2819 Church - CROSS TO COMMISSION | But After | Matthew 26:30-35 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

In Week 4 of CROSS TO COMMISSION, Philip Anthony Mitchell proclaimed Matthew 26:30–35, reminding us that what feels like abandonment is still held in God’s sovereign will.Even knowing their coming denial, Jesus declared BUT AFTER, promising to go before the disciples into Galilee.

Capeseed. See them. If you're going to be. Welcome you to 2819 church where we are striving for the spread of the gospel and the multiplying of disciples. To all of our digital disciples watching live right now from across America and around the world, we welcome you into this holy gathering. You are our family. We pray for you.

We cry for you. We believe God for you. And we thank you for being a part of this family from wherever you are. If you're not a follower of Jesus Christ and you crept into this gathering or onto this live stream, we know that you are either in this live stream, in this chat, or we know that you're in the room. We are thankful that you are here. If you're not a follower of Christ, we acknowledge your presence. We want you to know that you could be long before you believe and you could be amongst us before you believe.

And as I am keenly aware, like there's a clock on me right now, now counting backwards, that time is running out on humanity. I would only nudge you from this platform that by the grace of God in a moment of prayer or while a song is being sung or during the word being proclaimed, you might sense and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit and surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ before time has run out on you. For there is no one prepared to die apart from the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ. And And for as much as we make plans for next week, you have no guarantees, you will see that. And so in the day you sense the spirit of God drawing you, that is the day of salvation.

We pray you will not harden your heart when the spirit draws you. And we pray that by God's grace, the next time I stand here, you will be inside the family of God. As a church, we've been studying one of the most important books in the New Testament. submit the book of Matthew for the last three years. We're coming down to the final three chapters of that study in our final teaching series through the book of Matthew called cross to commission in which we are walking through Matthew chapter 26 through 28 together. This is the apex of Matthew's writings. Everything that Matthew has recorded from chapter 1 to chapter 25, this is the apex of his writings. It is for this purpose that Matthew wrote to prove to a Jewish audience that Jesus was the

promised Messiah that he is king. He is the lying of the tribe of Judah. And then this last three chapters that we study together are critically important. These last three chapters cover the final days and the final hours of the one you call Lord and Savior. It records what we call the passion of the Christ. Some of you are old enough to remember that movie. Some of you are too young. Maybe you didn't watch it.

You should go back and watch that movie. It is Matthew chapter 26 to 28 in which they made the movie the passion of the Christ. It is for this purpose Jesus came. This records the greatest event in human history. When the Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed and died on the cross for your sins and mine. And without that, we all would be hellbound. No matter your morality, no matter your good behavior, no matter what you think about yourself we have no hope apart from the cross of jesus christ

no human being has hope apart from the cross of jesus christ and what we approach in chapters 26 to 28 is the single greatest events of human history the death of christ and the resurrection of christ in fact paul said if christ is not raised all of this is in vain so when we talk talk about the resurrection that should well up joy in your heart especially if your follow of Christ let me repeat if Christ is not raised all of this is in vain and if history serves me correctly he is the only founder of a world religion who was raised from the dead and was seen alive by over 500 witnesses some of them wrote that they saw a man alive can't say the same for other world religion progenitus was not seen alive after they

died they are buried and they are not coming back to life in this life our text today is Matthew chapter 26 verses 30 through 35 six short verses Holy Father, God, I pray right now in my own weakness for my brothers and my sisters, all of us, those who would hear this message, as long as it will live before you return, how wary I am, Lord, of what we see in our nation and around the world. just empty services and dead sermons and people just going through the motions with the tag Christian on their life not knowing that you are coming and God I pray you would you would awaken men and women the remnant across this nation and around the world as we are living in the final hours of the church age you would stir up revival in cities all across America and around the world.

You would turn the hearts of sons and daughters away from idols. And our love affair with everything other than you, you would snatch the unbeliever from hell's doors before fire consumes them, Lord. You would deliver the American church from her adulterous affair. with the culture from being a whore for things God outside of Jesus.

You would deliver her from being a prostitute with things in the culture that she would turn to the only one that truly loves her God in this hour. I pray, Spirit of the living God, you would minister to those under the sound of my voice that this moment will go beyond a sermon, beyond proclamation, God, that there would be a light of revelation in the hearts of your children.

