foreign good morning everyone welcome back to free Grace Baptist Church a couple announcements before we start worship this morning we have Pastor Mike Kirkpatrick and family visiting from Surrey reform Baptist Church welcome back he'll be preaching this morning and this evening Pastor Butler is in Surrey preaching there so thank you for taking the pulpit here uh Pastor Butler will be back this week so Wednesday night bible study will continue as usual at 7 30 PM in the fellowship hall and then Pastor Butler recently set up sent out an email an important email about next Sunday evening so if you didn't get that email because you're not on the list or you haven't read that email and you show up for the 5 PM service next Sunday at 5 PM you'll be wondering why Pastor Butler is halfway through his sermon already we're starting the Sunday evening service next Sunday at 4 pm moving it back one hour to 4 P.M and the reason for that is we're going to have the fellowship meal next Sunday after the evening service rather than after the morning service so remember that 4 P.M and you'll have an opportunity to say goodbye to Lucas hall because he's moving out to the city and transfer he'll be transferring his membership to Surrey reform Baptist Church so next Sunday will be his last Sunday with us so that's the opportunity to uh to say your goodbyes to him obviously there are boots to be filled there we'll be losing one of our pianists and sounds with technicians so pray for that and pray for Lucas as he makes this transition so for our call to worship this morning we're going to turn to Psalm 146. Psalm 146 for our call to worship praise the Lord praise the Lord O My Soul while I live I will praise the Lord I will sing praises to my God while I have my being do not put your trust in princes nor in a son of man in whom there is no help his Spirit departs he returns to his Earth in that very day his plans perish happy as he who has the god of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God who made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that is in them who keeps truth forever who executes Justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry the Lord gives freedom to the Prisoners the Lord opens the eyes of the blind the Lord raises those who are bowed down the lord loves the righteous the Lord Watches Over The Strangers he relieves the fatherless and Widow but the Way of the Wicked he Turns Upside Down the Lord shall reign forever your God o Zion to all generations amen take your Trinity Salter Hymnal with me and we're going to turn to Psalm 99 selection Day psalm 99 a is in Alpha please stand with me as we sing [Music] foreign [Music] praise His grace [Music] foreign [Music] thank you no Glory [Music] roses for his grace [Music] yes [Music] before it is foreign [Music] please be seated as we go to our God In Prayer our gracious and Heavenly Father we thank you for the privilege that we have to gather together today thank you for each individual that is sitting in this room thank you that you have drawn us out by your spirit and I thank you oh God that we have the privilege of hearing the word Preach Today I pray that you would bless Pastor Kirkpatrick as he comes to the pulpit later pray that you would give him unction and authority to preach boldly the word of Truth Lord I do pray that you would bless his folk his congregation back in Surrey this day pray that you would encourage them pray you'd give Pastor Butler a word to speak and do season for them this day as well and bless the the Brethren up in uh Salmon Arm Suri our Vernon area I pray God that you'd bless Pastor Melgar says he preaches there encourage that flock cause them to grow in in maturity and strength I pray I pray as well for our Brethren out in Dryden Ontario I pray you'd encourage that congregation and I pray that they would would be well grounded and well-founded as well and bless the church down in the Honduras that we have fellowship with pray that you would encourage them bless Pastor Luis Pastor Carlos do them good this day I pray o God lord I pray all over the face of the Earth the gospel will be spread this day as preachers enter the pulpit to minister the truth we know there are many many false prophets and many false teachers out there but we pray that the gospel would be preached loudly and and boldly from those pulpits where men of God fear your name and preach your word Lord we pray that you would have mercy upon us we live in a day in and age of of declension and yet we know that the church is marching forward and that Christ is building his church the church itself is being purified and being polished and made bright for that glorious day when we will gather around the Throne of Christ and sing your Praises from every tribe and tongue and people and Nation we thank you for the work that you are doing and pray that you would continue it here as well as all over the face of the globe this day Lord we pray for our Brethren here and abroad that are being persecuted for the name of Christ and for their tenacity and holding to the truth I pray Lord that you would sustain our Brethren and those who are in prison right now those who are even facing death penalties would be held up by your Sovereign power and and allowed to persevere and not recant to the very end Lord be gracious to your people I pray and now Lord I pray that you would continue as with us in our worship pray that you would be honored and glorified and that we might worship you in spirit and truth I