Mark 14:66

Steps to Denial

Intro. Here we find Peter tasting the bitter tears of failure. I think

that most Christians have tasted those same tears as we go

through the growth process. Peter had just failed His Lord big

time, and it was a little maid that had perpetrated his fall.

Little maids are often the cause of failure in commitment. But

such failure is seldom just the spur of the moment, there are

often steps that lead to failure. As we look at this story, let

us follow the steps that led to his denial of His Lord, with

cursing and swearing.

I. The first sign of danger, boasting in himself. vs29

A. He was setting himself above the others, when he declared,

"Though all shall be offended, yet not I."

1. There had been an ongoing dispute among the disciples

as to which of them would have the greatest positions,

when the Lord set up His kingdom.

2. James and John had the gall to recently ask the Lord if

one could sit at His right hand, and the other at His

left when He set up the kingdom.

3. This rivalry had been going on, and I believe that

Peter was seeking to make a subtle point, you may not

be able to count on them, in a crisis, but you can

always count on the rock.

B. Paul had the right evaluation of himself.

1. I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no

good thing.

2. He wrote to take heed when you think that you stand

lest you fall.

3. He said, Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to

think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency

[is] of God;

C. The world seeks to teach you self confidence, but in spiritual

things the Bible tells us to have no confidence in our flesh.

1. Jesus said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."

2. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ, who

strengthens me."

II. The second sign of danger, arguing with the Lord, and with the

scriptures. Vs.31.

A. If you find yourself arguing with the Lord or challenging the

scriptures, know this, "You are wrong."

1. It is amazing how that some people seem to think that

they have some kind of special case so that the plain

teaching of the word does not govern their particular

situation.

2. God wrote this for others, but it does not apply to my

case, and we begin to put up an argument.

B. The Greeks had a saying, "The dice of the god's are loaded."

That is you cannot go against the gods and win. Their concepts

of God were wrong, but the conclusion was correct.

1. The minute you go against the word of God, you are

going to lose.

2. The prophet Isaiah said, "Woe unto Him who strives with

His maker."

3. You are in a no win situation when you strive with God,

for if you do win, if you refuse to surrender to His

love and stubbornly resist His grace, then you have

truly lost.

III. The third sign of danger, sleeping instead of praying. vs.37

A. Jesus had positioned the disciples in the garden, and had

brought Peter, James and John a little closer.

1. Perhaps feeling the weight of the hour, knowing that

before this day would be over, He would be hanging on

the cross. He was bringing them closer to Him for

prayer support. He had said, "My Soul is sorrowful,

even unto death."

2. After an hour when He came to them and found them

asleep, He asked, "Peter, are you sleeping, could you

not watch one hour?"

B. I believe that one of the greatest weaknesses in the church

today is in the lack of prayer. I believe that when a person is

in prayer and in the word, that he has a first line of defense

against the enemy. I believe that Satan realizing the power of

prayer does all in his power to keep you from prayer.

1. We are in a spiritual war, and prayer is the deciding

factor in the spiritual conflict.

2. Eph. the spiritual armour, when you have put on the

whole armour, he then tells us to, "Pray, with all

prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

3. Writing to the Corinthians he said, "For the weapons of

our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to

the pulling down of the strongholds of the enemy."

C. The song, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus." The one line

declares "O what needless pain we bare, all because we do not

carry everything to God in prayer."

IV. Another step toward failure happened in the garden as they were

arresting Jesus, Peter drew his sword and began swinging away.vs47 It

is John who reveals the identity of which one.

A. Seeking to use carnal weapons in a spiritual battle.

B. He had failed at prayer, now he will strike out with the sword.

C. So often our reverting to carnal methods is the result of our

failure to walk in the Spirit and to keep in the word and

prayer.

V. Another step toward his failure is found in his seeking to follow the

Lord afar off. vs.54

A. This is a mistake that people often make, they want to be in

the Lord's secret service.

1. "I believe in Jesus, I just don't want everybody to

know it."

2. They are unwilling to confess Christ publicly.

3. Jesus said, that if we would confess Him before men, He

would confess us before His Father in heaven, but the

other side of the coin is that if we deny Him before

men, He will deny us before the Father.

B. Following the Lord afar off is never successful.

1. You need to stick as close to Him as possible, the

closer the better.

2. Some are always testing as to how close they can live

to the world and still be a Christian, they are always

asking about questionable things. Can I still be a

Christian and do this or that?

3. My desire is not to see how close I can live to this

world, but how close I can live to Jesus.

VI. Finally we find Peter warming himself next to the fire that the

enemies of Christ had built.

A. Trying to find warmth by the enemies fire is always a sign of

having moved away from the warmth of His love.

1. Some of you who are seeking again to find warmth in the

things of the world, are close to the denial of your

Lord.

2. As you are among the worldly crowd, doing the worldly

things, sitting their at the bar some little maiden

will come up and declare, "Someone said that you were

a Christian, what are you doing here?"

a. After swallowing hard, and a little stuttering,

you may hear yourself saying, "O yeah, I went

down to the church for a while, I was just

checking it out, but I don't really believe

that stuff."

b.

It may be that the Spirit will convict you and

you will feel immediate repentance. You will

excuse yourself and go out into the night and

weep. I hope so. For in repentance is

forgiveness.

B. Many in the hour of pressure as Peter are guilty of denying the

Lord by our words or actions.

1. Peter's denial did not surprise the Lord, He had

predicted it.

2. It was a surprise and disappointment to Peter. He

thought he was above that.

3. All like Peter can fail in the hour of testing, but as

Peter we must repent and confess our sin, and we will

find Him faithful and just to forgive us our sin.

C. There is one thing about failing a test, you will have to take

it over again.

1.

In Acts we find Peter again in the presence of the

priests and the religious authorities.

2. This time he is on trial before those who condemned His

Lord to death.

3.

We read,

ACS 4:5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and

elders, and scribes,

ACS 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and

Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the

high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

ACS 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By

what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

ACS 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye

rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

ACS 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the

impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

ACS 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,

that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye

crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him

doth this man stand here before you whole.

ACS 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,

which is become the head of the corner.

ACS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none

other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must

be saved.

ACS 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and

perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they

marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had

been with Jesus.