I ask God that they would hear your voice speaking to them this morning. I pray for grace and help in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord. and soon coming king Jesus Christ amen and amen and amen and amen you heard that phone

go off that's what we need right now an alarm to go off in this country in Africa in the United Kingdom that's what we need we need alarms to go off

because I feel like in America we're doing church and we're sleeping and not paying attention. As I was looking over this passage, I thought about the fact that one of the greatest blessings that you and I have in this life is right here in the room. It is our human relationships. And it is through human relationships, the Lord will funnel into the human and experience things like comfort and joy and laughter and strength and shoulders

and memories and bonds that transform lives. It's through our human relationships, the Lord will funnel into your life. Some of the greatest blessings you will ever know in this life will come into your life on two legs as God works through our human relationships to bring into our life. some of the most meaningful things we will ever enjoy in this life. They come through our human relationships. They make life more meaningful. They make life more enjoyable.

And almost all of us can attest or testify to all of the great things we have experienced through the context of the deep bonds we've had in our human relationships. things we have experienced through the bonds of marriage, through the bonds of friendships, through the bonds of relationships and situationships, through the bonds of friendships and mentorships and coaching, through the bonds of family and siblings and husbands and wives, through the bonds of brothers and sisters. We can testify if we live long enough of all the ones. of the great, valuable things that God has funneled into our life through our human relationships.

And for that, we thank God for those things. Without that, the world would be boring. But at the same time, for in as much as our greatest joys come from our human relationships, for those of us who have lived long enough, we can also testify that from the same well, our greatest joys is the same well has come our greatest pains because if we have lived long enough we can testify not only has great joys come out of our human relationships but the truth of the matter is our deepest pains and disappointments have also come out of our human relationships and if you live long enough you can testify to both it is the dichotomy of human life that from the same well of relationships come our deepest joys and even our deepest pains and sorrows.

And among those categories of pain, one of the greatest categories of pain, a human being will ever know because of human relationships is the pain that enters our life as a direct result of betrayal and abandonment. It is that person you love who betrayed you. It is that friendship you had when that person betrayed you. It is that family member who betrayed you. It is that business partner who betrayed you. It is the spouse that walked away from the relationship. It is the father that walked away from a child, the mother that abandoned the child.

It is the person that walked out of a relationship. There's the person you loved who betrayed you all. the person you loved who abandoned you and not only abandoned you but abandon you in an hour of need and I know what it is to be in human relationships and be on the receiving end of the pain of betrayal and I know what it is in human relationships to be on the receiving end of being abandoned by people you love especially when you need them the most the scripture says about Jesus that he was a man acquainted with sorrows and grief that he knew the joys and the pleasures of human relationships

spending time with his disciples and going to weddings and laughter and joy and as much as Jesus knew the blessings of human relationships our Lord also knew the pain of betrayal and abandonment, especially from those who thought they can walk with him through anything. This is a very difficult pain to endure when you've been betrayed or when you've been abandoned. It is a very difficult thing to walk through. It is a very difficult thing to bounce back from. and Jesus, who was fully God, was also fully human.

It's why the right of Hebrews tells us that as a great high priest, he can't identify with the pains that you and I experience in this life. This is all of what we read and what we deal with in Matthew chapter 26 to 28. This is all of what we're studying that will send Christ to the cross. This is all of what we approach in this passage, a very difficult conversation between Christ and his closest friends. It was Jesus in the final hours of his life. He's in the city of Jerusalem, in a room in someone's house in that city. And in that room was his closest disciples, his closest friends, these 12 men that he spent three and a half years.

walking with them and eating with them and talking with them and doing ministry with them, sleeping with them and traveling with them. It was in that room on a Thursday night just hours before he's crucified. It was in that room on a Thursday night, the Lord got down on his hands and knees and washed the feet of men he created because he was God in the flesh. It was in that room that night. He said, one of you will betray me. And then the spirit of the devil entered into that man, and he left the room on that very night.

It was in that upper room where Jesus began to teach his followers about the coming of the Holy Spirit. And the work of the Holy Spirit, it was in that room when he said that I am the true vine. It was in that room when he said, I am the way. It was in that room when he began to teach them that they would be hated and they would have hostility towards them in the culture. It was in that room. He began to teach them about the work of the Holy Spirit in the earth. It was in that room.

