WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:02.160 Well, good morning. 00:00:04.099 --> 00:00:05.620 It's good to be with you all. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:09.900 How are you? 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:12.419 No, really. 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:13.320 How are you? 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:21.240 I wish you were here to be able to give me feedback, but it's more of a loaded question 00:00:21.240 --> 00:00:22.240 these days, isn't it? 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:25.359 I hear answers. 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:34.600 I'm surviving, managing, learning new routines, new ways of living, trying to figure out for 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:41.019 me how to clean, how to schedule activities for my kids, what to feed them for lunch now 00:00:41.019 --> 00:00:44.320 that school lunches are no longer taken care of. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:48.980 Lots of little details and new things that I'm managing. 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:54.420 But more than that, we're also facing greater challenges, are we not? 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:57.219 Some of us feel isolated. 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:03.679 Some of us are sick, and not even with the virus, but facing other illnesses. 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:07.840 And we're afraid. 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:13.920 Some of us are facing financial strain, anxiety about our jobs. 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:21.219 The circumstances that we are in could be called a crucible. 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:26.200 If you've never seen a crucible, it's actually a ceramic cup. 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:27.719 It's about this big. 00:01:28.539 --> 00:01:34.420 And what it is, is it's something that's meant to hold a precious metal, particularly something 00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:39.620 like gold, that would then be heated up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:54.400 The crucible holds it, and the heat brings pressure to bear on the metal with the purpose of purifying 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:59.719 it by revealing the impurities and then burning them away. 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:09.199 And when the heat is turned up, when the pressure is on us, how are you doing? 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:15.939 What do you see in your own responses in the last week or two to all these challenges? 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:26.180 And more pointedly, how have you engaged or not engaged in your spiritual life these days? 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:28.900 Are you running to God? 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:34.039 Or do you find yourself abandoning God in the midst of a crisis? 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:39.139 It is this that our passage turns us to today. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.659 We are continuing in our series in the book of Luke. 00:02:42.739 --> 00:02:44.899 We're going to be in Luke chapter 22. 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:48.919 We are coming near to the very end of his life. 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:57.280 As Luke narrates the story, he is ramping up towards the crucifixion and the resurrection. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:05.460 Last week, Pastor Nick reminded us and taught us from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:10.080 saying, not my will, but thine be done, and his betrayal and arrest. 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:16.099 And this week, the camera shift shifts from Jesus to the Apostle Peter 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:21.500 and how Peter will respond to the crucible of his moment. 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:28.139 So, let's look at Luke chapter 22, starting in verse 54. 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:30.340 Let's read this together. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:34.080 Then they seized him, that would be Jesus, 00:03:34.659 --> 00:03:39.479 they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.400 And Peter was following at a distance. 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.699 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:48.199 Peter sat down among them. 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:53.399 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:55.979 this man also was with him. 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.819 But he denied it, saying, woman, I do not know him. 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:06.799 And a little later, someone else saw him and said, you also are one of them. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:09.879 But Peter said, man, I am not. 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:16.519 And after an interval of about an hour, still another insisted, saying, 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:21.980 certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:27.040 But Peter said, man, I do not know what you are talking about. 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:32.759 And immediately, while he was speaking, the cock crowed. 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:36.379 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:43.899 And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said of him, before the cock crows today, 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:46.079 you will deny me three times. 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:50.300 And he went out and wept bitterly. 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:52.480 Let's pray together. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:05:02.540 Lord, we thank you for your word and how it is a comfort and a challenge to our lives. 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:06.660 The way that it helps to redirect our attention. 00:05:07.700 --> 00:05:13.280 Lord, not only the thoughts of our minds, but the things that we love and the ways that we act. 00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:17.520 We pray this morning that you would be with us and help us. 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:22.360 Lord, we pray that your word would speak to our hearts this morning. 