Living in Denial
Mt. 26:69-75
Illus. Did you see the “Deal or no Deal” where the girl was an avid NY Jets fan?
•More than that, she loved Curtis Martin. He was her hero.
•As a result of being on the show, she not only got to meet Curtis, but was invited to the stadium where she met many of the guys on the team.
•It was an incredible, unforgetful moment that changed her life.
Illus. Have you ever met someone who greatly impacted your life?
•Maybe it was a chance encounter. Maybe it was a once in a lifetime meeting.
•That moment, that encounter, forever changed your life.
Better yet, have you personally encountered Jesus Christ and has He changed your life?
Today, we begin a new series called “Easter Encounters”.
We’re going to look at various people who encountered Jesus during His earthly ministry and how that encounter changed their lives.
We begin with perhaps the most memorable person – Peter.
While Peter had an incredible 3 year encounter with Christ, today’s account was one he truly wished to forget. Please turn again to Mt. 26:29-75.
Obviously, Peter’s encounter with Jesus transformed his life forever.
•But I believe it’s his denial that truly shaped his future ministry and impact.
•My prayer is that this will also impact and shape our future walk with Christ.
Prayer
Peter’s denial hits us all especially hard.
Illus. Did you ever watch a suspense movie where the most unsuspecting person is the criminal?
Peter is the last person we would think of who would deny Jesus.
•It was Peter who got out of the boat and walked on water.
•It was Peter who declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
•It was Peter who said, “I will die with You and never deny You.”
•It was Peter who drew his sword and cut off the servant’s ear in Gethsemane.
Remember, Jesus Himself had just warned Peter last night that he would deny Him.
How could Peter, of all people, deny Christ? The simple answer is fear.
Peter was bold and brash when he was around Jesus.
•But when Jesus was arrested, Peter became a coward.
Illus. Like a cat hiding behind your legs and reaching out to attack.
Peter had spent the last 3 years with the Son of God.
Now everything was changed. His confusion and misunderstanding gave way to fear.
•Fear that he had been deceived and deserted.
•Fear that his hopes and dreams had been crushed.
•Fear that he, too, would be caught and punished and possibly killed.
What’s even scarier is that if Peter could deny Christ, what does that say about us?
There is not a person here today who has never denied Christ.
•Oh, we may not have pulled a doozy like Peter did.
•But how often are we guilty of denying Him in other ways?
There are actually several ways we can deny Christ.
I. HOW DO WE DENY CHRIST?
A. Our speech
Peter directly denied knowing Christ 3 times.
Mt. 26:74 THEN HE BEGAN TO CALL DOWN CURSES ON HIMSELF AND HE SWORE TO THEM, “I DON’T KNOW THE MAN!”
Illus. When I was about 11 or 12, I told my friends I was going to be a pastor.
•But in my later teen years, I fell away and gave in to peer pressure.
•One day, someone reminded me of my previous pastoral intent.
•I still remember cursing him to his face. I can relate to Peter’s experience.
There are other less obvious ways we can deny Christ by our speech.
Have you ever told a crude joke or laughed at others’ crude jokes?
Have you ever cursed or taken the Lord’s Name in vain?
Has your speech ever contradicted your faith in Christ?
Col. 3:17 WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM.
When we don’t do that, we in effect deny our relationship with Christ.
B. Our show (Our actions, our behavior, the things we do)
Titus 1:16 THEY CLAIM TO KNOW GOD, BUT BY THEIR ACTIONS THEY DENY HIM.
1 Tim. 5:8 IF ANYONE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR HIS RELATIVES, AND ESPECIALLY FOR HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY, (faith in action) HE HAS DENIED THE FAITH AND IS WORSE THAN AN UNBELIEVER.
Illus. Numerous polls have been taken regarding Christians and their behavior.
•The overwhelming conclusion is that there is no difference between how believers in America live and how unbelievers live.
•We watch the same shows, go to the same parties, do the same things.
It’s no wonder that Christianity in America is dying when believers deny Christ by their actions.