He gave the Holy Spirit a pronoun he. And not she. We have too many people that think they're theologians because they have platforms and too much erratical doctrines in America.

Where we think that because because we want God to be a God of inclusion. We call God he, she, or it. The devil is a liar. The scriptures does not support that. God has a pronoun, father, male. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit a pronoun. When he comes, he will teach you all things,

and he will remind you of all things, and he will convict the world of sin. He, he, he, he. That's why we got to stop listening to everybody on social media and read the scriptures for ourselves. Woe to those who change the word of God. For the Lord said of his own mouth, you cannot add to them scriptures,

and you cannot take away from them scriptures. The last time that I checked, God was a he. It was in that room on a Thursday night, hours before he would be betrayed and crucified that God gave his followers, man, a perpetual audience. The Lord's supper. the bread that represented his body and the wine that represented his blood and he said this is the blood of the new covenant it was in that room he was explaining to them i have now fulfilled the law the all has passed away and now a new ordinance was coming into humanity the ordinance of the new covenant that jesus would be the head of that new covenant it was in that room he did all that

all these things you read in John 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. It was in that room, he prayed over them and prayed for all of us who would follow after him. And it was in that room, we come to this passage where Matthew recorded a very difficult conversation. I want to just go back to verse 26, what you would learn last week in Matthew chapter 26, verse 26. Now, as they were eating, Jesus took bread. And after blessing it, he, broke it and he gave it to his disciples and said take eat this is my body and he took the cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you this is my blood of the covenant which is a new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins i tell you

i will not drink again of this fruit of divine until that day when i drink it new with you in my father's kingdom so Everything I just told you happened right before this. Everything from John 13 to John 17 happened right up to this moment. Then he gives them the new covenant through the Lord's Supper. And then we come to our text in verse 30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Stop, pause.

I want you to notice in the text that the Lord has just sat in an upper round. room and has just taught his followers all these things you can find in John's recording. It is a solemn moment. It is a prophetic moment. It is an important moment. He is hours away from being executed. He gives them very important teaching in that upper room. He gives them the last supper in that upper room.

and then watch. They seal the moment with a song, the halal. I just want to draw your attention to this. It's not the bulk of what I'm going to teach, but I just want to draw your attention to the fact that they shower teaching in worship. They shower teaching in singing. And I would like to believe that maybe it was their custom to do this.

I could see them in my mind right now, like fireside chats in Jerusalem traveling in Israel the Lord sitting with them in circles talking to them teaching them loving them and then before they got up from that circle maybe breaking bread having a couple wine and then singing a song together they probably had a practice of singing songs after teaching and proclamation man this is what I want for us I know it's new like to lean into opportunities like this like we have the same opportunity each week when we come to solemn moments like this, where we sit and listen to the proclamation of God's word, and then we want to take a moment to sing over you

after that, but we don't like to lean into moments like this that are solemn. Instead, we're more concerned about beating your brother to the parking lot instead of singing in the presence of the Lord. We're more concerned about getting to a restaurant instead of eating the bread of life. We're more concerned about trying to get out to get to the merch station instead of sitting in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Man, we've been just dishonoring God's presence and dishonoring solemn moments, and we act like you will always have these moments.

See? These disciples did not know this is the last time they will sing with the Lord. They have no idea this is the last time they will get to watch. Have corporate worship together. It's just like we run in and run out. We take this for granted. I'll do better next week. You have no idea if this would be the last time we have corporate worship together.

Someone here may not be here next week. And 10 years from now at the rate we go in, if we don't, if we don't. If we don't take a stand for Christianity, if we don't vote right and pray right, 10 years from now, the scriptures might be illegal in America. Don't say you was not warned, and you can tear me down on social media all you want. There is another entity taking over the whole world while we play in church that will persecute Christianity and put believers to death. You keep having your little dead conferences and your little dead sermons that are completely disconnected from what's happening right now. Y'all can hate me all you want and make videos about me all you want. Do not say you was not warned.

