Greg Laurie - Jesus and the Man Who Needed a Second Chance (02/15/2026)
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Pastor Greg laughs about his preaching bloopers—like saying "direy farts" instead of fiery darts at 18—then looks at Simon Peter in Luke 22 and Matthew 26. Peter denied Jesus three times after steps like self-confidence, skipping prayer, wrong efforts, and bad company. Yet Jesus prayed for him, restored him after the resurrection with a special message, proving God gives second chances and turns failures into strength for others.
My Preaching Bloopers and Early Days
So I was around 18 years old when I gave my first sermon. I was at a camp for Calvary Chapel up at Idlewild Springs in the mountains. And I don't know why they let an 18-year-old kid preach, but they asked me to give a message. Pastor Chuck was in the front row. A lot of people I knew, I was very nervous. I wanted to do it right. I didn't wanna mess up.
And so I got up in front of everyone. I was speaking from Ephesians chapter 6, which talks about spiritual warfare. And from the King James, it says that you put on the armor of God so we can withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one. Fiery darts is King James for flaming arrows. So instead of saying fiery darts of the wicked one, I got up and said, "And we need to guard ourself against the direy farts of the wicked one."
Chuck was laughing so hard I thought he was gonna have a heart attack. He turned bright red, no one remembered the rest of my message. All they remembered was I said, "Fart in a sermon."
More Sermon Slip-Ups Over the Years
Well, there's more things I've said over the years. Not that long ago, actually, I was speaking on David at Bathsheba, speaking of David. And I was talking about when David first saw her, the Bible says she was a woman of unusual beauty. But instead of saying Bathsheba was a woman of unusual beauty, I said Bathsheba was a woman of unusual Booty. Now that may have been true, I don't know. But that's not what I meant to say.
Another time, I was wrapping up a message, it was at the end, right before I was gonna invite people to come to Christ, and I would usually say something like, "Let's pray." But instead I said, "Let's pee." Thankfully, no one took me up on that.
And another time, this is my last one. These are my bloopers. I was speaking on Simon Peter. And I said, "And Jesus turned to Peter." Well, that's what I meant to say. But instead I said, "And Jesus turned to Peepers." I called him Peepers. Okay, so that's my new name for Peter.
Why Peter? A Relatable Failure
So I wanna talk to you about Simon Peter. And because he is the man who needed a second chance. You know, Peter's so easy to relate to. He was hopelessly human, just like us. There's no more relatable person, probably in all of the Bible, than Peter.
And you wonder, "Why would God choose someone like Peter?" Because he failed in a spectacular way. He openly denied that he knew Jesus three times. Yet Jesus chose him to be one of His apostles. And not only that, but to, in effect, be the leader of the apostles.
Why would God choose a loser when He could choose a winner? Another way to put it, why would God choose you or me? Well, God looks at the big picture. We look at the small picture. We see the immediate. He sees what's going to happen.
Jesus did not choose Peter because of his perfection. He chose him because of his potential. And he did mess up. And maybe I'm talking to somebody right now who has messed up horribly in life. You've said something you wish you had not said. You've done something you wish you had not done.
But here's what you need to know. Failure doesn't have to be the end of your story. God gives second chances. And third ones, and fourth ones, and on it goes. I love Joel 2:25, where God says, "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten."
Peter's Downfall Begins
Peter had his ups and downs. He had his highs and lows. But the worst of all was when he openly denied the Lord. And that's what I would like to focus on for a few moments. Starting with Luke 22. When Peter began his regression. When he fell. And there were a number of steps that led to his fall that we can learn from.
So it all started when Jesus was with the disciples. And He turned to Peter and said these words. Luke 22:31. "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."
Put yourself in Peter's sandals for a moment. Imagine you're just hanging out with Jesus. Having a great time. And suddenly Jesus turns to you and says your name twice. And then says, "Satan has been asking for you by name."
And in the original language it can be translated, "The devil has been asking excessively that you would be taken out of the care and protection of God." How scary would that be? But then Jesus adds these words, "But I have prayed for you."
This reminds us of the fact that the devil is not omnipresent, which means present everywhere. God is omnipresent. He's everywhere. The devil can only be in one place at one time. You know, sometimes we'll say, "The devil was tempting me the other day." I wonder if many of us have ever been tempted by the big guy himself. Probably by one of his demon forces. One of his minions. Not those kinds of minions. You know, the demonic minions.
But in effect you were tempted by the devil. I'm not denying that. But Satan himself was personally asking for Peter. "I want that fisherman. I want that dude. I want him and I want you to give him to me right now." He's been asking for you by name. And Jesus says, "But I prayed for you."
