From Trusting in Your Promises to Trusting in God's Promises [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright.

We can build our life not on our commitment to God but God's commitment and when we do encourage in obedience emerge in our lives. Alan light come to another message of good news that will help you see your life should know whole new light on deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching debate in the series life of Peter has presented at an older church in North Carolina.

If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast how to make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now he can be yours for your donation this month. Alan Wright industries so as you listen to today's message deeper as we send you this special offer available today. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright good news. Although our promises to God.

The well-intentioned though our commitments to God.

We have every desire to keep them though they fall that we fail God's promises to you will never fail. Therefore, faith and courage and obedience, not by us ramping up our commitment to be better Christians and to follow God more dearly by meditating more deeply and receiving more fully the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and how committed he is to seeing us through. We continue today in the life of Peter and we are coming to the dark place of Peter's denial of the Lord and I want to see today how well-intentioned Peter was how dismal his failure and it will look at the restoration of Peter and the amazing love of God, so I want to turn to Matthew chapter 26 Matthew chapter 26 after the institution of the Lord's supper we come to verse 30 Matthew 26 verse 30 and when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of olives that Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, but FM raised up. I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered him, they all fall away because of you I will never fall away. Jesus said to him, truly I tell you this very night before the rooster crows will deny me three times. Peter said to him, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you and all the disciples said the same. Let's move forward to verse 69 and see what happened after the betrayal and the rest of Jesus, and Jesus has appeared before Caiaphas and his phony trial. Verse 69 that Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and servant girl came up to him and said, you also were with Jesus, the Galilean, but he denied it before them all saying I do not know what you mean and when he went out to the entrance another servant girl saw him, she said to the bystanders. This man was with Jesus of Nazareth and again he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man. After little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, certainly, you two are one of them for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know the man and immediately the rooster crowed and Peter remember the saying of Jesus for the rooster crows, you will deny me three times and he went out and wept bitterly. Eventually some of the songs that we would like to to saying you'll notice you don't hear us sing these songs here because there's some songs that even though they are in some ways classic and I miss something in of the canisters are soul a little bit of capital red X next to them were not to sing him and sorry about that, but one of them member that notice always like it is something that gets in you just can I get the blood flowing to Zion I have decide to to follow Jesus, I have decide to follow Jesus's. I have decide to know Jesus. No turn him back, no turn in, though none go weird to me, steel wheels, no though none of these are the pitiful disciples go with me well for none of these lesser Christians go with me steel will follow. No tear it. See how committed I am to Jesus. I will sing about another sonicare to get this going that I'm sorry but pool more about this one, two, is utilized to love actually love this all to Jesus, said Arend Carlos. You can read the league you to Jesus is there and said Arend all is to do along one day after saying this in a church I served in Durham, a lady came up to his daughter, actual PhD work in church history, and she is wonderful friend and essentially what is good and also the church would come up speak honestly with you even though you're the past Certainteed like tell you what you need to hear and stamp said. Alan said yes it's simply one promise what he said were perjuring ourselves said it's not true as to where we're saying that you know I surrender all bit, but who Moses really has surrendered all we really know is I code which would really be singing a song. I got to thinking about us again but it didn't sound as good to think is surrender some surrender a few things I don't really want a little bit to Jesus is surrender is surrender some it is. It just doesn't work that you as a part of the kids, charged by none go with me has to follow do this thing will do this thank Peter is like do this thing. Jesus though none go with me. I still will follow die for you about you and the other disciples did you tell them. All the rest, and they just weren't as bold as Peter but he says they all say the same thing.

They were so well-intentioned as they were learning about Peter is his man is so likable. I like him. I really like and you can believe him me Peter you think if you make a business deal Peter. Right now I would do this I will be delivering 100 fish you every day hundred fish every day you're like you believe him because he believes that he so well-intentioned but he will let you down. And this is the moment more than any other. He says I will follow you no matter what.

I will never deny you. I'm not going to fall away. Jesus though others might.

And Jesus says tonight you're going to die me three times before the rooster crows in the morning and what we learn from the story is the futility of trying to find power for Christian living by ramping up your commitments to God.

No amount of chanting about your commitment to God.

No amount of singing about your commitment to God. No mouse stomping your foot, but your commitment to God is going to enable you to overcome your sin.

