Don't Be Deceived

Good morning, everyone.

My name is you all.

I'm the RUF campus minister at the Air Force Academy.

And as you all can imagine, everything in 2020 just looks a little different, right?

And our ministry also looks very different this year.

More Zoom calls than I care to discuss.

More small groups, more outdoor events, more off-campus events, more face masks, more hand sanitizer.

You guys know the drill at this point.

Everything just looks different.

The coronavirus has thrown a wrench in our plans, but not in God's plans.

And God is still doing some amazing things through our ministry at USAPHA.

Every week, 50 to 75 cadets hear the gospel through RUF.

Lives are changing.

Hearts are healing.

Idolatries are shrinking.

And our community is growing.

Praise God.

Thank you guys for your continued prayers, your financial support, for making our ministry possible.

I can say sincerely that our ministry would not be possible without Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.

Thank you guys so much.

So it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

So here's a picture of one of our recent outdoor worship events.

As you can see, it's at Forest Gate Presbyterian.

So it's a beautiful thing.

Forest Gate has been providing the facility.

Village 7 has been providing us transportation and providing a shuttle.

And then Grace and Peace and Cheyenne Mountain have been providing our meals,

allowing us to pay for dinner and drinks for our students.

It's just a really cool thing to see all the churches in an area come together to make our ministry possible.

Here's another picture.

This is our sophomore class.

They were recognized recently.

So we took them out to Texas Roadhouse and treated them to steak lunches.

Anyway, amazing, amazing ministry happening at USAPHA.

And thank you for being a part of it.

Now, a picture may be worth a thousand words,

but this morning I'm going to try to use about 3,000 words to paint you a picture.

And I pray that the picture that I paint with my limited finite words

is far more meaningful than 3,000 words.

If you could look at a picture of your soul,

what do you think that picture would look like?

Oscar Wilde, in his novel written in 1890,

a novel called The Picture of Dorian Gray,

he poses this question to his readers in a frightening fashion,

in a dramatic way.

The story tells, the novel tells the story of this handsome young man.

His name is Dorian Gray, and he has a portrait painted.

He's a beautiful young man.

He looks at this portrait of himself,

and he realizes that one day he's going to grow old,

and he begins to dread this future reality.

And so in the pursuit of immortality,

Dorian Gray, he makes a wish that his portrait,

this beautiful portrait of himself,

would grow old so that he could stay young.

In a sense, he sells his soul to the devil for immortality,

and his wish comes true.

Now that Dorian is essentially immortal,

he starts doing whatever he wants to do,

and the things that he wants to do,

they're not good things.

After some time, he goes back into this room

that he had stored this painting, this portrait,

and he looks at the painting,

and he realizes that it wasn't just a reflection

of his physical decay,

but it was also a reflection of his spiritual decay as well.

So all the evil that he had been doing

was reflected in this hideous portrait of his soul.

And so Dorian does what I think anyone would do

in that situation.

He wraps the portrait up.

He puts it in the secluded room.

He locks the door, and he throws away the key.

And then he goes on living a hedonistic lifestyle.

He throws himself into sensual behaviors,

experimenting with every vice known to man.

Dorian concludes,

the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.

And that's exactly what he does time and time again

throughout this short novel.

Meanwhile, his portrait that's locked away in this room

becomes increasingly more hideous and revolting.

The novel illustrates how the person we project to others

may be a very different person from who we are inside.

So let me ask you the opening question again.

If you could look at a picture of your soul,

what would that picture look like?

This morning, we're going to look at three scenes.

There are unpleasant scenes from the Gospel of Mark, Mark 14.

Each unpleasant scene invites us to see ourselves,

to see our soul in the disciples.

And my friends, it isn't a pretty picture.

Each of the scenes in Mark 14,

it paints a picture not only of the disciples,

but of ourselves.

And it is a portrait that forces each of us

to ask the question,

what did Jesus get when he got me?

What did he get when he got me?

