We All Fall Down

Cody Hale

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Matthew 26:30–35

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Introduction

There are times in our lives in which we can shock ourselves by our own capacity to do wrong. There have been too many occasions to count over the course of my ministry in which someone has sat across my desk and started a sentence with, “I can’t believe what I’ve done.” Many of the men who have had affairs would have never believed themselves capable just a short time before. Many of the women who have betrayed a friend by the things they’ve said or done couldn’t have been convinced they would have done it just a short time before.

Truthfully, I don’t have to reference people who have sat across from me to know that it’s possible. I can just look in the mirror. There have been times in which I’ve said something or done something, and when I look back, I am horrified by the wickedness in my heart. My own capacity for hypocrisy is terrifying to me. This morning, we’re going listen in as Jesus predicts such a failure in the lives of his disciples with the leader, Peter, being front and center of them all. Jesus is going to explain to them that they are going to do something that is, in the moment, unthinkable to them, and yet every, single one of them will follow suit in a matter of hours.

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Jesus Sang

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” It’s Thursday evening, the night of the final Passover meal that Jesus will enjoy with his disciples. In the midst of the typical Passover celebration, Jesus pre-explains to his disciples what the next days will hold, and He assigns new meaning to the powerful symbolism by instituting the Lord’s Supper, a time set aside for his disciples to remember him and to recommit themselves to him. On the night of the Passover, Israel would sing . They would sing after the second cup of the Passover, and then they would sing after the fourth and final cup. These are called the Hallel psalms. They're called this because the Hebrew word 'Hallel' means praise, and for them, there was nothing more praiseworthy that God had ever done than to deliver them from the hand of Egypt. But, think of what this would have meant to Jesus. On the night He was to be betrayed, He praised God. On the night He prayed in agony as his disciples slept, He praised God. On the eve of his scourging, Jesus praised God. On the eve of his crucifixion, He praised God. As Jesus looked forward to the impending atrocity, He looked up to his Father in heaven and back to his Father's past faithfulness. How could He and his disciples know that God would use him to deliver his people? How could He and his disciples know that his death was for victory and not defeat? They could be certain because God's faithfulness and God's goodness was proven. So, He praised God. The death of God's Son, the Lamb of God offered for the world, would not be in vain any more than the death of those slaughtered lambs all those years ago at the original Passover.

It’s no small lesson to the men of the 21st century to see that Jesus sang. Singing isn’t effeminate. Singing is boldly and courageously declaring in the presence of God, your family, and others that the God of heaven is praiseworthy regardless of how difficult life is right now. And, it was certainly difficult for Jesus. Just think of what this would have looked like. The night before He was to be crucified, just part of what Jesus sang was, "5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. ()

the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.

God Isn’t Less Sovereign When Life is More Difficult

What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;

APPLICATION: On the night of his agony, Jesus declared the sovereignty of God to his disciples by singing to them what they had heard every year of their lives. You see, God wasn’t less sovereign just because their lives were more difficult. One of the primary reasons that we sing is to remind ourselves and to declare to each other the truth about God. And, there is no time that we need a reminder of God’s sovereignty more than when our lives feel as though they are spinning out of control. And so, on the night He was to be betrayed, the night before He was to be nailed to the tree, Jesus sang of God’s sovereignty to his disciples. Brothers and sisters, God isn’t less sovereign because your life is more difficult. In fact, it is in life’s greatest difficulty that we can find the greatest refuge in God’s rule. So, declare it to yourselves! Declare it to your circumstances! Declare it to your anxious heart! “My God is sovereign, and this will lead to my good and his glory. My God is sovereign, and He has my life under control.”

