Theme: Let’s Talk
Series 3: Straight Talk
What is it?
It’s like when your spouse asks if the new outfit makes her look fat and you say, “Yes, you look like you gained 30 pounds!”
It’s like when your wife asks if you love her new haircut and you say, “No you look like an orangutan!”
It’s like when you best friend asks what you think of his new girl friend and you say, ”She looks like a hooker!”
It’s like when your pastor asks what you thought of his sermon last week and you say, “My son could have done a better job!”
Straight talk is defined by The Free Dictionary as a direct and honest talk from one person to another. So in our case it would be a direct and honest talk Jesus would have with another person.
Scripture text for series “Straight Talk”:
Hebrews 4:12-13:
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Straight talk insights from Hebrews:
Our passage here reminds us that God’s Word and words are living and active. God’s words are never dead but alive, they cut they penetrate into your heart – your soul – your spirit and even your mind. They slice open the truth about situations in your life. They judge you – did you hear that? They judge your decisions – but with truth – with insight that only God has about you and your attitude. God knows everything about you – more than you think He knows. He sees everything in your life – everything – He knows what you place above Him as an idol, He knows if you steal from Him, He knows if you sin secretly, and He knows if you love Him. He knows – this is why Jesus has straight talks with us because He knows all about us inside and out. He has straight talks with us to hold us accountable – so that in the end we will be found blameless by His grace. So in this journey of life He will re-direct us so as to keep us on the narrow the road to eternal life through straight talks.
Straight talk is available anywhere you are – it’s a call away – it’s direct – no fluff - only direct honest talk with Jesus. Have you ever had a straight talk with Jesus? How about with another person? How did it go? Did you enjoy it? Did it reset your life’s compass? Did it tell you that you had taken a wrong turn? Did it highlight how you needed an attitude adjustment?
Straight talks are not like pep talks but I also think they are not as hard as a hard talks. So they are in between a hard talk and a pep talk. Straight talks seek to warn us and lead us into the right paths of life. The key is whether we will listen to them or not!
Sermon 1: Jesus and Peter
Scripture Text: Matthew 26:31-75
31Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:“‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
34“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
35But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.
41“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.
44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.”
49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
51With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
55At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
56But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
57Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
58But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
60But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward
61and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”
63But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
66What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.
67Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him
68and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”
69Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
70But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
73After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.”
74Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
75Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Introduction:
Peter was the disciple who seemed to have the most straight forward talks with Jesus. His personality most likely necessitated these straight talks. They seemed to get Peter refocused and back on track with God’s will and ways after each talk.
Peter’s character sketch:
Peter was one of a kind as by the way we all are! He was a fisherman – tough – outspoken – emotional but a man with a heart for the Lord.
When I think of Peter I think of one of my favorite shows called “Wicked Tuna.” The show is about the guys who fish for Blue Fish Tuna off the coast of Main and NH. They work hard, put in long hours chasing the fish that will pay their bills. They are tough and passionate about their crazy way of living. They get very emotional on the show at times especially when things keep going wrong. The line breaks, the fish pulls the hook, a shark takes the bait rather than the tuna. The boat breaks, the boat sinks, they lose a friend at sea. They bicker and fight with each other out of frustration and failures of losing the big ones over and over. But they keep pushing through the discouragement to get the prize. This living is hard and unpredictable very similar to life in general. You think you have it figured out and then nothing seems to work right. They have a genuine hardness about them that draws you into the show and into their world. A part of me is envious of them – they do what they love – they love to fish. They deal with failure and set back daily, they lose money, they lose time, they get money, they face fearful conditions on the water. They battle the elements of the oceans and weather. They drop what they are doing to help out others in need. The show is about real life fishermen just trying to make a living. They lose 5,000 - 10,000 dollar fish after hours of fighting with them some right by the boat. The show for me is riveting – just watching the show gets me stirred up, there is the heartbreak of defeat and the thrill of landing the big fish. There is anger, frustration one moment and joy and celebration the next.
So when I watch this show I think of Peter the fisherman. Peter's emotional state often got him into trouble with the Lord but he still seemed to be a favorite of the Lord. He was on the inner circle of Jesus. His original name was Simon but Jesus renamed him “Cephas” which in Aramaic means “rock” the Greek word for “Cephas” would have been “Petros” which translates to Peter.
