Matthew 26:69-75is about "Peter denied Jesus".
If the Church of God does not want to become true witness, he/she will become false one despising Jesus even denying Him like Peter did.
The practice of 'not being the true witness' is not bearing witness about something we know the truth, even following the false.
Why did Peter deny Jesus?
"The love that grows cold" will increase in the last days until the love is frozen.
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
In the last days, there are many servants or sons of God who do not have love or the love grows cold and becomes frozen, even they deny Jesus and become false witness.
The consequence of not having love is as follows.
Therefore, we have to have God’s love.
Human in the blood and flesh does not have any love but emotion, ambition, lusts, et cetera that cause perdition.
How can we get the love of God?
We learn from Peter.
John 21:15-17
21:15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
We have to be SHEPHERDED.
Through shepherding system, we can realize that our life is without any love, and we are nothing.
Jesus asked Peter three times until he was grieved as follows.
The main need a sheep must have is the pastor, not green grass.
It is the pastor who provides the grass or preserves the sheep in any season, anywhere.
The Great Shepherd would not have been with us if there had been no human pastor because the Great Shepherd is the superior of the human pastor. The human pastor is the mediator between sheep or congregation and the Great Shepherd.
Three times of Jesus’ asking to Peter refers to perseverance in doing three main services in the sheepfold or Holy Place as follows.
The shepherding with three main services to the Lord is a must, and it cannot be eliminated or subtracted.
Peter still got help by the voice of Shepherding Word or the crowing of a rooster, while Judas Iscariot could not be helped anymore.
Zephaniah 3:17
3:17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
The love of God renews or changes us from carnal man or mortar pot to spiritual one (golden pot that had the manna).
Peter was helped by the voice of Shepherding Word, not by other voice.
The practice of Peter’s life renewal after receiving the love of God is as follows.
2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
The shepherded lifeis as a baby in the embrace of the merciful hand of God, the Mother or Great Shepherd.
What is the task of a baby?Only to drink milk (consuming the Shepherding Word with righteousness and obedience)and to cry (worshiping God crying ALLELUIA, crying the name of Jesus).
Afterwards, God will stretch His hand to us.
The result is as follows.
If the Church of God does not want to become true witness, he/she will become false one despising Jesus even denying Him like Peter did.
The practice of 'not being the true witness' is not bearing witness about something we know the truth, even following the false.
Why did Peter deny Jesus?
- Matthew 16:21-23
16:21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Peter rejected the cross, referring to suffering together with Jesus or suffering because of the Word, because he used his flesh mind.
Peter took Jesus aside when He said about the cross.
Peter rejected the cross while Jesus was receiving it. It was a contradictory thing.
The flesh mind is egoistic because it only loves or prioritizes oneself, there is no love to Jesus.
If Jesus had not been willing to be crucified, He would have been born in the world to perish.
In shorts, the flesh mind seems to plead or love but actually it only causes fall or wickedness and someday there is denial to Jesus for sure. - Matthew 26:51
26:51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
Peter was wrong using the sword until he cut off the ear of Malchus.
The practice is as follows.- Preaching God’s Word without the anointing of Holy Spirit but only with self-will.
Consequently, the congregation does not want to hear the Word. - Doing or saying something that gives other people disadvantage; being stumbling-block for other people until they cannot hear the true teaching Word anymore; or not loving other people.
Be alert! One will only sin if other people cannot hear the Word because of his saying.
- Preaching God’s Word without the anointing of Holy Spirit but only with self-will.
- Matthew 26:58
26:58 But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
Peter followed Jesus at a distance and sat near fire with the servants.
Meaning being unfaithful and not fervent in spirit, even leaving the service and ministry until falling in the friendship of the world or loving it.
I John 2:15
2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The content of the world is as follows.- The lust of eye causing sins concerning eating-drinking.
- The lust of flesh causing sins concerning marrying-being given in marriage.
- The pride of life = prioritizing or relying something in the world more than God or His Word.
It also means keeping something which is wrong or sin.
Do not be jealous with such person because God has let him face the day of judgment!
In addition, the pride means criticizing the Word of God even being disobedient and resisting the true teaching Word.
- The lust of eye causing sins concerning eating-drinking.
"The love that grows cold" will increase in the last days until the love is frozen.
