The Price of Freedom

 A number of years ago, I had an interaction with a man at the Carpenter’s Coffee Bar, where I was an English teacher.  China had been rattling the saber about taking Taiwan, again.  This man was angry at the United States Government, because of the sale of fighter planes to Taiwan.  His argument was that Japan got United States’ fighters for free, but those planes are on an American base in Okinawa.  Those planes will protect Japan, but they’re actually there defending US interests in Asia.  Those same planes would protect Taiwan as well.  At supersonic speeds, Taiwan is only about twenty minutes from Okinawa.

I thought that it was interesting that he wanted freedom, but wasn’t willing for his nation invest in it financially.  When you stop to think about it the cost of freedom isn’t just financial, the cost of freedom is always blood.  Young men must fight and die to guarantee freedom.  Ten million allied troops died during World War Two.

Freedom comes at a price.  Today, I want to post on freedom from sin, the price that was paid, and our responsibility to that freedom.

Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
^5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Sin is a Trap

Our text tells us to stand fast, which means to be immovable in the liberty by which Christ made us free. Be immovable in our freedom from sin.  Do not become entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  In other words, do not be ensnared again with a yoke – slavery.  Ensnared means trapped; sin is a trap.  Sin is slavery.

John 8:34 (NKJV)
^8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

Sin is a Trap – we have a mindset about sin that’s wrong.  We often think that sin is freedom or liberty.  We look at obedience to the commands of God as limiting, as if God has taken away our liberty through commandment.  Living out the commandments, though, is liberating.

Think about this for a moment. Think about common sins.  Drinking creates alcoholics; a dependence on Alcohol.  Drug use creates addicts; a dependence on drugs.  How many sins are there that trap you into dependence.  An addict is someone who’s dependent on getting a particular drug.  Their whole life becomes consumed with that drug.  They’ll lie, steal, and prostitute themselves to satisfy their addiction.  It’s a trap.  We think it’ll free us, instead it traps us.

David Crosby, of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (a 1970s musical group), experimented with drugs and alcohol as a young man.  After a number of years, he suffered with liver disease and needed a liver transplant.  He received a new liver, but never stopped the behavior.  Eventually, he found himself in that same position; his new liver destroyed by drugs and alcohol.  He was a slave to sin!

So, the Bible tells us to stand fast in our liberty.  Our freedom from sin that was purchased by Jesus.  The reason we must be encouraged to stand fast is because sin comes very, very easy to us.  It’s a part of our nature.  It’s a part of whom we are.

Buddhists will say that “”men are basically good,” but the Bible tells us that our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful.

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Genesis 6:5

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

According to the Bible this is the state of man’s heart. Do you know the story of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde?  Doctor Jekyll was a rich, upper class doctor who seemed to be thoughtful and kind, but when he became Mister Hyde he could not control himself and was a brutal murderer.  Doctor Jekyll was a man with an evil nature that he couldn’t control.  It is a picture of the human condition.

Think about yourself for a moment, do you think of yourself as a good person; a nice person?  We all do, but let me ask you a question do you sometimes do bad things?  Do you sometimes act hatefully?  Do you sometimes lie or gossip or slander.  The answer to that is yes, you do!  There's a Mister Hyde in all of us.

Adam was created in the Image of God.  He was given a place that met every human need.  God walked with him.  God sheltered him under his wing.  The Bible talks about the hand of God, God’s blessing and care, and His working in our lives.  Even though he was blessed and cared for, Adam sinned.  The Bible tells us that Eve was deceived, tricked into sin, but Adam chose sin.  He violated God’s command.  He wasn’t deceived; he wasn’t tricked, he made a choice.  Sin is a choice and Adam suffered because of that.  We also suffer for our choice to not obey God.

It's our nature; it’s part of our makeup to sin.  You can see it in babies, think about this, we don’t have to teach babies to be selfish, they just are.  We don’t have to teach children to lie, they just do.  What do we have to do?  We have to teach them not to be selfish.  We have to teach them not to lie, or cheat, or steal...

Proverbs 22:15 (NKJV)
^22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

The rod of correction drives the foolishness far from them.  Children have to be taught not to sin.  Sin is a part of human nature; it takes effort to avoid it.  It doesn’t just happen.  We have to work at it.  If we want to keep from being trapped by sin we have to take steps to avoid it.  We have to train our minds to dwell on what’s right.  To stand fast implies that there are forces trying to move you away from that liberty.  That force in the Bible is called your flesh; your sinful nature.  You have to push back against those forces.

Our Freedom Was Bought at a Price

In Biblical times when you owed a debt, you and your family would be sold into slavery to pay that debt.  In order to be released from slavery, you had to be redeemed.  Redeemed means to be bought back.  You had to pay the price of the owner for your freedom.  Adam sold himself and his descendants into slavery.  They were taken from the home that God gave them and forced into separation from God, slaves to their sin.  

We were doomed to that slavery until that time when we could be bought back or redeemed; that time when the price could be paid. 

Our text tells us that Jesus paid that price.  We remained in separation and slavery until that day that Jesus died and paid the price of our bondage.  We were purchased at a price.  The price was the blood that Jesus spilled on the cross. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
^6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

This scripture says that you were bought at a price, but it also says this, “You are not your own.”  You were bought back from slavery.  He paid the price for you to return to the relationship that we had with God before Adam’s sin.

If you’re a Christian have you experienced what it’s like to have a relationship with God?  Have you experienced God’s hand on your life?  Have you experienced the liberty of being set free from sin?

In my own life I vividly remember the hopelessness of slavery.  I was an addict, I was a slave to alcohol.  I thought I couldn’t change.  I hated myself.  I hated my life.  I know I did things that ruined relationships.  I know that I did things that hurt people.  I was a part of that slavery; I needed escape and relief.  I’m thankful for the price that was paid and I willingly submit myself to Him.  I am not my own!  Christians often say, “I gave my life to Jesus,” but that’s not really true, He bought us with a price.  What we really do is submit to Him.  “Here’s my life Jesus – It’s Yours.”