Mark 14, it's going to make us a little uncomfortable.

It'll make us feel a little uneasy.

But the truth is, we desperately need Mark 14.

Mark 14 helps us see ourselves rightly.

And we need to see ourselves rightly

by looking honestly at this portrait of the disciples

on the night that Jesus was arrested and betrayed.

Because here's the thing, my friends.

You will never feel the weight of the Gospel

until you see yourselves in the disciples in Mark 14.

And you will never grasp the depths of God's love for you

until you see what it cost God to get you.

So if you are willing and able,

I invite you to please stand

for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, and inspired word.

And this is a long passage this morning.

As I said, we're going to look at three scenes

and we're going to break them down.

Mark 14, verses 26 through 50.

Mark 14:26–50

All right, here's the first scene.

And when they had sung a hymn,

they went out to the Mount of Olives.

And Jesus said to them,

you will all fall away, for it is written,

I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.

Peter said to him, even though they fall away, I will not.

And Jesus said to him, truly,

I tell you this very night before the rooster crows twice,

you will deny me three times.

But he said emphatically, if I must die with you,

I will not deny you.

And they all said the same.

Second scene.

And they went to the place called Gethsemane.

And he said to his disciples, sit here while I pray.

And he took with him Peter and James and John

and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

And he said to them, my soul is very sorrowful,

even to death.

Remain here and watch.

And going a little further, he fell on the ground and prayed

that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

Remove this cup from me.

Yet not what I will, but what you will.

And he came and found them sleeping.

And he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep?

Could you not watch for one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

And again, he went away and prayed, saying the exact same words.

And again, he came and found them sleeping,

for their eyes were very heavy.

And they did not know what to answer him.

And he came the third time and said to them,

are you still sleeping and taking your rest?

It is enough.

The hour has come.

The son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise, let us be going.

See, my betrayer is at hand.

Third scene.

He threw his sword and struck the servant of the high priest

and cut off his ear.

And Jesus said to them,

have you come out as against a robber

with swords and clubs to capture me?

Day after day, I was with you in the temple teaching,

and you did not seize me.

But let the scriptures be fulfilled.

And get this.

And they all left him in flood.

This is the very word of God.

Let me pray.

Heavenly Father, this is a convicting passage

as we see ourselves in imperfect disciples.

We pray that you would open our eyes

to see our shortcomings, our imperfections,

our brokenness,

so that we will see our need for a sinless savior.

And it's through his name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

All right.

You may be seated.

All right.

So the disciples have just left the upper room.

And Jesus takes his disciples to the Mount of Olives.

And he reminds them of a prophecy from Zechariah 13.

The prophecy went something like this.

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.

He reminds them of this ancient prophecy.

And he says, it's time.

Jesus tells his closest friends,

his disciples, for three years,

that they were about to deny him.

They were about to fall away.

They were about to desert him.

And in response, the disciples essentially say,

well, that's just not going to happen, Jesus.

We would never desert you.

We would never deny you.

That prophecy must have been talking about other sheep.

Like, remember all those people at your triumphal entry?

Yeah, I was probably talking about them.

Because look, it hasn't even been that long.

And we're the only ones left.

Where are they?

They're the sheep that have been scattered.

We're still with you.

And we're with you to the end.

They essentially say, till death do us part.

Peter goes a step further.

It's as if Peter pulls Jesus aside

and has like this quiet, private conversation.

And Peter doesn't hesitate to throw

all of his buddies under the bus.

Peter goes, I know these guys.

And I hate to say it, Jesus,

but your prophecy is probably right.

I wouldn't be surprised if they all fall away.

But I'm different.

I'm better.

I'm not like them.

My faith is true.

My faith is unshakable.

When they fall away,

which they probably will,

I won't fall away.

I'm with you, Jesus.

I'm with you to the end.

After hearing this,

Jesus has to get specific with Peter.

Right?

And so he says,

Peter, not only will you desert me,

but you will deny me three times

before the rooster crows twice.

