Peter Restored Part 2

Peter Restored (pt 2)
Matthew 26:31-35
September 26, 2021

Two weeks ago we watched as Jesus met a very arrogant and boastful Peter.
Now, I want to focus on the dangers of Peter’s arrogance, the same arrogance we can find ourselves in. So let’s go back 2000 years and look at what happened between Jesus and Peter.

Matthew 26:31-35

…I will never…I’m a cut above all these other guys so you can count on me! Jesus said this very night you will deny me…Peter declared no way…he argues with Jesus about this. He is so sure of him-self!

I. Jesus Teaches Despite Our Arrogance

Fast forward to Luke and lets look at how all this worked out for Peter.

Luke 22:54-62, Now they arrested Him and led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know Him, woman!” And a little later, another person saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he, too, is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter re-membered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

You’ve all heard this story many times.

A. When we are humble God acts

Matthew 26, one of the most boastful declarations ever…by Peter…Lord even if all the others fall away, I will never fall away even if I have to die for you!
As we’ve seen, it all ended with a catastrophic failure – exactly what the Bible predicts will be the outcome from arrogance and exactly what the Bi-ble predicts will be the outcome of sinful fleshly pride.

Proverbs 16:18, Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

Proverbs 29:23, A person’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Three questions about arrogance.
1. What exactly is arrogance?
2. Why is arrogance so dangerous?
3. How can we insulate our lives against arrogance?

#1 – what exactly is arrogance?

• Would you agree that arrogance is the opposite of humility? So if we define humility all we have to do is reverse it. Humility is an outlook on life that says three things –
Everything I am and achieve in life is because of God’s grace and mercy on me.
My outlook on life says I am weak and need God’s help in every way.
My outlook on life says when I do achieve something good the credit be-longs to God and not to me.
What exactly is arrogance then? An outlook on life that says everything achieved is because of “me”. It says I’m strong and don’t need anyone’s help. And good credit belongs to me, no one else.

Webster defines arrogance as an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people.

B. Our arrogance will collide with God

This begs the question – #2 – why is arrogance so dangerous?
The Bible gives us these reasons –
1st – Because it leads to humiliation.

Proverbs 11:2, When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom.

Illustration –

2nd – Arrogance leads to self destruction – Harvard medical school published a book; The Success Syndrome. It Analyzed the most self-destructive people in recent history –
• “Core attributes of people who achieve stellar success without the psychological bed-rock to prevent personal disaster is arrogance”…Harvard Medical!

• Proverbs 16:18, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV)

Arrogance makes us think we are untouchable, rules are for others, we are so smart we can al-ways beat the system no matter what – result is we get careless – sloppy – reckless
What were these people thinking with public profiles – did they really think they would get away with their behavior?
Yes they did! Because their massive egos and arrogance blinded them and their arrogance had diluted them and caused them to implode.

• Same thing that happened to Peter can happen to you and me, not just the famous people – this is reason #2 because arrogance leads to self-destruction.

3rd reason arrogance is so dangerous –
Arrogance puts us on a collision course with God

James 4:6, But He gives a greater grace. There-fore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Luke 14:11, For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Isaiah 2:12, For the Lord of armies will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is arrogant and haughty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be brought low.

Why is God so opposed to arrogance on the part of people?

Isaiah 42:8, I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to idols.

So important for us to understand how important the topic of Glory is, God takes it personally when anyone tries to infringe on His glory or exult themselves above Him.
This is exactly what arrogance is all about and when we do it we offend God, we anger Him and He will teach us exactly who’s in charge.

Exodus 5:2, But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

• Goliath – with David in 1 Samuel 17 and his armor weighs 125 lbs, his spear 25, he’s 9’6” tall and he basically tells David, there’s only one God on this hill today.
• What about Muhammad Ali?

This is why arrogance puts us on a collision course with God.

II. Insulate Your Life Against Arrogance

With these things we just reviewed, we really should be deliberate and…

#3. We must insulate our lives against arrogance
Arrogance could be the mother of all sins?
Adultery, fraud, stealing, cheating, betrayal, lying – they all sprout from the same arrogant notion that it’s all about ME. How do we insulate our lives from this dangerous thing?

A. Measure yourself by the correct standard

Not other people – not less smart or less able – just tougher standards – when we compare to others, it’s easy to become arrogant.

Illustration –

In life, arrogance comes when we compare our-selves to others and begin to believe we are just fi-ne!
But as Christians, when we compare ourselves to the God of the universe, then it makes us say like David did in…

Psalm 8:4, What is man that You think of him, And a son of man that You are concerned about him?

The more you and I learn about God and His character and holiness, the harder to be arrogant about who we are compared to Him.
Insulate our lives against arrogance, compare our-selves to the right standard, our holy God.

B. Give God all the credit

Give God the credit for all we have, we are, we have achieved. So often success in life is suspended on the narrowest of margins.
What if some of those things that went your way went the other way? Heart stops vs beating, who caused small details to fall your way, gifts and talents from who? Not your doing…

I Corinthians 4:7, For who considers you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

That’s a great question.

I Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

You are what you are today by the Grace of God, I am what I am…You have what you have…I have what I have….You’ve achieved what you have by the Grace of God, I the same – People who believe this don’t become arrogant.

Not good enough to act like it on the outside! You receive a compliment…Receive it with humility – not well, thank you very much…I thought it went great too…God wants to know your heart is humble – Do you really believe it in your heart.

C. Choose Godly friends

How do we insulate…
We need to surround ourselves with friends who will rebuke us for our arrogance.

Proverbs 27:6, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

Don’t try to police your own lives because we are all prone to deceive ourselves.

Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can under-stand it?

We all need friends who love us enough to rebuke us and call us on it.

Men, have you ever been with your wife and you come across someone and for some reason, you say something unkind, even judgmental?
Do you have someone in your life to do that for you? If not, go recruit someone, give them permission to callout your arrogance. Left to ourselves we will all dilute ourselves – no alarms will go off – we are sinners and these things don’t register sometimes.

Romans 12:3, For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought…

Watch out for arrogance – no time in our lifetime that this message is needed more. People in power are more arrogant than anytime in my lifetime.
But when or if you go through a time of struggle, remember, Peter himself was a mess – and God pursued him and restored him and drew him close again. It’s God’s heart, His very nature to pursue you. Believing otherwise is allowing the enemy to steal your joy.