That’s where liberty is found, in submission to Him.  I’m free because I submitted.  At first, it was difficult, I was still drawn to alcohol, but I stood fast in that liberty.  The desire eventually disappeared – It really does get easier, that bondage was over.  (It’s been thirty-three years since I had a drink of alcohol.)  Does that mean that I’ve lost my sinful nature?  No, I’m still human, but I can resist because I am submitted.

James 4:7 (NKJV)
^4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

In my opening illustration, I talked about the cost of freedom.  The cost is spilled blood and death, but I have to tell you something.  There is also a responsibility for those who have been given freedom at the cost of other’s lives.  We have a responsibility to remain free. 

I believe that the freedoms we have given up in twenty-first century America is a betrayal of those who died for it.  We make their sacrifice worthless.  They died for nothing, if we give up the freedoms that they paid for!

Jesus paid a huge price to free you from sin.  You have a responsibility to remain free of it.  You have a responsibility to stand fast in that liberty, or you make his death worthless; of little value.  His death counts for nothing if you remain in sin.

Freedom isn’t the absence of laws – that’s anarchy.  You can’t remain in sin and say that because of grace you’re free to continue to sin.  I’m sorry but change is required.  We think that repentance means we’re sorry.  “Sorry Jesus – oops!” It’s much more than that.  Being sorry is a part of it; regret that you violated God’s laws is part of it, but real repentance is change.  “I’m not going to live that way any longer,”  and standing fast, being different. 

This liberty, this life that you have as a Christian was paid for on the cross.  Why take the old sin and addictions into a new life.  If you remain in sin the bondage is the same.  You are still a slave to sin!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is There is Freedom

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV)
^3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. –

When Moses returned from the mountain where he met with God his face held the Glory of God.  It shone from his face.  The people were frightened to look at him, so he wore a veil, so that they wouldn’t be able to see it. 

When were In sin that veil was on our hearts, we were spiritually blinded.  When we turned to Jesus that veil was taken away.

2 Corinthians 3:13-16 (NKJV)
^3:13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

We were not able to see the lawlessness and sin in our lives.  As sinners we don’t see the sin.  What did Jesus say on the cross, “Father forgive them they don’t know what they’re doing!” 

As sinners we don’t understand that what we’re doing is sin.  We don’t realize that we put Him on the cross.  We don’t even realize that we’re slaves to it. It isn’t until we receive the Spirit of God in our hearts that we see it.  The veil is taken away.  That’s when we see the freedom in submission to Christ.  It’s the Spirit of God who lifts the veil and we can see and know freedom.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom!

Faith: Get Out of the Boat!

Today, I want to post on life.  I want to look at an event in the lives of the disciples, and I want to apply it to our own lives.  Most of us are Christians, but I wonder if you really understand about faith.  All Christians believe in Jesus, but we all have a past and the baggage that goes with that.  Maybe some of you were involved with the traditional Taiwanese religion, and you’re hanging on to some of the old beliefs, and old practices.  Perhaps others are looking at Jesus in the wrong way.  I want to post on some of those things, today.  So, Let’s start with our text:

Mark 6:45-51 (NKJV)
^6:45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. ⁴⁶ And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. ⁴⁹ And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." ⁵¹ Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

They Thought He Was a Ghost

We have this tendency to blame all the bad things that happen to us on You-know-who – That Stinking Devil!  But do you know, a lot of times the troubles we face are just life.  Life isn’t always Peaches and ice cream.  Life has problems and troubles of its own!

Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)
^6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In our text, we see the apostles – They’re in a boat.  They’re out on the sea and a big storm blows up.  It’s life or death for them, the Bible says they’re straining at rowing.  They’re struggling against the waves and wind and they are frightened!

Imagine what it’s like out there – Waves coming over the sides of the boat – The wind makes it hard to steer the boat – and they’re rowing, they’ve been rowing for hours.  Jesus sent them in the early evening and now it’s the fourth watch – about three in the morning.  They’re exhausted and I’m sure they’re feeling like they’re going to die.

Then Jesus walks out to the boat.  Look at what it says:

Mark 6:49 (NKJV)
^6:49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;

Jesus comes to them and they don’t recognize Him.  This is a time of great trouble, that can’t be Jesus.  Do you ever think that?  We always think that Jesus would only do good for us, that if He’s involved there won’t be trouble.  The problem is that Jesus doesn’t always ask for the easy things. 

In the Old Testament, Jesus was the “Angel of the Lord”.  He was the one that was going to destroy Sodom.  He was the one who commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  He was the one who wrestled with Jacob.

In times of trouble we don’t always recognize Jesus.  We’re focused on the trouble and our faith disappears.  Look at this:

Matthew 14:28-30 (NKJV)
^14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." ²⁹ So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"

This is the same event as in our text, but Matthew gives us this other detail.  Peter sees that it’s Jesus and decides to walk out to Him.  While he’s focused on Jesus, he walks on the water, but the Bible says that the wind was boisterous.  When he began to listen to the wind, he began to focus on that.  He’s distracted by the problems – the wind and waves – and he begins to sink.  Jesus is right there, right in front of him and yet he focuses on the wind!  He focuses on the storm and the danger!

Do you think it’s interesting that He left them to struggle for so long?  They had traveled about four miles, that’s about halfway across.  He left them in the middle of it all until then.  Then He goes to them and says, “It is I!  Be of good cheer!” “Here I am!  Don’t worry!” “It’s okay, I’m here, I’ll save you!” and then Peter gets out of the boat. “Now that You’re here, I don’t have to be afraid.”  Then the wind frightens him again, and he begins to sink.  What does Jesus do?  He immediately saves him:

Matthew 14:31a (NKJV)
^14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him…

How many of us are like that?  In the middle of the storms of life, Jesus shows up.  At first, we’re relieved, “I can do it!  Jesus is here!” but the problems are still just as intense and we’re distracted by that, and what happens?  We lose faith again.