ask this in Jesus name amen for our second hymn we'll turn to number 403 403 glorious things of thee are spoken please stand with me as we sing [Music] please yourself [Music] eternal love somebody [Music] from here so please do you praise God these times [Music] away which is [Music] foreign [Music] for our consecutive New Testament reading we are in The Second Epistle of Peter the Apostle Peter Second Epistle chapter one and we'll read the entire chapter Simon Peter a bond servant an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have obtained like Precious Faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our lord as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue by which by which great and precious Sorry by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust but also for this very reason giving all diligence add to your faith virtue to Virtue knowledge to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance to perseverance godliness to Godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness love for if these things are yours and abound you will be neither Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for He Who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins therefore Brethren be even more diligent to make your call and election sure for if you do these things you will never stumble for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things though you know and are established in the present truth yes I think it is right as long as I am in this tent to stir you up by reminding you knowing that I shortly must that shortly I must put off my tent just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honor and Glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent Glory this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the Holy Mountain and so we have the prophetic word confirmed which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day Dawns and The Morning Star rises in your hearts knowing this that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy spirit amen let us pray thank you Father in heaven for these words from our beloved brother Peter and thank you that the scripture records for us that this man who was near and dear to Christ during his Earthly Ministry even though he denied the Lord was restored to Faith and became a pillar in the church and we thank you for his testimony to us we pray that you'd be with us this morning as we move into the worship by listening to the preaching of the word of God I pray that it would settle in our hearts and bring forth fruit in Jesus name amen for our last hymn we'll turn to number 275. 275 Arise My Soul arise please stand with me as we sing [Music] foreign [Music] it is [Music] Earth place [Music] foreign [Music] everyone it's good to see you all it's good to be back at free Grace Baptist Church uh you can turn with me in your Bibles the the gospel of Mark chapter 14. we're going to consider Peter's denial this morning it's called when the rooster crows uh so we'll look at verses 66 through 72 this morning but I will begin reading at verse 53 to set the context Mark chapter 14 will begin reading at verse 53. and they LED Jesus away to the high priest then with him were assembled all the chief priests the elders and the scribes but Peter followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire now the chief priests and all the councils sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death but found none for many bore false witness against him but their testimonies did not agree then some rose up and bore false witness against him saying we heard him say I will destroy this Temple made with hands and within three days I will build another maid without hands but not even then did their testimony agree and the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus saying do you answer nothing what is it these men testify against you but he kept silent and answered nothing again the high priest asked him saying saying to him are you the Christ the son of the Blessed Jesus said I am and you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the Clouds Of Heaven then the high priest tore his clothes and said what further need do we have of witnesses you've heard the blasphemy what do you think they all condemned him to be deserving of death then some began to spit on him and to blindfold him and to beat him and say to him prophesy and the officer struck him with the palms of their hands now as Peter was below in the courtyard one of the servant girls of the high priest came and when she saw Peter warming himself she looked at him and said you also were with Jesus of Nazareth but you denied it saying I neither know nor understand what you are saying and he went out on the porch and a rooster crowed the servant girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by this is one of them but he denied it again a little later those who stood by said to Peter again surely you are one of them for you are Galilean and your speech shows it then he began to curse and swear I do not know this man of whom you speak and the second time the rooster crowed then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said to him before the rooster crows twice he will deny me three times and when he thought about it he wept amen let us pray oh Lord Our God we are thankful for the work of our Lord Jesus Christ thank you o God that he came down he took on human flesh and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the Cross and oh God we see