Question: “What is the full armor of God?”

Answer: The phrase “full armor of God” comes from Ephesians 6:13-17: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:12 clearly indicates that the conflict with Satan is spiritual, and therefore no tangible weapons can be effectively employed against him and his minions. We are not given a list of specific tactics Satan will use. However, the passage is quite clear that when we follow all the instructions faithfully, we will be able to stand, and we will have victory regardless of Satan’s strategy.

The first element of our armor is truth (verse 14). This is easy to understand, since Satan is said to be the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Deception is high on the list of things God considers to be an abomination. A “lying tongue” is one of the things He describes as “detestable to Him” (Proverbs 6:16-17). We are therefore exhorted to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, as well as for the benefit of those to whom we witness.

Also in verse 14, we are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate shielded a warrior’s vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal. This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, imputed by God and received by faith, which guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.

Verse 15 speaks of the preparation of the feet for spiritual conflict. In warfare, sometimes an enemy places dangerous obstacles in the path of advancing soldiers. The idea of the preparation of the gospel of peace as footwear suggests what we need to advance into Satan’s territory, aware that there will be traps, with the message of grace so essential to winning souls to Christ. Satan has many obstacles placed in the path to halt the propagation of the gospel.

The shield of faith spoken of in verse 16 makes Satan’s sowing of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word ineffective. Our faith—of which Christ is “the author and perfecter” (Hebrews 12:2)— is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and substantial.

The helmet of salvation in verse 17 is protection for the head, keeping viable a critical part of the body. We could say that our way of thinking needs preservation. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations. The unsaved person has no hope of warding off the blows of false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation and his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth and spiritual deception.

Verse 17 interprets itself as to the meaning of the sword of the Spirit—it is the Word of God. While all the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive in nature, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing that the same Word is available to us!

In verse 18, we are told to pray in the Spirit (that is, with the mind of Christ, with His heart and His priorities) in addition to wearing the full armor of God. We cannot neglect prayer, as it is the means by which we draw spiritual strength from God. Without prayer, without reliance upon God, our efforts at spiritual warfare are empty and futile. The full armor of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer—are the tools God has given us, through which we can be spiritually victorious, overcoming Satan’s attacks and temptations.

Recommended Resource:  The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare: Revised & Updated (See all Christian Living Books)

A new survey showed recently that six out of 10 Americans, crossing political and religious lines, believe it is inappropriate to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.

The survey, which was conducted in May, was a collaboration of the Religion News Survey and the Public Religion Research Institute. It was begun within days of the news of the death of bin Laden, according to the PRRI website.

The survey showed that 62 percent of Americans believe that celebrating the death of a human being is wrong, regardless of how evil he may be. Furthermore, 60 percent believe in the bible verse that says we should not “rejoice when your enemies fall,” and believe this also applies to bin Laden, PRRI said on its website.

The sentiment is particularly strong among young people, aged 18 to 34, where the percentage rises to 69 percent or seven out of 10.  Among Americans aged 65 and above, only 47 percent believe the bible verse applies to bin Laden, the website noted.

Support and critique

Episcopal Rev. Clark West of Cornell University told RNS that the bible has verses telling of rejoicing over the downfall of an enemy. However, there are also verses that say it is wrong to do so.

West told RNS, “Scriptures can be found both supporting and critiquing such celebrations. There can be healing for a trauma survivor in recovering a joyful sense that evil will not have the last word, but human events like the killing of bin Laden should not be confused with the divine vanquishing of evil.”

At the same time, West told RNS that for survivors of 9/11 and for families of the victims, “quiet prayer and attentiveness” may be more healing rather than boisterous celebration.

Robert P. Jones, president of PRRI, told CNN, “There’s widespread agreement across religion and party lines about how Americans should act in the wake of the killing of bin Laden.”

Is Osama in hell?

Up to 65 percent of Americans believe that bin Laden is in hell. In examining the total along religious lines, the survey showed that eight out of 10 white evangelical Protestants believe this, and 67 percent are certain that bin Laden will be punished in hell for eternity, the website reported.

Two-thirds of Catholics, and two-thirds of mainline Protestants agree that bin Laden is in hell, while almost half of those religiously unaffiliated, or 49 percent, believe that bin Laden will be eternally punished for his sins, the website said.

Stephen Prothero, a religion professor of Boston University, told RNS that the numbers were lower than what he expected, especially among evangelicals. However, he said it may have been the word “eternally” that gave rise to hesitation.

Prothero, who wrote the book God Is Not One, told RNS that another possible reason for the figures could be the fact that new ideas about hell have been raised in the book, Love Wins, written by megachurch pastor Rob Bell.