I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord

‘You All Will Fall Away’

than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord

“You will all fall away...” Jesus begins walking with his disciples to a place that He has frequently retreated, the Mount of Olives, where He will spend his final few, precious moments with his heavenly Father and his earthly disciples. And, it’s there that Jesus’ words must’ve cut his disciples like a knife. The disciples have just discovered that there is a betrayer among them. Jesus has told them that his blood is about to be shed because He is about to be nailed to the cross. The disciples have to be reeling at this point. Jesus isn't finished yet. Not only will Jesus be betrayed and not only will Jesus be murdered on a cross, but every, single one of them will fall away. Every, single one of them will abandon Jesus in his need. Jesus is going to the cross so that they can be right with God, and yet, even they, the very ones who Jesus spent the last 3 years of his life with every day will abandon him.

than to trust in princes. ()

The disciples have just discovered that there is a betrayer among them. Jesus has told them that his blood is about to be shed because He is about to be nailed to the cross. The disciples have to be reeling at this point.

“...because of me this night.” Jesus says that all of his disciples will fall away 'because of me.' That's an interesting thought. The very reason that Jesus says that these men fall away is because of him. What are we supposed to understand this to mean? Certainly, we cannot say that Jesus made them do it. James tells us that when we do evil, none of us can say that God tempted us to do evil for God does not tempt. Jesus is not the cause of their falling away in a direct sense of forcing them to do that which they here say they do not want to do. Rather, Jesus is the cause of their falling away in an indirect sense. That is, Jesus caused them to fall away because his arrest, trial, and death will appear so costly to his disciples that they will attempt to disassociate themselves from him.

Jesus isn't finished yet.

Think of it. Every, single one of them would fall away. All of them. Not a single disciple will endure. Not a single disciple will stand by his side. Why? They went into self-preservation mode. And, self-preservation mode always works against following Christ. The instinct to do what's easiest for you and cheapest for you will always lead you away from Jesus. Surely, they thought of how their families would be ridiculed or killed. They thought of how they would be publicly shamed. Jesus had told them that if they were to go with him that they would be required to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him. But, when the time came for them to face their crosses, they buckled beneath the pressure that came with the fear of man. By predicting that they would fall away, Jesus was predicting that they would, in Jesus' most desperate moment, fear man more than God, seeking their own well-being ahead of God's glory and will.

The Father’s Plan, the Son’s Obedience

Think of it. Every, single one of them would fall away. All of them. Not a single disciple will endure. Not a single disciple will stand by his side. Why? They went into self-preservation mode. And, self-preservation mode always works against following Christ. The instinct to do what's easiest for you and cheapest for you will always lead you away from Jesus. Surely, they thought of how their families would be ridiculed or killed. They thought of how they would be publicly shamed. Jesus had told them that if they were to go with him that they would be required to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him. But, when this time came for them to face their crosses, they buckled beneath the pressure that came with the fear of man. By predicting that they would fall away, Jesus was predicting that they would, in Jesus' most desperate moment, fear man more than God, seeking their own well-being ahead of God's glory and will.

“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” But then, Jesus does something that probably seemed a bit strange to his disciples. He quotes from the second to last book of the OT, Zechariah, to warn them and, at the same time, encourage them. It would have been strange because the apparent reading of is that God himself will strike down his own prophet who has gone astray. It is not, at first glance, a messianic prophecy. But, Jesus applies it this way. Here’s what He means: The Father is going to run his his own Son through with the sword, and all of the sheep, that is, all of the disciples will scatter. He says that He 'will turn (his) hand against the little ones' and that two-thirds of the whole land will be cut off and perish, while the remaining third will be refined through the fire like silver and gold. That is, they will be tested and proven pure and sincere.

