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interpret the words, for it was God’s writing. But there was a man that could read it, and tell just what it meant, but he was not at that feast. That is the reason he could read it. There are some places that Christians cannot go and keep their testimony. There are some things Christians cannot do and retain their influence for God. The call o f Christ is not only to heaven; it is to separa tion as well. %‘What communion hath light with darkness ? . . . What part hath he that believeth with an infidel? What agreement hath the temple o f God with idols? . . . Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord ;M■■ and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto
defeats, and I can trace a great many of them, if not all o f them, to prayerlessness. I do not think that their Lord and Master was soliciting prayers o f those three apostles in the garden on His own behalf. He wanted them to pray for themselves that the temptation might not enter into them. Remember how that story reads. Jesus went a little way farther, and fell on His face and made intercession with strong crying and tears. We are told that He prayed the same thing three different times; “ If it be possible, let this cup pass from m e: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” In an swer to His prayer, the cup did not pass from Him, but
you, and ye shall be my sons and daugh ters, saith the. Lord Almighty.” T he L ook that L ed to R econciliation Peter failed, and
something else hap pened. An a n g e l came and strength ened Him. When I get to heaven, I want to find that angel, the one who comes, in answer to prayer, in the hour o f trouble and agonizing grief, a n d gives e x t r a strength to drink the bitter cup, or to meet the fiery trial. I won der what would have happened had Peter watched and prayed. Possibly that angel would have paid him a visit also and given h im t h e strength necessary for the or deal that awaited him. “ M e n ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Finally, P e t e r gave Satan the ad vantage by mingling in the wrong com pany. First o f all, Peter drew back and walked a f a r . o f f. When I read that, I know at once that Peter was heading for trouble. He was the kind o f man that must keep close to Jesus, or e l s e he would stumble a n d
SIMON PETER BEFORE THE COUNCIL By R obert C rumly I see thee, Simon, standing there Before the judges stern; I see their eyes with malice shine, Their cheeks with anger burnl I hear them charge thee, on thy life, (It is a sure command!) To preach no more in Jesus' name Throughout the Holy Land. Art thou that follower of Christ Who bravely drew the sword, Yet fled when He was bound with chains. And then denied thy Lord? And wilt thou once again deny Before these judges here? And wilt thou hang thy head in shame, And hold thy tongue in fear? But, look—he moves1but, bark—he speaksI He boldly makes reply: “ Nay! shall we hearken unto you Or unto Ood, most high?" (Well said, thou rugged fisherman! Well chosen, every word!)— "W e cannot but declare the things Which we have seen and heard." we have traced his failure to self-confi dence, p ra y e rle s s ness, and association with the wrong kind o f company. B u t Peter found his way back to. God and was gloriously and fully restored. As there w e r e several steps that led to his down fall, so there were contributing cau ses in h i s restoration. The story o f Peter’s failure is told by each o f the gospel writers. Three of the evan gelists associate his repentance with the crowing of a cock, but Luke speaks o f something else. “ The cock crew,” we read,' “ and the Lord turned and l o o k e d upon Peter.” It was that 1o o k t h a t brought about the change in his life and sent him out with a broken heart. What was the message to Peter’s heart that was read in the face of the Lord ? It was the look o f knowledge. It told Peter that Jesus' knew all that had happened. Is this not remarkable ? Con sider the circumstances. In verses 63 and 64 o f this chap ter, we read that the men held Jesus, mocked Him, and smote Him. They blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and commanded Him, “ Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?” This was all taking place in that judgment hall o f the high priest while Peter sat with the soldiers in the court beside the fire. Yet in spite o f all this, Jesus heard and knew all that had transpired. He is “ a dis- cerner o f the thoughts and intents o f the heart.” It was a look o f pain. Nothing so hurt the heart of his precious Lord that night as the denial of Peter. The spitting, the scoffing, the smiting o f the enemy did not cause Him the pain that Peter’s denial did.
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fall. “ If any man draw back,” saith the Lord, “ my soul shall have-no pleasure in him.” Next, we see Peter in the seat o f the scornful. He sat down with the enemy, by the enemy’s fire, to warm himself. In that atmosphere, it is difficult to confess Jesus Christ, and it is easy to deny Him. The other day, I was reading the story of Belshazzar’s feast in the book o f Daniel. A new thought came to me. You remember that that feast was prepared for all the leading lords and ladies o f the land, and a thousand or more of them were present. At midnight, it was a drunken revelry. THe vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from the temple in Jerusalem were brought and filled with wine, and toasts were drunk to the heathen gods. Then sud denly, a hand began to write something on the wall. There was great fear and consternation. Belshazzar’s knees smote together. He could not read what was written. He called on the wisest of his great men, but not one could
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