in this account we know it was your predetermined purpose but we see the wickedness of man on display in crucifying the Lord Of Glory but also how the disciples scattered also how your Desi one of the disciples denied our Lord and we're thankful o God that Christ did go the way of the Cross to die for wretched Sinners even those who might deny Christ in a time of pressure thank you God that there is mercy and forgiveness as there was for Peter there's mercy and forgiveness for Sinners that are found in the finished work of the Savior we're thankful that he alone went to the Cross we're thankful that he alone died on the cross he alone was buried he alone was raised and we shall be raised with him thank you for this promise that you've given to us thank you for this truth that we can cling to day by day that Christ is a gracious and good Lord Christ is a powerful Lord and Christ forgives and saves Sinners Like Us and so we ask God you'd help us this day to understand what your word says give us illumination we pray give us a spirit of wisdom and Revelation by your spirit and we pray today oh God that you would strengthen your Saints help us to realize how weak we are and how much we need you and we also pray o God that you would save Sinners this day that you would work in their hearts and mighty work by your spirit and we pray that you'd work with the word as you do so and in all things oh God we pray that you'll be glorified and we pray these things in the Name of Christ amen well some sounds can trigger an emotional response sometimes that response is a warm and fuzzy response sometimes it's a negative response and I've done this experiment with my daughter it's called Daddy's snacks it's kind of like Pavlov Pavlov's dog but every time I open the the the the pantry door and every time I grab a wrapper I hear the pitter patter of little feet come by it doesn't matter where I am or where she is in the house but all of a sudden there's two beady eyes looking straight up at me she under Associates the sound of the door with some snacks now that's a silly little example but it was something that was very real for Peter in a negative way with respect to the rooster that crows twice now remember that Mark even though he is the author the apostolic Authority is Peter in a lot of ways this is Peter's gospel and Peter himself alone mentions how it's twice the rooster crows he remembers the day that he denied his Lord now remember too Peter was the one who confessed that you are the Christ the son of God driving to that point in Mark's gospel in Mark chapter 8 and Mark is trying to answer the question who is Jesus and Peter's the one who says you are the Christ the son of God and how far he falls on the day of his Lord's death as he denies his Lord who is he and who does he say that he is when people ask and people are watching who does he confess Jesus to be when a servant girl asks him were you not with Jesus of Nazareth and the bigger picture when it comes to the section in Mark's gospel it is Jesus's passion it's the way he goes to his cross the way in which he will die and he wants us to see how alone Jesus really is when he goes to the cross the enemies hate him his disciples scatter and even there's this naked streaker in 51 and 52 and no name who runs away as well Jesus is very alone as he goes to die and so it's in the section that we see then how further alone Jesus is when Peter denies his Lord and I think that's the problem that we see in these verses how one so easily can fall and deny our Lord you know the fear of man leads to denial of our Lord and a Peter feared being identified with him he feared man and I think our own fear of man is greater than we care to admit we all like to think we would stand up in a day of Oppression we all like to think we'd stand up in a time of persecution but we only way we can do so is by the power of God most high to keep us strong in those moments you'd be surprised how often in history God's people fall but there is great mercy and forgiveness even if one denies the Lord there is forgiveness in Christ and so we see in verses 66 through 72 Peter denies his Lord fulfilling Christ's prediction a does so before the rooster crows twice so we'll frame this sermon under two headings under that idea of the rooster crowing twice so first of all we'll see before the rooster crows once versus 66 through 68 then secondly we'll see before the rooster crows twice versus 69 through 72. so before the rooster crows once and then before the rooster crows twice so let's see what happens before the rooster crows once versus 66 through 68. and notice in verse 66 now as Peter was below in the courtyard one of the servant girls of the high priest came in we cannot miss the sandwich effect that is going on here in Mark's gospel a lot of the language we see in verse 66 is a bookend with verse 54. but Peter followed him in at a distance didn't want to be associated with him he follows him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire we cannot miss the irony we cannot miss the contrast that Mark is trying to display here Peter is in the courtyard below Peter is in the courtyard down from where Christ is in the upper room as he Christ himself is giving a true witness in the face of false Witnesses in the face of potential Death Christ says I am and you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the Clouds Of Heaven and what then does Peter do in the courtyard what then does Peter do at the same time Christ is on trial well