00:05:23.140 --> 00:05:25.800 That your spirit, Lord, would be at work in us. 00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:28.100 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:29.620 Amen. 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:35.480 How do we respond in the crucible? 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:39.160 We're going to look at this passage and look at it in three parts. 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:40.340 We're going to look at Peter's story. 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:41.960 We'll look at our story. 00:05:41.960 --> 00:05:46.800 And then we're going to look at how Jesus meets us in the crucible of crisis. 00:05:47.460 --> 00:05:49.280 So first, let's look at Peter's story. 00:05:49.460 --> 00:05:51.360 It's a fairly straightforward one. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.139 There's not a lot of confusion here about what happens. 00:05:54.580 --> 00:05:56.080 Jesus has been arrested. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.300 He's led astray into the high priest's house. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:01.699 The house would probably be a typical house in that day. 00:06:01.780 --> 00:06:04.920 It would have an outer courtyard and a gate that would come in. 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:08.580 And there would be a courtyard outside of the buildings. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:15.000 And in that outside, there would be a place for crowds to gather, for visitors to gather. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:20.699 And because it was night, they would have had a fire lit in that area. 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:26.920 And as Jesus is brought in and through, we see the apostle Peter following at a distance. 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:30.819 It may be that he was doing this bravely. 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:39.019 For he alone, it seems, of the disciples, continued to follow Jesus rather than fleeing when he was arrested. 00:06:39.019 --> 00:06:42.399 And yet he did it from a distance. 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:49.879 He was afraid, uncertain about how much to identify with Jesus and how close to get to him. 00:06:50.919 --> 00:06:55.099 And so in the house, he sits down with the other people around this fire. 00:06:56.039 --> 00:07:00.879 And one of the women sitting there, one of the women sitting there looks at him and says, 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:04.959 Aren't you with that guy they just arrested? 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:08.879 Peter's response is strong. 00:07:09.539 --> 00:07:11.500 I do not know him, woman. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:19.620 He interjects that woman in there to emphasize, I don't know him. 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:25.620 He abandons any association with Jesus in that moment. 00:07:26.679 --> 00:07:28.740 And another man right afterward says, 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:31.000 Well, no, aren't you one of them? 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:36.120 Aren't you a part of that group that was with that man? 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:41.519 And again, man, I do not know what you're talking about. 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:47.879 He abandons association with Jesus' followers as well. 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:53.860 And then an hour later, and as we put all the gospel stories together, 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:56.360 it seems that this had now progressed through the night, 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:00.400 and we're coming towards dawn this hour later. 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.639 Maybe Peter had hoped that they'd forgotten those comments. 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:09.680 Maybe they thought he could slip in there unknown. 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:17.139 But he'd also had time to think for an hour about the fact that he just disassociated himself 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:19.439 with Jesus and abandoned him. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:23.560 And another man comes, and he looks at him. 00:08:23.939 --> 00:08:26.379 And in the text it says, another certain man. 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:28.819 He looked at him, and he insisted, 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:32.700 No, you are one of those. 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:34.759 You were with him. 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:36.720 For you're a Galilean. 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:40.259 From the region up in the north where Jesus came from 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:42.240 and where his disciples had come from. 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:46.240 You are with him, aren't you? 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:56.720 And Peter pulls the greatest denial that we have all done at some time. 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:59.379 When someone has said something to us and called us out, 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:02.320 and we don't want to admit to it. 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:05.139 Man, you are crazy. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:06.940 I don't know what you're talking about. 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:13.419 The greatest defense from a guilty heart. 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:32.899 Peter abandons Jesus in that moment. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:34.979 He's afraid. 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.659 That fear is like the fire. 00:09:38.779 --> 00:09:44.200 The fire of the crucible that burns, reveals his impurities, and shows his weakness. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:46.960 Do you remember what Peter had said? 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.279 We read this just a few weeks ago. 00:09:50.300 --> 00:09:54.240 You can look at it in your Bible, verse 33 of chapter 22. 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:56.860 Peter said to Jesus, 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:00.759 Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:05.980 Jesus had said this trial would come. 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:08.899 He said he would pray for Peter. 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:12.279 And Peter said, 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:13.939 You don't need to pray for me, Jesus. 