Distorted teachings

The survey also showed that most Americans, at 82 percent (eight out of 10), agreed that bin Laden distorted Islamic teachings to fit into his purposes. Sixty percent are in complete agreement with this belief, according to the website.

Prothero said that this indicates that in the U.S. there is increasing knowledge about Islam. He told RNS, “There’s an awareness out there about the distinction between Islam and Islamic extremism. It’s an important conversation that we’ve having right now.”

The survey was conducted from May 5-8 via telephone with 1,007 Americans. The respondents were aged 18 and above, and the interviews were conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation and the PRRI. Margin of error is three percentage points, CNN said.

Sources:

http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=574

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/11/survey-most-americans-say-its-wrong-to-celebrate-bin-ladens-death/

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/polls/two_thirds_of_americans_say_bin_ladens_in_hell/

The leader of Pakistan’s Christian political party slammed recently the move by a Muslim political group in to ban the bible in Pakistan because they claim that it is blasphemous.

Nazir Bhatti, head of the Central Council of the Pakistan Christian Congress issued a statement saying that the move by Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, to ban the bible on the grounds of blasphemy will not prosper, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti also said derided the claims of “an illiterate Muslim cleric” who expressed doubt about the health of the bible in a Lahore press conference. Bhatti said in his statement that only the bible points the way to eternal life, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said in his statement, “Christianity is [the] only religion on [the] globe that has spiritual, scientific and historical evidence to prove [the] health of [the] holy bible,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti noted that the Islamic World has only one copy of the Qur’an which is displayed in Tashkent Museum [that was] written in [the] Kofi language in 300 years according to Hijra Calendar, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

By contrast, many museums have manuscripts of the holy bible that have been preserved for hundreds of years, and many scholars have translated the bible into different languages, according to the Pakistan Christian Post.

Bhatti said, “It is Islamic history which calls Caliph Omar as “Mujtaba-ul-Qur’an” meaning a title for Hazrat Omar on “Compiling Holy Qur’an.” The Islamic history goes on to state that during rule of Caliph Omar, different Muslim tribes were reciting different editions of holy Qur’an, therefore Caliph Omar ordered every tribe to assemble in with their versions of holy Qur’an,” the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said, “The Islamic history further reads that Caliph Omar collected copies of [the] holy Qur’an from every tribe and burnt them. Then Caliph Omar called [those] who were experts in recitation of [the] holy Qur’an and ordered them to recite verse by verse. When one verse was seconded by [an]other Qur’an reciter, It was written and likewise Hazrat Omar compiled [the] holy Qur’an. But [the] Islamic world is unable to present that copy to the world, even,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti also said that the JUI has an Islamic school in Akhora Khatak which produces “Taliban, not Islamic scholars.” He noted that the students in the school are not taught science or technology, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said that if the JUI tries to file its appeal to the Supreme Court in Pakistan, it will be dismissed because “Judges have studied in [the] 20th century education model, not in Akhora Khatak Maddrassa,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti said the Pakistan Christian Congress is formulating a plan of action that will be implemented if JUI tries to petition a ban on the bible in Pakistan, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Christian leaders have responded to the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by issuing statements and through Twitter.

Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy said, “All persons of good will can be grateful that the U.S. military, helped by U.S. intelligence agencies, has successfully ended Osama bin Laden’s career of terror.”

He continued, “Sadly, since 9-11, many church voices have insisted that Christianity mandates pacifism. Hopefully there will now be greater appreciation for the Church’s historic stance that God ordained the state to punish evildoers who attack the innocent.

“The Church does not rejoice to see anyone perish. It always seeks repentance and offers God’s grace, even while recognizing the state’s duty to punish. As Christians we would have preferred to see bin Laden renounce terror. But he died, as he lived, by the sword. The Church has always understood that government has a distinct responsibility to execute justice, sometimes employing lethal force,” Christian Newswire reported.

The Vatican also released a public statement which said that bin Laden must answer to God for the killing of so many and for abusing religion as an excuse to spread hate, Reuters reported.

Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman told Reuters that Christians “do not rejoice” when a man is killed, but the death of Obama is a reminder of “each person’s responsibility before God and men.”

Lombardi told Reuters, “Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes.”

Lombardi also told Reuters that he hoped that bin Laden’s death “would not be an occasion for more hate, but for peace.”

Meanwhile, Muslim extremist websites have drawn up bin Laden as a martyr who fought for Allah. One post said, “We won’t cry today, but we will revenge. Men and women in America will cry,” according to CNN.

