AVOIDING SPIRITUAL SINKHOLES Spent nearly 18 years living in Florida ~ lots of Sinkholes in that State o Show some PowerPoint slides o Sinkholes are caused by the collapse of supporting ground They vary in size from 3 ft to 2,000 ft both in diameter and depth They form in all soil types from sand to bedrock even in water Sinkholes may be form gradually or suddenly ~ and are found worldwide Today God will use Peter will help us see how to avoid spiritual sinkholes o This requires we successfully do two things DON T BECOME OVERCONFIDENT pls turn to John Chpt 13 It s the night before the crucifixion ~ and it is going to be a very bad one for Peter o This night as a result of his pride & ego Peter does things he ll be ashamed of for the rest of his life o TRUE: w/ faith we can do things thru Christ who strengths us (Phil 4:13) but it is very dangerous to be overconfident based on our own EGO o Sigmund Freud coined the term EGO to define one of the three components of what he saw in a person s personality In Christianity EGO stands for ~ Edging God Out 1
In John Chpt 13 Jesus and His disciples are observing the Passover o As the dinner begins Dr. Luke tells us the disciples are arguing among themselves as to whom should be considered the greatest Jesus is focused on the Cross but His disciples are arguing about who ll get the largest crown in Heaven Probably also bickering @ their rightful places at the dinner table Then Jesus rises and does something totally unexpected: John 13:3 ~ 5 o Please realize ~ Jesus knows both Who He is and the character of those He s ministering to In those days ~~ people generally bathed before attending a meal and as a result of the walking on dirt roads to attend the gathering only need their feet washed o Disciples know this act of hospitality was normally performed by a servant Jesus probably looked like a servant as He prepared to wash the Disciples feet o The disciples are troubled and confused ~ Vs 6/7 Christ s response to Peter s perplexity is a great promise for all of us during life s painful and confusing times The promise is: later, you will understand o 1 Corth 13:12 Dimly = distorted Their mirrors ~ generally made of brass ~ produced distorted images Peter is seeing dimly/distorted therefore ~ John 13:8/9 2
Peter probably thought he was protecting Jesus from humiliation ~~ but ~~ Peter was actually protecting himself from admitting his need of Jesus ministry to the lost o Jesus is saying that unless Peter lets Him wash away his sins Peter couldn t have a relationship w/ Him ~ Peter begins to understand o Although Peter makes mistakes and at times acts very immature he does love Jesus and can t stand the thought of being separated from Him So Peter wants to be washed all over ~~ but Jesus responds: V 10 Want you to see there are two types of spiritual cleansing o The complete cleansing which occurs at our conversion To become a Christian, we confess our sinfulness ~ claim the cleansing power of Christ s blood ~ and are washed from our lifetime of past sins Titus 3:5 a explains how this occurs The second type of cleansing is the specific cleansing of confessed sin o After being a follower of Christ we still sin and must be cleansed of specific sins This is a critical part of the process we call: sanctification This cleansing comes from knowing that when we as God s Children confess our sins 1 John 1:9 is true ~ so very true So the bathing of the whole body corresponds to the complete cleansing at our conversion/justification o The washing of feet corresponds to the specific cleansing of confession It is this later type that the disciples are in need of in John Chpt 13 they need specific cleaning of their sin of PRIDE 3
