To Confess and Not Deny (John 18:12-27 Jeff Kliewer)

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Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org To Confess and Not Deny

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Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming to Cornerstone Church. We are so glad that you're here.
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If you don't know, my name is Michael Stockland. I lead a portion of this worship service.
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The main event is obviously Pastor Jeff, but we are so glad that you are here.
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Just some quick things. If you haven't filled out a Connect card, if you're new here or have only been here a few times, we have these red and white
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Connect cards in the back. You can take one of those, take a pen, fill it out. There's also a spot there for prayer requests or comments, things.
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We've been receiving a few and it's been great to be able to have the pastoral staff connect with those cards and get thank you notes out.
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So we really appreciate that. If you ever need to jot something down, those cards are back there. Thank you so much for coming.
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I think that's all I have. Go ahead, John. No excitement.
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No pressure. Hi. It's good to be here again and to be with everybody to share.
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I want to open up by talking a little bit about the Book of Daniel. We have been spending time
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Wednesdays on the Book of Daniel, studying it. For those who are here, it's awesome, but it's also completely recorded.
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It's online at cornerstonesj .org. I got it right this time. Thank you.
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All the lessons are there. You can see them. But we just got done with the first half of chapter 11 of Daniel.
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And what's going to happen in that portion of the book is a messenger angel is going to give word to Daniel and he's going to tell him of things to come.
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It's been identified, Jeff, you told me, that of all the chapters in the Bible, Daniel 11 has the most prophecy of all the chapters in the
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Bible. A lot of it has to do with the kingdom of Persia and then the kingdom of Greece.
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And it talks about their different kings, their comings and goings. And the details in that chapter are amazing.
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And they are all borne out in history. And as you read that and you understand that Daniel is going to be given this message by the messenger angel, all the way up to that point in time, including
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Antiochus Epiphanes and what he is going to do. It's all there. Eventually, it's going to shift from that into the
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Antichrist and the end times. And if we know that what was prophesied about the kingdoms down to the details, we're talking about so -and -so gave his daughter to so -and -so in marriage to form an alliance.
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And it actually happens. We can trust everything about the word of God. But that section in scripture is introduced in chapter 10 with these words in verse 21.
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I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. Now the book of truth in that context is
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God's sovereign will, codified from before the beginning of time.
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Everything that happens. Jeff, one of your favorite verses, even the casting of the lots is known by the
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Lord. Everything that is to be was known and foreordained by God.
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And so as it's written in this prophetic book chapter of all the kingdoms, and then we look at the end time, we know that we have a sovereign
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God. I want to encourage us to recognize and to profess that everything that has occurred, everything that will occur is according to and ordained by the sovereign will of God.
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We can trust him because what he says is true and what he says will come to be.
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I have some announcements to give you which are not prophetic. They are just announcements, which is a good thing because at first service
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I made a mistake and if I was a prophet, you would have had to have stoned me. We have a congregation meeting coming up December 3rd.
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It's the first Sunday in December. We announced it during our, we talked about it during our congregational meeting in October.
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The purpose of this is to give a final presentation of a calling that God has given to a young man in our church and it's been validated through Pastor Jeff and through the elders and through the congregation.
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A young man in our church is finishing up seminary, he'll be graduating. A young man in our church working with our youth is looking, we're looking to actually call him as a full -time youth pastor.
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And the purpose of that meeting in December is to verify that calling. We would be looking in early
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January for actually installation, but his work would start at the beginning of January.
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So please come back and join with us in that time. You'll get to hear from, oh by the way, that young man, his name is
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Tim, if you weren't really. Do you know Tim? I do, I do. Okay. We have a great fellowship dinner coming up this coming
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Saturday, it will be the 19th this coming Saturday. Out in the foyer there has been a sign -up sheet for you to sign that you're going to come and that you would bring food.
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Visuals are always a good thing. We have these piled up out there and if you're planning to bring warm food, these are out there for you to pick up, bring in, and we will have heating stations with Sterno and everything else.
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So if you're planning on bringing warm food, go ahead and pick one of these up and bring it in this. Which is also, if you're interested in coming, sign up.
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If you're already signed up and you haven't signed up, we could use more people that are willing to provide turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, that kind of stuff.
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But we encourage you, first of all, to come out for a time of fellowship. Operation Christmas Child, those boxes are piling up fast.
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You have one more Sunday next week. If you have not done it, go out and fill up your boxes.
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I want you to, as you look at the boxes you're filling, as you look at these boxes, each one of these boxes represents a child.
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This is more than just a ministry. Each one of these boxes, there is a child who is going to receive that, is going to be able to feel the blessings that you are passing on as God has enabled you.
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So think about the child that is actually going to open that box and feel the love of God.
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We get to be part of that. Please come back this evening at six o 'clock. Our prayer meetings are getting amazingly exciting.