Do not say God did not send a prophet to America. Right through diplomacy and the people we vote into power and aggression, we will see the persecution of Christians if we don't stand up and wake up and vote right and pray right and take a stand for this word. I'm telling you, they had no idea this will be the last time they would sing corporate worship together. This is why when you are mature, you learn to discern moments and lean into them. it's like being in the presence of people who are smarter than you and being quiet instead of telling them your resume you are stupid to do that when you're in the presence of people who are wiser than you you shut up and listen and learn when you sense the spirit of God moving in the atmosphere you sit there and you enjoy

his presence you don't even know if he'll call you home next week You're so quick to get to the parking lot. They end a solemn moment with worship, not knowing it would be the last time. It would have an opportunity to gather like that in corporate worship. They slide off to the Mount of Olives. I've stood on top of that mountain in Jerusalem. A gentle slope just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is at the Mount of Olives.

At the base of that mountain, there's a garden. I've stood in that garden. I'll show you a picture of it next week. It has olive trees. Some of them are 2,000 years old. They put a fence around it to protect those olive trees. Some of those olive trees were there when Jesus were there. I'll show you a picture of it next week that I snap standing at the gate.

It was at the Mount of Olives where the Lord would often go to spend time with his disciples in that garden. We learned that from John Chapter 18. In John Chapter 18, we learned that Jesus would often go to that garden to hang out with his disciples. watch. That was a place he would slip away for respite and for relaxation and for intimacy with his friends. It was easy for Judas to find him there, especially when your betrayer knows your movements. When they watch your movements on social media and they watch will you hang out with and they got their eye on your husband and they got their eye on your wife and they got their eye on your ministry and they got the eye on your platform or judas was very

familiar with the movements of his lord because john 18 says jesus would spend time at the foot of that mountain in the gardenage it is also on the mount of violence where the prophet tells us that the lord will return when he returns to the earth the scripture tells us his feet will touch that top of that mountain that mountain will split in half Water would run out of that mountain Down the Kidren Valley Towards the Dead Sea And the bitter waters of the Dead Sea

I swam in it Can't drink from it, you can die It will turn sweet So they slide off to the Mount of Olives And after they get to the Mount of Olives Matthew records A very painful conversation

Between Christ and his disciples Matthew who was there. Look what he said happen. He said, then Jesus, look what he said in verse 31. Then 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. Stop. The Lord goes into the guard. and he looked into the eyes of the ones who are closest to him and he said to them probably with pain in his heart tonight all of you are going to fall away from me you all will abandon me on this night there is the Lord

hours away from being brutally beaten to the point he's not recognizable that's what Isaiah said Isaiah said the Lord was beaten so bad He could not be recognized Not these little fake pictures you see of Christ On a cross and his face is perfect And his lips are perfect and his ears perfect No, that's not biblical

Isaiah said God was beating so bad Jesus was beating so bad He was unrecognizable A massive lump of just blood and flesh They could not recognize his face He was beating so bad He was hours away from taking One of the most brutal beatings recorded in

human history. He's hours away from a crown of thorns. He's hours away from people spitting in his face that he created. He's hours away from carrying a crossbeam down the Via della Rosa all the way to the top of God Gotha to be executed for your sins and for mine. He's hours away from begging his father. If there's any other way this thing can be done, Please, Lord, let this cup pass from me. He's hours away of looking for an option out of what he's about to suffer. His humanity now rising up on the inside of him. He didn't endure that pain as a spirit for you.

Since we love sin so much, he endured that pain as a man for you. He's hours away of carrying the sins of the whole world. and his father turned his back on him. He's hours away from all of that. And in the time, he needs his friends the most. He looks at them in their eyes and he prophesies to them. Not next week, next year, next month, tonight. Y'all all will abandon me on this night.

You all will leave me alone on this night. you all will be offended at me in this night hours from now these men will witness one of the most brutal beatings in history they were witness Christ carrying a cross and in their mind they would think we ain't ready for all of that yeah you've been with him for three and a half years you ate with him for three and a half years you taught with him for three and a half years travel with him for three and a half years minister with him for three and a half years Peter, you walked on water.