Here’s a hard truth for you.  Sometimes, the troubles in your life are orchestrated by God!  Remember, Jesus sent them out in the boat, to get to the other side.  We think Jesus is there to answer prayer and give us what we want.  You have to remember that it’s Jesus Christ, not Jesus Claus.  Sometimes, you have to go through some difficult things, in order to be prepared to live God’s Will for your life.  This is true in my own life.  I went through some things before I got saved.  I lived through a few storms – the storm of depression and self-loathing – The storm of alcoholism, loneliness, and pain – The storm of Muscular Dystrophy!

I didn’t see Jesus in any of those things!  I was floundering like a ship in a storm.  I was tired and exhausted.  I was straining at rowing, and I didn’t recognize that Jesus was involved, but He saved me!  He pulled me out of those storms.  If I hadn’t gone through them, I would have never seen my need.  I would have thought I didn’t need Him – that I could handle it on my own!  It was the struggle that kindled my faith!

A Call to Faith and a Call to Action

I asked this earlier, but I want to focus on it a little more.  Why did Jesus wait?  Why didn’t He come sooner?  I already said that sometimes we have to face some things in order to be ready to be used for His purposes, but I think Jesus was giving them and us another lesson, as well.

Look at the situation – This is a violent and dangerous storm.  They see Jesus walking on the water and think He’s a ghost.  I think they saw an omen in that, “There’s a ghost – That means we’re going to die!”  Then Jesus says, “It is I, be of good cheer!”  This is a call to faith, “It’s me, don’t worry!” but it’s also a call to action – “Don’t let your fear deceive you!”  What is it that stops you from stepping out in faith?  What keeps you from jumping wholeheartedly into the Will of God?

These men in this boat are terrified!  They’re seeing ghosts, but Peter rises up in faith, “Call me and I’ll come to you!”  This guy is getting out of the boat to walk on water!  He’s got faith!  He’s taking the action of that faith!

This is where we stop!  We believe – “I believe in Jesus!”  If you do, then get out of the boat.  Get out of that safe, comfortable place.  Get out of the boat!  “Well, I don’t know about that!”

I used to go rock climbing – way up high – Big, big rocks!  I didn’t hesitate, I fastened on my gear and I just jumped off, bounding down the rock!  I completely trusted my gear, I had faith, I put it into action.  How many are willing to walk onto an airplane and fly places?  You have faith in the pilot, faith in aerodynamics.  You’re not afraid to fly.  You say you believe in Jesus.  You say you have faith.  So, why hesitate to give yourself completely to Him?

Peter got out of the boat and walked through the storm, but faith is interesting.  Sometimes, we have great faith, but it can waver.  We can temporarily lose faith.  Peter’s doing something that no one but Jesus has ever done – He’s walking on water – but right in the middle of it, he loses faith.

Has that ever happened to you?  You’ve answered God’s call.  You’re doing what he’s asked you to do, but suddenly you find yourself thinking I can’t do this.  I want to confess to you, that there were times in my ministry when I thought, “I’m not having any impact!”  There were times when I thought the church would have been better off if I’d left. 

“There’s no response!”

“People don’t want to come!”

“I’m not inspiring anyone!”

That was me listening to the wind.  That was me struggling with my faith.  That was fear and doubt – the very opposite of faith.  I started to sink into depression and discouragement, my faith at that point was very small.  When I came to Taiwan, I was brimming with faith.  I was out of the boat; I was walking on the water!  I was focused on Jesus, but then the wind became boisterous. And I drifted.  I cried out and Jesus lifted me up.

Matthew 14:31 (NKJV)
^14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

“Why did you doubt?”  In the presence of Jesus, why is there doubt?  Here’s the second hard truth:  I’m not the only one who struggles with faith.  Some people haven’t really grown in faith.  They’re stuck at “I believe in Jesus,” faith.  They have never stepped into the “get out of the boat” type of faith.

You Have to Try it to Have Faith

As Peter is in the middle of the storm – as they are fighting the wind and the waves, he’s probably not thinking, “I can walk on the water.”  When he sees Jesus, he trusts Him.  He believes that Jesus can command him to walk to Jesus.  He’s not walking on the water; he’s walking on the command to come.  He knows that the power to do the impossible resides in Christ’s words.

I knew I could stay and fight another day, because I knew Jesus had the power to do the impossible through me.  The power that I have is only the power to obey. 

So, think about your own life.  What storms are you fighting through?  What is that thing in your life that seems as impossible as walking on water?  What is that thing that you NEED God to do?  Jesus is there in that storm you’re facing!  He’s comforting you, but He’s also calling you to action.

Do you know how best to develop faith?  Do something.  Peter says – Call to me and I’ll come to you.  In order to walk on water, he had to get out of the boat.  If you want to have faith, try doing what God is calling you to do.  I know – you’re afraid.  It’s easier and safer to stay in the boat, but you can't overcome in fear.  Fear rules your life.  Fear stops your momentum.  

Some people think Jesus can’t do anything in their life.  They’re right!  The impossible will always be out of their reach until that moment when they get out of the boat!  You need a miracle?  Then get out of the boat!  You need to take action, to see God work a miracle.  Peter walked on water – a powerful miracle.  The others didn’t have a miracle, because they didn’t trust enough to get out of the boat. 

Where are you, today?  In the boat or walking on the water?

Mercy: I Desire it From All My Heart

The combination of a book that I finished recently, and some things I have experienced personally in the last few months, have caused me to reflect on the mercy of God.

The book, (10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, © 2006) is a true story of a man diagnosed with a particularly fast-working cancer.  He has a tumor the size of a golf ball that grows to be the size of basketball, in just a few days.  The doctor’s prognosis gives him just ten hours to live.  There’s no known cure for this type of cancer!

