According To Luke: A Crushed Rock

 According To Luke: A Crushed Rock

Opening Illustration:

I have a question for you this morning. Do you love God’s Word? Raise your hand for me this morning. Do you love God’s Word? Good deal, it appears that most of us in this room have a certain affinity for the Bible. Another question, why do you love God’s Word? I bet the answer to that question is different for each person in this room. Some of us love God’s Word because it offers us hope. Others of us like it because it corrects us, it teaches us how to be more like Christ. Some might say that we love the Bible because it gives us insight into the Creator God. All those answers would be absolutely correct. I will tell you why I love God’s Word. 

God’s Word is filled with deadbeats and derelicts. It is filled with stories of losers and loafers. It’s pages tell stories about the duds, the flops, the bums, the has beens and the also-rans. There is only one character in the Bible who you would classify as a winner and victory and even He died a criminal’s death on a cross. 

Brothers and sisters, I love the Bible because it is my story. It is our story. “But pastor, I’m no loser.” Right you are dear fellow. You are correct, you are not a loser. Do you know why? You are not a loser because Jesus made you a winner. It is because of Jesus that we have victory. If were not for Jesus we would all be hopeless and helpless. Without Christ, we are all of us headed for hell. the Bible is filled with stories about regular, ordinary people who are redeemed by God to do extraordinary things. 

A long time ago a pastor one time told me that God can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick. That is a true statement indeed. When it comes to my life, God sure did hit a straight lick with this crooked stick. If He did it for me, He can certainly do it for me. 

“Preacher, Im to far gone. No way that God can use me after all I’ve done.” My response to that type of attitude is that if you are still breathing, God can use you. Remember:

Noah got drunk,

Abraham was too old,

Isaac was a daydreamer,

Jacob was a liar,

Joseph was abused,

Moses had a stuttering problem,

Gideon was afraid,

Rahab was a prostitute,

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young,

David had an affair and was a murderer,

Jonah ran from God,

Naomi was a widow,

The Disciples fell asleep while praying,

Martha worried about everything,

Zaccheus was too small,

Paul was too religious,

…and

Lazarus was dead!

As I just mentioned, God used Peter in pretty amazing ways even though Peter, at one point in his life, denied ever knowing Christ. However, we know the rest of Peter’s tale. He was forgiven, and given the opportunity to preach the very first sermon following Christ’s resurrection. 

Point:

Let’s talk about Peter for just one moment. Peter came to know Jesus through his brother Andrew. Peter was a fisherman, a trade that he learned from his father. Andrew, having been a follower of John the Baptist left John’s ministry to follow Christ. Andrew told Peter about Jesus and Jesus invited him to be a part of His ministry. Scripture tells us that Peter immediately left everything that he knew to be with Jesus. He left his job. He left his home. He left his family all to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. You might say that Peter was a dry sponge in the water of Jesus’ ministry. He soaked up everything that Jesus said and keenly observed all that Jesus did. Peter is the first one to make a public profession of faith in Jesus. He is the first to call Jesus the Son of God. It is here that Peter is given his name “The Rock”. People have misunderstood Jesus in this instance because Jesus says that it is “on this rock that the church will be built”. Some have taken it to mean that Peter would be the rock that the church would be built upon. The truth is that if was the foundation of Peter’s confession that would serve as the bedrock of the Christian faith.  Peter is one of the “big three” in Jesus’ ministry: Peter, James, and John. Peter is known as being bold. If you remember, while the other disciples cowered in fear during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, it was Peter who stepped out of the boat and walked on water. Peter did suffer some low moments as well. It was not all fun and games for Peter. Jesus called Peter “Satan” when Peter tried to correct Jesus as Jesus was predicting His death. Several times in Scripture we see Jesus rebuke Peter. Think about where we are today, not exactly a high moment in Peter’s life. Peter denies Christ. Today as we read the story, you will see the boldness of Peter fade away. He will retreat and recoil away from Christ. The same Jesus that he said that he would defend to the bitter end. When confronted about his connection to Christ, he rejects Jesus. Upon hearing the rooster crow and remember the prediction of his denial of Christ, Peter immediately regrets his weakness. Thankfully, upon Jesus’ resurrection, Peter is forgiven and restored. He is given three chances to embrace Christ and Peter takes Jesus up on His invitation. 

