3 Truths About Temptation | Mark 14:66-72 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

I do invite you to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, Excuse me,

Mark 16 · chapter mention

chapter 14, beginning in verse 66.

Just place your hand there. We're not going to read just

yet. Mark 1466.

Before we read this passage, I want to briefly address, well,

maybe weighing heavy on some hearts this afternoon.

Some of you may have heard the recent news of a prominent

American evangelical preacher who recently admitted to an

inappropriate relationship with a woman who is not his wife.

And it is always gut wrenching to learn of a well respected

minister who sins in a manner that disqualifies them from

ministry. And the heartbreak goes beyond

the fact that such people cannot serve in a certain capacity,

doesn't it? We have to keep in mind the

testimony of the Gospel, the spouses, the children, the local

church, fellow ministers, close friends, and the broader

Christian community that is impacted by such a fall.

And this should lead us to pray not only for those who sin

grievously as leaders, but also for those who are feeling the

effects of that sin. And as I was exploring some

articles and engaging with some individuals about this incident,

you know, you just want to know as many details as possible, not

to satisfy curiosity, but just so that there are more answers

than questions, I stumbled upon another fallen pastor's comments

about the situation. Now, I've heard of this

individual when I first became a believer.

And I remember, though I didn't follow his ministry, hearing

about how he succumbed to sexual immorality around the time when

his church was experiencing explosive growth and his

influence was broadening out nationally.

It was a sad, it was a sad thing to hear.

But he was reflecting upon the aftermath of his own fallen in

his comments, and especially with the recent news that

shocked thousands. He had said something that I

believe is helpful for us to hear.

And it'll be very sobering. He said the following.

You are capable of falling in a way that seems unthinkable to

you right now. Meditate on that.

You and I are capable, not destined, but capable of falling

in a way that is unthinkable to you right now.

That sat with me for a few days, and it didn't take very long for

a variety of biblical examples and illustrations to surface and

confirm a very powerful statement.

And I know I asked you to turn with me to Mark 14, but for a

moment, let's go to 1st Kings because I want to just show you

what you may think is a predictable example, but it's

nonetheless instructive for us. In First Kings 11, verse four, I

want you to see specific detail noting Solomon's fall, his

greatest fall. In First Kings 11, verse 4.

1 Kings 11:4

It says here, for when Solomon was old, his wives turned away

his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to

the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

I want you to notice the first few words of this verse.

For when Solomon was old, Solomon was old when he

experienced his greatest downfall.

And we often assume that it is only the young who are ensnared

by lust. That is not the case.

What this reminds us is that all temptation, including sexual

temptation, arises in every season of life.

And this also tells us that age does not promise wisdom.

Experience in life does not guarantee prudence or

discretion. It should, but it's not

automatic For when Solomon was old, and this is no less true

for those who have accomplished great things for God like

Solomon did. There is a tendency for those

who have glorified the Lord in remarkable ways to let their

guard down after some time and to not be convinced, as they

once were, of their dependence on the Lord to sustain them,

empower them, guide them, shield them.

For some reason, a strange deception persuades servants of

God, especially after great feats of obedience.

So I want to let you know that victories and testimonies of the

past do not prepare you for temptations that await tomorrow.

There is only one thing, at least a main thing, that will

equip you to be ready for unforeseen allurements and

enticements the days ahead. One thing, one thing.

Daily devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to look back at this verse with me first.

Kings 11/4, The word heart appears not once, not twice,

three times. Look at it again from when

Solomon was old. His wife's turned away his heart

after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord

his God, as was the heart of David, his father.

Do you think that's coincidence? That's not coincidence, that's

strategic. What is the Holy Spirit trying

to convey? That downfalls begin in the

heart? Before there is any external

humiliation, there is unchallenged internal

deterioration. Before there is any public

scandal, Know this for certain. There is always significant

private neglect. So as long as we know how to

guard our hearts, we will know Christ's honoring character for

the long haul. We will.

Longevity is possible. It's possible to be old and be

vibrant and holy and consistent. And I don't bring all this up

because it brings me pleasure. And I'm not bringing this up to

you because I feel like venting. I bring this up to you because I

want you to recognize God's Providence with me.

