John 18:25-27

Burned by Fear — John 18:25-27

Introduction

Have you ever had something bad happen and it created a fear in you that hasn’t gone away? A couple of years ago my sister-in-law was helping cook dinner on her parent’s gas grill. She had gone outside to start the grill so it could be heating up and ready for the food when everything took a turn for the worst. When she clicked the button to turn on the igniter flame a huge flame shot out from the grill. The gas line had a leak and the propane that was supposed to be slowly sent out into the grill had made it’s way all around her. It left her with some nasty burns that took a while to heal. She had a hard time going near a gas grill after that for a while, and it is still a fear of hers that being burned by the fire from a gas grill may happen again.

Although it wasn’t me that experienced this, I still take extra caution when starting my grill. I’m always double checking the propane tank making sure everything is connected properly so that I don’t have a similar situation happen to me. The fear of a propane gas leak has made me respond differently than I normally would have. I don’t go around constantly worried that a flame may burst out in the middle of this room, or while I’m laying in my bed. It’s when I actually need to start the grill and the pressure to ensure the safety of myself and my family is there is when I start to deal with the fear of an accident happening.

We deal with this in our walk with Christ in the same way. Peter’s story that we will read today showcases what happens when we are put in positions that make us fearful. We can learn a lot from Peter denying knowing Jesus that will hopefully keep us from allowing fear to burn us in the future.

Let’s pray.

Context: Peter’s Denial Predicted

Peter denying knowing Jesus before the crucifixion is a very popular portion of Scripture. It all starts back in chapter 13 of John where Peter asks Jesus a question:

John 13:36–38 NLT

Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

Jesus then continues speak to the disciples at the last supper, He gets arrested, and while Jesus was being taken to the High Priest’s house we see the first instance of Peter’s denial in chapter 18 verses 15 through 18:

John 18:15–18 NLT

Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

John takes a moment to record what was happening to Jesus inside, but then jumps back to what was happening outside, which is where we land on our verses today.

Read The Text

John 18:25–27 NLT

Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

Hearing the sound of the rooster crow had to be one of the most heartbreaking sounds for Peter. It was an immediate realization that what Jesus had said came true. While Peter thought he was willing to die for Jesus, in reality he wasn’t even able to claim that he knew Jesus. Peter’s fear of what might happen to him and the pressure coming from the servants and guards that were standing next to him put him in a position where he had to make a choice: either he tells the truth no matter the consequences, or he tells a lie to try and save himself. Unfortunately for Peter, he chose to lie.

How devastating must it have been to have that memory in the back of your mind while you watch Jesus die on the cross? It must have been heartbreaking to feel as if you have betrayed Jesus in your own way, by not standing by Him for fighting for Him. How quickly Peter turned from cutting off the ear of someone trying to arrest Jesus to not being able to claim he even knew Jesus.

What changed? How could this have happened? Well, the question is, how does this happen to us? How often do we resort back to blending in with the crowd when we become aware that our faith in Jesus may put us in a situation where our reputations or our friendships are at stake? If we want to live boldly for Christ, we have to know how to stand strong in the presence of fear.

Three Truths to Remember When We Are Afraid

Lying May Temporarily Satisfy, but Eventually the Truth Comes Out

Proverbs 12:19 “Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.”

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

A lie might get you out of a bad situation in the moment, but as Numbers 32:23 says eventually you can be sure that “your sin will find you out.”

We Are Called to be Set Apart

When Peter was warming himself next to the fire, he wasn’t necessarily trying to “fit in” he just didn’t want to “stand out”. But as Christians we are called to be set apart. It is not something that you can choose, following Jesus means that you are setting yourself against the world. Jesus in chapter 17 talked about His followers being “not of this world” and in the book of James it says this:

James 4:4 “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

God Knew Everything and Still Loved Peter

The verse we looked at in Hebrews told us that nothing is hidden from God. But God is so rich in love and mercy that even though He knows our failures He chooses to love us unconditionally anyway. Jesus knew that Peter was going to deny Him, He knew that Peter was going to fail. But Jesus offers forgiveness and restoration to Peter, and He does the same for us today. One of my favorite quotes is that “when God gave you your calling, He already factored in your stupidity.” This isn’t a license to sin and act like it’s ok, but a reminder that the all-knowing God we serve is aware of our shortcomings and will always be there for us to return back to Him.

30-Second Theology: Salvation Security

I wanted to take a moment a do a little 30-Second Theology on a topic that I believe applies here. Did Peter lose his salvation when he denied Jesus? We know that in Matthew 10:33 it says:

Matthew 10:33 “But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”

So how does this apply to Peter? Because we know by reading later in Scripture that Jesus uses Peter in amazing ways to start the Church. So this has to mean that Jesus didn’t turn His back on Peter. So what happened?

Let’s look at the facts: Peter did lie. I don’t believe that Peter was denying that he believed Jesus was the Messiah, I think he lied to protect himself from what might happen if the guards found out he was one of Jesus’ disciples. We know that lying is a sin, so I would say that Peter sinned for sure. But I don’t believe that he was claiming not to follow Jesus anymore.

But if we sin after we start following Jesus, does that mean that we have lost our salvation? Here is where we will get into the doctrine of salvation security:

We believe all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever (Romans 8:38-39; John 10:27-30).

Romans 8:38–39 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 10:27–30 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.””

We are kept secure by God’s power, not our own. This is why we can rest in the security of our salvation, because it’s not up for me to try and keep track of.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If salvation cannot be earned by good works, it cannot be lost by bad works.

The Baptist Faith and Message would say that “Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

Sin will destroy your life. It will keep you from a close relationship with Jesus. Make no doubt about it, your sin will catch up to you. But our God is so loving and kind, He offers forgiveness to all who ask Him.

So my question to you tonight is this:

What have you been afraid of?

Are you afraid that you are going to lose your friends because you follow Jesus? The truth is, you will lose some friends. Are you afraid you might lose some influence or popularity because you follow Jesus? You probably will at some point. Following Jesus is not supposed to be the next trend that gets popular on Tiktok, it is supposed to be submitting yourself as a servant to the Creator of the universe who has every right to destroy every one of us in this room because of our sin but in His mercy He has chosen to take our place and die the death we deserved.

I pray we all have the faith to overcome our fears and live our lives for Jesus. But if you find yourself in a spot like Peter, where you have distanced yourself from God I want to remind you that it was not God that moved, but you. Don’t stay by the fire trying to fit in, stand with the Lord and He will protect you.

Let’s pray.

Family Group Questions:

Have you every had something happen to you that made you fearful? What happened

How can Peter's denial of Jesus serve as a warning for us regarding our own faith?

What does it mean to be called 'set apart' as a Christian, in the context of this sermon?

What does it mean to be called 'set apart' as a Christian, in the context of this sermon?

How does God's unconditional love play a role in our moments of fear and failure?

What fears do you have about following Jesus, and how might you confront them?