Denying Jesus

Welcome: Good morning. For those who may not know me my name is Kent and I am the student pastor here at Crosspoint and I’m glad that you have decided to worship God with us this morning.

Introduction

Pride comes before a fall. This was a common phrase that I remember hearing when growing up. I’d say something arrogant and a family member would say “watch out Kent, pride comes before a fall.” To this day it still serves me as a great reminder. Pride comes before a fall. It’s a great reminder that I have to be careful when I am tempted to think higher of myself and my abilities more than I ought to.

We get this phrase, pride comes before a fall, from Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

When reading this proverb we see a parallelism.

CSB Study Bible: Notes (Chapter 10)

Parallelism is a device in which one line of poetry is followed by a second that in some way reiterates or reinforces the first.

There are several types of parallelism. The one we see in this proverb is one that is call synonymous parallelism.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 10

In synonymous parallelism the second line says the same thing in the same word order as the first line; only the vocabulary differs.

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

Because the two lines are synonymous or they mean the same thing. You can take the first half of one line (Pride comes) and the second half of the second line (before a fall) and get a phrase that means the same thing as the proverb. Therefore we get “pride comes before a fall”; a phrase that we use today. There’s your grammar lesson for the day. I challenge you if you have never read through proverbs knowing about parallelisms. Go back and read them. You will see proverbs in whole new way.

Now you might be wondering, Kent why are you talking about proverbs when we are in the middle of a study of the book of Luke?

Well, if you were here last Sunday, the passage that Dave taught ended with the disciples arguing over which of them is the greatest. Usually when you have a group arguing about which one of them is the greatest, most likely you’ll have pride at the core of the conversation.

It’s here where we start our passage for today. So if you have your bibles, open them and please meet me in Luke 22:31. Luke 22:31. I’ll start reading from verse 31 of Luke 22.

Text Slide - Read until word “Satan”.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

“Simon, Simon, look out. Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.

Now to get some context of why Jesus singles out Peter we need to read some of the other gospel accounts of this conversation. In the gospel according to Matthew we read this starting in Matthew 26:31.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 26)

31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written:I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.,32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”33 Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.”34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

Here we see Prideful Peter saying, that even if everyone else falls, I will never fall, I’m better than everyone else. Oh Peter, don’t you know that pride comes before a fall.

So that’s the context to Jesus singling out Peter. Now let’s get back to our text of Luke 22 verse 31.

Read v. 31 then stop.

It’s interesting to note that when we read the english word “you” it is actually in the plural form in the original greek language. “So a better reading would be, “Satan has asked to sift you all like wheat.” You all is referring to all the disciples who are with Jesus at that present time. Sifting wheat is a rough action of shaking the wheat to separate the chaff from it and Jesus is using this to symbolize Satan tempting them to spiritual ruin by trying to shake their faith.

Brothers and sisters, I hope you realize that you and I are in a spiritual battle everyday. It was true to the disciples and its true to all believers today. Do you realize that Satan is still trying to sift all believers like wheat? Do see you where Satan is trying to shake your faith in God? I ask,

Where is Satan tempting you when he tries to shake your faith?

Is Satan tempting you to doubt God’s goodness in His sovereignty in your life when your current circumstances are not what you thought they would be or what you desire them to be?

Is Satan tempting you to doubt that God can satisfy all your needs when shakes you and puts that old addiction, that sinful habit back in your face?

Is Satan tempting you to doubt God’s design so that you can be accepted by majority culture?

Is Satan tempting you to doubt God’s love when you all you see are broken things around you?

Were is Satan tempting you when he tries to shake your faith?

For the next moment I want to encourage you, if you feel like your faith is being shaken and being tempted by Satan, please know that you are not alone. Please, reach out to someone in the church. It’s in these moments we need the body of Christ to encourage one another and to strengthen one another.

Now if you are in situation where Satan is trying to shake your faith, I pray the same prayer that Jesus prayed for Peter in the next verse. Let’s keep reading our passage.