This first scene is a portrait of denial.

Peter doesn't think so, right?

Peter says, yeah, right.

That's not going to happen.

I'm different.

I'm better.

My faith is real.

I actually get it.

In verses 66 through 72,

Mark, the author of this gospel,

he gives us front row seats to this encounter.

Peter, he comes across a harmless servant girl.

And she is going to lob three juicy softballs his way.

She says, hey, aren't you one of his disciples?

I think I've seen you with Jesus.

And Peter replies, no.

You must be thinking of someone else.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Strike one.

Second pitch is thrown.

No, seriously, aren't you one of his disciples?

I swear I've seen you before.

And Peter replies,

I don't know what you're talking about.

I don't know him.

I'm positive I am not one of his followers.

Strike two.

And then the third pitch,

the third juicy softball is thrown his way.

She says, how many?

She says,

essentially, don't lie to me.

I know I've seen you with Jesus before.

Just tell the truth.

I won't do anything.

And what does Peter say?

The text says,

he goes,

I swear to God,

I don't know him.

Strike three.

And the rooster crows a second time.

Luke,

in his gospel,

he fills us in on a,

an often over-missed detail.

And it is a heartbreaking detail.

Luke tells us that immediately after the rooster crowed a second time,

the Lord,

the text says,

the Lord turned and looked at Peter.

Jesus witnessed

at least Peter's third denial.

Now it seems that Jesus' trial has ended

and he's being taken by the guards

across the courtyard

to his prison cell.

His face is already black and blue

from the guards who covered his face

and beat him

while yelling,

prophesy.

Prophesy.

Who hit you?

That is the face

that Peter saw

after he denied Jesus

for the third time

to a harmless servant girl

who posed zero threat.

Do you see yourselves in Peter?

Now this is interesting.

While the guards are beating Jesus up

and yelling,

prophesy,

Jesus' prophecy

to Peter

to Peter

is being fulfilled.

Isn't that interesting?

But can you imagine the pain

that it must have caused

Jesus to see Peter,

his closest disciple,

possibly his closest friend,

deny him

when Jesus had

just taken a beating for him?

Now this probably hurt Jesus

more than all of the prior blows

Jesus received from the guards combined.

Look at Peter.

And so much for Peter's

I'm different talk, right?

His I'm better,

his they may fall away,

but not me.

I get it.

I'm with you to the end talk.

So much for his words.

Not even Peter

had the faith

to back up

his claims

to be faithful.

And listen, y'all,

this is Peter,

right?

This is Peter,

one of the pillars

of the church,

the apostle of apostles.

This is the guy

who first professed

that Jesus was the Messiah.

He saw countless miracles performed.

He heard countless sermons delivered.

He walked with Jesus

for three years.

He witnessed the transfiguration.

This is the guy

who would be renamed Cephas,

which means the rock,

because his sermon in Acts 2

would become the firm foundation.

It would become the rock

on which the church was built.

This is Peter.

This is the guy

who would be crucified upside down

for the sake of the gospel.

Now, if Peter,

if Peter was unfaithful,

if Peter was able to deny Jesus,

what makes you think

that you are somehow different?

What makes you think

that you are somehow better

than Peter?

As if you get it,

no one else does.

My friends,

don't be deceived.

The spirit is willing,

but the flesh is weak.

You see,

every time you sin,

you deny Christ.

Sin,

by its very nature,

is a betrayal of God.

It's a betrayal of Jesus.

It's a betrayal

of Christ's redemptive work

for you.

So this means

that every time you sin,

every time you slander

another person,

every time you gossip

about another person,

you are denying Jesus.

Every time you care more

about what others think of you

than what God thinks of you,

you are betraying Jesus.

Every time your heart is greedy,

every time it is lustful,

every time it is slothful,

every time it is bitter,

you are denying Jesus.

Every time you sin,

you deny Christ,

the one who loves you,

the one who made you,

the one who sustains you,

the one who suffered for you.