You've seen him raise the dead, but you only follow him until it's inconvenient. And before we condemn them, you and I do the same thing. We love to name Christ until it's inconvenient. We love to be faithful to Christ until it's inconvenience. We love to keep showing up for Christ until it's inconvenient. We love to say we love him until he demands something of us we don't want to do. This is American way, how people are faithful to the Lord until he demands something of them that makes them feel uncomfortable, pushes them out of a comfort zone, or pushes them to a place of

inconvenience, man, we have too many of us that follow Christ so long as it is convenient for us to follow him. But don't tell me to forgive. Don't tell me to reconcile. Don't tell me to let something go don't tell me to be faithful don't tell me to be generous don't tell me what to do with my home my children whatever the case may be we're no different than these disciples man they followed the lord and called him rabbi and called him teacher and they talked about they loved for him they did all of that until it was inconvenient and we do the same thing And there is the Lord about to be abandoned by his followers. But I want to draw your attention to the words, for it is written, I will strike the sheep, the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.

The Lord in this moment quotes from Zachariah, the prophet who says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. The Lord now takes the prophetic words from Zachariah chapter 13, brings it all the way to present day first century. and it applies that passage to himself. This is so powerful. I wish I had to. I could spend a whole message unpacking the fact that all of the Old Testament points to Christ. And from Genesis to Malachi, it's all about Christ. And then the Exodus is all about the deliverance of Christ.

And they pass through a sea because it is the baptism of Christ. And when they set up camp, they set up camp in the form of a cross. If you can fly over it with a drone, you will see the children of Israel set up like a cross, prophesying the death of Christ. And all of the laws point to the fact that we need Christ. The entire Old Testament reveals Christ. He's hidden in the Old Testament. The whole Old Testament is about him. But I want you to see this.

He says, watch these words, for it is written. Now, this is powerful to me. Why? Because watch. The Lord tells them, peep, the text, you're all going to abandon me this night. And then the next thing he says, it is written. You're all going to abandon me this night. And then he says, it is written.

You're all going to abandon me this night. And he says, it is written. Oh, they abandonment is not accidental. I'm going to help some of you. their abandonment of Christ is inside the sovereign will of Almighty God. So you mean to tell me the failure of this men was inside the will of God? That the Lord was not caught by surprise by the fact that it was going to abandon him because it was already written that they would abandon him.

It was written that the shepherd, Jesus, would be struck, crucified, and his followers would scatter and Israel was scattered. It was already, so you mean to tell me that the Lord knows about our failures, even those inside the context of his perfect will? So you mean to tell me there are some things you have failed at, fallen, made mistakes that did not catch God by surprise, that there are some things you have done that actually happen inside the context of God's will? Yes, I'm telling you right now, that there are some areas you failed, some places you've fallen, some mistakes you've fallen, some mistakes you've. made that God absolutely allowed and he allowed it because it was written for the purpose of fulfilling the plans he has for your life. Jesus. Some of you have been persecuting your own

self for so many years, not realizing the thing, the area he let you fail, the mistakes he allowed you to make, some of that God used to produce in you the man and woman. and you are today. You was in a false religion inside his will. You failed in that season inside his will. You was mad at God inside his will. There are some things that God has allowed in your life. There are some things God has allowed in life that he allowed it inside the content

of his will washes. This is the beautiful marriage between sovereignty and human weakness. Sovereignty and humanity that God absolutely, listen to me, man, God absolutely planned and knows about all of your stumbles. And there's some areas he knew. I know what it is as a young believer to fall away from God. I know what it is to run from a pastoral call for four years when the cross of the calling to this right here seemed too much for me to bear and I bounce the other direction, four years running from God. I know what it is to run from God for four years.

I know what it is to fail God early in my relationship with him. I know what it is to fall and make mistakes. I know what it is to do all of that. And I know what is to look over my shoulder and say, look what God has a loud that it has helped to produce in me, the man that I am right now. Let me just insert this for some of y'all, and I'm going to come back to this in a few moments. Man, what I'm living right now is call a second chance.

So my faithfulness to him is on steroids. Because I've already abandoned him in the past. You better believe God used this abandonment to change those men. You better believe these men never forgot about this abandonment. You better believe that these same men who were cowards on this night were the same men, men who were powerfully preaching the gospel after they saw a resurrected Jesus. you better believe that the Holy Spirit use this failure to produce in them a faithfulness

that would cause them to even become martyrs for Christ and you better believe that the same God who transformed these men through failure is the same God who is able to transform you and strengthen you and preserve you and build your character through the things you have failed and not just through your successes. This is how we don't let the devil rob us of the testimony, not only that I was faithful, but that I made mistakes and God still used it for my good. Thank God for Romans 828, that he works all things.

