Years ago, I had a friend who had forgotten to check the oil on his car. He also didn’t realize his engine was leaking oil. One day his car wouldn’t start, and the mechanic told him his engine was completely seized up and would need to be replaced. If he had identified the problem with his damaged engine, he would have avoided much bigger problems.
We must identify when our faith is damaged before devastating failures occur — and also seek restoration after failures occur. The apostle Peter gives us a helpful view of damaged faith.
Distance Weakens Faith (22:54)
“Peter followed afar off.” Peter did not run away completely. He followed the Lord and the guards that arrested Him in the garden…but he followed at a distance.
Think about Peter’s distance like a boat at the dock anchored with a faulty rope. An unsecured rope that holds the boat at the dock becomes loose and eventually lets go of its hold. The current is subtle, and the drifting is unnoticeable at first. Inches slowly become feet, and feet then become yards, etc. The subtle drifting is not noticed until late in the afternoon when the owners wake up from naps and realize they are very far away from land!
Damaged faith often begins subtly. Damaged faith does not begin with rebellion or with renouncing Jesus Christ. It often begins with distance. There is danger in our embracing distance from relationship with Jesus!
Distance in our devotion
Distance in our prayer life
Distance in fellowship with the Lord and with the church
Distance in our courage to stand with and for Jesus
It was only in Luke 22:33 that Peter affirmed “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” However, within hours, distance had formed between Peter’s words and his walk.
The farther we drift from Jesus, the easier it is to deny Jesus.
Where has distance subtly crept into your relationship with Jesus?
Have routines and obligations replaced relationship with Jesus?
Has the fear of retribution, physical harm, or societal rejection replaced boldness for Jesus?
Damaged faith does not collapse overnight. It is a gradual degeneration over time! The small choices of sin and the slight drifting away from relationship with Jesus … that many say are “no big deal” … actually make significant damage to our faith!
Fire tests Faith (Luke 22:55)
“Peter sat down among them.” Peter moves from distant disciple to seated companion among Christ’s enemies. He is literally warming himself at the wrong fire!
As a teen, I would go on a 3-day/2-night canoe trip down the Delaware River with my dad, brother, and other fathers and sons from my church. Each night we would set up camp along the river and build a big fire. Most of the guys would place their wet shoes near the fire to dry them off before the next day of canoeing. One teen wanted to dry his shoes off more thoroughly than the night before, so he placed his wet sneakers much too close to the fire. Eventually, someone noticed his shoes had a little smoke rising up from them. Upon closer inspection, he discovered his shoes now had a hole in them because they were too close to the fire!
Every fire will shape us! Peter once stood out with boldness for Christ, but now he blends in to avoid being identified as a follower of Jesus. The environment we choose will strengthen or strain our faith.
Where do you seek comfort when pressure rises?
Who surrounds you when your faith is tested?
Are you seeking warmth at fires that dull your convictions?
Fear Silences Faith (Luke 22:57)
“Woman, I know him not.” Peter ends up denying knowing Christ (and even denying his following Christ) 3 times. Once to a servant girl, once to another individual, and the final time to a group of people. We should also note that each time finds Peter denying Christ with growing intensity. He even ends the final denial with cursing! Think about that the next time you try to justify curse words in your personal vocabulary. Peter used profanity to distance himself from Jesus! This is actually pretty shocking. The bold apostle became a fearful man resorting to profanity!
A couple weekends ago I was struggling with my asthma, so my wife made me a cup of turmeric tea. The only way the flavor of the tea was able to be tasted was after it sat in boiling water. It was the pressure of the hot water that revealed what was in the tea bag!
Don’t miss this! Damaged faith will reveal itself under pressure … and it can happen surprisingly fast! In the garden, Peter is drawing a sword in defense of Jesus, and at the trial, Peter cannot speak one word of loyalty for Jesus.
When we drift into distance from relationship, fear will take over… and when fear leads the heart, faith loses its voice.
Peter’s distance from relationship with Jesus quickly embraced fear of rejection, fear of suffering, and fear of association. Are you silent when God is challenged, mocked, or blasphemed? Do you withdraw when identified as a disciple of Jesus? Sometimes denial sounds loud and sometimes it is silent! Regardless of the mode, denial always reveals damaged faith.
The Look that Restores Faith (Luke 22:61)
“The Lord turned and looked upon Peter.”
Peter has just denied the Lord three times when the Lord catches Peter’s eyes. The rooster crows, the Lord’s words echoed in Peter’s heart, and conviction cut through Peter’s gut like a sharp blade.
With the context of Christ’s words even from the cross, I believe we can understand the Lord’s glance at Peter as one of immense love…not rage, not surprise, and not even disgust. It was a look of love.
Consider this key difference between Judas and Peter. Judas betrays Jesus, is filled with despair, and kills himself. Peter denies Christ and weeps bitter tears of repentance, not despair! This repentance brings restoration and God uses this restored man (50 days or roughly 7 weeks later) to preach in Acts 2 to thousands and thousands of people. The result is 3,000 souls getting saved!
Here is the timeline for Peter denying Christ and then preaching on the day of Pentecost with 3,000 getting saved:
Peter denies Christ 3 times during Jesus’ trial before the High Priest. This would be the night of Jesus’ arrest and after the last supper, so this would be late Thursday night into early Friday morning.
Jesus is crucified on Passover day, Friday. Peter’s denials happen shortly before Jesus is brought to Pilate and then crucified.
The disciples discover an empty tomb on Sunday morning and then Jesus prepares the disciples for their mission over the next 40 days (Acts 1:3).
Jesus ascends into heaven 40 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3-9).
Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost 50 days after Passover and Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 2:41).
This past week I saw a video of a man who had a kitchen table and 4 chairs in his driveway. He was trying to just get rid of it to the guy asking about it. It was really beat up and had at least 5 layers of paint over the wood. The man ended up taking the table and showed the process of refinishing it. It was tremendously hard to remove all the paint, but after numerous attempts with different products and tools, he finally succeeded. In the end, he had stained the table a dark walnut and recovered the seat of the chairs. A table that seemed beyond hope, was fully restored!
Even damaged faith is capable of restoration! Praise God! Just like Peter, God warns us of our temptations and sinful leanings. God sees our failures before we commit them and He intercedes on our behalf even after we falter! Failure is not final when repentance is real!
5 Things to Do When Repenting After Failure
1. Own your sin without excuses (Ps. 51:3; Prov. 28:13)
2. Confess your sin straight to God & those hurt (Ps. 32:5; I Jn. 1:9)
3. Accept God’s forgiveness by faith (Rom. 8:1)
4. Turn from the pattern that led to the failure (Is. 55:7; Acts 3:19)
5. Move forward with renewed obedience (Phil. 3:13-14)
The question for us all today is not whether or not we have failed. The question is what we will do when we see the look of Jesus through His word after our failures. Turn your eyes on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face! Turn from failure with repentance and find the voice of your renewed faith!