LANGUAGE:
Peter’s Worst Nightmare
(Mark 14:66-72: Matt 26:69–75; Luke 22:56–62; John 18:16–18, 25–27)
I invite you to open your Bibles to the gospel of Mark, chapter 14. What we will be looking at is a very dark moment in the life of Peter born out of fear of exposure.[i] The account of Peter's worst nightmare was huge, not only for Peter, but also for the other disciples. It was such a huge moment, that all four gospels talk about it. Because that, I will be drawing from the accounts given, not only by Mark, but also Matthew, Luke and John.
Too often when we give our stories of faith, we’re prone to gloss over our missteps, that cover over our really bad choices, or those red-hot embarrassing moments. But when God wrote the Bible for us, He does not gloss over the failures and missteps of His people.
Let’s pray: Gracious Father, may Peter’s experience serve as a warning as to Satan’s skims. Strengthen our faith that we may stand firm on and in your word, which is the truth. Give us the supernatural strength to keep going even when we are weak. Make us bold and always spiritually alert, standing firm against Satan’s attacks on our faith. In Jesus’ name, I believe and pray, Amen.
We pick up Mark’s story in vs66-72. Follow along as we read God’s Word that is for us today.
66 Peter was in the courtyard. One of the chief priest’s female servants 67 saw Peter warming himself. She looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus!” 68 But Peter denied it by saying, “I don’t know him, and I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” ‘And he left’ went to the entrance., and a rooster crowed. 69 Another servant girl sees him, and began to say to those who were standing around, “This man is one of them!” 70 Peter again denied it. After a little while the men standing ‘in the courtyard’ said to Peter, “It’s obvious you’re one of them. You’re a Galilean!” 71 Peter ‘explodes’, and began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 ‘At that moment’ a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered that Jesus said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter began to cry very hard.
This is the Word of the Lord that God would have for us today.
When Jesus was arrested, it was utter chaos. In John 18 we are told that Jesus confronted the crowd with a question: “Who are you after?” They reply “Jesus the Nazarene.” He replies, “I am He,” and immediately the crowd shrinks back and falls to the ground. They finally get back on their feet, and then as one called Malchus reaches to grab Jesus, Peter pulls his sword and chops his ear off. [ii] With blood spurting out, the disciples cut and run for their lives, but in the escape Peter and John stick together. [iii]
When things settle, Jesus was bound and taken to Annas, the High Priest. After some time, Annas sends Jesus to Caiaphas, his son-in-law, and the High Priest appointed by Rome. They arrive at Caiaphas’ residence, John, who was known by the Chief Priest, is allowed into the courtyard. But for some reason Peter was left standing outside, so John goes back and tells the doorkeeper to let him in.
That brings us to V54. We now find Peter inside the courtyard, mingling with the officers and warming himself by the fire. This is a good place to stop and ask, who exactly is Peter mingling with? Many of these people are the same ones that came with Judas to arrest Jesus. So he’s now mingling with the enemy.
Make a note of this if you are taking notes: Be careful of the crowds you hang with. Bad company will corrupt you.[iv] They will have a massive influence on the way you think, the way you talk, and the way you relate to others. Proverbs 13:20 (NASB95) He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. The kind of groups we hang with will affect our relationship with God and our character.
There are two trials taking place here—Jesus’ trial and Peter’s trial. While Jesus boldly testifies before the High Priest and crowd, Peter denied he ever knew Jesus before the same crowd. Have you ever found yourself in Peter’s sandals? Have you ever kept silent when friends, co-workers make hateful statements about Jesus or God our Father? Our silence is just another way of denying that you know Jesus Christ as your Savior. Jesus has something to say about that in Luke 12:8–9 (ESV) 8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Because of those words we do not dare to cave to the pressures of the politically correct. We want to be bold in our faith.
As Jesus stands tall under the immense pressure and hostility that would sent Him to the cross, Peter capitulates his faith in order to save his skin. That leads me to ask, how strong is your faith stance in light of the cultural debates around us[v] Debates such as . . .
