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Book: Mark
 Print ( PC Only )
Mark 14:66-72 Steps to Denial
Intro. Here we find Peter tasting the bitter tears of failure. I think
that most Christians have tasted those same tears as we go
through the growth process. Peter had just failed His Lord big
time, and it was a little maid that had perpetrated his fall.
Little maids are often the cause of failure in commitment. But
such failure is seldom just the spur of the moment, there are
often steps that lead to failure. As we look at this story, let
us follow the steps that led to his denial of His Lord, with
cursing and swearing.
I. The first sign of danger, boasting in himself. vs29
A. He was setting himself above the others, when he declared,
"Though all shall be offended, yet not I."
1. There had been an ongoing dispute among the disciples
as to which of them would have the greatest positions,
when the Lord set up His kingdom.
2. James and John had the gall to recently ask the Lord if
one could sit at His right hand, and the other at His
left when He set up the kingdom.
3. This rivalry had been going on, and I believe that
Peter was seeking to make a subtle point, you may not
be able to count on them, in a crisis, but you can
always count on the rock.
B. Paul had the right evaluation of himself.
1. I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no
good thing.
2. He wrote to take heed when you think that you stand
lest you fall.
3. He said, Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency
[is] of God;
C. The world seeks to teach you self confidence, but in spiritual
things the Bible tells us to have no confidence in our flesh.
1. Jesus said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."
2. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ, who
strengthens me."
II. The second sign of danger, arguing with the Lord, and with the
scriptures. Vs.31.
A. If you find yourself arguing with the Lord or challenging the
scriptures, know this, "You are wrong."
1. It is amazing how that some people seem to think that
they have some kind of special case so that the plain
teaching of the word does not govern their particular
situation.
2. God wrote this for others, but it does not apply to my
case, and we begin to put up an argument.
B. The Greeks had a saying, "The dice of the god's are loaded."
That is you cannot go against the gods and win. Their concepts
of God were wrong, but the conclusion was correct.
1. The minute you go against the word of God, you are
going to lose.
2. The prophet Isaiah said, "Woe unto Him who strives with
His maker."
3. You are in a no win situation when you strive with God,
for if you do win, if you refuse to surrender to His
love and stubbornly resist His grace, then you have
truly lost.
III. The third sign of danger, sleeping instead of praying. vs.37
A. Jesus had positioned the disciples in the garden, and had
brought Peter, James and John a little closer.
1. Perhaps feeling the weight of the hour, knowing that
before this day would be over, He would be hanging on
the cross. He was bringing them closer to Him for
prayer support. He had said, "My Soul is sorrowful,
even unto death."
2. After an hour when He came to them and found them
asleep, He asked, "Peter, are you sleeping, could you
not watch one hour?"
B. I believe that one of the greatest weaknesses in the church
today is in the lack of prayer. I believe that when a person is
in prayer and in the word, that he has a first line of defense
against the enemy. I believe that Satan realizing the power of
prayer does all in his power to keep you from prayer.
1. We are in a spiritual war, and prayer is the deciding
factor in the spiritual conflict.
2. Eph. the spiritual armour, when you have put on the
whole armour, he then tells us to, "Pray, with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit."
3. Writing to the Corinthians he said, "For the weapons of
our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to
the pulling down of the strongholds of the enemy."
C. The song, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus." The one line
declares "O what needless pain we bare, all because we do not
carry everything to God in prayer."
IV. Another step toward failure happened in the garden as they were
arresting Jesus, Peter drew his sword and began swinging away.vs47 It
is John who reveals the identity of which one.
A. Seeking to use carnal weapons in a spiritual battle.
B. He had failed at prayer, now he will strike out with the sword.
C. So often our reverting to carnal methods is the result of our
failure to walk in the Spirit and to keep in the word and
prayer.
V. Another step toward his failure is found in his seeking to follow the
Lord afar off. vs.54
A. This is a mistake that people often make, they want to be in
the Lord's secret service.
1. "I believe in Jesus, I just don't want everybody to
know it."
2. They are unwilling to confess Christ publicly.
3. Jesus said, that if we would confess Him before men, He
would confess us before His Father in heaven, but the
other side of the coin is that if we deny Him before
men, He will deny us before the Father.
B. Following the Lord afar off is never successful.
1. You need to stick as close to Him as possible, the
closer the better.
2. Some are always testing as to how close they can live
to the world and still be a Christian, they are always
asking about questionable things. Can I still be a
Christian and do this or that?
3. My desire is not to see how close I can live to this
world, but how close I can live to Jesus.
VI. Finally we find Peter warming himself next to the fire that the
enemies of Christ had built.
A. Trying to find warmth by the enemies fire is always a sign of
having moved away from the warmth of His love.
1. Some of you who are seeking again to find warmth in the
things of the world, are close to the denial of your
Lord.
2. As you are among the worldly crowd, doing the worldly
things, sitting their at the bar some little maiden
will come up and declare, "Someone said that you were
a Christian, what are you doing here?"
a. After swallowing hard, and a little stuttering,
you may hear yourself saying, "O yeah, I went
down to the church for a while, I was just
checking it out, but I don't really believe
that stuff."
b. It may be that the Spirit will convict you and
you will feel immediate repentance. You will
excuse yourself and go out into the night and
weep. I hope so. For in repentance is
forgiveness.
B. Many in the hour of pressure as Peter are guilty of denying the
Lord by our words or actions.
1. Peter's denial did not surprise the Lord, He had
predicted it.
2. It was a surprise and disappointment to Peter. He
thought he was above that.
3. All like Peter can fail in the hour of testing, but as
Peter we must repent and confess our sin, and we will
find Him faithful and just to forgive us our sin.
C. There is one thing about failing a test, you will have to take
it over again.
1. In Acts we find Peter again in the presence of the
priests and the religious authorities.
2. This time he is on trial before those who condemned His
Lord to death.
3. We read,
ACS 4:5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and
elders, and scribes,
ACS 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and
Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the
high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
ACS 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By
what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
ACS 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye
rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
ACS 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the
impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
ACS 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him
doth this man stand here before you whole.
ACS 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become the head of the corner.
ACS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved.
ACS 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they
marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus.
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