we see Peter is fearful of a little servant girl so the servant girl of the high priest she comes in Peter is there warming himself with the other servants she wanders in and she sees him warming himself again going with verse 54 and she looked at him she looked at him and Luke's gospel says she looked intently she stares for a moment she wonders where she's seen this one before now I don't know about you but I don't like to be stared at I probably should have been a pastor because everybody's staring at me right now but I don't like to be stared at when I don't have I expect anybody to be staring at me I don't like to be stared at perhaps when I'm trying to hide myself and so Peter's trying to hide himself he doesn't want to be seen here comes this girl looking straight at him and Luke's gospel says he looked intently or she looked intently she had a stare she had a gaze upon her that she's seen this someone seen this person before and it kind of Spooks Peter so she looks at him and she says you also we're with Jesus of Nazareth she identifies one of the the uh who the the ringleader is she identifies that it's this Jesus of Nazareth you were once with him and notice what he does in the first encounter verse 68 but he denied it saying I neither know nor understand what you are saying he pleads ignorance now we know Peter suffers from hand foot and mouth disease it's probably something you and I struggle with as well we kind of put our foot in our mouths more than we like to admit but we thankfully there's mercy and forgiveness in Christ and Peter does it often right after he confesses you are the Christ the son of God Jesus says I'm going to go die and Peter says no way and Jesus says Get Behind Me Satan to Peter says in Mark 14 after they uh Jesus says he's going to all the disciples are going to scatter Peter's like not me even if everybody else I'm not going to be the one who does it and that's when Jesus says assuredly I say to you that day even this night or today even this night before the rooster crows you will uh crows twice you will deny me three times and perhaps as Pastor Butler said when he went through Matthew's gospel Peters three naps in the garden precede Peter's three to denials and this is his first encounter his first Denial in the first place he pleads ignorance now what's interesting is Ryle points out how small a Temptation it really is Jesus has threat of death now perhaps Peter would have been associated with him and he was fearful he might receive the same treatment but notice really how small a threat it really is how small a person and how minor the Temptation that leads him to sin rile says let us beware making light of Temptations because they seem little and insignificant there's nothing little that concerns our souls A little leaven leavens the whole lump a little spark May Kindle a great fire a little leak May sink a great ship a little provocation may bring out from our hearts great corruption and end in bringing our souls into great trouble it was a little threat from a little girl that began to set Peter off on the path to denial so he starts here he plead AIDS ignorance and he says he goes out you don't understand what you're saying he goes out on the porch probably it's again it's dark by the fire he can be seen he goes to the park porch to hide no one's going to see him there right it's darker he's trying to hide his face and his shame and then only Mark has that last uh part of the verse there and a rooster crowed and a rooster crowed you'd like to think perhaps that Peter would clue in right the rooster crowed Jesus said the rooster is going to Crow twice and as you're reading it you're kind of like Peter the rooster crowed once already pay attention do you know what's happening so often perhaps he's uh we forget to hear and Clue Into what is going on and he doesn't and things get far more worse for him I think what this whole section really teaches us is how fearful of man we really are Brethren again we never like to admit that but we are much more afraid of what man thinks than we like to say we're not as courageous as we like to think we would be and most people won't stand up for what is right when their life and their livelihood are on the line it's easy to say you will when everything's great it's easy to say you will when we're you know plump and fat because we've had a good meal it's easy to say all those things but it's very difficult when perhaps your sleep is deprived when you're being beaten when you're being you know tortured though it's a much different scenario and it's not as though Peter's debt law life was being threatened here pilate he just desired to gratify the people yet he still sinned and perhaps a modern example I'm just doing my job the fear of man leads to denials of Our Lord that's why there's a reason in history that people threaten Christians with violence there's a reason in history that people that God haters threaten God's people with violence they want you to fear they want you to be scared they want you to fear man rather than God that's why in those moments it's best to pray now when all things are good that we would have strength in those times strengthen those moments that God would give us the strength we need to stand in those times and that's important for the original audience of the book and that's why it's important for us as well the original audience here is the Roman church and they would have been facing perhaps the reality of persecution they would have been facing