⁷⁵And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Today’s upbeat “worship” services are a refreshing change from the dry, staid, straight-backed hard pew settings of years gone by, which even continue in some churches today. Worship should not resemble a funeral service—that’s a no-brainer. However, we should not let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction, missing out on the profound posturing of our souls before the One who paid it all for us and our salvation!

In Peter, we see the foundation for worship, acknowledging that we are sinners saved by grace. The problem is when we lose our appreciation for what we have been saved from! The apostles, as the original pillars of the church, were overwhelmed with their unworthiness before God, but they rejoiced all the more in the divine gift of grace. That supercharged their love for God out of gratitude. The apostle John wrote:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

He followed this with: “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). In his gospel account, John recorded Jesus’ words, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). At the core of worship is God’s love for us, not our love for Him; the order is significant. To express our love for Him is good, but our worship is not about us but about Him. We are unworthy of His love. We are all sinners like Isaiah says:

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isa. 53:6)

Peter had to learn this about himself when, after his failure in denying Jesus three times, “he went out and wept bitterly.” That experience had to come before service and before worship. Confession and repentance of sin are absolute prerequisites, for the heart of God’s most glorious work, namely sacrificing His Son for us, is built on the foundation of His love in forgiving us who don’t deserve any of it. Yes, He loved us and continues to love us despite our continued unworthiness. This does not make for worship that resembles a depressing funeral service, but it engenders worship that is increasingly God-focused and joyful. Is it any wonder that Peter gives us these last words? “[G]row in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Lord, help me grow in understanding how deep Your grace goes in my life, for in that, my appreciation for Your love also deepens.