And this reminds us of the simple fact that whenever the devil comes knocking, he has to get permission from Jesus first. He can do nothing in the life of the child of God without the Father's permission. That's illustrated in the book of Job. You remember the devil came with a series of attacks against Job. And the Lord said that he had put a hedge of protection. A wall of protection around Job. And he has done the same for us.
So here's what Jesus is saying. Buddy, you're gonna mess up. You're gonna fall. He's been asking that you be taken out of the care and protection of God. But I prayed for you. But when you have returned, you will strengthen your brothers.
Jesus is saying, in effect, I know you better than you know you. And you are gonna fail. But you are going to return.
Step 1: Self-Confidence
This brings us to the first step to Peter's fall. It was self-confidence. Matthew 26:33. Peter answered and said, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."
So Jesus says, "One of you is gonna betray Me." And they all say, "Is it me, Lord? Is it me?" Now, if Judas was as obvious as we think he was, they would have all known it was him. So often when you see a religious painting of Jesus and the disciples, or a depiction of it on film, you always know who Judas is. Everybody else is in white robes. He's in a black leather robe. With a collar turned up. And sunglasses. Right? There's Judas. Always lurking in the shadows.
If he was as obvious as we would think he might have been, they would have all pointed in unison and said, "It's Judas, isn't it?" But instead they said, "Is it me?"
So this is a moment to be concerned. But Peter thought this is a moment to boast. "Even if all deny You," says Peter, "I will never deny You, James and John, sons of thunder." I don't know about them. Matthew, don't forget, he used to collude with the Roman government. I don't know if you can trust that guy. But you can depend on me.
And then Jesus says, "Well, since you brought it up, Peter, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you knew Me." Peter says, "No, Lord, I will never deny You."
Now that might sound commendable that Peter is boasting of his love for God, but actually he was contradicting Jesus. So, self-confidence.
You know, sometimes we'll see a person fall into sin, and we'll say, "I would never do anything like that." Oh, shut up. You are capable of committing any sin, as am I. Now, that doesn't mean we can't, or it doesn't mean we should, nor does it mean we will, but it means we could if we chose to.
So, don't ever say, "Oh, I would never do such a thing." You are capable of doing the worst thing imaginable. We all are. As that old expression says, "But for the grace of God, there go I."
So, that was his first step down. I will never deny You. I will never let You down. No, actually you will. Self-confidence. Be careful. The Bible says, "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
Step 2: Prayerlessness
Peter's second step down was a result of prayerlessness. Prayerlessness. I don't even know if prayerlessness is a word, but I've been using it for so long it's a word to me. It just means not praying about things.
And Peter wasn't praying when he should have been, because now we find ourselves in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is getting closer to His death on the cross. He knows what's coming. And He's under intense pressure.
So, He asked one thing of Peter, James, and John. He said to them, "Can you guys just watch with Me for one hour?" And then as He's dealing with this horrible thing that's about to happen, He comes back and He finds them asleep.
He goes, "Guys, come on. Watch and pray." See, because of the self-confidence, they didn't think they needed to pray. But they should have been praying.
Here's the problem. They were slumbering and sleeping when they should have been present and praying. But you know, really, when you stop and look at this, all Jesus was saying is, "Can you guys just be with Me?"
You know, sometimes when a person is hurting, they just need you to be there. You don't even have to have the right words. You just have to be there. Sometimes the best words are no words. Because if they're the wrong words, they can be hurtful.
I know I've had the wrong words said to me many times. And sometimes in our attempts to comfort will torment. And sometimes a person just needs you to be there. And you might just say, "I don't know what to say." Maybe they just found out they have cancer. Or maybe they just lost a loved one. And now you think it's time to give them a sermon. They don't need a sermon. They need a friend. It's called the ministry of presence.
And Jesus was saying, "Can you guys just be with Me? Watch and pray. I'd really appreciate it." He comes back. They're sleeping. So the second step down was prayerlessness.
You see, Peter had no idea that a storm was brewing. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his world as he knew it was about to change within minutes. Because here comes Judas Iscariot with the temple guard ready to arrest Jesus.
And Peter should have been praying. And that was a sin of omission. You know, there are sins of commission and omission. A sin of commission is when you do what you should not do. A sin of omission is when you don't do what you should do.
The Bible says, "To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." So to not pray can be a sin.
Step 3: Trusting Human Efforts
Number three, Peter fell because he trusted in human efforts instead of God's power. So here they are now, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here comes Judas and the temple guard to arrest Jesus.
And here's what happened next. Matthew 26:51. We read these words as they're approaching. "And suddenly one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear."
And Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?"
