June 14, 2020 - Fragile Faith
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Judas and his band of soldiers are now standing face-to-face with Jesus...
looking to ARREST Him...
They show up with Torches and weapons…THINKING they were going to have a fight on their hands!!
Instead - they come…looking for the man they want to kill...
And Jesus - STEPS FORWARD...
And says - I AM HE
Today we continue making our way thru the gospel of John
and there’s going to be a WARNING for us - IMPLICITLY - in the text...
We’re going to start in John and then jump to the gospel of Luke...
NOW - before we get to our text in John, I’d like to go to the gospel of Matthew and listen to an exchange that Jesus had with Peter - before the arrest of Jesus…BEFORE what happened last week.
30 And when they had sung 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 am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
Have we heard this before from Peter?
Yes..We heard it all last week...
"You will NEVER wash my feet Jesus"
"You will NEVER be killed Jesus"
And now again - "I will NEVER deny you Jesus!"
We see it again - this same pattern in Peter's life...Instead of receiving truth...he tries to impart His own truth...
And again, he doesn't LISTEN to Jesus...Jesus says - YES, this will happen, and then THIS will happen...
But Peter refuses to listen!
Instead he says - NO, Jesus, you must be mistaken....You're wrong!
Well.....we know what happens...
Jesus is arrested and Peter draws the sword...
And then...
12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.
13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,
16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.
17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.”
57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”
59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”
62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
OK, so a lot a verses, but they paint the scene for us...
Jesus is lead away, and our focus today is going to be on PETER…and his response to this...
And in us looking at Peter today - we’re going to learn a lot about FAITH and how FRAGILE it can be...
Listen - as Christians - we do NOT believe that once you have received SAVING FAITH - it can be lost...
we DO NOT believe that...
BUT - certainly faith can waver…and certainly THAT WAVERING can have an impact on our lives...
SO let’s look at FAITH and it’s propensity to be FRAGILE...
If you remember in Ephesians chapter 6 we read about the ARMOR of God…
and we see that Faith is described as a SHIELD...
TODAY - we’ll look at things that WEAKEN that shield...
That put CRACKS in that shield...
Do you remember how our text last week ended?
It ended with a guys ear getting cut off…Why would PETER do that??
Weakened faith - how did that weakened faith display itself?
SLIDE: Faith becomes more fragile when our self-confidence rises
Faith becomes more fragile when our self-confidence rises
The first crack in the shield of faith - Self-Confidence...
You will NEVER wash my feet Jesus!
You will NEVER be killed by the chief priests and scribes!
I will NEVER deny you Jesus!
We hear this sort of thing over and over again when looking at Peter...
Even when TRUTH was looking him in the eyes, he still didn't LISTEN!
Jesus was constantly imparting truth to the apostles...And over and over again, we see Peter essentially look at Jesus and say - "No, You're wrong!"
And so we need to make the connection...
Peter was confident that what he THOUGHT was RIGHT!
The problem is - Confidence can be based on many different things...
The 1980 Soviet Union National Hockey team was pretty confident they would beat the amateur US National Hockey team that year in the Olympics...
In the late 80's, Pepsi was confident that it's new option 'Crystal Pepsi' would be a big hit...
In 1996, McDonald's was confident that people would crave their new Arch Deluxe...
Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were confident that they would win NOT 1, NOT 2, NOT 3, but 7 Championships...
Self-Confidence is an agent to FALLEN, fragile faith...why?
Because man is FALLEN…fragile
See self-confidence is one thing...but wisdom is another...
26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
What we see over-and-over again is Self-confidence in Peter's walk with the Lord.
And anytime that we begin defending our OWN:
ways...
thoughts on reality...
We're actually displaying Self-Confidence...And a LACK of FAITH!
Unless my confidence is rooted in Jesus Christ, then my confidence is a sinful Self-Confidence...
It's an agent of Fallen - fragile Faith...But it's not the only one…It’s not the only WEAKNESS of faith
SLIDE: Faith becomes more fragile when we follow Jesus at a distance
Faith becomes more fragile when we follow Jesus at a distance
2. Following Jesus at a Distance
Let’s go to Luke 22 - and see part of our story today
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance.
So here we see, really, the first response from Peter after:
being told to Put Down his sword...
Realizing that HIS WAY wasn't THE way that this was going to play out...
From being the FIRST to jump up and ready to FIGHT for Jesus...to what?
FOLLOWING AT A DISTANCE!
From being the FIRST and ONLY one to jump up, and say - "Jesus, if that's You...COMMAND me to come to you out on the water!"
To now what?
FOLLOWING AT A DISTANCE!
No longer up at the front lines...No longer READY to fight...
Now remember, verse 54 here happened BEFORE Peter denied Jesus...BUT we can see what's building up here!...
There's now a sense of DOUBT setting in!"
Can I TRUST this Jesus character?"
And this situation with Peter kind of MIRRORS what had happened during Holy Week...
Do you remember how the people initially responded to Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem??
37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Matthew 21 puts it this way:
8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
See, for those there, this was the time!
Jesus was going to set up His Kingdom!
