“THREATS TO SPIRITUAL VITALITY & VICTORY”
By: Dr. Dennis Deese - www.dennisdeese.com
JOHN 18:10-27
The observable threats are extremely lethal because they are drawn from one who was extremely close to the Lord. Satan uses extreme measures for those closest to the Lord.
The warning of God: 2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
There are at least seven threats we can draw from Peter’s life:
1. DISREGARDED GOD’S WORD
Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat:
Luke 22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
Luke 22:34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Luke 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Seed by the way side, seed into stony places, seed among the thorns, seed into the good ground Matthew 13:19ff
1. Cold & Callous
2. Casual & Careless
3. Careful & Contemplative
2. PRAYERLESSNESS 18:1
Luke 22:41 -45 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
Luke 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Psalms 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people [as] they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
3. SELF-CONFIDENCE 18:10
Matthew 26:33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
John 13:37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?
IV. UNWILLINGNESS TO TRUST GOD 18:11
Contrast Jesus: John 18:12
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Matthew 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
A Legion: A regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing in the time of Christ consisted of six thousand; thus, the Lord says, “I can call more than 72,000 angels right now if I wanted to.”
One Angel killed 185,000 Assyrians 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they [were] all dead corpses.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
22. THE FORCE OF UNBELIEF 18:4-8
Judas - 18:2-3, 5
The band of Men - 18:4-8 They experienced a miracle and were still unchanged
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
BLINDED: 186 toof?lo’?o (too-flo-o):
1) to blind, make blind, to obscure
2) in the NT metaph. to blunt the mental discernment, darken the mind
From 5185 : toof-los (too-floss):
opaque (as if smoky), i.e. (by analogy) blind (physical or mental):- blind. Opaque means - not letting light pass through; not transparent or translucent.
John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.
Psalms 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Proverbs 28:14 Happy [is] the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
VI. EVIL COMPANY 18:16-18, 25-27
Proverbs 1:15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men].
Proverbs 24:1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
VII. FEAR 18:17, 25, 26
Matthew 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Mark 14:71 But he began to curse and to swear, [saying], I know not this man of whom ye speak.
Mark 14:31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
Matthew 26:70 But he denied before [them] all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
His response:
Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
In the Upper Room, Peter had boasted twice that he would remain true to Christ (Matt. 26:33, 35; John 13:37). In the Garden, he had gone to sleep three times (Mark 14:32-41) when he should have been praying. Then he denied the Lord three times, and in John 21 had to confess his love for Christ three times!
In the Upper Room Peter fell into the snare of the devil (Luke 22:31-34); in the Garden he yielded to the weakness of the flesh; and now in the priests courtyard, he would surrender to the pressures of the world. Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (Jn 18:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
