Testify, Testify, Testify

Mark 14:66-72

This evening I want to look at a very famous episode in Peter’s life that no doubt left him feeling regret for the rest of his life. The episode I am talking about is the missed opportunity to testify of his relationship with Jesus Christ on the same night Peter said he would give his life in his defense. We are people who can verbally say, “I would die for Christ.” but when asked to testify of him, we betray him by our words and deeds. Matthew 26:58 sums up Peter’s drifting away, “But Peter followed him, Jesus, afar off.”

Why are you a Christian? It’s not a spectator sport. Pittsburgh Steeler fans may wear a number seven jersey, but they are only Ben Roethlesberger in licensed apparel. Put them on the field and try to run a play against any NFL tackle and you’ll see the black and gold turn to black and blue. Many churches are Christian in name only, and many Christians by fashion accessory or body art, and it makes me want to rip off the church sign and replace it with “No-tell Motel,” or “Country Club” instead. I once came upon a church outside of which the marquis said, “Our services are Rated G for everybody.” Upon entering the church building and seeing how everyone was dressed, I wanted to change that G rating to an R. Dietrick Boenhoffer is quoted as saying, “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” Adultery and fornication are still illegal in about two dozen states, but it goes unlicensed in our churches. Minnesota: “When a married woman has sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband, whether married or not, both are guilty of adultery and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.” North Carolina: “Fornication and adultery. If any man and woman, not being married to each other, shall lewdly and lasciviously associate, bed and cohabit together, they shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor: Provided, that the admissions or confessions of one shall not be received in evidence against the other.” Matthew 5 is the best instruction for us to choose the more excellent way when it comes to virtue. “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees . . .” Jesus says, “Yes, you’ve heard you should not murder, but I say if you are angry with your brother, you are just a guilty.” Whether it is murder, or marriage, Jesus wants us take the moral high road.

Are we a Christian in name only? Like Peter, do we resemble the Galilean but change our accent and way of speech when challenged to testify? Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.” The common theme in Scripture is that morality is a virtue to be prized, and immorality the enemy to be spurned. Morality is a blanket word that covers many qualities of righteousness and not any particular conduct. May we never say that the moral choice was not convenient. Yes, I’ve heard sermons on forgiveness and it’s easy to say we forgive, but how many make restitution and truly bear fruits worthy of repentance, as Zachaeus did when he repented and restored what he had taken dishonestly, times four.

Conservative Muslims are winning a majority in Europe in part because of their system of morality and family values. I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet, but I forecast that Sharia law will gain greater acceptance in the western world because the church has denied its place as a moral beacon for a society that is drowning in immorality. We are turning our backs on the innocent and condemning ourselves to the fate of the worst offenders and those who corrupt such innocence. Secular organizations are doing what churches should be doing and that is pitiful. Statistics paint a picture of our society in a moral dilemma that the church is in a position to prevent.

1) From the face of innocence, came the first challenge. It was a small girl, a servant of the High Priest who only knew Jesus as a demon possessed conjurer of magic who brainwashed weak-minded Jews into thinking he was the Messiah. What Peter could have done to help that one, innocent little girl. Mark tells us that the cock crowed after the first denial. To Peter, a warning ignored making the denial all the worse.

Our churches are so contaminated with immorality that we are corrupting the innocent in our midst. To these little ones whose parents are Christian in name only, Jesus represents nothing of a Lord and Savior; not the Lord of their mom, or their dad, if they have one or the other. More than that, the leaders in our churches are not articulating the person and character of Christ, nor are they translating the teaching of Christ for our young people in their tolerance of immorality. Jesus says in Mark 9:42, “And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” Did you hear that? That was the first crowing of the rooster.

2) The next opportunity to testify moved from what the little girl said to Peter, to what she in turn then took to the crowd. Here is where fear is greatly intensified and hearts have a tendency to grow harder. Here is where opportunity for glorifying God can meet with better result, or result in a bitter end. Peter who had throughout his time with Jesus, referred to him by such words as Master, Savior, and Lord, now finds himself reducing the Christ to the title of “this man.” The cursing referred to was not the use of profanity, but calling a curse upon himself if what he was saying was not true.