Do you see yourself

in this portrait?

Let's turn our attention

to the second scene.

Okay, we're going to go

with Jesus,

Peter, James, and John

into the Garden of Gethsemane.

In this scene,

we see a portrait

of distraction.

Jesus takes Peter,

James, and John.

They're his inner circle.

He takes them

into this olive grove,

the small olive grove

called Gethsemane.

And he has one purpose in mind

as they enter this garden.

That purpose is this.

They go into the garden

to prepare themselves

for the trials

that await them.

Okay?

And they're about to face

an array of trials

and tribulations.

Jesus tells them

to watch and pray

lest they fall into temptation.

In the Garden of Gethsemane,

Jesus gives these three disciples

two imperatives.

He tells them

to watch and to pray.

And these aren't suggestions.

These are commands.

Jesus is saying,

if you want to avoid

falling into temptation,

here's the secret sauce.

Don't overcomplicate it.

Watch and pray.

You have to be on your guard.

You have to watch out

for temptation.

And you have to pray

and pray and pray.

But in Gethsemane,

we see a stark contrast

between Jesus

and these three disciples.

You see,

Jesus knew

what was about to happen to him.

He knew he was going to be

betrayed,

arrested,

mocked,

beaten,

and crucified.

And he knew that his disciples

were about to desert him

and deny him.

And he knew that he was about

to be alienated from his father

for the first time in eternity.

He was about to face

an isolation

that he had never experienced before.

And yet,

knowing this,

Jesus also knew

that if he was going

to accomplish God's redemptive plan,

he had to be prepared.

And so he had to watch and pray.

And that's exactly

what Jesus does.

He watches

and he prays

and he prays

and he prays.

The disciples,

on the other hand,

they're fast asleep.

They were incapable

of one hour

of true discipleship.

One hour.

Each of them,

they're about to face

an array

of trials

and temptations

and tribulations,

not just in the short term

but long term.

Their life is going

to be defined

by trial.

But in the garden,

they neither watch

nor pray.

When they should have

been vigilant,

they were negligent.

When they should have

been prayerful,

they were prayerless.

The disciples

got distracted

by material things.

They were concerned

about worldly things.

Do you see yourself

in Peter,

James,

and John?

Does this portrait

of distraction

apply to you?

My friends,

don't be deceived.

The spirit is willing

but the flesh is weak.

There are so many things

in this world

that distract us.

We get so fixated

on the periphery

that we lose sight

of what's ahead of us.

And my daughter,

when she was in first grade,

she raced,

she entered into

like a 50 meter race

with five local schools.

And my daughter

is pretty fast.

And during the race,

she was so focused

on the kids running

to her left

and her right

instead of focusing

on the finish line

that she ended up

running a lot slower

than she actually was.

And she performed

a lot worse

than she actually

could have performed.

Instead of focusing

on the finish line,

she was running,

looking to her left

and her right.

And as a result,

she was running

with the pack.

And we do the exact

same thing,

don't we?

We get so distracted

by the things

of this world.

We get so distracted

by the things

that are periphery.

We get so distracted

by the people

who are running

to our left

and our right

when our eyes

should be fixed

on Jesus.

so they should be

fixed on the finish line.

We're always

comparing ourselves

to others.

We're always

coveting

what others have.

We're always

so concerned

about how others

are living their lives

that we neglect

the two imperatives

in Mark 14,

to watch

and to pray.

You see,

when we,

like Peter,

James,

and John,

struggle

to do these two things,

to watch

and pray,

we let good things

distract us

from the best thing.

We prefer to play

in mud puddles

when the beach

is around the corner.

We prefer to eat

breadcrumbs

when there's a feast

on the table.

We are so easily

distracted.

This is not

a pleasant picture

of ourselves,

is it?

In our third

and final scene,

Judas shows up

and he brings

with him

a small army

and Judas

portrays Jesus.

