A little boy kept falling out of bed, but no matter what his parents tried, each night he rolled out of bed. An visiting uncle teased the boy and asked “How do you keep falling out of bed”. The little boy thought a minute and then said ”I don’t know, unless I stay too close to where I got in”. (source unknown)
What happens when we have stayed too dangerously close to where we got in? Remember Peter as he journeyed with Jesus. Tried walking on water, but took his eyes off Jesus and he sank. Maybe Peter was the over zealous one who cuts off the servants ear in the garden when Jesus was arrested, but then seconds later he was denying Christ, the very think he swore he would not do. The issue at hand is “denial”. There are several definitions of denial, including “an assertion that an allegation is false”. But I want to speak about that form of denial which means to disavowal. As in Peter’s case, he denied he was a follower of Jesus, not once but three times.
Could Peter’s denial be our denial? (1) (1 - (by Pastor John Grosboll) http://www.stepstolife.org
/library/sermon_notes/peters_denial.html )
Meredith Grey states “Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us… (in the ass). And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long. We are tired, we are scared, denying it doesn’t change the truth. Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial and face the world. Head on, guns blazing. De Nile. It’s not just a river in Egypt, it’s a..(an) (freakin’) ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it?” (2) (www.thinkexists.com )
We can all think of some famous denials: Boy band member Nick Lashae and Jessica Simpson took the public stage and denied what turned out to be true, they were divorcing. President Clinton when accused with an affair with Monica Lewinsky took the microphone and said “I did not have sex with that woman”. Tany Harding first denied knowing anything about the attack on fellow ice-skater Nancy Carrigan.
In Peter’s case he goes from being a close follower of Jesus to hanging back at a distance. He had drifted back among the world. Like Peter we think, even swear it will never happen to us. But Peter’s act is more than being on that roller coaster of faith that has highs and lows, he does the unthinkable, denies three times that he even knows Jesus!
Sometimes denial precedes a relationship with Christ. We could classically call it “an unbelievers denial”. It could stem from “lack of knowledge”. It could be based on a refusal to accept. Even the Bible speaks about those who “say he was a Prophet, or Elijah”, but Peter was asked “Who do you say that I am?” This could be “denial” of a relationship with Jesus, but perhaps the more serious denial is that which comes after having professed to know Jesus, and then later denied that relationship.
Peter answered that question, “Who do you say that I am?” with the affirmation “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” But then when publicly challenged he asserts “I do not know the man”. The real test of your faith will come when you are asked “Are you a Christian?” “Are you a follower of Jesus?” “Are you a Methodists?” “Don’t you go to church?” “Do you know Jesus?” Denial is a form of dishonor! A form of betrayal! It is a means of desertion. If one swears and oath of allegiance and then turns their back on the thing to which they pledged, it is no small thing. How do we deny Christ? In the workplace? In the home? When we are out on the town? At sporting events? When we cheer with the crowd?
"Disappointment - (John Peter disappointed there wasn’t a fight! Cut off the ear! Call on the 12 Legions of Angels.) Can your own disappointment lead to denial?" "Disappointment dampened the faith" (1)
Other ways in which we might be lead down the path of denial: Fear - fear of failure! Fear that God isn’t going to do what he said He was! Peter saw the plan falling apart. Jesus was arrested. Denial. Lost faith - weakened faith - tried faith - may all cause us to deny the plan of God in our lives.
"Peter was self confident" and his overconfidence in himself lead to his denial of Christ. "I will not deny you". Maybe a better answer is, Lord, I’m weak, and I know in my sinful ways I could deny you. But with your help. With you at the helm, I can make it. ("Peter did not know his own heart")
Failure - he had already failed to stay awake. Now in remorse he also denies the Christ. Following at a "distance" can lead to denial. Not close in at the time. Ill: EVan Almighty, God shows up to "carjack" Evan. God is everywhere. The Cop. The Pedestrian. The driver of the car behind. God cannot be denied. (John 5:1-9) Story at pool of Bethsaida. This is an interesting story. First we know that they believed that when the waters stirred up, the first person to eneter the pool would be miraculously healed. Here lays a man who has been ill for 38 years, and for who knows how long as laid near the pool of Bethsaida.
Jesus appears and asks the man "Do you want to be healed" and rather than say "yes" he gives Jesus the excuses as to why he has never gotten into the pool. Me? I would shout "yes". Me? I would lay by the poo,l and the incling I saw movement would throw myself into the pool, somehow, someway. I would then trip anyone who tried to get in ahead of me. You’re laughing, but that is because you know you would too.
Now here is the point of this story. The man maybe wanted healed, but had laid around while others were healed. Even when Jesus appears he doesn’t answer. Why? I think becaue he was denying God’s power in his life, and when we do the same isn’t it a means of denial in our own lives?
I said last week, there is not much difference between Peter and Judas, and not much difference between them and us. Peter repented and was forgiven. Judas in great shame and remorse went and hung himself. One man used the experience to be a better man, the other chose to retreat in shame and guilt.
(3) “There was this man, he was very sickly and weak, he could accomplish very little. Then this man had a real vision from God, he never doubted the vision was God.. He lived in a cabin in the mountains. Out in front of his cabin was a huge boulder. In his vision that he knew was from God -- God told him to go out and push on that boulder every day for eight hours a day. The first week was exciting, the second week he noticed little real change, the third week he measured the rock’s distance from the cabin, and daily he checked to see how far he had moved the rock. After 6 weeks of seemingly useless pushing, he questioned his vision.
The man cried --- there has to be more. He even questioned, I am not what I should be, or I could move this boulder, especially since God demonstrated for me to push on this rock. One morning, as he went out to push the rock, he started crying and saw how useless his work really was, he couldn’t handle one rock? There were many more all around. As he sat down near the boulder, he was crying, angry, and bitter --- he had failed. Jesus walked up and put his arm around the man and asked, Why are you crying? The man said I have pushed with everything in me and the rock is in the same place as when I began. Jesus said, I never told you to move the rock, I told you to push the rock. Jesus let the man see himself, and Jesus said what do you see? The man looked at himself and said I am stronger today than ever, the pushing the boulder has made my muscles grow, and I became a better man. (3 - “Pushing the Rock”, Rev. Wade Hughes Sr. www.CS.com)