So fill in the blanks of this morning’s thesis statement. The Rock retreated, rejected, and regretted. Yet he was restored!

The Rock Retreated, Rejected, and Regretted. Yet, He Was Restored!

Background and Context 

Jesus has just shared His last meal with His disciples. Judas has just broke camp to set into motion his betrayal of his Master. Jesus has washed the disciple’s feet, giving them His final mandate to serve one another. Now, as Jesus nears His coming execution, Jesus retreats to pray. He takes with Him His disciples. He asks them to pray with Him, pray for Him. 2 times they fail Jesus by falling asleep. Jesus is in mental and physical agony. He is beaten down with fear, worry, anxiety. Jesus finds it difficult to hold these human feelings at bay because He knows what is coming. Luke’s Gospel tells us that so bad was Jesus’ mental state that He begins to sweat droplets of blood. Jesus, even though He is fearful of the coming pain, torture and separation, claims obedience to the Father. God the Father sends angels to attend to Christ. Not long afterword, Judas makes his way to Christ with the temple guard. Peter, in an act of boldness, strikes offensively, not at the guard but at the High Priest’s unarmed servant. Peter knew that he would not stand a chance versus a skilled soldier so he attacked someone that he could defeat. Jesus chastises Peter and heals the man that Peter wounded. Jesus is taken captive and taken to the high priest’s home for the first of several trials. Peter follows closely behind but just out of sight. It is here where we pick up today’s message. Peter will betray Christ just as Christ predicted. Peter, the Rock will crumble under the pressure of acknowledging Christ before men. So, let’s read together from Luke’s Gospel. Chapter 22 verses 54-62. I’m reading from the English Standard Version this morning. 

Scripture:

Luke 22:54-62 ESV

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

A Review of Peter’s Rejection

I. He Underappreciated Prayer Luke 22:45-46 ESV

Point:

I believe that the Scripture that we just read is one of the saddest pieces of Scripture in the entire Bible. Peter, the Rock, was crushed. Peter, the Rock, fell completely apart. He crumbled underneath the weight of an accusation by a young servant girl. He denied Jesus not once, not twice, but three separate times. He did not just betray Christ, he claimed that he never even knew Jesus. How could someone so familiar, so committed to the cause of the Master, be such a coward. How could someone who boldly proclaimed Christ as the “Son of God” show such weakness?

Point:

Has this ever happened to you? It has happened to me. There have been times where I felt bold in my witness for Christ. I felt that I would go anywhere, or speak to anyone, or do anything for Jesus. I usually had these feelings on the heels of spiritual mountaintops. Maybe coming home from a Christian conference, surrounded by like minded believers all worshipping the same. I remember coming home from a Promise Keepers event I my early teens on fire for Jesus. When I was driving home with my Dad I felt that I could charge into hell with a water pistol. I can remember in my early 20’s telling God that I would go wherever He called me. I would share Christ with anyone, God you just point the way. 

What I was really telling God was that I would go anywhere He called me to go as long as it was comfortable. I was really telling God that I would speak to anyone about Jesus as long as I knew that they were already a Christian. What I was really telling God is that I would do anything for Him as long as it would not offend anyone and as long as it would not get me canceled. 

I was brave with strings attached. 

I was bold as long as it cost me nothing.

I remember my feelings of conquering the world for Christ slipping away the moment I set foot into my high school or the second that I set foot in my dorm room or the second that I set foot in my gym. I was just like Peter. 

Point:

Ask yourself, when did Peter’s problems begin? Was it when he was sitting by the fire being questioned by the servant girl? One might think so, but Peter’s problems begin before that. Was it when he was following a short distance as they took Jesus away? Possibly, but I think that go back even further. 

