The Singing Savior & His Scattered Sheep | Mark 14:26-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

I invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of Mark in chapter

14, beginning in verse 26. Mark 1426 and the passage will

end at verse 31. 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 all 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. Lord, help us understand this

passage. Give us your help.

We need you and we believe you in Jesus name, Amen.

My prayer is really simple. My prayer for our time together

is that the explanations and the applications of this very text

that we just read would do one thing.

It would awaken the eyes of our hearts to the splendor of the

Savior. I hope that if anything moves

you today, it will be a refined understanding of the nature of

the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, my prayer is that each of

us here would be fixated on Him, fixated by his fascinating

fortitude, his unbreakable love, his breathtaking loyalty.

And the stage that is set to display His glory remains in

that upper room, the same room where Jesus and his.

Disciples honor the Passover. Where the Lord discussed his

betrayer while eating with him, and where Christ instituted the

Lord's Supper for His church. So much has happened already in

one evening, and yet there's still more to discover.

And I want us to explore those things by the Spirit's help.

Again, my agenda with this message is by the grace of God.

It's to reveal the heart of Jesus.

To you and his heart for you. I mean, just providentially,

these songs that we're singing are just praising God that so

much on Christ, so much on his love, so much on his nature.

Yes, we do that weekly, but I feel as though the songs that

were chosen for this time fits perfectly with what we're going

to see in the Lord today. So where shall we begin?

Where we started? Let's meditate on verse 12 for a

brief time. Again, it says here, and when

they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Be honest, how many of us would just brush over a verse like

that? We would simply deem it as a

transition, but it's not. It pulls us to meditate.

It draws us into consider what's happening here.

Do you realize that this is the only place in all the Gospels

that we're told Jesus sang? And more than singing, we have

two actions here that offer powerful thoughts, each offering

profound insight. So you have to understand that

as the Lord here and his disciples are concluding the

Passover celebration, they chose to pause and do what we tend to

do when we end any service as we gather together and sing and

sing. And it's likely that the Lord

who has been delegating and directing this whole meal also

at this time conducted this intimate doxology.

He was the one behind it. Can you imagine it?

Jesus singing? Think about it.

You know what thought came to my mind when I was meditating on

it? What did his voice sound like?

How strong was it? What kind of emotion did he have

as he sang those stanzas and those verses?

What kind of? Focus did he have?

Did it carry the same authority as he had when he preached, only

left to imagine? And additionally, I thought,

what did they sing? It says here generally that the

saying of hymn. But what hymn the Spirit doesn't

tell us. But we may have a hint from the

Jewish Talmud, which is a collection of writings that were

brought together by rabbinical teachings around the 1st

century. And in that set of documents

we're told how some of the Jews, the time of Christ, would have

celebrated these feast, these Old Testament feast.

And there is a set of Homs called the halal psalms, Halal

being the same word that we have in Hallelujah, praise in Hebrew.

And those psalms are grouped by Psalm 113 to Psalm 118.

And it is believed that throughout, specifically the

Passover, those psalms would be sung throughout the evening.

And the last Psalm, the concluding Psalm, would have

been Psalm 118, which is very likely what Mark referred to

when he said that Jesus and his disciples sang to him.

Is it for certain? No, because it's not in

Scripture. But you know what is certain?

Maybe not what he's saying, but when he sang it.

When he sang it, which is just as profound.

What's the context? Jesus Christ chose to lift up

his voice with a melody right after revealing that he was

going to be betrayed from one of the 12.

And even right before he tells his own disciples that they're

all going to abandon him. That is when Jesus Christ chose

to lift up worship to the Lord with a tune.

And you have to be aware of of believing that when Jesus Christ

made predictions or declared prophetic insights that he did

so with unfeeling manifestations of omniscience.

When Christ spoke about His betrayer, don't think He did so

mechanically. When Christ understood that His

disciples were going to run away from him, don't think that He

did so without emotion. And if you doubt that for any

reason, go to the Gospel of John.

Look at one verse that will dispel any misconception about

Christ's heart, His humanity in this moment.

In verse 21 of John 13, listen to how the Holy Spirit pens it

from John's perspective. After saying these things, Jesus

was troubled in His Spirit and testify truly, truly.

I say to you, one of you will betray me.

He was disturbed with that reality.

