Introduction: A Dark Night…
Matthew’s Gospel drops us into a night that feels like midnight at noon.
Jesus has finished His prayer in Gethsemane.
The fragrance of crushed olives still hangs in the air when torches flare through the trees.
Here comes Judas—one of the Twelve—leading a mob with swords and clubs.
And what happens next?
Betrayal.
Abandonment.
Injustice.
Jesus is kissed, arrested, mocked, and condemned.
But don’t miss the glory hidden in the darkness.
Again and again Jesus says, “How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled?” (Matthew 26:54).
This is not a tragedy spiraling out of control.
This is God’s plan moving right on schedule.
Before we see the empty tomb on Sunday morning, Matthew wants us to stand here and feel the weight of Friday night.
And he draws our eyes to three key figures—Judas, Peter, and Jesus.
Let’s walk with them one at a time.
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Judas: The Kiss of Treachery
Judas is a name that still makes people wince.
He walked with Jesus for three years.
He heard the Sermon on the Mount, ate the multiplied bread, watched the dead rise.
But something twisted inside him.
John’s Gospel says Judas was a thief, dipping into the common purse.
When Mary broke a costly jar of perfume to anoint Jesus, Judas grumbled about wasted money—but his heart was already counting coins.
That night he went to the priests and asked, “What will you give me if I deliver Him to you?” They weighed out thirty silver pieces.
Thirty pieces! The price of a common slave.
Then comes the most chilling detail.
Under the olive trees Judas steps forward, greets Jesus as Rabbi, and kisses Him.
A kiss—a sign of friendship—used as a dagger.
But listen to Jesus’ reply.
No anger.
No spit of bitterness.
He says, “Friend, why are you here?” (Matthew 26:50).
Did you hear that? Friend.
Even in betrayal Jesus is still reaching.
Even when Judas has sold Him out, Jesus’ love reaches out with a last invitation: Friend, you don’t have to do this.
Church, that’s the love of God—still calling us “friend” when we are running the other way.
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Regret Without Repentance
After Jesus is condemned, Matthew tells us Judas feels a change of mind.
He runs back to the temple crying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!”
He throws the silver on the floor as if distance from the coins could erase the deed.
But the priests answer coldly, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
That is the anti-gospel—fix it yourself, pay for it yourself.
Hear me: you cannot see to it yourself.
No amount of running, self-punishment, or good works can cancel sin.
Forgiveness isn’t found in throwing away coins; it’s found in coming to Christ.
Judas didn’t come.
Instead he went out and ended his life.
Tragic.
Hopeless.
Unnecessary.
Friend, maybe you know the pressure of guilt.
Maybe you’ve tried to drown it with busyness, or punish yourself with shame.
Maybe dark thoughts whisper that the world would be better without you.
Listen to me with all the love I can speak: Suicide is not the answer.
The blood of Jesus is enough.
God’s mercy is bigger than your worst night.
Don’t follow Judas down the road of despair.
Run to the cross where Jesus has already seen to it.
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Bold Words, Weak Knees
Peter is the guy who always speaks first and thinks later.
Earlier that evening he had declared, “Even if everyone else falls away, I never will!”
Somebody say, Careful, Peter!
When soldiers arrived, Peter pulled his sword and sliced off a man’s ear.
If this were an action film, we’d cheer.
But Jesus says, “Put your sword away. The cup My Father gives Me, I will drink.”
The Kingdom will not come by steel or force.
The Son of God will win by surrender.
That rebuke must have rocked Peter.
Moments later, like the rest of the disciples, he runs.
Let’s be honest: who here has ever promised God big things and then bolted when the heat was on?
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The Courtyard Trial
But Peter’s story isn’t finished.
He circles back, following at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard.
There, as Jesus stands trial inside, Peter faces a trial of his own outside.
A servant girl recognizes him:
“You were with Jesus of Galilee.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he blurts.
Strike one.
Another servant girl points:
“This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
With an oath he says, “I do not know the man!”
Strike two.
Then bystanders catch his Galilean accent.
Surely you are one of them.
Peter calls down curses—possibly even cursing Jesus Himself—and swears, “I do not know the man!”
Strike three.
And at that very moment, the rooster crows.
The sound slices through the night like a trumpet of truth.
Peter remembers Jesus’ words: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
And he goes outside and weeps bitterly.
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When the Rooster Crows on Us
Have you ever had a “rooster-crow” moment?
The instant when the mask drops and you see yourself as you really are—not the brave disciple you claimed to be, but a fearful, fragile soul?
It might be a relapse, a harsh word, a hidden sin exposed.