Read Luke 22:32-34 then stop.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”33 “Lord,” he told him, “I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”34 “I tell you, Peter,” he said, “the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”

Jesus says this because He knows. He knows that Peter is going to sin and deny Him. Even in Peter’s sin, Jesus prays and also knows that Peter will keep his faith in Christ for he says, “when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” More to say on this later but for now let’s keep reading.

In the next section of scripture we see Jesus describes the danger that His disciples are about to be in, a situation where Satan will tempt them and try to shake their faith.

Read Luke 22:35-38

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

35 He also said to them, “When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?”“Not a thing,” they said.36 Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. 37 For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in me: And he was counted among the lawless., Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment.”38 “Lord,” they said, “look, here are two swords.”“That is enough!” he told them.

Let’s pause here for a moment look at these verse deeper so see what Jesus is actually saying here.

Earlier in the gospel according to Luke, we saw Jesus send out his disciples without any resources and he told them to spread the gospel to towns and all there needs would be taken care of. When this was done, there was not constant violent opposition to Jesus yet.

But now the circumstances have changed. The situation will become very violent as Jesus will be whipped, beaten, and then killed on a cross.

Because of the coming persecution, Jesus is preparing His disciples to gather the necessary resources to protect themselves.

Now on the note about obtaining a sword because I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who read that and was confused. There are a two things happening here at the same time.

One thing that is happening is Jesus is trying to communicate the level of persecution that the disciples will face and whether he meant it figuratively or literally to buy a sword is much debated and if you want to talk further about that section come find me after the service and I would love to schedule a discussion over coffee or tea sometime. The overall point though is that life is going to get much more difficult for the disciples and as a result we see some of the disciples taking Jesus literally and obtaining swords.

The second thing that is happening is that prophecy is being fulfilled. Prophecy that is mentioned in Isaiah 53:12 would be fulfilled in the disciples taking up swords therefore being labeled as rebels or lawless.

Here we see a classic example of God’s sovereignty and human free will or what I call human responsibility happening. Both are present in a mysterious way that cannot be fully explained. I take note of this because we will continue to see this in the upcoming verses of our passages this morning.

With that said, let’s jump back to Luke. We are going to skip verses 39-46 and go to verse 47 and read through verse 62.

Read Luke 22:47-62.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a mob came, and one of the Twelve named Judas was leading them. He came near Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”49 When those around him saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.51 But Jesus responded, “No more of this!” And touching his ear, he healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal? 53 Every day while I was with you in the temple, you never laid a hand on me. But this is your hour—and the dominion of darkness.”54 They seized him, led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance. 55 They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them. 56 When a servant saw him sitting in the light, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with him too.”57 But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know him.”58 After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too.”“Man, I am not!” Peter said.59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.”60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Did you see God’s sovereignty and human responsibility at work? God had for ordained Judas as the one who would betray Jesus (We see this John 13) and He for ordained Peter’s denial of Jesus (which we just read in v. 34 of Luke 22) yet at the same time both made their decisions and are held responsible for their actions. This is simply a mystery we cannot fully comprehend because we are human and not God but we see these two truths throughout the Bible. So we say yes and amen to both truths and we live in the tension of the beautiful mystery which should bring us to posture of worship before God.

Now as it relates to Peter and Judas’ actions, we see that pride is the root sin of each person.

The Pride of Judas

For Judas, we see pride in his life as he has elevated his life to where his decisions are based off how it could benefit him. We see this in John 12:3-6

John 12:3–6 CSB

Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

This continues in Matthew 26:14-16

Matthew 26:14–16 CSB

Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

Some would look at these verses and see greed and selfishness but not pride. But I firmly believe that pride is present where there is greed and selfishness.

Greed which is at the least discontentment and at most wanting more and more of something; whatever the case greed stems from pride in a posture that says I think I know what’s best for my life and that’s more of what I don’t have.

Selfishness which is doing actions based off what is best for them instead of someone else; this stems from pride in a posture that says my wants and desires are superior to those of others around me.

The passage of scripture though that shows Judas’ pride on stage more than any other is in Matthew 27:3-5

Matthew 27:3–5 CSB

Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!” So he threw the silver into the temple and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.

