From Time To Time - Part Thirty Nine Aug 18, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: From Time to Time Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T023_20240818.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We will continue our study of the outer darkness this week. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 18th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 39 1). Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We have seen in our previous studies that the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’ is found exclusively in Matthew’s Gospel. And we have seen that there is another phrase used exclusively in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘the Kingdom of the heavens’. a). And it is not surprising that these two are found here as Matthew’s Gospel deals with four specific things. It deals with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to national Israel, along with the supernatural signs that accompanied the offer – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mt 11:2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. The rejection of the offer and its removal from national Israel – Mt 21:40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? ” 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. The introduction of another ‘nation’ other than Israel that is to be recipient of that rejected by Israel – Mt 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And the future judgment of those forming the nation other than Israel with respect to faithfulness – Mt 25:20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ And as we had concluded last week, the phrase ‘the outer darkness’ describes the experience of the unfaithful household servant to whom the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens is being made. When the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens remained open to national Israel, the outer darkness is seen with respect to the unfaithful Jew, seen in Matthew Chapter 8. And once the Kingdom of the heavens had been taken from national Israel to be offered to the one new man in Christ, then this phrase is no longer used in connection with the Jews but is now seen with respect to the unfaithful Christian, seen in Matthew Chapters 22 and 25. 2). And we had concluded our study last week with the introduction of what is probably the clearest and most poignant picture of the outer darkness experience, recorded with respect to Peter on the night of the Lord’s betrayal – Mt 26:74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 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. Mk 14:66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept. Lk 22:59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Jn 18:25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed. The account of Peter denying his Lord three times and the crowing of the rooster is likely very familiar to us. And as we see, an account of this event is recorded in all four Gospels. But before we deal with Peter’s denial and its outcome, we will set the context in which it should be placed, because his threefold denial was not just a random event but an inevitable conclusion. a). And the origin of this is to be found in familiar events recorded in – Mt 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!” 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.” These are verses we have looked at many times, and the primary take away from them for our purposes today is the contrast that is drawn between ‘the things of God’ and ‘the things of men.’ Two ‘things’ that are diametrically opposite. There is God’s plan and purpose set out from the beginning of Scripture within a specific timeframe that will see the execution of His plan and the fulfillment of His purpose. b). And then there are ‘the things of men’ that come from the wisdom of this world within the purview of the god of this age – Pr 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. And to this we will add - Nu 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? And as we take that seen in Numbers 23:19 back to the verses from Matthew, God, in the person of Son, had said 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. And what Jesus shared with the disciples about what awaited Him, is just what had been written throughout the OT Scriptures from Cain killing Abel, the rejection of Joseph and Moses, to the Passover lambs, to Isaiah Chapter 53 – Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. And that which Jesus began to show His disciples was simply a statement of fact. He had attached no negative connotations to it. And knowing what we know now, these events in Jerusalem and beyond can only be seen positively. And the Lord’s suffering, crucifixion and resurrection having been laid out in the OT Scriptures, He then provided confirmation of those Scriptures through that which He began to tell His disciples. And because of what God had said in the OT Scriptures there could be no change of mind about it. Having said it, He would make it good. c). For Peter however, what God had said, that which came from the mouth of the One he had just confessed to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, was negotiable, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” There is an arrogance in this boast that not only challenges that which God has said in the OT Scriptures, confirmed through the Son, but also implies that Peter would not allow this to take place. He would change that which God had said. This was a boast made from Peter’s man of the flesh, the things of men. Peter’s old man was trying to exert influence in the spiritual realm from which he was totally disconnected. d). And in his attempt to obstruct God’s purpose for His Son expressed through this arrogant boast of his old man, Peter received a rebuke of the sort that should have gotten his attention, “Get behind Me, Satan!” The old man has a direct connection with Satan and the spiritual darkness of this Age but has absolutely no connection with the spiritual realm and that associated with the light – Ro 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. That which Paul later wrote to the Romans is just what Peter should have done but didn’t do. e). And for ourselves here, it is easy to see that what God has said in these last days as He has spoken to us in the person of Son, is not open to negotiation or compromise. It is to be received and believed and acted upon, even if it is contradictory to our own desires. f). Again, from a previous study, we will remember – 1 Co 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. As a servant who has the privilege to be placed in our Lord’s house, we are to follow the instructions of our Master in faithful obedience and with the giving of thanks. 