"The Problem with Self-Confidence" - Mark 14:27-31

Well, we are once again privileged to sit underneath the preaching of the Word of God.

If you would please stand with me in just respect and reverence of the fact that this is God's word to us.

Brian is going to be preaching today out of Mark chapter 14.

Mark 14 · chapter mention

He's going to go from verse 27 to 31.

So this is Mark 14, 27 to 31.

And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, because it is written, I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.

But Peter said to him, Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.

And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny me three times.

But Peter kept saying insistently, Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.

And they were all saying the same thing also.

This is the word of God.

You may be seated.

Brian, you please come.

Let's pray in light of it.

Heavenly Father, we are so desperately needy for you, your provision, your guidance, your strength as we do this work, as we worship in the preached word.

Lead and guide my heart and mind as I proclaim your truth.

And that all of us would apply the implication, the application here from our Lord.

May your name be glorified in this time.

We pray in Christ.

Amen.

I want to begin this morning by telling you a story.

This story is of a man that has lived a normal life by all accounts.

This man's name is Phil.

We're going with Phil.

Phil worked as an engineer for a living and was very successful in that career.

A loving wife, three wonderful children, a nice house that was mostly paid for because of his more than financial planning and his adequacy and pay.

His retirement, he thought, was just going to be great, things are going well.

Phil is a man who went to church on occasion, which made his mom and his wife happy.

But he really isn't all that fond of the preaching thing.

In general, his life, though, by all worldly standards, did seem about perfect.

Except for one glaring thing.

He wasn't happy.

He couldn't figure out why.

And no matter what toy he bought, or no matter what grand vacation his family took, he just never felt content.

He tried everything to get himself out of that rut, telling himself, it's just a phase.

I have a great life.

I'll come out of it soon.

He had and could do anything and everything really he wanted to to make himself happy.

And so he thought it's only a matter of time before things turn around for me.

Well, as time goes on, he only seemed to get worse.

And his wife started to tell him that their marriage and his parenting were suffering due to his attitude, his negativity, and his mental distance.

And so she pleaded with him to get help.

Over the course of time, he reluctantly goes and seeks out help, but he didn't know exactly where to go.

His wife really wanted him to go to the pastor of that church that they sometimes frequented.

But he had this feeling he knew what he was going to get there.

And so he chose at first to go to a psychologist that was hailed as the best of the best.

The psychologist listened and told him many things to try, but in the end, the advice was simply to tell himself that he's a good person.

He said, not to worry about what other people think, just realize you're a good person, your life is good, you'll be content and happy in the end.

Just maybe try to remove the bad vibes from your thought patterns.

And replace them with good vibes and good energy.

Get rid of that negative energy stuff.

Maybe try yoga, meditation, a new hobby.

Whatever feels good to you, just do that.

But overall, the psychologist encouraged him to have more self-confidence and more self-esteem.

To rely on what is good about his life and himself.

He told Phil that his problem all has to do with a lack of seeing how good things are and that he needs to just like himself more.

Now, you may be shocked this morning to hear, but somehow that didn't work.

It only caused more depression, more anxiety, more sadness.

And so, over the course of time, he reluctantly decides to go to the pastor of the church.

And after sharing with this pastor what he had been experiencing, that pastor took him to God's word and he told Phil something that he never had thought about.

Because he'd never really seen God in this way before.

In fact, he'd actually never even read the Bible on his own.

The pastor told him something that ended up radically transforming Phil's life.

What was it that the pastor told Phil?

Well, we'll come back to that at the end of the message for today, so you're gonna have to stay awake.

You're gonna have to stick it out.

Looking at our text.

Remember, today's Friday.

This is the day in which our Lord Jesus will be hung on a cross.

As he willingly sacrifices himself at the hands of wicked men for the glory of his Father and the good of his people.

Today, on this occasion, on this Friday, we worship.

As we read the text, as we expose the text.

Today we're gonna have three points as we look into this passage of Scripture.

The first is that we will be looking at the prophecy that is spoken of here by Jesus.

The prophecy.

Next, we'll go to look at the really another part to that prophecy, but out of that we get a promise.