His assertive character and willingness to speak his mind often led to embarrassing moments for Him with Jesus. He would at times speak before he thought through his words. He would also act before he thought like when he went and walked on the water to Jesus then started sinking – but you have to admit he did walk on the water!
Peter was the first disciple to identify Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16). He also had the privilege of witnessing the transformation of Jesus.
Peter is the person dictating the Gospel of Mark to John Mark the author. He also penned 1 and 2 Peter in the New Testament. Peter became a fearless leader in the New Testament Church in the book of Acts after being filled with the Holy Spirit. His infilling of the HS seemed to help him overcome a lot of his fears and failures – God’s Spirit has a way of doing this within us.
It is interesting that Peter prior to Acts 2 struggled a lot with fear and doubt. He made repeated mistakes and faced failure. It’s important to note that these times came when he overstepped his boundaries with the Lord, when he forgot that God was in control not him. Peter’s biggest mistake sometimes was he thought he was in control – but Jesus always had the straight talk with him that reminded and showed he was not in control!
Peter pressed through his failures and fears and was found faithful to the Lord in the end. His story reminds me that I too can finish strong with my life – that mistakes don’t have to destroy me instead they should grow me.
Jack Avada from about.com stated this about our man Peter:
Jesus included Peter in his inner circle when he took Peter, James, and John into the house of Jairus, where Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Mark 5:35-43). Later, Peter was among those same disciples Jesus chose to witness the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). Those same three saw Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-42).
Most of us remember Peter for denying Christ three times during the night of Jesus' trial. Following his resurrection, Jesus took special care to rehabilitate Peter and assure him he was forgiven John 21.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles. Peter was so overcome that he began to preach to the crowd. Acts 2:41 tells us 3,000 people were converted that day. Through the remainder of that book, Peter and John were persecuted for their stand for Christ. Early in his ministry, Simon Peter preached only to Jews, but God gave him a vision in Joppa of a huge sheet containing all types of animals, warning him not to call anything made by God impure. Peter then baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household and understood that the gospel is for all people.
Tradition says that persecution of the first Christians in Jerusalem led Peter to Rome, where he spread the gospel to the fledgling church there. Legend has it that the Romans were going to crucify Peter, but he told them he was not worthy to be executed in the same manner as Jesus, so he was crucified upside down. The Roman Catholic Church claims Peter as its first pope. (From http://christianity.about.com/od/newtestamentpeople/a/JZ-Peter-The-Apostle.htm).
Quote from Avada: Life Lessons from Peter the Apostle: When we forget that God is in control, we overstep our limited authority. God works through us in spite of our human frailties. No offense is too great to be forgiven by God. We can accomplish great things when we put our faith in God instead of ourselves.
One time Jesus told Peter he would not have to go to Jerusalem and die for the Kingdom and Jesus responds back to him “Get behind me Satan!” wow that is straight talk from Jesus to Peter saying the devil is speaking through you! He adds, “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” See Mark 8:31-38.
But you have to keep in mind that The Gospel of Mark is written by John Mark as Peter tells him his eye witness account of being with Jesus. He reveals in this Gospel his own shortcomings and he is open and honest about his many mistakes. He lets us all know why he finished strong for the Lord in the end.
T.S. - Jesus had a straight talk with Peter in our text today and was direct and honest with him. He informed him that he would deny Him when the pressure came.
I. Jesus said, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
a. Peter said even if “I have to die I will not abandon you!” His heart is willing but his flesh is weak!
i. The story unfolds that night highlighting the events of the night in question and reveals that Jesus was right in what He said to Peter.
1. Peter is adamant that he will never leave Jesus or abandon him. Jesus hit’s him back with a straight talk – yes you will!
a. We learn by the end of our section of Scripture that Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed and in verse 75 we see that he went outside and wept bitterly for denying Jesus.
i. But you think - He was so convinced that he would never do this. What happened?
ii. This week I watched the videos of fallen preachers and ministers over the years – it was tragic to watch – very eye opening – I noticed how the world gloated at their failure.
1. I saw their brokenness like Peter’s – they too thought I will never deny Jesus – yet they sinned – they made mistakes and they paid the cost.
a. National news – “Sinners – failures – hypocrites!”
iii. I also noticed how they like Peter started out saying the same thing that Peter said !