Judas

portrays the one

who just hours

earlier

put a towel

around his waist,

grabbed a water

basin,

dropped to the ground

and washed

Judas' feet.

Judas is betraying

the one

who just

fed him

bread and wine

saying,

this is my body

which is broken

for you.

This is my blood

which is poured

out for you.

Judas,

one of the twelve,

he got distracted

by the things

of this world

and as a result,

he denies Christ

and he deserts

his savior

and friend

in his hour of need.

Well,

Peter,

Peter is Peter,

Peter,

Peter will be Peter,

he's just a hothead,

right?

Peter has a short

sword on him.

Peter draws his sword

and he decides

that he's going

to fight

these armed guards

even though Jesus

literally just told him

in the upper room

and in the Mount

of Olives

that what was

about to happen

had to happen

so that the scriptures

could be fulfilled.

And he strikes

this man.

Y'all do realize

that Peter

was not aiming

for his ear.

He took his sword,

a short sword

which is meant

for stabbing

and he tried

to stab

this guy

in the face.

Now listen,

after walking

with Jesus,

after learning

from Jesus

for three years,

Peter still thought

that attacking

somebody,

that killing

somebody

for Jesus

was an acceptable

solution.

But then things

take another turn,

right?

And we see

that prophecy

from Zechariah 13

unfold before our eyes

and it's hard

to watch.

I don't like

verse 50.

Verse 50 says,

and they all

left him

and fled.

Nobody stuck

around.

Nobody went

with Jesus.

Nobody was

faithful.

Instead,

Peter,

James,

and John,

like Judas,

they desert

their Savior

and friend.

Do you see

yourself

in this

portrait?

It's a portrait

of desertion.

It's not just

a portrait

of the disciples

desertion.

It's a portrait

of us.

Instead of

sharing our

faith with

others,

we do what

the disciples

did.

We leave

them and flee.

Instead of

living out

our faith

before others,

we fear

their opinion

of us.

And so we

conform ourselves

to their

image.

Instead of

giving our

time and

talents to

serve our

community,

to serve

the least

of these,

we choose

to stay

in the

comfort and

security of

our own

homes.

But Lord,

when did we

see you hungry

and feed you,

or thirsty

and give you

drink?

And when did

we see you a

stranger and

welcome you,

or naked and

clothe you?

And when did

we see you sick

or in prison

and visit you?

And the king

will answer

them,

truly I say

to you as

you did it

to one of

the least of

these my

brothers,

you did it

to me.

Every time

you deny

them,

you deny

him.

You're not

any different

than Peter,

James,

and John.

So what did

Jesus get

when he got

you?

Well, I

can't speak

for you,

but I can

speak for

myself.

I know what

Jesus got

when he got

me.

He got a

person who

denies him

every day,

every time

I sin.

He got a

person who

doesn't love

others very

well.

He got a

person who

doesn't lead

his family

very well.

He got a

person who

doesn't pray

to him

very much.

He got a

person who

doesn't think

about him

very much.

He got a

person who

is sometimes

embarrassed of

him.

He got a

person who

is easily

distracted by

the things

of this

world.

He got a

person who

cares way

too much

about what

other people

think.

He got a

person who

regularly

chooses to

eat bread

crumbs when

there's a

feast on

the table.

He got a

person like

the disciples,

a person who

denies, a

person who

is distracted,

a person who

deserts his

sinless Savior

and friend.

God.

I got to

say, y'all,

Jesus got a

pretty raw

deal when

he got me.

Like Dorian

Gray, when I

see this

portrait of

myself, I

want to wrap

it up, put

it in a

secluded room,

lock the door,

and throw away

the key.

I don't like

this portrait,

but I need

to see it.

it shows me

my brokenness.

It shows me

my imperfections.

It shows me

my need for

the gospel.

I need to

see it, but

I still hate

it.

The good

news is God

hates it

too.

