Grace for Sinners - John 18:15-27

I was recently reminded of a story about the great English preacher, the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon. As many of you know, Spurgeon was the pastor of what was perhaps one of the original mega churches called Metropolitan Tabernacle.

And Spurgeon would preach throughout the week.

But apparently, after Spurgeon preached a sermon he was approached by a young man who said to him, “Mr. Spurgeon the Spirit tells me that I am to preach here, in this very Tabernacle, next Thursday night.”

Spurgeon paused, then looked at the young man and said, “Well, it is a curious thing that the Spirit has not told me that.”

In case you’re wondering, the young man never preached there.

I tell you that story for a reason: that young man had clearly confused and conflated his personal desires to preach in front of thousands of people with the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit.

The truth is, we can be easily confused just like the young man who approached Charles Spurgeon.

Our passage is going to bring out something that is often confused today and it’s this: Shame, regret, and embarrassment over grievous sin is not the same thing as true, genuine, gospel repentance.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, helpfully asks, “What is repentance unto life?

“Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.”

The idea is of course, that you turn away from your sin, turn toward God, and seek to live for him.

Last week, we looked at the arrest of Jesus in the garden. And if you remember, Judas along with a little army arrested Jesus. Now, Jesus is on trial, and of course, as he is first questioned by Annas and then questioned by Caiaphas all the while, Peter is busy denying the Lord.

Peter’s denial is one of the stories that all the gospels record. And certainly, each gospel emphasizes various aspects, but together, they all paint a fuller picture.

John’s gospel is more of a first hand account because as we read in verse 15, John was there with Peter. And not only that, but John was a known commodity to the High Priest.

And of course, we cannot forget Judas was a witness to Jesus’ trial as well.

Isn’t it interesting that of all the disciples the only three bearing witness to Jesus’ trial was Peter, John, and Judas?

Peter’s Denial

Peter’s denial is probably one of the most well known stories in all of Scripture. Previously in John 13, Jesus had told Peter that he was going to deny him three times before the rooster crowed.

Jesus tells Peter that he’ll deny him after Peter exhibits overconfidence. Peter told Jesus in John 13, “I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Jesus is now on trial being questioned by Annas, who you might call an honorably retired High Priest. Annas was the father-in-law of the current High Priest at that time, Caiaphas. Peter along with John followed Jesus into the palace of the High Priest where Jesus stood trial.

And it’s in the palace courtyard that Peter denies knowing Jesus to a servant girl.

The other gospel accounts tell us why the servant girl was able to pick him out so easily: first, he was with John (who knew the high priest and his servants) and he was a Galilean. The gospel of Matthew tells us they could tell he was a Galilean by his accent.

Again, all the gospel accounts are emphasizing different things, and relaying the story through the personality, and so how they convey Peter’s denial vary to some degree.

But in each account, Peter denies knowing Jesus on three separate occasions. John tells us about Jesus’ first denial, then he moves to Jesus’ trial and then we read of Peter’s second and third denial.

Certainly, Peter was afraid that if he admitted to being a disciple of Jesus that he would end up on trial right next to him!

And the great irony of the whole situation is that the people that are questioning Peter are not people of power and influence. They’re lower class people.

One of the more heartbreaking details we get about Peter’s denial comes from Luke’s account. The gospel of Luke records that after the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at Peter.

And so it shouldn’t be of any surprise that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Peter weeping after denying Jesus.

Not only had Peter walked with Jesus for three years, but Peter was in Jesus’ inner circle. He was one of his closest friends, and here he denies knowing him to people he’s never met!

He’s first tried by the Jewish rulers then the Roman authorities. He has an ecclesiastical trial followed by a civil government trial.

Jesus’ great crime is that he simply told the truth! He hasn’t done anything wrong, and just the fact that Annas is questioning him speaks to the unfairness of the trial.

Annas gets the first opportunity to question Jesus. And immediately, he begins questioning Jesus’ teaching. He wants to catch him in heresy.

But Jesus is under no obligation to discuss it with him because everything he has said was public! Look at verses 20-21: Jesus said, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”

Not only did Jesus teach the truth, he taught out in the open! He never hid anything! But of course, in the minds of the Jewish authorities Jesus was already convicted, they just needed to find a charge that would stick.

And their frustration with Jesus boiled over and became so intense that a temple guard struck Jesus. And notice how Jesus responds to being struck. He said, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

The way Jesus responded really makes you reconsider the way we understand “turning the other cheek.” Jesus didn’t turn the other cheek for him to strike, he asked him why he hit him. When Jesus said, ‘turn the other cheek’ he wasn’t encouraging passivity and allowing people to take advantage of you, rather, he was discouraging retaliation. He was discouraging taking matters into your own hands and seeking revenge.