1. I will never abandon Jesus
2. I will not fall into sin.
3. I will stay holy.
4. I will not dishonor Jesus.
a. So what happened? What causes people with good intentions to blow it under pressure? Like these men and women of faith who all blew it.
2. I have witnessed far too many people who claim they will never disown or sin against Jesus do the very thing they said they would never do.
a. Somehow the Devil snares them in and then they stumble and fall, they blow it and there is a wake of disappointment and heartache.
ii. Over my 25 plus years of ministry - I have seen a few things that cause people to blow it with Jesus.
1. The number one thing: They quit and sadly give up!
a. Have you been there – ever felt like quitting? I have! Sometimes the pressures of life and ministry overwhelm you and you feel like running away. But the Bible has a very clear message – Don’t quit – press through!
i. Never give up! Never give up! Remember Your Savior never did!
b. I think of Jesus in our passage today in the Garden – He didn’t quit – He struggles with God’s request to die for the cause but He said in the end “Yes not my will Lord but your will.”
i. Let’s take the example of Jesus. It is said of Him, “Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame...” (Hebrews 12:2).
1. The word, “endure,” means to abide under or to bear up courageously under suffering.
2. The passage refers to Christ’s crucifixion, which took away the penalty of sin for all those who place their faith in Him. However, the principle applies to us, too, as we live out our lives.
ii. Yes, Jesus actually wanted to quit on the way to the cross (Luke 22:42)? Did you know that? But, He kept going because of the Father’s request and their intimate relationship.
iii. Many times people give up just short of achieving their goals and dreams. If they had endured just a little longer, then victory and triumph would have been theirs.
c. The truth is “To error is human” – It’s in our nature to make mistakes and we will make mistakes in this life. Thoughts from Failing Forward, by John Maxwell:
i. In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve?
ii. The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you're going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.
iii. Achievers are given multiple reasons to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere. The average for entrepreneurs is 3.8 failures before they finally make it in business.
iv. When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.
v. Procrastination is too high a price to pay for fear of failure. To conquer fear, you have to feel the fear and take action anyway. Forget motivation. Just do it. Act your way into feeling, not wait for positive emotions to carry you forward.
vi. Recognize that you will spend much of your life making mistakes. If you can take action and keep making mistakes, you gain experience.
vii. Life is playing a poor hand well. The greatest battle you wage against failure occurs on the inside, not the outside.
viii. Why worry about things you can't control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?
ix. Handicaps can only disable us if we let them. If you are continually experiencing trouble or facing obstacles, then you should check to make sure that you are not the problem.
x. Be more concerned with what you can give rather than what you can get because giving truly is the highest level of living.
xi. Embrace adversity and make failure a regular part of your life. If you're not failing, you're probably not really moving forward.
xii. Everything in life brings risk. It's true that you risk failure if you try something bold because you might miss it. But you also risk failure if you stand still and don't try anything new.
xiii. The less you venture out, the greater your risk of failure. Ironically the more you risk failure — and actually fail — the greater your chances of success.
xiv. If you are succeeding in everything you do, then you're probably not pushing yourself hard enough. And that means you're not taking enough risks. You risk because you have something of value you want to achieve.
xv. The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.
xvi. Determining what went wrong in a situation has value. But taking that analysis another step and figuring out how to use it to your benefit is the real difference maker when it comes to failing forward. Don't let your learning lead to knowledge; let your learning lead to action.
xvii. The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed, or did you fail because you stopped trying?
xviii. Commitment makes you capable of failing forward until you reach your goals. Cutting corners is really a sign of impatience and poor self-discipline.
xix. Successful people have learned to do what does not come naturally. Nothing worth achieving comes easily. The only way to fail forward and achieve your dreams is to cultivate tenacity and persistence.
xx. Never say die. Never be satisfied. Be stubborn. Be persistent. Integrity is a must. Anything worth having is worth striving for with all your might.
xxi. If we look long enough for what we want in life we are almost sure to find it. Success is in the journey, the continual process. And no matter how hard you work, you will not create the perfect plan or execute it without error. You will never get to the point that you no longer make mistakes, that you no longer fail.
xxii. The next time you find yourself envying what successful people have achieved, recognize that they have probably gone through many negative experiences that you cannot see on the surface.
xxiii. Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.”