At first glance you are probably wondering how does this show pride, doesn’t it say that Judas was full of remorse?

Even though Judas was full of remorse we see that the remorse was rooted in the guilt he felt. Instead of going to God who could forgive his sin and remove his guilt, Judas decides to try to make atonement for himself by killing himself. But only one death could ever bring true lasting atonement and that is the death of Jesus Christ. We see Judas unwilling to humble himself and accept God’s grace on his life. He thought that he had to work his way into a right relationship with God which stems from pride in a posture that says it’s up to me, I’m in control of what happens to me, I can change my fate.

Oh prideful Judas don’t you know that pride comes before a fall.

Transition statement: Now let’s look at the pride of Peter.

The Pride of Peter

For Peter we have already seen his pride grow earlier in Luke 22. Now in verses 54-62 we see a full manifestation of Peter’s pride as it moves from an attitude, to words, to now an action.

And to set this scene, Peter has had this mindset that he will never run away from Jesus. In his mind, Jesus has come to build an earthly kingdom. In Peter’s mind, Jesus isn’t supposed to suffer. We see this in Matthew 16:21-23. To give context to this verse this happens right after Jesus asks Peter the “who do you say that I am?” question and Peter responds with “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then this takes place. Read Matthew 16:21-23.

Matthew 16:21–23 CSB

From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

We then see Peter’s mindset in action when Jesus is arrested. Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Even though Luke gospel account doesn’t record it being Peter, we know that it is Peter because in the gospel according to John chapter 18, Peter is named as the disciple who does this.

Peter is like, “no this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. Jesus I will fight for you.” But Jesus tells him to stop. To Peter, it’s as if Jesus is giving up. So it makes since to Peter that he wouldn’t want to be associated with Jesus. This is where Peter is at when a servant girl, the lowest group socially speaking calls out Peter and says, “This man was with him too.” At this point Peter’s pride is like, “There is no way that I’m having a servant girl trying to get me into trouble” and he responds, “woman, I don’t know him.” And here we see Peter flat out tell a lie, which the root sin of lying is pride. There’s a desire to not tell the truth because of the perceived benefits that it might have for you. So Peter lies and denies Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times.

And the look the Jesus had on his face when his eyes met Peter’s was enough to send Peter weeping bitterly with means to cry with extreme anguish or pain. Oh Peter, pride comes before a fall.

Even though both Judas and Peter had pride which caused them to fall. There is a major difference between the two.

On one had you have Peter, who truly loves Jesus. Peter sinned but was forgiven, restored later by Jesus and then lived the rest of his life on proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ.

On the other hand you have Judas, who from what we see in scripture, never had a true loving relationship with God, lived only for himself to the point where he thought he could work his way into a right standing with God instead of humbling himself and truly trusting in God.

The key difference between the two is that Peter had a saving faith while Judas did not.

Both had pride which caused them to fall. But one fell and was broken at the feet of a loving savior while the other fell and was crushed by guilt and tried to justify himself which only leads to eternal judgement and separation from God.

Pride Comes Before a Fall

If you consider yourself someone who truly loves Jesus, I hope you see that having your pride broken and to fall at the feet of a gracious and loving savior is a beautiful thing. I pray that you don’t lose hope. Don’t let Satan shake your faith because of your pride. Come to the cross, fall on Jesus, be broken by His love for you. Acknowledge your sin. He is faithful to forgive you.

If you don’t know what it’s like to have a relationship with God, the creator of the universe, if you’ve never truly loved Jesus, then please I pray let your pride be broken and fall into the hands of a God who loves you, who created you, who desires you to be in a saving relationship with Him. Because at the end of this life, if you have never let your pride be broken by God, it will happen when you die and see Jesus face to face. But instead of a meeting a loving savior, you will meet a righteous judge who sees someone who tried to justify their sin their whole life and never trusted in Jesus as savior from their sins, and He will say get away from me for I never knew you and you will be sentenced to separation from God for eternity in Hell.

One way or another your pride will be broken and will cause you to fall. I pray that you would choose to have your pride be broken today and trust in Jesus.

Chair illustration from Cru KGP