The Error Of Sincerity-"Why It Is Wrong To Trust In Yourself."
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Introduction
Introduction
There is a fundamental reality in the gospel that Peter needed to learn.
There is a fundamental reality in the gospel that Peter needed to learn.
It is also something we need to learn as well.
It is this:
for the Christian, all of salvation and all of sanctification comes down to this reaity:
So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
and yet:
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
John said it this way:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The OT might say it like this:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
The inability of man to respond to God is fundamental to the gospel.
This also rings true for Sanctification as well.
Our obedience is the result of faith, and this faith is not from our own heart, but from God alone.
The behaviors that evidence that a person is going to God are not the the result of man nor of sincerity.
If a man would believe for a thousand years, he could still not be regenerated unless God loved him first.
Even when it comes to the things of the kingdom of God, like righteousness, wisdom, truth, and reality, those things are hidden from those who do not know Christ.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Consider:
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
“Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of bthis age, who are passing away;
but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
Context:
And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.
And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’
“But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.
“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
“You are those who have stood by Me in My trials;
and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you
that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
And Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’
“But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”
And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.”
But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.
After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’
“But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Peter *said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My point in saying all of this, is that you will understand how much there was for Peter to learn.
It is also my point that you understand how much there is for us to learn.
36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” 37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right 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, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.
This pericope is given in each gospel. Peter is self-confident and, as a result, he needs to learn a valuable lesson about his own weakness.
Question number one-v.36
Question number two-v.37
Question number three-v.38
V.36-question number one
V.36-question number one
Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
(Mt 26:31–35; Mk 14:27–31; Lk 22:31–34)
Λέγει αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος, Κύριε, ποῦ ὑπάγεις; ἀπεκρίθη [αὐτῷ] Ἰησοῦς, Ὅπου ὑπάγω οὐ δύνασαί μοι νῦν ἀκολουθῆσαι, ἀκολουθήσεις δὲ ὕστερον.
Peter has not paid attention to what Jesus has been saying all along.
See v.33.
“Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
Like most people, the command to love one another is completely ignored going right over our heads.
v.37- question number two.
v.37- question number two.
Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”
λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πέτρος, Κύριε9, διὰ τί οὐ δύναμαί σοι ἀκολουθῆσαι ἄρτι; τὴν ψυχήν μου ὑπὲρ σοῦ θήσω.
“ I will give my soul on your behalf!”
Peter was very confident in himself.
he believed himself to be as strong and capable as Christ himself.
Peter is saying that he will die in Christ place.
V.38-question number three.
V.38-question number three.
Jesus *answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.
ἀποκρίνεται Ἰησοῦς, Τὴν ψυχήν σου ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ θήσεις; ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, οὐ μὴ ἀλέκτωρ φωνήσῃ ἕως οὗ ἀρνήσῃ με τρίς.
Jesus prophesies that Peter will go from the height of self-confidence to the depths of rejecting Christ whom he loves.
Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’
“But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
Satan has demanded to use Peter the way he Judas
but Jesus has already been praying for him.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”