Because in our study of Mark, we have now arrived to a text that

examines the lowest point of another disciple's life, and

that is Peter the Apostle. What we're going to read in a

moment here is Peter, in a sense, doing something that he

thought he would never do, falling in an unthinkable way.

So let's read from Mark 1466 down to the end of this chapter

together before we zoom in. And as Peter was below in the

courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.

And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and

said, You also were with the Nazarene Jesus.

But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what

you mean. And he went out into the

gateway, and the rooster crowed, and the servant girl saw him,

and began again to say to the bystanders, This man is one of

them. But again he denied it.

And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter,

certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.

But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do

not know this man of whom you speak.

And immediately the rooster crowed a second time, and Peter

remembered how Jesus had said to him before.

The rooster crows twice. You will deny me three times.

And he broke down and wept. There's so many things, so many

ways of approaching this text. But there's a clear theme, is

there not temptation? And even with that theme, there

are so many points to draw out from Peter's example.

But for the sake of time, I'm going to talk about 3 things I

want to look with you at 3 Truths about Temptation from

Peter's denial. Our brother prayed so

beautifully, but I want us to pray again before we come to

this text. We do trust You, Lord Jesus,

that You have something to say to us through Your Word.

So by Your Spirit, guide us every step of the way.

Lord, empower our hearts, our minds, empower this voice so

that Your word would not just be explained the way it should, but

delivered in a way that glorifies You and benefits Your

people. We look to You trusting that we

will leave here refreshed, equipped, ready to endure and

bring glory to Your name in Jesus name, Amen. 3 truths about

temptation drawn from Peter's denial and the first one is

found in the 1st 2 verses of our main text.

Temptation is ever present. Temptation is ever present.

The the impression that we get from Peter's posture before

these waves of temptation ambushed him is that he was

unsuspecting. Look again here what Mark tells

us, it tells us that Peter in verse 66 was below in the

courtyard, one of the servants, girl, the high priest came and

seeing Peter warming himself. So he's cold and significantly

he's physically cold, not realizing that spiritually he's

also cold, but he's warming himself.

And Matthew actually tells us what is preoccupying Peter from

within. So you don't have to turn there,

but let me read this to you from Matthew 26, verse 58.

Matthew 26:58

And Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard

of the high priest. And going inside, he sat with

the guards to see the end. The end of what?

The end of the matter of Christ. So Peter has a mixture of things

going on. He's afraid, He's actually

petrified, but he also is curious, and he wants to know

what's going to happen to his master.

And so he's really here busy trying to blend in so that

nobody identifies him as a disciple, but also wanting to

see what's going to happen to the rabbi, my rabbi, my Lord the

Christ. And as he is doing this, this is

the portrait that we have of him.

A Peter seems to look innocent, but actually this is concerning

not only because he planted himself in a very compromising

crowd, but also because he heard something Jesus told them about

this very night. And it's strange how he is

acting this way in light of what he was told by Jesus.

Go back to Mark 14, verse 30. Earlier that evening, Jesus

Mark 14:30

predicted something, says here, Mark 1430.

And Jesus said to him, truly, I tell you this very night before

the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times, pause.

I want you to put yourself in Peter's shoes now, and I want

you to imagine Jesus Christ looking at you in the eye and

telling you this night, before this night is over, you're going

to deny me three times. Jesus never lies.

He never exaggerates. He's always right.

How would you respond to that declaration?

What would you do throughout that evening?

How would you posture yourself? The obvious answer, you're going

to pray. You're going to pray a lot that

Peter pray. He failed to pray.

And more than just pray. I'm sure you would be on high

alert, extremely cautious, deeply discerning.

And the impression that we get of Peter is that he's none of

those things. He's cold, he's anxious, he's

scared, he's curious, but he is not mindful of what Jesus warned

him about. And though the warning is unique

to Peter, it carries universal application.

Temptation is ever present. Temptation is not courteous,

it's not considerate, it's not compassionate.

It doesn't. It doesn't concern and take any

regard of your surroundings, it doesn't care about your

circumstances, It's not sensitive to your feelings.

Temptation intrudes on your thoughts even amidst other

distractions, and it certainly does not care about your

spiritual condition. It's invasive, it's rude, it's

surprising. Hey, some of you, as I'm

preaching right now, may be tempted in one way or another.