The shock of hearing that he probably wouldn’t survive the day, causes him to pray, and to immerse himself in Scripture. By a miracle, he survives the night and he begins to study healing scriptures, print them out and hang them all around his room.  He memorizes them and speaks them out loud to his atheist doctors.

The doctors want to start him on Chemotherapy, so he goes to a specialist, who examines him and sends a report back to his doctors that said simply N.E.D. – No Evidence of Disease,  The doctors convince him to start the chemo treatment anyway.

The book talks about how much damage that it did to his body; how sick he became; how near death he was.  He was in the hospital for six months, but he survived.

"In February 1988, one year from when I’d been admitted, I returned to the NIH for my six-month checkup. After examining me from head to toe, Dr. Rosenberg said, “Brian, there’s something that you need to know. We gave you seven drugs that were experimental and had never been researched or tested. Now that we’ve had time to test them both in the lab and in experimental use, we’ve learned some things. We now know that the drugs which made up the protocol we gave you don’t even treat Burkitt’s lymphoma. But that’s not all. The drugs themselves are so lethal that we’ve discontinued their use. The drugs killed everyone we gave them to…except you."

(10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, page 59)

Brian Wills is the only known survivor of that type of cancer.  What a powerful story about the mercy of God.

Today, I want to post on the mercy of God, and I want to look at one specific event in the Bible to illustrate my point:

Matthew 8:1-4 (Wuest)
And having come down from the mountain, great crowds followed with Him. And behold, a leper having come, fell upon his knees and touched the ground with his forehead in an expression of profound reverence before Him, saying, Master, in the event that you may be having a heartfelt desire, you are able to cleanse me. And having stretched out His hand He touched him saying, I am desiring it from all my heart. Be cleansed at once. And immediately his leprosy was cured by being cleansed away. And Jesus says to him, See to it, do not tell even one person, but be going away, show yourself at once as evidence to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses enjoined, as a testimony to them.

Jesus’ Desire

Here we see a man who has, no doubt, suffered greatly.  Leprosy, in those days, was a horrible thing to suffer.  It was a death sentence.  Lepers were forbidden to be in contact with other people including their families – No Contact! (Kind of sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) They saw their children raised from a distance.  Their families left food out for them, they would come after they had gone to bed to get and eat the food.  They couldn’t touch them – They couldn’t have a conversation, unless it was shouted from a distance.

This doesn’t even mention what the disease was doing to them, physically; it was debilitating.  There was, no doubt, great suffering.  It was even illegal for this man to even approach this close to Jesus.  He was desperate.

This is one of my favorite scriptures on healing, because of this:

"And having stretched out his hand He touched him saying, I am desiring it from all my heart."

There are two things here that show God’s mercy:

First – He touched him.  This is a man who hasn’t been touched in a long time.  Being touched is a basic human need – we all need the touch of another human being.  It was almost as if he had lost his humanity.  Jesus gave that humanity back to him with this one simple gesture.

The other thing that shows God’s mercy is what Jesus says, “I am desiring it from all my heart.”  He’s not a God who doesn’t care about us.  He’s not an angry or capricious God.  He’s a God who desires from all his heart that we be healed.  There’s a redemptive quality to His mercy.

Think about this – What is the origin of sickness and death?  Sin, rebellion and violation of God’s commands.  The Bible tells us that death is what we deserve from our sin and rebellion, but this scripture tells us that God, in the person of Jesus, desires that we be made whole once again. It tells us that it’s a deep desire – from all of His heart!  That’s mercy.  The punishment is removed!  The sin is forgiven!

There’s another event in the Bible that illustrates this:

Mark 2:2-5 (NKJV)
^2:2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. ³ Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

These men bring a paralyzed man to Jesus.  They’re looking for him to be healed.  The first thing Jesus does is forgive his sins.  This causes quite a stir among the Pharisees, but look at what happens next:

Mark 2:9-11 (NKJV)
^2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Jesus Himself equates the forgiveness of sins with healing.  Healing is a product of atonement!

The Activator of Mercy

In our text, as the leper approaches Jesus, he makes the statement:

Matthew 8:2 (Wuest)

And behold, a leper having come, fell upon his knees and touched the ground with his forehead in an expression of profound reverence before Him, saying, Master, in the event that you may be having a heartfelt desire, you are able to cleanse me.

The first part of his statement is made in his actions.  He comes to Jesus and falls down before Him and worships Him.  He knows whom Jesus is!  You don’t worship a man!  You worship God!

The second part of the statement is in words, “If you’re willing you can cleanse me!” (Matthew 8:2 NKJV)  He knows that Jesus is able to heal him.  He’s not asking can you heal me, he’s basically saying, “I know that you can heal me, but are you willing to heal me?”  Both of those together are a statement of the faith of the leper.

We see this in the other event, as well.  The four friends of the paralyzed man are convinced that Jesus can heal their friend, if they can just get him to Jesus.  They climb to the top of the roof, carrying this bedridden man, break up the roof, and lower him down in front of Jesus.  You don’t go to that kind of trouble unless you’re convinced Jesus will help.  What does the Scripture say was Jesus’ reaction?

Mark 2:5 (NKJV)
^2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

When He saw their faith, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven!”  Faith is the activator of Mercy.  We see this in other healing events:

The Centurion’s Servant

A centurion has a servant who is sick.  Jesus offers to come and heal the man, but the centurion says, “you only need to say the word and he will be healed!”

Matthew 8:13 (NKJV)
^8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

The Woman with the Issue of Blood

Matthew 9:20-22 (NKJV)
^9:20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

The Canaanite Woman

This woman, who is not a Jew, comes and cries out to Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.  At first Jesus ignores her; He’s come for the lost sheep of Israel.

