The Dangers of Self-Evaluation
Notes
Transcript
Read
Read
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
Chapter 14
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Our setting is an intimate meal with Jesus and the eleven disciples.
Judas has already left to betray the Lord.
And, Jesus is preparing the eleven for His work on the cross.
He’s seeking to shift their thinking from the Cross being an emblem of shame…
To the Cross being a display of the glory of God.
We looked, last week, at how there is mutual glory in the work of redemption.
The Father delights to grant the Son’s requests because the Son always pleased the Father.
The Son shows the world by His death how holy and just the Father is, and how He hates sin.
The Father shows the world, by raising and exalting the Son to glory, how He delights in the redemption for sinners which the Son has accomplished.
And, you’ll remember that Jesus said something that not only raises questions in our minds…
But, it certainly raised questions in the minds of the eleven.
Jesus said in…
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
Well, the same question that arose in our minds arose in the minds of the eleven…
And, in typical fashion, Peter is the one to speak up.
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
This is a good question on a few points:
Where are you going?
Disciples are meant to follow their Master.
Why would there be a place that you’re going that your disciples do not have the ability to go?
Is this a permanent disability, like the RL’s were told or is it a temporary disability?
And, I think we need to remember that on their mind is this whole betrayal declaration that Jesus made about one of them.
And, they’re still wondering who it will be that betrays Christ.
And, is this betrayal the reason they cannot follow Him to where He is going?!
Where are You going?
Where are You going?
They most likely remember the similar conversation Jesus had with the RL’s.
Listen to what He said to the RL’s…
33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
They were puzzled, as well.
But, they weren’t worried.
They had no desire to be with Christ, either way.
But the eleven, they want to be with Christ.
As a matter of fact, the thought of not being with Him is troublesome.
But, Jesus doesn’t tell them they will not be able to find Him.
He tells them in v.33 of Chapter 13 they cannot come with Him.
—> But here, when Peter asks for clarification…
Jesus states some additional information…
36 …Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
Jesus clarifies:
It’s not that you are not allowed.
It’s not that you are permanently disabled from coming.
It’s not that you are going to die in your sins and go elsewhere.
You will join me, but not immediately.
And, let’s not overlook the guarantee that Jesus gives them.
Jesus states explicitly… but you will follow afterward.
Now, Peter responds a little more boldly.
But it is still a good question.
37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now?
Peter seems to have some understanding of Jesus saying that He will die.
Jesus has certainly taught them that truth.
They haven’t seem to come to terms with the necessity of it…
Nor have they come to terms with the glory of it.
But, they seem to have some understanding that Jesus knows…
Death Is Imminent
Death Is Imminent
And there seems to be a little agitation in Peter’s remark.
Like…why would you go without us, you know the dangers that are lurking out there.
And, so Peter makes this bold statement…
37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Peter is not the only one with this kind of thinking.
We will not let you die, or we will die protecting you…
Fighting with you and for you.
When Jesus was going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead.
And, the disciples knew it would be dangerous, we read…
16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
So, Peter is not the only one who has over-spoken and over-promised.
Peter, and I’m sure the other disciples were feeling the same…
Is saying…
If death is your fear Lord, let me go with you and I will fight to the death so that you don’t have to die.
Ah, Peter, you’re missing the forest for the trees.
Admirable as it may be, what Peter is saying is folly.
Not only will Peter not lay down his life…
But, Peter will never be able to go where Jesus is going…
Unless Jesus lays down His own life voluntarily…
—> For not only Peter, but all of Christ’s sheep.
I’ll come back to the dangers of Peter’s thinking in a minute…
But, first, let’s continue with what Jesus is saying here…
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Jesus tells Peter if you want to follow Me…
The place must be prepared by Me.
And, can only, exclusively, be prepared by Me.
—> You have no part in this work.
This work is exclusively accomplished by Jesus Christ.
Jesus is not going to paint the walls of your mansion.
He’s going to the Courtroom of God to remove the debts you owe the Law of God.
He’s going to remove the legal barrier that alienates you from God.
He’s going to disarm the rulers, whose hold on you is your guilt and condemnation before the Law of God.
That is how He is going to prepare a place for His own people.
We are incapable of contributing.
We are incapable of participating.
We are completely dependent upon Christ for this great work.
Jesus Is the Only One Who Can Prepare the Place
Jesus Is the Only One Who Can Prepare the Place
The place being prepared is eternal life in the Kingdom of Christ…
—> In the reconciled presence of God, forevermore.
Our efforts cannot gain one ounce of “material” for the preparation of our eternal dwelling.
—> All that we can offer is corrosion.
But, I want us to see how easy it is for us to have our hope misplaced.