― all from John C. Maxwell, Failing Forward
d. Churchill stated “You’ve got three choices in life, Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.” He also notes, “When you are going through Hell – keep going!”
i. Last week in my message I referenced Sir Winston Churchill.
1. He uttered in a speech to students of Harrow School in England on October 29, 1941, “Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Churchill had the same determination as did Jesus. We too need this kind of determination.
ii. Churchill’s WW2 Speech: excerpt also highlighted this quality.
1. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”…
2. Second thing I have noticed is, they allow fear to take over in their life!
a. The Bible encourages us to fear not.
i. Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us that over a couple hundred people had to battle through fear to win a victory for God in the Bible.
ii. The phrase “do not be afraid” is found 365x in the Bible
iii. The opposite of fear is faith! Therefore we need to meet our fear with faith.
iv. FEAR has two meanings:
1. Forget Everything And Run.
2. Face Everything And Rise
a. The choice is yours!
b. Dr. Jeremiah states, “To understand why God is the answer to all of our fears, we must understand what the Bible says about fear. And it says a lot. It tells us more than three hundred times not to fear. “Fear Not” is its most frequently repeated command. The word afraid occurs more than two hundred times, and fear more than four hundred. And lest you think our Bible heroes were fearless, more than two hundred individuals in Scripture are said to have been afraid. And not all these were the “Bad guys”; many were the main characters-David, Paul, Timothy, and others. Biblical heroes were regular people who had to learn the same things you and I have to learn-to drive out fear by increasing their knowledge of God, to replace what they didn’t know about the future with what they did know about Him. They had to put away childish things (being afraid of everything) and grow up in faith and understanding (Jeremiah, What are you afraid of, page xiv)
c. He also adds: Fear is a thief. It erodes our faith, plunders our hope, steals our freedom, and takes away our joy of living the abundant life in Christ. Phobias are like the coils of a snake-the more we give in to them, the tighter they squeeze. Tired of fighting, we succumb to the temptation and surrender to our fears. But what seemed like and easy way out becomes, in reality, a prison of unbelief a fortress of fear that holds us captive” (Page xiv).
d. The truth is God and Jesus are the answers to our fears and Jesus came to set us free from our fears!
i. The truth is God is enough!
1. So said Joni at an AACC Convention I attended!
2. Do they sound oversimplified? I don’t think so.
a. Dr. Jeremiah states, “The fact is, God must be enough, for it He isn’t, where do we go for plan B? If the God of heaven and earth-who is mightier than all the world’s armies, who can cause the earth to melt into the sea-is not Lord of your crisis, you’re in deep trouble” (Page 30).
i. He adds, God is sufficient. He is in control. He holds the destiny of the galaxies in His hands, all the while knowing the precise number of hairs on your head. Above all else, he loves you and choose to pour that love out, not in words, but in blood. So let the winds blow. Let the earth itself open beneath us. We find our fortress in God alone…and he is enough: Psalm 46:1-3!
T.S. – Jesus warned Peter about his future failure and he also warned Peter what could have kept him from falling in the Garden – Prayer.
II. Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.”
a. The question could be asked why do people with good intentions blow it with the Lord?
i. I think it is revealed in this section of our Scripture – this straight forward message to Peter in the Garden - when the Christian fails to pray through difficult circumstances in life they instead usually fall prey to it.
1. Why? Because they try to handle it with their knowledge and strength and not God’s!
ii. They cannot or do not pray and get the breakthrough instead they fall asleep and allow fear and a mindset of failure to take hold in them.
1. Pray – straight talk – you don’t pray you don’t stay!
a. Have you ever heard that statement?
2. Yancey notes, “Why does prayer rank so high on surveys of theoretical importance and so low on surveys of actual satisfaction? What accounts for the disparity between Luther and Simeon on their knees for several hours and the modern prayer fidgeting in a chair after ten minutes? Everywhere, I encountered the gap between prayer in theory and prayer in practice. In theory prayer is the essential human act, a priceless point of contact with the God of the universe. In practice prayer is often confusing and fraught with frustration. My publisher conducted a website poll, and of the 678 respondents only 23 felt satisfied with the time they were spending in prayer.”