God’s Sovereignty Assures They’re Kept

APPLICATION: So, on one hand, they are being warned that the darkest day is upon them. The Son of Man will be slain by his own people. And, they are going to do what must’ve been unconscionable to them when they heard these words; they’re going to abandon him. Oh, but every, single second of it was within the plan of God! Every drop of blood, every curse word, even their own abandonment was not beyond the Father’s plan. He would impale his own Son with the sword of his wrath and without Jesus’ protective cover, all of the disciples would scatter like cockroaches in the light. But, you see, what promised was that a purified remnant from God’s people would be preserved like gold made pure by the refiner’s fire. God would raise up a remnant that He would keep forever, and it was them! They would suffer. They would abandon, and in spite of them, God would purify them and use them for his glory. God’s sovereignty assured their perseverance. God’s sovereignty would use their own wickedness for his glory. And, the same is true for every, single one of you. This week, I have felt as weak as the disciples must’ve felt as they turned their backs on Jesus. I have felt the wimpy-ness of my own strength and the timidity of my own courage. Brothers and sisters, our faith is frail, and our spines are rubber, but our God is sovereign! If you try to preserve your life, you will lose it. But, if you give up your life to Jesus, He will preserve it forever! God’s sovereignty in our salvation assures us that we will be kept despite our own wimpy efforts and frail faith.

Cross-Bearing Kindness

“But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” But, here's the promise that Jesus gives to them: Though they will be vulnerable and come under attack when their shepherd is struck down, He will not stay down for long. Jesus promises his disciples that He will be 'raised up' and that He will meet them in Galilee. He promises them that this time of judgement will quickly pass, and they will be preserved by his grace and his power. He's going to come back as their Protector, and He's going to give them the Spirit that they need to endure in the calling He is giving to them. They will be refined as gold is by the fire, and on the other side, Jesus is going to so fully restore and use them that they will be used by him to change the world. Imagine yourself in Jesus' shoes here. He's acknowledging to his disciples that they will all abandon him. He is acknowledging how they will all seek to preserve themselves in his lowest moment, a moment He is compelled to experience because of his love for them. And yet, here we find Jesus comforting, preparing, and encouraging them. It's the opposite of self-preservation. It's deprecation. Jesus is here bearing the cross of his disciples before He is even nailed there. They seek to preserve themselves; Jesus seeks to give over himself. Jesus is the innocent man to be slaughtered, and yet, He is found here encouraging guilty men for whom He will die.

But, here's the promise that Jesus gives to them. Though they will be vulnerable and come under attack when their shepherd is struck down, He will not stay down for long. Jesus promises his disciples that He will be 'raised up' and that He will meet them in Galilee. He promises them that this time of judgement will quickly pass, and they will be preserved by his grace and his power. He's going to come back as their Protector, and He's going to give them the Spirit that they need to endure in the calling He is giving to them. They will be refined as gold is by the fire, and on the other side, Jesus is going to so fully restore and use them that they will be used by him to change the world. Imagine yourself in Jesus' shoes here. He's acknowledging to his disciples that they will all abandon him. He is acknowledging how they will all seek to preserve themselves in his lowest moment, a moment He is compelled to experience because of his love for them. And yet, here we find Jesus comforting, preparing, and encouraging them. It's the opposite of self-preservation. It's self-deprication. Jesus is here bearing the cross of his disciples before He is even nailed there. They seek to preserve themselves; Jesus seeks to give over himself. Jesus is the innocent man to be slaughtered, and yet, He is found here encouraging guilty men for whom He will die.

APPLICATION: Do you see how much more beautiful the cross-centered life is than the self-centered one? This is the essence of grace. You bear another's cross for another's good at great expense to yourself. Iron City, together, let's leave behind lives of self-preservation and embrace lives in the shape of a cross. Let's leave behind our comfort and our reputations so that we might seek Christ's glory and the world's redemption. Let's love the world that hates us. Let's be generous to the ones who steal from us. Let's speak kindly to the ones that slander us. Let's be gentle with the ones who are harsh with us. Let's be patient with those who attempt to frustrate us. Let's embrace those who reject us. If we're going to reach our community, we're going to have to swallow our egos, our reputations, and our standing in the community. And, we must do that because Christ is worth it, and they need to know it.