Jesus finishes washing the disciples feet then gives a stern warning: V 15 o This is so important ~ Jesus reinforces this concept in: V 17 o COL, Pg 272 ~ In the Sermon on the Mount Christ said, Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Matt 7:21. The test of sincerity is not in words, but in deeds. Christ does not say to any man, What say you more than others? ~ [rather] ~ What do you do more than others? Matt 5:47. Full of meaning are His words, If ye know these things, happy are ye if you do them. John 13:17. Words are of no value unless they are accompanied with appropriate deeds. The Passover meal is over and Judas has been exposed as a traitor o but none of the Disciples understand what s going on: Vs 26 28 Disciples never suspect Judas ~ they trusted him to care for their money Judas leaves to meet w/ his Jewish conspirators o Jesus tells His Disciples the time has come for Him and His Father to be glorified He also gives them a new commandment ~ V 34 NEW in that it draws its power and clarity from the Cross Jesus explains He s going away Peter asks where? Jesus answer: V 36 b o Peter wants to follow after Jesus ~ he states he d lay down his life for Him I think Peter really meant what he said in V 37 but let s remember something sobering @ our heart: Jer 17:9 o Hebrew means our hearts are incurable we can t fix it my ourselves... and we struggle (unsuccessfully) to even understand our own heart 4
Jesus then tells Peter that well know prediction: V 38 o Peter really loves Jesus but like us he doesn t realize his own weakness He has no idea of how dark the night will be He s overconfident because of his own ~ PRIDE TRANS: o This is a serious danger that we all face when serving God There s a warning & promise for us in 1 Corth 10 Vs 12/13 Remember the journey thru this life place of temptations ~ where the sinkholes are continues until Jesus returns Jesus & Disciples leave the Upper Room ~ leave Jerusalem ~ and enter the Garden o Jesus continues to teach them and warn them as they walk To avoid spiritual sinkholes we can t be overconfident in our abilities To help in this regard WE MUST BE ALERT AND PRAY pls turn to Matt ~ Chpt 26 As they arrive in the Garden Jesus leaves most of the disciples at the entrance o He takes Peter, James, and John inside ~ and makes a request: Matt 26:38 Most of you know the sad story o Jesus returns to find the three sleeping ~ He tells them to watch and pray so they don t fall into any spiritual sinkholes Jesus then returns to His place of prayer He comes back a second time and finds them sleeping He leaves a third to time to pray ~ again returns to find them sleeping 5
Jesus tells them it s time for Him to be betrayed ~ Judas appears w/ a crowd o They re armed they grab Jesus ~ then: Matt 26:51 Gospel of John tells us it was Peter Peter s PRIDE has caused him to take matters into his own hands Jesus tells Peter to put away his sword and touches the servant s ear and heals it o Then Jesus reminds Peter V 53 Roman Legion = 6,000 troops ~~ Jesus could call and get 72 K angels Any one of whom { Rev 8:5 ~ 12 } could destroy the Earth Temple guards take Jesus to the High Priest ~ and Peter follows as a distance and the other disciples panic flee into the darkness o Arriving at the palace, Peter enters the courtyard and sits down to warm himself Then it starts: V 69 Before everyone ~ Peter denies being with Jesus Wouldn t be surprised that right about then ~ Peter remember what Jesus said about those who are ashamed of Him Luke 9:26 o This bad situation isn t over for Peter Matt 26:71/2 this time he denies even knowing Jesus o His denials get progressive more intense: V 73/4 Immediately the rooster crows and Peter & Jesus make eye contact Luke 22:61 ~~ the power of non-verbal communication 6
Rite then Peter learned what we must learn if we re to avoid spiritual sinkholes o Jesus said it but Peter missed it and sometimes so do we: Matt 26:41 Those who are truly redeemed want to do the right thing ~ want to be faithful of Jesus o However like Peter sometimes our human-ness cause us to collapse That s why we need to be alert ~ sensitive ~ to when our flesh is weak At those time we especially need to pray because it s through prayer we connect with God s supernatural strength "It is a part of God s plan to grant us in answer to our prayer of faith that which He would not bestow did we not ask. GC/525 W/ the wisdom gained from some 30 yrs ~ Peter tells us what he wished he d done o 1 Pet 5:6 ~ 9 Jesus gave all His Disciples a powerful promise: John 16:24 As you recall from last week ~~ God wants all of us in Heaven with Him o Being ready for Heaven can be seen as a marathon - successfully running 26.2 m and this life is God s training camp o We ll be best prepared to complete this marathon by following God s Trn Plan God wants us to be balanced believers Our marathon training will be easier when we avoid Spiritual Sinkholes 7 Closing Hymn # XXX: