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“Lesson 10 - How Satan Deflated Peter”
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Lesson 10 -How Satan Deflated Peter
Introduction
Think of how effectively Satan wages war against Christians. His tactics aren’t just focused on new Christians who are young in the faith. He and the forces of darkness also wage war against those who are spiritually strong. We must always be conscious of the ever present reality that Satan is vigilant in attacking us at any point along the road on our journey to heaven. We must not invite a spiritual crisis or the potential for disaster into our life by ignoring the fact that Satan has deadly weapons specifically designed for those who are older and more mature in the faith.
Sometimes, darkness takes advantage of our spiritual successes. Think of the person who has battled and overcome what were once vulnerable weaknesses. Think of a person who knows how to successfully deal with temptation. And finally, think of a person who has had years of training in the word of God. Success breeds confidence. But should we allow that confidence grow to the point to where we are no longer afraid of Satan?
If a person were to come and ask you if you are spiritually strong, what would be your answer? Would your first answer be, No. I have too many flaws. But, what if you were asked if your weaknesses were so significant that it could lead you to spiritual disaster? You might be insulted and be tempted to say, I seriously doubt it. I am much too strong and committed for that to happen. Most of us feel weak and strong at the same time, with the strength being the dominant force. In that strength, many of us feel secure.
Peter’s Strengths
As we consider the life of Peter, he deserves praise as an exceptional person and leader in the New Testament Church. For example:
Peter was decisive. Approached by Jesus after a long night of fishing, Peter immediately responded to the call to be a disciple, Matthew 4.18-22. He made an immediate decision that meant giving up his job, with no promise of income. Everything Peter did was done with his whole heart. This is demonstrated by his words in Mark 10.28: See, we have left everything and followed you. No matter the circumstance, no one ever had to wonder about Peter’s commitment to Jesus. He was 100% for Jesus and 100% with Jesus. His example in this is certainly worthy of our emulation. How many of us act with this amount of decisiveness in spiritual matters? We may be more prone to give into hesitation or procrastination than we care to admit.
Peter’s sense of loyalty was one of his greatest assets. To him, it was unthinkable and unacceptable to consider any possibility that Jesus would be killed. In fact, if it came to that, he would die trying to prevent it. His actions during the arrest of Jesus are born out of his incredible sense of devotion to Jesus. Our Savior had no one more open and totally committed to Him than Peter. And, it is important to see how Jesus recognized and complimented these qualities. Peter was one of the inner three disciples, who along with James and John accompanied Jesus on special occasions. It was Peter who preached the first gospel sermon, Acts 2. It was Peter who first preached to the Gentiles, Acts 10.
Peter was perceptive. He really saw and really heard. In John 6.66-68 many disciples turned away from Jesus. When asking the apostles if they were going to leave, Peter remarked, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, John 6.68. In Matthew’s gospel, we note that it was Peter who knew and confessed Jesus as the Christ. Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Matthew 16.16-18.
Even with these successes, we must recognize Peter as someone who quickly said what he felt. What he felt, he totally felt. What he thought, he said with conviction. There were certainly times he should have kept his mouth shut. There were times he lacked good judgment. And, there were times where he overestimated his personal knowledge and understanding. What we see in Peter are notable successes and notable failures. His decisiveness, loyalty, and conviction are all admirable qualities. But yet he failed, with some of those failures being catastrophic. Think of his denial of Jesus, Matthew 26.68-75, and his giving up and returning to Galilee to fish after the resurrection, John 21.
What is in this for us? We need to be reminded that it is not unusual for committed Christians to have a combination of notable successes and notable failures. People who do great things for God often make significant mistakes. How can that be?
Peter’s Problems Came From His Source of Faith
In Matthew 16.16-18, we observe what would have been a high point in Peter’s progression of faith. Peter confessed that Jesus was the long promised Messiah, the Son of God. Peter was praised by Jesus. This must have been a shining moment for him. But it was short lived. After commending Peter, Jesus begins to tell the disciples that He would be killed, 16.21. Peter then promptly took Jesus aside and rebuked him saying Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you, 16.22. Why would Peter do this so strongly? The answer is simple. He did not want this to happen. It was not in his plan for Jesus to die. Jesus, who had just praised Peter, now condemns him: Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man, Matthew 16.23. Jesus saw this for what it really was. Darkness was using Peter’s decisiveness as a serious source of temptation. Compare 16.16 with 16.23. Just as Peter was rock-solid in his confidence that Jesus was the Son of God, he was rock-solid in his confidence that Jesus would not be killed.