A promise.

And then finally, we have this response by the disciples, mainly Peter, which is of prideful self-indulgence.

And that's really the focus of the message today, in the passage today: prideful self-indulgence.

Or self-reliance, I should say.

So first let's glance at the prophecy.

And in this prophecy in verse 27, Jesus is quoting out of the book of Zechariah, the Old Testament, the minor prophets.

Jesus quotes almost word for word from Zechariah 13, 7.

Jesus is saying to them that the prophecy spoken of long ago by this prophet Zechariah will be fulfilled in them once their shepherd is struck.

Now, that's kind of a sobering prophecy for this man when you say, imagine being on the receiving end of that.

This prophecy says, You're all going to fall away and you're all going to be scattered.

Ooh, ouch.

That has to sting a bit, right?

But that's what the truth does sometimes, doesn't it?

This forsaking that Jesus is prophesying here comes as no surprise to Jesus on the day that he appointed each one of these apostles to be his ministers, his closest companions, he knew that this day would come.

He knew that the day would come when all of them would scatter.

One would betray him, and all would run away when persecution comes.

But his foreknowledge of this did not stop him, did it?

He still called them, he still loved them, he still taught them, and he still shared his entire life with them.

He even gave each one of them the privilege of being called an apostle, a special title, a special role that was reserved for them, and then only really a couple more later on, including the apostle Paul.

In that position, he gave them power, amazing power to do miraculous works.

He gave them the privilege of being the first disciples to share this good news with people.

And really, he gave them himself.

That's an immense privilege and an amazing gift.

And yet Jesus knew from the very beginning they were going to desert him.

He is telling them that in the face of the soon-to-come persecutions, the soon-to-come arrest, they will not stand strong.

They will be weak and frail.

They will run and hide.

They're going to chicken out and show cowardice.

They will see these guards and these religious leaders, and they'll see what they're planning to do to Jesus, and they're going to run because they want no part of that sacrifice.

Next time we study through Mark, we're going to see this come to pass.

As all the apostles do indeed scatter as Jesus is taken.

And I'm sure we can think of a story where someone is taking a stand, and when they look around, their friends that were right here were all of a sudden are no longer right there.

Why?

Because they're afraid of the repercussions for taking that stand.

I just want us to be comforted in this, that Jesus knew this about these guys, and yet he still calls them to be his apostles and closest friends.

He doesn't cast them away because they deserted him.

He doesn't say that he didn't know them anymore, or I don't want you near me anymore.

He doesn't hold a grudge.

No, he already knew what they were made of when he called them by his side.

He knew they're going to fail miserably, and yet he continued to do this.

He knew they would forsake their Messiah.

And he doesn't forsake them in any way.

In fact, he goes to do this for their eternal blessing.

Isn't that comforting?

This is the same Messiah that we worship today.

And we are just as guilty as forsaking the Lord in our lives.

We are just as guilty of being sinful and failures as disciples of the Lord, and yet he continues to love us and not just mostly love us, or part of the time when you're a good person, but perfectly.

Jesus loves us with a holy and eternal love.

He knew from before we were even born that we were all going to forsake his laws and walk in rebellion.

Yet for all that repent and believe, he graciously calls them to his side and now calls them his own.

Forever.

In fact, he even knew for us that after our conversions, we would still act wickedly as humans.

We still sin.

And yet he loves us, and he went to the cross knowing before him that we would be these people.

He knew that the apostles would scatter.

And he knows that in our own strength, that all of his disciples, both now and still to come, will scatter from him.

If it wasn't for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In our own strength, we would be no different than the apostles in this passage.

You know, Reformation Day is coming soon, and we think about the Reformation and all the stuff that happened in that time, and all these guys that were burned at the stake for standing firm for Christ.

They could not have done that in their own strength.

It had to be the Spirit of God in them.

And so we rejoice in that.

That God will cause us to stand firm.

One more thing about this prophecy of the scattering of his apostles.

I want us to realize this is a scattering that comes, a scattering of the sheep, if you will, not a removal of the sheep.

It doesn't say that the sheep are then lost forever because they ran away.