Oh, he knew it, the scriptures foretold it, but it didn't

cancel out the pain with it. He was troubled in His spirit as

he shared these things, and though troubled in His spirit,

he sang. Still, though distressed, he

mustered up the strength to give this truth in song to God and

before His people. Why couldn't He have concluded

the evening because of the heaviness of His heart with no

song and just move on to the Mount of Olives?

He could have, but why didn't He not?

Because of mere custom. The Lord Jesus never did

anything out of mere formality. Never.

He did it because of why He did everything.

The Father was worthy of it. He sought to glorify the Father

in every way, including this way.

You know, the book of Hebrews tells us that we are to offer up

to God continually, a sacrifice of praise.

A sacrifice of praise. That's for us.

What language? Sacrifice of praise.

And then He describes what that sacrifice looks like.

That is the fruit of the lips which acknowledge His name.

So praise isn't internal. It should come from the inside,

but it manifests outwardly. It manifests with a sound.

And according to God, when you and I choose to praise, even

when it feels like a sacrifice, that is a pleasing aroma to God,

that moves God, that honors God, that glorifies God.

See, what we did here wasn't just the appetizer for the Word

of God. What we just did in the past 30

minutes was worship. It was pleasing to God, both

insight and sound. And here's the Lord Jesus Christ

modeling this for us. Despite the distress and His

soul, He gave to the Father words that blessed him and even

blessed His people. Now hypothetically, if Jesus did

sing Psalm 118, I don't know what parts of it he's saying.

I don't know if it was the entire thing, but I just love to

imagine Him singing these particular verses.

After learning He was troubled in spirit, knowing what's ahead

of Him, He was still able to posture himself in such a way to

give God such honor. Would you like to see it with

me? Go to Psalm 118.

Look at the first few verses and with everything that you just

heard, imagine the Son of God in flesh in that upper room, hours

away from his arrest, betrayal, torture, and him being able to

do and say this in Psalm 118 verse one.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast

love endures forever. Let Israel say his steadfast

love endures forever. Let the House of Aaron say his

steadfast love endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord say

his steadfast love endures forever.

You're singing that in light of the fact that in a few moments

you're going to be beaten and bruised, where the Father is

going to turn his face away with those who have claimed

allegiance to you will leave you to yourself.

You're, you're going to be able to say his steadfast love

endures forever. That's what a sacrifice of

praise looks like. It's you being able to sing

these truths, whether or not you're experiencing them in the

moment, whether or not you believe them necessarily with

your circumstances. It's saying that this truth is

truth. Whether or not my flesh is in

total agreement. I know in my heart, I know

because this is God's word, that these things are true of Him,

whether or not the circumstances are favorable.

But singing also has a secondary effect.

Not only does it produce a savoring thing unto God, it

strengthens you and I does it not?

That is a unique way when you lift up your voice of, of

engaging and gathering and stirring every part of you to

face the truth, to entertain the truth, to exercise truth and

every faculty of your being. When you and I sing it, it, it

emboldens us, it comforts us, it builds us, it refreshes us, it

helps us to remember, and essentially it draws out

something from you that other ways and mediums can't.

God designed singing to do that for you.

Remember what John said, that Jesus was troubled in His

spirit. Now I wonder if in His humanity,

when Christ sang certain verses of Psalm 118, that it quieted

His soul. Imagine verses like this.

Look at verse five of Psalm 118. Out of my distress, I called on

the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me

free. Now look at this.

He's going to be betrayed. Do you understand that?

He's going to be abandoned. Look at verse six.

The Lord is on my side. I will not fear.

What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my

helper. I shall look and triumph on

those who hate me. Yes, that is true.

So what can you learn from the first part of verse 12 in your

suffering? Sing.

Because when you choose to do that, even if it's a sacrifice.

It will strengthen you, it will supply a grace for you to to

know an endurance and longevity as you serve him, even when it's

extremely difficult to do so. But it's not the second movement

of that verse of verse 26. And when they had sung in hymn,

the second thing is they went out to the Mount of Olives.

They went out to the Mount of Olives, and that's interesting

to me because they were celebrating the Passover.

Their instructions, many detailed instructions about how

one ought to celebrate the Passover, including where each

faithful Israelite ought to be as they observed it.

So turn to Exodus 12 and look at verse 22 and you'll see what I

mean. And with this as a background

insight and make you question why Jesus and the disciples made

this transition, Exodus 12, verse 22.

Exodus 12:22

Moses and the Israelites were told that the inauguration of

this feast take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood

that is in the basin and touch the lentil and the two doorposts

and the blood that is in the basin.

And look at this. None of you shall go out of the

door of His house until the morning.