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We're growing in size, which is exciting. Our prayers for you, for each of the members of this church, for the ministries of this church, for our missionaries, come back and join with us at six o 'clock tonight.
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And John Dottoli, if you would come forward. Good morning.
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Good morning. All right. So I'd like to make a couple of comments about a ministry here at Cornerstone called the
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Agape Support Group. At the first service, I forgot to mention that it's headed up by a leadership team, so not just me.
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You know, you come up here and sometimes your mind goes blank when you're looking at all those faces. So my mind did go blank.
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And the other two gentlemen that helped lead this ministry, Agape Support Group, are sitting in the back.
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Ivan Solero, please stand so everyone can see you, and Rod Chandler. Thank you, guys.
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Okay. So on the back table, there's also a pile of this sheet here, and this sheet talks about the group.
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And I just want to read to you the first sentence from this sheet. It says, the
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Agape Support Group mission is to provide compassionate, encouragement, and faithful support during your season of suffering.
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And I wanted to clarify, my experience in the last six months since this group's been meeting is that a lot of people think that it's a grief group.
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And yes, people who are grieving come to the group, but it's not just a grief group. So I made up a list of some other things as to why someone might want to come to this group.
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You or a loved one has a serious illness. Family matters.
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You are estranged from your adult children. You are estranged from your adult siblings.
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You are estranged from your parents. You are persecuted at work or at home for your faith in Jesus Christ.
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You are grieving the loss of a loved one. Job loss, divorce, or coping with the experience of grief.
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Someone here at the church has hurt or offended you, and you're having difficulty forgiving that person.
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You have lost your joy for the Lord. You are doubting your assurance, the assurance of your salvation.
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You are experiencing deep loneliness. You are stuck spiritually. That's just ten things that I thought of quickly yesterday afternoon.
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We could add to that list. So my point is just that the group is more than just a grief group.
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And I also don't want to rule out that there are times when people need to meet with just a pastor or just an elder because of issues that are very personal or private.
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And I'm going to leave you with a quote from Thomas Watson. And he said,
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Christianity is not the removal of suffering, but the addition of grace to endure suffering triumphantly.
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So if it be God's will, the Agape Support Group would like to be that grace. Thank you.
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John, Ivan, Rod, I want to thank you for stepping up in the gap where you actually are ministers to God's grace to people in need.
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Thank you. And if you have a need to be there, their doors are open, and they meet twice a month on Wednesdays.
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Where is the meeting at? One of the classrooms here at the church. Thank you.
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First start Wednesdays at 630. And if this is not a need you have, be in prayer for them because this is an opportunity for the body of Christ to minister to the body of Christ.
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Let's turn to prayer. Lord, we come to you this morning resting in their sovereignty and the security of your sovereignty.
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We know that what you define through your omnipotence and authority is guaranteed.
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As your children, Lord, we surrender to you. We place our hope in your holy and righteous justice, and we anticipate your coming when all the designs of the evil one will be defeated.
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Thank you, Lord, for the gift of salvation. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who indwells and guides and for your word which instructs and for the gift of men like our pastor who faithfully follow your command.
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Be with this morning, we pray, as we come into your presence. Prepare, Pastor Jeff, with your very words.
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Open the eyes of our hearts to hear and to respond. In Jesus' name, amen. Will you stand with me?
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On Saturday, the meal will start to be served at 6 .30. Show up at 5 o 'clock if you want for times of fellowship, but we'll start the actual meal about 6 .30.
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Let's turn our hearts toward Jesus this morning. There is a truth older than the ages.
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There is a promise of things yet to come.
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There is one born for our salvation,
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Jesus. There is a light that overwhelms the darkness.
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There is a kingdom that forever reigns.
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There is freedom from the chains that bind us,
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Jesus. Who walks on the waters.
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Who speaks to the sea. Who stands in the fire beside me.
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He roars like a lion. He bled as the lamb.
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He carries my healing in His hands. Jesus.
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There is a name I call in times of trouble.
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There is a song that comforts in the night.
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There is a voice that calms the storm that rages.
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He is Jesus. Jesus. Who walks on the waters.
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Who speaks to the sea. Who stands in the fire beside me.
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He roars like a lion. He bled as the lamb.
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He carries my healing in His hands.
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Jesus. Messiah, my
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Savior. There is power in Your name.
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You're my rocket, my redeemer.
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There is power in Your name.
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In Your name. You walk on the waters.
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You speak to the sea. You stand in the fire beside me.
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You roar like a lion. You bled as the lamb.
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You carry my healing in Your hands. God, You walk on the waters.
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You speak to the sea. You stand in the fire beside me.
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You roar like a lion. You bled as the lamb.
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You carry my healing in Your hands.
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Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
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Amen, amen. When the enemy surrounds.
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And my heart grows faint within. When the darkness overwhelms.
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And my fears are pressing in. I will trust in You, oh
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Lord. In the silence I will wait.