a. Yancey, Philip (2008-09-09). Prayer (Kindle Locations 198-202). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
3. Yancey adds, “Prosperity may dilute prayer too. In my travels I have noticed that Christians in developing countries spend less time pondering the effectiveness of prayer and more time actually praying. The wealthy rely on talent and resources to solve immediate problems, and insurance policies and retirement plans to secure the future. We can hardly pray with sincerity, “Give us this day our daily bread” when the pantry is stocked with a month’s supply of provisions.”
a. Yancey, Philip (2008-09-09). Prayer (Kindle Locations 212-213). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
4. Yancey, “Prayer is to the skeptic a delusion, a waste of time. To the believer it represents perhaps the most important use of time. Yancey, Philip (2008-09-09). Prayer (Kindle Locations 220-221). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
b. In all of my research and studies on revival the key ingredient is - prayer and unity.
i. Did you hear what I said “Prayer!” – number one ingredient to revival!
1. So why do we lack prayer?
a. Lack of determination or the wrong thinking that says it does not work!
b. A life which is too busy to stop and pray.
c. A wrong attitude about prayer.
d. A reliance of self rather than on God.
e. A prideful mindset hinders prayer.
2. Why do we fall asleep when we should be praying – because the spiritual side of us is weak!
a. Yancey, “Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn’t act the way we want God to, and why I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.
i. Yancey, Philip (2008-09-09). Prayer (Kindle Locations 249-250). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
T.S. - Prayer is essential if we want to overcome and rebound from mistakes in life. Jesus also warned Peter about taking things into His own hands when God has others plans as well.
III. Jesus said, “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
a. Jesus rebukes Peter for trying to twart the plan of God with the sword!
i. When you try to use force to change the course of events that God has set up you get a response like Peter got from the Lord.
1. A rebuke a hard talk and a straight talk!
ii. We need to know when it’s time to draw a sword and when it is time to keep it in the sheath!
1. Timing is important with God. There is a right time for all actions!
iii. Knowing the will of God is essential in our life. Knowing what to do at certain points in our life is essential if we want to succeed with the Lord.
b. Peter was determined not to abandon the Jesus to these temple guards and the religious leaders. He sought to keep his promise to Jesus but he missed the point of doing God’s will over His will or even Jesus will.
i. The problem was Peter took things into his own hands – he slept through prayer and missed the message of God for that moment – let them take you Jesus! This is my will!
c. The Lesson to learn here is to listen to the straight talk from Jesus and apply the lesson to your life!
i. Learn from his words.
ii. Heed His warnings.
iii. Seek His heart in all things.
iv. Never take matters into your own hands.
v. Prayer for wisdom.
vi. Repent when you blow it and get back up and do it right!
vii. Learn from your mistakes.
viii. Don’t quit.
ix. Don’t let fear grip your heart and miss God!
Conclusion:
Questions to ponder:
1. Jesus prayed that God the Father’s will be done, not His own will. Why is it important for you to pray the same way?
a. We need to learn from this chapter that if Jesus had to yield to the will of the Father then how much more do we need to yield to the Lord?
i. It’s not about what we want but what He wants!
2. Why do you think Jesus stopped Peter from defending Jesus with his sword?
a. It’s was not God’s will!
3. Jesus allowed himself to be arrested to fulfill the plan of God for his life. What does that tell us about submitting to the plan of God for our lives?
a. We need to say “Not my will but God’s will be done in my life.”
What do we need to know from this message?
Peter made mistakes but he got back up from them and failed forward and eventually ended up finishing strong for the Lord Jesus. He eventually learned to do the will of God over doing things his way.
Why do we need to know this?
We need to learn from Peter and be reminded that we too will make mistakes and do dumb things but the Lord Jesus knows our hearts and if we repent and do the right thing after making the mistakes He will restore us too! But we have to learn to listen to his directions and heed his warning so we make and do the right things in our life.
What do we need to do?
We need to learn to heed the warning of Jesus on the importance of prayer – prayer will keep us from failing if we are committed to it. Repentance for failure brings the loving response of grace and mercy from Jesus. Trying to tell God what to do will only get us rebuked by Him. Allowing ourselves to die to self and be filled with the Holy Spirit will propel us into legendary status in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Why do we need to do it?
If we learn from Peter – hear the straight talk of Jesus to Peter and to us we can avoid a lot of the pitfalls and mistakes Peter made. If we yield to the straight talk of Jesus – listen – repent – change course then we too can make a difference for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer time