I look the devil in the face that saying the God that I serve, he works all things. All things. Paul did not say he works some things. No, he works all things. For good. For those who love him. This is how you don't let the enemy keep persecuting you. for things that are behind you.

Because if it's under the blood, it has been weaponized. My failures, more than my mountaintops, produced in me the faithful man I am today. Maybe that's not your story. But that thing you keep running from, maybe God wants to use it. It's not a big platform or a large Instagram following or thousands of people. Y'all think this is what made me faithful.

I was faithful when it was 50 of us. I was preaching like this when 20 and 19 started with 183 people. These men will get another chance. I know what it is to get another chance. Some of you, it's the things that you despise sometimes the most that God will use as a scalpel to perfect something in your heart that made you a better man, a better woman, a better husband, a better father. It's your failure with the first child that made you a better father with the second child.

It's your failure in the second marriage. that made you a better husband and the, the Lord knows how to use all of that. The only stuff he won't use is the stuff you won't let him. So we give him access to the mountains, tops, and the valleys. We give him access to the successes and the failures. And let him use all of it for your good. for it is written. So he told him, watch, I'm almost done.

Tonight, all of you are going to abandon me tonight. The Lord had to bear the pain of that. But watch this next verse. Verse 32, but after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Oh, my Lord in heaven. The Lord just looked these men in the face. Watch the text. The Lord, look these men in the eyes and say, you're going to abandon me.

And the next thing he says, but after. He said, but after I'm raised up, I'm going to go before you. He's talking to them future context. He's already telling them you're going to survive what you're about to go through. The fiery trial, they're about to go through that night. He's telling them, they're about to go through a fiery trial, and you're going to survive it. He's telling them to their face. You're about to fall and get back up.

You're about to fail and get back up. You're about to go through a fiery trial, and you will survive the trial. I'm talking to all of you that have experienced a butt after, who have looked trial. in the face and felt the peace of the Holy Spirit, letting you know you will survive the very thing you're about to enter. Is anybody thankful for a but after? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Watch.

He says, but after. Underline. But after, you're going to fail me tonight, but after. And I have lived, but after. Watch. After I will go ahead of you. He's already saying, you will fail me tonight. I will be your shepherd tomorrow still.

Watch. You will forsake me, but I will not forsake you. You will abandon me, but I will not abandon you. You will betray me, but I will not betray you. You will fall away from me, but I will not fall away from you. He says, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. He's already telling her I'm going to be a shepherd on the other side of this. You will forsake me tonight.

I will not forsake you. It's for all of us who hurt God, have bad things. seasons messed up somewhere, he will not abandon you the way you abandon him, will not forsake you the way you forsake him, will not turn his back on you the way you turn your back on him. He said to them, after, watch, I'm almost done. After I am raised, notice he to say after I get up for myself. He said, after I am raised, meaning someone else will raise me. me. I have so much faith in the Father, I will go to the cross because I have confidence he will raise me from that tomb. Oh my gosh. This is Jesus showing faith in the Father

to be willingly put to death with confidence while I'm laying in there. He will raise me from that tomb. The Lord did not get up on his own, lest we not read Romans when it says, if the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Jesus was not resurrected in his own strength. The spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. The Lord had so much confidence in the Father that he trusted him even with his death. That I will lay in that tomb and the Father, through the Spirit, will raise me from the dead. But that's not what the scripture says only.

It says if the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. See, you don't even know how powerful you are. You don't know the help that you have. You don't understand who lives on the inside of you. Come on, man. You don't even understand who lives on the inside of you. That's why you should go back and read John 14, 15, and 16. Do you understand the power that lives on the inside of you?

Power? The Holy Spirit lives in gives you the power to not be a slave to sin. The power to live holy. The power to pray the will of God. The power to lay hands and see people heal. The power to believe for God. miracles, the power to see signs and wonders, the power that raised Christ from the dead, resident in the Holy Spirit, lives on the inside of you.