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I will stand upon Your Word. You're my solid rock and my salvation.
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My steadfast hope that won't be shaken. My soul will wait.
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My soul will wait for You. You're my stronghold and my shield.
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In the midst of every threat. You're the wicked never yield.
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They will vanish like a breath. Yes, I know the outcome's sure.
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Satan's evil plans, they fail. In Your power
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I'm secure. You're my solid rock and my salvation.
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My steadfast hope that won't be shaken. My soul will wait.
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My soul will wait for You. You're my comfort when
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I feel forsaken. My refuge and my sure foundation.
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My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You. This is love
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I can't explain. This is mercy unreserved.
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Through Your sacrifice so great. I have peace that's undeserved.
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For the battle has been won. And I fear no shame or loss.
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Now the sting of death is gone. You're my solid rock and my salvation.
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My steadfast hope that won't be shaken. My soul will wait.
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My soul will wait for You. You're my comfort when
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I feel forsaken. My refuge and my sure foundation.
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My soul will wait. My soul will wait for You. Pouring out our hearts before You.
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We will trust in You. Perfect Savior, strong defender.
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We will trust in You. Pouring out our hearts before You.
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We will trust in You. Perfect Savior, strong defender.
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We will trust in You. But gift of grace is
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Jesus my Redeemer. There is no more for heaven now to give.
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He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom.
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My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace.
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To this I hold. My hope is only Jesus.
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For my life is wholly bound to Him.
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Oh, how strange and divine I can sing.
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Oh, it's not the end now, but through Christ in me.
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The night is dark, but I am not forsaken.
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For by my side, the Savior, He will stay.
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I labor on in weakness and rejoicing.
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For in my need, His power is displayed.
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To this I hold. My shepherd will defend me.
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Through the deepest valley will lead. All the night has been won, and I shall overcome.
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Oh, it's not the end now, but through Christ in me.
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Though faint I tread, I know I am forgiven.
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The future short, the price it has been paid.
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For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon.
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And He was raised to overcome the grave.
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To this I hold. My strain has been defeated.
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Jesus now and ever is my King. All the chains are released,
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I can sing. I am free, and not I, but through Christ in me.
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With every breath, I long to follow
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Jesus. For He has said that He will bring me home.
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And day by day, I know He will renew me.
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Until I stand with joy before the throne.
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To this I hold. My hope is only Jesus. All the glory evermore to Him.
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When the list is complete, still my lips shall repeat.
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Yet not I, but through Christ in me. When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat.
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Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
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Yet not I, but through Christ in me. It's true. It's that the disciples were sent out into a hostile world with a message that was regarded as foolishness to the
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Greeks and the Jews, looking for a sign, saw weakness in a crucified
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Messiah. Consider our message. We believe in a
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God who is three in one. This is not comparable to anything else in all of creation.
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God alone is Trinity. Consider that we believe that the creator of all things humbled himself and took on human flesh.
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Can you imagine God dwelling among us as a man? And this very one went to a
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Roman cross to be crucified, to die the death that we deserve.
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This message is the power of God. It is not the wisdom of man. This message went out into a hostile world, and Christians were often killed for what they preached.
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They were not welcomed with open arms. Christians were thrown to the lions in the
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Colosseum. They were lit up like torches in the Roman Empire.
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In all of these things, the gospel continued despite what was seemingly impossible.
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But with God, all things are possible. By the year 312, Christianity had become legal in the
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Roman Empire because so many people were believing this good news about Jesus Christ.
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It came because very many Christians were willing to die as martyrs for their testimony.
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This was the power of God displayed in these believers. But I have a different question for you this morning.
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What about those Christians who capitulated under pressure?
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What about the ones who did not die the martyr death but gave in to the pressure?
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There was a group of people who accepted the terms of Rome.
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They were known as Tratatores, those who handed over the holy things, especially in Morocco and in Tunisia in the
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North African part of the Christian area. Many of these renounced the faith or at least they turned over their
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Bibles. They turned over the holy scriptures. What comes of them? Is there any forgiveness for someone who has stumbled that badly?
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And the pressure would have been intense. These were mothers and fathers who were fearful that their children would be taken and martyred before their very eyes and so they capitulated.
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Was there any forgiveness for them? After the persecution ended in 312, when
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Constantine put an end to that persecution, there was a movement in Morocco and in Tunisia in that Northern African region called the
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Donatist movement. They were followers of Donatists. And Donatists said, no, those preachers who handed over the book are no longer valid preachers any longer.
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There is no forgiveness for them. There is no repentance and restoration for them.
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They refused to recognize the pastors over those churches because they called them
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Tratatores. It's a difficult question. But then
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Augustine of Hippo, late in the 300s, began to emphasize the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
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And that even those who have stumbled in so mighty a way and fallen, if they will repent, if they will genuinely humble themselves before Almighty God, there is forgiveness even for the
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Tratatores. This was a controversy that raged for hundreds of years, the
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Donatists versus the rest of the church. And in the end, the Donatists themselves were put to the sword by the expanse of the
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Islamic Empire as it over swept them. But the question remains for us.
