4 Risky Paths to Denying Jesus
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I certainly wasn't expecting it. I don't live in the country or near a farm; but sure enough, it's what I heard. Walking down the street, in the middle of the city – roosters crowing. As I walked past the unlikely sight, I watched several roosters walking around, and I distinctly heard, three separate times – “cock-a-doodle-do!”' I immediately thought to myself, What in the world? But then my mind quickly shifted, and I said, “Lord, what are you trying to tell me?” He then brought before me that familiar story involving Jesus, Peter, and a rooster.
Simon Peter – headstrong, impulsive, sure of himself Simon Peter. A man in so many ways just like many of us. When we think of him this way, it’s easy to come away thinking, “Lord, don't let me be like this.” Jesus tried to tell Peter, actually he did tell him, that Satan was out to get him. But Peter being Peter would hear none of it. We read this exchange from Luke:
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ But he said to Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.’ Then He said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me’” (Luke 22:31-34).
Such allegiance. Such dedication. Such love. But really now, don't we all, who have been serving the Lord for any length of time, feel the same way? We may not verbalize it as Peter did, but deep down inside, don’t we believe that we are God’s man or woman, ready to do His bidding at a moment’s notice? We muse, “I’ll go anywhere, I’ll do anything, for you Jesus,” right?
How Did Peter End Up Here?
It's all very admirable, and honorable, and right, but this attitude can sometimes come to be our undoing—at least temporarily. I'm sure Peter never believed what Jesus told him, or even gave it a second thought. But we know what happened don't we? He would have done well to remember the rooster.
Peter's fall should have been expected. In Luke chapter 5, we are given a glimpse into his character. We read:
“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net’ (Luke 5:4-5).
Peter, in essence, tells Jesus, “We know what we're doing; we’ve been working hard all night, and you're going to come along and tell us our business?” That's Peter for you. He knew better of course. And yes, though we don't want to admit it, we are in many respects just the same.
That night, and the days following, must have been quite difficult for Peter. Scripture makes it clear that after his denial, he went out and wept bitterly. If it were not for his faith, which never failed, he may have ended up as Judas did.
But what does it really mean to deny Jesus? Should denying Him be simply confined to saying that we don't know Him? There are several other ways in which we can be guilty of denying the Lord, and we should do all we can to avoid these four dangers.
1. When We Compromise Our Values and Morals
Merriam Webster defines compromise as, “to make a shameful or disreputable concession.” With this in mind, we conclude that when we compromise, we are giving in to that which we know and hold to be true.
Compromise not only weakens our testimony before the world, by giving those of the world the fodder they need to speak blasphemously against the way of the Lord, but it also helps to gain the foothold in our lives for evil. When a child of God embraces compromise, they inevitably weaken their resolve, and make it easier to compromise a second time. I am reminded of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter three:
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up’” (Daniel 3:16-18).
These three men and their display of courage continue to serve as the standard of behavior and devotion for Christians everywhere. They refused to bow down to the king’s edict under enormous pressure to conform. Had they done so, they would have been denying God’s ability to deliver them.
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2. When We Disregard His Word in Favor of Our Own
We should not forget that denying Him is to deny His Word, because He is the Word (John 1:1). Anytime we find ourselves fulfilling our own purpose rather than His, we are denying Him.
It must be admitted that this is something that we are rather prone to. This violation can be committed so innocently! Without even realizing it, we can find ourselves plunging into a work, or attempting to fulfill our own desires, without even receiving consent from the Lord. We somehow take it upon ourselves at times to believe that whatever we undertake has His fingerprints all over it.
While Scripture does state that whatever we do, we should do it heartily as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23a), the “whatever” there must be within the confines of God’s will. God’s will isn’t some arbitrary thing; rather, it is His most sovereign desire. And while He will not always stand in the way of us doing our own thing, He is under no obligation to sanction or promote that which He has not approved.
3. When What We Do Does Not Line Up with What We Speak
We must always be careful not to speak above our actions. In other words, we ought to avoid speaking high, but living low.
“They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:16).
The apostle Paul here lays down an apt description of false teachers and those who turn from the truth, but there is yet an unmistakable principle that can be applied to the child of God, and that is that it is quite possible to say one thing, but do another – denying the Lord in the process. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day are a perfect example. They spoke great swelling words of personal righteousness, and made many long prayers. Concerning the Pharisees, Jesus made this revealing statement:
“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3).
While everything they said could not be considered wrong, Jesus warns the people not to emulate the Pharisees because their lifestyle betrayed their words; all seemed well on the outside, but on the inside Jesus said they were like “dead men’s bones.”
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).
In spite of all their lofty words, the Pharisees were only interested in how they were perceived by the people; denying the words they spoke through their behavior was not difficult at all. God’s people must take a page from the Pharisees’ playbook and avoid at all costs this scandalous behavior.
4. When We Refuse to Recognize the Part the Cross Plays in Our Own Sanctification
Here is a great truth: in order to keep from denying Him, we must first deny ourselves.
“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
Denying ourselves is all about putting and seeing the cross in its proper perspective. When we realize the victory Christ won at the cross, and also realize that His victory provides the means for us to live this life daily, we will be less prone to deny Him, because we believe that His victory is our victory.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Paul here states that he lives his life through faith in the One who died for him. As we do the same, everything becomes clear; and when we attempt to live for Christ with our faith in any other thing, we in essence deny Him.
In all that we do, let us never forget the lessons learned from the rooster. Peter remembered Jesus’ words only after he had sinned. Lord, help us to keep your Word ever before us; let us hide your Word in our heart, that we might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).
Photo credit: Unsplash/Robert Bottman