Matthew 15:25-28 (NKJV)
^15:25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" ²⁶ But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." ²⁷ And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

In each case Jesus’ mercy was activated by faith.  These are five examples.  

Do you remember that I said healing comes with the atonement?

1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)
^2:24 [Jesus] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

When Jesus died the blood that was shed through His stripes purchased our healing.  Look at the wording, “By whose stripes you were healed.”  It is already done.  The healing has already taken place, but now through faith we activate that in our lives.

Activate Healing in Your Life

I really believe that most of us have more faith in the natural than the supernatural.  We do all kinds of things on faith:  Drive our cars, fly in airplanes, even cross the street, but can we believe in Jesus for healing?  Let me illustrate with another event from the Bible:

Mark 9:17-19 (NKJV)
^9:17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸ And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." ¹⁹ He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."

This man brings his epileptic son to the Apostles, but they can’t heal him.  Jesus says the problem is faith; they have none.  There’s no shortage of mercy on God’s part, the problem is with our faith.  We’re looking for God to move, but do we have the faith to believe that it can happen?  We want God’s mercy but we’re not quite sure.  Look at what happens after the child is brought to Jesus:

Mark 9:23-24 (NKJV)
^9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

I believe that this man is like many of us, he believes but there is still unbelief!

It’s interesting, I can have the faith to pray for people to be healed, and I have seen people healed.  I can have faith for others, but I don’t always have faith enough for myself. 

Mercy is activated by faith.  That’s how we get saved.  That’s how our sin is removed, our faith activates the mercy of God.  That man’s prayer should also be our prayer, “Lord, I believe – Help my unbelief!”  If you need God’s mercy that prayer should also be your prayer!

Dominion: Praise Breaks Chains - Part 3

Last week, I posted on the power of our words; that speaking out in faith can influence your life and circumstances.  Words can even cause a change in those circumstances.  Speaking brings dominion.  Today, I want to continue in this same series, Deliverance to Dominion, with part 3.  Another aspect to dominion is praise!  Praise breaks, chains!

Acts 16:23-26 (NKJV)
^16:23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.

Creating an Atmosphere Where God can Move

Praise is a powerful weapon in our stockpile of weapons, that are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds.  A stronghold is an attitude, habit, or belief that holds you in bondage to sin.  It’s a chain that binds you and keeps you from fully entering into your calling and your destiny.  It can be sin, disease, finances unbelief – whatever it is, it can stop God from moving in your life.   Praise allows you to develop an atmosphere where God can move.  Our text is an example of Paul and Silas using praise to activate a move of God in their circumstances.

What has happened is that Paul has had a vision.  He saw a man from Macedonia calling out to him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”  So, Paul is engaged in the calling of God.  He concludes that the Lord had called them, “to preach the Gospel to them.” (Acts 16:9-10) The devil attempted to disrupt this by sending a young woman with a spirit of divination.  (She was a fortune teller.) Paul rebuked the spirit and ordered it to come out, which it did, and which caused a problem with her masters.  Paul and Silas were arrested and put into prison.

As they sat in prison, they begin to sing and praise God.  The chains with which they were bound were broken.  The stocks that held them were sprung open, and they are released from their bonds.  The doors to the stronghold were opened!

They have created an atmosphere where God can move.  If we want to see God move in our circumstances.  If we want to see a miracle occur in our lives then we must create an atmosphere in our homes where God can move!  Whatever atmosphere you create will determine what will happen in your life.  You can create an atmosphere where God can move, or you can create an atmosphere where the enemy reigns.  If you allow your home to be filled with negativity, discord and oppression, it will be difficult to stand in the faith.

We have to learn to counteract those things when start to be seen in our homes.  It’s so easy to complain and gripe!  But those are not “God things.”  Those things don’t create an atmosphere of faith.  There’s no optimism and expectation of God’s moving there.  There’s only unbelief.  If you create an atmosphere for God to move, He will come!

Psalms 91:1 (NKJV)
^91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is the beginning of Palm 91 – It’s the beginning of a promise, but have you noticed that every one of God’s promises starts with a condition?  Psalm 91 starts with a condition but ends in a promise:

Psalms 91:14-16 (NKJV)
^91:14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. ¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

If we dwell in the secret place of the Almighty; we can expect deliverance.  We can expect answers to our prayers.  We can expect a long life, and we can expect salvation.  So, what is that secret place where God dwells?  It’s that place in your heart that you have turned over to God! 

Have you opened your heart to God?  Let me ask that this way:

What are your priorities in life?  What do you fill your free time with?  Do you have a disciplined prayer life?  Do you read your Bible regularly?  Are you focused on “God things,” or are you still giving most of your time and energy to the world?

Last week, I mentioned a cancer patient, I want to show you how he created an atmosphere for God to move in his hospital room:

“Instead of watching television, we spent time reading Scripture.  We listened to the Bible on audiotape around the clock, and we asked the nurses to come in at night and turn the tapes over.  In other words, we turned the hospital room into a sanctuary for God to dwell in.  We kept the atmosphere charged with praise.” 

Source:  10 Hours to Live, Brian Wills, Whitaker House, Page 137

God Inhabits the Praise of His People

Psalms 22:3 (NKJV)
^22:3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Another way to say that is that He lives in or inhabits our praise!  Praise brings God’s presence on the scene.  This is why we praise God in the beginning of our church services.  It’s why song service is the first thing we do; to bring God’s presence to our services.

When Paul and Silas were in prison, they decided to sing praises – They changed the atmosphere and God was able to move in those circumstances.  Praise causes chains to break and walls to fall – It paralyzes the enemy!

Psalms 8:2 (NKJV)
^8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

What this scripture is saying is that praising God releases His power to stop the enemies of His people.  Our enemy is the enemy who steals, kills and destroys.  Praising God activates Him in our favor!