3). With all of this in mind, let’s now fast forward to the night of the Lord’s betrayal – Mt 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.” The statement that Jesus made to His disciples must have been a blow to them as they heard it, but again He was making a simple statement of fact, confirming that which had already been set in place in the OT Scriptures through Zechariah – Zec 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. What the Lord said would take place was inevitable because His Word had already confirmed it. But that which He said was not the end of the matter for the disciples. There was hope, after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. a). The word that is translated ‘stumble’ has to do with, standing away from, the same idea we have from the word apostasy. And perhaps the following definition may help us in our understanding. Stumble - to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey. b). Jesus, over the course of His ministry had demonstrated that He could be trusted. As the embodiment of the God breathed Word, He could be trusted, and that which God was speaking through the person of Son simply had to be trusted, accepted and believed. It required faith, and through faith trust in the One who had spoken. c). And with respect to faith and trust Jesus had previously said to them – Mt 19:28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He had also told them – Jn 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also……18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. When Jesus said these things, was He lying to the disciples? Well, not according to Numbers 23:19. Was He going to change His mind about what He had said? Again, not according to Numbers 23:19. What He had promised in the verses we have just read MUST come to pass. Had He spoken and would He not do? So, how should we understand the disciples standing away from Him on the night of His betrayal? What should the disciples’ response to the news that they would stumble because of Him have been? d). The disciples’ response should firstly have been to believe and accept that which Jesus had told them, that they would stand away from Him that night. And having received this truth about the actions they were about to take, they should then have approached it in the same way that Abraham had approached God’s command to sacrifice Isaac - Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Abraham knew and had believed that in Isaac his seed would be called, that it would be through Isaac that God’s promises to him would be fulfilled. And so, he had determined that God would do whatever was necessary to fulfill His promises in Isaac, even if He had to raise Isaac from the dead to accomplish them. Abraham trusted God completely, and presumably refused to look at this command from the perspective of the natural man. He may not have understood why but He understood that God could be trusted. e). In the same way, the disciples had the promises Jesus had given them, some of which we have seen in Matthew Chapter 19 and John Chapter 14. They should have had faith that even though they would stand away from their Lord in the hour of His trial, He would have done whatever was necessary to bring about the fulfillment of His promises to them. There would have been restoration for them. They should have cared less about the afront to their pride and more about the faithfulness of God. f). This or course, is not what they did – Mt 26:33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never [no not ever] be made to stumble.” 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. Again, the arrogant, prideful boast of Peter that was then echoed by the rest of the disciples. And in this we can see a repetition of Peter from Matthew Chapter 16. God had said what would take place that night through the person of Son. He had drawn attention to the OT Scriptures through that written by Zechariah, but Peter said, ‘No, this isn’t going to happen’. And here again is the man of the flesh trying to intervene within a realm that is beyond his reach. g). And what we see here in the rising up of the man of the flesh in opposition to the things of God, sets the stage, so to speak, for what will come next – Mk 14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Peter, James and John were Jesus’ closest disciples but that of itself counted for nothing in this instance. They had set their minds on the things of men in contradicting that which Jesus had told them. Consequently, when they were told to watch and pray, actions to be carried out in the realm of the spirit, they were not able to do so, not even for one hour. They were asleep to the things of God because they were awake to the things of men. h). And for ourselves again here, we might remember what the Scriptures have said to us about watching – 1 Co 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. And notice the connection between watching and standing steadfast in the faith. And in this next verse we can find the sleepers in the garden – 1 Th 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. And then to the conclusion of the matter presented through the church in Sardis – Re 3:3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch [to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one], I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. And that seen through all three of the uses of the word ‘watch’ in these verses, is exactly what the Lord was speaking about with Peter, James and John in the garden, ‘the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ i). We are to give strict attention to that which the Scriptures have said. Or to say this another way, give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. It must be the Scriptures that provide our direction, constitute our truth and inform our faith, and with respect to this the spirit man is willing to let this be so. But the man of the flesh is weak and is all too easily drawn away to be mindful of the things of men, all too ready to take matters into his own hands to accomplish the outcome that he desires. To try to accomplish something that can only be accomplished through the Spirit. Hence the need for us to ‘watch.’ 4). And with this in mind, we are ready to look at the next stage of Peter’s downward spiral to the denial of his Lord, seen as we continue in Mark’s Gospel – Mk 14:43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.” 45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. And as we read these verses, let’s just remember what Peter had said recorded in Matthew Chapter 16, ‘this shall not happen to You.’ And what he had said recorded in Matthew Chapter 26, ‘I will never, no not ever, be made to stand away from You.’ a). And here in Mark 14:47 we see how he is going to fulfill his arrogant boasts And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Peter took up the natural sword instead of the sword of the Spirit and through trying to enforce his own will to make good his boast, he attacked the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear – Mt 26:52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” This we will come back to next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. From Time To Time - Part Thirty Nine Aug 18, 2024 Speaker: John Herbert Series: From Time to Time Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T023_20240818.