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
In the last days, there are many servants or sons of God who do not have love or the love grows cold and becomes frozen, even they deny Jesus and become false witness.
The consequence of not having love is as follows.
- Revelation 16:17, 21
16:17. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
16:21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
Being judged with great hail from heaven. They cannot repent anymore, even deny and blaspheme God because of their hardness of heart.
The last plague from among the three kinds of seven plagues in the last days is the hail.
Such person resists or challenges God when the judgment has not come yet, and he still resists God being in the judgment. - Matthew 10:32-33
10:32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
10:33 "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Such person will also be denied by Jesus before Father Godto have eternal judgment in hell and perish forever.
Therefore, we have to have God’s love.
Human in the blood and flesh does not have any love but emotion, ambition, lusts, et cetera that cause perdition.
How can we get the love of God?
We learn from Peter.
John 21:15-17
21:15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
We have to be SHEPHERDED.
Through shepherding system, we can realize that our life is without any love, and we are nothing.
Jesus asked Peter three times until he was grieved as follows.
- Jesus: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"(with the love of God)?
Peter: "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." (with the love to neighbor). - Jesus: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" (with the love of God)?
Peter: "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." (with the love to neighbor). - Jesus: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" (with the love to neighbor)?
Peter was grieved because he remembered that he had denied Jesus, so he did not have the love to neighbor.
The main need a sheep must have is the pastor, not green grass.
It is the pastor who provides the grass or preserves the sheep in any season, anywhere.
The Great Shepherd would not have been with us if there had been no human pastor because the Great Shepherd is the superior of the human pastor. The human pastor is the mediator between sheep or congregation and the Great Shepherd.
Three times of Jesus’ asking to Peter refers to perseverance in doing three main services in the sheepfold or Holy Place as follows.
- Golden Candlestick refers to patience in doing General Service or the fellowship with Holy Spirit in His anointing and gifts.
- Table of Showbread refers to patience in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion or the fellowship with the Son of God in His Word and His sacrifice (Holy Communion).
- Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Prayer Service or the fellowship with Father God in His love.
The shepherding with three main services to the Lord is a must, and it cannot be eliminated or subtracted.
Peter still got help by the voice of Shepherding Word or the crowing of a rooster, while Judas Iscariot could not be helped anymore.
Zephaniah 3:17
3:17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
The love of God renews or changes us from carnal man or mortar pot to spiritual one (golden pot that had the manna).
Peter was helped by the voice of Shepherding Word, not by other voice.
The practice of Peter’s life renewal after receiving the love of God is as follows.
- Acts 2:14, 22, 41
2:14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
2:22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know––
2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Peter dare testify as the true witness.
He was not afraid of testifying in the midst of multitudes, so there were many people could be justified and saved.
The true witness is really needed in these last days, while the darkness of sin is hitting many places. - Acts 3:6-8
3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
3:7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them––walking, leaping, and praising God.
Renewal in our deeds.
Peter did not cut off the ear of other person anymore but he helped other people.
Peter became blessings for other people near the temple, meaning to bring other people to enter the true shepherding and the ministry of building the body of Christ. - John 21:18-19
21:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Peter could lift up his hand to the Lord, meaning being obedient until his flesh did not sound anymore = loving God more than anything, being willing to sacrifice all things for God.
Moreover, Peter was willing to die for God = we are faithful and fervent in spirit doing our service and ministry up to the end-line, namely we die or Jesus comes a second time.
2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
The shepherded lifeis as a baby in the embrace of the merciful hand of God, the Mother or Great Shepherd.
What is the task of a baby?Only to drink milk (consuming the Shepherding Word with righteousness and obedience)and to cry (worshiping God crying ALLELUIA, crying the name of Jesus).
Afterwards, God will stretch His hand to us.
The result is as follows.
- The merciful hand of God is able to preserve and protect us, who are powerless, in the midst of difficulties and disasters, even when antichrist reigns over the world.
- The merciful hand of God is able to solve all problems, even the impossible one.
How great problem we have, for God it is only as a problem of baby. - The merciful hand of God is able to give us beautiful and joyful future life.
- The merciful hand of God is able to sanctify and renew us until we do not sin anymore, and we are perfect as Jesus is.