Why did Peter fall apart? Where was his strength? At the communion table, he tells Christ that he would never fail him, that he would Neve abandon the Master. Peter tells Jesus that he will go with him unto death. Where did the Peter go who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant? Now Peter crumbles under the pressure of a young pre-teen servant girl. Why?

I think that Peter’s problems start back in Luke 22:39-46. Let’s read that together this morning. 

“Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.””

Point:

Jesus is heading to the cross. He is experiencing the greatest amount of spiritual turmoil in His 33 years of living on planet earth. Make no mistake, Jesus does not want to go to the cross. He does not want to die. He does not want to experience the suffering and the separation. Yes, Jesus knew His mission was to rescue mankind through sacrifice, but that does not mean that Jesus was looking forward to the event. Jesus, in a moment of physical weakness prayed. He prayed so fervently, so honestly, that His Father sent angels to attend to Him. Jesus prayed so openly and honestly that He drew strength from His prayers. This is not the only time that we see Jesus use the power of prayer to do the miraculous. 

In Mark 9, Jesus sends out the disciples to drive out demons. The disciples are unable to drive out a demon from a young boy. Jesus does what the disciples cannot, He drives the demon from the boy. After the miracle, the disciples asked Jesus why they failed. Listen to His response:

Mark 9:28-29 NLT

“Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer. ””

Jesus performed miracles through prayer. He drew strength from prayer. He was able to obey completely through the power of prayer. Jesus commanded angels through prayer. He was able to speak directly to God through prayer. He was able to find the strength to conquer the cross through prayer. Prayer. Prayer. Prayer. 

Go back to Luke 22. While Jesus prayed, what did Peter do? That’s right. Peter slept. 2 times Jesus name to His disciples and still they slept. 

But preacher, there were moments when Peter was bold. Yes, Peter was bold for a time. You can be bold without prayer for a time. Friends, we can do a lot under our own power for a time but eventually even the strongest among us will be overcome and overwhelmed by the world. Peter operated under his own power for a while but when it mattered, he had no power. He had no strength. He had no ability to obey. Why? Because there was no power in him because he did not pray. 

Brothers and sisters, are you feeling weak today? Are you exhausted? Overcome? Overwhelmed? Totally exhausted? You’ve been operating on your own power for so long and you are at the end of yourself. Good. Pray. I will give you my word right here and now, God will give you strength. He will give you His aid. There is power in prayer. 

"Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference." - Max Lucado

Colossians 4:2 ESV

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

A Review of Peter’s Rejection

I. He Underappreciated Prayer Luke 22:45-46 ESV

II. He Underestimated Sin vs. 56-57 

Luke 22:56-57 ESV

56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 

Point:

How many of you have ever had a car accident? Wow, that’s more than I expected actually. How many of you have had a speeding ticket? So just about everyone. Is there anyone who has never had a speeding ticket? Wow. That’s amazing. 

Sadly I have been in several fender benders. I was 17 when I had my first accident. I was trying to cross three lanes of traffic in Montgomery. Almost made it too. Sadly I did not account for that Pontiac going about 65 in the far lane. That car took off the front end of my car and my Mitsubishi Gallant was totaled. It was gone forever. Never to return. 

The next accident I had when I was about 19. I was following to close to the car in front of me. I was not paying attention, the car ahead of me slammed on his breaks and I parked my car right under his back bumper. 

I repeated that scenario in my mid 20’s. I vividly remember that day not because of the accident. I remember that day because about 3 hours before my accident I had been pulled over for speeding. That’s right, I got a ticket on the same day that I ran into the back of someone.

Sprinkled between all these car accidents were various tickets for speeding or not following various traffic laws. 

You might say that I was on a fair destructive path. I had a choice. Either I keep going my own way, refusing to learn, or I start to get serious about my driving. My bad driving was actually beginning to hurt my marriage. You see my wife had a perfect driving record. No accidents. No tickets. When we got married, her insurance company dropped her cold because of me. 

Thankfully, as I got older I matured. I slowed down. I started to pay better attention. I drove safer. I decided that I needed to change course, go a different direction, and get on a new path. 

