Mark 14:66  And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
67  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68  But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69  And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70  And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71  But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72  And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Yesterday the U.S. entered the conflict between Israel and Iran in a bigger way. They used their own aircraft and their own bombs to attack three significant nuclear sites in Iran. According to reports, they severely damaged all the sites they hit. Iran continues to be defiant, suggesting they will not negotiate with the U.S. or Israel as long as Israel is attacking them. Iran has been attacking anyone who they see as their enemy for a long time.
Yesterday we were in Winnipeg and we saw two people wearing the Keffiyeh and carrying terrorist flags. They stood at a stop light for a while and then crossed the street. At least one person in a vehicle honked in support of these terrorists. The terrorists acknowledged that support with their raised hands. This is where Canada is at.
The bombing in Iran yesterday was significant. Will it change the climate in the Middle East? Not according to the Bible. It will take the antichrist to bring about the fragile peace of the first part of the Tribulation. Is Mr. Trump the hero he wants to present himself as? Of course not. Some people are very excited that he mentioned God in his short speech after the attacks yesterday. Contrast that with Joseph, or Daniel, or of Peter and John, or the apostle Paul. They began their discussions by acknowledging God as their authority and hope. Mr. Trump mentioned God near the end of his speech. The majority of his speech was about his brilliance and that of the U.S. He did acknowledge Israel a little as well.
The point is that the events taking place in the Middle East are all presented as man-centred. Those who are saved know that God is keeping things off balance enough to allow the Gospel to be proclaimed yet in that region and across the world.
In our text we read of Peter’s failure. He failed because he trusted in himself and not in God. He had positioned himself in what he assumed would be a beneficial place to witness the trial of Jesus. First one of the maids of the high priest saw Peter and accused him of being with Jesus of Nazareth. She knew where Jesus grew up. She identified Peter as being close to Jesus.
Peter did not hesitate to deny her accusations. Having made his first lie, he moved a little further from the action. He went out into the porch.
Another maid came and pointed out to others that Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter denied the accusation again. Peter had a problem in that he could not be quiet. He kept interacting with the people and those that stood by him again accused Peter of being one of them because his speech exposed him as a Galilaean.
Peter had now been given three opportunities to admit the truth. On each occasion he chose to lie. On this third attempt he not only lied but he chose to curse and to swear, seeking to distance himself from Jesus.
In verse 72 we read that the second time the cock crew. Peter had been mindful of this fact. He heard that cock crow earlier. His pride did not allow him to make the right reference to this fact. Now he heard that cock crow again. Now, after the damage was done, Peter recalled the words of Jesus. Jesus had clearly warned him that he would deny Him three times before the cock would crow twice. This fact hit Peter like a ton of bricks now. He could not brush this off. The reality of what had just happened hit him hard and caused him to weep. Matthew and Luke record that he wept bitterly when he remembered what Jesus had prophesied and what he had just done.
One of the facts of life is that we cannot take back what has left our lips. We can apologize for sins committed, but there will also be damage done.
At this point, we are not told that Peter apologized for what he had done. He was overcome with grief for his failure. He left this area now. He would live with that shame for three days. He would have time to consider his heart attitude.
We do not need a personal appearance with Jesus today. We can pray to God and we, those who are saved, can confess our sins to God and be forgiven through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is necessary in order to be forgiven. There must be an acknowledgment of sin in order to be forgiven. True fellowship is restored when sin is forgiven.
The good news here is that Peter did recognize his sin. Judas had earlier sinned in betraying Jesus to the chief priests. When he realized he had done wrong, he went back to the chief priests to confess his sin; and finding no help, he went out and hung himself.
Peter would find forgiveness through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We, those who are saved, need to walk humbly before the Lord. We have many warnings of the danger of sleeping when we should be praying. We have many warnings of the danger of disassembling ourselves from fellow believers. We need the fellowship of the Lord and of fellow saints. That is how we can make wise decisions. That is how we can be a blessing to others.
Today is the Lord’s Day. We have another opportunity to attend a true local church and be challenged from the Word of God. Where will you be this morning? God’s clock is ticking. Our appointed time to meet the Lord is set. How are you preparing for that moment? Choose wisely and know the blessing of the Lord today. If you are not saved, humble yourself and turn to God now and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Then find a true local church where you can be encouraged in the things of the Lord. Be sure to take advantage of the time God has given you.
Pastor Bartel