It doesn't say that they're scattered into oblivion.

It just says they're scattered, and then we see him say, and I'll see you in Galilee.

Again.

Do you realize the grace of your God?

They run from him.

And then he says, and I'll see you in Galilee.

What would you and I do if our closest friends, our closest loved ones, totally, collectively abandon us in our greatest time of need?

I don't even want to talk about what we would all do.

I just want to say, what a merciful God that we serve, my brothers and sisters.

It was prophesied, and then it came to pass, and yet his grace is abundant and sufficient.

And that leads us to our second point, the promise.

In this, I would say we see a twofold promise given here in this prophecy.

One is that Jesus is going to be raised from the dead, and two is that he will be in Galilee before they get there.

He has absolutely no doubt that he's going to be raised.

Jesus is confident of this.

He is making plans for them right after his resurrection on that Sunday morning.

He's telling them once again he's going to be taken by the guards, he'll be delivered up by the religious leaders, he will suffer, die on the cross.

But that's not the end of the story for Jesus, is it?

It's not the close of life for all.

No, he's going to rise on the third day, he will live forevermore, because sin and death cannot keep, cannot hold the eternally perfect Son of God.

That's why we're here today.

But picture the scene.

Think about it.

They had just got done.

Remember last week, they had just got done singing a hymn after the implementation of the Lord's Supper, the first Lord's Supper, and they've now returned to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus' heart is stirred at what's coming, you can imagine.

And he wants to warn the apostles, again, talk about his love and grace for his brothers.

He wants to warn the apostles once again at what is coming for him.

He tells them, here's what you're going to do.

You're going to run away.

You're going to leave me.

He already told him numerous times that this is going to lead to his death.

He's told him over and over again he's going to be delivered up by the chief priest to the Gentiles, and he's going to suffer and die as was prophesied.

But that they're not to fear.

He's not going to be subject to eternal death.

Death has no mastery over the author of life.

Yes, he will endure suffering that was not meant for him, but that does not mean it can conquer him.

No, he conquered sin and death and the evil one as we know.

And he reminds them again, I'm going to rise from the dead.

This is absolutely central to the Christian faith.

The resurrection is so important that the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10, 9 that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Did you hear that?

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, okay, and that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Without believing in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, there is no faith, there is no salvation.

Paul also says that in 1 Corinthians 15 very clearly.

Because then you would only be serving a dead deity like all other religions.

And so he reassures them and comforts them by saying to them, yeah, I'm going to be taken, you're going to run away, I'm going to die on the cross, but it's not the end.

That's not it.

And then he tells them that, I'll see you again in Galilee.

Which is, remember, that's kind of home base for them in Jesus' ministry.

He's going to see them again and prove his resurrection all the way over in Galilee.

Remember, after Passover, it's time for them to return home.

I've got to get back to work, back to everything else.

He first tells them they're going to scatter from him this night.

Don't worry, I'll be back, I'll see you again.

I'm actually going ahead of you into Galilee.

But kind of what that means in that verbiage, that language, is he's going to lead them to Galilee, if you will.

He isn't saying at some point we'll run into each other, kind of small town.

Not that.

No, he's going to shepherd them there, if you will.

He will lead them there, not physically, but guide them there, and at that place he restores them, as we see in Matthew 28.

So what we can see is Jesus is speaking tenderly.

Even though you're going to abandon me, you're going to run away.

I'm going to raise victorious over all these troubles.

I'm going to be with you again.

In our home.

So what's their response to this?

What do they think of this prophecy?

Pretty much as you would expect.

Probably exactly what you and I would have said.

They say, no.

No way.

We will never forsake you.

We will always be by your side.

And this is led, of course, by Peter, always the first to speak, always the first to stand strong for the Lord.

I love that about him.

Sometimes it's tough to see because we can relate, right?

But Peter's like, no, I'm going to stand firm for you.

That's at least what he thinks.

So this is our third piece here, the pride of self-reliance.

This is really the crux of the passage, where we're going, Mark's focus.

Really, the first two pieces we talked about were meant to lead us here.

Peter says in verse 29, all may fall away, but not me.