The gap between who we vowed to be and who we actually are suddenly yawns wide.
Here’s the shout-worthy good news: Jesus already knew that moment and still chose the cross for you.
Jesus didn’t tell Peter about the denial to humiliate him.
He told him so that when the rooster crowed, Peter would remember:
“I knew this was coming, and I still love you.”
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Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow
The difference between Peter and Judas is not the size of their sin but where they took their sorrow.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:10,
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
Judas had worldly sorrow—regret without turning back.
Peter has godly sorrow—tears that run toward grace.
That’s why the next time we see him after the resurrection, Jesus isn’t scolding; He’s restoring.
Three denials are met with three questions:
“Peter, do you love Me? Feed My sheep.” (John 21)
Friend, when your own rooster crows—don’t hide and don’t despair.
Bring the failure to Jesus.
Cry if you must, but cry in His direction.
That’s the road to restoration.
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From Failure to Fire
The Peter who denied Jesus by a fire becomes the Peter who, filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, preaches to thousands and sees 3,000 souls saved.
The same lips that once cursed now proclaim Christ with power.
Somebody ought to shout: God can turn your greatest failure into your greatest testimony!
You may feel like your mistakes have written the last chapter.
But if Jesus can rewrite Peter’s story, He can rewrite yours.
Your denial doesn’t disqualify you; it can become the very pulpit of His grace.
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Jesus: Love, Example, Sympathy, and Glory
We’ve watched Judas fall into despair.
We’ve stood with Peter as bitter tears ran down his face.
Now we lift our eyes to the center of the story—Jesus Himself.
Because Easter is not ultimately about our failure; it’s about His victory.
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Love That Chooses the Cross
Listen to the heartbeat of heaven.
Jesus could have slipped away into the night.
He could have called twelve legions of angels.
But He looked into the dark cup of suffering and said,
“Not My will, but Yours be done.”
Why?
Because He loves you.
“For our sake God made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Every silent step before His accusers was love in action.
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The Pattern for Our Pain
But His love is not only a gift to receive; it’s a path to follow.
The apostle Peter—yes, the same Peter who denied Him—later wrote:
“Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you might follow in His steps. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21–23).
Child of God, when you face betrayal, injustice, or loss, remember: the way of Jesus still works.
You don’t have to strike back.
You don’t have to sink into bitterness.
You can trust the God who judges righteously.
Turn to your neighbor and say, “The Lord fights my battles!”
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A Savior Who Understands
Life is not fair.
People will hurt you, and you will hurt others.
But our Lord is not distant from the pain.
“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Have you been betrayed? So has He.
Abandoned? So was He.
Falsely accused? He knows.
That’s why you can run to Him.
He doesn’t merely understand in theory—He felt it in His own body and soul.
Right now His Spirit is near to the brokenhearted.
“He knows and He cares.”
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Glory Revealed in the Dark
The high priest demanded, “Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus could have stayed silent.
Instead He declared,
“You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64).
With those words He sealed His earthly death and our eternal life.
He is the Christ—God’s anointed King.
He is the Son of God—equal with the Father.
He is the Son of Man from Daniel’s vision—coming with clouds and dominion.
This is no victim; this is the Victor, the Lord of glory.
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The Cross and the Empty Tomb
On Friday He was betrayed, abandoned, and judged.
On Sunday morning the stone rolled away and death itself was defeated.
That’s why we can sing, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”
The grave could not hold the One whose love will not let go.
And that same resurrection power is at work today—saving sinners, healing hearts, breaking chains.
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Come to the Cross
So where do you stand in this story?
Are you like Judas, trying to see to it yourself—carrying guilt, punishing yourself, maybe smiling on the outside but dying inside?
Are you like Peter, who failed but was willing to run back to Jesus?
Or are you ready to bow before Jesus, the One who never lets go?
Friend, today is the day to stop running and start trusting.
You don’t have to pay for your own sin.
Jesus already paid it in full.
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Altar Call
(Music softly begins)
If you’re here and you know you need that love that won’t let go—
if you’ve been living with regret, shame, or secret sin—
if you’ve tried to fix yourself and only grown more weary—
come.
Step out from where you are and come to this altar, or lift your hand right where you stand.
We will pray with you.
Jesus is waiting with open arms.
He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Don’t wait for a better day.
This is the day of salvation.
This is the moment of resurrection power.
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Closing Declaration
> Lord Jesus,
Thank You for a love that won’t let go.
Thank You that Your blood covers my sin,
Your Spirit fills my life,
and Your resurrection secures my future.
I belong to You. Amen
