Peter, A Person of Conviction
Mark 14
Failure in the Bible
- Observation on the prevalence of failure in the Bible
- Importance of these failures:
- Indicates that God, not man, wrote the Bible
- Shows that God is a God of grace, using failures as lessons for others
Example: Peter's Failure
- Introduction to Peter's defection as detailed in Mark 14
- Impacting a deteriorating society
- Requires commitment, compassion, competence, and conviction
Peter's Mistakes and Lessons Learned
- Boasting Too Much (Mark 14:27-31)
- Peter's overconfidence and denial prediction by Jesus
- Peter's sincere but misguided self-reliance
- Lesson: The danger of misplaced confidence; importance of trusting in God’s strength
- Praying Too Little (Mark 14:32-42)
- Jesus in Gethsemane and the disciples' failure to keep watch
- Lesson: The necessity of prayer; recognizing total dependence on God
- Illustration: Story of a new believer discovering the difficulty and necessity of relying on the Holy Spirit
- Acting Too Soon (Mark 14:43-52)
- Peter's impulsive action in cutting off the servant’s ear
- Lesson: The danger of acting in the flesh rather than waiting for spiritual guidance
- Illustration: Humorous depiction of Peter’s misstep and its implications
- Thinking Too Little and Too Late (Mark 14:66-72)
- Peter's denial and realization of Jesus’ prophecy
- Lesson: The importance of thoughtful reflection and timely consideration
- Illustration: Statistics on American thinking habits and the need for intentional reflection
Application and Reflection
- Emphasis on the importance of personal reflection and decision-making
- Call to consider the eternal perspective and personal relationship with Jesus Christ
Conclusion
- Encouragement to make fresh commitments and decisions
- Closing prayer for strength and guidance in implementing these decisions
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