That's what the scripture says. You have an identity crisis because you have an identity crisis, because you have an identity crisis, because you don't understand the power of the Holy Spirit. You'd be afraid of people because you don't understand the power of the Holy Spirit. You'll be feeling helpless in times of need because you don't understand the power of the Holy Spirit. You'd be saying, I got an assignment, but I don't know how to do it. Of course you don't. But you got the power of the Holy Spirit.

You think I'm up here in my own strength? I come up here every week in weakness. and I preach in the power of the Holy Spirit and sometimes try the whole way home. I got up this morning discouraged and I'm preaching to you right now in the power of the Holy Spirit. The one that empowers you for every assignment You say I'm afraid, but the Holy Spirit I'm insecure, but the Holy Spirit I feel ill-equipped, but the Holy Spirit

I don't know how I'm going to figure this out but the Holy Spirit I don't know how that door's going to open but the Holy Spirit I don't know what to do in the circumstance but the Holy Spirit I can't remember that passage But the Holy Spirit

I feel too weak to pull this off But the Holy Spirit How are we going to do access in three months But But Feeling the nudge To move to Atlanta To join 2019

Where am I going to get a job And where am I going to live And how am I going to bounce back but the holy will lead in God. They all fall away because of you. I will never fall away, Lord. Never mind, Peter didn't hear the part about the resurrection. He didn't hear the part about the but after.

All he focused on is that the Lord is rebuking them for falling away, and he tries to explain away the rebuke. So he does what we do. He puts the other disciples down to prop himself up. they will fall away those 10 they're going to fall away because Judas already left

those 10 they're going to fall away me I'll never leave Lord Peter is a victim of self-righteousness and watch a dangerous misplaced

confidence watch in himself not in the one who's talking to him in himself and this is what we do this is the danger of self-reliance we say i can do this without god this marriage i got this parenting i got this ministry i got this he's self-reliance this is this is the danger of being overconfident in the flesh So we want to do ministry without praying and preaching without praying and singing without praying and marriage without praying and we're doing business without praying. You said, I got degrees. You're shaking, you're doing business deals without praying. This is the, this is the danger of overconfidence when you think you can do fill in the blank without God.

We have to avoid that. Jesus says to him in verse 34, no, Peter, truly, I tell you this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. Not only is my words not going to fall to the floor, Peter, you will deny me, but you're going to be the first person to do it. Forget the other ten. You're going to be the first one to do it. They're going to make it to the morning and bounce. You won't even make it through the night. Watch.

This is the Lord, everybody watch, revealing to his follower the blindness of his weakness. Look at me. Everyone under the sound of my voice, you all have blind spots. As strong as you think you are, As righteous as you think you are, with all your degrees, all of your businesses, all of your acumen. There are people in this room you think you are so strong, but what you don't see is that you have blind spots. And the Holy Spirit will punch you in your soul to show you those blind spots. This is why you should always be thankful for conviction and you should always be thankful when God puts people in your life who is a chorus to keep telling you things about yourself that you can't see.

Say, why everybody keep telling me the same thing about myself? Because it's there. You just don't want to accept it. We keep telling you about this area. We keep telling you about yourself in this area. That's why you should be thankful when you have a wife that tells you about yourself or a husband who tells you about yourself or friends who tells you about yourself. When the Lord is using people to point out your blind spots, we are foolish to push away.

We are wise to say, thank you for you. showing me that and go process that in prayer you all have blind spots and you need to thank God for the conviction that shows you those blind spots is why David prayed a powerful prayer Lord search my heart and show me if there's anything in me that is grievous see this is a powerful prayer I pray this all the time Lord deliver me from my own self-deception if there's things in me I can't see. Don't let me think I'm some hot shot preacher and some hot shot podcast. Show me everything in me. That's nasty, dark, sinful, that hurts other people. Punch me my soul. Make me cry. Show me me.

Do you pray that way? No, you don't. You don't. You don't pray that way when you assume you have it all together. Peter assumed he had it all together. I'm done, son. Verse 35, Peter said to him, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.