C. Our selfishness
Our pride, our greed, our desire for more only tells God He’s not enough for us.
Jas. 3:14 BUT IF YOU HARBOR BITTER ENVY AND SELFISH AMBITION IN YOUR HEARTS, DO NOT BOAST ABOUT IT OR DENY THE TRUTH (deny the truth that you’re not content in Christ alone).
D. Our shame
Too often, like Peter, we’re ashamed to mention that we’re believers in Christ.
•We can’t let others know about our faith or they might harass us or make fun of us.
How would your classmates/fellow workers treat you if they knew you were a believer?
Mk. 8:38 IF ANYONE IS ASHAMED OF ME AND MY WORDS IN THIS ADULTEROUS AND SINFUL GENERATION, THE SON OF MAN WILL BE ASHAMED OF HIM WHEN HE COMES IN HIS FATHER’S GLORY WITH THE HOLY ANGELS.”
Mt. 10:33 BUT WHOEVER DISOWNS ME BEFORE MEN, I WILL DISOWN HIM BEFORE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN.
When we’re too embarrassed to let people know we know Christ, we deny/disown Him.
E. Our silence
How often have you heard someone else curse God or blame God for their troubles?
How often have you graciously corrected them or defended God?
•“I’m sorry, but it’s not God’s fault you smashed your thumb or spilled your coffee.”
Peter was trying to hide and keep silent about his relationship to Jesus.
Acts 4:20 (Peter later) FOR WE CANNOT HELP SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.”
When we remain silent in our faith or defense of God, we deny Him.
F. Our surrender
•Not to Christ, but to temptation and weakness.
•Surrendering to the enemy instead of fighting for truth and for God.
Rev. 3:8 I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE LITTLE STRENGTH, YET YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD AND HAVE NOT DENIED MY NAME.
It’s too easy to give in, to say the battle’s too great, the fight’s not worth it.
When we lay down our spiritual armor and weapons, when we give in to temptation, when we stop defending the life-saving Gospel, we deny the power of Christ in us.
G. Our sin
This wraps up all the other ways we can deny Christ.
Every time we sin, we deny Christ.
•We deny the power of His blood and the victory that’s ours in Christ.
•We deny His infinite and all-sufficient grace and mercy.
Jude 4 FOR CERTAIN MEN WHOSE CONDEMNATION WAS WRITTEN ABOUT LONG AGO HAVE SECRETLY SLIPPED IN AMONG YOU. THEY ARE GODLESS MEN, WHO CHANGE THE GRACE OF OUR GOD INTO A LICENSE FOR IMMORALITY AND DENY JESUS CHRIST OUR ONLY SOVEREIGN AND LORD.
There are so many ways we can and do deny Christ.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably denied Him in every area I mentioned.
But I’m not here to make you feel convicted or remorseful.
•I’m here to encourage you to make it right and make sure we don’t do it again.
II. HOW CAN WE RECONCILE WITH CHRIST?
A. Repentance
This is the most obvious. To repent means to stop doing it and turn the other way.
Peter was truly broken by his sin. He wept bitterly over it. We need to as well.
•But more than that, we need to cry out to God for forgiveness.
•We need to resolve in His strength, not to fall into sin again.
Lk. 18:13 “BUT THE TAX COLLECTOR STOOD AT A DISTANCE. HE WOULD NOT EVEN LOOK UP TO HEAVEN, BUT BEAT HIS BREAST AND SAID, ‘GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER.’
That’s the first step, but certainly not the last.
B. Restoration
We need to be forgiven and restored by God. That’s what happened to Peter.