But nevertheless, where’s Peter? The Lord Jesus had been physically assaulted, and the brave Peter that was so protective of Jesus that he was willing to slice off a servant’s ear a few hours earlier is now passively warming himself by a fire, scared of what a lowly servant girl might do if she finds out the he really was one of Jesus’ disciples.

Verse 24, tells us that Jesus is then taken to Caiaphas and it’s there that the Jewish council condemns him to death.

If there was ever a moment that Jesus could have used some support it was at this particular moment! Jesus is marching toward his death on the cross and none of his followers are saying, “Hey, wait! You’re making a huge mistake!”

Instead Peter denies ever knowing Christ. Additionally, John is there and does nothing either. He knows the High Priest and appears to make no effort to influence or stop the trial!

This is what Jesus meant when he told his disciples that they would abandon him.

All of the disciples are gone, and the ones that are there do nothing.

Judas looks better than Peter

One of the more interesting facts about Jesus’ trial is that after he was condemned by Caiaphas, we learn from Matthew’s gospel that it was Judas who “changed his mind.” In fact, Judas told the Pharisees, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

When you compare Judas’ response to Jesus’ trial with Peter’s response to Jesus’ trial, Judas looks like the good guy doesn’t he? Judas looks like the repentant one! Judas acknowledges his sinful action, while Peter idly sits by denying Jesus as he watches him be condemned.

Similarities between Peter and Judas

There really are a lot of similarities between Peter and Judas aren’t there? They were both disciples, they both witnessed countless miracles, heard incredible sermons, and committed grievous sins.

I’ve mentioned this before, but what really is the difference between a denial and a betrayal? Couldn’t you make the case that a denial is a form of betrayal? The difference is razor thin.

And things get even more complicated when you consider the fact that both Peter and Judas felt regret and sorrow over their actions. Peter wept bitterly, Judas returned the money.

There isn’t a lot of difference between Peter’s denial and Judas’s betrayal, and yet Scripture tells us that Peter is in heaven and Judas is in hell.

Peter’s name is held in high esteem and Judas’s name is used an insult. No sane couple names a child Judas. But Peter is common isn’t it?

How can that be? Is betraying Christ a more severe sin than denying him?

Well of course not, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All sin deserves God’s wrath.

And yet, Christ’s death atoned for Peter’s sin, but not Judas’ sin. What’s the difference?

What’s the difference? Hopefully, you can guess what I’m going to say - Peter truly repented of his sin, turned from it, and trusted in Christ, while Judas never repented, and never had genuine faith in Christ to begin with.

Difference between repentance and regret

This raises an incredibly important point: There is an eternal difference between regret, sorrow, a guilty conscience, and true Godly repentance.

And I think this has led to a tremendous misunderstanding within the church. There’s an unspoken belief that being transparent or authentic about your sin struggles is one of the highest forms of spirituality. It's like the more you talk about how authentically broken and sinful you are the more treasures you’re storing up for yourself in heaven.

And of course, it’s good to be open and honest about your sin struggles so that people can pray for you. However, if all you do is simply talk about your sin without ever repenting of it and turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, then your authenticity is nothing more than empty, meaningless words.

It’s what the Apostle Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Transparency, authenticity, a guilty conscience, and sorrow are not the same thing as true gospel repentance, or as the Westminster Standards refer to it, “repentance unto life.”

But the reality is, we’ve all done things that we regret.

I always sort of chuckle to myself whenever I hear about a politician being vetted, which we all know is code for the media hunting for skeletons in the closet.

The reality is, if someone knew every single detail of your life, it wouldn’t take them very long to discover something that you’ve done that you’re ashamed of.

Imagine for a second, if I was able to put those moments on a screen behind me. We’d all be humiliated wouldn’t we?

And it’s those sins that weigh us down and wake us up in the middle of the night. Then the guilt and the shame comes and then next thing you know, you’re wondering why you did that dumb thing 20 years ago?

The Puritan Thomas Watson wrote a little book called “The Doctrine of Repentance” and in it he wrote, “Repentance is a pure gospel grace. Repentance came in by the gospel. Christ has purchased in his blood that repenting sinners shall be saved.”

Difference Between Peter and Judas

And that is the difference between Peter and Judas. You see, Peter isn’t better than Judas. Peter’s sin is very serious, just like Judas’s betrayal.

But Peter truly repented, turned from it to Christ and was eventually restored by Jesus.