Many Christians chose to respond to the news of bin Laden’s death by sending out Bible verses through Twitter.

The third most popular bible verse that was re-tweeted was started by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, who quoted Prov. 21:15. The verse is, “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers.”

The second most popular Bible verse re-tweeted was sent out by Rev. Run of Run DMC fame. Rev. Run tweeted Psalm 138:8 which says, “The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.”

The number one most popularly re-tweeted Bible verse is Prov. 24:17. However, it is not known who started it. The verse says, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.”

Is This the Most Unknown Sentence In The New Testament? “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

One friend, when he has gone on speaking engagements, has read these words and then has asked, “Now where does this sentence come from? Old Testament, New Testament, or William Shakespeare?” The majority have usually been wrong, and yet these words are spoken by Jesus as he approaches Calvary.

We are in Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 31. Is this the most unknown verse in the New Testament? These words are spoken just before Jesus Christ is crucified. What does He mean? When a green tree is wantonly destroyed, what on the day of judgement will be done with the dry sticks of the wicked?

If this is what they do when the wood is green and full of life, what will happen to dry lifeless wicked unrepentant men? These are the words of a carpenter. I am green, life producing, full of sap, full of the Holy Spirit. What do you think will happen when you are dry and ripe for judgement? Weep for yourselves. Are you ready to meet God? Or are you ripe for Judgement? Read the verse in the context in which the words were spoken.

Read verses 32,33 and 34. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was crucified. He forgave.

There are so few words. The Bible is very economical here. We are given the facts, which are not embellished with great detail.

A pastor was speaking with a woman who had left the church and would not return because someone had offended her. He went to see her, and a long list of faults and accusations poured out. He listened, and then asked, “Did they spit on you?” No. They spat on Jesus. “Did they ridicule and scourge and mock you?” No. They did all that to Jesus. “Did they tell lies about you and plan and plot and conspire to get you out of the Church? No. They did all that to Jesus and He forgave them.”

He went on to say to her, “There is not one single thing you have told me that is worth holding onto and remembering. There is not one single grudge or grievance that is worth harbouring in your heart.”

This is a word we need to hear repeatedly. “Forgive”. A lack of forgiveness binds us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and may even cause us to become physically sick, but certainly robbing us of that poise and power and peace of which we see reflected here in the life of Jesus.

When we release a spirit of forgiveness, we can discover healing, wholeness, love, peace and contentment can flood our beings.

Jesus did not want to be limited or restricted in any way whatsoever, so he releases a liberating spirit of forgiveness.

Jesus is on the Cross, and still people are sneering and scoffing. “Let Him save himself.” He didn’t need to save Himself. He had never sinned, and if he had saved his own life, He could not have saved you and me.

Jesus Christ was not going to prove who He was their way. but God’s way.

The people in this passage are either deeply moved, or mocking, and it is not unusual today to find similar reactions to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. We need to keep remembering this.

To heal men’s sick bodies, a touch was all that was needed, but much much more required to save and rescue people from hell.

The marks of sin could be soothed and smoothed away by the Hands of Jesus, but to remove sin, required the blood of the Son of God. The blood of the lamb was going to be shed at this special Passover.

And on that cross, Jesus Christ takes on the principalities and powers of hell, defeats them, and conquers them, and He emerges victorious and triumphant three days later.

Pilate had an inscription pinned above Jesus and it read, “This is the King of the Jews.” It is true whether Pilate believed it or not. You can disagree with it if you want to, but it is still true. A man can disagree with anything he wants to in this book, but it is still true.

“This is the King of the Jews”. Everyone who looked at that sight on Golgotha, would be able to read it, because it was written in Greek and Latin and Hebrew.

Greek was the language of culture and learning, and the language of philosophy, art, literature, and of ethics and morals at that time.

Latin was the language of government and authority and power. Jesus is the King of kings – the king of nations.

People say that you can’t bring Jesus into politics, which really means, let’s not take Jesus too seriously, and certainly not that seriously. How Jesus is so needed in political debates and discussions in these present days.

Hebrew, or Aramaic, was the language of the religion of the Jews. Jesus is King. He is Lord, in every area of life. How Jesus is so needed in The Church and how we need to learn his ways, and love with his love and minister with his power.

That most unfamiliar sentence leads on into that which is so vitally essential.

After a most exhausting and draining thirty hours or so, Jesus Christ is led away to be crucified. We are in Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 26. The authorities force a dark skinned man from Tripoli to carry this heavy wooden beam. No Roman would carry the cross, and the Romans would not ask a Jew, not in this situation, in the middle of a Religious Festival. It was the Passover.

Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus, and this man received a mighty reward. It appears from Mark 15 and verse 21 that he and his wife and two sons became disciples of Jesus.

No man carries the cross of Jesus faithfully without receiving a work of God in his own life, and on occasions, through his life into the lives of his family.

Remember what your Cross is. You can lift it up or put it down. It is not sickness or anything of that nature.

Luke 23:27. The news had travelled fast of what was happening in Jerusalem and a sympathetic crowd had gathered, and they are not afraid to express their emotions.

They are not afraid to allow their deep feelings for Jesus to flow out towards Jesus. And yet, Jesus says, Do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but they did not know what was going to happen to them, just as many today have no idea what Jesus is doing, and what is about to happen to those who live as if there were no God.

Jesus, as he climbs Calvary, begins to refer to the coming day of judgement, because as the Judgement of God is revealed, unconverted unrepentant sinners will cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them.

These, understandably, are serious and solemn words. There are not many new songs and choruses based on these words from Jesus Christ! I wonder why?

It has been found that people believe what they sing and find it easier to believe what is sung rather than what is preached and taught.

We have to be very careful as to what words we give people to sing when they come together for praise and worship. Some of the songs today are no more than vain repetition. And, there is a difference between singing and praise and worship and we need to inform and teach our people that too. This is an area out with these current studies but it is a crucial matter which demands our serious consideration.

When I hear people say, “O, the worship was wonderful today”, I usually make the comment, “I wonder what God thought about it”. That is what counts. Not the feelings in the hearts of men, important though these are, but was the singing and praise pleasing to God the Father?

After a most exhausting and draining thirty hours or so, Jesus Christ is led away to be crucified. We are in Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 26. The authorities force a dark skinned man from Tripoli to carry this heavy wooden beam. No Roman would carry the cross, and the Romans would not ask a Jew, not in this situation, in the middle of a Religious Festival. It was the Passover.

Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus, and this man received a mighty reward. It appears from Mark 15 and verse 21 that he and his wife and two sons became disciples of Jesus.

No man carries the cross of Jesus faithfully without receiving a work of God in his own life, and on occasions, through his life into the lives of his family.

Remember what your Cross is. You can lift it up or put it down. It is not sickness or anything of that nature.

Luke 23:27. The news had travelled fast of what was happening in Jerusalem and a sympathetic crowd had gathered, and they are not afraid to express their emotions.

They are not afraid to allow their deep feelings for Jesus to flow out towards Jesus. And yet, Jesus says, Do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but they did not know what was going to happen to them, just as many today have no idea what Jesus is doing, and what is about to happen to those who live as if there were no God.

Jesus, as he climbs Calvary, begins to refer to the coming day of judgement, because as the Judgement of God is revealed, unconverted unrepentant sinners will cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them.

These, understandably, are serious and solemn words. There are not many new songs and choruses based on these words from Jesus Christ! I wonder why?

It has been found that people believe what they sing and find it easier to believe what is sung rather than what is preached and taught.

We have to be very careful as to what words we give people to sing when they come together for praise and worship. Some of the songs today are no more than vain repetition. And, there is a difference between singing and praise and worship and we need to inform and teach our people that too. This is an area out with these current studies but it is a crucial matter which demands our serious consideration.

When I hear people say, “O, the worship was wonderful today”, I usually make the comment, “I wonder what God thought about it”. That is what counts. Not the feelings in the hearts of men, important though these are, but was the singing and praise pleasing to God the Father?

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster! Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word. Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

In Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 24, Pilate caved in, and gave the people what they wanted. He is so weak. He is so spineless. He has no moral backbone, and just goes along with the critics of Christ Jesus and with the crowd.

In reality, it was not Jesus who was on trial. It was them! Jesus is going to the Father, admittedly by a very painful route, but it was essential. The sacrificial lamb has to be slain.

Pilate’s pathetic actions, and Herod’s rage, and the evil plans of the religious leaders, cannot stop Jesus Christ from fulfilling the will of the Father and doing His Saving Work.

You cannot stop Jesus. You cannot stop God.

Having read of the trial of Jesus Christ, in Luke 22,23, we read on at verse 26, which describes the crucifixion, and it is the cross which lies right at the very heart and core of our faith.

That political weakling, Pilate, gives way to the demands of the people, and anxious Herod must have this rival king killed, and the Jewish leaders want this troublesome Jesus out of the way, and then, things can return to normal.

But, that can never be, after a man has met Jesus Christ. After you have been confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ, a man can never be the same again, no matter how that man might react, by receiving or rejecting.