And all the disciples said the same. So Peter does not even listen to the rebuke of the Lord. he is so self-reliant and so blinded by a dangerous confidence that he really thinks that he has the strength in his own self to survive what the Lord is about to go through and the beauty of the text is that the Lord sees in us our weaknesses and our strengths and the Lord in his graciousness likes to work in our weaknesses less those things damage us and damage our relationships this is a beautiful passage to me because it shows us that the Lord and his sovereignty and his perfect loves

he deals with us in our strengths he deals with us in our weaknesses but he does not abandon us in our weaknesses This is powerful to me because I believe that this incident changed these men's lives. I believe that after these men rebounded from this and made them stronger, wiser, more bold. Man, history tells us that these same men, all of them will go on to give their lives as martyrs for the Lord Jesus Christ with the exception of John. it reminds us how God is faithful to us even when we're not faithful to him it reminds us how the Lord cares enough to rebuke us and open our eyes from seeing the things that we don't see it reminds us of how the Lord deals with us as a loving

shepherd on mountaintops and valleys and strength and weaknesses and it reminds us of how the Lord's faithfulness does not shift when you shift and does not change because you change he says i will never leave you nor forsake you it reminds us man that god is committed to us when we're doing well and when we're not when we're faithful and when we're not when we're having good seasons and when we're not he's faithful to you and it reminds us that in the sovereignty of the lord there is nothing that's going to happen in your life that he does not know. And it reminds me of this, this last thing before I pray for you.

You see how Peter was talking to the Lord on that night? The Lord knew that when he called him. The Lord knew exactly when he was getting when he told Peter come. He knew he was going to get a man that was presumptuous, a big mouth. He knew he was going to get a man that was impetuous. He knew he was going to get a man that could not control his urges. He knew he was going to get a man that was going to betray him. He knew he was going to get a man that was going to deny.

He even known him. He knew he was getting a man that was going to do all of this because nothing in Peter surprised the Lord. And for you, he knew exactly what he was going to get when he called you. When he said to you, come. He knew exactly what he was getting. He knew about your failures, your insecurities, your hang-ups. He knew about the times you would walk away and come back. He knew exactly what he was getting when he called you.

There was nothing in you that has surprised him. He handles all of your beauty and all of your ugliness. And I'm encouraging myself right now, especially in those times when you feel like you've disappointed the Lord, you're going through a hard season. The Lord knew exactly what he was getting when he said, come. He knew about everything you would do every time you would fail, fall down, every mistake you would make. He knew about the times you would walk away mad at him and he would have to

bring you back like, come let us reason together. He knew about all of that when he said, come. There was nothing happening in your life that he did not know or did not plan for. And this is the faithful Lord that you and I serve, who is worthy of all of our praise, our affections our faithfulness our honor our devotion he's worthy of your entire life so lord to you we pray thanking you for that you're faithful that your faithfulness does not shift in our failures in our weakness

and in our frailties God revealed to us those areas where we are blind and we cannot see areas that are damaging our marriage damaging our friendships damaging our relationships revealed to us those areas and give us the humility to adjust to course correct and Father God I pray right now

Something like awe would rise in the hearts of these your sons and daughters their love for you would be deepened when they consider that you would never leave them nor forsake them They will continuously and perpetually until you come be the recipients of but after but after but after I pray this right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ come on sing to him you worthy of it all you have a voice use it all he can see and he can hear you from you are all things and to you are all these you deserve you deserve the glory.

You are the of it all. Come on, church. Sing to him. You're worthy of it all. Oh, Lord, you worthy. You're worthy of it all. We give you our every praise. For from you were all peace,

and to you are all peace, You deserve the glory. You're worthy of it all. You're worthy of it all. Oh, Lord, you're worthy. You're worthy of it all. But you created all things. From you are all things.

And till you are all of me. You deserve the glory You worthy, you're worthy, worthy, worthy of it all Of all our praise, all our worship You're worthy of it all When your good pleasure, Jesus From you are all to you are on to you are And you deserve the glory.

You deserve the glory. night and day let incense arise day and night night and day let incense arise day and night night and night and day let incense all right day and be aware sacrifice and Jesus of the Lord yeah and pray that it's in store Oh day and night night Day day day and night night day day day night night

night oh night and day and day you're worthy you're worthy oh oh God you're worthy You're worthy of it all

For from you are On me And to you are on me You deserve it You deserve it You are worthy of it all You are worthy of it all We give you our absolute best

Today, Jesus. You're worthy of it all. For ourselves completely out before you. From you are all. Until you are all. You deserve. You deserve the glory. Thank you.

Worthy you are. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. I don't know.