Mm-mm.

He tells Jesus what's going to happen.

By the way, don't ever find yourself in that position.

This apostle, he truly thought, I give him that, he truly thought it was absolutely inconceivable that he of all people that is going to forsake Christ.

No way.

And then all the other guys are like, yeah.

Yeah, us too.

We're not falling away.

We're not running away.

But Jesus even tells him the fact that even before the rooster crows twice, he's going to deny him not once, not twice, but three times.

In one night.

And he even gives him the details of the denial.

And Peter says, nope, you're wrong, Lord.

And in doing this, what's interesting is Peter's actually rejecting Jesus' prophecy.

Based on the sole fact that he thinks that in his own strength he'll be able to endure.

His ability to be self-reliant will win out over the temptation to fail, he thinks.

We'll see in a few weeks that he did indeed fail, as well as the rest of them.

It wasn't more than a few hours later that Peter actually fulfills the prophecy of the Lord's.

But how many times have we all been in that kind of position before?

We assure ourselves, those around us, and our Lord, we're not.

gonna fail.

I got this.

We stand before that temptation, whatever it is, and we say, I can handle this.

I got this thing beat.

I can master those temptations.

Maybe we go into the bar without having prior or with having a prior struggle with alcohol and we think I'm just gonna get the nuts at the bar.

I'll be good.

Maybe we go into that car lot thinking that you know I got this handled.

I'm an impulsive buyer.

I've I've done this five times before and ruined my family and their financial outlook, but I got it this time.

I'm just looking.

Maybe we refuse to get rid of that smartphone that is readily available access to the internet even though I have a struggle with sexual temptations maybe.

We tell ourselves I can stand strong I'm just not gonna go there.

It's fine.

I'm just looking at the weather or whatever.

It doesn't work like that.

We refuse to put down that novel saying yeah I I have a struggle with the sensuality in those novels or whatever but it's a good story.

It'll be fine.

Take that job gives us all the money and status and I say yeah it might destroy my family by the amount of work and time if I were to let it but I'm stronger than that.

I got this thing.

We tell ourselves whatever that is yeah I mean this list could go on and on right we tell ourselves it can't happen to me I'm stronger than that.

Brothers and sisters self-reliance is the antithesis to resting in Christ self-reliance is the antithesis are opposite of trusting in Christ I know our culture I know our culture tells us that we need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps as the Nike slogan goes just do it right go at it you'll be alright if you work hard enough our world tells us we can do anything we put our minds to no problem but there's this thing called the Bible that tells us the opposite it actually tells us nothing could be further than from the truth than that, especially in regards to our walk with the Lord because if that were true if I can pull myself up by my bootstrap if I can walk out my faith on my own if I'm good to go I don't need Jesus.

I don't even need what he's offering.

If that were true then we could all live righteous lives right in our own strength?

Apart from the grace of God if it were true that I could handle it on my own, I am my own Savior.

Relying on self and strength.

But to rely on self is to forsake our identity as Christ's followers we need to remember our humble admission as humans our strength will fail, but his will not praise be to God you see in our passage for today the apostles overlook think of that word right there overlook the word spoken by Jesus again bad place to be and even worse they say you're wrong they say I'm strong Jesus says you're gonna scatter but don't be afraid I'm gonna rise again I'm gonna see you in Galilee how many times do we all find ourselves doing the same thing as the apostles here in different ways obviously where we see the words of God saying this and we just ignore it.

Jesus says this is going to happen and they just breeze past that so that they can reassure him of their own faithfulness, of their own strength.

How often do we read the Bible and read the words of our Lord and ignore them I know I do.

I read not to be anxious for anything how's that go?

When trials come what am I doing?

I'm saying I got this God I'm resting in my own strength.

How many passages of the Bible do we read each year and never commit them to memory let alone apply them to our lives I just want to encourage us today, beloved of God, let us be the people that seek to read the word in reverence.

Let us be a people that recognize our frail and fallen condition without Christ.

