Title new start
Contents
▒▒ Text: Matthew 26:57-75
Peter denied Jesus three times. As to why they denied Jesus like this, first, “Even if everyone else leaves Jesus, I will never leave Jesus.” Because I was very confident. Second, “If you could not stay awake even for a moment, pray that you may not fall into temptation.” Because he had left himself to be tempted without prayer. Third, in verse 58 of today’s text, “I followed you afar.” In other words, we have to follow Jesus closely, because we followed him from a distance. Fourth, because Peter was with the crowd who insulted Jesus and plotted to arrest and kill Jesus. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor does he sit in the seat of the scornful." But Peter sat there and denied Jesus.
This story is a negative story about Peter's denial and failure. In verses 74-75 we read today, as soon as Peter denied Jesus three times, a cock crowing was heard. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said and went out and wept and wept. When Peter realized his mistake, he went outside and prayed for repentance. And I was forgiven for that mistake by the Lord.
After that, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter became a great Apostle Peter whom we all respect today. So, today's Bible verse can be viewed from a negative side, but from the positive side, through the crowing of a cock after Peter's denial, there is a positive side of Peter repenting, being forgiven and starting anew.
The sound of crowing that we often hear today, but when he heard the crowing, his sin was realized in Peter's heart, and the precious work of repentance, forgiveness from the Lord and being renewed was accomplished through ordinary crowing.
It is the word of God that we continue to hear today and tomorrow during ordinary days, but today as we listen to the Word, our hidden sins are realized like Peter, we repent, we are forgiven, and we receive the Holy Spirit, and today as well, we can make a fresh start like Peter. May we all be there today, in the name of the Lord, I ask.
Everyone, the important thing is that when a person falls, he does not fall when he is weak, but when he is strong. When we say Abraham, the trademark of Abraham is faith. Abraham, the father of faith, but when we see that Abraham fell, all fell in faith. In Genesis 12, when a famine struck the land of Canaan, Abraham abandoned the promised land and went down to Egypt, deceiving his wife Sarai as his sister. I made this mistake and made the same mistake again because I did not believe in the land that God had promised and went down with doubts. “You will have a son by your wife Sarah.” However, he did not believe it, so he obtained Ishmael through Hagar, Sarah's servant. In this way, it was his trademark faith that led Abraham to fall.
Moses also fell by his strength, meekness, David by his strength, faithfulness, and Peter, by his strength, courage. This is the history of the devil. What does the bible say? Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Call the Lord while he is near, and meet him. Seek and meet the Lord while you are near. Let the unrighteous let go of evil thoughts, and let those who do evil turn from the evil way Then he will be merciful and forgive you. If you confess your sins, our Lord is faithful and just and will forgive you and purify you.” The evil devil constantly threatens us that we cannot escape from sin if we sin. But the Bible constantly says, “The Lord forgives you at any time and at any time.”
What does a cock crow mean to Peter? You have gone away from Jesus, but you can come back. It is the crowing of a rooster that speaks of God's grace and love when you come back and can strengthen your brothers.
In the name of the Lord, I ask that you, in the name of the Lord, listen to the voice of grace and love that our Lord forgives us as we hear the crowing of roosters today, in this and that form today.
I heard a crowing in the morning. A new day has begun. The crowing of chickens in the morning signals a new day. Whatever happened last night, the crowing of a rooster this morning marks the beginning of a new day with the sun.
“Weeping may continue at night, but joy will come in the morning.” As Psalm 30:5 says, no matter what happened yesterday, today we hear the crowing of a rooster and start anew. Even if Peter denied Jesus three times yesterday, Jesus forgives him. Today, through the crowing of a rooster and the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter, who denied Jesus three times, disappears and I do not have silver and gold, but in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, we can see in the Bible that I start anew as Peter with the power to rise and walk.
Our church is celebrating its 30th anniversary next Sunday. We have many glorious things in our past, and we have many heartbreaking things. All the good and bad things in the past have passed. In the 30th anniversary of our foundation, the sound of a crowing is the voice of God that gives us a fresh start. I pray in the name of the Lord that our church will become our church, the Hanshin members who are carrying out God's work anew like Peter through the filling of the Holy Spirit.
2007-07-13 18:12:27