Would you deny the Lord?
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This Sunday all i wish to do is ask you a simple question: Would you deny the Lord?
In answering this question we must avoid instinctive, gut reaction answers.
I know the gut reaction answer because when faced with this question i have the same response: Absolutely not!
And we know the severe consequences of denying the Lord:
33 But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
So the answer is: No! I will not deny the Lord ever!
Thats fine.
We do however know of a certain disciple who did deny Jesus, no less than 3 times!
He did this even after he swore he would NEVER do it.
So what happened?
But let us take a moment to look at how this went when Jesus first asked this question.
The Scene:
The Scene:
After Jesus finished the passover meal, but before He went to the garden to pray, He took His disciples on a detour to the mount of Olives.
There Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah:
30 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
First some simple questions:
Was Jesus ever wrong? Did Jesus ever lie? Did Jesus ever just talk nonsense?
No. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. He is the Word of truth.
So whatever Jesus says is ALWAYS true.x4
So right here Jesus says something and because its Jesus saying it, it MUST be true. Correct?
So what did Jesus say?
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
Jesus said: “You will all fall away because of me this night”.
That is a true statement. Its a truth statement. Its a fact statement.
So what is Peters response to this true statement by Jesus?
33 But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away!”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.
I need to see the glaring irony here.
Jesus said “You will all deny me”. Peters response is what? Peter denies that what Jesus said about him denying him is true.
Peter denies Jesus, before he even denies Jesus 3 times.
In fact, even after Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him 3 times, Peter denies the truth statement from Jesus again!
It turns out that Peter technically did not deny Jesus 3 times, technically he denied Jesus 5 times: twice here and 3 times later.
And that is what went so wrong.
This is how you deny Jesus:
This is how you deny Jesus:
Do you want to know why Peter denies Jesus so easily 3 times later that night?
Because He denied the Word of Jesus during the day.
Just think about it for a moment:
If Peter had received the statement from Jesus about them all falling away as the truth that it is, instead of arguing that it was not so - he may have not gone down that path which led him to the very edge of Hell.
So here is a better way to ask the question:
If i ask if you would deny the Lord, you will instinctively say no, but how about:
Are you denying the truth of scripture right now?
Because if you are, then trust me: You WILL deny the Lord later.
How we deny the Lord:
How we deny the Lord:
Every time we deny the truth of scripture we, like Peter, deny the Lord.
And we can deny scripture in both its negative affirmations AND its positive affirmations.
The Negative:
The Negative:
The bible says some very negative things about life as a christian:
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also.
12 Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of debauchery, and they slander you;
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
We deny Jesus when we deny the seriousness of sin:
6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
We deny Jesus when we disrespect our spouse:
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
We deny Jesus when we withhold our tithes:
8 “Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
We deny Jesus when we do not honor our leaders:
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.
These are just a tiny examples of the negative affirmation which when we deny them we deny Jesus.
But there are also positive affirmation we deny:
We deny Jesus when we act like slaves to sin.
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
We deny Jesus when when we deny our identity as God’s sons:
26 For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
We deny Jesus when we deny His deliverance:
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We deny Jesus when we deny His power!
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
My friends Peter denied Jesus way before the rooster was involved.
He denied Jesus when he denied the truth that Jesus spoke.
Truth hurts.
It hurts when the Word reveals how weak we are, it hurts when the Word shatterers our rose tinted view of ourselves.
But it hurts more when, like Peter, we look into His eyes and realise we have denied our precious Lord.
33 But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.