The opportunity of Jesus with the woman at the well is very similar. One on one: adjusting her understanding of the Messiah, her faith, her sin, and her life was totally changed. She therefore went to the crowd with the testimony, and as they researched the truth of Christ the Samaritans themselves exclaimed in John 4:42, “We believe, not because of your speaking, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” It’s the same with the Gadarene demoniac. Jesus denied him his request to follow, but this denial allowed the former necropolis dweller to move to the metropolis and capture the crowd who overwhelmed Jesus at his return to the area.

Our choice to act in translating who the true Jesus is will inspire others to investigate, and by the Holy Spirit convict them not on the basis of our words, but by THE WORD. If Peter had done what was right and relinquished the attention others had on him to his Lord, who knows what pronouncement the crowd would have made when deciding between Jesus and Barabbas. The Muslim who only knows seven sentences of Jesus that he reads from his Koran needs to know the truth. There is a crowd surrounding you, possibly moved by the testimony of one that stands eager to condemn and still you will not glorify Christ.

I once gave opportunity for a couple to confess once before a church. They had left under the worst kind of separation possible. They were offended and did everything imaginable burn every bridge on their way out, if you know what I mean. One Sunday, since I was the new preacher, they came forward to transfer their membership back into the congregation the had ripped to shreds. While in the presence of the group they had offended, I allowed an opportunity for reconciliation. They did not repent, but I felt better for giving them the opportunity.

3) The crowd eventually turned on Peter after surrendering two failed opportunities to testify. Peter finds himself in the area of the courtyard when the third challenge arose. The courtyard where Peter had been warming himself was just beneath the room where Jesus was offering testimony on his own behalf. All that was needed was the testimony of two or three. Didn’t Jesus have at least 12 disciples? Peter, standing within hearing distance of every false witness brought before the kangaroo court was as guilty as those standing before Caiaphas with false testimony.

While Peter was warming himself by the fire with the crowd looking for an answer, Jesus was getting punched in the face and spit upon. The church too often wants to warm itself and cozy up to the comforts of the world while we let Jesus get beat and spat upon while the enemy dares any to come forward as a witness. Worse than that, we stand reticent as false witnesses lead the masses astray.

These are days like none other. We are in the last days. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that we are those “upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Many in our churches stand as condemned as the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day, blind to the coming calamity upon Jerusalem. Jesus challenged them and he challenges us (Luke 23:31), “If we do these things in the green, what more will the do in the dry?” Are we ready for the dry? I can prove to you many times over that the abomination of desolation as described in Daniel, and others, is not what the heathen commit toward the desecration of what is holy, but what those who are called to be holy do to forsake what is consecrated as God’s. Do you hear me church? Josephus gives us a graphic picture of what the Jews turned into when Titus laid siege of Jerusalem in A.D.68-70. You could not tell the sinners from the saints. It’s exactly the period Jesus warned his disciples against in Matthew 24 which caused the faithful to retreat across the Jordan to Pella.

Luke is the Gospel writer who tells us that at the moment of the last denial by Peter the cock crowed, Jesus turned and looked at him and he went out and wept bitterly. Did you hear that sound church? It was the second crowing of the rooster and the eyes of Christ are upon you.

Dr. Seuss and the “Zoad in the Road”

“Zoad” is not a nonsensical word like many he invented, but came from a Greek word that means “stair step” or “ladder”… indicating a device people would use to get somewhere.
With that insight, consider Dr. Seuss’ poem: “The Zoad In The Road”:
Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad?
Who came to a sign at the fork of the road?
He looked one way and the other way too –
the Zoad had to make up his mind what to do.
Well, the Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants.
And he said to himself, “I’ll be taking a chance.
If I go to Place One, that place may be hot
So how will I know if I like it or not.
On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool
If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool
In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue.
So Place One may be best and not Place Two.
Play safe,” cried the Zoad, “I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce.
I’ll simply start off to both places at once.”
And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance
Went no place at all with a split in his pants.