TEMPTATION

In his moment of weakness, Peter, who affirmed his love for Christ and boldly stated that he would die for Christ, denied being his disciple. His denial is puzzling. It does not appear that the girl who asked him was a threat of some sort; that there was some impending danger to him should he acknowledge that he belonged to Christ. Yet, in the moment, he denied knowing Christ. None of us plan to yield to temptation. We all believe that, should the occasion arise where we are forced to acknowledge or deny Christ, we will gladly and confidently acknowledge that we belong to Christ; that we are his followers.
It is the unplanned moment, the moment we falsely think will never be a problem, that men have marked their lives with poor decisions and sinful acts. In the moment, the weakness of our flesh captures us and we yield to unholy and forbidden things. In the moment, things that look like they will bring incredible pleasure bring devastation and heartache.
Satan’s first act of tempting took our first parents from the purity of sinlessness to the corruptness of the human race. God’s entire creation was marred as a result. In a moment, God’s word was denied and everything God made and declared good became objects of his wrath. History was changed, in a moment.
No wonder Jesus taught us to pray regularly: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13); and, keep them from the evil one (John 17:15).
James Montgomery Boice, longtime pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, wrote this in his commentary on John’s account of Peter’s denial: “We can hardly miss the conclusion that if we indulge ourselves in such over-confidence, if we think that we are invulnerable because we are strong, have certain obvious talents, are wise or can analyze the tendencies and dangers of our culture, then we are well on our way to falling. Jesus said, ‘Without me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). Nothing means nothing! Whenever we forget that, we are in trouble” (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John, pages 1259-1260).
The challenge is for all of us to recognize the intensity of the spiritual battle. Peter would later warn us with the following: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).