the reality of Oppression and so they had to ask themselves they had to question and examine themselves Lord give me the strength to stand in those dark times and perhaps as we read history as well we can see many a times how God's people cave how God's people break when they are brutalized by others there's a Pentecostal Pastor who lived in Bulgaria his name was Harlan Popov I probably didn't say it as well as my Russian you know members at our church do but uh he was uh he uh he was arrested under charges of conspiring against the state most the time when you preach the gospel you're not arrested for preaching the gospel you're arrested and charged for conspiring against the state and he does talk about a lot of different ways they were tortured he eventually spent 13 years in prison but to get a confession out of him to confess that yeah he was conspiring against the state what the Soviets did is they would bring him out at night time into a room that was white they would shine a light right on that and on the white a white walls and he'd have to stand and anytime he shut his eyes he gets smapped anytime he fell over he gets smacked anytime anything happened where he wasn't staring at the white wall he would get smacked because what they were trying to do was not just break their bodies but break their minds now it wasn't so much that he denied his Lord but he writes in his in his Memoir about how we all went to trial and we all said we did it a bunch of pastors were you know you know you know brought out they all said yeah we did it we engage in crimes against they all confessed how brutalized God's people can be and may this passage teach us and give us a sober recognition of how much we need our God and how much we fear man we must be aware of the rooster's Crow and more importantly the words of Our Lord in those times so that's what happens before the rooster crows once that's then looked secondly at before the rooster crows twice verses 69 through 72. and notice Mark's very abrupt here it's to build suspense and the servant girl saw him again and began to say with those who stood by uh this is one of them but again he denied it again interest she's interacting with the ones who perhaps they're a little bit longer than she was isn't isn't that the guy it wasn't he walking around with Peter the servant girl identifies him again and Mark has lesser detail here again to build that suspense for us to build the intensity and build tension the Bible isn't just true it's also the most well-written book uh there ever was and certainly we see that as tension builds builds to that third Denial in verse 70 through 72. notice and a little later Luke says it's about an hour about an hour later hopefully within that hour you'd have time to regroup and collect your thoughts and maybe get ready for the next one but not so here a little later those who stood by said to Peter again surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean and your speech shows it he's identified by the difference in his speech you realize American and Canadians talk different I didn't realize that until I lived in America and everybody said you do say a boot a lot of the time people understood that people's we might look different or look the same but we sound very different I think in Britain too there's different dialects and the different uh different way they speak with the different accents and so they could see that here with the Galilean surely you are one of them you are gallein and your speech shows it this is where we see Peter's best in action I'm being sarcastic by the way I don't think other people understand I can be sarcastic sometimes but that's okay but we see his worst if you want to be honest and real verse 71 he began to curse and to swear Peter does not let his yes be yes and his no be no and the language of swearing there does come up in Matthew Chapter 5 where Jesus says let your yes be yes and your no be no that is don't be rash in swearing an oath that's exactly what Peter does here and he adds the curse to it as well then he began to curse and to swear and again don't miss the contrast don't miss the irony don't miss what's going on in the upper room where Jesus is standing on trial Jesus is falsely accused by the Sanhedrin while he Bears witness you will see me sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the Clouds Of Heaven but his disciple is denying him and bearing false witness Jesus is being falsely accused and now his disciple is bearing false witness and so when he invokes this curse what he is saying is if what I say or what I do does not happen you know may uh May whatever I invoke may it be happen to me May there be consequences if what one says is not true and perhaps to the language of swearing is calling upon perhaps Transcendent entity as the Lexicon say for eight I will do it I will engage it I this is absolutely true and he says I do not know this man notice he can't even say his name I do not know this man far different from Mark 8 29 where he says you are the Christ the son of God Harry won't even identify himself with Jesus whenever you when all that when there's all the marbles when everything's at stake he crumbles and he falls and notice what Clues him in 72. a second time the rooster crowed again only Mark includes the twice aspect of it usually when we're reading the gospels it's good to look at how they you know mesh but it's also more important I think to look at how they differ Luke's emphasis seems to be the look