Many Christians confess Jesus Christ as Lord, but with their lives and actions, they deny Jesus and serve the devil instead. Do you confess Jesus before men or do you deny Jesus? Because you can say and confess all you want. You can say, that you believe in God and in Jesus Christ and that His Holy Spirit dwells in you, but if your actions, conduct, and life don’t line up with the words you confess and the will of God and His Word, then your words have no value. By your walk and life, you show who you really are and to whom you belong: God or the devil?
Do you confess Jesus or do you deny Jesus before men?
Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10:32)
If you are born again and live after the Spirit in obedience to the Word, which means that you do what the Word tells you to do, then you shall represent Jesus and confess Jesus before men, whereby Jesus will confess you before His Father, Who is in heaven.
But as long as you stay the old creation; the old man and walk after the flesh and don’t do what the Word says, you shall deny Jesus before men, whereby Jesus will deny you before His Father, Who is in heaven.
If you confess Jesus, you shall do His will
If you confess Jesus, you shall live according to His will and exalt Jesus through your conduct and your life. When you exalt Jesus, you will automatically exalt the Father. Even if this means, that you will be ridiculed and mocked by people.
When you live according to the Word, the world shall laugh at you and consider you a fool. But when you live after the Spirit and after His will, then the people’s opinions will not bother you. You shall not be moved nor stopped, but you shall stay loyal to Him. Because all you want to do is to please and exalt Him.
You know, that the will of God goes against the will of the world. And that the world loves the things, that God considers evil and are an abomination to Him.
Now, it’s all about, if you keep standing on the Word and stay faithful to your confession. Or will you be intimidated in the flesh by people and you deviate from the Word and take over the opinion of the world?
The world opposes the Word of God. This means, that if you decide to obey the world and you choose the world and live like the world, you shall deny Jesus before men and serve the devil. Because you can’t serve Jesus: the Word and the devil, who is the ruler of the world. These two spiritual kingdoms have nothing in common.
What does it mean to deny?
According to Strong’s Concordance, ‘to deny’ derives from the Greek word ‘arnéomail’ and means: to contradict, that is, disavow, reject, abnegate
If you read and study the words of God, but don’t believe, obey, and apply the words of God to your life, you will reject His words and deny Him.
If you are not willing to obey His words and apply His words in your life, but instead you come up with all kinds of excuses, so that you don’t have to do what the Word says and what Jesus has commanded you to do, then you reject His truth and deny Jesus; the Word. Because you choose to believe ‘the truth’ of the world above the truth of God.
For example, if God considers homosexuality an abomination and disapproves of the deed, but you think it’s okay, because the world approves of homosexuality and considers it normal and says that it’s okay to be gay, then you represent the will of the world and not the will of God. By rejecting the truth of God and His will, you will deny God.
The old Peter denied Jesus Christ
The most well-known example in the Bible of a person, who denied Jesus, is, of course, Peter. But actually, Jesus was not only denied by Peter, but by all His disciples, who were still the old creation. Because when Jesus was taken captive, none of His disciples stayed with Jesus, but they all ran away. And let’s not forget the moment before Jesus’ crucifixion. When God’s people were given the opportunity to vote for Jesus’ release. But none of them, including His disciples, chose for Jesus but for Barabas. In these examples, we see the weakness of the old carnal man, who was intimidated by ‘the theologians’ of that time; the Pharisees and Sadducees. The world didn’t put Jesus to death, but His own people did (read also: ‘The battle and weakness of the old man‘ and ‘The suffering and mockery of Jesus Christ‘).
But let’s have a look at the life of Peter. Peter had given up his job and his own life for Jesus and followed Him.
Peter was the only disciple, who believed in the words of Jesus and stepped out of the boat and walked on water.
Peter walked on the water until Peter began to look at the natural circumstances; the storm. By turning his eyes from Jesus and by looking at the circumstances, Peter’s faith was affected by doubt and Peter began to sink.
Later on, Peter confessed that Jesus was the Son of the living God. Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed that to him, but His Father. Jesus promised Peter, that Jesus would build His church upon Peter’s testimony. What a great promise!
Jesus saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:15-19)
But Peter was still the old carnal man and wasn’t born again. Peter’s flesh wasn’t crucified in Jesus Christ yet, and his spirit was not raised from the dead and didn’t reign as king in his life. But Peter was still a carnal man, who was a slave of his flesh (senses, emotions, feelings, thoughts, etc.). His flesh reigned as king in his life and told him what to do.
“Though all men shall be offended because of Thee,
yet will I never be offended!”
When Jesus predicted to His disciples that they all would deny Him, Peter opened his mouth and said: “though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended!” (Matthew 26:33).
But Jesus answered him and said: “verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice” (Matthew 26:34-35).
The other disciples spoke the same words as Peter. Jesus and the disciples both predicted the future, but only the words of Jesus became the truth and not the words of the disciples.
“I don’t know Him”
Because when Jesus was taken captive, Peter and all the other disciples ran away and fled from Him. Peter looked from a distance. But when he was recognized as a disciple of Jesus, Peter denied that he knew Jesus, and denied his Master and Lord. Peter was ashamed of Jesus and was afraid of what people would do to him. That’s why he pretended, that he didn’t know Jesus.