John Stonestreet, of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview writes: the most pressing cultural issue facing Christians ‘today’ is not external but internal. We suffer from a shriveled moral imagination that has led to a shrunken understanding of the gospel and a corresponding crisis of confidence in its power.[vii] When it comes to the growing pressure of a degenerate culture, are you, am I, a Jesus denier? Do we succumb to silence to save face?
Remember those powerful words from Peter in Matthew 16:16 (GW) just a year before: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” What happened between then and the now? Now surrounded by Jesus critics, Peter denied his relationship with Jesus, and each denial increases with intensity.[viii] And just as Jesus had predicted, Peter denies his association with Jesus three times before the rooster crowd twice.
Let’s take a closer look:
The first denial comes in v67. Keep in mind, an hour or so earlier Peter had cut off a guy’s ear, and Jesus had rebuked him in front of everybody. He is now in the courtyard near where Jesus is being tried, the lighting was terrible. Who would know him here? But as Peter cozied up to the warmth of the fire a servant girl took notice. She recognized that he didn’t fit with the crowd, and taking a closer look, she asks, “Weren’t you with Jesus, the Nazarene?”
The question was simple enough, but it caught Peter off guard. The way the question was initially asked, the young woman expected a ‘no’. But Peter’s mind was somewhere else. He was still processing the whirlwind of events. So the words just slipped off his tongue: “I don’t know him, and I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Was this just a slip of the tongue?
Mark this down if you are taking notes: Our witness for Christ can be severely hurt by careless responses. While Jesus stood boldly before His accusers, Peter flippantly denies knowing Him to a servant girl. Perhaps Peter said more than he intended. We need to be careful with our words. James 3:3–6, warns us that By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke, and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell."
In Matthew 12:37(GW) Jesus told the crowds that By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty.” [ix] I think Peter was embarrassed. It was time to escape. V68(KJV), he went out into the porch; and the cock crowed. Remember what Jesus had told him back in v30, This very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
Now a good rooster generally crows sometime between 3-4am.[x] So here was a warning shot in the early hours of the morning—Peter, You are about to fall. But he missed it. Strike one. Peter was still smarting from seeing the rag tag army, Judas’ betrayal, his cutting off Malchus’ ear, and followed by Jesus’ open rebuke. It was dark, he’s a little angry, still smarting from Jesus’ rebuke. So the question might have caught him off guard. But in that moment he denied knowing Jesus.
Make a note of this if you are taking notes: Satan will attack at times and places we least expect it. They will be a deliberate, willful assault for the purpose of doing harm in your spirit, soul, or body, or all three. They could come at any time or from direction. He tries to trip us up when we are at our weakest, and he knows exactly who or what to use as a lure.
That brings us to denial number two. Peter, wishing to avoid further exposure, deliberately fades into the darkness, to the fringe of the crowd.
Matthew tells us that in the darkness another servant-girl recognized him and said to those who were standing around, “This man is one of them!” Luke tells us that a man joined in on the recognition,[xi] and Matthew tells us that Peter re-enforces his denial with an oath, “I do not know the man.”[xii] Things are getting rather dicey for Peter. It wasn’t like he said, Dammit, I don’t know Him. For a Jew, making an oath was to call God as a witness. In other words, he said something like this--I swear by God that I do not know this man. Notice, he doesn’t even mention Jesus’ name. Using the baseball idiom, Strike two.
Mark this down if you are taking notes: Emotional outbursts are deadly. They drive our denials of knowing Jesus. Someone has said, “If you do not have control over your mouth, you will not have control over your future.”[xiii] Peter’s arrogant emotional self-reliance was now in full bloom. James 1:26 (GW) If a person thinks that he is religious but can’t control his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person’s religion is worthless. It is a deception for any of us to think that Jesus can be Lord over our lives without also becoming Lord over our tongues.
