OPEN: How many of you have ever fallen asleep in Church?
(Wait for a show of hands)
Most people have – at least once.
ILLUS: In the days of the Pilgrims, churches had a person they called a “tything man”. His job was to keep people awake during the sermons (usually 2 to 3 hours in length) by using a long pole tipped with a brass knocker at one end to rap the sleeping men, and the other end was tipped with a rabbit’s foot or feather for the women. (http://stjohnsgreensboro.com/user_files/110522Bulletin.pdf)
People have fallen asleep in church for ages.
(We used a graphic of “Mr. Bean” falling asleep in church).
Sometimes they fall asleep because…
· They got up too early
· Or they’ve been up too late the night before
· Or the sermon’s boring
· Or because they’ve worked hard all week and they just can’t help themselves
BUT then there are other times, when people fall asleep but have their eyes “wide Open”…
ILLUS: Years ago (when I was younger) I remember being in love with a special girl. She occupied my thoughts all the time - even when I was at church. One day, at church, during the sermon. I began thinking about her, and how much I loved her…and I reached over and squeezed her knee (right there in church).
Only problem was, she wasn’t seated beside me at the time.
I was in the tenor section of the choir at the time… seated next to best friend Doug.
It took a long time to explain to him why I had done what I’d done.
Literally, I was asleep in church even while I was awake.
My mind was on other things.
And I needed to be woke up
APPLY: If you fall asleep in church once in awhile, you shouldn’t feel too bad. Even the Apostle Peter fell asleep “in church” a couple of times.
In Luke 9, we’re told that when Jesus took Peter James and John up on Mountain of Transfiguration. While Jesus was praying Moses and Elijah appeared with Him… but
“…Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep” Luke 9:32 (ESV)
Peter was falling asleep!
Then in Luke 22:45 we’re told that Peter fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus “…rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep.” And this happened, not once, not twice, but three times!
Peter did worse than fall asleep in church.
He fell asleep on Jesus.
But even worse than that, Peter often was asleep “in church” even when his eyes wide open. He was there with Jesus – he was listening to the preacher - but his mind was on other things. And he needed to be woken up.
In Matthew 16, for example, Jesus was teaching Peter and the other Apostles about His death, burial and resurrection. But somewhere along the line Peter fell asleep to what Jesus was saying:
"Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Matthew 16:22
His mind was elsewhere
He was asleep to what Jesus was saying
And so Jesus WOKE him up:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23
Now in our text this morning, we find that Peter has done it again.
His eyes are open but he’s asleep ”in church”.
He’s gone to sleep and Jesus wants to wake him up
How do I know that Jesus wanted to wake Peter up?
ILLUS: Well, last night I knew I needed to wake up this morning..
So, what do you think I did to make sure I did that?
I set my alarm.
I needed something to wake me up.
In the same way Peter needed to have something wake him up.
So Jesus used a rooster.
For centuries roosters have served to wake people up.
And that’s what Jesus used this rooster for.
This bird was the tool God used to wake up Peter to some basic truths.
What did Jesus need Peter to wake up to?
1st – Peter needed to wake up to the fact that he wasn’t strong enough to handle everything on own.
Peter was a “man’s man”
He was a powerful, towering giant.
Peter was a force to be reckoned with
Peter might not have been the type to start fights… but he could finish them.
One of Peter’s basic problems was that he always thought he could handle anything.
· When Jesus said He was going to be betrayed… Peter said “Others might… but not ME! I’ll follow you to prison or even to death! Nothing can stop me from protecting you.”
· And when Jesus was arrested, Peter pulled his sword and whacked off ear of one of the men. No one dared to touch Jesus with him around. He could handle anything or anyone.
He was sure of himself.
Sure of his strength.
He believed there was nothing he would face.
That he couldn’t handle.
(pause)
But he was wrong.
Peter couldn’t handle everything.
“Peter” (Jesus said) "Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” Luke 22:31
Peter – there’s someone you can’t beat
Peter - there’s someone you can’t handle
Peter - there’s someone who’s bigger, smarter and more powerful than you are… and his name is Satan.
Peter’s not the only person who’s ever had this problem.
1 Corinthians 10:12 warns us: “… let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (ESV)
That’s a wake up call to all believers: you’re not as big and smart and powerful as you might think you are. You can’t handle everything on your own. Don’t be so foolish as to think you can do much of anything without talking to God about it.
Too many Christians fall into the Sunday only mindset.
They put in their hour and a half in worship and then they leave God back at the church building. They make decisions without Him. They face their challenges and difficulties without Him. They might do this deliberately and with forethought… they just do it. And they do it because they don’t want to bother God. They’re big boys and girls now. They don’t need Him to involve Himself in their daily lives.
But even when we do include God in our daily lives, we sometimes forget to include God.