In 2 Chronicles 20: - Judah is under attack.  The enemy that had come against them was so powerful that the Bible says that, “Jehoshaphat (the king) feared!”  He called the people together to fast and praise!  Look at this:

2 Chronicles 20:21 (NKJV)
^20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever."

We are appointed to praise God.  Those appointed to praise went out before the army.  They praised God and His holiness, that was their only part in all of this.  Look what happened as they praised:

2 Chronicles 20:22 (NKJV)
^20:22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Judah’s army never lifted a weapon against the enemies.  They did nothing but stand and praise God, and God moved to destroy their enemy.  Look at the Scripture: “Now the people began to sing and praise.  The Lord set ambushes against the [enemies].”It was the praise that set the move of God in motion.

Are there attacks on you and your family?  Is Satan trying to wear you down and cause you to doubt God?  Is he trying to make you fear like Jehoshaphat?  What’s your reaction to problems and attacks in your life?  Is it to pull away from God, or to praise God?  Which one brings you closer to God?  Which one does God inhabit?

Praise is a powerful weapon!  It can be used to destroy the chains that Satan uses to keep you in a stronghold of sin and doubt.  Praise is like a nuclear bomb – It causes the enemy to flee!  There’s no nuclear fallout so you can use it every morning!

The Joy of the Lord

Praise is a manifestation of the Joy of our salvation.  If the devil can steal that from you , he can destroy your walk with God!

You’re probably going to think what I’m about to say is weird, because when things are getting bad you may not feel joy, but you can begin to have joy, even in the bad times, by remembering that God moves through your praise. 

God will deliver us!  He delivered Jonah from the fish.  He delivered Meshach, Shadrack and Abednego from the fiery furnace.  He delivered the entire nations of Israel out of slavery…and He will deliver us, too.

Psalms 91:14 (NKJV) ^91:14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

Maybe He’s helped you in the past.  Know that He will help you, again!

God will answer us!  God clearly promises that when we call on Him, He will answer us!

Psalms 91:15 (NKJV)
^91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

God will be with us!  One of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel, “which is translated God with us.”  He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  He is always there – always near us.  He dwells inside you.  Psalm 91:15 – I will be with him in trouble.

These are promises – God is faithful to keep promises.  Remember from last week, “I will watch over my words to perform them.” (Jeremiah 1:12) That’s a vow to keep promises.  So, even when things go wrong, we can change the atmosphere in our homes and activate a move of God by simply, the act of Praising God!

Revelation!

Revelation – Something that’s hidden that becomes known.  We have revelations all the time.  Do you know what revelation sounds like?   It sounds like this, “I didn’t know that!”  That’s revelation – Something you didn’t know, you now know.  A while back I posted a sermon titled, “Eight Ways to Hear from God.” It’s a sermon about the different ways that God reveals something to us.  Reveal is the root word of revelation.  That’s what I want to post about today – Revelation.

Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV)
^29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.

We Need a Revelation of God

How many can understand that we need a revelation of whom God is?  Even more specifically we need a revelation of who Jesus is.  Our text tells us that “without revelation, we cast off all restraint.”  In other words, unless we have a revelation of Jesus – Anything Goes!  We will not restrain ourselves.

Here’s an example, God has delivered Israel from Egypt.  He did powerful things to cause Pharaoh to release them.  In fact, He did some of the most powerful miracles in history:  The plagues, the death of the firstborn, the paring on the Red Sea; miracles never seen again.  Even at that though, they had no revelation of God!

I understand that some things remain hidden from us:

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)
^2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

The things which God has prepared for us remain hidden.  They’re yet to be revealed – Paul calls the “mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained.”

Even though Israel saw the things that God did, they seemed to not understand whom God was, or their responsibility to Him.  If they had known God; if it had been revealed to them, why did this happen?

Exodus 32:3-4 (NKJV)
^32:3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"

They’d witnessed all of the plagues on the Egyptian people.  They’d seen what God did to rescue them at the Red Sea.  They’d experienced God’s provision in the desert.  So, how could they say, “This is your God, oh Israel, that brought you out of Egypt,” about a golden calf that they made with their own hands?  They had no revelation of God, and they reverted to the familiar gods of Egypt, and where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint:

 Exodus 32:5-6 (NKJV)
^32:5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord." ⁶ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Aaron built an altar; he proclaimed a feast to the Lord, so everyone got up early, offered sacrifices, sat down to eat and rose up to play.  This isn’t the church picnic; they weren’t getting up to play volleyball.  That word “play” is a euphemism – a euphemism is a nice way to say something.  We do this with our kids all the time, “You need to go number one or number two?”  “Number one” and “number two” are euphemisms for…well; you know what they’re euphemisms for. “Play” in the Bible is a euphemism for sexual immorality.

False religion almost always involves sexual immorality.  Diana worship included temple prostitutes.  Molech worship was made up of sexual acts.  Even early Mormons were polygamous – many still are today!  Israel has cast off restraint – Egypt’s worship in ancient times included sexual immorality.

There is no revelation of whom God is.  This event takes place while Moses is up on the mountain, meeting with God, and receiving the Ten Commandments.  He’s been gone for a while.  He hasn’t been seen, God’s commandments haven’t been revealed.

In our society, today we seem to have this understanding that Jesus is a savior.  “He’s my Lord and Savior,” isn’t that what we say?  What’s interesting is that even though we call Him “Lord and Savior,” we treat Him only as a savior.  He died for our sin.  He forgave me – His grace.  We have that revelation of Him as a Savior.  We really think that He will always save us from our sin – no matter what.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
^1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is all true; He is our savior; He is faithful to forgive.  He has acted with grace; there is grace in our lives.  This has all been revealed in scripture.  The problem is that we see Him only as a Savior and we need to have a revelation of Him as Lord, too.  We need to see that Jesus is also God because if we don’t have that revelation of Him as God then we are just like the Israelites and we are in danger of casting off all restraint.

