Mark 14:26  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
27  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
28  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
29  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
30  And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
31  But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

Yesterday we briefly mentioned the violent attacks against four politicians in Minnesota over the past couple of days. The media has tried to connect the shooter to religion. As is true, all people are religious. The simple definition of “religion” is simply a form of belief. Apparently the shooter had done some religious work in parts of Africa in the past. He was also connected to the William Branham cult and the “Christ For The Nations” organization.
It is important for us to have our eyes and ears open to the truth. True born again Christians should never be a part of the Charismatic movement. That movement claims extra-biblical messages which they claim are directly from God. There are several apostolic movements which form the “New Apostolic Reformation”. Paula White, the declared head of the “faith” counsel at the White House is a part of this crackpot movement. Mr. Trump is playing around in dangerous territory.
God puts leaders in place and He also removes leaders. God chose Nebuchadnezzar, an ungodly man who led an ungodly nation, and He used him to severely “spank” Judah. The Babylonian paganism is still influencing world religions today. God did not endorse Nebuchadnezzar’s false religion. He chose a bad actor to show the need to trust in Him alone.
Today we need to understand that God’s Word is still the truth. We need to be careful to take God’s Word as our authority and we need to examine what people say, based on God’s Word. There are many false teachers today.
God is good. He is showing us again how important it is to build our lives on the Truth. Man can choose what he will believe. False religion is a common problem across generations. The only hope of man is to trust in the true God. We can know Him. He has preserved His Word. No one needs to be walking around in the fog of the perversions. We need to believe the truth.
The Bible shows us that God can take any lost sinner and turn that person into a saint. God does a work of refining His child until He says it is time to come home. He does not call His child home because they are fully refined, but because He says it is time.
In our text Jesus was continuing to prepare His disciples for His soon arrest and trial, etc. We read that at the end of their keeping of the passover, they sung an hymn and went out to the mount of Olives.
History tells us that it was customary for the Jews to sing from the Hallel psalms, known as songs of praise, on the night of the Passover. These psalms included Psalm 113 through Psalm 118. We are not told what Jesus and His disciples sang just prior to leaving that upper room. We know it was not any CCM type music. There was much secular music around at that time. The secular Jews of that time liked their socializing. Jesus would never have accepted that. He would never accept the so-called “worship music” of today. The hymns were designed to exalt God and to teach sound doctrine.
The mount of Olives was the place that Jesus often went to. Jesus told the disciples they would be offended because of Jesus that night. The Greek word translated as “offended” here has the sense of causing someone to doubt or to distrust someone that a person should be trusting. The disciples still needed to learn how to walk by faith, and not by sight. They had seen Jesus do many miracles. They had seen Him refute every false accusation made against Him. They knew Jesus was different. They were not prepared to watch Him surrender to the will of His Father in this way and allow the Jews and the Romans to abuse Him as they would witness.
As people we often look at success as winning and we look at winning as overpowering the enemy. In essence, Jesus would overpower the devil by going to the cross. He laid down His life and He shed His blood, making it possible for Old Testament and New Testament saints to be forgiven and saved. He rose again, victorious over sin and death. He demonstrated His power over sin and death.
Jesus referred back to the prophet Zechariah in verse 27. Again we see the common tie between the Old and New Testament.

Zechariah 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

In verse 28 Jesus assured the disciples that He would rise again. They had no reason to take offence to what would happen to Him, but they were not yet prepared for the life of a New Testament Christian. They were in a state of transition. Today, we have the Scriptures and we know that:

II Timothy 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Jesus promised the disciples that He would rise again. He would go before them into Galilee after that. He would rise again with a physical body that would be visible and fully functioning.
Peter, the impulsive disciple, took it upon himself to boast of his assumed character. Overconfidence is never a good thing. As we mentioned the disciples who were also apostles, were saints in need of further teaching. If they had a need to be further purified, we, those who are truly saved today must understand that we too will need further purifying. There will be a fundamental change at salvation, and then there will be growth from that point forward. We do not do anyone a favour when we enable them to live in sin and still assume they are right with God.
Jesus warned Peter that he would indeed be offended at Jesus that very day. Before the cock would crow twice, Peter would deny Jesus three times. That was a clear prophecy. There was no ambiguity there. Peter and the others could count on this to take place. Since Peter made such a bold statement that he could not back up, he would suffer this humiliation.
The true child of God needs to understand that our hope is only found in Christ. We can stand if we stand in Christ. If we preclude that we are strong enough to stand before we are tested, we will find ourselves in trouble. If we trust the Lord for each step of the way, we can ask Him for the needed humility and strength to trust Him as we face the persecution that will come our way.
Peter was not willing to listen to Jesus on this matter. He continued to trust in himself. Jesus knew better. He loved Peter. He did not want to see Peter have to go through what was coming for him. However, Peter would never be a faithful apostle with his self-confidence. That needed to be cast off. His reliance would need to be in God alone. The other disciples chimed in with Peter in his defiance of the truth. They too would run away. Peter would try to stand strong, but it would not work because his heart was not reliant upon the Lord at this point.
Humility and dependence upon God is essential in the Christian walk. Boasting has no place for the true child of God.

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Pastor Bartel