Will You Deny Him?
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Peter’s Denial
Peter’s Denial
Good morning everyone!
We hope you’ve had a great week! It was a hot week here in our community and man oh man, God was at work!
We had a great week hosting the community Youth Sports Camp!
We had missionaries from Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, and Portugal. and we had a good group of local volunteers that did so much each day as well. They came and worked hard and you never heard them complain. They served with a kingdom mindset.
About 85+ kids everyday, and it was amazing watching them, seeing the team minister and work with them.
Sharing the word with them each day and knowing that Kingdom seeds were being planted..
And there was a harvest....
Harvest info.......
I want to thank you for investing in the lives of so many young people, what a huge blessing!!
So Today we come back to the gospel of Matthew and we are going to look at Matthew 26, verse 30-35.
This passage is a famous one, it is the passage of the Jesus words to the disciples and to Peter, telling them… soon you will deny me.
These are hard words to swallow my friends, I can imagine Peter and many more o those disciples thinking, what? How could he think he would be guilty of such a thing???? He love Jesus.
And all those but Judas did love Jesus, there is no doubt about that…But love will only take you so far in the midst great turmoil, there has to be commitment.
So lets look at our text today my friends....
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.
So remember where we are, it is the night of Jesus arrest, they have just celebrated the passover with Jesus and in doing so Jesus has brought and instituted new covenant with them.
And when they had finished Jesus led them out of the Upper room and out of the city, by the Eastern gate to the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus will take with them, and is words will be so difficult to hear...
So lets begin here with this first thought today.
1. A Prophecy....
As the disciples left the upper room, they had no idea what the night held for them, they had no idea that His hour was upon them.. Jesus was about to be betrayed.
Remember, Jesus has told them, one would.... But they really couldn’t comprehend that… Why would any of them betray him.. The thought seemed so out of place.
And now as they make their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, on the eastern side of the city. Jesus delivers another word of prophecy to them.
You will abandon me, you will fall way… Look at verse Matthew 26:31
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.’
Wow, We forget that while Judas falls away and betrays Jesus… this night, all will fall away, all will fail Jesus.
They will all flee Jesus, Let me take you ahead to verse 56 in this chapter…Matt 26:56
56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
I cannot imagine the events these disciples will face emotionally, spiritually…All they know, their lives will be turned upside down.
But I can tell you this, they were scared. And in a moment when they should have remained close to the Master, in a moment when he needed them close, praying .....they fled and in doing so they fulfilled what was said in the Scriptures.
7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
Now when Jesus tells the disciples, “I will strike the Shepard and the sheep will be scattered” he changes that verse by placing in it what perhaps is implied..
In saying “I will strike the shepherd...” We see this is the work of the father. The suffering, punishment, death and yes the future resurrection is the work of God....
The action God commands … remember John....3, verse 16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Even though sinful men will do these action, God is the one who is at work to redeem the world unto himself.
This prophecy Jesus shares with them, He, the Good Shepherd was about to be struck down and the sheep… His disciples would be scattered not knowing what to do,
Well, not till he visits them again..Remember that after the resurrection, while they are in hiding, terrified and worried in the upper room… Jesus will come to them.
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
So we see a prophecy, Jesus reminded them that Scripture was about to be fulfilled in and through him. It was difficult to hear, but truthful.
Now lets move forward and look at The plan Jesus was giving them....
2. A Plan to Remember...
As Jesus walked with His disciples along the way that evening, moving toward the Mount of Olives, we know he shared a prophecy with them, we just looked at that thought.
But then, Jesus gives them some encouraging words. He tells them he will see them again, very soon in fact. Look at verse 32
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Now this is important my friends… Here is why....
First....
A. Jesus tells them of His resurrection. Now this is important.
Why? - He has been talking about his death, that He would be betrayed, that He (the Son of Man) must suffer and die at the hands of sinful men. That the Good Shepherd, God’s Messiah that Zechariah foretold would be cut off and the people scattered.
Death was coming.... But death wasn’t the end...
He is the resurrection and the life....
The resurrection is important...
Lets think about them, in that day… the Pharisees believed in a general resurrection from the dead, that at the last day God would call up everyone and judge them. some to life and some to death.