So when you observe the Passover as Jesus and the disciples did,

part of that celebration is that you would remain indoors until

the morning. Well, we know from the gospel is

that when Jesus left to the Mount of Olives with the

disciples, it was still at night.

So why did they leave? Well, a simple answer could be

well, they didn't honor every single detail of the

instructions of the Passover. I'm not too comfortable with

that. I believe Jesus is doing this

intentionally, and he's doing this symbolically because what

happened in Exodus 12, if you left the protective canopy of

the blood that was smeared at your door, the first born of

your family would die. And so you were called to

refrain and trust and wait for the Angel of death to Passover

and that you would be spared, especially the first born.

So to leave the house would be to walking into your death

because of unbelief. And here Christ, hundreds of

years later, chooses to walk out.

To walk out symbolizing what? Christ is not hiding from death.

He's embracing it. He's walking out to it.

He's ready to be struck. That's what we read later,

right? That the shepherd will be

struck. And here's Christ symbolizing

that act, ready to go out. And to do what?

To institute a new exodus. Remember when the original

Passover was observed? It preceded them escaping Egypt

and going into the Promised Land.

And when did Jesus choose to establish the Lord's Supper?

The eve before another exodus. Not a deliverance from the

slavery of a country or a tyrant, but of sin and death.

So Christ here is establishing a new exodus.

He's bringing about a new deliverance through his death.

And so he is walking straight into the mouth of the grave with

No Fear, no hesitation, no second thought.

So they went out to the Mount of Olives.

And on their way to the Mount of Olives, in verse 27, Jesus said

to his disciples, you will all fall away.

For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will

be scattered. So this is more devastating

news. He just finished telling that

one of you, one of the 12, is going to betray me.

And now he says, you know what? Actually, all of you are going

to fall away. Now.

He's not speaking about the same level of treachery.

Judas would be a permanent abandonment for these other

eleven. It would be momentary.

They would fail because of the lack of courage, though they

would be restored. But just like Judas, the fearful

desertion of the disciples was predicted by the prophets.

Remember we learned that Judas and what he would do to Christ

was told in the Hebrew Scriptures.

And now Christ opens our eyes even again and more and he says,

actually, even you abandoned me. That's been that's been written.

And he quotes Zechariah 13 seven.

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

Now be careful how you interpret this, because some might, as

they think about passages like this, come to the conclusion

that you know this might be unfair then for for God to

predict something and then for the disciples to be held

responsible for it. How do we make sense of that?

If if the disciples walking away from Christ, as the argument

goes, has been determined, so to speak, then how can these

disciples be blamed for their lack of faith and boldness and

devotion? And here's a simple way of

answering this. I know some people would answer

it differently, but this is what I believe is the answer.

You cannot confuse God's foreknowledge with His

determinism. For God to predict something

does not always mean He orchestrated the event in order

for it to be realized. That is especially important

when you realize God Speaking of something concerning man's

sinful ways. For God to say this will take

place and it deals with something evil in nature does

not mean His prediction was also his production, lest he become

blamed and responsible for the very thing that He said would

take place. There are some things that He

says and He is behind for it to be accomplished.

There are other things that he says and it's purely his

knowledge of what is going to transpire and for these

disciples to scatter from the shepherd who would be struck is

fully on them. It's just been foretold by the

Spirit of God showcasing His omniscience.

But I want to spend less time on that and more time on what this

verse is all about that he quotes because Jesus only quotes

the second part of it. And so when you look at

Zechariah 13-7, you see that there's a more complete thought.

And it is astounding when you take the time to look at it and

to ruminate over the jewels that it presents.

Listen to what it says in Zechariah 13, seven.

Jesus quotes the second part, but here's the first part.

Awake, O sword against my shepherd, against the man who

stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts.

Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.

I will turn my hand against the little ones.

So Jesus looks at his disciples. He goes, you're about to walk

into what Zechariah said would happen, and he identifies

himself as the shepherd that would be struck in Zechariah,

and he identifies them as the. Sheep that will be scattered.

But reel back and consider the wider implication.

Who's the one speaking in Zechariah 13, Seven, We're told

here the Lord of hosts. So it's God Almighty who is

saying awake, O sword against my shepherd, against the man who

stands next to me. He's not speaking about a

literal sword. This is metaphorical for justice

being applied, divine justice being activated.