He's going to conquer the Romans!
He's going to elevate Israel to it's proper place!
This is the place to be! In all of the world...this was the place to be!
And the City let Christ know how excited they were...
Pulling from all of the gospel accounts of this event, we can hear their enthusiasm!
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; [even the King of Israel]
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
The people saw, in Christ, an opportunity...and they rejoiced!
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Hosanna means "save now, save now!
"They were NOT crying out for Spiritual Salvation from sin...They were talking about - "save the nation...save the nation!"...save us from the oppressive Romans...save us from our desperate condition in this world!
BUT JESUS had a BETTER REMEDY!
They rejoiced in that which they "thought" was going to happen.
And when THEY realized that Jesus WASN'T going to do as they pleased...Their cries of HOSANNA turned to cries of "Crucify Him"....
He's NOT doing what we WANT Him to do...So crucify Him...!
AND SO - Like the City of Jerusalem....Peter's once READINESS to fight (his once Praise and Adoration) turned to...
Distant glances
Now on the outskirts trying to see what's happening.
This is FALLEN FAITH.
And it shows us how FRAGILE IT IS!!
Peter had ELEVATED his own ideas above his ADORATION of Jesus!
To the extent that when his own ideas about what Jesus was going to do didn't pan out......his faith in Jesus became DISTANT!
And there's no worse place to be...as a Christian...then in a place where we're now ON THE OUTSKIRTS...taking OCCASIONAL glances at Jesus...
Peter was vulnerable here (ON the OUTSKIRTS) - THIS is our warning
...and his vulnerability leads to the next CRACK in the SHIELD of FAITH...
SLIDE: Faith becomes more fragile when we rest where unbelievers rest
Faith becomes more fragile when we rest where unbelievers rest
3. Keeping Bad Company
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
What we're going to see here is that while YES, it's important for us to be IN the world yet NOT OF the world......we need to be VERY cautious!
We might think that we're the SHINING light in a dark place...
We might think that we're having a positive influence on the lost around us....
BUT....
Could it be that the world around us is actually pulling us down?
It says here that Peter was - Following at a distance...and then...
IN JOHN it tells us that he was standing with the unbelievers…AND THEN
He SITS down among those looking to persecute Christ!!
He sits down...
NO DOUBT Peter had his world rocked when Christ told him to put his sword away...
and that God's plan must be fulfilled...in His death.
No doubt that Peter had doubts...BUT, we have to know....
Each of our worlds is going to be ROCKED...probably sooner than we think...
The question is - HOW WILL WE RESPOND?
And something we need to consider is this - Who do we spend the bulk of our time with?
Again, yes, we're called to shine our light to the world...displaying Jesus TO the world...
BUT, if we spend the majority of our time with UNBELIEVERS, then we BETTER be spending just as much time in the Word of God....
- Otherwise what's going to happen?
Here's what - Tragedy will come...You're world will begin to cave in all around you...
...and if you're not theologically prepared to rest in Christ at that moment...you won't!
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Peter needed to be reminded of this...
What does it say - BLESSED is the man who - WE WANT to be BLESSED in those MOMENTS don't we?
When we get the 2 am phone call with bad news, we WANT TO BE blessed!
When we get the call from the doctor, we want to BE BLESSED in those moments...
Blessed is the man who:
walks NOT in the counsel of the wicked...
nor stands in the way of sinners...
nor sits in the seat of scoffers...
Notice the progression - REgression...
It goes from - Walking...to standing....to sitting… (we begin to find MORE REST in with the doubters)
Isn't this how sin usually works in our lives...
Sin will walk up next to us...and as we walk together....begin a conversation with us...
Once we get comfortable, sin will then reach out it's hand...slow our walk to a stop, and stand and chat with us...
Then, once we're MORE comfortable, SIN will offer us a seat next to it...
Will we take it?
Before you say - "I'll NEVER take that seat"....just know...
Peter did....
If you think to yourself - OH, I read my bible EVERY DAY!
I study the Bible ALL THE TIME....
THAT’s GREAT! BUT - last I checked - you’ve never LOOKED Jesus in the eyes...
PETER DID!
and YET - Peter denied Him!
His world was caving in around him...
Everything he knew to be true...was crumbling away...
He was confused...doubtful...worried...
And because his FAITH had waned...he resided himself to the fact that Jesus was going to die....
And there was NOTHING he could do about it...
At that point in time...Peter didn't know what was going to happen once Jesus was killed.
If he had an idea...he surely was doubtful now!
He didn't know...and so his doubts controlled his actions...
He sat down by the fire...Nothing else to do...Sat down with those ready to see Jesus die...He sat in the seat of scoffers...
And HERE’s THE THING - there’s ALWAYS an empty seat - waiting for you!
May we never take it...
What have we seen today?
SUMMARY:
We’ve seen how our shield of faith can be cracked… NOT to be shattered and destroyed....but cracked!
We’ve seen what WEAKENS faith!
Fragile Faith:
Rests in Self-Confidence
Follows Jesus at a Distance
Rests Where Unbelievers Rest
Let’s pray