It was certainly the Lord’s will for Judas to betray Jesus, but do you really think that if Judas would have truly repented of his sin and turned to Christ for forgiveness that Christ wouldn’t have forgiven him?

The unforgivable sin is rejecting Jesus Christ and that’s the sin that condemned Judas.

It’s easy to fool people with false humility or an attitude of sorrow. Often you and I cannot tell the difference between true repentance and false repentance. They often look the same outwardly speaking.

But of course, the Lord knows. He sees your heart.

You might be able to fool men, but you cannot fool God. Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.

Jesus died for all sin

Everything seems to change on December 1st. It’s full on Christmastime, isn’t it? It’s also the time of year where we all begin to think about the birth of Jesus.

You see, Jesus didn’t come to earth and die on the cross so you could be forgiven of a few little white lies and go 5 miles an hour over the speed limit when you’re in a hurry. He did die for those sins, but he didn’t die only for those sins. Jesus died for all types of sin. He died for the small sins, of course, but he died for the big ones too.

He died for the sins that haunt you. He died for those moments that keep you awake at night.

I had a professor in seminary that said he went through a season in his ministry of a deep sense of inadequacy. I can certainly confess to you all that preaching on a regular basis will do that to you. Who am I to say these things to you? I don’t have everything figured out. It’ll take you less than fifteen minutes at my house to figure this out.

But my professor said that he was constantly assaulted with reminders of past sin. But then he remembered, I don’t stand before anyone as a sinless man, I stand before these people proclaiming the truth of God’s Word as a redeemed man. I’ve been washed by the blood of the lamb and my sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west, and so I don’t stand on my own righteousness, but with the righteousness of Christ.

That changes everything doesn’t it? That is true for me and I pray that’s true for you too.

It’s certainly not because of who you are that you’re justified before a holy God, but rather, it’s because of who Christ is and what he’s done for you that you stand justified and righteous before a holy God.

That’s why it was necessary for Jesus to be born. He had to go to the cross. And like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

He was willing to lay down his life for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus went to the cross for little sins and the big sins. Do not let Satan deceive you into believing that your sin is unforgivable.

I had a conversation with someone a few years ago who told me just that. He felt like things he had done in his past were unforgivable. He didn’t believe that turning from his sin and trusting in Christ would get him anywhere. He wasn’t convinced that there really was forgiveness and grace for him at the foot of the cross.

That’s exactly what Satan wants you to believe. Judas fell for that lie, didn’t he? Do you want to know the truth?

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You see, no matter what you’ve done you can experience the freedom from sin that is only found in Jesus Christ.

True Repentance

But a natural question we've all probably wondered at various times is, am I truly repentant if I keep struggling with the same sin? Interestingly enough Peter’s regular sin was constantly trying to take matters into his own hands.

He thought he needed to protect Jesus so he cut off the High Priest’s servant’s ear, then he thought he needed to protect himself so he denied knowing Jesus. It’s the same sort of stuff over and over again with Peter, which is why he’s so relatable. I’m sure all of us understand the struggle.

And no doubt, we should go to war against our sin and we should repent of our sins specifically on a regular basis. However, the focus of repentance is on the shifting affections of your heart toward God and away from your sin. Listen again to how the shorter catechism talks about repentance.

A. “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.”

Repentance is of course something that you do. We confess our sin each week, and as I’ve said before, I hope that the confession of sin drives you to a personal confession so that you’ll turn from specific patterns of sin.

I want that for all of us this morning. I want all of us to trust in Christ and lean not on our own understanding. But repentance is an attitude of your heart that desires for godliness and holiness more than the sinful pleasures of this world.

Being repentant doesn’t mean that you no longer sin. Being repentant means you love Christ more than your sin. Even the way the Westminster Larger and Shorter catechisms talk about repentance, the emphasis is on turning, reorienting, renewing, reframing your mind so that you believe in your heart and soul that pleasing God is infinitely more valuable to you than the pleasures of sin.

John is the only gospel that doesn’t record Peter weeping over his denial, but John is the only gospel to record Peter’s restoration. We only know of his restoration because of the gospel of John.

No doubt, John wants you and me to see Peter’s sin. But more than that, I think John wants us to see the tremendous hope and grace of God for repentant sinners. People like you and me.

And do you remember what happened after Peter was restored? He preached repentance and faith in Christ. Acts chapter 2 verse 38, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

Certainly those weren’t just nice theological words. They were coming from a place of deep personal experience, weren’t they? The forgiveness that Peter went on to preach was the forgiveness he had experienced.

If there is hope in Christ for a grievous sinner like Peter, then certainly there is hope for grievous sinners like you and me.

Let’s pray together.