That brings us to denial number three. Luke tells us that After a little while . . . so some time has passed . . . the men standing ‘near’ Peter said, “It’s obvious you’re one of them. You’re a Galilean!” (V70), Peter has been talking. It’s lot like a southern girl in Bensenville that we all know—you can easily tell when she is in church because of her southern accent. Southerners don’t talk like Northerners; Peter had a Galilean accent and Galilean’s didn’t talk like Judeans. His accent gave him away, and it was now obvious that he was out of place.
The clamor in Jesus trial room was probably rising to a crescendo. The crowd is growing uneasy. In addition, John tells us that in the crowd surrounding Peter was a relative of Malchus, the man “whose ear Peter cut off,” who was now talking, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” (John 18:26). Peter totally loses it, V71, he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” The word curse here is a fierce word. It’s like calling for death upon oneself at the hand of God if one were lying. And on top of that he swears. In essence Peter said something like this: “May God kill and damn me if I am not speaking the truth.[xiv] V72, immediately a rooster crowed a second time.
At that moment Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked straight into his eyes. (Luke 22:61). A poet once said, “You can fool the public and be a secret fraud, you can try to hide your lying, but you can’t fool God!”[xv] You ever have the sick feeling when you’re caught with your hand in the cookie jar? That’s where Peter found himself. And that’s when He remembered that Jesus said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” He began to weep. The umpire calls out-- Strike three ‘You’re out!!!!”
Suddenly Peter really saw how rash and cocky he had been he had been only six hours earlier; how confident of his own will, how sure of his own abilities. Then came the rooster and Jesus’ look--“Peter, I warned you this would happen and you didn’t believe me.”[xvi] Mark this down if you are taking notes: The fear of exposure blanked out all sense of Peter’s awareness of God. Lett’s not be too quick to mock Peter. Lying is so much part of who we are. Researchers tell us that most of us can’t go for 10 minutes without telling some kind of a lie.[xvii] Husbands and wives lie to each other, parents and children lie to each other, employers and employees lie to each other, Advertisers lie to sell products, and Politicians lie to spin things their way.[xviii]
Lying is so much part of our lives. You may be at school and hear co-workers talking about how hypocritical Christians . . . then suddenly they turn and ask you, ‘Aren’t you a Christian?’ How will you answer? Are you prepared to give a good answer? Peter wasn’t. And so he lied!
Peter’s predicament can easily slide into our contemporary setting. It’s pretty easy for us to believe that we’re more faithful and courageous than we truly are. … It is in the challenging moments we discover the truth of our character, the strength of our commitment. He is a living illustration of Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. I’d like to highlight five take-a-way from Peter’s testimony that can help us in those pincher moments.
Think about this: Luke 22:31–34 (ESV) Jesus tells Peter 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,[xix] that he might sift you like wheat.[xx] I don’t think Peter paid close attention when Jesus told him outright Satan was after him, wanting to shake his faith so hard that he’d fall away like Judas.[xxi] Just like Satan knew Peter’s name, he knows our names
Out of his dark time, Peter would later write in 1 Peter 5:8 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. Why? Because The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.[xxii] Mark this down if you are taking notes: If you are a child of God, Satan is after you.[xxiii] Satan wants to choke off your faith like he did Judas. One of the ways he will do that is coerce you to lie. Falsehood and deception is not a game with Satan. John 8:44, he is the father of lies and despises truth. 2 Corinthians 2:11, we don’t want to be ignorant of Satan’s schemes. John Piper writes: God intends that part of our preparation for heaven be a life of warfare with hell[xxiv] It is a warfare over our faith, it is a warfare for righteousness, and a warfare for life.[xxv] Satan is always looking for an opportune time. … Let us strive not to be lulled to silence in an attempt to avoid being confronted for our faith.
Peter had a problem of arrogance. 1 John 2:16 (NASB95)For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world., Peter had a pride problem. v27 at the conclusion of the Last Supper Jesus had warned him ‘the sheep will be scattered’. He impulsively blurted out, “Even if everyone else abandons you, I won’t.” In that moment he revealed his arrogance. This happens when we centralize power and authority into ourselves.
