This morning, I would like for us to walk with one of Jesus’ disciples named Peter. He was selfishly ambitious, overconfident, a good speaker, courageous, brave, and a leader. He didn’t seem to be afraid to walk on water, speak when others kept silent, and was prepared to lead the disciples to fight a band of soldiers and temple police with only two swords. He was brash, a go-getter, and often putting his foot in his mouth. He promised Jesus that he would be NEVER be offended or fall away from him would never deny Jesus, and would be faithful to death. Jesus told Peter the truth, but he did not receive it. When Peter should have been praying, he was sleeping. When Peter should have been swinging the Sword of the Spirit which he the Word of God, he is slinging a physical weapon which takes Malchus’ ear off. When Peter should have stood with Jesus, he did what he said he would never do—run. When Peter follows Jesus to the High Priest’s house and warms himself in the middle of the night by the fire, Peter crumbles under pressure. There are some lessons to learn from this moment in Peter’s life. Our title will be “Crumbling Under Pressure: The Apostle Peter’s Denial of Jesus Christ.” Most of us in here today could share a similar story in our lives. We will consider 1)The Foundation of Peter’s Life 2) The Failure in Peter’s Life 3) The Faithfulness of Peter’s Life. |
