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Here, we look at two men. In some respects, they are similar. In other ways, they are very different. Both belonged to the special group of Jesus' twelve disciples. Both failed their Lord. One returned to the Lord. The other did not. One became a witness to Christ's resurrection. The other did not. One became a faithful servant of the Lord. the other did not. The two men are Simon peter and Judas Iscariot.
It would be very easy for us to concentrate exclusively on the story of Peter. It is a very encouraging story. It is the story of a failure whose life was turned around by the power of Christ. It is the story of what Christ can do in the lives of even those who have failed Him terribly. It is the story of a man who became a fearless witness for Christ, a fearless preacher of the Gospel. It is the story of a man whose letters (1 and 2 Peter) have been a source of spiritual strength to God's people down through the centuries. It would be very convenient to remember Peter and forget about Judas.
The Word of God does not permit us to forget about Judas. When we read the story of Judas, we must read it as a word of warning. Judas highlights for us the very real possibility of turning our backs on Jesus Christ and staggering on blindly into a lost eternity without Christ. Judas is a warning to all of us. Judas is a truly tragic figure. He ended up taking his own life. The tragedy of Judas is not so much the fact that he, literally, committed suicide. The real tragedy lies in the spiritual "suicide" he had been committing for some considerable time. Judas Iscariot's sin against the lord was deliberate, calculated and premeditated. Long before his tragic death, Judas had chosen to go the way of the betrayer rather than the way of the disciple. He had sided with Satan rather than taking his place on the Lord's side. As we hear of Peter- a triumph of grace, a man marvellously restored to the Lord and mightily used by the Lord, let us never forget the warning that comes to us from this tragic character - Judas Iscariot.
As we consider this "tale of two men" - Peter and Judas, let us see here also a "tale of two cities." There is the heavenly city towards which peter points us in his letters. There is the city of destruction, the destiny to which all those who turn their backs on Christ are headed, When we hear of Peter and Judas, we are faced with areal challenge. The hymn writer puts this challenge in the form of a series of questions: "Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King? Who will be helpers other lives to bring? Who will leave the world's side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the Lord's side? Who for Him will go?" Will you, like Peter, respond with a prayer such as this? - "By Thy call of mercy, By Thy grace divine, we are on the Lord's side, Saviour, we are Thine." Or, will you, on the other hand, be like Judas and ignore the warning spoken so powerfully by Jesus Himself? - "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36).
Judas missed out on all the blessings which came to Peter, once he was restored to the Lord. Peter became a witness to Christ's resurrection, a man mightily used by the Lord during the time of the Acts of the Apostles. God doesn't want any of us to miss out on the blessings of His salvation. He wants us to come to the Saviour and enjoy the wonderful blessings of His saving power and love. If you have not yet come to the Saviour, the story of the rest of Peter's life is the story of what you're missing. It is also the story of what your life can be if you will come to Christ and begin a new life with Him.
The blessings enjoyed by Peter were restoration, usefulness and heaven.
(1) Restoration - In a time of weakness, Peter, in the face of enormous stress, had failed his Lord. The risen Christ returned to peter. For each denial, Jesus gave Peter an opportunity to re-affirm his love for Him. Peter said, three times over, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You" (John 21:15-17). Peter was restored to the Lord. restoration - that's the first blessing you miss out on if, like Judas, you go your own way rather than the lord's way. Restoration - that's the first blessing you enjoy when, like Peter, you say, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You."
(2) Usefulness - A second contrast between Peter and Judas lies here. the life of Judas Iscariot was a wasted life. By the time, Jesus rose from the dead, Judas Iscariot had taken his own life. Peter, on the other hand, became a witness of Christ's resurrection. By the time the Day of Pentecost had come, the place of Judas Iscariot, among the twelve disciples, had been taken by another - Matthias (Acts 1:15-26). Peter, on the other hand, was preaching the Gospel with such power that three thousand souls were brought to faith in Christ (Acts 2:37-42). The Lord calls us not only to be restored but also to be useful. Here is a prayer you can pray, "O use m, Lord, use even me,just as Thou wilt, and when and where."
(3) Heaven - The contrast between Peter and Judas is not complete when we say, "Peter was restored and Judas was not. Peter became useful and Judas did not." There is a further contrast. It is the contrast between heaven and hell.
In his first letter, Peter speaks, in glowing terms, of the future hope of the Christian: "Blessed be the god and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).
In his second letter, Peter urges us to make sure that we really do belong to Christ: "Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fail; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10-11).
God does not "wish that any should perish." He desires that "all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Nevertheless, "the Day of the Lord will come like a thief" (2 Peter 3:10), and we must live holy and godly lives, as we await the fulfilment of the Lord's promise - "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:11, 13).