It's very possible Peter was many things, but he was not

aware of his vulnerability. And many of you know that I am

personally passionate about the doctrine of the fear of the

Lord. And the reason for that is

because, one, I made an impact on my life, but because there's

also so many instructions regarding it and rewards

attached to it. And if you're a person here who

believes that the fear of the Lord is relevant, which it is

for you and I as Christians, then this verse that I'm going

to bring to you, I believe is one of the most important

understandings of the fear of the Lord, at least in

experiencing it for all that it has to offer.

Turn with me to Proverbs 23 and look at what the Holy Spirit

says in verse 17. The Spirit says, let not your

heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord. 3 very

important words all the day. Do you know what this teaches

me? It's possible to walk in the

fear of the Lord sometimes. It's possible to be inconsistent

in how you perceive God. So what does the Holy Spirit

say? Fear the Lord.

OK, good. No, no, no.

Fear the Lord all the day. What does that look like

practically? Here's what it looks like

practically. It looks like you being aware of

God and being in awe of God beyond a 2 hour service on a

Sunday. So when you're home alone, be

aware of God and be in awe of God.

When you go out with your friends to the heart of the

city, be aware of God. Be in awe of God.

When you go to work and you know that you're going to be

surrounded by godless people, be aware of God.

Be in awe of God when you're in your living room with your

family looking for something to kind of watch together.

Be aware of God. Be in awe of God.

When you're on your phone and you have a specific kind of

screen that doesn't allow others to see what you're texting or

browsing, be aware of God. Be an of God.

When you're texting somebody, be aware of God.

Be an of God. Fear the Lord all the day.

And there are many blessings that will flow from that frame

of mind if you so choose to adopt it.

And one of them is mentioned in the very next verse.

Look at it. Surely there is a future and

your hope will not be cut off. Do you want a bright future?

Who doesn't? Who doesn't want a bright

future? There's something very wrong if

you don't want a bright future. Well, if you want a bright

future, then you must choose to fear the Lord all the day, every

day. And if temptation is ever

present, then may our awareness and awe of God be the same

again. I mentioned how there's so many

points about temptation that we can draw out from this.

One of them that I didn't include is how temptation is

persistent. But let me mention it here.

Do you see the pattern? Do you see that how after Peter

denied Christ the first time, temptation was not satisfied?

Came again. And it came again.

And notice what happens to Peter's denials.

They get more intense by the time you come to the third

denial. He what verse 71, he began to

invoke a curse on himself and to swear.

And we kind of have our a preconceived notion of how Peter

denied Jesus. But notice how he denies him in

verse 71. I do not know this man of whom

you speak. Not only does he say I'm not

associated with him, he's like, I don't even know who's Jesus,

who Jesus of Nazareth. I don't know who you're talking

about. So temptation is, listen,

temptation is not a sin. What you do with temptation

determines if it's a sin or if it's a victory.

But temptation is persistent and it's not satisfied and you just

slipping here and there. Temptation wants you dead.

It wants to kill your testimony. It wants to kill your marriage.

It wants to kill your relationship with your children.

It wants to kill your finances. It wants to kill your body.

It wants to absolutely crush you to find powder.

So the antidote, at least one of them to guarding your heart from

surprising temptations that just spring up in your mind all of a

sudden and there's nothing even around you that would stimulate

such thoughts or ideas, is to walk in the fear of the Lord,

which can be simply summarized as an awareness of God all but

just more than that, in awe of God, Temptation is ever present.

The second thing we learned from this in verse 68 is that

temptation is conquerable. Look at verse 68.

But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what

you mean. And he went out into the

gateway, and the rooster crowed. Now listen, temptation may catch

you off guard. It may be unsuspecting, but

there are things that we can do to minimize its frequency and

its intensity. And we learned last week that

how when Peter chose to follow Jesus, he did so in a very

tricky manner. He did so at a distance, which

led him to stand with guards and those who opposed Christ and not

just stand. What did he end up doing?

He sat with them. He got comfortable with them.

And so as much as this was not the best place for him to be, we

concluded that you have to also remember He chose to be there.

You're familiar with the flesh enough to understand that in

order to overcome temptation, you have to avoid compromising

conversations, seducing situations, any opportunity for

the flesh to flare up. We have been given the

responsibility to be very aware of what we are doing, cautiously

or even accidentally that might position us to be weak.

Peter was not in the right place yet.