00:10:14.179 --> 00:10:15.259 I've got this. 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:16.759 I'm already with you. 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:21.139 But here's his chance 00:10:21.139 --> 00:10:24.019 to show his true loyalty. 00:10:24.019 --> 00:10:26.759 And he fails. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:28.879 Miserably. 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:29.939 Three times. 00:10:30.699 --> 00:10:32.799 With time to think about it, even. 00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:37.360 He denies Jesus by distancing himself. 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:38.720 I don't know him. 00:10:38.819 --> 00:10:39.720 I don't know them. 00:10:39.819 --> 00:10:40.620 I'm not one of them. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:41.980 I don't know what you're talking about. 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:45.639 The crisis revealed Peter 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:49.059 not to be who he hoped he would be, 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:51.899 but to be who he really was. 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:57.039 So that's Peter's story. 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:00.059 And it's a tragic one. 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:02.459 And it's a sobering one. 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:04.220 What about us? 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:08.379 How are we responding to the crisis of our day? 00:11:10.059 --> 00:11:13.220 The heat is being turned up in our crucible, is it not? 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.879 And are we running to God, 00:11:15.939 --> 00:11:17.460 or are we abandoning him? 00:11:17.460 --> 00:11:22.480 Look, we face something that's been not faced 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.660 in this whole generation, maybe in a century. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:29.060 There's a real danger what's going on with us. 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.139 There's a real danger of getting a virus. 00:11:32.920 --> 00:11:34.460 There's a real fear of dying. 00:11:35.300 --> 00:11:36.320 There's a real fear, 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:38.800 not only for ourselves in our own life, 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:42.120 but also for the lives of those that we love, 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:44.460 for ones both near and far, 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:45.580 that we want to protect, 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:46.820 that we want to care for, 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.820 and we don't know how. 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:52.100 There are real fears in this present moment. 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:54.399 There are also real losses 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:58.620 connected already with the effect of this pandemic 00:11:58.620 --> 00:11:59.639 on our lives. 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:02.460 Some have already lost jobs. 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:04.279 Many more likely will. 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:06.699 You've lost financial stability. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.860 You've lost income. 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.399 You worry about whether you'll be able to stay 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:12.639 in the home you live in, 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:15.639 how you will feed yourself and your family. 00:12:16.439 --> 00:12:18.740 We've not only lost financial stability, 00:12:18.939 --> 00:12:21.500 we've lost social milestones 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:22.939 that become so important. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.399 Birthdays and graduations have been canceled. 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:30.220 Weddings have been put off or done alone. 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:34.940 And funerals have been canceled 00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:37.660 or done with only the closest members. 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:41.220 These are not recoverable milestones. 00:12:42.160 --> 00:12:43.060 They are real losses. 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:44.680 And we've lost connection too. 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:50.060 We lose the necessary fabric 00:12:50.060 --> 00:12:52.019 of the love of people around us, 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.500 the importance of physical touch. 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:56.860 We're separated from our families, 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:57.720 from our classmates, 00:12:58.060 --> 00:12:59.180 from our church family, 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:00.759 from our friends. 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:05.979 And in the reality of this, 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:07.919 the fire heats up. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:13.259 And it shows the impurities of our hearts, 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:13.919 doesn't it? 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.620 Or to change the metaphor, 00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:18.759 the pressure of our circumstances 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:21.179 squeezes us like a toothpaste tube. 00:13:21.339 --> 00:13:22.919 It doesn't make what's inside. 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:25.759 It just merely lets what's inside 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:27.959 get squeezed out so everyone can see it. 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:32.160 So what comes out of me in a time like this? 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:34.420 Well, 00:13:35.060 --> 00:13:38.540 often it's not what I hoped I would be, 00:13:38.920 --> 00:13:40.840 but it is what I really am. 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.100 This week I've recognized that I have a mode 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:47.040 that I have developed 00:13:47.040 --> 00:13:49.740 of how to survive in crisis. 