State Of Denial - Part 2

Last time we saw that Peter’s overconfidence and pride kept him from trusting the Lord. His pride began to cut away at his faith. His weak faith in Jesus began to give way to fear. Denying the Lord Jesus was a natural consequence of this fear.

Someone has said, “The conclusion of a dying faith is fear.” Peter’s pride had replaced faith and his dying faith gave way to fear. Fear led to his denial of Jesus.

But the Bible teaches in 1 John 4:18-19 that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”

Who wrote this? John did. John referred to himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved.” The Gospel of John reports this four times (19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Does this mean that Jesus did not love the other disciples?

No. John 13:1 tells us that “Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

But John refers to himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved.” What is this saying? This lets us know that John was secure in the love of Christ! John followed Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest but Peter followed Jesus from a distance (Mat 26:58).

John was secure in the love of Christ but Peter was not secure in Christ’s love. Peter had an overconfident spirit and he also had an insecure love.

An Insecure Love

Peter was not secure in the love of Christ and when confronted about his relationship with Jesus, he denied His Savior. The Apostle John was secure in the love of Jesus.

John followed Jesus from the Mount of Olives all the way to Mount Calvary. He was at the foot of the Cross when Jesus committed to him the responsibility of caring for His mother Mary. The other disciples were nowhere to be found.

This is the way it is for many Christians today, you cannot find them when Jesus needs them. They are nowhere to be found or they follow Him from a distance. They are afraid for their lives. They are not secure in the love of God so they are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now don’t get me wrong, Peter had courage. He was an experienced fisherman and it takes courage to be on the water in the midst of turbulent waters and winds and rocking boats (Deadliest Catch TV series).

Peter showed courage when he took up the sword to fight for Jesus. But when it came to a question asked of him by a little servant girl, he failed the test.

Like Peter, some Christians are afraid of no one—they do not care what anyone thinks about them. Amazingly, they have the courage to face a street gang at gunpoint but when it comes to standing up for Jesus, they fall apart at the seams. They are not secure in the love of Jesus?

The Apostle Paul was secure in the love of God and writes in Romans 8:

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Rom 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

Rom 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When it came to the love of Jesus, Peter was insecure. This is why, after His resurrection, Jesus would ask Peter three times—one for each time he denied Jesus, “Do you love me Peter?” Later in this message we will find that Peter’s answer was a testimony to his insecurity in the love of God.

Peter was insecure in the love of Jesus but it gets worse…He forges an unholy alliance.

An Unholy Alliance

John 18:18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

Where is Peter now? He is actually standing around with the enemies of the Savior and warming himself with them! Doesn’t Peter know the words of Psalm 1?

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;