A Disciple Who Weeps

We must draw near to Christ to avoid treating Him like the world does. On the night of Jesus’s arrest, Peter was one of the only disciples not to flee. But he wasn’t close by; Luke says that Peter followed at a distance. Peter’s distance from Christ grows as the story goes on. Although Peter was far from Christ, he wasn’t alone. It seems Peter was sitting with those who had either arrested Christ or were eager to see Him tried. This closeness to the world accentuated Peter’s distance from Christ. Soon, Peter feels the world’s impact and denies any relationship with Christ, rejecting those who recognized him and his Galilean accent. To further highlight Peter’s denial, Luke connects the story to Jesus’ mistreatment. The guards denied Jesus, too. They didn’t believe He could prophesy as they asked Him to do so. They also blasphemed in other ways. In the end, Peter ends up looking a lot more like the world that rejected Jesus than one of Jesus’s followers. We are prone to the same thing; often, the world tempts us to deny Christ and join them in blasphemy. The world lures us away from Christ, and we can forget that we follow Him. However, we must remind ourselves of Christ’s sacrificial death for us, so that we may draw near to Him and remain holy in the world. We must also lean on the promise of forgiveness in the gospel, so we will have hope when we deny Christ ourselves. Peter’s denial wasn’t his greatest moment, but it can aid our transformation. Let us draw near to Christ in the gospel so we don’t fall into the same trap as Peter and treat Jesus like the world does. –Pastor Rory

Sunday at Liberty

9AM: Bible Training Hour–The Spirit and Miraculous Gifts

10AM: Pastor Nate–A Disciple Who Weeps–Luke 22:54-65 (sermon notes)

Fifth Night–No Evening Gathering