The Lord Is My Shepherd In Tswana

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Tom Donahou

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Aug 3, 2024, 3:06:23 PM8/3/24

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The circumstance. Mark 14:53. They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.

We take no pleasure in the failure and sins of anyone and especially not another fellow brother in Christ. Love takes no pleasure in wrongs done. Love does not rejoice in evil, in ours or in anyone else. (I Cor. 13:1-13) This is an awful sin. But it is full of so much instruction for us. (I Cor.10:1-10)

Before we go any further, I want us all to see that Peter is a true Believer. Jesus had asked the men who do you say that I am. And Peter said to Jesus, You are the Christ the Son of the Living God. And Jesus said to him, blessed are you Simon bar (son of) Jonah, God the Father opened your eyes to who I am. (Mt.16:13-18) Peter is blessed by God because He believes in Christ. He is forgiven. He is loved.

But we see that he has sinned horribly. This is the sin of a saved sinner. As a brief aside every once and a while you will meet with professing Christians that teach a doctrine of perfectionism. They teach that a Christian can reach a place in this life where they never sin. Beloved, this is not true. We will be practically sinless when we go to heaven. Here in this life we sin. Peter proves this.

Peter failed Christ. He denied knowing Christ that he truly believed in. He said three times. I do not know Jesus, I do not know Jesus, I do not know Jesus. I am not a Christian, I am not a Christian, I am not a Christian. I swear to God! Beloved, what would you think about a person that said this to you? That they were not a Christian. But Peter was a Christian. He is a Christian. He loved Christ while he was failing Christ! Oh what lessons for us.

You cannot extinguish true faith in Christ. It is a gift of God to you. It joins you to the Living God forever. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not you. Not your sin. Not man. Not Satan. Satan tripped Peter. But Satan cannot extinguish the life of Christ in Peter! Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ. Glory to God. (Rom.8:11-39)

Our sins are always ugly and offensive to God. Our sins are forgiven in Christ. But they are always offensive. But God can take them and break our pride and our self-reliance and lovelessness and mold us into the image of Christ.

We do not try to sin that grace would come. That is both sinful and silly. (Rom.6:1-6) But beloved, when we fail God, when we sin against Christ in some awful way and we weep, and we cry seeking His forgiveness. Here is where we learn of the love and the mercy and the power of Christ. Here is where we learn to live for Christ, walking as He walked. Fearing sin. Fearing self. Trusting in Christ. Abiding in His word and in His love. (Jn.15:1-10)

If we will not be taught by divine precept to seek all our strength, all our wisdom, all our goodness in Jesus then we will be taught by the scourge of our personal sin, and even the instrumentality of Satan as we see with Peter. (Heb.12:1-10, Ps.32, Ps.51) What Satan means for evil. God will work to good.

Given the fallen nature of man. Sometimes people think that certain people have all the advantages in life by virtue of what kind of person they are. And this is time and culture specific. Many years ago, there was a story of a woman from Africa visiting the White House and she asked the First Lady how many goats she owned? And people smiled. ? For her, a wealthy woman would have owned many goats.

The Bible does not support any moral superiority between the sexes. (Rom.3:9-18) Men are not morally or religiously superior to women. Yes, God in some ways has different functions or calling for the sexes. But our moral natures are the same. Men and women without faith in Christ are morally depraved and spiritually dead and under the wrath of God. (Jn.3:36) With faith in Christ, men and women are equally clean and equally loved by God. (Gal.3:24-29, I Pt.3:7)

Some of our worst failures produce the truest fruits of the Holy Spirit. True repentance. Real tears. Real prayers. True faith. True love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, True humility. (Gal.5:14-26)

This is why we maintain that ordinarily there is no salvation outside of the visible household of faith. The church does not save. Christ saves as He is revealed to us in the Gospel. And God has committed the gospel to the church. (WCF 25.1-3, Mt.28:18-20, Eph.2:20)

But even as true Believers we still sometimes maintain some of our old sinful biases and prejudices. We see with Peter in the book of Galatians for a time Peter slips back into his old thinking, Gentiles are dirty sinners and the Jews are the good ones.

Peter needed to learn that the Jews were not (inherently) morally superior to the Gentiles. Peter needed to learn that left to themselves the Jews were vile sinners just like the Gentiles. (Rom.3:9-18)

Peter needs to be convinced that Christ means to save wretched Gentile sinners and join graft them into the people of God. You remember in the account with Cornelius. In the vision with all the animals, God told Peter, rise up, kill, and eat. And Peter said never my Lord, I have never eaten unclean food. God was not talking about food. He was talking about people. (Acts 10:1-36)

God will show Peter his Jewishness is not his righteousness, his church privileges are not his righteousness. God will show Peter that left to himself that he is a wretched sinner who needs a Savior, just like the Gentiles. God will show Peter his only righteousness is Christ.

I Peter 5:1. Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.