Point:

Why do I say path? Friends understand that my first, second and third accident actually happened long before the event actually happened. I was on a path of destruction that would eventually place me on a trajectory of ruin. You see, before my very first accident, I was already driving fast. I was already jumping the gun on green lights and speeding through stop signs. I was constantly speeding up on the yellow lights in hopes of not having to stop at the reds. Little by little, I was heading down a road that would end in the destruction of not one, not two, but three totaled cars. One might think that it happened all of a sudden. That would not be correct. The damage took a long time. It was a gradual decline, a gradual decent into ruin. 

Point:

Several years ago I read a book by Andy Stanley entitled “The Principle of the Path”. The idea that he was trying to convey is that the road to sin is not sudden and sharp. Rather the road to sin is long and winding. A man does not just wake up one day and commit adultery. Adultery happens after years of poor decision making, wrong priorities, and a refusal to allow a thought to germinate into a full blown action. People don’t wake up as alcoholics and addicts. Addiction is built over years and solidified through a path of poor decisions. 

This is not just Peter’s trouble. It is all our trouble. Chances are there are some of you who are courting a certain sin. For Peter, it was pride. Peter told Jesus that he would die for Him. Peter was arguing at the first communion with the disciples, his brothers, as to himself being the greatest among them. Peter’s pride and arrogance led him down the path to eventual betrayal. Peter, whether conscientiously or subconsciously, did not feel the need to pray as Jesus did and look at the road it put him own. Maybe you are courting pride today? Maybe you feel like you are the smartest person in the room? Maybe secretly you feel that you are the most talented, the best looking, that you have the best ideas, or that you have more spiritual insight that everyone else. If that is you, you are on a path that will lead you to destruction. If you have a problem with lust, then don’t put yourself on a path of destruction by spending nights alone with a computer.  

Ask yourself this morning, what path are you on? A path to desertion or a path to victory? 

I Timothy 4:16 ESV

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

A Review of Peter’s Rejection

I. He Underappreciated Prayer Luke 22:45-46 ESV

II. He Underestimated Sin vs. 56-57 

III. He Undervalued Commitment vs. 54-55

Luke 22:54-55 ESV

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.

Illustration:

Many of you know that we are currently living in a Recession. About a year ago, the economy of the United States was experiencing prosperity like never before. Job growth was off the charts. Income across all ethnicities was exploding. Then suddenly without warning, the pandemic hit. The country was shut down. Businesses closed. Fear covered the country like a wet blanket dousing all the previous economic growth. All the gains from the previous months were lost. The recession had begun.

This was not the first time that our country has experienced a terrible economic crash. Of course I am speaking of the Great Depression of the 1929. The stock market crashed and there was a run on the banks. I was reading an article last week comparing and contrasting the current recession we are experiencing and the Great Depression. The author the article made the claim that the Great Depression did not really have to happen. Eugene Meyer, President Hoover’s chairman of the Federal Reserve, met with the President and told him that he needed to print more money and distribute it to the banks. When the people ran on the banks the money would be there. Hoover said, "I'm just a lame-duck president. Immediate action has to be sanctioned by the president-elect." So Meyer went to Roosevelt. But Roosevelt said, "This is Hoover's watch." Neither Hoover nor Roosevelt was willing to make a decision. If Meyer had been given permission to pay off the banks the run would have been stopped, there would have been no bank holiday and no Depression. Hoover and Roosevelt never met in those four months. They hated each other. 

Point:

Peter could not make a decision. He was paralyzed because he was weak. Indecision is the devil that defeats us all. When the enemies of Christ came upon Him, Peter first fought, then ran away, then turned again, and finally "followed afar off. Peter, potentially the most decisive of the disciples was riddled with indecision. 

Point:

What is the application of this point today? When God calls you to follow Him, He is not calling you to ease and comfort. He is calling to sometimes leave material wealth, family, and even friends. Vacillating on whether or not to follow the call or abandon the call merely wastes valuable time. Denying what God is calling you to do is to deny yourself joy and fulfillment. 