And, we can see this in…
Peter’s Misplaced Hope
Peter’s Misplaced Hope
So, we go back to Peter’s over-promised statement…
37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Peter makes this bold statement regarding his own evaluation of himself.
Lord, you don’t want to go anywhere without me.
In which Jesus replies…
38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
So, we have Peter’s evaluation of Peter.
And, we have Jesus’ evaluation of Peter.
They are in stark contrast of one another.
And, not to give it away…but Jesus’ evaluation is the correct one.
So, I want us to see the dangerous ways in which we often evaluate ourselves.
The Dangers of Self-Evaluation
The Dangers of Self-Evaluation
Peter is judging himself in a few different ways:
Arrogantly
Ignorantly
Incorrectly
Why? What happened?
Peter, like we often do, judged himself according to feelings rather than truth.
He judged himself according to sentiment and exaggeration rather than according to God’s Word.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not doubting the sincerity of Peter’s declaration.
But, sincerity ≠ truth…
You can be sincerely wrong.
What we see in Peter, we also see in our self if we’re rightly looking.
We are naturals at exaggerating ourself:
As who we want to be…
Or who we’d like to think we are…
Or who we’d like people to think we are…
We even have conversations with ourself, within our minds, of how we think we were perceived…
And, I guarantee, most of the time the exaggeration in our mind is far better than reality.
Self-evaluation according to sentiment and exaggeration…
Rather than judging ourself according to God’s Word is the preferred method for mankind.
And, because it does not line up with God’s evaluation of us…
We reject God and suppress the truth of God.
The world is full of people judging themselves according to sentiment or feelings in the moment...
—> Rather than according to truth.
Peter, just like us, thinks he knows himself.
He’s had that lofty dream in his mind of running over and jumping in the way of a sword as it swings to hit the Savior.
And, that egotistical vision has become his judgment of himself…
—> Rather than the truth of himself.
Peter is a Believer. He’s Justified.
Peter is a Believer. He’s Justified.
Now, we must remember that Jesus has already told the eleven that they are clean…
—> They are justified.
And, that justification can only come through His cleansing blood.
This is an absolutely necessary truth to believe.
Justification is by faith alone in Christ alone.
But, in Peter’s case, being a justified believer…
And like us, as well…
The fallen world’s humanistic, sinful thinking doesn’t just disappear.
—> It rises up all the time.
And, we have to stay in the Word…
Inform our minds, consciences, and our feelings with the Word of God.
To keep us from thinking arrogantly.
To keep us from thinking ignorantly.
To keep us from thinking incorrectly.
Peter will later prove Christ correct and himself wrong.
Peter, like us, needs to pray that he can become more Christ-minded…
More dependent upon Christ for his manner of thinking.
Which is synonymous with becoming more biblically minded.
Being biblically minded is saturated with humility about oneself.
And, humility is not thinking less of your self.
It’s thinking of yourself less often.
Let’s think about this…
Let’s think about this…
Jesus knew Peter would betray Him, by denial.
Yet, look at how gentle Jesus is with Peter.
Think about the compassion, longsuffering and forgiveness Christ extends over and over to His disciples.
Think about the compassion Christ has for the weaker.
Think about the patience and forgiveness Christ has for the repeat offender.
That is godly love.
And, we are to imitate Christ in our love for one another.
For the weaker brother.
For the repeat offender.
Biblically loving is not enabling.
It is confrontational at times.
It is overlooking a personal offense at times.
Sometimes, it is removing benefits/privileges from the offender for a period of time.
But…
It is always loving.
It is always forgiving.
It is always restorative.
We don’t just react.
We don’t just immediately think we know what is best.
We look to the Word.
We look to Christ.
We imitate Him.
Let’s think about this...
Let’s think about this...
Judas betrayed Jesus.
Jesus just told Peter that he would betray Jesus, by denying Him.
What is the difference in the two?
Judas, is in the broken covenant of works, under condemnation.
Peter, is in the New Covenant with Christ, declared blameless before God.
This is part of what Jesus is teaching here.
This is what Jesus wants them to realize.
The Old Covenant was never purposed for confidence in the flesh.
It was purposed to show the frailty and incapability of the flesh.
Do not trust in anything you can do.
Trust only in what Christ has done.
Jesus wants them to fully realize…
Their dependence, their reliance, their hope…
Must transfer to full dependence upon Christ…
Not only in justification, but in sanctification, as well.
Apart from Me, Jesus says, you can do nothing.
They need to realize that their hope is to lay exclusively in the person and work Christ.
In whom, all the work, all the merit for your salvation has been accomplished…
—> Has been prepared on your behalf, if you are in Christ.
Our efforts don’t add an iota to our salvation.
Even the good we do, is Christ in us!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