And so to understand this as God being the speaker and the

initiator in this case means that the Father was the one

behind through the hands of evil men, the Son being slain and the

Son joyfully working with the Father to see that that would be

accomplished. Do you know why that's

important? Do you know why it's important

for God to be the one to say, awake, O sword against my

shepherd? Because Jesus was not as

helpless victim. Jesus was not spontaneously and

surprisingly overtaken by the wrath of his enemies.

No, Jesus was strategically and submissively given over to the

wrath of God, the wrath of God. There are people out there who

believe that when Jesus died, he was not the object of God's

wrath. There are people believe that

because they think that's cruel, they think that's brutal.

They believe that's unloving. He did die, but there was a

different reason why he died. He did surrender his life, but

it was separate from the Father's activity.

This was a a willing death on his part to do a cleansing work,

separate from God's feeling towards the sin upon him.

There are people who believe that.

We don't believe that. And if you want to prove text

that would reject such a notion, Zechariah 13 Seven is massive

because it's God who says awake O sword.

Against my Shepherd. This is me demonstrating my

justice against my Shepherd. But there's something else here

to consider. You can't afford to miss the

detailed description of who the Shepherd is.

Look at it again, Zechariah 13 Seven awake, O sword, against my

shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the

Lord of Hosts. So if you have a new King James,

it would read against the man, against my companion with a

capital C. If you have the NASB, it would

say against the man, against my associate.

You have the King James, it would say against the man,

against my fellow. Whatever faithful translation

you hold, the original Hebrew word speaks of a close neighbor

and outside of Zechariah 13, seven, it is only used in the

book of Leviticus over and over again to express or explain one

who is close in proximity, a fellow neighbor here or there.

And yet the Lord of hosts says of this shepherd in the ESV, one

who stands next to me, this is who the shepherd is.

So you understand the implications of this, right?

The shepherd is a close confidant to the Lord.

He is a nearby friend. What the Lord is saying here is

that we share in our interest, in our affections, in our

fellowship, and even in our nature.

So there's a clear clue here that whoever the shepherd is,

he's otherworldly. But he's not just otherworldly,

because what did he say before him?

Saying that he stands next to me against who?

The man. So his origins are otherworldly,

and yet at the same time he is a man.

And so here again, you and I have more evidence about the

prophesied dual nature of Jesus Christ.

He stands next to the Lord of hosts, but he's also a man.

And more than that, here we read that he is referred to as my

shepherd. So he's not a random man.

He's a man who's been appointed by the Lord of hosts to be sent

into the world to save lost sheep.

And this one who is close to the Lord, but also a man who's been

appointed as a shepherd to save lost sheep, would save them how?

By being struck by the sword of the Lord of the hosts.

So you have gospel right here in Zechariah 13, seven.

Us believing that God became flesh is not a New Testament

idea. It's been prophesied hundreds of

years before, and Christ fulfilled those prophecies

perfectly. And if you are a person who has

trouble believing in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, then

you have to take it up with him because back in our main text,

he identifies himself as this shepherd from Zechariah.

He's the one who's saying I'm that shepherd who will be

struck. And when you go to Zechariah 13,

you realize that the Lord says he's a man, but he's also close

to me, near me, my companion, my associate.

Jesus Christ is the God man and he believed that and he

proclaimed that. But he says something in verse

28. He says, But after I am raised

up, I will go before you to Galilee.

So he doesn't finish there. He tells his disciples of his

impending death and their swift desertion, but he also comforts

them with two thoughts. He comforts them with two

points. The first one deals with his

resurrection. He says one and 28.

But after I am raised that what a gloriously triumphant

statement. I'm going to be struck.

I'm going to be abandoned, but I'm getting out of that grave.

I will be raised up. So as much as he was looking

forward to his death, he knew what was coming on the other

side. He was going to be resurrected.

And he's telling his disciples, listen, I'm going to be raised

and we can spend the rest of the message talking about that.

But I want to focus on the second comforting thought.

The first one deals with His resurrection.

I will be raised. But the second part deals with

His reunion. Look again.

What does He say? I will go before you to Galilee.

I'm going to meet you in Galilee after I'm raised.

You know what happened in Galilee?

You don't have to turn there, but you read it on your own in

Matthew 28. That's where Jesus issued the

great. Commission in Galilee.

So what is Christ saying about his own?

He's telling them I'm planning to be reunited with you after

when? My resurrection, even before

that, after your betrayal, after you walk away from me, I want to

let you know that I'm planning to meet with you.

I'm planning. To fellowship with you.

And I'm planning to use you. Inconceivable.