I admit to you that I don’t always ask God’s guidance about things when I should. I don’t always pray as often as I might. And if it’s happened to me, I’m pretty sure it’s happened to you. We need to wake up to the fact that – without Him we’re not going to be able to handle the difficulties of this life.
And that was what Jesus was telling Peter – WAKE UP!
WAKE UP and realize you aren’t as big and as bad and as brainy as you think you are. Because there is someone out there just waiting to take you down.
ILLUS: Former heavyweight boxer James (Quick) Tillis recalled his 1st day in the Chicago after his arrival from Tulsa. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under my arms and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, ’I’m going to conquer Chicago.’
And when he looked down, the suitcases were gone.
He was a heavyweight boxer.
He was a big, bad, scary kind of man.
AND he was going to conquer Chicago.
But somebody took all that he owned away from him.
“Wake up” Says Jesus– take heed lest you fall.
Know that there are forces in this world that you can’t take on – on your own.
That was the first thing Jesus wanted Peter to wake up to: You CAN’T do this on our own…
But the 2nd thing Jesus wanted him to wake up to was he didn’t have to.
Jesus was still in control.
Luke 22 tells us that “About an hour later another (said),
"Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
Peter replied, "Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." Luke 22:59-61
How did Jesus know Peter would deny Him 3 times?
How did Jesus know that rooster was going to crow when it did?
(Wait for response)
Because Jesus is God.
He created the rooster. He created Peter.
In Isaiah 46:9-11 God declared:
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”
Jesus knew the temptation Satan had planned for Peter.
And He knew how Peter would respond to that temptation.
And Jesus wanted to wake Peter up to the fact that He knew that and that He was in control.
(pause)
When your life turns sour.
When you’re in over your head.
When everything you THOUGHT you had under control suddenly collapses.
REMEMBER THIS
Jesus is still in control
Now that’s hard for Peter to believe.
Jesus has just been betrayed by a friend
He’s been arrested
He’s been put through an illegal and humiliating triad.
And that’s going to be just the beginning
Jesus is going to be beaten and He’s going to be whipped.
He’s going to be taunted and spit on by some of the very people who praised just days before.
He’s going to be forced to drag His cross down the streets of Jerusalem.
And He’s going to be nailed to that cross, and lifted on that cross as it’s put in position and dripped into place. And then He’ll die the slow agonizing death of the crucified.
And when He dies, they’re going to bury His body in a borrowed grave.
And (as far as Peter can see)… that is where Jesus will stay.
Jesus was in control?
(pause) Didn’t seem like it.
But that was Friday… Sunday was coming.
A black preacher once said it this way:
It’s Friday. Jesus was arrested in the garden where He was praying.
But Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spit upon.
But Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. Those Roman soldiers had flogged our Lord with a leather scourge that had bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. The Son of man stood firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load.
It’s Friday; But Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. See the Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, “Father, forgive them.”
It’s Friday; but Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. Jesus was hanging on the cross, bloody and dying.
But Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth trembles, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. The holy God who will not abide with sin poured out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, “My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?”
What a horrible cry. But Sunday’s coming.
It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying.
But that’s because it’s Friday, and they don’t know it, but Sunday’s a coming.
On Friday everything looked empty and helpless and filled with despair.
But that was Friday.. Sunday was coming
And when Sunday came, everything changed.
On Sunday, the crucified and resurrected Christ had defeated death, hell, sin and the grave.
On Sunday Jesus had risen from the dead and God poured His grace out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again.
All because it was Sunday.
BUT on Friday that Rooster crowed to show Peter that Jesus knew all this before hand. The rooster crowed to let Peter know that – even in the darkest of hours – Jesus was still there.
Jesus was still in control.
(see footnote at end of sermon)
Now, one last observation:
Why do Roosters crow?
(Wait for audience to respond)
Roosters crow for one basic reason: The Sun has risen… and there’s a new day coming
The OLD Peter needed to wake up the fact that he couldn’t do it all on his own.
But then he didn’t have to because Jesus was God in the flesh – Jesus was God come down in human form. And Jesus had come to change Peter’s OLD life forever.
A new day was coming
It would be a day when the OLD Peter’s life would be buried and all forgotten.
As God tells us in Romans 6:2-7
“We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”
When we’re buried in the waters of baptism our “OLD MAN” dies.
Our OLD LIFE is buried.
And we rise up to a NEWNESS of life.
Is that decision you need to make today:
Ephesians 5:14 says to you
WAKE UP!
"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
INVITATION.
(Footnote to "It’s Friday" Illustration) - This illustraion is my adaptation of of this great sermon I found at http://www.charismatica.com/2011/04/22/its-friday-but-sundays-coming-3-2/.
What you read hear is only a small section of the original 45 minute sermon, and I made minor changes to the original to fit my personal style and the reader should understand the wording you find in this sermon IS NOT word for word.I’m not nearly good enough to render the sermon anywhere near as well as the original. As it was, I was unable to deliver it without shedding tears.