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:52.799 It's to hunker down, 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:55.060 batten down the hatches, 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.759 throw all the unnecessary things out of my life, 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:00.639 and to just survive. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:03.700 And you know, 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:05.919 there may be some wisdom in some of those things. 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:07.120 I want to manage well. 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:08.680 I want to develop good strategies. 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:11.759 But I know in my heart, 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.359 I don't do that by turning to God 00:14:14.359 --> 00:14:17.239 and allowing Him to be my refuge 00:14:17.239 --> 00:14:19.620 as I batten down the hatches. 00:14:20.739 --> 00:14:23.019 It's more my New England bones, 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.599 pulling up my bootstraps, 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:25.919 protecting myself 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.979 with a deep fear 00:14:28.979 --> 00:14:30.739 that no one else will take care of me, 00:14:30.959 --> 00:14:32.319 no one else will protect me, 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.200 and it's up to me 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:34.400 to do it all. 00:14:37.920 --> 00:14:39.460 That's what I've seen in my own heart. 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:42.460 And do you know what happens? 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.420 I have these little warning lights 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:46.580 that come up on my dashboard of my life. 00:14:48.020 --> 00:14:48.420 Irritability. 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:50.900 I find myself impatient, 00:14:51.700 --> 00:14:53.140 easily angered, 00:14:54.060 --> 00:14:57.180 growing in my frustration with little things. 00:14:57.540 --> 00:14:59.440 When life doesn't work right, 00:14:59.660 --> 00:15:02.280 I find my fuse is very short. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:08.160 I also know that for some of us, 00:15:08.780 --> 00:15:11.900 withdrawal will be a major warning line. 00:15:12.020 --> 00:15:14.000 We may sleep all day. 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:16.280 We may run to our addictions, 00:15:16.660 --> 00:15:19.720 whether they be social media or narcotics, 00:15:20.300 --> 00:15:22.879 whether they be pornography or Netflix. 00:15:25.280 --> 00:15:27.880 We abandon ourselves into these things 00:15:27.880 --> 00:15:30.760 to withdraw from the challenges ahead 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:32.480 that we face. 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:35.059 Some of us may be prone 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:38.220 to have a warning sign of frantic activity. 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:40.759 My kids are at home. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:43.580 I have to be the perfect Pinterest parent 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:47.399 and have a 14-point plan for my kids 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:48.819 every day of what they're going to do. 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:50.899 Some of us, 00:15:50.939 --> 00:15:53.080 our frantic activity is cleaning the house 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:54.779 and finding something else to do 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:57.360 to distract ourselves from the challenges 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.199 that we face. 00:15:59.079 --> 00:16:02.939 Some of us spend all of our time on social media. 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:05.419 What's the latest news release? 00:16:05.579 --> 00:16:06.740 What's the latest update? 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:09.659 What is that counter that keeps going up and up and up 00:16:09.659 --> 00:16:12.039 about the number of people affected by this virus? 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:14.839 And we incessantly obsess 00:16:14.839 --> 00:16:18.299 and frantically take hold of these things. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.620 These are warning signs 00:16:20.620 --> 00:16:23.159 of our heart. 00:16:25.839 --> 00:16:27.599 Instead of running to God, 00:16:27.699 --> 00:16:30.339 we often run to other things. 00:16:30.539 --> 00:16:31.819 We run to these things 00:16:31.819 --> 00:16:34.219 that are not always bad things, 00:16:34.339 --> 00:16:35.879 but when we make them 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:37.759 the ultimate things in our lives, 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:40.120 they are in fact 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.639 an abandonment of God. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.019 What are some of these things? 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:46.779 We might become consumed 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:49.759 with our health and safety. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:52.580 And so in doing so, 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.299 we become committed 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:56.679 to protecting ourselves 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:58.860 and we lose 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:00.639 our love for our neighbor, 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.159 our ability to think about 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:04.759 anyone but ourselves. 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:07.980 When we make this 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:09.740 our number one priority, 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:10.960 we abandon God 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:13.180 who is the author of life 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:14.120 and of death 00:17:14.120 --> 00:17:15.579 and who has numbered our days. 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:18.640 We want to control that 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:20.680 rather than trusting in Him. 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.700 Another thing we might run to 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:24.720 is our productivity. 00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:27.480 Some of us struggle 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:28.400 because suddenly 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.039 we have to slow down 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:31.299 and we don't like that. 