Well, that's Christ. The point of what Jesus saying

in this brief verse is so profound.

He's aware more than you are of your frailty.

You know, he tells his disciples, you're going to all

walk away from me. And they couldn't believe it.

They couldn't even register and understand how they can do that

to Christ. Christ knew them more than they

knew themselves. And though he knows the depths

of your weakness, of your potential airings, you know

what? Jesus shows them, I still desire

to be associated with you. I still desire to fellowship

with you. I still desire to have a future

with you. You know what happens when you

and I become aware of other people's imperfections?

Can I tell you I'm no prophet, nor am IA son of a prophet.

I just know human nature because I'm a human.

When we discover people's weaknesses, we distance

ourselves from them. That's not Christ.

You know what Christ does? He wants you to draw nearer to

Him with your weakness. How different is He from us?

And we see here that this is the heart of your Lord and mine.

He knows they're going to betray him, and he wants to meet them

in Galilee. Why?

So he can slap them up a little bit.

No, He commissions them to do a work.

And this is so difficult for us to grasp as it was for the

disciples to grasp. Do you know how I know that?

Because Jesus repeats himself to the disciples even after he

resurrects. Listen, look, verse 28.

You know what verse 28 is useful for in terms of application?

Praying against what the disciples operated in in

response to Jesus truth because why?

He tells I'm going to be resurrected again.

And guess what? They didn't believe it because

I'll be raised up. And what they did, they stuffed

themselves in a room and locked the door.

Did they just not believe in his resurrect?

No, they also didn't believe in the fact that he wanted to

reunite with them. Let me show you how you're in

Mark, I hope. Go to Mark 16.

This is the last chapter of our study in Mark.

And notice what Jesus says to the woman who came to the tomb

so that they can relay the message to the frightened

apostles in Mark 16, verse 6. And he said to them, do not be

Mark 16:6

alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who

was crucified. He has risen.

He is not here. See the place where they laid

him. So what did Jesus say back in

Mark? He says I'm going to be raised

up. And he tells some of the ladies

there, the sisters, He's not here, He's risen.

But notice the next part in verse 7.

But go tell his disciples and Peter that He is going before

you to Galilee. There you will see Him just as

He told you. You know what I take out of

this? Here's what I take out of this,

that if there's any missed message that is difficult for

disciples of Jesus to grasp, it is the wonderful truth that

Christ longs to be reconciled with us after you fail him.

They had difficulty grasping it. And boys stick around the church

long enough with genuine believers, and genuine believers

have a difficulty understanding it.

You're telling me that after I messed up in this colossal way

or in a series of way, that this Christ that I pledge my

allegiance to wants to still deal with me and use me and

reveal himself to me? Yes.

That's why we read the Word of God.

That's why we're in Mark, so we can know what the heart of

Christ is like. And we see here that this is for

us, that like these disciples, you and I have to rehearse that

truth over and over until it's trusted, until it's really

trusted. That's the heart of my Jesus for

me. Now, I'm aware that there will

be some who will distort this truth and use it as a proof text

to convince themselves. So listen up.

If this is you, that would use a proof text like this to try to

convince themselves and others that you know, God will accept

you as as you are. Meaning you can live and sin all

you want consciously and the Lord will just gush over you.

Well, there is one crucial aspect of the Lord's gracious

instructions here that cannot be overlooked.

It's not in Mark, it's in Luke's account.

When Luke talks about the betrayal of the disciples, he

focuses in on Peter. And notice what the Lord told

Peter as he was speaking in the presence of the other disciples.

And Luke 22, verse 31 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to

Luke 22:31

have you, that he might sift you like wheat.

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

I can't wait for the day that as a church we'll talk about Jesus

intercessory ministry because he died, he was buried, he rose

again and we we think now that Jesus is just waiting in heaven

for the world to get really bad so he can come back.

No, Jesus Christ has been working since he rose and

ascended. He is praying for us,

interceding for us every single moment of your life and mine.

He tells Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith may not

fail. Notice what he says in the last

part. And when you have turned again,

strengthen your brothers. You see that crucial part?

I know you're going to fail me, Peter.

Not just you, but all of these guys are going to fail me.

But I'm going to wait for you in Galilee.

I have a wonderful plan for you with this contingency when you

have turned again. So should I believe that the

Lord is willing to deal with me even in my disobedience, Walk

with me, love me, promise things to me amazingly, yes, as long as

you do your part. What's your part?

