Anatomy of a Denial

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This is a message that was given on Palm Sunday and focuses on the Scripture references to Peter's denial of Christ.

Written Excerpts:

Luke 22:61-62 ^(NKJV) And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Introduction:

I don’t know what comes to your mind when you hear the word anatomy. I suppose that some of those who are current or former nurses might get a case of jitters by hearing the word! I’ve never taken an Anatomy & Physiology course, but I’ve heard some pretty harsh descriptions of it from some of my friends in the past!

For me, the word anatomy actually brings flashbacks of biology labs. It was considered so important for students to learn the anatomy of a seemingly endless number of creatures (e.g. frogs, earthworms, and starfish). Therefore, we were treated to hours and hours of dissecting critters in lab classes and then study for hours so that we could pass the lab exams which consisted of numbered straight pins stuck into every part of the specimen so we could accurately identify each part by the corresponding number on our test paper.

I can’t remember who related this story to me years ago, but I heard about a student in a biology lab one time who took a piece of his chewing gum and planted inside his frog then called his teacher over to ask “What is this mass in this frog?” I’m sorry I can’t remember exactly how the story ended up, but I do remember that the person told me how the teacher was all excited because they had found a tumor in the frog!

In addition to using the term in relation to human body structure, the word anatomy is sometimes used to refer to the various “parts” that make up anything. So, the word can also refer to a minute examination or analysis of something.

The passage of Scripture that was read earlier contained the account of Peter’s denial of the Lord when Jesus was taken into custody and brought to the home of the high priest. As you might be able to tell from the sermon title, I hope to “dissect” Peter’s denial to discover the components that led up to his failure.

I.       He Made a Self-Confident Boast

Luke 22:33 ^(NKJV) But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."

Matthew 26:31-35 ^(NKJV) Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples.

Some believe that Peter is declaring his willingness to fight and even die a martyr’s death in defending his Master. Perhaps even thinking about the heroic Maccabean martyrs of a couple hundred years prior. He seems to be oblivious to the weakness that lurk within himself and cannot imagine any scenario in which he wouldn’t be willing to stand and fight with and for his Lord.

We need to be aware that in ourselves we can do nothing. We are weak, ill-equipped, and even unwilling to be what we need to be unless we are filled with the presence and power of the living Christ through His Spirit.

We need the appropriate balance between: “I am nothing in myself” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

II.     He Maintained a Self-Preserving Distance

Luke 22:54 ^(NKJV) Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance.

The first thing we should notice here is the fact that all the other disciples left and fled. At least Peter kept following, even if it was at a distance.

The scene that is described leads us to infer that Peter followed from a distance in order to preserve his own life. It may be that things were getting much more dangerous and serious than he imagined.

Peter had boasted that he was ready to die with Jesus, but Jesus wasn’t putting up a fight. He was being led away like a lamb to the slaughter. Jesus isn’t mounting any type of resistance. There apparently isn’t going to be any valiant battle in which Peter could die a heroic martyr. This is not a battle against formidable odds. This is a “sacrifice;” a “voluntary sacrifice.”

As we walk with Christ there are going to be those times when we will be tempted to distance ourselves from Jesus because it is getting too dangerous to be identified with Him.

III.    He Mingled with the Self-Concealing Crowd

Luke 22:55 ^(NKJV) Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

The next description we read about Peter is that he is sitting among the mob. The Bible doesn’t describe these people. It doesn’t say whether they’re for Jesus or against Him. Perhaps they are just curious to see what’s going to happen. But Peter seems to be wanting to just blend in; not stand out or not be conspicuous.

Wesleyan Bible Commentary – Under the pressure of being identified with Jesus, Peter denied that he had any acquaintance with or association with Him. Most likely, rather than verbally denying Jesus, we seek to separate ourselves from Him by quietly blending in with those who oppose Him. Being lost in the comfort of the crowd is preferred to sharing in "the fellowship of his sufferings" (Phil. 3:10). Peter's denial is too often repeated by those who sit with the crowd rather than stand up and stand out for Jesus.