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:32.660 We don't like 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:34.579 not being able to do the work 00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:35.740 that we usually do. 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:37.220 And we don't like 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:38.579 the loss of projects 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:39.460 and accomplishments. 00:17:41.380 --> 00:17:42.660 We feel exposed 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:44.420 because our self-importance 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:45.420 feels like it's slipping 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:46.360 through our fingers 00:17:46.360 --> 00:17:49.279 as we're more and more 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:51.339 unable to do 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:53.319 what we want to do. 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:57.500 When we cling 00:17:57.500 --> 00:17:58.500 to that productivity, 00:17:58.839 --> 00:17:59.839 we abandon God 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:00.779 who gives us work 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:01.900 not for our meaning 00:18:01.900 --> 00:18:03.960 but for His glory. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:06.980 Some of us love 00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:08.000 and in the crisis, 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:08.460 we, 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:10.140 what rises to the top 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:10.779 is competence. 00:18:11.259 --> 00:18:12.200 I want to know 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:13.059 how to respond 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:14.559 and manage this situation. 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:15.539 This might be partly 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:16.680 what I love. 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:19.100 Whether it's homeschooling 00:18:19.100 --> 00:18:19.600 your kid, 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:20.799 whether it's navigating 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:21.880 new technologies, 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:24.079 you find yourself 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.620 constantly driving 00:18:26.620 --> 00:18:27.940 to how do I learn? 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:29.299 How do I become competent? 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:30.299 How do I succeed 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:31.680 in all of these things? 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:35.500 Here might be 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:36.940 the dashboard light for you. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.279 Do you spend more time 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:39.580 researching these things 00:18:39.580 --> 00:18:40.200 on the internet 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:41.120 than you do 00:18:41.120 --> 00:18:42.039 reading your Bible? 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:45.120 We abandon God 00:18:45.120 --> 00:18:45.860 who is the God 00:18:45.860 --> 00:18:46.660 of all knowledge 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:48.960 and we abandon God 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:49.980 who is able to do 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:50.539 for us 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:51.360 what we are unable 00:18:51.360 --> 00:18:52.600 to do for ourselves. 00:18:55.120 --> 00:18:56.460 We seek a competence 00:18:56.460 --> 00:18:57.220 in ourselves 00:18:57.220 --> 00:18:58.860 that deny God 00:18:58.860 --> 00:18:59.660 in our lives. 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:01.420 and this leads 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:02.080 very closely 00:19:02.080 --> 00:19:03.000 into the next one 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:03.940 which is control. 00:19:05.080 --> 00:19:06.880 We love to be in control, 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:07.340 don't we? 00:19:08.540 --> 00:19:09.680 We want to be able 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:10.279 to determine 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:11.240 our circumstances, 00:19:11.840 --> 00:19:13.820 to be able to 00:19:13.820 --> 00:19:15.680 control our outcomes. 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:19.580 I had plans 00:19:19.580 --> 00:19:21.700 and they've been 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:23.160 taken out of my hand 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.160 and I want to cling 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:25.779 to them 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:27.740 and I find myself 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:29.519 struggling with bitterness 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:30.240 at losing 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.220 some of those plans. 00:19:36.360 --> 00:19:37.519 But when we cling 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.400 to those things 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:39.720 and cling to that desire 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:40.539 for control, 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:44.599 we abandon God 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:46.599 who says, 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:47.680 I know the plans 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:48.619 that I have for you 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:50.440 and they are not 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.299 for your destruction 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:52.819 but they're for your good. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:56.720 Finally, 00:19:57.099 --> 00:19:58.639 one of the things 00:19:58.639 --> 00:19:59.960 that we've seen 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:00.740 in our culture 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:02.879 and in our own hearts 00:20:02.879 --> 00:20:05.740 is that crisis like this 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:06.879 squeeze out 00:20:06.879 --> 00:20:08.279 our independence. 