What Will You Say to the Girl at the Door?

• John 18:15-27
• Matthew 26:34-35
• Joshua 24:15
• Deuteronomy 30:19-20
• Psalms 25:12
• Acts 24:14
• 1 Peter 3:15-16
• 2 Corinthians 10:5
• Ephesians 3:12
• Proverbs 28:1
• 2 Corinthians 3:12
• Romans 5:3-4
• James 1:2
• 2 Timothy 3:12

The following is the actual pastor’s notes. Please keep in mind, the pastor uses this as a guideline.  For this reason, the following notes do not necessarily constitute a verbatim transcript to the audio and/or video.

What Will You Say to the Girl at the Door?

John 18:15 -27

1.  There will always be a decision point
2. What will you say?
3. Be like Jesus
4. Take the pain

• . 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?”
• See, earlier in this story, Jesus spoke to the disciples that Peter was going to betray him, and this here is the fulfillment of it
• Background- Matthew 26: 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
• Simon (called peter) had been with Jesus a long time, and now, in his most desperate hour- its Time for Peter to step up and be counted among those who are with Christ
• He comes to the door- and the servant girl asks him- “You’re not one of this mans disciples are you”
• Standing there- in the door- it comes to decision point for Peter- am I going to stand up and be counted among Jesus’ followers, or am I going to deny it

• Folks- there is always a time in your spiritual walk when you have to make a decision on where you stand in the things of God

• Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• Deut 30: 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
• Psalm 25:12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
• This world- where we are today- isn’t where we were 20 years ago
• Sure, some people said that Rock and Roll was ushering in the AntiChrist, but these times are so drastically different
• The whole idea of who we are as people is being redefined
• The idea of what a family is,  Choices of human identity, The preciousness of human life, Work ethic, Moral absolutes. The things they teach in schools- the depravity of man
• It used to be that we struggled with sin, now we celebrate it- People throw divorce parties. There a abortion ‘spas’
• We’ve moved passed the struggle phase to the celebration phase
• There is this moral relativity- all paths lead to God
• No one wants to give an absolute- no one wants to make a definitive statement
• “your path” “my path” “the path”
• News reports this week that Isis is in the USA- sleeper cells- there was a shooting in texas with Muslims with bombs and guns and body army
• Isis- the guys who behead Christians- (its fine- Gun beats machete every time)
• I’m not trying to scare you- I’m just being honest about where we are at- Never in American history up until the past 20 years has there been a religious enemy of another God coming against us- 9/11 and all the other bombings- Muslims coming after Christians- they hate us
• You are being brought to a decision point

• 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
• Standing at the door- the Servant girl asks him he says NO
• 25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!”
• 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
• High priest asks- I’m not Servant asks- I’m not
• This guy peter denying Jesus- denying he knows him
• Now listen- this peter isn’t no slack- THIS IS THE DUDE THAT WALKED ON WATER WITH JESUS
• How do you go from walking on water to denying him?
• Don’t think that seeing the miracles of Jesus is enough to sustain a relationship with him
• Peter walked on water and later denied he knew him-
• just another reason I don’t believe in the miracles to follow God ministry-
• We might well wonder why Jesus allowed Peter to fail so miserably and deny his Lord three times that night.
• Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31).
• Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32)
• Peter was a people pleaser- he cared more about what men thought than God
• Paul had to rebuke peter to his face because he wouldn’t eat with the gentiles! Galatians 2:11-15

• What are you going to say?

• Its happening folks- there is going to be a line in the sand drawn
• your job, your family, your own life could be called into question based on what you beleive
• I’m not trying to scare you- but folks- the noose is tightening here-
• Interesting- in the book of Acts- it talks about everyone having everything in common- it wasn’t for the poor- it was because people lost everything when they came to Jesus- couldnt get a job, their family pushed them away etc
• are you willing to declare a faith that will cost you everything?
• Example- I don’t agree with Gay marriage- neither does this church- its not Biblical
• As an American- its land of the free- Marry who you want- marry your dog- I dont care
• but If the supreme court passes a constitutional amendment for gay marriage, they could end up coming for the churches-
• What are we going to say? Will we be willing to lose our exempt status? willing to be ostracized? willing to be outed?
• look what they do to a cake shop that wont bake a cake- what are they going to do to a church that stands up?
• Are you going to deny that Jesus is Lord? Are you going to deny that you know him? Will you stand and be counted with him as one one of his followers?
• or are you going to be like peter? and deny that you know him?
• He even warmed himself with them! 18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.
• Peter, rather than standing up for his belief- stood and warmed himself by the fire with the officials who wanted to crucify Jesus

• 19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.
• 20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet,[b] and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”
• did you hear that? 20 Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world.
• When Jesus was doing ministry- he went around talking- and teaching
• the reason he did talking and teaching is because people had faulty thinking about who God is and what he did- and it was through TALKING that the people became aware of their faulty thinking and it caused them to change the way that they thought about God and the world
• I get it- Its a delicate balance- you must serve and you must work and you must love, but you also must SPEAK
• This is a theme that you will hear often in my preaching- I believe that sharing our faith includes actions and WORDS we must SPEAK UP about Jesus
• Standing at the door- and someone asks- DO YOU FOLLOW HIM??
• BOLDLY PROCLAIM YES!
• Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
• Interesting contrast: Peter- I do not Jesus- I spoke openly to the world
• See, Jesus, unlike Peter has zero reservations about speaking up about the truth, about God about what someone should or shouldn’t do
• The phrases that bug the snot out of me are phrases like “We just need to be Jesus to them” and “What would Jesus do” and “Love them Like Jesus”
• Let me give you an example- People love to use the story of the woman caught in adultery- how Jesus didn’t condemn her- and he didn’t but he told her to “sin no more” he didn’t say- Go back and keep on adultering. He didn’t say good job. He said- Hey- don’t do that anymore, quit
• Yes there were times when Jesus was silent- but there were alot more times when he SPOKE UP
• People say- “he had the most condemnation for the religious folks” like that gives people a pass, the truth is that I wonder what he would condemn us for now… being silent?
• 1 Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God[a] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed
• 2 Cor 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
• We’re supposed to boldly proclaim the truth of Jesus in our lives-
• Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
• Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
• 2 Corinthians 3:12Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—

• Peter, he denied Jesus, he got a place next to the fire, Jesus, got smacked in the face
• 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”
• 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”
• Jesus got slapped, beat, tortured, stuck, and eventually crucified
• He didn’t live his life expecting that he wasn’t going to ever experience pain
• Romans 5:3-4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
• We want to be like Jesus, we can’t just be like the walking around performing miracles Jesus- Jesus went to the cross- He told us we would have to pick up our cross daily
• Listen, I’ll be the first one to tell you that living for Jesus is a blessed life. I love living for Jesus
• I have a great marriage, great family, I eat well. I am able to recreate. Inside the four walls of this church and my house, blessings overtake me. I can’t outrun the blessings of God
• But outside the church? I expect people to hate me. I expect them to revile me. Not like me.
• I am not looking to make friends with the world, I’m trying to get them saved and experience the kingdom- It doesn’t mean that I’m not nice to them- It means I’m not surprised when they bite
• James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials
• 2 Tim 3:12  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
• You have to make a decision- Don’t deny Jesus- Speak up- expect pain-