the little girl looked intently and then Jesus looked after the rooster crowed right Peter was more concerned about the look of a girl than the look of his Lord that I think is Luke's emphasis well here Mark's emphasis is the twice twice twice before the rooster crows twice Peter likely remembered it till the day he died I don't think they had alarm clocks back then so they would he would have heard a lot of roosters crowing I'm sure he remembered it every time I denied my Lord that day I denied I'm surmising I'm speculating I know that but perhaps he did he remembered it was the day he died and we see that here he told Mark Market was twice the rooster crowed twice he remembers the prediction just as Jesus had said before the rooster crows twice he will deny me three times the words of Jesus in Mark 14 30 finally ring true for Peter here in Mark 14 72 what Jesus had said would happen has come to pass and so what does Peter do when he thought about it he wept all who he thought he was all what he thought he was has been shattered In This Moment you go he went from the Confessor in Mark 8 to the denier in Mark 14 and he goes out and he Weeps now thankfully this isn't the end for Peter certainly with Judas it was Judas did not find Mercy in Jesus in Mark's gospel once Judas you know betrays the Lord he's out Matthew has Judas when he hangs himself but not so in Mark's gospel but uh he does not Peter does not do What Judas does it's a contrast with him and thankfully again this is not the end France says his remorse contrasted with judas's apparently settled disloyalty points to failure under pressure rather than deliberate change of Allegiance and for that Mark's readers will have noted with relief there Remains the prospect of forgiveness and Rehabilitation there is mercy and forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ Brethren if you suffer you have Christ who is with you if you go through persecution you have Christ who is with you and who will give you the strength that you need but if you deny there is a Christ who forgives as well and so while it's well it's good for us to see how fearful of man we are it's also more important to see how forgiving Christ is in these verses notice what Jesus forgives denial Brethren denial is not the unforgivable sin and you see that with Peter here now John gives us a more detailed restoration of Peter you know he asks him three times Peter do you love me and Peter says I love you mark once again is a little more subtle Matthew and the others are perhaps a little more meat and potatoes they just tell you like it is Mark kind of draws Us in and sometimes uses less words to help us to stop and to think but we see the forgiveness in two words in Mark 16 verse 7. and I think in Mark 16 7 it is a restoration and a comfort of the promise of what of what Jesus said in the denial prediction in Mark 14 verses 27-31 but notice these ladies come upon the day of his resurrection there's a young man sitting in the right side they were alarmed they were afraid Mark is all about fear in his gospel it wants us to examine who where our fear lies is it with God or with man you seek Jesus this uh this young man says an angel who is crucified he is risen he is not here see the place where they laid him but go tell his disciples and Peter he specifically singles out Peter just two words that signify Jesus's forgiveness in this book sometimes we need John 21 but sometimes we just need two words and Peter and in that message of Aunt Peter to the disciples the ladies were to bring it highlights that the Risen Savior still loves them the Risen Savior identifies with them suffered for them and for gives them because Brethren the best of men are men at best and there are many of God's true Saints who engage in Wicked sins and might even deny but if one who denies confesses their sins and can and believes on Christ and has believed on Christ can find Mercy in him Ryle again says let us be careful to remember that Simon Peter's case does not stand alone the word of God remain contains many other examples of the infirmity of True Believers which we shall do well to observe the histories of Noah Abraham David Hezekiah will supply us with mournful proof that the infection of sin remains even in the regenerate and that no man is so strong as to be beyond the danger of falling let us not forget this let us walk humbly with our God happy is the man who is always reverent many of God's people have fallen but God's people find Mercy In Christ in what he has done so that's the sin that Christ forgives but also notice the repentance that he forgives as well now perhaps I'm stretching things that's possible but we see at the end there in verse 72. he wept now what is repentance it's a change of mind it's a sorrow over sin and I think it's good for God's people to verbalize it I'm sorry for the specific sin that I have committed it's good to verbally repent and seek forgiveness for known sins against God and against man and it really should be words but sometimes God hears our tears doesn't he turn with me to Psalm 39. in Psalm 39 David is praying a prayer of forgiveness seeking forgiveness from his God the one he hopes in he says in verse 8 of Psalm 39 deliver me from all my transgressions do not make me the reproach of the foolish I was mute I did not open my mouth because it was you who did it remove your plague from me I am consumed by the blow of your hand when with rebukes you correct man for iniquity you make his Beauty melt away like a