What's your greatest fear and take a moment and just think about what is your greatest fear and for some of us That fear has been realized And tonight is a reminder That in the midst of that fear there's hope What's the nightmare of your life? I mean That one event that comes to you late at night You don't know where it came from and you don't know why but there it is You know it comes Chill bumps come That one night marriage event in your life. It's still when you think about it Tears well up in your eyes Well tonight Into that darkness Light will shine For Peter that fear and that nightmare had to be the memory of tonight It's Peter's night of failure It's Peter's night of denial And we all fail We all have failed But no one wants to fail When it really counts I mean no one wants to bomb a test but Really don't bomb the SATs No one wants to botch a sales call but Don't botch the sales call with your biggest customer No one wants to mess up a relationship but Heaven forbid you mess up that relationship with your spouse No one wants to fail Fail on the any arena and even fail with raising our children
Peter's failure is magnified And it's magnified because of the stage on which he failed When it counted the most He couldn't be counted on I mean on that night that beautiful scandal his night the Jesus knew was coming He knew what was coming. He knew what he was about to go through He took Peter because Peter was always one of the three he took I mean he took him into the darkness into the garden and and he drew Peter and two others away And he said Peter just pray just just watch with me Peter. I'm an anguish I'm tormented Peter. Will you watch with me?
It doesn't seem to be an incredible charge. It seems to be quite easy. Just stay awake Peter It's pray, but he failed repeatedly Peter was told he would deny even even that night that night that that last meal Jesus told them point blank And you're gonna run you're gonna deny me You're gonna act like you never knew me in it. It was Peter and with all of his pride and with all of his love for his Savior dwelling up with him and he says no. He defiantly says no. I'm not gonna deny you I mean it may cost me my life, but I'm there. I'm with you. I have your side If you go down I go down. I'm not gonna let you go
Jesus knew better and Peter did fail Again and again and again, you know the worst kind of failure It's the failure that we Experience that affects the lives of others especially the lives of others that are innocent It's it's that failure when our failure puts another's reputation in jeopardy It's our failure that puts another one's job on the line It's that failure that really is painful when it alters another's life It's that failure that maybe even takes another's life like drunk driver Taking the life of one who was innocent Peter's failure In a real degree Peter's failure in a real degree Caused Jesus to be mocked Peter's failure in a real degree caused Jesus to be scourged Peter's failure in a real way Caused Jesus to be crucified
He was a first-hand witness to his failure He saw the results Jesus's blood Zion his hands The joy the joy that Peter must have experienced When he realized That through the Holy Spirit that what was taking place was a fulfillment of scripture that Isaiah 53 and the suffering Servant was being fulfilled on that night what joy and I can't help but think that had to become one of Peter's most favorite verses in scripture And he realized in the darkness of that night White was shining When Peter fully realized what was happening to his and Jesus's Greatest night of darkness would provide light The worst day of Peter's life became the best day of his life for all eternity Peter's greatest fear became his greatest peace
Peter's nightmare It turned into his dream of salvation
The picture that Peter could not get out of his mind And the failure that led to that picture that picture of a Roman cross Peter knowing That his failure led to that execution that picture that grew some bloody cross That picture that he couldn't get out of his mind You know that picture that you sometimes can't get out of your mind You know the one that you prayed to God. I don't want to picture it anymore I don't want to be released from it. I don't want to have it anymore That picture It was forever etched in Peter's mind It became the picture of redemption It became the picture that scripture being fulfilled The cross of Christ Must have been the most important symbol to Peter For here is where Peter found healing It's where he found mercy. It's where he found life It's where he found forgiveness of his sins here at the cross And it's here at the cross the tradition tells us that Peter would preach His last and most powerful sermon As Peter himself was crucified Upside down on a Roman cross A picture that you know that Peter could never forget The picture of the cross is a picture that we shouldn't get out of our minds either It's a picture that Jesus wanted us to remember He gave us a meal And he says when you come to this meal and you feed upon me spiritually remember the picture Remember the agony remember the blood Remember the sacrifice Never forget Because it brought healing and life
You know, it's not only Peter's sins that drove Jesus to the cross It's not only Peter's sins It's ours Do you know that you see it's our failure It's our nightmare It's our sins that drove Jesus to the cross His blood is on our hands His blood is on our heads As the crowd yelled crucify Pontius Pilate said May the blood of Christ be on you and then the crowd said may his blood be on our heads Sinner the blood is on us But the incredible reality of the story is the blood that is on our hands And the blood that covers our heads The blood that he bathed us in is the blood that makes us clean It's the blood that makes us whole It's the blood that washes away our sins We realize that Isaiah 53 Becomes so dear for us because we can say by the grace of God He was pierced for our transgressions He was crushed for our inequities By his wounds We heal The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on him My brothers and sisters Our fears have been crucified Our nightmare is over Jesus has paid the price Hallelujah What a savior Let us pray Father, we thank you We thank you for your son
We thank you for his love that would never die Even to the point of being nailed to a cross his love for you and his love for us Never died Although his life was given So that we sinners with his blood on our hands may be washed clean And set free Father, thanks for Peter And thank you that on the night that his greatest fears were realized that he was a coward That the nightmare came true that he was a betrayer He was a denier That that beautiful scandalous night He was set free That he could look upon the cross And not remember the agony of all of his sins that drove You there Jesus but he could look at that cross and realize he was free And by the wounds of Jesus he has been healed And so of way We thank you for that amazing love Hallelujah What a savior Amen