God hates

this portrait

of me and

you so much,

in fact, that

he would send

his only son

to become it.

he sent

his only son

to live the

life that I

was required

to live, that

you were

required to

live.

He sent

his son to

die the

death that

we deserved

so that

our soul's

hideous

portrait could

be replaced

with the

gospel of

God's free

grace.

This is what

we call

double imputation.

Christ,

or my sin,

comes down

on Christ,

and his

righteousness

comes up

and it

hangs in

my heart

forever.

Listen,

Mark 14

is an

unpleasant

picture.

It shows

us how

undeserving

the disciples

are, were,

of God's

free grace,

and in so

doing, it

shows us

how undeserving

we are of

God's free

and unmerited

grace.

God's

grace.

Listen,

like the

disciples, we

are a people

who betray,

who deny,

and desert

Jesus.

But with

the disciples,

we are the

ones to whom

Jesus said in

the upper room,

this is my

body broken

for you,

this is my

blood poured

out for

you.

You will

never fully

grasp the

enormity of

God's hatred

for your

sin, and

you will

never grasp

the greatness

of God's

love for

you until

you see

not just

the portrait

of the

disciples in

Mark 14,

but the

portrait of

Jesus in

the Garden

of Gethsemane.

It was the

night of

his betrayal,

and Jesus

knew what

would follow.

He knew

what was

coming.

Jesus

understood

what his

father was

asking of

him.

He

understood

what he

would have

to become.

He

understood

all of

the hideous

portraits

that he

would have

to bear.

He

understood

the cup

that he

had to

drink,

and the

thought of

this was

horrifying

to Jesus.

And so

while his

disciples are

sleeping,

while they're

distracted,

he prays,

he asks

his father

if there

was another

way.

He says,

Abba,

father,

all things

are possible

for you.

Remove

this cup

from me.

The text

says that

Jesus prayed

this prayer

over and

over and

over again.

And the

response was

always the

same.

Father,

is there

another way?

no,

son,

there's no

other way.

Father,

please remove

this cup

from me.

No,

son,

there's no

other way.

Please,

father,

please remove

this cup

from me.

No,

son,

there's no

other way.

You are

the way.

in order

for your

distracted

sleeping

disciples

to come

to me.

You have

to drink

the cup.

You have

to become

their curse.

You have

to go

through the

cross.

You are

the way

and there

is no

other.

And Jesus

responds,

not my

will,

but your

will.

And then

he drank

every drop.

He became

our hideous

portraits so

that we

could be

united to

his.

So let me

ask you

again,

what did

God get?

What did

Jesus get

when he

got you?

Well,

he got

someone that

he would

drink the

cup of

God's

wrath for.

He got

a family

that he

would separate

himself from

God for.

He got

a church

that he

would experience

God's

displeasure

for.

He got

a kingdom

that he

would go

through hell

for.

And he

got a

radiant

bride

that he

would go

through the

cross for.

God's

love.

My friends,

Jesus was

denied,

betrayed,

and deserted

so that our

Heavenly Father

would never

deny,

betray,

or desert

us.

And that,

my friends,

is the

beautiful

portrait that

hangs in

our hearts.

And that is

the portrait

that will

never,

ever come

down.

Amen.

Amen.

Let me

pray for us.

Heavenly Father,

thank you.

Thank you for

being a good

and gracious

God to people

like us.

We don't

deserve your

grace.

We haven't

earned it.

But you

lavish us

with it

anyway.

We pray that

we would

see ourselves

in the

disciples,

that we

would see

ourselves

rightly,

so that we

would see

ourselves

in Christ.

We would

see our

need for a

sinless Savior

who did

what we

could never

do,

who lived

the life

that we

were required

to live,

who died

the death

that we

deserved.

served.

We pray

that we

would be

a people

who live

out this

good news,

who don't

fixate on

the things

of this

world,

but keep

our eyes

fixed on

Jesus,

who is

waiting for

us at

the finish

line.

We pray

all these

things in

his precious

name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.