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:09.960 I want to do 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:10.920 what I want to do. 00:20:11.879 --> 00:20:12.599 I do me, 00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:13.399 you do you. 00:20:13.980 --> 00:20:14.639 I'm going to go 00:20:14.639 --> 00:20:15.259 to spring break 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:16.119 and do that thing. 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:17.639 Many of those kids 00:20:17.639 --> 00:20:18.220 have repented 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:20.700 of those statements 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:21.420 since then, 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:21.879 thankfully. 00:20:23.399 --> 00:20:24.460 But is it not true 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:25.200 that we all 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.379 are reaching those points 00:20:26.379 --> 00:20:28.000 where we don't care, 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:29.339 we just want to do 00:20:29.339 --> 00:20:30.319 what we want to do. 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:32.440 We don't care 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:33.480 how much it's affected 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:35.180 and we feel 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:36.879 this growing sense 00:20:36.879 --> 00:20:37.819 inside of us 00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:39.019 that's going to burst out. 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:40.279 If I can't do this, 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:42.240 if I can't do 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:43.439 what I want to do, 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:45.439 I'm going to explode. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.759 And in doing that, 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:54.000 we deny a God 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:55.899 who has loved us 00:20:55.899 --> 00:20:56.619 with a great 00:20:56.619 --> 00:20:58.179 and sacrificial love 00:20:58.179 --> 00:20:59.980 that said, 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:00.779 not my will 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.579 but thine be done, God. 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:04.859 our independence 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:06.259 is the very core 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:07.879 of our rejection 00:21:07.879 --> 00:21:08.759 of God 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:10.919 and we abandon him 00:21:10.919 --> 00:21:11.399 in it. 00:21:14.339 --> 00:21:15.720 I hope by exploring 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:16.480 these things, 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:18.139 we might see 00:21:18.139 --> 00:21:19.339 that our story 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:20.119 is not so different 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:21.000 from Peter's. 00:21:21.879 --> 00:21:22.099 Oh, 00:21:22.179 --> 00:21:23.259 we would never admit 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:23.980 that we would just 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:24.699 stand up and say, 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:25.000 oh, 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:25.659 I don't believe 00:21:25.659 --> 00:21:26.500 any of that anymore. 00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:29.279 But in our actions 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:31.779 and in our hurt attitudes, 00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:33.339 how often 00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:35.059 have we abandoned God 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:36.779 in this last week? 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:39.880 In the crucible, 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:40.680 I too 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:41.779 abandon him 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:43.779 and act like 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:44.660 I don't know him. 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.079 But what does Jesus do 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:49.339 with Peter 00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:51.359 and with us? 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:52.700 Look with me 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:53.640 at the passage again. 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.240 Verse 61. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:58.759 The Lord turned 00:21:58.759 --> 00:21:59.640 and looked 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:00.420 at Peter. 00:22:02.120 --> 00:22:02.280 Now, 00:22:02.300 --> 00:22:03.000 we're not quite sure 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:04.180 how this was staged. 00:22:04.800 --> 00:22:05.100 Somehow, 00:22:05.280 --> 00:22:05.500 Jesus, 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:06.840 maybe he was being walked 00:22:06.840 --> 00:22:07.820 from one room 00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:08.280 to another. 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:09.040 Maybe there was 00:22:09.040 --> 00:22:10.120 an open doorway 00:22:10.120 --> 00:22:11.640 that could be seen 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:12.500 in to where Jesus 00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:13.480 was being held. 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:15.020 But however it happened, 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:15.500 Jesus, 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:16.500 in that moment, 00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:17.660 was able to turn 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:18.540 and look 00:22:18.540 --> 00:22:19.640 and make eye contact 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:20.400 with Peter. 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:25.680 And in that look, 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.100 Peter was reminded 00:22:27.100 --> 00:22:28.860 that Jesus knew 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:30.100 that this was going 00:22:30.100 --> 00:22:30.580 to happen. 