None of your booths to God give you power for the victorious Christian life, but instead the power the power that sets us free from slavery to fear, and sin is the power of the gospel, which is a revelation of what God's done for you to make you into a child of God, and if a child in an air and a cookware of Christ. In other words, let us not boasted our commitments to God. But let us revel in the commitment of God to us and watch what happens in Peter's life when this shift takes place. That's what I want to talk to you about today. Peter is prone to be the one who speaks for everyone, and so often times when he's speaking as a leader on behalf of the disciples he saying what others would like to say what others would like to do and he is always in this mode of thinking he's going to be able to do something and then failing as was seen at over and over.

Notice is the same Peter who sees Jesus walking on the water towards him as a Jesus which you tell me to come to you just as common as he gets out and he walks on the water for just a little while and then he sees the wind and the waves and he becomes fearful and he begins to to sink glum club. This is the same Peter who, when Jesus comes to wash his feet said you'll never wash my feet. I'm your servant, you're not my servant, and Jesus says unless I washer you have no inheritance with me and he says okay then wash me this is the one who comes at the Transfiguration scene and Peter's light while all he sees this glorious site of Jesus and Moses and Elijah illumined in Lori is getting a vision of what the glorious Jesus, not just the human Jesus, but that the glorified Jesus what you really looks like in the glory of God shining all around them and their disciples are just an all and this is the Peter Lau shall I build three little huts now one for you and one for Moses who always wants to do something doesn't me that's Alan Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series pressures always on hard to say nowhere, he that shall disappoint someone one relationship in paradise.

They were naked and felt no shame entered the world and became anxious and driven nine question like there is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts are shown in 6 m Mastercraft exposes that one exception shows the individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope are night ministries. This man thinking digital Mastercraft. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame. It's time to let God's grace to shame. We missed our night ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor at work in today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing. This is the one who at Gethsemane, Peter is one of the few that Jesus says come near me. I'm going to go into the garden of this and am going to pray and I need you to watch with me. I need you to pray for the evening hours with me and we don't have the text but don't you know that Peter said we will pray for you and Jesus comes back after sweating blood and nearly dying from sorrow and fines Peter should so sleep while the Savior bleeds. This is the same Peter who, when they come to arrest Jesus pulls out his sword and he's going to take on the whole Roman army and cuts off the soldiers ear until Jesus rebukes him and returns the ear and heels. The man, this is who Peter is but is not just to Peter is its who so many well and tensioned disciples are were quick to make promises were quick to make promises to God about what we will do and the problem is that what happens is that in the moment of encouragement in the moment of fervor in the moment in which all seems okay were able to make this kind of commitment. But what happens is the circumstances change. Afterwords I can make the commitment is just what if the circumstances change afterwords and I'm like well but this is a contingency I did not know would come into play, and therefore I need to change what I originally said about this. We have this on vivid display in an election year, do we not and so we attempted to really give our word and then okay but things of check I got a sort of baptism and basketball on Thursday. Had a delightful day ended up going down to Raleigh and watching basketball all day and said playoffs and we had our afternoon session tickets for cheap and then the evening session for number one seeded and withdrawn Tar Heels to play that evening and our seats were no good for that. And so we were trying to figure out a way to get a better see the man and I've gotten the tickets from for the afternoon session set I got the same seats for tonight, we are we had these really cheap seats that worked way up in the upper deck and so I called him during afternoon session. I said what kind of deal would you make if we give you these tickets and any to try to get tickets and give them some money for.

He said okay will do the deal and it fell a good deal to me is that I things I can't leave this game I can come out of the arena to make the swap with you until after these games are over as the man who's out there selling tickets all afternoon and so I said I gotta count on you not selling these tickets to somebody else as they listen, I'm a man of my word. I grew up on a farm, how that makes you more matter were but grew up on a farm. They said I'm 60 years old again. The six-year-old less likely lot to you but anyway I sent six years old. I grew up on a farm. If Amanda was worded that have anything as I get my word I'll meet you out there.

550 will do the owner tickets and I said I I give you my word I'll see out there too and so I session the man said that's what would I do about them. And so we went out there.

After the games to other and while we are out there. One my buddies were waiting on the gotta show up. Micah believes he will show up bleeds will show up and allow out there about to start talking to another guys out there selling tickets you had better tickets for about the same deal center court jaywalkers to discuss get the tickets right here center court. That same kind of deal and I have a look at and I said I gave the memo word I said you gave your word again the word I went back over and into Gaza. Continue touches the deal was getting better with the other guys again. They were sweet in the pot as I know I gave this, I gave a demo word answer another guy showed up, got tickets did the deal is with every said but I was thinking later I felt one of the pot again so sweet that the CAC so might come over and said center court tickets for free what I kept my word and that situation I do you start saying why didn't know there will be free tickets of a L, I'm sure.

