“Loyalty Amid Hostility?” – FBC Morning Light (11/15/2024)

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Here we are looking forward to yet another weekend. And this, the 15th day of November, we're halfway through the month of November already. I hope you're looking forward to a good weekend and you're going to gather with God's people and worship the Lord together on the Lord's Day.

Well, today in our Bible reading plan, again, we're in the night of the betrayal. Jesus has been betrayed. He's now being taken for a so-called trial. We're reading in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18.

I want to focus on the account of Peter in Luke 22, all right? Now, a couple of days ago, we looked at Peter's professed greatness, his boldness, and his boasting. And he said, Jesus said, tonight you're all going to stumble, you're all going to leave.

And Peter said, not me, if everybody else does, I'm going to be with you. If I have to die with you, I'm going to be with you. I'm the greatest after all. This is Peter. And then, remember yesterday when Jesus was praying, and he prayed that the Father wouldn't take his followers out of the world, but he would keep them from the evil one as they navigate through the world, they're to be in the world, but not of the world?

Well, we come to Luke 22, and Jesus' arrest, he's taken before the religious, in this, quote, trial, this religious trial among the priests, and it's in this courtyard that Peter finds himself. He follows at a distance, and he and John end up in the courtyard of the chief priest, as Jesus is going to be interrogated.

And while there, here's the question. Peter, are you going to be of the world while you are in the world, or are you going to be set apart from the world? Here's the answer. Peter is confronted, said, you're one of his followers, aren't you?

No, no, no, no, not me. A few minutes later, somebody else comes up, says, hey, you're one of his followers, aren't you? Oh, no, no, no, no, not me. And then the third time, someone comes to him and says, surely, you're one of his, surely, you're a Galilean, you're one of his.

And Peter said, man, I do not know what you are saying. And then the rooster crowed, just as Jesus said it was going to happen. Now, here's the thing. You know, on Sunday morning, during church, you're enjoying the worship together, you're challenged by the Scriptures, and at the conclusion of the message, you can say, you know, I'm going to serve Christ this week, I'm going to give myself to Christ, and I'm going to walk with him, I'm going to be faithful to him through the course of this week, in my job and in the home.

Yeah, I'm committed to that. It's one thing to make that kind of a decision and commitment when you're surrounded by friendly environs, right? It's easy to make that kind of a commitment. But what about when you go back into the world on Monday morning, when you're walking that ridgeline, if you will, and you're back into, shall we say, hostile territory?

Is it as easy, then, to follow through on that commitment? Or can you relate to Peter, who, when confronted by the hostile crowd, you're one of his, aren't you? It's easy to say, oh no, it's easy to shrink back, it's easy to become of the world.

So again, it's one thing to profess loyalty in the safety of my people, and it's another thing altogether to be loyal when confronted in the midst of a hostile crowd. We need God's grace to navigate through this world, and that becomes abundantly clear.

The other thing I want us to notice is, just after that happened, the rooster crowed, and then verse 61 says, the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter then remembered the word of the Lord, how he'd said, before the rooster crows you'll deny me three times, so Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Wow, the power of the look of Jesus into the eyes of Peter, the denier. The power of the convicting work of the Spirit in the heart of man. I wonder, what did Peter see in those eyes? Did he see sorrow?

Did he see pity? Did he see disappointment? Did he see a look that said, I tried to tell you, Peter. What did he see? I don't know what he saw, but whatever he saw sure brought conviction upon his heart, and he went out and wept bitterly.

And I think that is the proper response, when we see ourselves as Jesus sees us in those moments of, shall we say, denial, whatever you want to call it, at that particular moment, when we've fallen off the cliff on the wrong side.

Oh, that we would respond as Peter did, and you know, go out repentant and weep over our our sin. And that is the key to getting right and being back on the ridgeline. So Father, I pray help us, help us to walk with you, help us to be faithful to you, but also Lord, I pray that in those times when we don't live up to our commitments and don't live up to the the loyalty to our Savior that we ought to that we ought to have, I pray that you would indeed convict us and we would respond with humble repentance and not with bitter defiance, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

All right, well listen, have a good rest of your Friday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and gathering with God's people, worshipping Him on the Lord's Day. Good day.