This crowd was self-concealing in two ways:

1. Even though he wasn’t successful in his attempt, it was a way to conceal his physical identity.

2. It was also a way to conceal his spiritual/religious identity. “Who me? I’m not one of HIS disciples.” (“I’m just here to watch what is happening like the rest of you.”)

We can make the same kind of choices if we’re not alert. We are tempted at times to just find a “normal” worldly crowd to blend in with so no one will recognize that we’re one of those “Wayside fanatics.”

I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t be engaging the people of the world around us. There is a legitimate interaction we must have in order to be salt and light. But I’m talking about attempting to “blend in” so that no one recognizes my identity as a Christian. It is a lot less threatening and less “painful” to merely be a “fan” of Jesus like a lot of other people, rather than a true “follower” that is willing to sacrifice for Jesus.

There are clear and definite dangers with mingling with the “heathen.” For example, listen to

Deuteronomy 7:1-4 ^(NKJV) "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you… seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

Why did God order them to completely destroy the residents of Canaan? Two reasons: to keep His people from adopting the practices of the heathen; and because the “day of judgment” had come for the Canaanites. (See Deut. 9:5)

Deuteronomy 9:5 ^(NKJV) It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The NT carries the same message:

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 ^(NKJV) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

When we allow ourselves to get too closely tied in with the part of the world that is opposed to righteousness and holiness there is a risk of compromising our biblical convictions in order to “fit in.” Mixing/blending too well with unbelievers opens the door for an outright denial of our Lord and our faith.

Conclusion:

I’m thankful that the story doesn’t end with Peter’s denial. Even in the moment of greatest failure, there is a glimmer of hope expressed in the words, “He went out and wept bitterly.”

The look of Jesus.

Wesleyan Bible Commentary – William Barclay wrote, "The penalty of sin is to face, not the anger of Jesus, but the heartbreak in His eyes."

The prayer of Jesus.

Luke 22:31-32 ^(NKJV) And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

The restoration of Peter.

John 21:15ff – Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. It seems like it is meant to reflect the three denials. But just as importantly, Jesus reinstates Peter to the work of a disciple – “feed my sheep,” and “follow me.”

The Path to Revival

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This is a sermon that was given during the Lenten season to stimulate prayer and interest in personal spiritual renewal and revival. The message draws its emphasis from several different passages of Scripture that emphasize revival.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 85:6 (NKJV) Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?

Introduction:

During the Lenten season it is common for us to speak about self-denial, sacrifice, seeking after God, etc. One of the emphases that is also appropriate to focus on at this time, and really any time, is the topic of revival or spiritual renewal. I felt led to concentrate on that theme for the message today. Springtime and Easter is all about new life and resurrection, but there is a sense in which we usually talk about renewal and getting closer to God as we are leading up to Easter.

The passage of Scripture from Psalm 80 that was read earlier had quite a bit to say about revival and restoration. We are also going to be looking at some other passages today in our discussion I’m calling “The Path to Revival.”

If you ask almost any Christian believer they will tell you that they’re interested in revival and renewal. However, it takes more than mere interest or conversation to bring about true revival.

A U.S. Lutheran bishop tells of visiting a parish church in California and finding a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" it declared in words printed under a picture of a fire burning. The bishop was also interested in the sign directly underneath the banner which said: "Fire extinguisher." So much for that parish's commitment to spiritual renewal.  “One World,” May, 1982. (sermonillustrations.com)

Well, I’d say that the picture and banner were not located in the best possible place to avoid conflicting messages! But it does illustrate the fact that it’s a lot easier to talk about revival than to truly experience one.

With the help of the Lord I want to talk to us a little while about what revival is and some biblical instructions for experiencing it.

What is revival?

Revival is the inrush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse. – D. M. Panton (Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World.)

In the physical world or secular world we use the word “revival” to mean the resurrecting of something dead, the healing of someone that is sick, or the empowering or strengthening of something that is weak.

We’ve probably all heard of cases where a patient goes into cardiac arrest and dies for several minutes, but the patient is resuscitated and brought back to life again by medical personnel. We would say, “They were revived.”