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We will continue our study of the outer darkness this week. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 18th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 39 1). Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We have seen in our previous studies that the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’ is found exclusively in Matthew’s Gospel. And we have seen that there is another phrase used exclusively in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘the Kingdom of the heavens’. a). And it is not surprising that these two are found here as Matthew’s Gospel deals with four specific things. It deals with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to national Israel, along with the supernatural signs that accompanied the offer – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mt 11:2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. The rejection of the offer and its removal from national Israel – Mt 21:40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? ” 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. The introduction of another ‘nation’ other than Israel that is to be recipient of that rejected by Israel – Mt 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And the future judgment of those forming the nation other than Israel with respect to faithfulness – Mt 25:20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ And as we had concluded last week, the phrase ‘the outer darkness’ describes the experience of the unfaithful household servant to whom the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens is being made. When the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens remained open to national Israel, the outer darkness is seen with respect to the unfaithful Jew, seen in Matthew Chapter 8. And once the Kingdom of the heavens had been taken from national Israel to be offered to the one new man in Christ, then this phrase is no longer used in connection with the Jews but is now seen with respect to the unfaithful Christian, seen in Matthew Chapters 22 and 25. 2). And we had concluded our study last week with the introduction of what is probably the clearest and most poignant picture of the outer darkness experience, recorded with respect to Peter on the night of the Lord’s betrayal – Mt 26:74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 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. Mk 14:66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept. Lk 22:59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Jn 18:25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed. The account of Peter denying his Lord three times and the crowing of the rooster is likely very familiar to us. And as we see, an account of this event is recorded in all four Gospels. But before we deal with Peter’s denial and its outcome, we will set the context in which it should be placed, because his threefold denial was not just a random event but an inevitable conclusion. a). And the origin of this is to be found in familiar events recorded in – Mt 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!” 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.” These are verses we have looked at many times, and the primary take away from them for our purposes today is the contrast that is drawn between ‘the things of God’ and ‘the things of men.’ Two ‘things’ that are diametrically opposite. There is God’s plan and purpose set out from the beginning of Scripture within a specific timeframe that will see the execution of His plan and the fulfillment of His purpose. b). And then there are ‘the things of men’ that come from the wisdom of this world within the purview of the god of this age – Pr 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. And to this we will add - Nu 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? And as we take that seen in Numbers 23:19 back to the verses from Matthew, God, in the person of Son, had said 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. And what Jesus shared with the disciples about what awaited Him, is just what had been written throughout the OT Scriptures from Cain killing Abel, the rejection of Joseph and Moses, to the Passover lambs, to Isaiah Chapter 53 – Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. And that which Jesus began to show His disciples was simply a statement of fact. He had attached no negative connotations to it. And knowing what we know now, these events in Jerusalem and beyond can only be seen positively. And the Lord’s suffering, crucifixion and resurrection having been laid out in the OT Scriptures, He then provided confirmation of those Scriptures through that which He began to tell His disciples. And because of what God had said in the OT Scriptures there could be no change of mind about it. Having said it, He would make it good. c). For Peter however, what God had said, that which came from the mouth of the One he had just confessed to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, was negotiable, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” There is an arrogance in this boast that not only challenges that which God has said in the OT Scriptures, confirmed through the Son, but also implies that Peter would not allow this to take place. He would change that which God had said. This was a boast made from Peter’s man of the flesh, the things of men. Peter’s old man was trying to exert influence in the spiritual realm from which he was totally disconnected. d). And in his attempt to obstruct God’s purpose for His Son expressed through this arrogant boast of his old man, Peter received a rebuke of the sort that should have gotten his attention, “Get behind Me, Satan!” The old man has a direct connection with Satan and the spiritual darkness of this Age but has absolutely no connection with the spiritual realm and that associated with the light – Ro 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. That which Paul later wrote to the Romans is just what Peter should have done but didn’t do. e). And for ourselves here, it is easy to see that what God has said in these last days as He has spoken to us in the person of Son, is not open to negotiation or compromise. It is to be received and believed and acted upon, even if it is contradictory to our own desires. f). Again, from a previous study, we will remember – 1 Co 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. As a servant who has the privilege to be placed in our Lord’s house, we are to follow the instructions of our Master in faithful obedience and with the giving of thanks. 