We also know that despite your efforts to try to exterminate

any external influences, it does not completely delete the

possibility of temptation harassing you.

Stick a man on an island with no computer, no iPhones, no people,

he'll still no temptation. Why?

Because this flesh, this is heart.

And that may make you feel hopeless, but it shouldn't.

It shouldn't because there is a promise that God has given us.

And I rate this promise as probably one of the greatest in

all of Scripture. This is one of those that I I

would encourage you to actually memorize.

It's not a difficult verse, but does it really help?

Is it useful to wield as you are facing temptation of any kind?

It's what Paul said in First Corinthians 10/13.

And he says so gloriously, no temptation has overtaken you.

That is not common to man. God is faithful and He will not

let you be tempted beyond your own ability, but with the

temptation He will what provide a way of escape that you may be

able to endure it. I'm tempted to just memorize

that with you right now and call it a day today.

Look at this verse again. You understand its implications.

No temptation has overtaken. That is not common to man 1st,

no matter how extreme or unique your situation may be, we are

not allowed to ever excuse ourselves to give into it as

though nobody else ever experienced it.

No matter again, how personal. Maybe it's not unique.

Others have also experienced something similar.

But with that also, God promises each of us to never allow

temptation to become unbearable. Think about that.

There is not one temptation that can overtake you, and you come

out of it saying, I had no choice, not one.

No matter the nature of it, no matter how fierce it is, there

is not one single temptation. No matter how powerfully binding

it is, no matter how much we have given into into it, the

nature of the allurement and in God's grace promises us that it

might be, it might be intense, but it never overcomes.

There's not a single temptation that any of us cannot overcome.

That shouldn't make you sad. That should make you happy.

If you're not happy yet, this will make you happy.

With every temptation, big or small, God always provides an

exit. Not what He says, but with the

temptation, He will also provide the way of escape.

That way of escape may look different in every case, but one

thing is for certain, He makes a way for us to be able to resist

it. So there's no excuses.

So now we're humbled, but we're also excited.

Why? Because He He promises that in

His goodness, there's not one temptation that will swallow

you. Now you're able to resist it.

Why? Because He provides a path out.

I bring this up to you to not just remind you a promise, but

to actually show you how. In the verse that we read in

Mark 14, the Lord provided Peter a way out.

Go back to Mark 1468. Maybe you missed it.

But he denied it, saying I neither know nor understand what

you mean. And he went out into the gateway

and the rooster crowed. Now do you remember what Jesus

told Peter about the rooster crowing?

How many times with the rooster crowed before Peter denied him?

Three times? Twice.

Mark tells us though, as we just read, that the rooster crowed

once after Peter initially denied Jesus.

The rooster was going to crow a second time and Jesus

fulfillment is going to be realized.

But we see here that the rooster crowed once and I am fully

convinced that it was a gracious alarm for Peter to escape while

he could. It was supposed to awaken his

conscience. It was supposed to remind him

early on. It was supposed to trigger him

and cause him to remember what Christ had told him.

All if only Peter heard the first crow.

And in the same way that the Lord uses a crow to awaken

Peter, at least attempt He implements many things to get

our attention before we enter or we continue in sin.

Can I tell you one of the ways He does it?

You're experiencing it right now.

God's warnings listen. They can be through Roosters and

they can be through preachers. They don't guarantee that a

person would escape though. Do you know why?

Because the Bible told us that He will provide the way of

escape. Doesn't say He'll force you into

it. God provided it in His

Providence. With that rooster crowing once,

Peter wasn't listening. Are you listening?

Are you listening? God's warnings and His grace

come our way often to try to get us to run, to cancel, to change

before it gets worse, or before you even begin that dreadful

journey. I don't even think this is the

only way that God provided Peter a way of escape.

Turn with me to John. Let's see how John includes a

detail that no other gospel account provides in John 1815.

This is actually really interesting detail of this story

story. It says in John 1815, Simon

Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple.

Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with

Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

But Peter stood outside at the door.

So the other disciple who was known to the high priest went

out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door

and brought Peter in. There are no random inclusions

in the Bible, no random details. And So what some make of this

text is that they essentially applaud Peter.

Yes, fearful, but he was able to muster up the courage to at

least follow Jesus. Yeah, at a distance, but he was

still following Jesus. And he comes to this point now

where him and what most believe to be John.

