What do we do when we sin? That’s a very important question to ask ourselves. Our sin often causes us shame and embarrassment. Those feelings sometimes lead people to hide their sin, deny it, or shift the blame to someone else. All of us have been guilty of responding to our sin in one of these ways. God, however, wants us to respond to our sin in a better way. Not only does God desire for us to respond to our sin in a better way, He provides the grace that makes it possible. Pastor Michael reminded us on Sunday that God’s grace leads us to repentance and restoration.

In Mark 14:66-72, we find one of the saddest moments in the gospels. Peter, who at one moment was so bold for Jesus that he hacked off a man’s ear to defend Him, now denied Him three times. Peter hadn’t planned on denying Jesus. In fact, Peter was determined that he would never deny Jesus. After Peter denied Jesus, he remembered what Jesus predicted about him just a few hours earlier (14:30). Peter broke down and wept (14:72).

When Peter recognized his sin, he felt guilt, shame, and sorrow. If you were to jump ahead in your Bible to the book of Acts without reading the rest of the gospels, you might be confused by what you read about Peter. In Acts, we find Peter boldly proclaiming Jesus in such a way that everyone listening knew he had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). What happened to the man who crumbled at the accusations of a servant girl? God’s grace restored and transformed him (John 21:15-23).

After Jesus rose from the dead, He restored and transformed him. Peter would not be remembered as a denier of Jesus but as a shepherd of God’s people. Peter’s denial of Jesus is a reminder of God’s great grace. We should mourn our sin, confess it, and seek forgiveness. This is how God wants us to respond to our sin. However, we cannot do this on our own. God’s grace leads us to repentance and brings about our restoration. Rather than determining to do better next time, let’s cling to the grace of God for full forgiveness and restoration. He will supply!

Resources:

• What is Repentance? –Free e-book by R.C. Sproul

• What is Grace? –Article by Bryan Chapell

• The Road to Restoration –Article by Guy Richard

Reflection Questions:

• How do you typically respond when you sin?

• Why do you need God’s grace?

• How can you rely on God’s grace each day?