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What about the times you and I have fallen short? What about the times that we have failed to confess the name?
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Maybe sitting at the lunchroom table at school, and you knew you were supposed to talk about Jesus, but you failed, or at work, or in your family.
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What about other areas of falling short, maybe into sexual sin, or into gossip, or some other area?
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Is there forgiveness for those who fall? Is there grace for Christians who fall short of the glory of God?
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Turn with me to John chapter 18, because the answer is yes. Here we have a sad tale of Peter failing once, and then twice, and then a third time, all in the night of Jesus' betrayal.
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It will be from John 18, verses 12 to 27 this morning. But before we read the story of Peter's failings, and of Jesus, the steadfast, immovable rock, we have to remember where we are in the text.
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We've come out of the high priestly prayer. Remember John chapter 17?
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Some have called that the deepest chapter in the Bible. The deep truths of God, about how he will not lose any of his own.
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The ones that the Father has given to the Son will be kept perfectly in that high priestly prayer.
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After preaching that, someone approached me and said, Pastor, your sermon on John 17 was, how shall
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I say, like the peace of God. And I said, thank you.
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Thank you so much. Until they followed that up by saying, it surpassed all understanding.
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Like the peace of God, it passes all understanding. Just kidding, nobody did that to me.
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That's an old pastor joke. Got from the pastor joke book. But the point being, the deep things of God in John chapter 17, we could plumb the depths of that for the rest of our lives.
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When we come into John chapter 18, we're no longer thinking on that deep level.
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We're seeing the deep things of God put into action right before our eyes.
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So what we have in John 18, 1 to 11, is the good shepherd keeping his sheep.
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We have him faithfully protecting the ones that God has given him. Do you remember how this went down?
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Judas comes in the middle of the night with the band of soldiers to arrest him.
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And the Bible tells us, Jesus knowing everything that would take place.
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Think about that for a moment. He knew the crown of thorns that would be pressed down upon his head.
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He knew the nails that would pierce his hands and his feet. He knew the mocking and the band of angry soldiers, how they would beat him and whip him across his back.
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He knew the physical suffering. More than that, church, listen to this. He knew that the wrath of God would be poured out upon him.
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This is why he would pray on the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He knew that from Psalm 22, that he would be forsaken by the father, that God's wrath would come against him in all of its fury.
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Because the weight of sin would be laid upon Jesus. Knowing this, what does he do in the garden?
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He steps forward. And he has power to resist the soldiers because when they ask for Jesus of Nazareth, he says,
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I am. And they fall down to the ground like dead men. They could not overpower him, but he gives his life willingly.
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He goes with them willingly. And he pleads for them in that case, saying, if you've come to arrest me, let these go.
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He's stepping forward because he loves the sheep, he's keeping the sheep. And here in the garden,
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Peter draws his sword and chops off the ear of Malchus. Peter is stumbling and flailing and failing.
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But Jesus miraculously, think about this, restrains the soldiers. When Peter is swinging away, you would imagine the
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Roman soldier would swing back. What kept them from doing that? It was the keeping power of Jesus Christ.
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He restrained them, guarded and kept his own, and released them from danger, himself being taken in their stead.
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And so what we have now, you have to understand, is Jesus the immovable rock, the faithful high priest, faithful in the trial, juxtaposed with Peter.
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He, in one case, is chopping ears off. And now as we get into the reading today, you'll see him fail once, twice, and three times.
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Why is John presenting this this way? I mean, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, when they tell the story of the chopping of the ear, they just say one of the disciples.
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They're discreet. They're not trying to, like, expose Peter here. Why does
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John name Peter? Well, he's presenting
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Peter like one of us in all of his frailty, in his fallenness, in his humanity.
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I think John might be doing that because by 90 AD, when this gospel is being written,
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Peter is already exalted in the minds of Christians. He died as a martyr in the early 70s in Rome, and now the
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Roman church has begun to exalt Peter and the successor of Peter. And so now
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John will name Peter and emphasize not the greatness of the rock and the strength and the immovability of the rock, but the frailness and the humanity of the rock,
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Petras. Why? Because he's just like one of us. Peter is picturing us in our humanity.
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So in this story we're about to read, understand, the point is not about the greatness of Peter.
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Quite the opposite. The point is that you, Christian, are going to stumble.
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There will be times when you fall short. You will have the best of intentions. You will set your mind to be strong.
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You will tell Jesus, I would go with you to the point of death. But in a moment of frailty and weakness, like Peter, you also will fall short.
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I will fall short. We are Peter in the story, and that is juxtaposed with one immovable rock, the rock
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Christ Jesus. So let's read it. John 18, 12 to 27.
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So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested
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Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father -in -law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
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It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
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Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
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But Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door and brought
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Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?