Or, we may know of someone that is very sick and unable to carry on their normal activities or daily routine. They may go to the doctor or even go to the hospital, and after a process of healing and recuperation we would say, “They’ve been revived.”

The same is true regarding someone that has simply lost strength or maybe even regarding an electrical outage. When strength has been regained or the power is back on, we would say, “The strength was revived or the power was revived.”

The same idea of revival can be applied to the spiritual world.

“Revival” – The moving, energetic force of the Holy Spirit that resurrects the dead, cures the sick and empowers the weak.

·     dead = loss of spiritual life; dead in trespasses and sins, etc.

·     sick = false doctrine or at least misplaced emphases in theology and in practice. (Some people turn minor issues into major ones and major issues into minor ones).

·     weak = some spiritual life, correct theology or view of truth, but discouraged, unable to make inroads into the devil’s turf.

The only answer to all of these undesirable conditions is the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. We all know instinctively that the Spirit of God can do more than anything else or anyone else to change the condition the church world is in today. God can do more in mere minutes than anything man can accomplish in a lifetime.

But, history and biblical record informs us that God will only respond with revival fires when people truly seek Him in a way that is consistent with His will.

What is the path to revival?

1. Humble Confession

Isaiah 57:15 ^(NKJV) For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

2 Chron. 7¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves…

Revival won’t come until we admit our need.

In 1936 revival fires broke out on the campus of Wheaton College west of Chicago. A senior named Don Hillis arose in chapel to voice a plea for revival. Students responded with an all-day prayer meeting on Saturday. Both faculty and students confessed sin and made things right with one another. (Revival Insights by Oliver Price – sermonillustrations.com)

2. Repentance

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 ^(NKJV) When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

3. Prayer / Intercession

“…humble themselves, and pray and seek My face…”

J. Edwin Orr [a researcher] on prayer and spiritual awakening wrote: "Whenever God is ready to do something new with His people, He always sets them to praying." This was certainly true during the First Great Awakening. (sermonillustrations.com)

In the spring of 1904 a young Welshman named Evan Roberts was repeatedly awakened to pray from 1:00 to 5:00 a.m. By November a powerful spiritual awakening was spreading through Wales. (sermonillustrations.com)

4. Obedience

Obedience is so important. All through the Scriptures, OT & NT, God makes it clear that He expects His people to be obedient. Praying will accomplish little or nothing unless we obey what the Lord reveals to us in prayer and in His Word.

What does revival do?

Revival is an invasion from heaven that brings a conscious awareness of God. – Stephen Olford.

When we truly get revived by the Holy Spirit, people will be able to feel His presence in our church services, but more importantly, in our lives.

(J.I. Packer, Your Father Loves You – sermonillustrations.com) Revival always begins with a restoration of the sense of the closeness of the Holy One.

Second, the gospel is loved as never before. The sense of God's nearness creates an overwhelming awareness of one's own sins and sinfulness, and so the power of the cleansing blood of Christ is greatly appreciated.

Then repentance deepens. In the Ulster revival in the 1920s shipyard workers brought back so many stolen tools that new sheds had to be built to house the recovered property! Repentance results in restitution.

Finally, the Spirit works fast: godliness multiplies, Christians mature, converts appear. Paul was at Thessalonica for less than three weeks, but God worked quickly and Paul left a virile church behind him.

Conclusion:

Howard Spring – The kingdom of God is not going to advance by churches becoming filled with men, but rather by men in churches becoming filled with God.

Isaiah 44:3 ^(NKJV) For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

Lady asked Billy Sunday:

"Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn't last?"

He responded by asking her, "Why do you keep taking baths?"

We must have repeated visitations from heaven. We need repeated outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon us. The tendency for a fire is to go out. The fuel burns low and mere embers are left glowing. It takes new fuel and the gentle blowing of the wind (oxygen) to cause it to flame up again. So it is in the spiritual realm. We need the wind of the Spirit to blow on use until we are ignited again into a brilliant flame for the glory of God.