Let us be a people that humbly realizes that we desperately need the strength of the Lord in every area of life not just those church things everything every situation every circumstance let us just be a people that places all of our confidence our reliance on Christ because as we know the dangers of self-reliance face us in every area of life don't they're told by the world that if we have a problem with self-confidence or self-esteem don't worry about what other people think instead just think good thoughts about ourselves I'm a good person this lie couldn't be further from the truth according to the Bible.

First of all the Bible says that we're wretched people in and of ourselves.

This is especially taught in Romans chapter 3 where Paul is drawing from various Old Testament verses especially the Psalms telling ourselves over and over again that we're good and that what I think about myself is all that matters that's the opposite of what the gospel proclaims.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

And it does nothing for our soul nor our sanctification.

You know the Bible says that only God is good.

No matter how hard we try we need him in every way we need his goodness.

Therefore secondly the Bible tells us we are to rest in him as our stronghold our fortress our refuge our citadel of strength never on our own will never in our own strength and if we read the Psalms rightly we see this over and over and over again so the question is how do I avoid the trap that the apostles fell into here?

How do I avoid the snare of self-reliance?

How do we learn from the Apostle Peter?

First, it all begins by believing what the Bible says is true and accurate when it says that we are totally depraved to begin with.

David says in Psalm 515 that he was brought forth in iniquity.

Actually he says that he was even brought forth sinfully in conception this is true for all humans.

And it continues to be true as we commit, as we live out sinful acts after birth.

Paul says in Romans 3 that there is no one righteous there's no one who seeks after God again no one who's good.

We are all totally depraved in and of ourselves.

And our self-reliance therefore our self-reliance on our own selves on our own merits on our own work will only result in prideful failure each and every time I know it's humbling isn't it humbling news to hear.

Not what we want to hear.

We love to be praised but just because it's hard to hear it doesn't diminish nor sap the truth of it which leads to the second way that we can avoid the trap or the snare of self-reliance.

Once we've got that established that first piece once we realize that we are unable to rely on ourselves because of who we are by nature by deed we can then actually begin to rely on Jesus and his grace.

You see this where this is where the beauty of grace just explodes.

Grace means nothing really until we understand that we're sinners right if we think that we're good enough or that my sin against God is a is a mistake or a character flaw, he understands me.

I may not be perfect, but I'm not that bad.

If that's our countenance we will never understand God's grace.

So what do we do?

We just receive the Bible's description of who we are and embrace the Savior in his loving grace.

We rest in his strength.

We realize our own strength is never good enough and only by his strength will we end up being as the Bible says more than conquerors.

I mean think about it today we look around and we see children just absolutely rebelling against their parents marriages failing everywhere leaders falling into temptation we see all kinds of people suffering and failing because we've taken the world's advice and we've trusted in ourselves and our own abilities the Apostle Peter could not imagine himself denying the Lord.

How many times have we said that to ourselves that we could not imagine falling into this sin or that one that this or that would never happen to me we've all been there right brothers we need to rest in the Lord and his word and his strength his grace is truly sufficient.

His strength is powerful enough for every area of your life his finished work has allowed us to rest in him in every way have confidence in God hear what the Bible says about who you are that if you're in Christ that if you're his child that if you're his workmanship then you're secure you're safe you're his adopted child and nothing can separate you from his love if you place your faith and trust in him.

That's enough rest in Christ finish work and never your own abilities because your own abilities will never accomplish what needs to be done eternally and even temporarily aren't you glad the Lord doesn't reject us based on our abilities Jesus knew they're gonna fail.

He knew they would try to rest in their own strength and fail miserably he knew they're gonna be scattered and yet he meets them once again after raising from the dead the book of Luke records for us in that account that the Peter is to be sifted like we Satan.

That Satan has requested that.

But what does it say that Jesus is going to be doing in that time he's gonna be praying for him he's gonna be interceding for him.

He isn't concerned with Peter's or the other apostles' ability to withstand on their own and be self-reliant he knows they cannot stand.

He knows they're gonna fail.

So he intercedes and after they're scattered he he gathers them back.

That's the love and the mercy of the Savior at work.

Again, I remind you this is the exact same Savior that you and I have if you've placed your faith and trust in him it's freeing to know that we don't have to stand in our own strength, isn't it?