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He said, I am not. Contrast that with the egoe me.
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This is the negation of Jesus' good confession. Who are you looking for?
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Jesus of Nazareth. I am. Here you have Peter saying, I am not a follower of Christ.
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Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves.
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Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest then questioned
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Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world.
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I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.
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Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them. They know what
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I said. When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck
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Jesus with his hand, saying, Is that how you answer the high priest? Jesus answered him,
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If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong. But if what I said is right, why do you strike me?
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Remember how Paul answered? The high priest and his little minions, they have a tendency to slap people in the face when they don't like something.
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Paul said, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. And then he had to repent because that was a little overboard.
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But notice Jesus in his perfection here, he says, If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong.
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If what I said is right, why do you strike me? Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.
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Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. Did you hear that already? Take note, it's a repetition of that statement.
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So they said to him, You also are not one of his disciples, are you? He denied it and said,
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I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear
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Peter had cut off, asked, Did I not see you in the garden with him?
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Peter again denied it. And at once a rooster crowed. The big idea here is clearly about confessing
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Christ and not denying him. Whereas Jesus speaks openly and makes the good confession,
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Peter denies the Lord. And in the short term, not confessing
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Christ or even denying him, in this case, comforts the flesh.
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It seems better. It seems easier to capitulate to the world.
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But in the end, it results in great guilt. And the world of this guilt just closes in upon Peter by the end of the story.
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Conversely, Jesus endures suffering for a little while. He takes a fist to the mouth.
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But he endures for the joy set before him. We'll see this exchange between Jesus and Peter.
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But the first thing I want to say from verses 12 to 14 is that Jesus doesn't need our confession.
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He doesn't need us to make known the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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He will have faithful servants that will obey him. But nothing depends ultimately upon you.
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Did you know that? Did you know that God can even speak to humans through a donkey?
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Did you know that he could speak the eternal gospel through an angel in the book of Revelation? Did you know that Muslims in the
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Middle East are having dreams and visions about Jesus Christ and coming to saving faith?
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Now we are commissioned to go bring the word. And that is essential in God's plan. But if you are faithless, he will remain faithful.
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He's not in heaven wringing his hands, hoping that you'll muster the courage to speak the gospel.
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Here's where I get this in the text. Look at verse 14. Caiaphas preached the gospel without even knowing what he was saying.
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God could put the gospel in the mouth of a wicked high priest. It says, Caiaphas, who had advised the
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Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. When Caiaphas gave advice that they ought to arrest
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Jesus and kill him, what he meant by that was, look, the individual rights of one person don't matter as much as protecting the collective of the nation.
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Trample him underfoot so it doesn't stir up Roman trouble. He was a collectivist who didn't mind trampling individual rights.
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That was his point. Kill Jesus, put an end to this rebellion, as he saw it.
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But look more carefully at the text. He actually said this prophetically, we were told earlier in the book.
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He said that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
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Caiaphas meant that as a murderous intention, but God meant it for the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ because that is the gospel.
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One man dying for the people. All the people like sheep have gone astray.
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We've turned each one to his own way and the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
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We are like sheep going to the slaughter, wandering off after the passions of our own heart.
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But God has laid that penalty on one man whose name is Jesus. Caiaphas preached this without even knowing it.
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Was Caiaphas a righteous man? He was the high priest, but he was sold out to the
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Roman empire. Notice in verse 13, it says, they first led him to Annas.
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Who is Annas? The father -in -law of Caiaphas. Annas had been the high priest from the year 5
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AD to 16 AD. After that, he set his sons up in the position as high priest.
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Now, biblically, the high priest was a lifetime appointment. But here, it had become a political appointment that Rome negotiated.
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So, Annas was like a power broker who set up his five sons in succession to be high priest, and now he has his son -in -law,
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Caiaphas, in that role. So, even though Caiaphas is the official high priest, everybody knows that Annas is the power broker.
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He's the one that works with the Romans. He's the one wheeling and dealing power.
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Annas was one of the most wealthy, influential, powerful men in Jerusalem. Remember when
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Jesus came into the temple just a week earlier, less than a week earlier, what did he do? He overturned the tables of the money changers.
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Those booths selling turtle doves and animals for sacrifice, those booths were owned and run by Annas.
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He was using his position to extort the people. If you bought a turtle dove on the street, it might cost you 10 cents, but the priest will expect that and say, you know, there's a flaw here on the bottom pinky toe of the bird, and we cannot offer this.
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It's blemished. You're gonna need to come over here to the concession booth, and we have a turtle dove for you for $20.
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You see what was happening? The position had become corrupt. It was simony, selling religion, and it happens in our day as well.
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Here you have corrupt religious leaders who no longer represent
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God, and God was able to preach the gospel through Caiaphas.
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Isn't that amazing? Same thing happened in Paul's day. Remember when he was imprisoned in Rome?