*Jn. 21:15-17 WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED EATING, JESUS SAID TO SIMON PETER, “SIMON SON OF JOHN, DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE?” “YES, LORD,” HE SAID, “YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” JESUS SAID, “FEED MY LAMBS.” 16AGAIN JESUS SAID, “SIMON SON OF JOHN, DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME?” HE ANSWERED, “YES, LORD, YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” JESUS SAID, “TAKE CARE OF MY SHEEP.” 17THE THIRD TIME HE SAID TO HIM, “SIMON SON OF JOHN, DO YOU LOVE ME?” PETER WAS HURT BECAUSE JESUS ASKED HIM THE THIRD TIME, “DO YOU LOVE ME?” HE SAID, “LORD, YOU KNOW ALL THINGS; YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” JESUS SAID, “FEED MY SHEEP.
Jesus challenged Peter, and then He restored him to his role of leadership.
When we truly repent, God forgives us and restores our relationship with Him.
The third step is what we do after our repentance and restoration.
C. Renewal
We need to renew our commitment to Christ.
We need to learn from our failures and sins and grow even stronger thru it.
Illus. When a bone breaks, it develops extra tissue around the break so that when it heals, the break often becomes stronger there than the rest of the bone.
•That’s how we should deal with sin and denial.
•When we repent/are restored, we need to renew our commitment to Christ even more.
Lk. 7:47 HE WHO HAS BEEN FORGIVEN LITTLE LOVES LITTLE.” The flip side is just as true.
We’ve all denied Christ. But have we truly repented and been restored?
Have we renewed and strengthened our commitment to Him?
Have we taken measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again?
It’s easy to deny Christ. The hard part comes in declaring Christ.
III. HOW CAN WE DECLARE CHRIST?
How can we back up our repentance/restoration/renewal with action?
*Mk. 8:34-38 THEN HE CALLED THE CROWD TO HIM ALONG WITH HIS DISCIPLES AND SAID: “IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME. 35FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR ME AND FOR THE GOSPEL WILL SAVE IT. 36WHAT GOOD IS IT FOR A MAN TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD, YET FORFEIT HIS SOUL? 37OR WHAT CAN A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL? 38IF ANYONE IS ASHAMED OF ME AND MY WORDS IN THIS ADULTEROUS AND SINFUL GENERATION, THE SON OF MAN WILL BE ASHAMED OF HIM WHEN HE COMES IN HIS FATHER’S GLORY WITH THE HOLY ANGELS.”
This passage gives us 3 key ways we can and must declare Christ.
A. Self-Denial
We need to sacrifice our own agendas, our own desires, our own way.
Nothing in the whole world can compare with our eternal security in and with Christ.
“We deny Christ when we fail to deny ourselves.” (Zingers 59)
B. Submission
We need to take up our cross. That can only come when we submit completely to Christ.
“Not my will, but Yours be done.”
C. Sold out
Rom. 1:16 I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, BECAUSE IT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR THE SALVATION OF EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES: FIRST FOR THE JEW, THEN FOR THE GENTILE.
Gal. 2:20 I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST AND I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME.
1 Jn. 4:18 THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE. BUT PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR...
Peter, especially after his denial, was completely sold out for Jesus Christ.
My failures in the past actually encourage me to press on even harder now.
Yes, we’ve all denied Christ. But have we repented of it, been restored and renewed?
•Have we resolved to deny ourselves and submit to Christ 1000%?
Peter had a life-altering encounter with the Incarnate and Risen Son of God.
•Even though he denied Him, God used that denial to strengthen Peter.
•His denial shows us that there’s hope for us, too.
So, how about you? First of all, have you truly encountered Christ?
•Have you experienced true forgiveness, true love, a personal relationship with Him?
•Has your encounter with Jesus forever changed your life?
•If not, then nothing I’ve just said will make any sense to you.
If you have encountered Christ, have you denied Him (we all can answer yes to that)?
•Have you truly repented and been restored? Or are you still “living in denial”?
•Have you taken steps to ensure you don’t deny Him again?
•Have you renewed your desire/commitment to submit to and serve Him?
The Bottom Line (a question we all must ask): Am I denying Christ or declaring Christ?
Let’s take the lesson of Peter and resolve to declare unashamedly the name of Christ!
Prayer/Repentance/Invitation
Hymn 596 I Surrender All
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
