THE MARK OF A SERVANT-FORGIVENESS

A man who has never been on board ship says, “I am a splendid sailor.” I have heard such boasting often. But I have seen that same gentleman, when we had started only a quarter of an hour, and he has learned that there is not so much of the sailor in him as he thought.

In a similar manner, some people are fine Christians until they are tried and proved. They never have any doubt or fear whatsoever. But put them in the circumstances of others of God’s children, and they are the very first to show signs of weakness.279

Mark 14:66–72 NKJV

Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

In Mark 14 we see that Peter has denied the Jesus that he has long loved.

Why? Maybe it was fear of the flesh, maybe it was doubt that Christ was the Messiah.

For the 21st century christian it is easily seen that Jesus was the Messiah but for the first century Jew is was challenging to see how Jesus was the Messiah if he would be killed.

If we examine the gospel of Mark we can see that over and over again the disciples failed to see that Jesus would die.

How could he die? He was not meant to die but to conquer. He was not a sacrifice but a king. So was the expectations of the apostle's. Yet he was what they expected but their eyes had not yet been opened.

He was a conqueror. He defeated death, sin, and the grave. Yet, his victory was that which could not be seen with the human eye but rather only through the spirit.

There are multiple angles from which Jesus was rejected.

He was rejected by Peter in chapter fourteen. He was rejected by the Jews in vs 6-14, 26-32. He was rejected by the Father in vs. 34 Ps. 22.1

Psalm 22:1 NKJV

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

Peter rejected him because of concern for himself.

The Jews rejected him out of covetousness.

The Father rejected him out of divine character.

He was faithful to Peter.

He forgave the Jews.

He followed the Father.

Isaiah 53:3 NKJV

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

However, we see that this is the same abandonment that the church is committing today.

Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Yet, God has promised to never abandon His people.

Matthew 28:20 NKJV

teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

As we look at the state of the SBC and the effects of Covid you may be saying this morning that the church is dead. I’ve heard pastor after pastor say the SBC is dead. However, the church lives because Jesus lives. The gospel is greater than the SBC its greater than the U.S. government.

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon True Christianity Is like a Larch Tree (Lamentations 3:27; Acts 14:22)

True Christianity Is Like a Larch Tree

Lamentations 3:27; Acts 14:22

Preaching Themes: Comfort, Conflict, Discouragement, Persecution, Suffering

Many years ago a larch was brought to England. The gentleman who brought it put it in his hothouse, but it did not develop in a healthy manner. It was a spindly thing, and therefore the gardener, feeling that he could not make anything of it, took it up and threw it out on the dunghill. There it grew into a splendid tree, for it had found a temperature suitable to its nature. The tree was meant to grow near the snow; it loves cold winds and rough weather, and they had been sweating it to death in a hothouse.

So it is with true Christianity. It seldom flourishes so well in the midst of ease and luxury as it does in great tribulation. Christians are often all the stronger and better because they happen to be cast where they have no Christian companions or kindly encouragements. As liberty usually favors the hardy mountaineers whose rugged hills have made them brave and hardy, so does abounding grace, as a rule, visit those who endure the great fight of affliction and through much tribulation inherit the kingdom.280

Therefore the church must decide, what will we do now with Jesus?

This is a question that every child of God and every church must decide. The Spirit of God has not lost His power, if the church is dead it is because we have abandoned our source of life. If the SBC is dead it is because it has rejected the foundation of Gods Word. If you are spiritually dead then I ask of you this morning to come to the foot of the cross where there is life and life abundant.

There are a few things that we must hold too.

I. We must remember who we serve.

We serve God and not ourselves.

Too often we are prone to serve ourselves or our community. However, our service may be towards them but it must be for God. Jesus is the reason that we labor. He is the one that is worthy of our lives.

The apostles were not martyred for the world they laid down their lives for the name of Jesus.

Likewise, we do not serve for America or any human agenda, rather for the child of God, He is the purpose for which we live.

II. We must remember why we serve.

We serve the Gospel

When we know who we serve but what is the focus of our service? Ultimately, the great commission is or focus.

Mark 16:15 NKJV

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Every breath that we breath must utter the Gospel.

Carl F.H. Henry said, “The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”

III. We must hold to the assurance that Jesus is greater than our past.

Mark 16:7 NKJV

But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

Sometimes we stumble and fall. There is no pastor, deacon, or layperson that has ever ministered who has risen above failures. However, we have assurance that Jesus is greater than our humanly limitations.

Just like Daniel in the lions den, the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, and Samson after he had sinned. God is able to take our circumstances and do what we are unable to do.

Peter had failed. He had denied the God whom he loved. Yet God still loved him and gave himself for Peter.

Likewise, even after the failure and forgiveness, we see that Peter was filled and used by God.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I’m glad this morning that God is able to take work through us to accomplish the task of His kingdom.

The question today is this, “WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”

The world is looking down but the child of God is looking up.

Titus 2:13 NKJV

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The truth is, is that the answer to the question is the same as it has always been. Every generation must answer that question. It is easy to sit back and and dream of days gone by. It is easy to give up. However, their is only one answer that will move the kingdom of God forward. Joshua answered this call when he said, in Joshua 24:15

Joshua 24:15 NKJV

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Where do we go from here? We go forward with the gospel.

On this Fathers Day one of the greatest gift that a family can give is not a gift of the kids to their father but rather a father that gives the gift of God to his children. Men its time that we, like Joshua, stand up and say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

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