Read Mark 14:27-31
I Will Never Deny You, Jesus!!!
Jesus knew that very soon he would be suffering and giving up his life for the world, so he tells his disciples, “You will all fall away for it is written (Zachariah 13:7): “I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.”
Peter was quick to say, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” Jesus answered Peter saying, “Truly I tell you today, yes tonight, before the rooster crows twice you yourself will deny me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
Do we deny Jesus? How do we deny him? I put denying Jesus into 2 categories:
Explicit Denial and Implicit Denial.
1. Explicit denial is when we deny the truth about Jesus, such as, his resurrection, that he is the Son of God, the necessity of his sacrifice, etc.
2. Implicit denial occurs when a person’s actions, words, or lifestyle contradict our professed faith in Jesus.
I feel I’m pretty confident, hopefully not arrogant, that I hold to the truths about Jesus much better than I do when it comes to temptations in this world.
Implicit denial is of concern. A person who is a fence rider with their faith will be quick to deny Jesus when they face peer pressure. They want to fit in with the world, but when they are around their Christian friends they look like an angel.
But there are those who live their faith in the public real well but in secret they struggle. That would be me more often than not. Where do you find your biggest struggles when it comes to denying Jesus? Do you ride the fence with your faith? At some point you have to come to a decision who you want to serve, the world or Jesus. You have to dig down deep inside your soul and ask that question and I pray you decide to follow Jesus 100%.
But what about the secret sins that nobody knows about: pornography, lust, disrespect, anger, alcohol, swearing, etc. Let me encourage you, get an accountability partner and be open with your weak areas so you can find freedom from even the secret sins. Let the Holy Spirit empower you to say no when you’re in public or when you’re by yourself. Let’s be faithful to the Lord now and to the end. If you fall, confess your sins to the Lord and He will be faithful and just and will forgive you of your sins. Keep pushing forward!
