<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 14;66-72<div><br></div><div><b>66. &nbsp;And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came;</b></div><div><b>67. &nbsp;and seeing Peter warming&nbsp;himself, she looked at him, and said,&nbsp;“You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”</b></div><div><b>68. &nbsp;But he denied it, saying, “I, neither know, nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway.</b></div><div><b>69. &nbsp;And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”</b></div><div><b>70. &nbsp;But again he denied it. And after a little while again, the bystanders said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.”</b></div><div><b>71. &nbsp;But he began to invoke a curse upon himself, and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”</b></div><div><b>72. &nbsp;And immediately, the cock, a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before&nbsp;before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>After three years of intense instruction with Jesus and His ‘Walking Seminary, Peter still failed. &nbsp;&nbsp;‘Peter’s knowledge and experience, his witnessing of&nbsp;all Jesus&nbsp;signs, and his&nbsp;hearing of the living Word coming forth from Jesus, did not supply Peter with the actual strength he would need&nbsp;to deny himself and risk death. &nbsp;After three years, Peter still lacked the courage and power&nbsp;to risk his life and declare boldly, “Yes, I belong to Jesus. &nbsp;I am one of His own disciples.”</div><div><br></div><div>Certainly, Peter desired to be loyal to Jesus.&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>“ Peter declared to Him, “Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” &nbsp;Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” &nbsp;Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples. </i>(Matthew&nbsp;26;33-35). But, desire is not deed.</div><div><br></div><div>Human strength, even the strength of a well educated&nbsp;theologian, is not great enough to resist fear and risk death. &nbsp;All the knowledge of God’s truth,&nbsp;gained by a lifetime of learning, is not&nbsp;enough to overpower the weaknesses of the flesh. &nbsp;We must have at work in us,&nbsp;the Holy Spirit and the power He gives, in order to live out&nbsp;the greatest love, to&nbsp;lay down our lives for our friend Jesus.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, eventually Peter did die courageously&nbsp;as a martyr for Christ. &nbsp;What changed? &nbsp;Answer: Pentecost.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus instructed His disciples saying, <i>“And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” &nbsp;</i>(Luke 24;49). Our personal Pentecost, (when we received the Holy Spirit), is in our Baptism into Christ. &nbsp;As Peter said in his Pentecostal sermon, <i>“Repent,&nbsp;</i><i>and be baptized&nbsp;everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. &nbsp;For the promise is to you and to your children&nbsp;and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him.” &nbsp;</i><span>(Acts 2;38&amp;39)</span></div><div><i></i></div><div><br></div><div>It is by faith in&nbsp;the power of the indwelling of Christ by the&nbsp;Holy Spirit, given into our forgiven souls at baptism, that we too are given the strength to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus in His own sacrificial love for the Father,&nbsp;doing of the Father’s will.</div><div><br></div><div>We must learn what Paul means when he says, <i>“For the law of <u>the Spirit of life <b>in </b>Christ Jesus</u>&nbsp;has sent me free from the law of sin and death.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;2) &nbsp;We literally now live <i>“in Christ” </i>and Jesus now, by the Holy Spirit, lives <u>in us.</u>&nbsp; <i>“To them, God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is <u>Christ <b>in</b>&nbsp;you</u>, the hope of glory.” &nbsp; </i>(Colossians 1;27)<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to embrace the divine truth of Christ living in us by the Holy Spirit. &nbsp;Comfort and strengthen us to believe that, <i>“I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” &nbsp;</i>(Philippians 4;13)</div><div><u>In</u>&nbsp;Jesus, we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 14;66-72
66.  And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came;67.  and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”68.  But he denied it, saying, “I, neither know, nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway.69.  And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”70.  But again he denied it. And after a little while again, the bystanders said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.”71.  But he began to invoke a curse upon himself, and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”72.  And immediately, the cock, a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.


After three years of intense instruction with Jesus and His ‘Walking Seminary, Peter still failed.   ‘Peter’s knowledge and experience, his witnessing of all Jesus signs, and his hearing of the living Word coming forth from Jesus, did not supply Peter with the actual strength he would need to deny himself and risk death.  After three years, Peter still lacked the courage and power to risk his life and declare boldly, “Yes, I belong to Jesus.  I am one of His own disciples.”
Certainly, Peter desired to be loyal to Jesus.  “ Peter declared to Him, “Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”  Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples. (Matthew 26;33-35). But, desire is not deed.
Human strength, even the strength of a well educated theologian, is not great enough to resist fear and risk death.  All the knowledge of God’s truth, gained by a lifetime of learning, is not enough to overpower the weaknesses of the flesh.  We must have at work in us, the Holy Spirit and the power He gives, in order to live out the greatest love, to lay down our lives for our friend Jesus. 
Yet, eventually Peter did die courageously as a martyr for Christ.  What changed?  Answer: Pentecost. 
Jesus instructed His disciples saying, “And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.”  (Luke 24;49). Our personal Pentecost, (when we received the Holy Spirit), is in our Baptism into Christ.  As Peter said in his Pentecostal sermon, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him.”  (Acts 2;38&39)
It is by faith in the power of the indwelling of Christ by the Holy Spirit, given into our forgiven souls at baptism, that we too are given the strength to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus in His own sacrificial love for the Father, doing of the Father’s will.
We must learn what Paul means when he says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has sent me free from the law of sin and death.”  (Romans 8;2)  We literally now live “in Christ” and Jesus now, by the Holy Spirit, lives in us.  “To them, God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”   (Colossians 1;27)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to embrace the divine truth of Christ living in us by the Holy Spirit.  Comfort and strengthen us to believe that, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4;13)In Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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