They arrive at the courtyard. John, we're not told how has

this relationship with the high priest.

And so he has a relationship with the servants of the high

priest. So he was given, he was given

access. He was given a pass.

He walks in and he realizes quickly, oh, Peter, Peter

doesn't have the same access that I do.

So he goes to the servant girl at the door and convinces her

for him to get entrance. And why do they applaud Peter?

Because you find Peter here standing outside waiting at the

door. He, yes, he's fearful, but he he

still wants to find out what's happening to Christ.

And he was persistent even with obstacles.

Others would differ, others see it differently, and the reason

why is because what awaited Peter on the other side of that

door was not in his favor, especially because he was not

equipped spiritually to enter into such environment.

What happened right after Peter walked through that door?

Look at the next verse, John 1817.

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, You also are not

one of this man's disciples, are you?

He said I am not. It makes you wonder.

You might disagree. That's OK, if Peter not being

able to enter the door at first was a providential grace, one

that should have encouraged him to reconsider his choice and to

walk away from a dangerous scenario.

And sometimes one of the ways in which God provides a way of

escape is to redirect us providentially.

Delays, detours, dead ends, some sort of obstacle that would give

you the chance to pause and reflect.

Asking yourself, is what I'm about to do a court in

accordance to God's word? Is my conscience really clear on

this matter? I wish I can give you real life

scenarios because there are so many real life scenarios and

you've probably seen them and you've probably sat across a

table with others and as they explain their scenario, their

situation, you both identify how even God in his invisible hand

has made it a little bit difficult for that person before

they made a tragic mistake. And what do they do?

Like Peter, they chose not to listen.

They chose to ignore it. The Lord is merciful even as

we're being drawn from temptation to cause you to, to

stop in one way or another. And to think, am I about to do

something that I'm going to regret?

Temptation is conquerable. That's, that's good.

That's a good thing. That's a wonderful thing.

Let me give you the final point about temptation.

In our study today, we learned that temptation is ever present.

Temptation is conquerable. Lastly, temptation must lead us

to Christ. Let's read the rest of these

verses from 69. And the servant girl saw him and

began to say to the bystanders, This man is one of them.

But again he denied it. And after a little while the

bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them,

for you are a Galilean. But he began to invoke a curse

on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you

speak. And immediately the rooster

crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to

him before. The rooster crows twice, you

will deny me three times. And he broke down and wept in

the moment of temptation. You and I must remember Jesus.

You must recall God's promises. You have to believe that He

never sets you up to fail, but has provided every means

possible to prevail. And one of the things that has

helped me in this area, and I share it with you and hopefully

it'll help you early on in my Christian walk.

By the grace of God, he's helped me to see rejection of any kind

of temptation as an act of worship.

That has helped me tremendously. So that whatever the enticement

may be, it might be a selfish opportunity or a cheap

sensation. I look at that temptation as it

enters my mind, as it begins to pull on my senses.

And I say, Lord, I'm choosing to say no to this temptation

because I love you more than this.

And if I'm called the living sacrifice, then here I am as a

living sacrifice. I love you more than what this

will do for me, what this will make me feel like, what this

will do for my future. See it as an act of worship.

See your no as a fragrance before the throne.

And that's why the greatest secret to overcoming

illegitimate loves is to possess a stronger love for a greater

God. That's the greatest secret.

Not saying that if you succumb to temptation that you don't

love God. In fact, that's the point that I

want to bring up. What if you fail to resist

temptation? What if you ignore the way of

escape and give in? The charge is no different.

Remember Christ? Look at what happens to Peter

again, verse 72. And Peter remembered how Jesus

had said to him. Peter remembered when he

fulfilled the prediction of a severe sin.

It is good that we call the words of Christ, but it's also

good that it brought him to sorrow.

Don't feel bad for Peter as he's crying his eyes out.

Sin leads to agony, sin leads to pain, sin leads to shame, sin

leads to regret. And that is all good as long as

it leads you to repentance. You know where we should feel

bad for Peter is if he denied Christ and it didn't disturb

him. But you know what would have

been better for Peter is if he remembered more than just

Christ's warning. Look how specific the Bible is.

What did Peter remember? You remember when Jesus told him

before the rooster crows twice, You will deny me three times.

But that's not all that Jesus said.

That's not all that Jesus told him.