The Still Small Voice

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This sermon emphasizes one of the ways that God speaks to us and how we can prepare to hear it.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 46:10 ^(KJV) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
1 Kings 19:11-12 ^(NKJV) Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Introduction:  As we have repeatedly stated, the season of Lent is a time when Christians are encouraged to focus on spiritual renewal and improving our connection to Christ.

Sometimes we look at characteristics of Christ’s own life and try to incorporate those qualities into our own lives better than before. When we study the life of Christ in the Scriptures we discover His frequent use of solitude.

We read multiple times of Jesus getting alone to pray; going up on a mountain to pray; etc. There is one place (Mk. 6:31) where Jesus urges His disciples to “come apart and rest awhile.” If Jesus felt the need to get away and get alone, then how much more do we need it?

Being alone and being quiet isn’t very easy to do sometimes.

(Some of you may have heard a joke that goes something like this…)

Brother Andrew decided to enter a monastery to become a monk.

The Abbot who was head of the monastery welcomed the new brother and said, "Brother Andrew, we’ve taken a vow of silence at this monastery. You are welcome here as long as you like, but you may not speak until I direct you to do so."

Brother Andrew lived in the monastery for 5 years before the Abbot called for him and said, "You have been here for 5 years. You can now speak just two words."

Brother Andrew thought for a moment and then replied, "Hard bed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the Abbot said, "We will get you a better bed."

After another 5 years, Brother Andrew was summoned again by the Abbot. "You may say another two words."

"Cold food," said Brother Andrew, and the Abbot assured him that the food would be better in the future.

On his 15th anniversary at the monastery, the Abbot again called Brother Andrew into his office. "You may say two words today."

Brother Andrew blurted out, "I quit."

"Well, it's probably best", said the Abbot, "You've done nothing but complain ever since you got here."

I suppose there may be some instances of solitude and silence that do not end up well, but there is a great benefit from one of the spiritual disciplines known as solitude and silence.

In the passage of Scripture that was read earlier, the prophet Elijah had just been vigorously standing up for God in a nation that had drifted far away under the evil leadership of King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel. One of the most notable conflicts with the king and queen resulted from the contest on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal (chapter 18).

If you recall, that miraculous display of God’s power and authority prompted Elijah to call for the prophets of Baal to be rounded up and executed for their role in leading the nation away from God. This infuriated Jezebel, who promised to find Elijah and execute him. So, Elijah flees to the wilderness and is in hiding. He is depressed, discouraged and badly in need of some direct word from the Lord.

Read 1 Kings 19:11-12, Then He [God] said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

The Word of God clearly states, “…the Lord was not in the wind… the Lord was not in the earthquake… the Lord was not in the fire.” After the fire there was a “still small voice.” The phrase that had been repeated three times earlier (the Lord was not in…) is not stated this fourth time, so the inference we draw is that God’s presence was revealed in the still small voice.

Now I would like to link this passage with one from the Psalms:

Psalm 46:10 ^(KJV) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

I propose to you this morning that if we are ever going to be able to hear the still small voice amidst all of the winds, earthquakes and fires going on around us, then it is going to require us at times to “be still and know that God is really God.”

There are really only two questions I want to address today in an attempt to stress the importance of getting closer to God in this season of Lenten renewal and revival.

How do we get to the place we can hear the Voice?

What happens when we do hear the Voice? 

I.    How do we get in the place to hear God’s voice?

A. Get “shoved” out in the wilderness by God.

As the Scripture was read earlier from 1 Kings 19, we learned that Elijah was being threatened by the queen because he had just won a marvelous victory over the prophets of Baal and had executed all 400 of them.

According to verse 2, the messenger brought a very simple message from the queen, “I’m going to kill you!”  So Elijah takes off for the wilderness. Once he arrives there we read that he’s alone, hungry, exhausted, depressed, and maybe a few more things wrong with his life right now. He’s ready to die, but God provides shade from the sun, food and water even when he isn’t able to do it for himself. Then God calls him out on the side of the mountain to speak to him.