Peter didn’t deny Jesus once, not twice, but thrice. Three times, Peter said that he didn’t know Jesus.
Peter, who told Jesus a few days before, that he would never leave Jesus and would not deny Jesus, but was willing to die with Jesus, denied Jesus thrice, by saying that he didn’t know Jesus. He even called Jesus: that man.
When Peter heard the cock crow, he remembered the words of Jesus and became aware that he had denied Jesus, and Peter wept bitterly.
The old man is not able to follow Jesus
Jesus knew the nature of the old carnal man and the weakness of the flesh. He knew that the old man is not able to follow Him, because the old man is bound to the flesh and its sinful nature. He knew the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Jesus knew that a man could only follow Him and be saved by regeneration. Because only by becoming born again, when the flesh is crucified and the spirit of man becomes alive, man is able to see and enter the Kingdom of God. Because the Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom and flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
As long as a person is not born again, the person remains unspiritual and will consider the words of God as foolishness. Because the words of God go against the will of the flesh and the natural laws of the world.
The old Peter hadn’t denied himself; he had not laid down his flesh and wasn’t born again. That’s why Peter went along with the world and denied Jesus because he was afraid to lose his own life. Peter must have felt very miserable and ashamed when Jesus was crucified and entered Hades and stayed there for three days. Peter returned to his old profession and picked up his old life. But Jesus had not rejected Peter but gave him a new chance, because He had a plan for his life. Jesus had promised Peter, that on his testimony He would build His church.
“Do you really love me?”
Jesus asked Peter 3 times if he really loved Him, and Peter answered Him wholeheartedly, that he did love Him.
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17)
When Jesus spoke these words, He made known to Peter with what kind of death, he would exalt God (John 21:18-19)
The new Peter confessed Jesus Christ before men
But when the spirit of Peter was raised from the dead and Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, he became a new creation. The Spirit reigned in his life and therefore Peter wasn’t ashamed of Jesus Christ anymore. Peter witnessed in public Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
The Jewish men, who were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of weeks, ridiculed the disciples by accusing them that they had drunk too much wine.
But the new Peter wasn’t led by the flesh, but by the Spirit. Therefore, he was not intimidated and moved by their words. Peter stood up and witnessed before all those people of Jesus Christ; the Son of the living God.
Peter wasn’t ashamed of Jesus anymore and didn’t hide.
Although, there was a moment in Peter’s life, when he was intimidated by the opinions of men and showed hypocritical behavior. But when Paul confronted Peter about his behavior, Peter repented.
Peter walked after the Spirit and stayed loyal to Jesus unto death. He died as a witness of Jesus Christ and exalted God with his death, just like Jesus had foretold.
What happens around us, is the result of the choices of man
We live in an age, in which we see the prophecies of the Bible coming to pass. Many believers have left God and have deviated from the Word and the faith. All around us, we see an increase in the power of the devil, which is visible through the behavior and lives of man and the natural chaos and disasters on earth. Yes, the devil has been given great power by … people.
Many times, people blame God for it, but the truth is that people are responsible for it. The people are the ones, who give power to the devil by being obedient to him and exalt and honor him by tolerating and accepting sin and by living in sin.
The world has the final authority in the lives of most people, and therefore the spirit of this world controls and determines the lives of people.
The spirit of the world has entered many churches and that’s why sin is tolerated and accepted.
Many leaders are not aware of it or they are aware but don’t do anything, because they are focused on growth and are afraid to lose members.
The Word is being changed and adjusted to the lusts and desires of the old carnal man and to the will of the world. But by changing and adjusting the words of God, the truth is being affected by lies and therefore isn’t the truth but a lie.
Many believers don’t live according to the Word. They don’t apply the words of God in their lives. But they listen to the knowledge and wisdom of carnal man and the world and apply this earthly knowledge and wisdom to their lives.
They don’t do, what Jesus has commanded them to do. Because His words don’t fit into their lives and the time we live in. They confess they believe in Jesus Christ and that Jesus is their Lord, but with their actions, behavior, and life they deny Jesus.
What about you? Do you confess Jesus or do you deny Jesus?
Every day you make choices to stay loyal and obedient to the Word of God or to deviate from the Word and obey the world. When you choose to listen to what the world says and be obedient to the world, then you shall automatically deny Jesus. Because the world and the Word cannot go together. They are operating from two different kingdoms, and it’s up to you to choose which kingdom you want to belong to and want to represent: the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness; the world.
When you are not born again or keep walking after the flesh, you shall be a friend of this world and live like the world. The Word says, that if you are a friend of the world you will become an enemy of God.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4)
That’s why it’s so important to abide and stay in Jesus Christ; the Word and stay obedient to Him. When you confess Jesus Christ before people, by your walk and life, Jesus shall confess you to the Father. But if you want to be a friend of the world and want to be accepted by the world and choose to obey the world and walk and live like the world, then you shall remain the old carnal man and deny Jesus by your walk and your life. When you deny Jesus, Jesus shall also deny you to the Father.
Jesus says: “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” (Matthew 16:24-25)
And these words, which Jesus spoke, are still true and relevant today.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