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There were some who were stirring up trouble for Paul by preaching the gospel.
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Things had gotten so heated, Paul was about to lose his head. You'd think everybody was kind of laying low, being careful.
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These guys went on the street corner and started preaching the gospel, a gospel they did not believe.
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They were trying to get Paul executed, and Paul's response in Philippians 118 was, as long as Christ is preached,
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I rejoice. Whether in pretense or in sincerity, with sincerity,
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Christ is preached, and because of this, I rejoice. Do you see the point? God could put the gospel on the lips of a donkey or an opposer of the gospel.
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As long as the gospel goes forward, Paul is going to rejoice. He doesn't need us and our powers and our great abilities.
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He could preach the gospel even through Caiaphas. Now, notice Peter's failing. Here we go, 15 through 18.
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Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Who is that guy?
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We won't fully understand this until we get to the second to last verse in the book of John, where the writer identifies himself as this disciple.
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Throughout the book of John, he names himself vaguely another disciple, the disciple whom
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Jesus loved, the one who laid his head on Jesus' shoulder. By the end of the gospel, he identifies himself as the writer.
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So this is John. So did another disciple. He's speaking discreetly of himself.
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Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus. So who stayed with Jesus the whole time?
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John. Judas is off preparing to commit suicide at this point.
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Peter is on the outskirts, and he's about to get brought in. The others, the other 10, have tucked tail and run.
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So don't be too hard on Peter because he drew the sword to try to defend his
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Lord. And here he's trying, but he's still falling short.
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How did John have access to the high priestly court? Well, if you were to go to Jerusalem today, you could go to a certain fish shop in Jerusalem.
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And there on the wall, there is a plaque that indicates that this was the fish shop of Zebedee.
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And the sons of Zebedee were James and John. It was a fish market where they would dry and salt the fish and sell them to the rich and influential people of Jerusalem.
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So evidently, Annas and Caiaphas would often buy fish from this market, and guess who the delivery boy would be.
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If Zebedee's running his business in Jerusalem, and you have eight -year -old, nine -year -old John, growing up,
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I think he was often the delivery boy that would bring the fish to the high priest.
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That's how he was known. It tells us here in verse 15, he was known to the high priest because of his trade.
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He had been bringing him fish over the years. So he enters with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door.
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So the other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the servant girl. Now notice
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John is indicating here some specifics about this person, male or female, who had more clout in the culture?
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The men. Young and old, who had the clout? The old men.
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And free or slave? The free. So here she's a servant girl, shouldn't have been a threat to Peter at all, and yet she boldly speaks to him and says, you also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?
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And even under that level of temptation, fearing that people would begin to talk, he says,
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I am not. This is a very sad moment in Peter's life, denying the
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Lord, but I want to ask you a question because all of us will fall short like Peter did.
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What made him do it? Discouragement from what had happened earlier where Jesus rebuked him?
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He can't take the sword, what can he do? He would be willing to die, but Jesus told him to put the sword back in his sheet.
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He's discouraged. He's disappointed. He's depressed.
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And there is his Lord on trial, unjustly.
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He knows him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. He's made that good confession. He believes it down in his bones, and yet he's denying.
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I think we have a clue in verse 18 what really pushed him over the edge. Now the servancy officers made a charcoal fire because it was cold.
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They were standing and warming themselves. Notice this is repeated again. So Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
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That expression speaks to the comforting of the flesh. The fear of physical suffering to come out from that fire where he's trying to blend in would mean physical martyrdom possibly.
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He would have to go die with Jesus. Instead, notice what he's doing. He's standing and warming himself by the fire.
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Church, listen to this. Never warm yourself at the enemy's fire.
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The fires of this world, the passions of this world, the temptations of this world are like a fire.
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And in the moment, they feel comforting to the flesh. They offer you protection and warmth from a hostile world.
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It's just for us like it was for Peter. If we make a bold stand and confess
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Christ openly and courageously, we will suffer for it.
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But if you're sitting at the lunchroom table and people at that table begin to mock the
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Lord and you fall silent, yes, you will have comfort for a time.
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It will feel better to the flesh. But in the end, it will amount to a pile of guilt as we're about to see fall on Peter.
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Notice the contrast. It is not between Peter and the rest of us. Peter, like us, is contrasted with Jesus.
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Let's look at him with the open confession. Verses 19 to 24. The high priest questioned
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Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him. Now notice this. I have spoken openly.
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The point of this passage is summarized right there. Jesus is speaking openly about speaking openly.
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So don't miss the point. Peter is unwilling to confess.
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He's hiding. He's putting that light under a bushel. Jesus makes the point,
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I have spoken openly. He confesses and he does not deny.
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Like John the Baptist confessed and did not deny that he himself was not the
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Christ, but there, behold, is the Lamb of God. This is the point of the passage. Jesus speaks openly and boldly, says nothing in secret.
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And what is the reward for such courage? An immediate punch in the mouth.
