Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-12-01
PETERS
DENIAL

LESSON TEXT-Matthew 26;3i-3S, 1915.
Memory verses. 7t-75.
GOLDEN TEXT-"IAt him that think
eth he standeth take heed lest he fall
1 Cor. 1912.
TlME-The dcn,alo were early Friday
morning. April !, a. d. 80.
PlACE-ln tho court of the Palace OF
the High Priest C%aiaphas. in the south
west part of Jerusalem.
The first thing Jesus did for Peter
was to set before him in his first IL
terview the goal and ideal of his life.
He was TO be changed from the Simon
we have Just been viewing into Peter
the Rock. His incohesive qualities
were to be unified into one beautiful
whole; the separate and sometimes
discordant notes of his character were
TO be formed into the exquisite har-
monies of n llallelujah chorus. lie was
like the soft stone In some quarries,
easily cut and shaped when first taken
from he quarry. but soon hardening
into rock. Peter expresses the posi-
bilitics Jesus saw in the nature Of
Simon. an ideal which God would
make divinely real"
For three years Peter was an ear.
nest pupil in Christ's school. lie made
many mistakes: he fought many bat
ties on the battlefield of his heart;
he had some severe reprOofs, but he
had a wise, encouraging, patient
teacher. After q time he was advanc-
ed to the highest grade with James
mt John. The first essential for sue
coss is a SOUL" an awakened soul.
One of the most interesting studies
for a teacher, is to go carefully
through the Gospels. and study
Christ's method of teaching and train.
ing such an unruly but earnest scholar
as Peter was.
Thou shalt deny me thrice, disown
ME aS your Lord and Master" Peter
was sure that he would not fail In tho
hour Of temptation. No one knows
what he will do in unexpected clrcum.
stances. But Jesus did all he could
to put Peter on his guard.
An interval of some hours. Geth-
semane; Peter, wearied. sleeps on
guard. The arrest; Peter and all tho
olOoti'o u'oNit Ocouo' bul SlSi eio
John follow afar off. The trial before
the %Sandhedrin in some ROOF Of Gala
phas' palace, opening into "A court.
Potter was sitting with the servants
and others around a fire and he denied
Christ before them all, who were
gathered around the Are.
Tho main charge vas prominently
ynolA Iu apa , lI,.,n,, 90 kTnl,h,,,
who had seen Peter In the garden and
was known TO St. John from his &C.
Quaintance with the high priests
household. For thy speech ~betrayeth
thee, "betrayeth," shows that thou art
q Galilean, and therefore one of his
disciples, or why else art thou here?
Then began he TO curse, call down
curses on himself If he did not speak
the truth. And to swear, 10 call God
to witness that 1t was true. 1t Is
more than probable that Peter. In his
earlier life as a fisherman, before his
conversion, had been in the habit OF
using profane language. and now, In
the sudden surprise OF temptation, the
old habit broke forth anew, as the Ian,
guage OF youth, long unused. Is almost
certain to be employed In times OF
great excitement. 1t Is u long and
hard discipline that entirely conQuers
the sins or youth.
Il know not the man" And his In
the very presence OF Jesus. The
ways down which the bad ship Wick
edness slides to u shoreless ocean
must be creased with lies" "a lie IL
put out to interest. and the interest IL
compound"
1t was now that Peter was "sifted
as wheat" Part of what he thought
was wheat was really chaff. and thi,
terrible sitting under temptation blew
away In the toughest manner mos
of the chaff,-his Inconsistency, hit
fiery temper, his se~lf-confidence. bui
preserved all the good in his charac
ter. purified and perfected.
r We can be good In spite Of falls
God can bring good out Of evil. Tha
in his glory, and our hope. But he car
, do far more with our victories thai
by our failures.
! Then Jesus looked upon Peter. Tn,
[ Greek word for looked occurs GU
In one other place In the Gospels
Il means that "he looked into him,
into his very heart, with eyes tina
went like lightning to the quick OF hi
conscience" Peter remembered III
warning. n went out and wept tn
/: bitterest tears OF repentance.
IS.A,, thia ttn,. mn Dntnr Unc n naU