Think about this:  If you will always be forgiven, then you can do whatever you want.  If I sinned, I just have to confess it, and I’m forgiven.  That’s what Catholics do – I can live like the devil, then just go to confession and it’s over.  If you have the revelation that Jesus is Lord then you recognize His authority over your life. 

John 14:15 (NKJV)
^14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

That’s Jesus speaking, but it is also God’s word.  Here’s an Old Testament quote:

Exodus 20:6 (NKJV)
^20:6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

This is the proper revelation of Jesus:  He is Savior and Lord!

Reigniting Revelation

Throughout Israel’s history, they struggled with this.  There were warnings and judgments throughout the Old Testament because people were always turning away from God.  Very often it was the kings and leaders who led them away.  They built high places to worship false gods.  They installed Asherah poles.  They openly adopted the worship of the people God had called on them to destroy when they took possession of the Promised Land.

In Elijah’s time, the King, Ahab and his wife, Jezebel turned the people of God away to worship Baal.  They brought in Prophets of Baal. 

It was a difficult time for Israel.  They were in the midst of a great drought.  The king called the prophet of God “Troubler of Israel”.  People were hurting and many followed the king into Baal worship.

It was so bad that Elijah thought that he was the only one in all of Israel that was worshipping God.  The people had lost their revelation of God, once more.  The people had become blind to the fact that God – only God – had the power to change their circumstances.

So, he set upon a bold strategy.  He challenged the Prophets of Baal to a contest.  He told them to build an altar of sacrifice and place an offering on it, then call upon Baal to send fire and consume the sacrifice.  So they did –

1 Kings 18:26, 29 (NKJV)
^18:26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
^18:29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

They did those things and nothing happened – there was no power there.  Then Elijah did the same things and he filled pots with water and dumped them over the offering.  Look at what happened:

1 Kings 18:36-38 (NKJV)
^18:36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." ³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

God sent the fire; the people saw God’s power, and the Bible says they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God!  The Lord, He is God!”  After this God changed the circumstances and brought the rain.  The judgment ended when they turned back to Him.  What thing caused them to turn back to God?  God’s power was revealed to them!  They had a new revelation of Him as God. 

Maybe you’re saying to yourself, right now, if I saw God’s power, I would believe in Him one hundred percent.  I’m not seeing it, though; my circumstances are still the same.  I believe that the problem is that you see Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord!

He doesn’t have priority over your life.  Your prayers are half-hearted if you pray at all.  You resist the authority God has placed in your life.  You have a timetable for God to do things for you. 

“I came to prayer meeting, for three weeks and nothing happened.”

“I tithed for a whole month and the windows of Heaven never opened!”

Does this sound familiar?  Moses has been gone a month, “Here are my earrings.  We need another god!”  They had a revelation of God as Savior.  He saved them in Egypt – He was a savior, but the didn’t have a revelation of Him as Lord.

Exodus 32:5 (NKJV)
^32:5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord."

The Golden Calf – They made the Lord with their own hands.  You have to be careful that you don’t try to make Jesus in your own image of Him.  You need revelation!

Revelation Comes Through Faith

When the power of God was revealed to Israel they turned back to God.  When that received revelation of God’s power. 

What did Elijah do to help them to have a revelation?  The first thing was that he had faith.  Look at boldness with which he offers the challenge.  There are four hundred fifty of them and one Elijah.  He didn’t back down in the face of that.  He even stood there and mocked them, “Maybe your god is sleeping or on a journey!”  He knew that God was going to respond.

The second thing was prayer.  He prayed “Hear me oh Lord.  Let them know that You’re God.  Let them know I’m your servant.  What a declaration of faith in prayer.

The third thing is how he prayed.  He’s not saying, “Oh, help me, help me!  I need you to do this God!  It’s all about me God!”  He prays, “Show them that You’re God!  So that Your will, will be done.  It’s not about me – It’s about You, God!”

James 4:3 (NKJV)
^4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

If you’re praying as if it’s all about you, you don’t have a revelation of God as Lord over your life.  Pray with faith, “God, show me whom you are!  Make yourself real to me!”  Give God authority and power over your life.  He’s Lord and Savior, not just Savior!

It Matters How You Finish

There’s a book on Amazon.com called, The (Incomplete) Book of Failures:  The Official Handbook of the Not-So-Terribly-Good Club of Great Britain.  The book itself should be mentioned within, though, because when they printed it they left out the first two pages and had to add them in later.  Even the book itself was a failure!

Everyone has a failure at some point in their live.  We all fail; we fail at school; we fail at work; we fail in our walk with Jesus.  The problem with failure is that people often fail and then think, “That’s it – it’s over!” but that doesn’t necessarily have to be true.  Today, I want to post on coming back from failure.

Proverbs 24:16 (NKJV)
^24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

Failure Happens

A righteous man may fall seven times – So our failure doesn’t mean that we’ve been bad.  Failure isn’t a judgment by God.  It can happen to a righteous man, but the righteous man can rise from the failure.

Peter is a perfect example.  Peter was Jesus’ chosen leader, but Peter wasn’t perfect.  Not by any measure of perfection.  Peter was impulsive.  He did things without thinking.

Jesus is walking on the water – Peter gets out of the boat. On the mount of Transfiguration – Peter blurts out that he wants to build tabernacles for Moses and Elijah.  Jesus says He’s going to suffer – Peter rebukes Him.  In the Garden of Gethsemane – Peter cuts of Malthus’ ear.  Jesus sees them on the Sea of Galilee – Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to shore.

That’s just who Peter is – He’s all enthusiasm, but no foresight.  He means well, he just doesn’t always think about the consequences. God can use people like that. 

It speaks of boldness.  He’s not afraid.  It speaks of zeal.  He’ wants to do something for God.  It speaks of action.  He’s not one to sit around and think, think, think.  He does! He’s the original NIKE® man, “Just Do It!”