moth surely every man is a vapor say la so it is in the context of confessing his sin and he says in verse 12 hear my prayer O Lord and give ear to My Cry do not be silent at my tears for I'm a stranger with you a Sojourner as all my fathers were remove your gaze from me that I may regain strength before I go away and am no more but it's that language do not be silent at my tears God even forgives the tears of his people sometimes we hold grudges longer than God does sometimes we think that our our being righted is more important than forgiveness and sometimes we require to say I'm sorry please forgive me and people should say I'm sorry please forgive me but notice how quick God is to forgive he went out and he wept Judas doesn't weep in Matthew chapter 26 27. Peter Weeps and this is probably so hard for us to grasp forgiveness is so hard for us to grasp because it's so very foreign to us isn't it rather than we believe it we believe it to be true we believe it as it says in the gospel We Believe upon Christ and find forgiveness in him but Brethren as we are born into this world we still want things to be right we still want people to receive their comeuppance don't deny it you all want it you want it in your families you want it with your spouses you we do we are so very slow to forgive but God is a God who forgives and that's an important thing for us to see in these verses yes Peter's denial yes his fear yes our weakness but more importantly the Forgiveness that God gives us the giveness Forgiveness that God shows us in the work of the son and when you consider the fear of man when you consider the depravity of a man when you consider all the wickedness in this world a most perplexing question should arise in our minds why in the world does he forgive why in the world should he forgive why in the world do we deserve forgiveness and the answer that question is we do not deserve forgiveness it is a gift that God gives and we receive that gift through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ even someone who denies can find forgiveness in the Lord and so Brethren if you are in Christ and you still struggle with sins and you are fearful about denying the Lord and you do perhaps in time and space there is forgiveness in him never forget he forgives all the sins of his people past present and future and why does he do this because he is good he is love and we see this manifested in the work of the son how that sun be took was sent that son took on human flesh and that son died upon the cross for wretched sinners like you and I we should see how forgiving God is and if you're an unbeliever here today no doubt you have violated God's law a myriad of times no doubt you've done wicked things and brought shame upon friends upon yourself you've done terrible things to others but there is mercy and forgiveness in Christ believe upon him you shall be saved and you shall find forgiveness for your sins in the blood of the Lamb this is what we see before the rooster crows twice well let us pray our gracious God please forgive us for our fear of man please forgive us for our weakness please forgive us for our pride please forgive us for our arrogance o God we know that any sort of Oppression any sort of persecution that should come upon us is according to your plan and we know o God that you will give us the fresh Supply that we need in those moments and so we ask oh god well things are well well things are going well so to speak from without o God we pray that you would prepare our hearts we pray o God you protect us we pray o God that you would help us to stand in those days and help us also be reminded though oh God if we do not that there is forgiveness in Christ for denying we pray we wouldn't we pray oh God we would not deny our Lord we pray o God that we would not uh uh be like Peter who did not identify with him but we also pray o God that we would see that there is forgiveness in you and so help us to see o God that you are a God who forgives that you are a God who is merciful you are God who is kind and we ask God as we Ponder and consider all your good works that we would then fear you for we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom we pray oh God that we would fear You by faith and so we pray o God that you give your people encouragement and strength today thank you oh God you teach us how weak we are and how much we need you thank you o God that you remind us day by day and week by week of the Forgiveness that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ we do not deserve this forgiveness that we have received so thank you o God for taking our sins away may it cause us to bless may it cause us to praise and may it cause us as well to be forgiving towards others please forgive us for not being forgiving and so we also pray o God that you'd Supply us with the strength that we need day by day to honor and glorify you we pray oh God that we would do so as we recount all the good things that you've done for us and we pray if they're only here today who do not know you we pray oh God you'd work in them a mighty work by your spirit with the word show them their sin and show them the fountain filled with blood that is drawn from Emmanuel's veins thank you o God for your grace thank you for your love and we pray that we are people we give you honor and praise and glory we pray these things in the Name of Christ amen but we'll close with a brief time of meditation is that right okay and when the pianos finish you're dismissed [Music]
