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ILLUS – Life is like a rubber band.

1. Life is filled with pressures.
2. The pressures of life can stretch anyone to their limits, resulting in a faithless, fleshly response.
3. Tonight, we are going to study a time in the Apostle Peter’s life when he was stretched and snapped under the pressure; when he was faithless.
4. From Peter’s story, we will discover valuable lessons to help us stay faithful when we are stretched by life and also where to run “If We Are Faithless” and fail.

Matthew 26:57-75

Context
1. This is one of the most important sections not only of Matthew’s Gospel, but of the Bible itself; the night that resulted in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
2. That night Jesus was betrayed by one of His own apostles, Judas Iscariot, in fulfillment of the Scriptures.

Psalm 41:9, Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

3. That night Jesus was abandoned by the other eleven apostles when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, also in fulfillment of the Scriptures.
Zechariah 13:7, Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered

4. That night and next morning, Jesus would endure six trials, false accusations, mocking, beatings, and scourging before the first nail was hammered into His flesh.
5. Next week, we will study the trials that exonerated Jesus even though He was wrongly condemned.
6. This evening, our focus will be on another trial of sorts; the self-inflicted trial of the Apostle Peter.
7. Self-inflicted? Yes, for as we will see Jesus repeatedly warned Peter, but Peter did not heed Jesus’ warnings.
8. Peter walked right into the trap that Jesus had warned him about and snapped under the pressure, denying the Lord three times. Peter was faithless.

Transition – If you are like me, you can relate to Peter and that’s the problem! We don’t want to relate to Peter in that manner, yet sometimes we do. So, what do we do to be faithful and not faithless?

I. Sanctify Christ as Lord in Your Heart

• Peter is the one disciple who always seems to put his foot in his mouth.
• Earlier that evening, Jesus had warned the disciples that they would all fall away that very night.
• Then Peter stepped forward to offer his two cents and corrected Jesus, failing to remember what had happened when he had tried that before!
• Peter threw the other apostles under the bus to make himself look better, stronger, and more loyal.
• As we noted previously, Peter had overestimated himself; he was relying upon himself and that’s where he got himself into trouble.
• While in the Garden of Gethsemane, a great multitude came with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus and bring Him to the high priest to stand trial.
• The moment they laid hands on Jesus, Peter pulled out a sword and tried to take off the head of the high priest’s servant, Malchus.
• Fortunately for Malchus, Peter was a fisherman, so his sword skills were lacking, and he took off his ear instead!
• At that point I believe it’s safe to assume that Peter was in a lot of trouble.
• But Jesus saved Peter. Jesus reached down, picked up the ear, dusted it off, and reattached it.
• Then Jesus rebuked Peter, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” (52)
• Jesus was then led away to endure the first of many trials.

Transition – In many ways, Peter is an example for us to take heed of. If you want to be faithful…

A. Don’t follow Jesus at a distance
1. In verse 58, we are told that Peter followed Jesus “at a distance”.
2. Peter was following Jesus, but after the arrest, he wanted to blend in and not be recognized as Jesus’ apostle; the one who just cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant!

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