's not telling the truth. I can remember as a kid in my neighborhood, when there was a discussion over something that blew up into an argument and we didn't know who was telling the truth.

30:11 - 30:32 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But it was that look coupled with the crowing of a dumb rooster that became the twin means in the hands of the Spirit of God to break the heart of Peter.

The disfigurement of Jesus' face from the blows is compared to a prize fighter's face after 20 minutes, emphasizing the brutality of the treatment Jesus endured before Peter saw Him.

A face, remember now, that a whole group had been spitting upon,

41:04 - 41:10 Read in full sermon

The point: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Do not let the devil keep you from getting back into the path of Christ by underscoring the horrible natu…

The devil's strategy is described as whispering in one ear before sin ('you can have forgiveness') and then in the other ear after sin ('you can't go to Christ, you're a hypocrite'), to keep a believer from repentance and restoration.

And you see, it's the master stroke of the devil to whisper in your left ear before you sin. Go ahead. Enter that shop. Stand by that magazine rack.

53:18 - 53:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation, taking sin as seriously as you ought, recognizing that great sin can be precipitated by a small temptation.

The idea that great sin can be precipitated by a small temptation is illustrated by how a vast forest fire can start from one carelessly dropped match, emphasizing the danger of underestimating small sins.

Great sin was precipitated by a small temptation. Do you see why Jesus tells us as we're told in verse 38 watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. How glasses from one carelessly dropped match. There is not a one of us here who takes sin as seriously as we ought.

62:32 - 63:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation, taking sin as seriously as you ought, recognizing that great sin can be precipitated by a small temptation.

The tendency to cover one sin with another is illustrated by how children tell one lie to cover another, and how lies 'spawn another and another quicker than rabbits reproduce,' showing the escalating nature of sin.

And what happens? One lie spawns another and another quicker than rabbits reproduce. That's what happened with Peter. From a relatively mile by the throne of God.

63:34 - 64:04 Read in full sermon