Some Jews didn’t believe in the resurrection… But here we know some did and what is Jesus affirming? He is affirming the resurrection.
He says after I am raised up (reminding them He will suffer and die) … Jesus says death isn’t the end......
Jesus would suffer and die, be buried in a empty tomb and rise on the third day.
The resurrection tells us that what God has promised for the Son is the same truth that He has promised for us.
Paul in the book of Colossians tells us that He is the firstborn of the dead...
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
What does this mean.... Jesus is the first to experience the resurrection. To be brought back to life and to never die again.
And since Jesus lived, died and rose again, all those in Christ will as well. why…verse 20 We have been reconciled… made right friends.
So the resurrection is important. His resurrection guarantees our resurrection.
And then listen to what Jesus tells them....
B. I Will Go Before You.... Not only will I be raised up, but when I am, I will go before you into Galilee...
Now we know Jesus will see them in the upper room, there in Jerusalem, but He will also go before them and they will be with Him, walking with Him like they did before in Galilee.
Galilee is a special place to for them, it is there away from the city that Jesus and they alongside of him ministered and loved the people who they encountered.
So these two phrases are meant to be remembered, they needed to know they would see Him again. The disciples needed that assurance.
But in the midst of that assurance, Peter is still thinking about his going way, and that someone would betray him.
This brings me to my last thought of the morning...
3. A Protest ....
Peter is a leader, and at times we could be really hard on him. But can we - really? We don’t always get it right either...
Peter in that leadership mentality steps up and says what is on his heart and mind, “.....I will be faithful...”
But that is easily said at times.... and its not that we don't mean it, but we’ve really not been tested yet...
I think the same is true of Peter here....
Look with me at verse 33....
33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
Now he is pretty bold, even if all fall away,his protest is simple. Lord, I don’t know about the rest of this lot, But I promise you I’m different. I will stand faithful....
I believe he meant it…
But lets look at what Jesus says in return to Peter....
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Wow,
Jesus tells Peter, I hear you Peter… and its here Jesus uses the word “Truly” Listen to me Peter, pay attention! Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times...
Jesus builds it up, Peter not only will you all fall away …remember that is what prophecy has foretold, but Peter you will deny me more than all the rest.
I cannot imagine how difficult it might be for Peter to hear this, let alone the rest of the disciples...
But with verse 35, they continue to affirm their faithfulness to the Lord no matter what happens....
How does this apply to us…
We all want to be faithful, and when we fail at times, we are disgusted with self, we beat ourselves up....
So what makes the difference between faithfulness and failure?
A. It is a deep walk with Jesus. Deep means that you die to self, you surrender self. You make the final portion of the Sermon on the Mount your way of life
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.... Seeking means we are striving every day to obey the commands of our Lord, we are obedient to Him.
The call is for Jesus to be first.
Ask yourself this… Is He first, His ways, word, life… is he first.
B. We Make a Resolute Decision and refuse to move backward....
In 1519, Hernan Cortes burned his ships after arriving in the new world, He called the action a “Sacrifice to God.” He was resolute... there was no going back, only going forward.
The same mindset is needed in the Kingdom of God. We must make the decision and stand by it… God first, I’m second and I will do all I can to see His kingdom advanced regardless of the cost.
But here is the question?
Are we really living like that? Honestly, No. We settle for less and less and we give God less and less.
Friends we are at a time when we cannot do this any longer. Our world is pulling a younger generation to hell with their leftist liberal ideology.
Listen to these thoughts
When will we stand and put God first?
When will we stand and call sin, sin?
When we will pray and not stop praying for our families, our children, our schools, our leaders
When will we????
We cannot afford to wait,
We will either fall away or we will stand firm my friends.
So what do you want to do?
Now we know the story, we will be looking at it. Peter will fall away, he will have a time of failure… But He will not stay there,
Jesus restores him, forgives him and He moves forward.
Understand today if you feel like you have failed God, you can be forgiven and you can get up and move forward.
Peter did so, at Pentecost God used him as He preached and more than 3000 were added ot the kingdom of God.
What at you going to do???
Lets pray.