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:32.060 He had predicted 00:22:32.060 --> 00:22:33.600 that he would fail him. 00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:35.900 But he had also predicted, 00:22:36.860 --> 00:22:37.860 I am going to pray 00:22:37.860 --> 00:22:38.480 for you 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:39.340 that you may not 00:22:39.340 --> 00:22:39.940 be overcome, 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:41.420 but that you will 00:22:41.420 --> 00:22:42.620 stand through this. 00:22:42.800 --> 00:22:44.200 And that when you come back 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:45.380 after your failure, 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:49.360 that you will be able 00:22:49.360 --> 00:22:50.400 to feed your brothers 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:51.600 and shepherd them. 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:55.159 Jesus' look 00:22:55.159 --> 00:22:55.699 was one 00:22:55.699 --> 00:22:56.859 that both reminded 00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:57.439 Peter 00:22:57.439 --> 00:23:01.439 of his sovereign holiness. 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:03.139 I knew 00:23:03.139 --> 00:23:03.879 that this was going 00:23:03.879 --> 00:23:04.639 to happen, Peter. 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:06.039 I knew your weakness. 00:23:06.759 --> 00:23:07.779 I told you 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:08.319 this was going 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:08.859 to happen. 00:23:10.219 --> 00:23:11.000 And yet, 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:12.199 his immense 00:23:12.199 --> 00:23:13.839 grace 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:14.740 to us. 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:17.699 Peter 00:23:17.699 --> 00:23:19.199 abandoned Jesus, 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:21.920 but Jesus 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:22.840 has not abandoned 00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:23.500 us. 00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:24.960 In fact, 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.279 he looks to us 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:27.460 in growing, 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:28.660 in gracious, 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:30.200 and knowing love. 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:31.980 You've heard it said 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:32.819 many times, 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:33.920 Pastor Tim Keller 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:34.740 from New York City, 00:23:35.360 --> 00:23:36.340 the gospel is this, 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:37.299 we are more sinful 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:38.100 and flawed 00:23:38.100 --> 00:23:38.940 in ourselves 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:40.120 than we ever 00:23:40.120 --> 00:23:41.000 dared believe. 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:43.400 We have in the seed 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:44.059 of our hearts 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:44.680 every day 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.299 the ability 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:46.279 to abandon 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:47.639 and deny God. 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:49.200 And yet, 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.000 at the very 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:51.119 same time, 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:52.220 we are more 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:53.420 loved and accepted 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:54.599 in Jesus Christ 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:56.339 than we ever 00:23:56.339 --> 00:23:58.079 dared hope. 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:00.940 You see, 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:01.740 this story 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:02.639 of Peter's failure 00:24:02.639 --> 00:24:03.399 doesn't happen 00:24:03.399 --> 00:24:04.099 in a vacuum. 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:05.200 It happens 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:05.799 as Jesus 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:06.339 is headed 00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:07.539 towards the cross, 00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:09.259 which is the greatest 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:09.779 moving 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:11.480 of a holy God 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.440 towards people 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:13.899 who don't deserve him. 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:15.320 In fact, 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:16.420 in just the next 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:16.880 chapter, 00:24:17.300 --> 00:24:18.320 Jesus will hang 00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:18.920 on that cross 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:19.920 and he will cry out, 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:20.940 my God, 00:24:21.120 --> 00:24:21.820 my God, 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:23.060 why have you 00:24:23.060 --> 00:24:24.740 forsaken me? 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:28.280 Jesus will go 00:24:28.280 --> 00:24:29.100 to the cross 00:24:29.100 --> 00:24:31.340 and be abandoned 00:24:31.340 --> 00:24:32.600 by his Father 00:24:32.600 --> 00:24:34.600 to rescue people 00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:35.240 like us 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:36.820 who abandoned him. 00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:39.040 And this is 00:24:39.040 --> 00:24:39.820 the good news 00:24:39.820 --> 00:24:41.060 of the gospel, 00:24:41.059 --> 00:24:42.339 that even 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:43.339 in our greatest 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:44.159 failures 00:24:44.159 --> 00:24:45.359 this week, 00:24:45.639 --> 00:24:46.539 even in our 00:24:46.539 --> 00:24:47.940 greatest struggles, 00:24:48.899 --> 00:24:50.139 Jesus has not 00:24:50.139 --> 00:24:51.399 abandoned us. 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:56.399 He goes to the cross 00:24:56.399 --> 00:24:57.419 to take the penalty 00:24:57.419 --> 00:24:59.740 for our rebellion 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:01.639 and our denial 00:25:01.639 --> 00:25:02.339 of him 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:03.659 so that it might 00:25:03.659 --> 00:25:04.779 be taken away. 