Bible CharactersTalmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)
Religion
Bible Characters
Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)
Bible -- Biography
There was only one time, I am told, that Edinburgh Castle was ever taken
by the enemy, and that was done by climbing on the back rocks. The rocks
were so steep the besieged did not believe the enemy could get in that
way, but that was just where they got in.
I used to think when I had been a Christian ten or twelve years I should
be so strong that there would be no danger of my ever being tempted, but
I find that I was blind. I have more temptations now than I ever had
before, and it takes twenty times as much grace to keep me now as at
first. Let every man take heed, lest he fall. We can not tell how quickly
we may fall if we are not kept by the grace of God.
Peter had to learn this lesson before he went out to preach to others.
He was kept by the grace of God, if he could not keep himself. Well, I
have got right here two faults of the apostle. When the Lord told him he
should deny Him thrice, he ought to have trembled and cried: “Lord, keep
me from denying Thee!” But, no! He said: “Lord, I am not going to deny
You, if the rest do.” Just see where he stands. He stands on a slippery
place, and it will not be long before he will be down. Self-confidence
leads many men to their fall.
We must keep very humble and keep our eyes on the Master, and see that
we do not go to sleep. If we do get asleep, then it won’t be long before
we deny Him. And so we find that when Christ was down in the garden,
sweating great drops of blood, He knew He was hastening to death on the
cross.
Peter went to sleep. And when Jesus came back He said: “Why sleep ye?
Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” Peter had been with the
Lord three years, but he had to sleep.
The next that happens, for that second step down, we find that Peter
fights in the flesh. When they came to arrest Christ, Peter took out his
sword and cut off the servant’s ear. That servant was the only person who
had suffered through the followers of Christ up to that time. Peter cut
the ear off, but it did not stay off long, for it got back in just about
five minutes.
Jesus cried out: “Peter, put up your sword. If I wanted to defend Myself,
I could call seventy thousand angels down; I could call legions of angels
down; I could defend Myself if I wanted to.” But, no; He did not do that.
He had to rebuke Peter, to put a thorn in his flesh.
The next thing Peter did was to follow Jesus afar off; that is the next
step. When a man gets away from the Savior, then it won’t be long before
he follows Him afar off. You know Peter said, at first, he would keep
close to Him. “I will stand by You; I am willing to die with You,” he had
said. But now Peter changed his mind, and he followed Jesus afar off.
Well, the next thing, we find that Peter is in bad company. That is
another step down. He had got, by this time, down pretty low.
A young lady comes in, looks at Peter, and says: “This man is one of His
disciples.”
“No, I am not; no, not I,” says Peter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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