It's wonderful to know that even though we fail, we have a loving God, a merciful God who will never fail us.

Never has, never will.

Peter's pride had caused him to be at the forefront of the apostles' rejection of the words of the Lord and denying his truth.

But because of the immensity of God's great love for him, we come to see later on in Peter's life, years down the road, Peter himself is urging all who are under his leadership to be humble before our Lord.

Peter's instructing us to be humble and God reliant.

Listen to the words of 1 Peter 5 and 6 He says clothe yourselves with humility.

Isn't that funny?

How the Lord turned Peter around clothe yourselves with humility toward one another for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God Christ continued to do in and through Peter.

This is true for all of us as well as well if we have been prideful or arrogant in terms of how we think we can succeed in our lives outside of God's work and will and strength and grace then we can see that God can and will grow us in humility.

Humility does not come naturally as we see in this passage it's an arduous work blood sweat and tears that to take us to the Spirit of God and to work hard in our lives it's it's hard our natural propensity is pride and that's why self-reliance leads to pride and really ultimately a rejection of God and his word but reliance on Christ and his finished work it leads to humility and it leads to a passionate love for God's grace revealed in a life of service and Christ-centered reliance which is by the way a great and comforting place to be praise be to God for his mercy so what's the answer what's the answer to the question I posed at the beginning what did this pastor tell Phil our friend Phil he told him something he's never heard before he told him something completely completely counter to what the psychologists had told him and that's no surprise he told Phil something incredibly simple that the only way to find peace the only way to find true joy true happiness in this life is to realize this life is not your own it's not about you it's not about your abilities not about your comforts not about your prosperity it's to be a life lived for the Lord's glory.

Therefore it's time to receive the gospel to give your life and everything you have to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of faith.

He said the only way for you to ever live a life that is fulfilling that is joyful is to trust what God says in his word and that the call is never to pull yourself up by your bootstraps nor is it to have more self-esteem and think more highly of yourself that will only cause you grief, suffering, despair and depression.

The call is to put all your faith all your confidence in Christ and his finished work on the cross and embrace what God says in his word.

The call is to believe Jesus not just believe in Jesus but to believe him to believe him when he says we cannot do it in our own strength but we live by his strength.

That we are to come humbly before him and say yeah I know Lord I know I believe you that in my strength I would fall away I would run away in that garden but I hold to your promise that you will preserve me to the end because you are a merciful God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Phil had finally heard with eyes and heart of faith for the first time what he actually needed to hear.

He heard that self-reliance is fleeting but Christ-centered reliance is relieving he finally heard what the Bible taught and what he had begun to find out in his life that reliance on the Savior's strength and salvation is the only way to really and truly live that when Christ speaks in his word it is trustworthy.

He found out what Peter eventually found out that to walk humbly before your God is a wonderful life I wish that was the message of that Christmas movie The Wonderful Life.

Is that you here today my friend do you rely on the ever failing strength of self?

Or do you rely on the power and grace of Christ and faith day by day I pray that we all ask God daily to help us to rely on Him, His provision, His providential care, His victory.

Because if we do that each day, you will have joy You will have joy and strength You will have humility and nobility we will all live lives in this way that are Christ-centered and Christ reliant.

We'll be living out our calling held out to us in the gospel we will be living out our rescued position of being transformed to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins is that you self-reliance and self-esteem are only going to lead to ruin but Christ's reliance leads to joy abounding and eternal joy eternal bliss in his presence forever I pray that we all find ourselves taken aback day by day by the strength and mercy of Christ as we look at our own lives that are unable, incapable of producing outside of his grace.

Let's pray Heavenly Father we thank you again for your word to us we thank you for the constant grace the constant mercy we thank you that your word continues to reveal to us that our power is never enough it's never sufficient and falls short every single time but that yours is sufficient your love your grace your mercy your goodness your justice and your holiness is always perfect always fulfilling always wonderful and so Father as we continue in worship now as we look to the Lord's table we ask you that we would be overwhelmed with joy once again at who you are and what you've accomplished help us to apply the truth of what we heard today.

We pray this in Christ's name