I'm sure the man would not want to hold me to it every now I have read to this is the way life is like that and circumstances changed. You could not have expected and Peter when he said, I'll not deny you. He wasn't expecting that he would be given opportunity to deny him. He wasn't expecting and still didn't fully understand that he would watch Jesus go to trial, and that Jesus was going to be crucified and that the followers around Jesus might be killed as well.

He didn't understand all of that and everything changed in though he had said though none go with me.

I still will follow.

When the moment came, he was he was unable were quick to make promises we want to do something we are. We are the sons of Adam and in our sin nature. What we want to do is just ramp up our our commitment to God and think that somehow we can look within and make it happen. What Jesus knows is that he is going to the cross and they will all fall away the word that is used here fall away that phrase in the Greek is a word that transliterate directly into English it scandalize you all be scandalize. It is, it is something that Jesus knows, it was foretold in Zechariah, the shepherd will be struck down and the sheep will scatter shepherd is a image for the Messiah. It's an image for King, the shepherd, the ruler will be struck down and the prophecy Jesus saying is coming true in me. I'm the shepherd. I'll be struck down and you're my sheep and you're going to scatter and knowing all of this, Jesus says to them, but I'll be raised and I'll go before you into Galilee will be together again. That's what's amazing to me is you spend your time meditating by the thoughts of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Easter morning. Let this somewhere be central to your thoughts. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, and still washed his feet. Jesus knew that Peter would deny him and that the disciples would scatter from him as he hung alone on the cross and you still love them. God is never disillusioned with you because he already knows every frailty that you have any understand you and as always you have. Sandy knows all the way that you will send a came and he died for you. He set his love upon you, and therefore, since he already knows everything that is dark about you and is already common died for you and set his love upon you. It means this is nothing that you can do that will ever detract from the love of God that he has for you in Jesus Christ, you cannot disillusion God. So Jesus makes his promise, Peter makes his promise I'll never leave you all not follow way that others might and he fails and Jesus makes his promise, I will rise and I'll be with you again in Galilee and he keeps his promise part of the beauty of this story that is amazing is the contrast in literature we call the foil.

The contrast of Peter and Jesus because Peter is so strong in his insistence of what he's going to be able to do and yet the temptation that he meets is a servant girl.

In other words, one of the most lowly members of that Palestinian culture young person female servant had no authority to do anything to Peter. And yet Peter could not even acknowledge who he was, to a servant girl and yet Jesus faces a tribunal, the very ones who have the authority to crucify him and he is asked if he's the son of God, and he says that he is right putting a bookmark here in the series life of Peter and the teaching specifically from trusting in your promises to trusting in God's promise, and the conclusion on the next program chairing the light but in the moment. Alan Wright is back here today in the studio for our final word pressures always find it hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone once in any relationship in paradise. They were naked and felt no shame entered the world they became anxious and driven nine question like this painting.

There is only one solution. Grace of God that lifts our shame seeks meet your master class pastor. How unexposed is an exception share is an individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope are ministries this man thinking to digital Mastercraft.

Thanks for your partnership in a world separate time to let God's grace to shame Misty Banks from Alan Wright Ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got a work well here we are in the series. This particular teaching from trusting in your promises to trusting in God's promises. So unpack this a little bit for listening.

Right now Daniel. This is one of the absolute most important gospel principles that any listener, you could ever get hold of. So what you do if you didn't get all this message try to get all of this. Listen to it. Get hold of this because it is so so so essentials been transformational my life. So many Christians think that the way that we're going to find power for holy living for godly living is by making greater and bigger promises to God, like making foul to him. Here's what I'm gonna do here something to do it and that's what Peter did the others deny you. I will never deny sake. It's a promise is a valid set.

So he had all of this noble desire. And look what I got them nothing. In fact, God just puts it on display and highlights the fact predicts the fact and shows it to his role gospel heater when there's not much on the line.

He denies Jesus three times as to what we see in Peter that is a transformation of trying to find power by making his vows to God instead learning the transformation comes by God's promises to you, it is an enormous move to make and one spiritual life and point today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries