Peter’s Spiritual Crisis: A Willing Spirit with Weak Flesh
I. THE PARADOX OF GRACE: AN ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION IN OUR JOURNEY
13 Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? 14 They said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter
answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him,
"…18 On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Mt. 16:13-19)
A. The foundation for the victorious church (v. 18) and for effective spiritual warfare (19) is to encounter the truth
about the mission and personality of Jesus and His grace. God’s personality is filled with passion and pleasure for His
people, even in their weakness. As we understand this, then we run to Him instead of from Him even when we discover
the weakness of our flesh.
B. Some saw in Jesus, a fiery holiness preacher (John the Baptist), others a prophet with great power who confronted
the powers of darkness (Elijah) and others, a man of tenderness and compassion like Jeremiah, who was called the
weeping prophet.
C. The human heart was created with a longing for the assurance that we are enjoyed by God. Our life is
revolutionized as we see how Jesus feels about sincere believers in their immaturity and struggle in sin. The enemy
wants to confuse us to think Jesus is exasperated at us when we fail. Because we love Jesus, we cannot bear the idea of
being rejected. So to avoid this many just quit.
D. We must answer this longing in the right way. The good news is that God has made a way for this deep longing in
us to be fulfilled while we are sincere, yet still spiritually immature.
E. Our most sincere efforts to love God are flawed and fragile. Those who sincerely seek to obey Jesus need not fear
that they will be disqualified from their calling because of weakness. We are lovely to God even in our weakness. He is
tender towards us in our spiritual immaturity.
F. He enjoys us, not just after we are fully mature in heaven. He actually enjoys us during our spiritual journey. He
likes us while we are growing, not just after we grow. Most can imagine God enjoying us in heaven; but cannot imagine
Him enjoying us in our immaturity in this life.
G. Many who are sincere are paralyzed by shame in their relationship with Jesus. A life of shame leads to a life of sin.
If you feel dirty before God, then you will live dirty.
H. We have a greater capacity for sin than we comprehend. Who can know the depth of sin that we are capable of, if
the restraint of the Spirit was lifted from our heart? We may think that because we are surprised by our sin that God is.
We fear He will renegotiate our relationship with Him.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jer. 17:9)
II. PETER’S STRUGGLES: WEAK BUT WILLING
A. Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him. Peter had more confidence in his commitment to Jesus than in Jesus’
commitment to him. This is the essence of legalism and a religious spirit.
31 All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night…33 Peter answered… "Even if all are made to stumble
because of You, I will never be made to stumble." 34 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly…before the rooster crows, you will
deny Me three times." 35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" (Mt. 26:31-35)
B. Peter sought to stand securely before Jesus based on his promise to not stumble. In our spiritual pride, we
sometimes seek to contribute to why God loves us and to motive Him to love us more. Jesus does not relate to us based
on our promises not to stumble again in a specific area.
C. Later that night, Jesus gave Peter a two-fold description of how the heart of the redeemed operates in God’s
grace. Jesus told Peter that his spirit was willing but his flesh was weak.
41 The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Mt. 26:41)
D. Jesus informed Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat to reveal the chaff in his life.
31 The Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed
for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."(Lk. 22:31-32)
E. What is God thinking and feeling about us when we discover the weakness of our own flesh? This is essential in
understanding the grace of God. This is where the crisis of our faith begins.
60 While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 62 So Peter went
out and wept bitterly. (Lk. 22:60-62)
5 Entering the tomb, they (several women) saw a young man clothed in a long white robe…6 But he said to them,
"…You seek Jesus of Nazareth…He is risen…7 Go, tell His disciples and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee;
there you will see Him." (Mk. 16:5-7)
F. In the crisis of discovering our sinful flesh, some determine that it is too painful to reach for the highest things in
God if they believe they will constantly fail. As those who have a high vision to love God with all our heart, we face coming
short many times. Some would rather resign than face failing over and over. They lower their vision in God so they do not
feel the pain of failing.
G. For some, it is easier to settle for living with a “second class relationship” with God, rather than face the pain of
failure that goes with having a high vision of loving God with all our heart.
H. Some become accustomed to a second rate relationship with the Lord. They cannot face relating to God with
shame. They imagine that God is disappointed, and even exasperated with them. They give up on walking in
wholehearted obedience.
III. PETER’S DESPAIR BECAUSE OF FAILURE
A. Peter did not go fishing because the apostolic team ran out of money. This was only eight days after the
crucifixion. They had enough money that Judas stole it without being caught. It was not for recreation, because they
fished all night. He was resigning from his leadership role.
3 Peter said to them, "I am going fishing"...that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus
stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said, "Children, have you any food?" They
answered Him, "No." (Jn. 21:3-5)
B. Peter was resigning as an apostle to return to his former occupation in the fishing business. This was an
occupation he was successful at before being called to apostolic leadership. Why? If he could not stay faithful to Jesus
before a servant girl, how would he stay faithful for a lifetime?
C. Peter’s heart was wounded by his failure in denying Jesus. He felt that he disappointed Jesus. He could not face
the Lord because of this. When we feel this way, we run from God instead of to Him. Peter wanted to find a “spiritual
comfort zone” where he did not regularly face his failure and thus, need to trust Jesus’ heart of mercy for Him.
IV. JESUS RESTORES PETER’S CONFIDENCE IN LOVE
A. Jesus asked Peter the same question, three times to break shame off of him in his three denials.
15 Jesus said, "Simon…do you love Me more than these (the fish)?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love
You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon…do you love Me?" He said to Him,
"Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon…do
you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord,
You know all things; You know that I love You." (Jn. 21:15-17)
B. When God asks us a question it is not because He needs information from us. Jesus wanted Peter to discover
information about his own heart. Why did the Lord ask Adam a question? He wanted Adam to know where he was in his
relationship to God. The question was, "Where are you with Me Adam? Do you know where you stand with Me?" Peter
did not know where he stood.
C. The shame of Peter’s failure caused him to lose his confidence as a lover of God. Many sincerely love Jesus, but
confuse their immaturity as rebellion and then define their life by their failure.
D. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter that he had weak flesh and a willing spirit. He did not believe that
his flesh was weak. Now he had to understand that he had a willing spirit. Jesus sees our willing spirit more than we do.
E. Knowledge of our sinful flesh is an important aspect of the truth about who we are, although it is not the whole
truth of who we are. To consistently grow spiritually requires that we know that we are lovely to God, while we are in the
process of discovering the darkness of our heart.
F. Jesus broke shame off of Peter with these three questions by making him say out loud, “I love God.” Peter was
restored to confidence in his relationship with God.
G. The Lord already knew that Peter loves Him. But He wants Peter to have confidence that his love for Jesus is in
fact sincere. Jesus was calling Peter back into the same quality of relationship with Him that Peter had before he denied
Jesus.
H. To go fishing was a statement of his despair. He lost his confidence before God as a genuine lover of God. Peter
loved Jesus but could not bear his spiritual failure.
I. Jesus defined Peter by his willing spirit not his weak flesh. Peter defined his life by his weak flesh. Jesus is asking
Peter, do you love me more than the safety zone? Will you give yourself to Me even as a failure. Will you reach again to
love Me with all your heart.
J. It is a common dilemma to reach for the high things of obedience and then to constantly fail. How we respond to
this is essential. Many cannot bear facing God with continual failure.
K. Jesus was breaking shame and awakening Peter's heart to confidence in his love for God again.
L. It takes confidence before God to be a wholehearted lover of God. The Lord wants us to have a 2-fold confidence.
First, we are to be confident that He loves us in our weakness. Second, we are to be confident that He esteems our weak
love for Him as genuine rather than being false love.
M. A life of shame leads to a life of sin. If we feel dirty before God then we will live dirty. The Lord was breaking
shame off Peter's heart and empowering him to stand with boldness. Five weeks later, Peter stood with great boldness
on the day of Pentecost because of this recovery.
V. THREE STAGES OF VICTORY
A. First, our sincere intention to obey God: This is where our victory begins. The Spirit is the author of such sincere
desires (not the devil, nor our flesh). God defines our life by these intentions.
B. Second, partial breakthrough yet with a continued struggle: We are victorious on a regular basis, yet still war with
our flesh in a particular area of our life (Rom. 8:2-13; Gal. 5:16-17).
C. Third, substantial breakthrough with transformed desires: Our desires are dramatically changed over time so that
we no longer have a great struggle in a previous area of sin (Rom. 6:14-23).