Live repentantly before him. It's not necessarily the absence

or presence of sin. It's what you do with that sin.

And if you like Peter? Even in denying Christ more than

once choose to turn back again to Him, which Judas failed to

do. Christ is always waiting with

open arms. So this truth that I hope is a

balm to the hearts of believers who love the Lord but know that

they are greatly able to fail Him, is not.

For those who would try to abuse his grace, there are other

prophecies in the Bible. For you, my friend, they're not

comforting, they're terrifying. But for the true Christian, know

that this is your inheritance. He loves you, He desires you,

even on the other side of you, falling on your face and

disappointing Him over and over again.

How does Peter respond? Since we're talking about him,

he's going to become the focus of our concluding verses in Mark

1429. Peter said to him, even though

they all fall away, I will not. Oh boy.

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, you know what's amazing?

The word emphatically there is only found in Mark.

You won't find it in the other Gospel accounts.

And you remember how we opened up Mark, right?

We came to the conclusion that Mark wrote this under the

guidance and the inside of the apostle Peter.

And there's so many internal clues of how Peter was really

the author behind Mark's writings here.

And I think this is one of them, because in the other Gospel

accounts it says Peter said. But here we have the emotion

behind it, emphatically said with passion, and it just makes

me wonder if Peter. Brought that to Mark's

attention. He's like, make sure that when

you write this that I had every intention, that my emotions were

wrapped up behind my response. I emphatically said it.

And amazing how surgically precise the Bible is.

But he said emphatically, like it bothered him.

It caused his blood to boil, in a sense.

If I must die with you, I will not deny you.

And that passion must have been contagious, because it says here

and they all said the same Peter.

Peter had a way of leading people, whether he knew it or

not. Many years ago I preached the

message on several occasions called the stages of

backsliding. You can still find that message

online. And the essence of that teaching

was to examine Peter's actions and attitudes leading up to his

denial of Christ. And how they reflect the same

pitfalls that Christians encounter before finding

themselves in a perilous spiritual condition.

And if you want to listen to that message in its entirety,

you can. But if you want a little

preview, what Peter does here is stage one for many people as

they slip into a vulnerable and unpleasant spiritual state.

You know what that is? Here's stage 1 overconfidence.

Jesus didn't ask the disciples if they were going to fall away.

Jesus told them they were going to fall away.

Like it's going to happen. And the way that this man

answers him reveals that he is. Rejecting what the Lord said

would happen and Peter's response should not be

misinterpreted as fiery fidelity, right?

He's not saying like I. He's saying this in pride and if

you doubt that, then see how he actually compares himself to the

other disciples. What does he say in verse 29?

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

Is that inspirational to you? No, that stinks with arrogance.

He didn't do that privately by the way.

He did that in front of the disciples.

So Jesus, you're all going to fall away and he goes, they

might, not me. So you just got to think a

little bit and consider what these implications are when

people use these certain words and how they're saying it.

What should have been Peter's response?

I believe there should have been a humble admission and inquiry

about the possibility of him failing the master.

But there's no evidence of that. There's no probing, there's no

brokenness, there's no investigation, there's no

examination. Just not me.

Not me. And we see here that Peter is

essentially declaring that it is not possible for anything or

anyone to derail his devotion to Christ.

And when you have that kind of a heart posture.

It will eventually encourage you to indirectly challenge some of

the warnings in the Bible about your flesh.

Because you are now beginning to believe that they don't apply to

you. And over time, when you don't

acknowledge what the Bible says about your flesh, you will fail

to invest in the holy boundaries and disciplines that are meant

to guard you and protect you from the very things that you

think won't affect you. And that is exactly what happens

to Peter. So he says to Jesus

emphatically, I'm not. And what happens after this?

Jesus calls him and two other disciples to pray with him in

the garden at a very critical juncture.

How did Peter end up doing there?

He falls asleep. Jesus wakes him up and says,

watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.

And the very thing that Peter said wouldn't happen to him,

happened to him because prayerlessness.

Is the following stage in backsliding?

If you don't believe that you're able to walk away or fail in

certain areas, certain sins, then you won't make this

necessary measures and create the spiritual reinforcement in

the disciplines that God has given us to stay strong.

That's exactly what happens to Peter.

And he drifts. And as he drifts, he confirms to

us we're backsliding begins. Do you know where reverting to

old sinful way starts? Where it started For Peter in

the heart. In the heart doesn't just

appear, it's in seed form and then it is nourished indirectly.

