How did this happen?
This happened to Peter?
Peter was supposed to be the rock.
Peter was the one that knew that Jesus was the anointed one.
Matthew 26:33 NLT
Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
but 3 times you deny Jesus
How do you go from I will never desert you to I don't know who that man is?
As some of you know, I found my way on the podcast this week.
Tyler asked the question, how do you go from Hosanna to crucify Him?
How do you praise the Son of the living God one day and then throw him to the treacherous
hands of an evil Roman Empire two days later?
But then I had to ask myself, how do we deny Jesus in modern times?
And why is it those that claim to be closest to him deny him the most?
If Matthew is a discipleship manual, what can we learn from this story that will prevent us from
denying Jesus?
Today I want to talk about
The Biggest Loser.
This is also Kingdom manifesto
Upside down means upside down
Look at this picture.
Does this look normal to you?
Does this feel comfortable to you?
I think we've heard upside-down kingdom so much we get used to it.
I want you to look at this picture and really understand what it means.’
This picture is disorienting.
It's not natural.
It doesn't look right.
4God's upside kingdom doesn't make sense to the human mind.
So Peter finds himself in a situation where the one he called Christos, the Anointed One, the
Messiah, is now getting ready to be killed.
In Peter's eyes, the whole movement is falling apart.
and rather identifying him with the loser that just turned himself in to the Roman government.
7So because Peter finds himself in a place where he doesn't know what to do, when Peter's
world is turned upside down, Peter says, I don't know Jesus.
I am convinced that Peter was unprepared for this because he wasn't listening.
Matthew 26:24 NLT
For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for
the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
When the women anointed Jesus Pastor reminded us last week that this symbolized Jesus
being anointed as king but verse 12 tells me that Jesus says
Matthew 26:12 NLT
She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.
Jesus told him repeatedly that he was going to die
PETER WOULD HAVE NONE OF IT
Matthew 16:21–23 NLT
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to
Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading
priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be
raised from the dead.
But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid,
Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me.
You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Peter did everything he could to keep Jesus alive because Peter knew that if Jesus died they
could not win.
So now Peter finds himself in a situation where he's going to lose because Jesus is going to be
crucified, and he decides he doesn't know Jesus because winning is Peter's goal.
Peter is trying to live to fight the empire another day.
Peter wants to regroup.
Luke 22:31–32 NLT
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for
you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again,
strengthen your brothers.”
Sift means to separate
Satan wants to separate you from me
Don’t become separated0
Peter denied Jesus and allowed himself tom become separated0 because Peter loved
winning more than he loved Jesus.
And I think that's why we deny Jesus, because winning is our goal.
And that's why we have Christians behaving badly because they love winning more than they
love Jesus.
Winning isn't the goal, losing is.
Upside down means upside down.
We've got to be careful that we don't get so concerned with winning the way the world tells us
to that we are like Peter and we end up disoriented.
This is a Story of Fulfillment
Psalm 22:14–18 NLT
My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.
sounds like a loser to me
Psalm 69:19–21 NLT
You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
they offer me sour wine for my thirst.
sounds like a loser to me
Matthew 16:24–25 NLT
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your
own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
When Jesus says this he has not been crucified!\
There’s nothing spiritual about this
Jesus says you go to lose it all to follow me
Barry said the coronation was on a cross
you can’t be king of the least and left out until you get left out
Psalm 22:1 NLT
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Jesus Christ is the biggest loser.
The reason he could jailbreak us from the gates of hell is because he actually went there.
So if Jesus became the biggest loser for us we have to ask ourselves a question.
Is winning really worth it?
Here’s what Jesus asked Peter in John 21
John 21:15–17 NLT
After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than
these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything.
You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
God is asking us what is really important.
Is winning what matters to you?
Are you willing to serve the kingdom of God at all costs?
What are you willing to do for The Biggest Loser?