Six months later, on the night before Jesus’ death, Jesus made an unmistakable declarative statement. “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee, Matthew 26.31-32. With great emotion, Peter responded, Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away, 26.33. Jesus sternly replies, Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times, 26.34. Mark’s account tells us that Peter emphatically insisted that this could not be true. If I must die with you, I will not deny you, Mark 14.31. Luke says that Peter even said he was willing to go to prison and to death for the cause of Christ, Luke 22.33. To Peter, it did not matter what Jesus had just said. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers, Luke 22.31-32.
We may wonder why Peter would have so strongly denied the possibility even after Jesus said it would happen. The answer becomes clear when we understand that Peter had enormous confidence in Peter. His confidence was not in Jesus, but in himself. He trusted his commitment, loyalty, judgment, and strength. He genuinely believed in Jesus, and he believed in himself even more.
Satan’s Massive Attack
As one reads the rest of Matthew 26, things happened just as Jesus said they would. Judas betrayed Jesus. The Savior was arrested and everyone fled, including Peter. The illegal trial began. Peter observed it at a distance, and wound up denying Jesus three times. It is hard to imagine the utter devastation and complete ruin Peter must have felt inside the moment recorded in Luke 22.61: And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times. Peter is shattered, crushed and inwardly destroyed. Matthew 26.75 says he went out and wept bitterly. It is hard to envision the depth of the emotional low Peter experienced that weekend as Jesus was crucified and buried in a tomb just outside Jerusalem.
There is an important truth here that we must be aware of. Every Christian who dares to grow and mature in Jesus will face a moment when the rooster will crow. Satan’s most powerful weapon against the spiritually mature is to attack their confidence in themselves. Peter had been warned of the danger, but chose not to listen. We can do the same. While it is essential for us to have self confidence, it is equally important that we do not place our faith in our self confidence. As we grow stronger and more mature it can become easy for us to feel like we are taking care of the Lord, instead of Him taking care of us. There will be times when we will be tested like we never imagined. On those occasions, we will make mistakes that we never thought we were capable of making. Darkness will use these opportunities to drive your smoldering spiritual life into the ground.
When the rooster crowed for Peter, he wept, was broken, and retreated in confusion. But ultimately, he allowed God to put him back together again to become even stronger. What will we do when the rooster crows for us? Will we give in and quit? Will we allow it to drive us toward bitter resentment? Will we step out of the action, move onto our perch, and become a permanent critic? Will we allow Satan to render us inactive in our service and force us to live with the hurt, frustration, and jealousy? During these moments, we must resist and call on God for help. Will we have the courage to surrender and let God go to work? He will put us together again. We can resolve to learn from our mistakes and serve mightily. What will you do?
Conclusion
Imagine that you had an opportunity to interview Peter the afternoon before the last supper. Imagine asking him if his faith was in the Lord. Can’t you hear him say, Of course! Why do you think I follow him, serve Him, and sacrifice for Him? Though Peter was sure in his confidence for Jesus, it was actually confidence in Peter and it was only through his greatest failure that he saw the truth.
We must learn to trust in God instead of self. This is a difficult challenge. Sometimes we think we are trusting in God, when in reality we are trusting in our self. There is a lot of Peter in all of us. Who do you trust?
Questions for Discussion
1. As you remember your past, what are some ways darkness has taken advantage of your spiritual success?
2. What are some factors that keep us from acting decisively in spiritual matters? How can Peter serve as an example for us?
3. In what ways did darkness use Peter’s decisiveness as a source of temptation for Jesus?
4. Why would Peter flatly deny any possibility of Jesus’ predictions in Matthew 26.31-32?
5. Describe how Peter must have felt during the weekend of Jesus’ death.
6. Why is Satan so ready to attack our self confidence?
7. What are some mistakes you have made while you are under attack by Satan?
8. What does darkness intend to make you do after it has knocked you down?
9. What is some advice you can share from what you have learned during the low points in your life? How can this help someone who is currently weathering an attack by Satan?
10. What are some ways we can grow our trust for God?
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