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:08.519 What a rich, 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:11.039 what a beautiful 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:12.379 savior we have 00:25:12.379 --> 00:25:13.220 who does this 00:25:13.220 --> 00:25:14.059 for us 00:25:14.059 --> 00:25:16.619 to rescue us 00:25:16.619 --> 00:25:17.539 so that that 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:19.059 failure of Peter's 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:19.920 or that failure 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:20.879 that you've had 00:25:20.879 --> 00:25:21.519 this week, 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:22.240 this month, 00:25:22.639 --> 00:25:23.980 sometime in your life 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:25.859 does not define you. 00:25:28.859 --> 00:25:30.000 But the God 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.639 of redemption 00:25:30.639 --> 00:25:31.599 has been abandoned 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:33.000 by God for you 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:33.920 so that you might 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:34.559 be abandoned, 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:36.259 so that you might 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:37.119 be redeemed 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.480 out of your 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:39.579 abandoning him, 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:40.920 so that you might 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:42.019 be brought back. 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:46.859 To this I hold, 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:47.859 my sin has been 00:25:47.859 --> 00:25:48.379 defeated, 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:50.119 Jesus now, 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:52.879 and ever 00:25:52.879 --> 00:25:53.980 is my plea. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:55.980 Oh, the chains 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:56.619 are released, 00:25:56.740 --> 00:25:57.379 I can sing 00:25:57.379 --> 00:25:58.000 I am free, 00:25:58.119 --> 00:25:58.839 yet not I, 00:25:59.579 --> 00:26:00.720 but Christ in me. 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:02.339 And friends, 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:03.000 if you're looking 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:03.920 for hope today 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:05.019 because you identify 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:05.680 with Peter 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:06.440 in your failure, 00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:08.180 look ahead 00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:08.859 to the beginning 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:09.960 of the book of Acts. 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:12.059 Luke doesn't 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:13.379 recount the restoration 00:26:13.379 --> 00:26:14.539 that John does 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:15.359 in John 20, 00:26:15.619 --> 00:26:16.500 but in Acts, 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:17.799 Luke presents 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:19.299 Peter again and again, 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:20.079 the leader 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:20.799 of the apostles, 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.779 the one who preaches 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:22.980 the gospel boldly 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.039 on the day of Pentecost, 00:26:24.379 --> 00:26:25.319 the one who stands 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:26.240 before the leaders 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.180 when he has been 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:27.779 arrested 00:26:27.779 --> 00:26:29.400 for following Jesus 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.720 and says, 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:31.879 you tell me, 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:33.920 should I obey God 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:34.580 or man? 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:35.400 I am willing 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:36.039 to suffer 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:37.060 and die 00:26:37.060 --> 00:26:38.100 for this Jesus 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:40.860 because he suffered 00:26:40.860 --> 00:26:41.539 and died 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.360 for me. 00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:45.980 Let's pray. 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:49.100 Lord, 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:49.980 thank you for 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:52.600 the cross 00:26:52.600 --> 00:26:53.800 and the gospel 00:26:53.800 --> 00:26:54.759 hope that we have. 00:26:57.380 --> 00:26:58.560 Strengthen us today 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:00.879 to face this crucible, 00:27:01.179 --> 00:27:05.379 this trial, 00:27:06.099 --> 00:27:07.099 this crisis. 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.240 Lord, 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:10.299 with the great knowledge 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:11.480 of your faithfulness 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:13.039 to us, 00:27:13.339 --> 00:27:14.179 we pray this 00:27:14.179 --> 00:27:14.960 in Jesus' name. 00:27:15.679 --> 00:27:15.940 Amen. 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:16.059 Amen. 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:16.079 Amen. 00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:17.359 Amen. 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:17.859 Amen. 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.099 Amen. 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:19.440 Amen. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:19.940 Amen. 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:19.980 Amen. 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:20.179 Amen. 00:27:20.179 --> 00:27:20.519 Amen. 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:20.659 Amen. 00:27:20.659 --> 00:27:20.779 Amen.