There are consequences, good and bad, wonderful and tragic. We have a man like Peter, or a man like Judas.

When you meet Jesus, it can never be as though you had never met Him.

The physically exhausted Jesus is led away to be crucified, along the narrow compacted streets of Jerusalem, and across the busy thoroughfare to the hill.

It has been a long 24 hours, very long, for Jesus.

He has been teaching, breaking bread and sharing that cup at the Passover Meal, praying and wrestling and struggling and battling in the Garden amidst the olive trees. Jesus has been betrayed, arrested, denied by one of his key disciples, put on trial, taken here and there, mocked, ridiculed, scourged and now they compel someone to carry his cross.

This is not very pretty. How did people ever come to present it as being respectable and dignified, like His birth? Why does man want to dress things up, and have them appear nice? Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, and now the real purpose of it all is about to be evidenced to the whole world who wishes to know and understand.

There are three most helpful words we use when leading people around these significant places in Jerusalem. They are Gethsemane, the Gabbatha (or Pavement) and Golgotha.

In Gethsemane, Jesus Christ prayed. At the Gabbatha, Jesus was on trial before Pilate, and today you can visit and walk on the very same excavated pavement slabs in the Via Dolorosa on the north side of the city of Jerusalem. And, on Golgotha Jesus Christ was crucified and shed his blood to wash away all our sin.

Those of you who preach and teach, take these three words beginning with the same letter and your people will remember what is so central and vital. Present your people with facts about Jesus Christ. Allow them to be confronted by the gracious loving rescuing and saving Christ. When we do our work, the Holy Spirit does His!

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

Where You Sit and The Company You Keep Is Vitally Important

We have taken a longish time look in detail at this last day in the physical life of Jesus Christ as Dr Luke relates it in Chapter 22, but it is important that we do not hurry over the crucial issues raised in this passage. It is also helpful too to read the parallel passages in Matthew Chapter 26 and Mark Chapter 14. These accounts are given to us for a very real purpose.

In verse 54Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity, and Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance.

There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing behind, and in great danger. We are called to come close, and draw near and be right at the very heart, and be involved, participating faithfully, following and serving Jesus, where He has placed you and appointed you.

Peter continues following, from a distance from the Garden of Gethsemane, through the valley, up the slopes past the Temple, watching where they were going, keeping an eye on what they were doing, and being careful not to be discovered and found out.

We have followed that route from Gethsemane on various occasions and it has not changed all that much over these past two thousand years.

The man who had vowed never to leave Jesus side was now keeping his distance.

Verse 55. Peter sat down with them. He sits down in the wrong place. We have to watch our company and be careful who we are with, and where we are seen. At times it matters.

Jesus would sit down with sinners, and mix with anyone, but this was different.

A young girl sees Peter – “This man was also with Him.” Here was an opportunity to witness for Jesus, and Peter denies His Lord. “Woman, I don’t know Him.”

Peter was prepared to take on 200 soldiers and religious leaders with his sword, but the words of a young girl floor him. Sometimes it is the little things that get us down and defeat us, especially when we are sitting where we should not be sitting.

Trailing behind and falling behind and moving into the wrong company, and denying Christ. There is a progression, all within about the space of an hour.

Verse 58. Again Peter denies having any knowledge of Jesus. “You are also one of them.” We must be prepared to be called ‘one of them’ at times too.

Verse 59. Around that charcoal fire Peter must have become involved in the conversation. Someone recognised his accent, and accused him of being a follower of Jesus. If only he had kept his mouth shut, but he opened it on the wrong occasion, and kept it shut when he should have been speaking. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, the cock crows, and through the High Priest’s Courtyard they eyes of Peter meet the eyes of the arrested Jesus.

You can go into that courtyard today. It has been uncovered and excavated, and you can look into the cell where Jesus would have been held. They are on the same level. When they were still doing the archaeological work I jumped over the rope and checked things out. Yes, the eyes of Peter and the eyes of Jesus would have met. It is interesting to check out what can be checked in Jerusalem and Israel, and to find it all accurate and authentic.

That loving look shattered Peter. After you have failed someone like Jesus, it is hard to look them in the face. He went out and wept bitterly. Peter seemed to have made such a mess of following Jesus. In a way, yes, but 30 years later he is still there.

Three times Peter denied Jesus as he was sitting around a charcoal fire. Two weeks later Jesus is around another charcoal fire and three times gives Peter the opportunity to declare his love and loyalty. It is good to get it all sorted out. Not only is it good. It is essential to have all these matters and issues sorted out and resolved.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.