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He hits him with his hand. The high priest's servant strikes him in the mouth. And so it is with us.
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The immediate response of the world to our good confession is light, momentary affliction.
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It doesn't feel light. It doesn't feel momentary. When you begin to speak boldly for Christ, you will be rejected in the world.
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You will have to suffer for it. But this confession, which results in temporary suffering, is more than worth it.
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There is an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs the momentary suffering. Jesus will endure the cross for the joy set before him.
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In the same way, when we endure some suffering, it results in great joy.
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The Christian who breaks out of that comfort zone... I remember being in high school. I wanted to tell people about Christ.
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I was raised Christian. I'd be on the back of the school bus, heading to a basketball game, and people are talking about anything and everything, and I could never muster the courage to talk about Christ.
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You ever been there? I remember one time when Jim Anderson, the coach...
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I was a senior. My little brother was a junior. He asked a question of me and my brother and our friend
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Jeff Kingsford. He asked about God. Hey, you guys are Christians, right? You go to church? And something happened on the back of that bus where the conversation turned, and we began to talk about Christ.
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I remember Jeff sharing his faith, and I began to share mine and my little brother, and wouldn't you know, within a year,
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Jim Anderson came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. This hard, disciplined basketball coach, he devoted himself to memorizing
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Scripture like he used to devote himself to the worldly things. He memorized thousands of verses over the coming years.
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A glorious conversion of our high school basketball coach. The joy that came from seeing that was overwhelming.
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Just beautiful. But how much of my Christian life was lived in silence?
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Because we fear the slap in the mouth. You say too much at your workplace, the
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DEI officer is gonna come and slap you in the mouth. You say too much at school, your friends might not punch you.
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That's not how bullying really works. They're not gonna push you down on the playground. They're gonna talk about you behind your back and call you a fanatic and a zealot or whatever other name they could come up with.
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You will be ostracized and made fun of. It'll happen in your own family.
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How much easier is it to keep the peace than to share the gospel at the Thanksgiving table?
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But that short -term slap in the mouth, Jesus was willing to endure that for the sake of the good confession.
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Peter now, let's see the last iteration here, verses 25 to 27. Peter, of course, falls short two more times in these three verses.
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Now, notice what John does here. He repeats the phrase. He didn't have to do that.
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It's already been said twice, the standing and warming themselves. But he wants the reader to pick up on this theme.
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He was choosing the comforting of the flesh, the creature comforts. Simon Peter was standing and warming himself.
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He was depressed and discouraged and disappointed and fearful, and so he simply chose to comfort the flesh in the warmth of the enemy's fire.
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So they said to him, hey, you also are not one of his disciples, are you?
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He denied it and said, I am not.
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One of the servants of the high priest. Get this, a relative of the man whose ear
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Peter had cut off. Of all people to be sitting there. It's like this cousin of Malchus.
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Maybe he noticed a little splatter of blood on Peter's robe. And he remembers, in the dark,
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I couldn't quite make it out, but I remember a guy that looked a lot like you that chopped off my relative's ear.
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And Peter must just be thinking, oh, wouldn't you know? Like the world is just closing in on him.
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He's trying to be non -conspicuous and it just so happens that the relative of the guy whose ear he chopped off notices him.
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Be sure your sin will find you out. There is no hiding before an omni, what is the word for seeing?
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All -seeing? Omniscient, all -knowing, yeah. A God who sees all things.
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You're not going to ultimately hide from him. Peter is trying to blend in, but here's what happens.
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Jonah is given the commission to go preach to Nineveh. Instead, he goes the opposite way.
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He is trying to keep to himself and ignore his call. And ultimately, that results in what?
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Being thrown overboard by the rest of the sailors. And he's sinking down to the bottom of the deep.
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He even says seaweed is wrapped around his head. This is the reward of sin, of falling, of failing.
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You begin to drown and seaweed, it's like this world of guilt. The seaweed is, picture that like your guilt.
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It just wraps around your head. It's a terrible place to be. He's got seaweed wrapped around his head until God in his grace sends that whale, that big fish, to rescue him.
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A picture of salvation. Being rescued and then, like Jesus, buried for three days and on the third day rises from the dead.
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Three days and three nights in the belly of the fish that spit out. God intervenes miraculously in the same way when you are at the bottom, when you have fallen, when you're wracked with guilt.
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But God, you have a savior. The picture in this story is not of a triumphant Peter, but a failing
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Peter. And the point of the story is that you have a savior like that. When you're at the bottom, when you have failed, maybe even having denied him, this is the worst of things that you could do.
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Denying him. God will intervene. Peter must be brought to a point of brokenness.
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He will go out and he will weep sorrowful tears. But he will then be restored at the end of the book.
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And we'll get to that. Just a beautiful restoration. Then finally, he becomes that powerful preacher that he wouldn't have been in his own strength.
