Following Afar Off

We read in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 26, beginning in verse 31 and following, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Let me pause here, friends, to say, Peter is making a fantastic boast about himself regarding his loyalty to Christ. He is in effect saying, I am the only man in the world who will stand with you no matter what.

That's a pretty big boast. The next scene after this passage is the narrative in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is in agony of prayer in submission to the will of the Father and the cross. And Jesus asks his men, James and John and Peter, to watch and pray.

They fail miserably at their task as Jesus finds them sleeping soundly. But Jesus only addresses Peter. And he cometh unto his disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What? Could you not watch with me one hour? It is the voice of a close friend who has been let down.

He expected more from these three of his inner circle. Those who have more of God are held more accountable to God. Peter is called out.

He let Jesus down in prayer. Those who disappoint God in prayer don't stick up for him in public. Peter didn't stand up for Christ when the robber met the road, when he was brought before Caiaphas like he promised.

Those who are a disappointment to God in prayer fail to stand up for him in public. I guess it was about twenty years ago, I was taking my six-year-old daughter to the public library. In the lobby was a big poster advertising a local play.

And in the poster was two women kissing in a passionate lesbian embrace. Well, I walked up to the librarian's desk and voiced my complaint. I said, look, I am a Christian, and I do not want my little daughter exposed to such sexual perversion in a public library of all places.

I want you to take that poster down immediately. Well, she replied that it wasn't in her authority to remove the poster. I'd have to contact the head librarian who was over all the libraries.

Well, I made several phone calls over the next two days to finally voice my outrage over that poster. And the head librarian, when I finally got a hold of her and told her the story, she apologized and said she was not aware of that poster being put up to begin with and said it was put up without her knowledge. She took the poster down.

But nowadays, most Christians just keep their head in the sands and their mouths shut over politically incorrect matters. But I know this. When the church fails to stand up for her rights, then it should be no surprise when she loses her voice of authority.

We read in Matthew 26 and verses 57 and 58, And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off. I will stop there, friends, for that's my subject today.

I would say the majority of those who call themselves Christians have a life where they follow Jesus far off. Oh, they want to be called Christians. They want to escape the fires and punishment of hell.

They want to have a hope of heaven and its bliss, but only on the condition that God doesn't get in the way of their daily living. They are quite content to call themselves Christians, to have all the benefits of being Christians, but without any risk to themselves or their families, without any jeopardy to their careers, without any personal sacrifice or cost. They are like Peter here in our text, which states, But Peter followed him afar off.

He who follows God from afar will soon fall on his face. And that's just what Peter did in denying his master three times in the courtyard of denial. When we are out of touch with God, then we are out of step with God.

Amos 3.3 declares, Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Well, the answer is no. The church in America has lost her voice of authority because she follows God afar off. She is self-sufficient and powerless because she rests on the pillows of compromise and conformity.

Christians have lost their voice because they refuse to stand up to right a wrong or call it wrong when evil is called good. We just don't want to make waves or risk our skin. So we look the other way and, like Peter here, we follow God afar off because it's less complicated that way.

Pastors make a decision within their congregation as pastors to follow Jesus afar off if it means the risk of offending their deacons or more affluent supporters. Through humiliation and tears and much praying and utter brokenness, Peter eventually changed his ways and for the rest of his life he followed Jesus like white on rice to the point of persecution and death. The underground church in China is on fire for God and has counted the cost of following a crucified Christ.

They're willing to die for their beliefs, for their Lord, for their faith. And God is doing big things in China. But you'd be hard-pressed, friends, why you'd have to put out a search party to find God at work in the American church because the American church follows God afar off.

We found out years ago we can get more done with money and manpower, with schemes and organization. But the church years ago operated solely on prayer, faith, and Holy Ghost power because those kind of Christians weren't into self-preservation like we are today. Jesus' words are clear.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.