At What Fire Do You Warm Yourself?

Peter the great disciple of Jesus is one of my favorite Biblical characters. Jesus seemed to like him too. I like Peter because I can look at his life and have hope in my own because except for Judas, Peter failed Jesus the most. When I look at Peter I see a lot of me there. I think if we are honest with ourselves we will all see that like Peter, we let Jesus down as well.

Though Peter did a lot of great things for the kingdom, wrote two of the books of the Bible, and would actually be martyred for his faith, yet he is probably most known for being the one who denied Christ three times. If it wasn’t bad enough that he denied Christ, he had bragged how he would never do that to Jesus. Yet he did the very thing he swore he would never do. I can relate.

So what happened to Peter? How did such a strong willed guy, a guy so full of bravado that he would pull out a sword in the presence of an angry mob of armed people and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, wimp out later and deny Christ?

Peter made some mistakes and I think as we look at the story in Matthew 26 of Peter’s denial we can learn how to avoid the same mistakes and be better and more faithful disciples.

The first thing Peter did wrong was he did not listen to Jesus. Look at Matthew 26:57-58, Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.  And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.

While it seems to be an act of loyalty and support to follow Jesus as they took him away this was not what Jesus had instructed. First of all Jesus told Peter that he was going to deny Jesus 3 times and then when they came to arrest Him, Jesus made sure that He secured the release of the disciples as we read in John 18:8-9, Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”  This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Jesus had also quoted Zechariah 13:7 that said the sheep would be scattered when the shepherd was struck. The instructions Jesus kept giving the disciples were to watch and pray lest they fall into temptation. Yet Peter walks right into the camp of the enemy where he got himself into a very tough and dangerous position.

But Peter didn’t stop there. Where does Peter end up in the enemy’s camp? Mark 14:54 tells us, “Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.”

Not only was Peter right in the middle of the enemy’s camp he went to warm himself at the fire. Oh, often we go where we shouldn’t go and end up warming ourselves at the fire of the enemy. This, my friends, is the act of stepping off the path we should be on that results in what I would call self-temptation. We all do it. For the alcoholic it’s going to the party saying, “Oh, I won’t drink. I just want to see my friends.” To the one with a porn addiction it’s looking at that website with just a pretty girl on it thinking I’m good, I just want to observe her beauty. It’s meeting that co-worker of the opposite sex for an innocent lunch when you are married and things are a little cold at home right now. What it is Christians, is lighting a match while standing in a puddle of gasoline. It’s dangerous.

Then Peter makes the third mistake; He stayed in his sin. Jesus warned Peter. Peter should have left after failing the first time denying Jesus. But no, like us so often, he stuck around and did it three times. The cock crowed three times. Peter had clear opportunity to get out of his own mess and limit the damage but he stayed and each denial was a little stronger than the last. That is how sin works. It is like a cancer. It replicates and grows until it destroys and untreated will kill us.

The lesson for us in all this is simple. Do what Jesus says. The Bible was written and given to us to read and to follow. There are multitudes of warnings about sin in it. Peter knew it was coming yet he still fell into the trap and he would weep bitterly because of it. But the good news is that Jesus gave us instructions on how to avoid sin.

First of all Jesus told the disciples and us, to watch and pray. Be vigilant in seeing where you are and where you are going. If you do slip up and end up in the enemy’s camp then flee. Don’t hang around to warm yourself at the Devil’s fire. But if you fail and wind up in the wrong place listen to the crowing of the cock. Don’t stick around for him to crow three times. If you are a Christian God’s Holy Spirit is inside your heart. Listen to your heart not your mind and your flesh.

The story of Peter looks bleak and sad. It seems to infer we are going to fail. Peter meant well. He thought he was being loyal and faithful in following Jesus but what Peter did was he followed his own idea of what he thought was best. Sometimes even in what we think are good intentions are really our own stubborn and prideful ideas. Scripture tells us to test all things and hold on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). God gave us His Word. We must use it as our litmus test in all things.

The story of Peter has a happy ending. You see in spite of all his screw-ups Jesus would later on meet with Peter and restore him to His discipleship. Peter would finally learn the lesson and go on to be one of the greatest disciples and would use Peter to build the church. He will do the same for us if we repent when we fall into sin.

But we need to learn the lessons Peter learned. Pray always without ceasing, watch for the return of Christ and be busy doing what He has told us to do, not what we want to do, and take no confidence in the flesh. Read the Word of God and make it your roadmap to life. Do this and you won't get burned in the enemy's fire.