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So in closing, how do we apply this? Church, isn't there something ironically somewhat comforting about reading this story?
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John named Peter for a reason that we would identify and recognize and see ourselves in this.
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How many times did Peter stumble? Picture him called to walk on water with Jesus.
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As long as he looked at Christ, he's walking on water. But he takes his eyes off the Lord. He looks at the waves and he begins to drown.
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But God lifts him up. Salvation is of the
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Lord. He's kept and protected by the Lord. Not by his own faith or his own strength.
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All of that falters, but the Lord rescues him. We're told that Satan in the unseen spiritual world had demanded to sift
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Peter like wheat. It's not a pretty picture. But Jesus says, but I have prayed for you,
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Peter, that your faith will not fail. It is the intercessory work of Christ keeping
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Peter. When he draws the sword, it would have got him killed, but Jesus restrains the soldiers.
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When he falls and he fails to confess and make the good confession, he even denies the
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Lord. There was grace even for that. And look out at the world.
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There are sinners everywhere. They're running headlong into destruction. We know where sin leads.
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You see the destruction of family. You see just shipwreck everywhere.
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And the temptation is to say, hey, I would never do something like that.
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But the truth of the matter is, but for the grace of God, there go I. But for the grace of God, there go
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I. Look out at the world and thank Jesus for keeping you and holding you.
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And every time you've stumbled, he's lifted you up. This is the message of this passage.
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So take some time to thank him. Thank him that he never wavered on the path of obedience.
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Peter stumbled, Jesus never did. If Jesus had stumbled one time and disobeyed in any way, shape, or form, he would not have been a sinless and perfect sacrifice to die for you.
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But he was perfectly obedient to every command. He was even perfectly obedient to lay down on the cross and accept crucifixion for us.
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He is the rock. He is the rock. So thank him for being so steady, so faithful, so perfect every time.
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He bore our condemnation on the tree. Remember those pastors that failed?
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The Tratadores? They denied him. Augustine made it clear that there's forgiveness even for them.
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There's forgiveness for you. So what do you do to be forgiven? Like Peter, you go alone with God, you weep and you confess your sin, and he is faithful and just to forgive your sin and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
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But Peter didn't stay in that kind of world. The future of Peter is to be restored and then to go out preaching.
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And finally, the temptation will rise again. He'll stand in Rome, be given a chance to recant the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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And he will gladly welcome death for the sake of the name. Strengthen to make the good confession.
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And when they began to crucify Peter, the way his Lord died, he said, don't crucify me this way.
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Turn me upside down because I'm not worthy even to die by the same means that Jesus died.
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God granted him courage and strength. And let's pray for the same in us. Father God, we thank you for the story of Peter's failing because we see ourselves in it,
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Lord. We all stumble in many ways. And in James, you tell us if anyone is able to keep his tongue perfectly, he is a perfect man.
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But we all stumble. We can't guard our tongues or our bodies, Lord. We fall in many ways.
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But we are asking right now, God, for more grace. Thank you so much for being that immovable rock.
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Jesus, thank you for stepping forward for us to take the death penalty that we deserve.
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Thank you for the cross. Thank you for suffering and dying and rising from the dead on the third day.
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Thank you for forgiving us. And Lord, we do confess our sins before you, each one in the quietness of our own hearts.
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Let's just each confess sin, ask for forgiveness, and thank
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Jesus for dying for your sins. Now, Father, we pray that you would strengthen us to go and sin no more.
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We pray that you would give us that courage to confess and not deny the
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Lord Jesus Christ. Open doors of opportunity, and when we see them, Lord, give us the courage to walk through those doors.
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In Jesus' name, amen. Will you stand with me? Upon Jesus Look fully
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His wonderful face
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And the things of earth Will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory
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And grace Turn your eyes
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To the hillside Where justice and mercy
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Embrace There the
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Son of God Gave His life for us
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And on measureless dead was
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He raised Jesus, through you we lift our eyes
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Jesus, our glory and our pride
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We adore you, behold you
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Our Savior ever true Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you
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Turn your eyes to the morning
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And see Christ the Lion awake
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What a glorious song
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Thee while death is gone For we carry
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His life in our hands
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Jesus, through you we lift our eyes
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Jesus, our glory and our pride
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We adore you, behold you
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Our Savior ever true Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you
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Turn your eyes to the heavens
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Our King will return for His own
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Every knee will bow Every tongue will shout
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All glory to Jesus alone
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Jesus, through you we lift our eyes
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Jesus, our glory and our pride
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We adore you, behold you
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Our Savior ever true Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you
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Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to you
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God is a sharp, two -edged sword. It accomplishes things in the sending out of the word.
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So as you listen to this charge, receive it as the power of God to go and do the thing it speaks of.
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But as for you, oh man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
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Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
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I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our
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Lord Jesus Christ which He will display at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the
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King of kings and Lord of lords who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can see to Him be honor and eternal dominion.