A Special Invitation to “Plug In”

Luke 22:52-54 (NKJV)

⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³ When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”  ⁵⁴ Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.

The name Peter is the Greek word for “rock.”

John 1:41-42 (NKJV)

⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

 

Matthew 16:15-19 (NKJV)

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

What a promise!  That God is going to use you to change the world!

And after that day Peter followed Jesus every step of the way…

Until Luke 22:54, the Bible records that Peter followed Jesus from a distance.

Only minutes before, as the religious leaders of Jerusalem had come to arrest Jesus, Peter had drawn his sword and was ready to fight to the death to protect his master!

Just minutes later Peter denied even having known Jesus!

What happened in that few moments of time that caused Peter to spiral down from one extreme to the other?

From being ready to die for his Savior to lying about his relationship with him.

This situation in Peter’s life is really unexplainable, except for to say that the pressure got to him?

How did the pressure to deny Jesus overtake Peter so quickly?

The Bible doesn’t plainly say.

But it does give us an inclination as to why Peter was overtaken by the pressure.

The Bible makes this simple statement…  But Peter followed at a distance.

 

I believe that simple statement gives us a divine insight into the fall of Peter!

While Peter was in close proximity to Jesus in the garden, he was willing to die for his leader, and savior.

But the moment he was separated from Jesus, everything about him changed…  His personality, His ability to make wise decisions, etc.

As I read this scripture and began to study, God revealed to me why the religious world has lost its effectiveness in our generation.

Too many people are following Jesus from a distance!

What we need in our churches is a Revival of proximity!

Somebody needs to find Jesus, and get just a close to Him as you can!

Why has the enemy defeated the religious world?  Why are most churches dead and dried up?  Because they are following Jesus from a distance!

·        Harvest Church, I refuse to pastor a church that is content for follow our God from a distance.

Just having a church service on Sunday mornings is not enough!

There are some of us as individuals in this service today that are following Jesus at a distance.

And you wonder why are all these bad things happening to me?  Why this problem?  Why that problem?

It’s because you are following Jesus from a distance.

Why all the problems?  God never intended for His people to be defeated by their problems…

Psalm 91:1-16 (NKJV)

¹     He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

²     I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.”

³     Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

⁴     He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

⁵     You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

⁶     Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

⁷     A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

⁸     Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

⁹     Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

     Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

¹⁰     No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

¹¹     For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

¹²     In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

¹³     You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

¹⁴     “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

¹⁵     He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶     With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.”

God gave you the promise, that if you would make him your DWELLING place that He protect you from the enemy!

Some of us have made God our vacation spot, but not our Dwelling Place!

You may have found yourself following God at a distance, but I’ve got something for you this morning!

Mark 16:5-7 (NKJV)

⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

God gave the invitation to His disciples to come and see him alive after his resurrection!

But He specifically mentioned Peter’s name, and gave Peter a Special Invitation!

Notice where Jesus invited Peter?

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines “Galilee” as – Circuit

Circuit as defined by Mr. Webster is:

1. the space enclosed within such a line
2. the complete path of an electric current including usually the source of electric energy
3. an assemblage of electronic elements

God wants to give you who have been following him from a distance a Special Invitation to get Plugged In right now!