Good, Powerless Intentions

“I will never fall away.” Peter can absolutely not believe his ears. And, this is the opposite of what we saw in Peter back in . In , He refuses to accept that Jesus will suffer and die, and Jesus rebukes him as living like Satan. But here, Peter demonstrates bravado and apparent valor, ready to die, if necessary, for Jesus rather than forsake him. Peter's intentions and desires are good, courageous, and noble. He cannot even fathom a scenario in which He would 'fall away' from Jesus. He has such confidence in himself and his love for Jesus that he says, "If the rest of these wimps check out on you, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm not falling away. I love you unto death, and I'm willing fight to the death for you."

“you will deny me three times” But, Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself. Peter says that he knows how he feels about Jesus. He knows how much he loves Jesus. And, there's just absolutely no way that he could ever deny him. If it costs him his life, he will gladly die for Jesus. But, Jesus rebukes Peter. And, He rebukes Peter in a way that must've sent a chill down Peter's spine. He not only tells Peter that his bravado is false; He tells Peter the exact time and number of his denials. Sometimes we might be tempted to think, "Of course all of these prophecies are fulfilled. People are just fulfilling them on purpose," consider this one. Peter says there is no circumstance in the world that will cause him to abandon Jesus. He is absolutely unwilling to do it, even if it costs him his life. So, it's certainly not something that he wants to do, and it's certainly not something he would have wanted to be cemented in God's revelation about himself, preserved for all generations. But, that's exactly what happens, isn't it? Jesus didn't force him to do it. In fact, when Peter denies Jesus, Jesus is being tried for blasphemy and revolutionist ideals.

Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself. Peter says that he knows how he feels about Jesus. He knows how much he loves Jesus. And, there's just absolutely no way that he could ever deny him. If it costs him his life, he will gladly die for Jesus. But, Jesus rebukes Peter. And, He rebukes Peter in a way that must've sent a chill down Peter's spine. He not only tells Peter that his bravado is false; He tells Peter the exact time and number of his denials. Sometimes we might be tempted to think, "Of course all of these prophecies are fulfilled. People are just fulfilling them on purpose," consider this one. Peter says there is no circumstance in the world that will cause him to abandon Jesus. He is absolutely unwilling to do it, even if it costs him his life. So, it's certainly not something that he wants to do, and it's certainly not something he would have wanted to be cemented in God's revelation about himself, preserved for all generations. But, that's exactly what happens, isn't it? Jesus didn't force him to do it. In fact, when Peter denies Jesus, Jesus is being tried for blasphemy and revolutionist ideals.

APPLICATION: God isn't honored by good intentions or big talk. God is honored by humble lives living for his glory through his power. Often, when we have done something wrong and want to justify it, we point to our intentions. We want to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, saying, "But, I have a good heart. I meant to do better." But, the trouble with intentions is that they don't reveal the true character of your heart. Actions do. If I intend to diet and exercise, but I actually continue to eat fried chicken and ice cream, then I have revealed that eating junk food and laying around is my actual priority. Though I may intend to save my money and to avoid debt, if I actually continue to by things that I can't afford and that I can live without, then I have made it clear that having is a far greater desire than saving. How many of us are offering God our intentions and not our actual lives? Intend to spread our faith. Intend to disciple our kids. Intend to honor God sexually. Intend to be generous. Intend to read God's word and seek God's face. Intend to serve in ministry and go on mission. If you want to know what is in your heart, look to your actual life, not your intentions. If you want to see whether you are walking in flesh or in the Spirit, look to your life, not your intentions. Are you prepared to stand before Jesus' judgement seat with nothing more than your good intentions?

God isn't honored by good intentions or big talk. God is honored by humble lives living for his glory through his power. Often, when we have done something wrong and want to justify it, we point to our intentions. We want to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, saying, "But, I have a good heart. I meant to do better." But, the trouble with intentions is that they don't reveal the true character of your heart. Actions do. If I intend to diet and exercise, but I actually continue to eat fried chicken and ice cream, then I have revealed that eating junk food and laying around is my actual priority. Though I may intend to save my money and to avoid debt, if I actually continue to by things that I can't afford and that I can live without, then I have made it clear that having is a far greater desire than saving.

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