Sermon Tone Analysis

When it comes to the reformation one name always comes to mind, Martin Luther.

Martin Luther is touted as the father of the reformation of the Protestant Church but did you know he actually carried along a mission that had begun nearly a hundred years earlier.

It was actually begun by John Wycliff who was very out spoken against the corruption within the church and many of the practices of the leadership of the church.

On his heels comes a man named John Huss who is a very interesting martyr.

He also fought against the the corruption of the leadership of his day.

He was tried for heresy and sentenced to die for not recanting his writings and not pledging allegiance to the pope.

Even as John Huss stood chained to a stake while they were piling up the kindling to his neck to burn him alive Huss refused to deny Jesus Christ.

Even as the lit the fire and burned him alive John Fox writes this:

The flames were now applied to the branches, when our martyr sung a hymn with so loud and cheerful a voice that he was heard through all the cracklings of the combustibles, and the noise of the multitude.

At length his voice was interrupted by the severity of the flames, which soon closed his existence.

Even as he burned he refused to deny his Lord and even sang a hymn to Jesus.

How many of us in this room can say we would do this.

Now before you answer that with a very proud yes let me remind you of a man you said he would not deny his Lord and Master to Jesus' face.

Remember Peter.

In Luke chapter 22:31-34 we find this interaction between Jesus and Peter.

Peter boldly came out and told Jesus he was ready to go to prison and to death.

He said yes he would die with Christ and for Christ.

His pride actually got the better of him and ours can sometime get the better of us also.

This morning we will look at Peter once again and we are going to see this man who so boldly said he was ready to go to prison and to death for his Lord and Master spoke from his gut and when push comes to shove he does the opposite of what he claims.

Peter compromises on his beliefs because he feared the world as opposed to fearing the Lord.

We are turning back to our study of the gospel of Luke this morning after a month and half break.

We are in Luke 22, as we look at our text this morning I want to remind you of what has happened when we were last in this text.

Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he had just finished praying and Judas had come with a mob in the middle of the night to arrest Jesus.

Jesus at His arrest demonstrated such power over the situation and He also demonstrated the power of prayer over our lives and how it can change the way we face a situation.

Jesus in the midst of being arrested showed so much peace in what was going on and in what was going to happen.

As We looked at Jesus' arrest in the Garden we learned what it means to have peace.

Through Jesus' response to His arrest we learned the Marks of Peace.

Jesus' example for us in His peaceful response was one of, patience, compassion and surrender.

This morning we will see a contrast in Jesus' most outspoken disciple as we explore Peter's reaction and response to being one of Jesus' followers.

We will see that Peter demonstrates he doubts Jesus' power over his life and this doubt leads Peter to compromise truth with a lie.

We see this morning that Doubt Breeds Compromise.

Doubt Breeds Compromise

We will see this in Luke 22:54-62;

Luke in verse 54 sets up the scene for us.

We see here Jesus has been arrested and now he is being led to the house of the High Priest.

His trial begins right away.

But this passage is not so much about Jesus' trial as it is about Peter.

Luke tells us here in verse 54 that Peter was following Jesus and find Peter is not standing by his earlier conviction when he said he would go with Jesus to prison and even to death.

No, in fact he is actually protecting himself by following at a distance.

This is the beginning of Compromise.

Compromise begins Detachment.

Doubt Produces Detachment.

Peter was there when Jesus was arrested in fact he was the one who cut off the ear of the high priests slave.

The thing is the religious leaders who wanted Jesus out of the way didn't really care to much about taking out the disciples, they went only to arrest Jesus.

The disciples, however, including Peter were afraid and they weren't afraid for Jesus' sake but their own.

Peter was afraid.

He feared for his own safety and his own life.

Still he was curious as to what would happen to his Lord and Master so he followed along.

Peter was far enough away to feel he was safe from the mob but close enough to see Jesus.

Peter's first mistake and ours as well is detaching ourselves from Jesus.

This is doubting Jesus' word and His control over our lives.

This doubt which produce detachment is also the first step in compromise.

When a believer distances him or herself from Jesus, from His Word, His power and His control what you do is you rely on yourself to make it through the world.

What is interesting is Peter in private to Jesus' face said he would follow Jesus, but what happened when the rubber meets the road, Peter followed at a distance.

Why?

Because he feared the people more then he feared God.

That is doubt.

That is having a lack of conviction and when you fear people over fearing God, when you fear what the world will do to you as opposed to what God can do to you that is doubt and the natural reaction in our walk with Jesus is to follow at a distance.

Thinking well He is close enough that I can see Him but far enough that people won't attack me because of Him.

First doubt produces detachment and doubt leaves you helpless.

Doubt Leaves you Helpless

Notice that Luke records for us that Peter was alone.

There is no mention of anyone with him only Peter who follows at a distance and then when he arrives in the courtyard he sits alone with the enemies of Jesus, with the accusers.

Peter has no accountability, there is no one there for him to lean on when the questions arise.

His sitting by the fire to keep himself warm is in fact him taking a seat with scoffers and with the wicked.

He is taking a seat in the world with the world.

His lack of conviction drove him to go at it alone and when we enter into the world alone we are helpless against it.

All to often as Christians we leave the church and go to our daily routine and we find ourselves alone against the world.

Sometimes we need this time alone to be tested, as Peter was here but when we go into the world with another Christian brother or sister we find strength in numbers.

When we doubt, when we believe we can go and sit among the world without being close to Jesus and without having a someone with us we are actually helpless.

Especially when our faith is being to the test.

Solomon understood the idea of not going at it alone, look at what he says in Ecclesiastes.

It is better to go at it with another by your side.

I know what you are thinking, yeah but when I go to work I am on my own.

Hey I get it I understand.

It isn't easy working in the world and and being in the midst of all those people who don't know Jesus and who are there talking about worldly things like going out to a club or bar or the drinking the night before.

I get it.

So what do you do in an instance like this.

Simple you have to begin with what Jesus Peter in the garden of Gethsemane, "pray that you may not enter into temptation."

Then be sure that you are not following at a distance but you are always close to the Lord and have a good Christian brother or sister pray with you and for you as you enter into the world, so that your not helpless.

This is also a good practice when it comes to evangelism.

Go out into the world to share the gospel is very daunting and it is always best to do so in pairs so you can help strengthen one another.

Peter here follows Jesus at a distance and he goes at it alone.

Mind you this is God's plan all along it is so Peter will be sifted, tested and that may happen at times to.

Peter is about to be tested and he already didn't have the best foundation for his testing.

He was filled with doubt and this doubt as we are about to see caused him to compromise his beliefs.

Doubt Cause Failure

Doubt Causes Failure

We see this in the interaction between Peter and those he is sitting with around the fire.

Let's look at verses 56-60.

Notice here Peter is questioned three times concerning his relationship to Jesus, His disciples and even where Jesus is from.

In verse 56 a servant-girl is sitting there and she is watching him intently the passage says, meaning she is glaring at him, it is noticeable that she is watching him, probably even to the point that if Peter's eyes caught hers it would be uncomfortable.

He looks very familiar to her.

She was a part of the mob of people who went out to arrest Jesus and she more than likely was close enough to see Peter cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest.

I don't know about you but that would be something seared into my mind.

His response is one of denial, rejection.

Peter only tells the woman, I don't know Him.

No other words come out of his mouth, it is a quick response because he for obvious reasons doesn't want to dwell on it.

So here is Peter denying that he knows Jesus.

Then as the text tells us a little while later another person who is sitting there asks another question of Peter.