This is a good thing in some ways.  It makes things happen.  He’s a leader.  He’s not sitting around waiting to be led.  A church can use a guy like that, but when you’re a man of action, there’s always the potential for failure.

Taiwan is an interesting place.  People live under enormous pressure to succeed.  Bosses have unrealistic expectations, sometimes.  There’s no room for failure.  I’m not saying that failure is good. I’m just saying that if you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried to do anything difficult. 

People are going to fail.  Edison didn’t invent the light bulb on the first try.  Lincoln lost a lot more elections than he won.  I know men who’ve tried to pioneer a church, and are back in their home churches because they couldn’t make it work. 

In businesses they have methods for doing things.  Do you know why?  It’s because there were failures along the way that taught them that this is the way to make it all work.  If you want to be successful, there’s going to be failures along the way.

I’ve learned things, because I’ve made mistakes.  I’ve changed because I learned that some things I’ve done and said weren’t helpful in church building.  It’s been a sixteen year process to get where I am today – and I’m still not perfect.  I still make mistakes.  I want to clarify something, though.  If the failure is because you’re lazy, or you’re not putting a hundred percent into it, it’s not a mistake.  It’s not a learning moment.  It’s a decision – You’re looking for failure!  Leadership is hard – you have to be willing to work at it.

Peter wasn’t lazy.  He was always willing to do things.  He was a successful businessman.  He ran a business.  Peter has to learn how to be a disciple.  He’s learning how by making mistakes.

Matthew 16:21-22 (NKJV)
^16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

This is a perfect example – Jesus is telling them about all the things that have to happen to Him, in order for him to fulfill the will of God for him and for us.  Peter say, “Oh no, that’s not happening!”  He’s actually rebuking Jesus.  This is a failure; this is a mistake.  These things have to happen.  This is God’s will that Jesus be crucified.  Look at what happens:

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV)
^16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Ouch – Jesus called Him Satan!  “You’re not mindful of the things of God.  You’re thinking about the things of men.”

You can see where Peter is coming from – He loves Jesus.  He doesn’t want Him to have to suffer and die.  He’s talking without thinking again, and Jesus has to tell him, “It’s not about you, Peter.”

Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV)
^16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

If you want to be my follower you have to deny yourself.  It’s not about what Peter wants – It’s about what God is trying to do for everyone.  Peter’s being selfish, “I don’t want that to happen!”  Jesus said that Satan using you, Peter.  It’s sin – Sin is failure.

Peter’s Biggest Failure

I want to show you the biggest failure in Peter’s life.  This is where things really come apart for Peter.  It takes place on the night of the Last Supper.  Jesus has already sent Judas out to arrange His betrayal.  He’s washed their feet to teach them about leadership, and they are on their way to Jesus’ arrest at Gethsemane.  Of course, the disciples don’t know that, yet.  They think they’re just going to watch Jesus pray.

Matthew 26:31-32 (NKJV)
^26:31 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' ³² But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."

Jesus begins to warn them that there will be failure for them.  “All of you will be made to ‘stumble’ because of me.”  That word stumble comes from the same word that we get our word scandal from – it means to ensnare – to trip up – to cause to sin – There will be failure, because of what happens to Jesus this night.  Look at what Peter says:

Matthew 26:33 (NKJV)
^26:33 Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."

“Oh no; no, no, no; Not me, that’s not happening!  They may stumble but not me!  I’m not stumbling.”

Matthew 26:34-35 (NKJV)
^26:34 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." ³⁵ Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples.

We all know what happened, though, don’t we?  Take a look:

Matthew 26:69-74 (NKJV)
^26:69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying." ⁷¹ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth." ⁷² But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!" ⁷³ And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.

What happened to “I will follow you even unto death!”?  The Book of Luke says that Jesus looked at Peter and Peter heard the rooster and saw Jesus look at him.

Matthew 26:75 (NKJV)
^26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.

This is a great failure on Peter’s part.  Where was all the boldness?  Where was all the bravado?  He’d used his sword in the garden, but the boldness went out of him.  His failure was in his fear!  He’d bragged that he would follow Jesus even to death, but at the moment of crisis – He lost his nerve and saw through himself.  He saw the weakness and failure and he wept bitterly.

This could have been the end for him.  This could have been the failure that destroyed him.  We’ve all been knocked down by failure.  We don’t read about Peter at the crucifixion.  When Jesus rises from the dead and they tell him:

Luke 24:11 (NKJV)
^24:11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

He didn’t believe it – even though Jesus clearly spoke that it would happen.  He’s broken and discouraged – He’s failed – and it could be all over.  For many of us it would be.

It Matters How You Finish

It’s not failure in life that matters – I’ve told you failure happens.  It happens to everyone who tries to do difficult things.  Living for Jesus isn’t always easy.  People fail at living for Jesus, but failure doesn’t have to define us.  It doesn’t mean that it’s over.  It doesn’t matter how you do in life – It matters how you finish.  Peter finished well.

We all know the story Jesus appeared to them on the sea.  Peter finally recognizes Him and jumps into the water and swims to Jesus.  Jesus tells him, “Feed my sheep.”  Three times – because Peter denied him three times.  He restores Peter to usefulness.  Failure wasn’t his end. 

We can read about things Peter did in the Book of Acts.  He stood on Pentecost and led the early church into revival.  He healed the man at the Gate Beautiful.  His shadow healed the lame and sick on the streets.  He preached to Cornelius and saw his family saved and foiled with the Holy Spirit.  He set the church on a trajectory to reach the world.  You can’t look at the early church and remember only Peter’s failure.

I want to tell you one more thing:  Peter’s failure was his denial of Jesus at His trial.  He’d said he would follow Jesus even to death and yet, out of fear, he denied Jesus and wept bitterly.  In the end, though, Peter was crucified for preaching the Gospel in Rome.  He was crucified upside down, because he made a stand for Jesus.  He did end up following Jesus even to death!  It doesn’t matter what you do in life – It matters how you finish.