Denied By His Own

Jesus' Last Day  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  38:46
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Jesus is denied by Peter

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Luke 22:54–62 CSB
54 They seized him, led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance. 55 They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them. 56 When a servant saw him sitting in the light, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with him too.” 57 But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know him.” 58 After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too.” “Man, I am not!” Peter said. 59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Small Steps ultimately lead to Great Sin

Jesus will be tried six times before He is condemned to be crucified. Three from the Jews and three from the Romans. During the trials to the Jews we see that Jesus is passed from Annas () to his son-n-law Caiaphas () and ultimately in front of the Sanhedrin Court at dawn (). Jesus is seized or arrested in the Garden. Our Lord and Savior, God Almighty is arrested by man. What a paradoxical scenario, that the Creator is arrested by the creation. But has that not been the intention of man since the fall in the Garden? Satan tricking Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit so they can be like God. Did not Satan want the same power and that is the cause of him being cast from heaven? The small steps of Peter led to the gradually denial of the Lord.
His denial started in his pride of self-confidence, .
Luke 22:33 CSB
33 “Lord,” he told him, “I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
When we insist that we would, never do anything, we are setting ourselves up for failure, because it is our pride which made us make a statement like this. We never know what lies ahead.
The second small step that led to Peter’s denial was indolent neglect of prayer, .
Mark 14:37–38 CSB
37 Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping?” “Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Lack of prayer life will always lead us to a lack of strength, courage, and faith in face of persecution.
Prayer is the essential element for any believer to make it through this life.
The Necessity of Prayer VIII. Prayer and Character and Conduct

PRAYER governs conduct and conduct makes character. Conduct, is what we do; character, is what we are. Conduct is the outward life. Character is the life unseen, hidden within, yet evidenced by that which is seen. Conduct is external, seen from without; character is internal—operating within. In the economy of grace conduct is the offspring of character. Character is the state of the heart, conduct its outward expression. Character is the root of the tree, conduct, the fruit it bears.

Peter’s failure to stay in prayer was the next small step in his character being revealed in his denial of Christ. This lead to his third step into great sin of denial. Vacillating indecision in the Garden. He asks the question should they strike with the sword and before the answer was ever given he struck. How many of us have had a moment like Peter? We ask a question and before an answer is given we act upon it. Why even ask? After the incident, Peter runs away from the enemy only to turn back again to follow at a distance. This is his vacillating indecisiveness which is another small step to the great sin.
The fourth step is his interacting with the high priest’s servants around the fire. The old adage “Birds of feather stick together” is factual and we see the evidence here with Peter. Peter’s willingness to be disobedient and not to follow led him into the company of the enemy, in their own territory. I think of my walk with Christ and how at the beginning He removed the majority, of people in my life that were bad influences. They were replaced by mighty men for God who poured truth and love into my life. If those other men would have stayed in my life it would have hindered my walk and growth in Christ.
The fifth and final step in the great sin was the result of the first four steps. Each step brought Peter closer to the denial of Jesus three times just as Christ predicted. The three denials of Christ by Peter took place in these three settings.

Three Denials

First denial was when Peter entered the high priest courtyard and they lit a fire which he sat at, (56). There are two things I want us to see in this verse: First, Peter came out of darkness into the light of the fire. Second, the servant was a servant to the high priest and she “looked closely at him.”
First observation of Peter coming out of darkness into the light. Whenever we come out of darkness into the light our imperfections are shown and magnified. Remember what Jesus said about the Light?
Mark 4:22 CSB
22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
Second observation of Peter coming out of darkness into the light is, he became noticeable to the servant girl. She “looked closely” (she stared intensely at him).
Second denial took place at the fire with another maid and other bystanders including the kinsman of Malchus (58),
John 18:25–26 CSB
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”
John 18:25–26 CSB
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”
Last denial was about an hour later,
Luke 22:59–60 CSB
59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
Luke 22:59 CSB
59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.”
Peter denied the Lord and before he finished the rooster crowed three times. I cannot imagine the feeling that Peter was feeling when he heard the rooster. I wonder why he stayed in the light. I think about how we are glamour with death and brutality and understanding Roman’s own desire for these things make me believe that Peter stayed for a couple of reasons.
First, he was curious. Maybe after being with the Lord for three years Peter went to see the next miracle Christ was going to perform?
Second, I believe it is the nature of all humans to watch trials of people, even if you disagree.
Lastly, I think he was sincere in his following Christ.

Lord Looks at Peter

Listen to Luke’s account after the rooster crowed.
Luke 22:61 CSB
61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”
I don’t know what is worse, the fact Peter remembered what the Lord said or the Lord turned and looked at Peter.
Turn(ed): to twist or bend; to cause something to turn
Look(ed): to direct one’s vision and attention to a particular, object.
“The Lord turned around and looked directly at Peter”
The Lord’s turning attention onto Peter made Peter remember what the Lord told Peter earlier. This revelation cause Peter to leave the trial. If he would have never followed Jesus to the trial he would have never denied Him. There is something else I want you to see.
The Lord is always protecting us from ourselves as much from the enemy. Jesus is protecting Peter. His plans for Peter did not include Peter being there for the trial. Here is the lesson we should all take from Peter’s denial.

Application:

Even the smallest of disobedience will lead to great sin.
Denying Christ does not just happen it begins with no prayer life.
Pride is the culprit to failure.
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