Now, imagine this scene. And in a way, I sort of admire Peter and understand what he did, but it wasn't the right thing. Here comes Judas, one of their own. He betrays Jesus. Jesus sees Judas and says, "Friend, why have you come?" One last chance to repent.
Judas betrays him, of all things, with a kiss. In fact, it's implied in the original language it was multiple kisses. Kissed him over and over. He told the temple guard, "The guy I kissed, that's Jesus."
And now they come rushing in to arrest Jesus. Peter is so angry, he pulls out his sword, and he starts swinging, and off comes the ear of the high priest's servant. Lands on the ground.
Jesus stops, reaches down, picks up the ear, and heals it. If someone came at me like that, and was arresting me, and their ear happened to come off, I'd just say, I don't know, it's down there somewhere. Oh, here it is. I wouldn't have healed him. I'd say, "Yeah, you get what you deserve, loser."
Not Jesus. The last miracle Christ performed was covering the blunder of one of His disciples, and healing the ear of a man that wanted to kill Him.
But see, this is the problem with Peter. He was doing it through human efforts. He was doing it in his own strength. The problem with Peter is, he was boasting when he should have been listening, sleeping when he should have been praying, and now he's fighting when he should have been surrendering.
He was fighting with the wrong kind of weaponry. This was a spiritual battle. But he missed that opportunity. But Jesus covered for him.
Step 4: Warming by the Enemy's Fire
Bringing us to the next step of Peter down, number four, warming himself by the enemy's fire. Go over to Matthew 26:69. "Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied it before them all, saying, 'I do not know what you say.'"
"And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, 'This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.' And again he denied it with an oath, 'I do not know the man!'"
"A little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, 'Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.' Then he began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the man!' Immediately a rooster crowed."
"And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly."
Wow. So here he's now, warming himself by the enemy's fire. He was cold. He was disoriented. He was afraid. And he sees this fire, and he's standing there with the wrong people at the wrong place, and he's about to do the wrong thing.
And his first denial happens, then his second, and then his third. Now after his first denial, you'd think you'd say, "Hey, are there any roosters around here? I think Jesus said something about a rooster."
Right? When you go to Hawaii, there's roosters everywhere. I don't know why there's random roosters waking you up every morning. You know?
And then he denies them again. And by the way, a period of time passed between each of these denials. But here's what's interesting. One of them says, "You were with them. Your speech betrays you." What she was saying is, "You have the Galilean accent."
You know, when you travel around the country, or around the world, for that matter, you notice people have different accents. Right? If you're in the South, it's like, "Hey, how y'all doing?" If you're in New York, it's like, "Whoa, what are you looking at me? You want some of this? Where do you get some coffee?"
You know, I'll talk to someone, "Where can I get some coffee?" I go, "Are you from New York?" "How'd you know?" "The way you said coffee."
So we have different accents, different ways we say things from different places. People tell me that I have a California accent. I say, "There is no California accent." They go, "Oh no, there is. You've got the California accent." Whatever. I don't ever say that, but... I guess we have an accent too.
But really, it was a put down too. Because in effect, in Jerusalem, they thought of themselves as sophisticated, and educated, and very religious, and very devout. And the people in Galilee, they're like living in the sticks, the backwood people, you know? And they sort of thought less of them. "Oh, you've got the Galilean accent. Obviously, you're not really educated. You're not sophisticated." It was a put down. "You've got that accent."
And then he comes to his next denial. And Luke's Gospel tells us there was time that elapsed between these denials. Which means that he had plenty of opportunities to get this right. But he went further and further into sin.
And in his last denial, it's really sad. Because it says he began to curse and swear. Now, does this mean that Peter swore like a sailor? He was one. But it actually doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean he used profanity.
When it says he cursed and swore, it meant he took an oath. As if to say, "I swear to God I never knew Jesus." And the worst imaginable version of taking the Lord's name in vain, Peter took an oath swearing to God he never knew Jesus.
The rooster crows. And then the Bible says, "And Jesus looked at Peter." Wait, what's going on? So here he is by the fire. He utters his third denial. The rooster crows. And they're moving Christ from one place to another. And He makes momentary eye contact with Peter.
Can you see it? And the glow of the fire? What kind of look do you think Jesus gave Peter? You think He looked at him and rolled His eyes? Like... Really?
I think it was a look of compassion and love. Don't forget, Jesus predicted this. He knew Peter was going to fail. He knew he was going to fall short. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Oh man. He says, "That's it. That's the end for me." Did he fail? Yes. Did he deny the Lord? Again, yes. Was he still a believer? Absolutely. But he was a fallen believer.