3). With all of this in mind, let’s now fast forward to the night of the Lord’s betrayal – Mt 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.” The statement that Jesus made to His disciples must have been a blow to them as they heard it, but again He was making a simple statement of fact, confirming that which had already been set in place in the OT Scriptures through Zechariah – Zec 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. What the Lord said would take place was inevitable because His Word had already confirmed it. But that which He said was not the end of the matter for the disciples. There was hope, after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. a). The word that is translated ‘stumble’ has to do with, standing away from, the same idea we have from the word apostasy. And perhaps the following definition may help us in our understanding. Stumble - to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey. b). Jesus, over the course of His ministry had demonstrated that He could be trusted. As the embodiment of the God breathed Word, He could be trusted, and that which God was speaking through the person of Son simply had to be trusted, accepted and believed. It required faith, and through faith trust in the One who had spoken. c). And with respect to faith and trust Jesus had previously said to them – Mt 19:28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He had also told them – Jn 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also……18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. When Jesus said these things, was He lying to the disciples? Well, not according to Numbers 23:19. Was He going to change His mind about what He had said? Again, not according to Numbers 23:19. What He had promised in the verses we have just read MUST come to pass. Had He spoken and would He not do? So, how should we understand the disciples standing away from Him on the night of His betrayal? What should the disciples’ response to the news that they would stumble because of Him have been? d). The disciples’ response should firstly have been to believe and accept that which Jesus had told them, that they would stand away from Him that night. And having received this truth about the actions they were about to take, they should then have approached it in the same way that Abraham had approached God’s command to sacrifice Isaac - Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Abraham knew and had believed that in Isaac his seed would be called, that it would be through Isaac that God’s promises to him would be fulfilled. And so, he had determined that God would do whatever was necessary to fulfill His promises in Isaac, even if He had to raise Isaac from the dead to accomplish them. Abraham trusted God completely, and presumably refused to look at this command from the perspective of the natural man. He may not have understood why but He understood that God could be trusted. e). In the same way, the disciples had the promises Jesus had given them, some of which we have seen in Matthew Chapter 19 and John Chapter 14. They should have had faith that even though they would stand away from their Lord in the hour of His trial, He would have done whatever was necessary to bring about the fulfillment of His promises to them. There would have been restoration for them. They should have cared less about the afront to their pride and more about the faithfulness of God. f). This or course, is not what they did – Mt 26:33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never [no not ever] be made to stumble.” 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. Again, the arrogant, prideful boast of Peter that was then echoed by the rest of the disciples. And in this we can see a repetition of Peter from Matthew Chapter 16. God had said what would take place that night through the person of Son. He had drawn attention to the OT Scriptures through that written by Zechariah, but Peter said, ‘No, this isn’t going to happen’. And here again is the man of the flesh trying to intervene within a realm that is beyond his reach. g). And what we see here in the rising up of the man of the flesh in opposition to the things of God, sets the stage, so to speak, for what will come next – Mk 14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Peter, James and John were Jesus’ closest disciples but that of itself counted for nothing in this instance. They had set their minds on the things of men in contradicting that which Jesus had told them. Consequently, when they were told to watch and pray, actions to be carried out in the realm of the spirit, they were not able to do so, not even for one hour. They were asleep to the things of God because they were awake to the things of men. h). And for ourselves again here, we might remember what the Scriptures have said to us about watching – 1 Co 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. And notice the connection between watching and standing steadfast in the faith. And in this next verse we can find the sleepers in the garden – 1 Th 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. And then to the conclusion of the matter presented through the church in Sardis – Re 3:3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch [to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one], I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. And that seen through all three of the uses of the word ‘watch’ in these verses, is exactly what the Lord was speaking about with Peter, James and John in the garden, ‘the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ i). We are to give strict attention to that which the Scriptures have said. Or to say this another way, give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. It must be the Scriptures that provide our direction, constitute our truth and inform our faith, and with respect to this the spirit man is willing to let this be so. But the man of the flesh is weak and is all too easily drawn away to be mindful of the things of men, all too ready to take matters into his own hands to accomplish the outcome that he desires. To try to accomplish something that can only be accomplished through the Spirit. Hence the need for us to ‘watch.’ 4). And with this in mind, we are ready to look at the next stage of Peter’s downward spiral to the denial of his Lord, seen as we continue in Mark’s Gospel – Mk 14:43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.” 45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then they all forsook Him and fled. And as we read these verses, let’s just remember what Peter had said recorded in Matthew Chapter 16, ‘this shall not happen to You.’ And what he had said recorded in Matthew Chapter 26, ‘I will never, no not ever, be made to stand away from You.’ a). And here in Mark 14:47 we see how he is going to fulfill his arrogant boasts And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Peter took up the natural sword instead of the sword of the Spirit and through trying to enforce his own will to make good his boast, he attacked the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear – Mt 26:52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” This we will come back to next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.