Can I prove that to you? It's in Proverbs 1414.

The Bible says the backslider in heart, the backslider in heart

will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

It starts in your heart, starts in what you believe about God,

what you believe about his Word, what you believe about yourself.

That's where all the trouble begins.

And in Peter's situation, his heart was calloused by

overconfidence, and that overconfidence blinded him from

seeing the urgency of this moment.

So he doesn't pray. Oh, let me say this in love.

I'm not talking about momentary times or some days where you

don't pray. I'm talking about a lifestyle,

prayerlessness. Many people, when they realize

that they've come to a point of backsliding, acknowledge it far

too late. Many people have been

backsliding, they just haven't been realizing it.

When I fail to come to the Lord in an awareness of my neediness

of Him to sustain me and to strengthen me, when that's gone,

you're at a stage that you don't want to be at.

And if you begin to think, well, this won't affect me, you're

falling into the same trap that Peter did.

So what's the appropriate response to what Peter does

here? Is it to simply admit as a

church all right, we're all going to fail him eventually,

Then sing a couple songs, half heartedly, hang our heads low,

and then go and have a picnic and try to forget about the

conviction we felt? I don't believe so.

I believe that the appropriate response is to do what Peter

didn't do and that is so wholeheartedly acknowledge our

need for Christ and then to seek Him for what he's able to

supply. As I kicked back and meditated

on all the wonderful promises of the sustaining mercies of God,

this particular text, and it's our closing one, came to mind.

And I present it to you with the hope that it will energize you

in the way that it energized me. Jude 24.

Do you know that verse? Listen to it now, to Him who is

able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless

before the presence of His glory with great joy.

Who's the source of a stumble free life?

Who's the source of evaporating any concern?

What will I, what will become of my faith in the future?

I love. I know I love the Lord, and I

know I'm serving the Lord and I know I'm honoring the Lord.

But what will become of me 10 years from now?

What will become of me when things get really ugly in

America? What will become of me?

Look at you, 24 now. To Him, He's your source who is

able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless.

Are we blameless before God? Yes, because of what Christ has

done. But practical blameless is also

available and possible for us as you realize that He's the source

of it. He's able to keep me, not me.

Peter thought I was in him. I'm able, I, I, I not.

Lord, keep me from doing this against you.

That wasn't His heart, it was me, but it's him.

So here's how I end. How do you draw from that

source? If he is the source, how do I

draw from it? Is it separate from any action

on my part? No, there is something on your

part yet it's so simple. So he says in June 24, not to

him was able to keep you from stumbling.

I want that Peter didn't have the wrong desire and wanting

that. His problem was he looked to the

wrong source and realizing it. I want to never ever hurt my

master. And I hope that's your heart cry

as well. So how do I draw from the power

the only can come from him? Look at Jude 20.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in the most holy

faith. And praying in the Holy Spirit.

Keep. Yourselves in the love of God,

waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to

eternal life, praying in the Holy Spirit.

That's what I want you to see. This is the exact opposite of

what Peter did. Peter saw the source of his

strength in himself, and he failed to pray and to receive

the grace to endure the temptations that were coming

that night. And Jude tells us he's able to

keep you from stumbling, but you have to keep yourselves in the

love of God. And one of the ways in which you

keep yourself in the love of God is that you pray in the Holy

Spirit. How do I pray in the Holy

Spirit? You know the mind of God.

You know the promise of God, the warnings of God, and you

translate that in prayer. And you ask him, Lord, let these

things be true of me, Let these things be real in me, and He

will keep you from stumbling. Lord, we ask that in this

afternoon that would be true of each of us.

We. Pray, Lord, not with the

arrogant attitude that we're able to endure in our own power

and wisdom. We ask that this promise in June

24 would become our reality. Lord, I pray for those who

might, who might have struggled, believing that you're willing to

meet us in Galilee even after we've failed you miserably

again. May we see the heart of Christ

for us and for those who might be in another place.

For those who are in the web of deception, as Peter was at this

time, may you remove those webs from our thinking.

It may help us see that you're the source.

And. Then we draw from that source

through what we're doing right now.

Help us, help us. So Lord, at this time we choose

to sing to you no matter what we are experiencing, the prayers

that await to be answered, the pain that might be riddling

through our bodies. Even now.

We see Jesus as our example and we choose to give you a

sacrifice of praise because you're worthy of it and because

we know we will be strengthened by the truths that we joyfully

bring to you. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Let's stand together, shall we?