It’s hard to imagine what all might have been going through Elijah’s mind as he witnesses all of these different phenomena, but at last he hears a “still small voice.”

I want to come back to this story again, but I want to emphasize the truth revealed to us here that sometimes the only way God can get us alone enough and quiet enough to hear His voice is to force us out into the wilderness through some threat, some kind of disaster or some other tragedy in our lives. I believe that God has a unique way of orchestrating circumstances in our lives in order to bring us to the place where we are shut away, alone and quiet before Him. Then He can begin to speak to us in a quiet voice, “This is the way. Walk in it.”

When we’re exhausted from doing so much for God, then He can quiet us down and speak to us more clearly in our moments of uncertainty, perplexity and quietness.

B. We can also get in the place to hear God’s quiet voice by deliberately choosing to go there.

I want to draw your attention back to Psalm 46:10 ^(KJV) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The verse starts off with a directive: Be still!

I was able to obtain some interesting mental pictures when I looked up the Hebrew word that is translated “be still.” The word has a variety of meanings and usages including some of these: sink down, drop the hand, leave alone, let go, relax, withdraw… All of these various meanings come from this word as it is used in various contexts.

So, it seems to me that the application of this verse to us would be to for us to do whatever is necessary to let go of the busy-ness of life, relax and withdraw for a while from the “rat race” in order to get alone with God and hear His still small voice.

Some of the speakers at the men’s conference in Saxonburg last Saturday were admonishing us to get rid of the distractions in our lives so we can hear from the Lord. (iPhones, iPads, email, headphones, radio, TV, crowds, etc.) We’re bombarded so much with “noise” that we don’t even realize that we haven’t heard the Lord’s gentle voice in quite a long time!

Stop! Get quiet! Get alone! Listen!

This would be a good place to ask this question: So, do you know why God created the Sabbath? To give you ample opportunity to “Be Still.” The Sabbath wasn’t designed for “leisure time.” It was created for rest time. God built into the created order a day of rest every seven so we could get quiet and rest enough to hear Him and improve our relationship and our connection to Him.

II.  What happens when we do hear God’s voice?

I’m quite sure that there are many, many things we could say here. In fact, only God knows what all can happen if we truly get still and listen to His voice.

But if we look at the two passages of Scripture we’ve been talking about this is what we find.

A. Hearing the voice of God renews our passion and strength.

In the passage from 1 Kings 19, we read,

1 Kings 19:15-16 ^(NKJV) Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

When Elijah heard the voice of God, he not only was given a renewed ministry (when he thought he was done for, and “all washed up”), but it is implied that he was completely renewed in strength to get up and get going again!

B. Being still and hearing God’s voice enhances our knowledge of Him.

Let’s look again at Ps. 46.

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen (or nations).”

Getting alone and getting quiet gives us the distinct opportunity to know God better and in deeper ways than ever before.   (Turn to Ps. 46.) As we look back through the verses of Ps. 46 we are reminded of God’s infinite power and protection.

When I get quiet and alone with God it gives me a unique opportunity to get to know God better and therefore be able to trust Him more.

Conclusion:

Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Ashland Ohio where Dr. Tan was the speaker and he was speaking on the topic of spiritual disciplines, especially prayer. He has written several books and I’d like to share just a few quotes from one of them regarding the matter of solitude and silence.

“Solitude is being alone in purposeful withdrawal from human interaction. It is a deliberate choice to be alone in order to draw closer to God by the power of the Holy Spirit, thereby freeing ourselves from bondage to people and things. Silence, the absence of speech, is a crucial component of solitude…. Silence prepares us to hear God’s voice and receive revelation and guidance….

“We must seek out times and places of solitude if we are to grow into the heart of God and become more like Jesus.”

During this season of Lent, when we are so accustomed to thinking about self-denial and sacrifice in terms of fasting from food, let us seriously consider the great benefit to our spiritual lives when we “fast” from the noise and bustling activity of daily life and get alone with God for extended periods.

If we do, we can expect to see greater truths from God than we’ve seen for a long time, maybe ever.

Let’s close our service by singing the hymn, Open My Eyes that I May See.