How Do We No Longer Deny Jesus?

Let me start this post by confessing (again!). Over the past few posts, we have been looking at Peter’s decision to deny Jesus and what we can learn from it. This is a tough topic and may actually offend some people. I just want to begin by saying that I am just as guilty of this as anyone. I have not figured out how to completely avoid this behavior myself. At the same time, I am not going to let that stop me from trying to come up with a legitimate answer to the problem.

No Longer Deny Jesus?

We have already discussed what it looks like for us to deny Jesus today. Next, we talked about WHY we deny Jesus. We have even talked about how we can be restored AFTER we deny Jesus. I think it makes sense for us to turn our focus now to how we can avoid this behavior altogether.

I will tell you up front that I believe I have our answer. I will also be transparent and tell you that I am not there yet. I have a lot of work left to do before I can testify that this answer has worked for me. I still deny Jesus.

At the same time, I believe I can show you how it has worked for others.

You Already Have The Answer!

The truth is that I have already given you the answer to this problem. It is my opinion that we deny Jesus for the simple reason that we do not know Him.

What I mean by this is that we know so little about the true greatness (our English vocabulary comes up short for proper adjectives) of this man named Jesus. Most of us can quote verses (or find them!) that tell us Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Head Knowledge

We can show verses that talk about the miracles He performed and how He created the earth. We can even show where the Bible says He was killed, but raised from the dead three days later.

So, what is the problem? We know a lot about how great He is, right?

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Not TRUE Knowledge

The truth is that we may be able to quote or point out facts from the Bible, but we are very far from KNOWING these things about Jesus. Most of us are a long way from being willing to take a loss because of this knowledge.

How do I know this? How can I be so bold and say this about people I do not even know?

The World Would Be A Different Place

Because if we REALLY did KNOW, down deep in our core, these things about Jesus to be FULLY TRUE, then the world would be a very different place. It is that simple.

If we were confident to the point of being willing to stake our lives on it, then our circle of influence would be dramatically impacted. Our neighborhoods would have no doubt as to where we stand. Our fellow employees would not question our allegiance to Him. Our customers would be wowed by our overwhelming love displayed through the way we conduct business. We would not be guilty of continuing to deny Jesus!

Solution?

But since pictures like this are so rare, it is clear that the majority of us only have head knowledge of Jesus. We may be able to answer Jeopardy questions about Jesus, but we cannot answer for our lack of allegiance to Him.

Assuming this is true, then what are we to do about it? What is the solution?

The simple solution is to get to KNOW Jesus.

Wow, that is insightful, isn’t it?

Actually, it doesn’t need to be complex to be right. It doesn’t have to be cryptic to be life-changing.

Peter’s Example

Take another look at Peter in Acts, chapters 2-4. Peter, the same man that had just recently made the decision to deny Jesus three times is preaching at the risk of his life. He is thrown into prison, questioned about his healing and preaching, and boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus. Even when warned to stop, he maintains his allegiance and keeps preaching!

Who is this guy? What happened to him? Didn’t he just deny Jesus?

The resurrection happened to him.

Heart Knowledge

What happened is that he went from knowing a lot about Jesus to KNOWING exactly who Jesus was – the Living God! He went from a head knowledge to a heart knowledge. All of Peter’s doubts were blown away after the resurrection. He was no longer confused, but was committed to the core!

That’s great and we do not argue that. But since we cannot take Peter’s place and be a first-hand witness to what he saw, how do we achieve the same results?

I know you are likely hoping for a silver bullet method that will rocket you to an intimate knowledge of and relationship with Jesus. I don’t have one.

Instead, what I have is nothing new, but it is proven.

Solution?

Here are your answers:

Spend time with Jesus. – Acts 4:13

Read about Him. – Luke 1:1-4

Listen to Him. – John 10:14, 27

Pray for a real relationship with Him. – Matthew 21:22

Commit to finding a heart knowledge of Him. – Matthew 22:37-38

Trust Peter’s Account

While we cannot physically put ourselves in Peter’s place at the empty tomb, we can trust his eyewitness account. We can spend consistent time in prayer about what we read in the Bible.

Seek Heart Knowledge

We can be consistent about reading about Jesus in the Gospels. We don’t do this for the purpose of more head knowledge, but to get our hearts transformed by what we read. We can pray that the Holy Spirit will do to us what He did to Peter at Pentecost – giving us the same boldness through true knowledge of who Jesus is.

This is not a typical 3-point bullet list normally found in self-help books today. It is not an ointment we can rub on our heart. Instead, it is a commitment to dig deep and give up our desire for everything else until we find it.

Must Be TOP Priority!

Unless we want this more than ANYTHING else, we will not find it. Unless we seek it regardless of the cost, we will let other desires and distractions derail our efforts.

When we succeed at doing this, we WILL have a TRUE knowledge of Him that will make it impossible to deny Jesus. This knowledge alone will have more of an impact on your business, job, family, and life than anything else you can do. Try it and see what you find!

Are you prepared to commit to this venture?

Do you believe you can have the boldness of Peter?

Do you want it?