As a praise team comes. I wonder even if there is one

person here who might have heard this message and thought, what

does it take to be able to sing when it doesn't make sense to

sing and to trust when it doesn't make sense to trust?

How can I have that? And I think that there are many

answers to how that can be realized.

And I want to let you know that there is a passage in the book

of Job that informs us that God is the one who gives us songs in

the night. God is the one who gives us

songs in the night. And for you to know, the ability

to express faith and concrete confidence can only be realized

when you know God. If you don't know God, then you

won't be able to receive those songs in the night.

So I wonder even if there is one person here you've heard in the

past hour and a half through song and through preaching about

the wonders of Jesus Christ. And my question is, before we

conclude this meeting, is do you know Him?

Do you know Him? There are many questions that

people ask in life. The most important question is

who is Jesus Christ? And with it is do you know Him?

Do you know Him? If you don't know Christ, let me

briefly tell you who He is. He is God Almighty, who entered

into this world taking on flesh, not so that He can give this

world teachings and maximum proverbs and ideas for society

to thrive and harmonize. He came to die.

He came to die, and he came to die a death that would apply to

you and me and every other person in this world.

And the way that his death makes sense is when you understand

that the wages of sin is death. Why do we die in this world?

Why do your loved ones die? Why is there not one part of the

world where you can escape this thing called death, the

cessation of life? It's because we've all been

plagued with sin, and the consequence of that is that we

cease to live in our bodies. And then there's something

called the second death in which we are judged for all eternity

unless you put your faith in Christ.

When Christ died, he paid a price on your behalf.

He died so that you would not have to die, not not in this

life, but in the life to come. And death in this life is no

longer a fearful thing is it's really just a door for you to

enter into everlasting life. Christ transformed everything

when he died and the reason why he did is because he didn't stay

in the grave. He rose from the grave.

Do you know what it means? When Jesus rose from the grave,

when he was resurrected from the dead, that was God's Amen to

what he did on the cross. That was God saying, I approve.

This satisfied my justice, my wrath for humanity, sin.

Jesus Christ satisfied God's. Wrath.

And when you hear that as you heard it now, and you accept

that truth for yourself and believe on that truth, the

blessings associated with his death and resurrection are now

yours, and you receive that inheritance where death doesn't

have a sting anymore and everlasting life is your future,

not everlasting death. You're saying this sounds too

good to be true. That's why we Christians call

this the gospel. The gospel means good.

News. It's a good news.

That's why we sing, because we're so happy.

That's why I hope we smile a lot because we realize that our

hearts have been changed and we have the greatest treasure that

you can have in this life. I want you to have that gift

saying how much does it cost? It's free.

Wait, what do you mean it's free?

It's free. When you get a gift from

somebody, I hope you don't have to pay them halfway or do

monthly returns. You just accept the gift and

Jesus extends his gift to you, and you just, you open your

hands and you receive it. And if you really receive it,

then they will change you. So I invite you to repent and

believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I invite you to bring your filthy sins, even your filthy

acts of righteousness, and to come before the foot of the

cross and say, I surrender this. If you wrote a check to pay off

my debt, give me that check. I'm I'm tired of paying for it

for myself. I can't the the amount is too

great. And if you really do that today,

you'll leave here a brand new person.

Not only will he have your name written in the Lamb's book of

life, but he will give you his spirit.

New life comes to you now and then this word becomes your

bread and prayer becomes your breath, and the people of God

become your company. And now you have a whole new way

of looking, because Jesus promised that when you put your

faith in Him, He changes you. Today, repent and believe.

I wouldn't wait for you to even leave this door to do that.

I would block out all this noise, sit back on that Pew

while people are hugging each other, and you talk to this God

for yourself, and He will hear you.

Lord, we ask that if there's even one who doesn't know you,

may your Holy Spirit work in Him as He has worked in us, that

that one person would come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord, for us, we're walking this pilgrimage for those who have

put your your gospel truth on our hearts.

We believed on that truth. Help us, help us live believing

your love for us, not just when you save this, but as you're

sanctifying us. Help us believe that you love us

and you wash our feet gladly even when it gathers the dirt of

this world. So Lord, please help us believe

the things that we heard today. Only You can make them real to

us. And we trust that you will.

And now, Lord, as we go on fellowship as a family, bless

that time. May we know joy, may we know

hope, May we know counsel, may we know laughter.

May we know fellowship the way you intended it to be.

Give us a piece of heaven this afternoon.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen.

Amen. Amen.