Jesus added certain things. So let me remind you in Luke 22,

we're wrapping this up very soon.

Luke 22, verse 31. I want you to see it with your

Luke 22:31

own eyes. A promise if you would.

Luke 2231 Simon Simon. Behold, Satan demanded to have

you, that he might sift you like wheat.

But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

So the Lord didn't just reveal Peter's massive failure.

He also spoke of the possibility of Him to turn back and be

restored. Do you see that?

And when you have turned again, and if you have given it to

temptation, you must remember the same.

He waits for you to turn back. Luke also adds another detail to

the story. Yes, it was the second time the

rooster crowing that alarmed him and brought him to that warning

earlier that night. But look, look down at Luke 22.

Look at verse 61. If you're there, something else

happens. And the Lord turned and looked

at Peter. Peter, remember the saying of

the Lord, how he had said to him before the rooster crows today

you will deny me three times. So what did Peter experience?

He experienced something with his ears, but he also

experienced something with his eyes.

I don't know what the scene looked like exactly, but I'm

sure it was tense. I'm sure it was somewhat loud.

I'm sure it was busy. But in the midst of all that, as

Jesus is on trial, as they're organizing themselves, Peter is

there having a separate conversation.

He denies Jesus three times. The rooster crows, and at some

point he looks over Jesus, turns, and with laser beam

focus, plants them on Peter. Peter sees it, and it crushes

him. I remember when this verse was

first opened to me and I sat back and I thought to myself,

what did Peter see in those eyes?

What did it mean that Jesus turned?

And what are we to make of that? Well, I think one thing that

we're supposed to take from that is that Jesus was aware.

Jesus was aware of Peter's temptation and Jesus was aware

of Peter giving into that temptation.

That's no different for us, that when we are wrestling with

temptation and when we are living in sin, Jesus sees it.

He sees it. Nobody else may see it.

Jesus sees it. But it's more than just Jesus

being aware. I believe when you look at the

context, you realize that what Peter saw in those eyes was

something that melted him because there was compassion

oozing out of those eyes saying, how did you come to that

conclusion? Well, keep in mind that Jesus is

about to do what he came to do. In the world and for the world,

die, for humanity, sin, this is it.

We're reaching the climax of that, right?

He's about to be nailed to a tree, buried, and he's about to

conquer the grave through his resurrection.

Nothing can interfere or interrupt that.

Peter sees Jesus, he's so overcome by a mixture of

feelings and he takes off and he weeps.

And you don't see Peter and Jesus sharing any interaction

until the resurrection. And I've been sharing what I'm

about to share with you. I've been sharing this on more

than one occasion lately and I hope it helps you.

Revisiting it over and over for me has definitely helped me.

So again, the last interaction that we have between Peter and

Jesus before Jesus goes into that tomb and defeats death, is

this. What's the next time that these

two interact? It's in Luke.

Go to Luke 24 as we conclude and look at verse 13, Luke 2413.

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus,

about 7 miles from Jerusalem. We know the story very well.

This is when Jesus comes to those two and He gives them the

greatest Old Testament Bible study that we'll never know

about, and he restores their faith and he opens their eyes to

realize that he is indeed alive. But it's those few words that

move me. The first three, that very day.

What very day? Well, the context tells us that

it was the very day of his resurrection.

So on the first day of his resurrection where he appeared

in a span of 40 days, explaining the things of the Kingdom of God

to his disciples on the first day he appears, yes, to these

two, but not just to these two. After these two opened their

eyes at least were granted that miracle.

Luke 2433, something happens and they rose that same hour and

returned to Jerusalem and they found the 11 and those who are

with them gathered together saying the Lord has risen indeed

and has appeared to Simon. So it wasn't just the Bible

study through the Old Testament that's concealed to us.

Somehow these two experienced Christ on the first day of Jesus

resurrection. We're informed that Jesus also

met with Simon, who's Simon Peter.

What do you think Jesus did when he appeared to Simon?

Do you think he scolded him? Do you think he slapped him

behind the head? What do you think he did?

Well, when you consider Jesus interacting with Peter in John

21, where that is Peter's public restoration, you know what

Christ's heart was? It was to restore him.

It was to reassure him. It was to comfort him.

It was to heal him with his love.

You know what I find so amazing? We're told that he appeared to

Simon on that very day, but we're told nothing about it.

