Innocent - Three: Denied
Opening Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
In many ways the first whipping, the first thorn, the first nail You suffered was Peter’s very public betrayal of You, while You - innocent You - were being beaten and mocked behind closed doors.
Grant us Your courage Lord, to stand up for and stand with those we have betrayed and those who have been betrayed by others. Convict us in our cowardice. Stir our hearts to repentance. May they become soil where Your love and mercy can take root.
Amen.
Key Scriptures:
“31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:“ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.”
“69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
Summary:
This week our Innocent series moves on to Peter and his denial of Jesus. Peter’s story follows the pattern of creation, rejection, restoration and renewal. This is the rhythm of God’s creation, of His people, a rhythm that occurs throughout the Bible. And it is the rhythm of Peter’s story too. Below you’ll find a summary of Sunday’s talk.
Questions to Consider:
Given an example of the cycle of Creation, Rejection, Restoration & Renewal in your own life?
Where do you find yourself now?
Where might God be drawing you towards?
Why do you think Peter was so insistent so early on that he wouldn’t abandon Jesus? What made him so confident?
How do we deny Jesus? What form does this often take for you?
Why do you think Peter actually denied knowing Jesus? Do you think he needed to do this?
Why did Jesus talk with Peter on the beach? What was important about this conversation?
Peter is still the person God chose to build the church on. What does this tell us about the character of God?
Practices to Consider:
Pray a prayer of confession. You can do that individually or together as a community. Below are a couple of suggestions to help you in this task:
Suggestion One: Confession Together:
Have someone invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us and allow us to hear His voice as we engage in listening prayer.Ask the Holy Spirit:
Is there anything in my life for which I need to repent? (Allow people time to sit with this question. If anyone feels led to confess something out loud, give them the space to do so.)
Is there anything in my life of which I haven’t fully received God’s forgiveness? (As people feel comfortable, invite them to share with your triad.
Spend time praying over those who need to receive or know the forgiveness of God in their lives. They don’t need to go into detail or disclose any information, this is a space to invite the Spirit to heal and reveal the forgiveness that is their’s in Jesus.
Suggestion Two: A Prayer to guide confession: (Adapted from - Gathering for Worship: Patterns and Prayers for the Community of Disciples)
Merciful God, we confess to you now that we have sinned.
We confess the sins that no one knows
and the sins that everyone knows:
the sins that are a burden to us
and the sins that do not bother us
because we have got used to them.
Father forgive us.
Send Your Holy Spirit to us,
to give us power
to live as, by Your mercy, You have called us to live;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer Prompts:
That the world may know, like Peter did, Your restoration and renewal
Additional Resources:
Find the full sermon recording here
For a printable version of this guide click here