He rejected Jesus’ assessment of him personally. In Matthews account he intensifies his stance-- Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Peter did not take Jesus’ assessment seriously. Mark 14:31 (NASB95) Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.
Satan knew Peter’s character and tendencies, and attacked suddenly, swiftly, and unexpectedly. Peter melted. By himself Peter was helpless. In the moment of crisis, he fails at the very point where he pledged to be eternally faithful. His overconfidence blinded Him to Jesus’ assessment. John MacArthur writes: Based on Peter’s feelings of self-confidence and devotion to Jesus, Peter considered himself incapable of disloyalty. He couldn’t imagine nothing that would cause him to waver, and not even the Lord’s explicit prediction could convince him otherwise. He was certain he had come to the place of spiritual maturity, with his priorities straight, his convictions steadfast, and his faithfulness invulnerable. It was therefore inconceivable to him that he could be capable of defecting from the Lord.[xxvi]
Peter had a history of taking things into his own hands. As soon as the officers laid hands on Jesus, Peter “reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear” (Matt. 26:51: cf. John 18:10). Impulsiveness is acting without thinking. Proverbs 19:2, He who hurries his footsteps sins.[xxvii] Peter’s impulsiveness interfered with God’s plans, that Jesus go to the cross and die for their sins and the sins of the world. Isaiah 28:16 (NASB95) The Lord GOD says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed (emphases mine). Rushed, frazzled, nervous people are not people of faith. When you always have to act immediately, you reveal an illusion that everything depends upon you. "
#16 Peter’s denials came when he was alone. He had been with John when he entered the courtyard, but John left him by the fire, mingling with the Lord’s enemies. … Satan knows that we are unusually weak when we try to go it alone. That’s why in part Hebrews 10:25 (GW) Don’t stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.
Listen to me . . . there’s a little bit of Peter in all of us. All of us are surrounded with subtle suggestions to deny our Lord who has saved us. As Paul wrote, people who think they are standing firmly should be careful that they don’t fall (1 Corinthians 10:12(GW)) All of us, no matter how firmly we think we are standing, need to be careful that we do not fall. Remember, Peter was not walking in rebellion against Jesus; he was simply mingling amongst the enemies.
Robert Lehigh describes a number of dangers of mingling with the enemy
To be victorious over the enemy we must, as Peter points out for us in his first letter, chap 5, v8, continually Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The
Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping …
Let’s close in prayer: Heavenly Father, for some of us, Peter’s testimony is far too close to our own lives. Like Peter we have tasted denial. We want to desperately learn from Peter’s failure. Help us to guard our tendency to boast, to react impulsively, and not to act too late. Help us to guard our hearts, for out it flows the springs of life. Help us to get a grip that life is a warfare filled with deceit, cunningness, and darkness designed to cripple our faith, if not even to take our very lives. Hear our prayers as we face the challenges in our families, in our communities, and in our places of work. May we be fully dressed in the spiritual armor given to us, with our hands on the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and our knees on the floor in prayer for one another. Guide us in our going. And may the joy of the Lord Jesus be our strength as we seek to boldly go with the good news of salvation. And may the peace of God, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, guard our thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
Amen
[i] This is a real life story as told by Peter to Mark and captured in all four gospels. …
[ii] Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. John 18.
[iii] v50, Mark tells us that all the disciples cut and run. … And amongst them was a young man wrapped with a bedsheet. The soldiers try to grab him, but he got away, running off naked, leaving them holding the sheet Mark 14:50-52. Cf., William Floippin, Jr., Naked Young Man and the Easter Angel in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 14:51-52). https://hermeneutics. stackexchange.com/questions/4826/what-is-the-significance-of-the-young-man-who-runs-away-naked-in-marks-gospel In verses 14:51-52, Mark tells us that "A young man was present who was wearing nothing but a sindon. The posse caught hold of him, but he left the sindon and ran away naked." (Fascinatingly, the word neaniskos, which is rare in the Christian Testament, crops up a second time in Mark, to describe the young man in the long white robe who tells the women disciples that Jesus has been raised and they will see him again in Galilee.)