It was intimate. It was private.

This is the heart of Christ. On the first day of his

resurrection, He made it a priority to restore Peter.

That's his heart. You know how we might forgive

people and restore people? We might, if we were in Jesus

shoes, wait till the end of the 40 days.

Let Peter simmer in that guilt a little bit longer.

Jesus doesn't do that. Shortly after that stone was

rolled away from the tomb, he saw it as a joyful duty to find

Peter at the right time and to have a one-on-one conversation

with him. Do you believe that about Jesus

when you fall into temptation that he's waiting to wash your

feet? He is.

Even if you're a pastor that has done wonderful things for the

Lord over decades and have failed majorly, Jesus waits.

He doesn't want a minute to go by before you come, broken and

shambles Even so that He can restore you.

Jesus waits regardless of the nature of your sin.

How embarrassing, no matter what kind of relationships you

shattered through it. I'm not here to give you some

practical counseling advice of what to do from a human to human

standpoint when it comes to sin. I'm here to just focus on Jesus

Christ and your walk with Him. Jesus Christ is eager to heal

you and restore you. Temptation is ever present, so

may our awareness of God and our all of Him be the same.

Temptation is conquerable. I refuse to give into the

popular opinion that we're just all going to struggle for the

rest of our lives. So live in sin and just wait

till you get to heaven. Will we be tempted?

Absolutely. Can we know victory over sin?

Yes, that's the gospel. I'm in that camp.

Why am I in that camp? Because that's what the Bible

says. So what we're not going to talk

about week after week is, oh, you're in sin, it's OK.

Just live and said no, it's not OK.

God's not happy with that. And he provided the means and

the spiritual blessings and riches for us to know victory,

to be able to say no to temptation.

Sinless perfectionism, also an error.

You got a crowd of people who believe every time you sin, you

lose your salvation. What kind of salvation is that?

No, no, I'm trying to tell you that you can know joy and

victory. You can know things that have

once clutched you and kept you in bondage, and Christ can

actually set you feet free. It's not theoretical.

This is reality. It can happen.

So no matter what the bondage is, I don't care how many years,

I don't care how generational it is.

Christ can redeem you, He can set you free.

That's the power of the gospel. Thankful there's Amens here.

Praise God if you say there's some people that look at you

like you're an alien. Lastly, temptation must lead us

to Christ. While you're in it, while you

feel like it's rising up to your neck, you, you remember Jesus.

You, you cry out to him. And as I heard from a faithful

professor in seminary, learn to take your temptation and make it

into a conversation with God. And even as you fall, remember

Jesus. He's waiting for you.

Maybe you're in sin right now as I'm talking.

If you're overcome with shame and embarrassment to the degree

that you don't want to show yourself to church or before the

Lord, you're not hearing this message right.

You're supposed to be drawn to Him.

He is just as eager to wash you as He did when He initially

bathed you in His salvation. Do you believe that?

Oh, I hope you do. Let's pray.

Lord, we know that there are so many other things that could be

said. Perhaps there are still

questions in people's minds. But Lord, we trust that what was

shared has accomplished the goal of realizing that temptation is

something that we all wrestle with.

But you've given us answers to be stronger with it, to be

joyful about it, because you have given us what we need to to

be victorious. And Lord, in your grace, you've

even reserved joy in our failure, not to live in that

failure, but to know that there is hope.

There's hope for broken marriages here.

There's hope for a way we're children who have disgraced more

than just their family name, but the name of Christ.

There's hope for those who are addicted.

There's hope in you. Thank you, Lord, that you don't

give up on us. And Lord, though there are

consequences to sin, people lose ministries, maybe even respect.

Your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our

thoughts. You're much more compassionate

and forgiving than we are. Help us believe that.

So Lord, like Peter, we sit here and we melt in your mercy.

And Lord, if this message served as a rooster crow, as a

providential nudge for anybody who might be enduring something,

may they heed and may they answer.

Lord, we trust you today. We trust that this was what You

wanted to say on this Lord's Day, and we give you thanks for

it. May we leave here with our

hearts more convinced of your love, more convinced that you

have prepared us for a journey that can no true victory.

Your word was spoken, it was received.

But Lord, the power for these things to be made real can only

come from You. So we ask that you would do that

because only you can. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Let's stand.