But don't forget what Jesus said. He said, "When you return, you'll strengthen your brothers." Peter, you're going to deny Me. Not once, not twice, three times. But you're going to return. And when you return, you'll strengthen your brothers.
In other words, his setback was temporary. Peter would be back. His setback would ultimately become a setup for greater things. His mess would turn into a message. His test would be a testimony. And his disappointment would lead to a divine appointment. His greatest test would lead to his greatest trust in God.
Restoration After Failure
And we have this story here to remind us that God gives second chances. I mean, what a hard lesson to learn. Peter, you know what you're going through? They're going to be talking about it in church 2,000 years from now. Okay, so. Everyone's going to know this story.
But this isn't the end of the story. Because they're also going to know what happened after. And they're going to know that I forgave you. Because here's what happened.
After Christ is crucified, He rises again three days later. And then the message goes out. Go tell the disciples and who? Does anyone know? Peter. Go tell the disciples and Peter he's risen.
Not go tell the disciples and Peter, James, and John. Or go tell the disciples and Mary and Martha. Or go tell the disciples... No, tell the disciples and Peter.
In other words, I want you to send a special message to Peter, and here's what it is. I'm risen, and I'll see you in Galilee. So don't miss the appointment.
Isn't that great that God gives second chances to all of us? And He did that for Peter, and He will do it for us as well.
Simon Peter, a man of contradictions. He was praised and honored, and even rebuked by Jesus himself. One moment he's walking on water, the next moment he's sinking. He had moments of incredible bravery, and also moments of outright fear.
And that's what makes him so relatable. Everything he went through, we say, that's like me. That's what I do, exactly. That's why he's here in the Bible, to show you that God uses flawed people.
God picks losers, so to speak, and turns them into winners, ultimately. And can restore you, no matter what you have done. God can take your ending, and turn it into a beginning.
Jesus Invades Our World
You see, Jesus invaded Peter's world. What was Peter's world? Fishing. All about fishing. So what does Jesus do? He steps right into his world. Hello. You want to catch some fish? Do what I tell you.
Jesus did that for many people. How about that woman caught in the act of adultery? In a horrible predicament. They said, the law says she should be stoned. What do you say? He clears the room. Let him that's without sin cast the first stone. They leave from the oldest to the youngest. And He turns to her and says, woman, where are your accusers? Go and sin no more.
Then there's that man that was disabled, and he couldn't move. And he had heard a rumor that if an angel touched the water he was near, that he could be healed if he got there first. And one day, Jesus himself shows up, asks him a question. Do you really want to get well? You want to change? And the man said yes, and Jesus healed him right there.
He invaded his world. And you know, God invaded my world. Didn't He invade yours? I mean, the last thing I planned on doing on that day in 1970, at the age of 17, was becoming a Christian.
I was going the wrong way in life, making bad decisions, using drugs, hanging out with the lowest of the lowlifes. And no one even engaged me with the gospel. No one took the time to say, Greg, here's how you can become a Christian.
I remember I would hang around at the fun zone down at Newport by the ferry, and I would lean up against the wall, and my hair would hang in my eyes. Use your imagination. And I had a tough guy persona. And people wouldn't come up and approach me, and they would come up with their little religious tracts and booklets, and they'd give them out to people, and they'd walk up to me, and just kind of walk away.
And I'd say, give me one. And I'd shove up my pocket. Like, I don't care. Give it to me. Then I would go home and read them. And I'd try to figure them out.
I had a drawer in my little room that I lived in. And I would put all this religious literature in this drawer. It was sort of like my God drawer. I didn't know what any of it meant. And every now and then, I would empty it on my bed, and I would sit there and try to figure it out. How can I know God? I needed someone to tell me. No one told me.
So Jesus just personally invaded my world. And I'm walking across my high school campus, and I come across a group of Christians singing about their faith, and I hear the gospel for the first time. It wasn't even presented to me. I was eavesdropping on it.
And then I realized what Jesus Christ could do for me, and my life changed because He invaded my world. And He's ready to invade your world right now in the best possible way. No matter who you are.
Say, well, I've tried to make my life better. I've tried to improve myself. And you've failed, haven't you? See, you need God. And you need to call out to the Lord. And you'll be amazed at what He can do despite the predicament you find yourself in now.
Despite the fact that you've made a mess out of your life. As I said earlier, He can turn your mess into a message. He can transform you. But you must come to Him and say, God, help me.
That's what Peter did. And Jesus changed him. And maybe there's somebody I'm talking to right now that you're a Christian, but you have denied the Lord in some way, shape, or form. You've fallen short. You've done something you wished you had not done. You've said something you wished you had not said.
Well, God can forgive you, but you must come to Him.