Here's the big discovery I stumbled over by accident: A sindon was a linen cloth used for clothing or burial. The word is used exactly four times in the Christian Testament: in the three synoptic gospels to describe the cloth in which Jesus' dead body was wrapped for burial... and here. This to me is the connection of the naked young man and the burial of Jesus and the proclamation of the Easter Angel. In Mark's Gospel, he explicitly says that the person that proclaimed to the confused women present at the tomb was a young man, not an angel wearing a white robe. For him to be wearing a sindon, which is very specifically used for burial clothing, has some deliberate correlations by the Gospel writer Mark in identifying the significant transformation of the death and rebirth of humanity as found in the Resurrection. The motif of the clothing reinforces the impression that the two episodes form a coherent whole. Mark often mentions clothing with strong symbolic overtones so that it has special significance for him. Consequently, the clothes of John the Baptist in Mark 1:6 identify him as a prophet, and, therefore, as an important figure at the beginning of the gospel. The clothing of Jesus in the episode on the transfiguration in Mark 9:3 becomes dazzling white, 'whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.' The nature of the clothing underlines the mysterious significance of the event. In Mark 14:30" 33, the High Priest tore his clothes after Jesus' pronouncement about the Son of Man at the right hand and coming with the clouds.
These references to exceptional clothing are found at crucial points at the beginning and at the turning point of the narrative where important revelations are given. In the episode on John the Baptist in Mark 1:7 there is a reference to the coming one and in the transfiguration narrative in Mark 9:7 the voice from the cloud reveals Jesus as the divine Son to whom his followers should listen. The action of the High Priest also takes place at a seminal moment in the trial of Jesus. In all of these cases, the significance of Jesus is highlighted through the narrative detail of clothing.
The clothing of the young man in Mark 14:51-52 and in 16:5 should be understood against this background. The young man in Gethsemane, according to Mark, is dressed in a linen cloth. How important this was to the author is clear from the fact that he repeats the reference in the following description of how the young man, having fled naked, left behind. This focus on the clothes is not merely a report of an event, but is also an indication of the significance of the event. In a Jewish context nakedness would be regarded as a shameful state. Mark is implying that the young man, eager to follow Jesus after others fail him, also falls into shame. His leaving behind his clothes is stressed also by the ensuing and explicit reference to his nakedness.
Exegetes who identify the two young men use this motif of clothing to point to the complete reversal of his condition. If the previous dress (in the garden) was the linen cloth, this one in the tomb, however, is white. Though he is dressed in both cases, the difference in dress expresses the development within the narrative. The portrayal is therefore characterized by closure: the shameful condition of the young man as he flees the scene of Jesus arrest in the nude is replaced by his restoration. What would otherwise be an incomplete narrative if the coherence between two episodes is not understood becomes a coherent picture because of the motif of clothing.
One may even take the comparison further by analyzing the type of dress mentioned by Mark. It is often noted that Mark spoke of a linen cloth in which Jesus was buried (Mk 15:46). The linen cloth is mentioned twice in Mark 14:51-52 and in 15:46. In Mark 15:46 Mark again repeats the motif of the linen cloth, emphasizing to his readers in what cloth Jesus was buried. In this way Mark's description of clothing reflects the dress of Jesus before his resurrection. Taken together, Mark associates linen clothing with shameful betrayal and with death. The young man in the empty tomb is said to wear a white dress to indicate that he is not simply resuming his earlier lifestyle.