Illustration:

My favorite example of selling out, going all in for Jesus, is Johnathen Smith and Brenda Taylor. Johnathen and Brenda heard a call from Jesus to be missionaries in France. Specifically just outside the city of Paris. The call was clear and undeniable. Brenda and Johnathen sold everything they owned. They sold their house, left their families, left good jobs, and pursued Jesus. The one thing that always amazed me about them was that they never seconded guessed God. They said “yes” and they were all in for Jesus. 

What about you? What is God calling you to do today? Don’t wait. Don’t be crippled by indecision. Say yes and never look back.  

Luke 9:62 ESV

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

A Review of Peter’s Rejection

I. He Underappreciated Prayer Luke 22:45-46 ESV

II. He Underestimated Sin vs. 56-57 

III. He Undervalued Commitment vs. 54-55

IV. He Undervalued Good Company vs. 56-60

Luke 22:56-60 ESV

56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 

Point:

Peter, for 3 years of this life, was surrounded by some of the best people that a person could know. He spent a majority of his time with Jesus Himself. Imagine the influence that Jesus had on Peter. That is the sort of friend that we are all looking for am I right? A friend that is closer than a brother. A friend that is always encouraging. A friend that is willing to lay down HIs life for you. A friend who is wise. A friend that is dependable. That was Jesus. Peter and Jesus were friends. 

Yet, when Jesus needed Peter the most, Peter abandoned Him, he betrayed Him. In the moments leading up to Jesus’ death, Peter joins a different crowed. He is a part of a group with different passions and priorities. He joins a group that cares nothing for spiritual matters. He joins a group that is not set to encourage him or help him, they accuse him and insult him. Jesus brought out the very best in Peter but this new group brought out the very worst in Peter. Make no mistake, the company we keep can influence us in a positive way or a negative way. The company we keep can impact our language, our worldview, even the things that we think are funny. 

This is particularly important for students this morning. You are only as successful as your friendships will allow you. This new group that Peter was running with brought out the worst in Him. First we see Peter embrace cowardice. Then anger. Then cursing. Then Peter lies. How far the mighty have fallen. 

Point:

Brothers and sisters, this just goes to show that if this fall can happen to Peter, it can happen to us. None of us are above sin or turning out back on one another or our faith. 

The story of Peter's fall teaches us, thirdly, the infinite mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a lesson which is brought out most forcibly by a fact which is only recorded in Luke's Gospel. We are told that when Peter denied Christ the third time, and the rooster crowed, "the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter." Those words are deeply touching! Surrounded by blood-thirsty and insulting enemies, in the full anticipation of horrible outrages, an unjust trial, and a painful death, the Lord Jesus yet found time to think kindly of His poor erring disciple. Even then He would have Peter know, that He did not forget him. Sorrowfully no doubt, but not angrily, He "turned and looked straight at Peter." There was a deep meaning in that look. It was a sermon which Peter never forgot.

The story of Peter's fall teaches us, lastly, how bitter sin is to believers, when they have fallen into it and discovered their fall. This is a lesson which stands out plainly on the face of the verses before us. We are told that when Peter remembered the warning he had received, and saw how far he had fallen, "he went out and wept bitterly." He found out by experience the truth of Jeremiah's words, "It is an evil thing and a bitter that you have forsaken the Lord." (Jer. 2:19.) He felt keenly the truth of Solomon's saying, "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways." (Prov. 14:14.) No doubt he could have said with Job, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:6.) Sorrow like this, let us always remember, is an inseparable companion of true repentance. Here lies the grand distinction between "repentance unto salvation," and unavailing remorse. Remorse can make a man miserable, like Judas Iscariot, but it can do no more. It does not lead him to God. Repentance makes a man's heart soft and his conscience tender, and shows itself in real turning to a Father in heaven. Peter had a repentant heart and Jesus afford him the opportunity to profess his love for Christ.  Friend, it is never to late to realize your sin, confess it, and come back to Christ. In that way, you should follow Peter’s example.

I Corinthians 15:33 ESV

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

WARNING! Do Not Proceed Down Peter’s Path