[iv] 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB95) 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Proverbs 12:26 (NASB95) The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
[v] https://www.primeassignment.com/blog/40-interesting-debate-topics-social-culture-and-beyond; https://custom-writing.org/blog/interesting-cultural-topics-to-write-about; https://www.assignmenthelppro.com/blog/debate-topics/
[vi]Cf., Andrew Mark Miller, Vermont girls volleyball players banned from locker room after objection to transgender student: Report. https://www.foxnews.com/us/vermont-girls-volleyball-players-banned-from-locker-room-after-objection- transgender-student-report
[vii] Trevin Wax, The Most Pressing Cultural Issue Facing Christians in 2018, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/pressing-cultural-issue-facing-christians-2018/
[viii] Cline, Austin. "Peter Denies Jesus (Mark 14:66-72)." Learn Religions, Aug. 25, 2020, learnreligions.com/peter-denies-jesus-248761.
[ix] https://www.gotquestions.org/by-your-words-you-will-be-condemned.html. What we say comes from our hearts. We are accountable for what we say, and we are accountable for what is in our hearts. Jesus said that “by your words you are justified and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). He was not suggesting that by saying the right words people can be made righteous. Rather, He was explaining to the Pharisees that their words reflected what was in their hearts. Their words would either show that they were righteous, having righteousness in their hearts, or their words would show their unrighteousness. The Pharisees’ words were evidence that they had rejected Jesus. Jesus tells them that they can’t hide what is in their hearts. It shines through for everyone to see.
[x] John 18:27 (NASB95) 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
[xi] Luke 22:58 (NASB95) A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
[xii] Matthew 26:72 (NASB95) And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” Luke 22:60 indicates that Peter responded to a man— But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed
[xiii] Germany Kent, Controlling Your Emotions Quotes, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/controlling-your-emotions
[xiv] John F. MacArthur Jr., Matthew, vol. 4, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 218.
[xv] Mark Hull, The Lying Tongue (Genesis 3:1-9) https://chardonchurchofchrist.org/index.php/sermons/message/the-danger-of-a-lie
[xvi] Ray Pritchard, Before The Rooster Crows (John 18:25-27) https://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/before-the-rooster-crows/
[xvii] Marija Krstova, Why Do We Lie. https://factfactories.com/why-do-we-lie/
[xviii] https://bestlifeonline.com/lying-about-purchases-to-partner-news/ 90 Percent of People Are Lying to Their Partner About This, New Study Says A 2016 survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults from Ipsos found that Americans have become increasingly OK with lying. According to the survey, 64 percent of respondents reported that they think lying is sometimes justified.
[xix] The Greek word for you (twice in this verse) is plural; in verse 32, all four instances are singular
[xx] Revelation 12:9–10 (ESV) 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
[xxi] Luke 22:31 (NASB95) “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
[xxii] Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. P.G. Matthew, The Roaring Lion (1 Peter 5:8-11) https://gracevalley.org/sermon/the-roaring-lion/
[xxiii] 2 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV) 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
[xxiv] John Piper, Satan’s Ten Strategies Against You, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/satans-ten-strategies-against-you
[xxv] 2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB95) 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 2 Corinthians 6:7 (NASB95) in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB95) 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
[xxvi] John F. MacArthur Jr., Matthew, vol. 4, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 212.
[xxvii] Proverbs 19:3 (NASB95) The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD. Dennis Pollock, The Danger of Impulsive Decisions, In Proverbs 7 we read of an immoral woman tempting a young man into sexual immorality. https://www.spiritofgrace.org/downloads/ article_ downloads/62_impulsive_decisions.pdf The Bible says: "Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life" (Proverbs 7:22,23). Notice the words "immediately" and "hastens." The young man follows the woman immediately the way a bird hastens to a snare. Both the young man rushing toward the bed of adultery and the bird rushing into a snare are in a terrible hurry. The prize is in view, their lusts have taken over, and they are moving with the greatest speed toward their own destruction. The Bible says of the young man, "He did not know that it would cost his life." He didn't take the time to think about it. His ignorance and his haste went hand in hand. Hasty people are often ignorant and ignorant people are often hasty.
[xxviii] Robert Lehigh, Lessons from Peter’s Denials of Jesus, https://biblehelpsinc.org/publication/lessons-from-peters-denials-of-jesus/