1084. Your Heart has More Sin than You Realize

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Today on The Daily Platform, we'll hear a sermon from Rev.

Chris Anderson. He's the president of Church Works Media, which publishes gospel songs and devotional books, including the Gospel Meditation Series. He's senior pastor at Killian Hill Baptist Church in Littleburn, Georgia. Please turn with me to Luke chapter 22. Luke 22, to give you a running start, we're in the last 24 hours of the life of Christ before he goes to Calvary to be crucified. He has met with the disciples in the upper room. He has taken up a towel and washed their dirty feet. He has taught them John 14, 15, and 16, where he tells them that he's going away.

He'll send the comforter. All of his focus is on them, even though he's coming up to it a dreadful time. He hasn't yet gotten to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he will pray that deep prayer, agonizing over being separated from the Father, being made a curse, taking our sin on him.

He has instituted the Lord's Table, kind of observing the last Old Testament Passover and then turning it into the first New Testament Passover. And then on the heels of that, we have the discussion that we come to today. Powerful passage. It's a passage that angers me. It's a passage that saddens me.

It frightens me and it convicts me, but it also offers tremendous comfort by the grace of the Lord Jesus. I want you to compare the hardness of the disciples with the mercy of Jesus as we read. So Luke chapter 22, we begin reading in verse 24. Actually, go back to verse 23. He had just been telling them that one of them would betray him, speaking of Judas, but they didn't know. So verse 23 says, they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing.

So they're arguing about who might be the betrayer, but then that quickly morphs into a different argument. Verse 24 says, there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them.

And they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so, but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger. He that is chief, as he that doth serve for whether it's greater, he that sitteth at mead or he that serveth is not he that sitteth at mead, but I'm among you as he that serveth.

Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I point unto you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto me, Lord, I am ready to go with thee both into prison and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, that the cock shall not crow this day.

Before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. This is the word of God. What a sobering passage.

Begin with this idea and we need to move along quickly. But we're speaking of human frailty and divine grace. This is one of the darkest moments for the disciples. But against the black velvet of human sin and weakness and frailty, we see the diamond of Jesus grace. And we see it brilliantly all through the Gospels, but I think we see it in a uniquely powerful way in this passage.

Start with this, just two points today. The first is that your heart has more sin than you realize. Your heart has more sin than you realize.

I said that this passage angers me. I'm so frustrated with the disciples. They are tone deaf in their selfishness. They are oblivious in their ambition.

Jesus is hours away from being betrayed, being arrested, being mocked, being beaten, being spit upon, being lied about, thorns on his brow, his back torn to shreds, nailed to a cross, alone, suspended between earth and heaven with two sinners on his side. He's coming to the worst time that he would ever experience from eternity past or eternity future. And as he tells them this, they're obsessed with their own importance.

They're so ambitious to be great. So he had washed their feet. He had predicted his betrayal. He had predicted his own death. This is my body, which is broken for you, he says, with the bread.

And this is my blood, which is shed for you, he says, with the cup. And with bread in their teeth and wine on their breath, they fight about which of them would be greatest. How sinful.

How ambitious. The timing is so wrong and it's not really unusual. Look back at chapter 9. Seems like every time they would talk about, every time Jesus would talk about his coming crucifixion, they would start to fight about who was going to be the big shot among them. So we see in Luke 9, verse 43, they're amazed at the power of God and the miracles Jesus is doing. And he said in verse 44, let these things sink down into your ears. For the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them that they perceived it not.

They feared to ask him the saying, then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. Jesus talks of his crucifixion, and they start competing with one another to see who's going to be famous, who's going to be at the top. When I was in high school, there was a song called Fame. The world will remember my name. You know, there's a modern song talks about standing in the Hall of Fame, the world's going to know your name.

Everybody wants to be important and big and remembered. Even as Jesus is preparing to suffer in their place. Jesus corrects them. And he says to them that the Gentiles act this way. Look at verse 25 back in our text, Luke 22 25. He says the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them.

Those who are heavy handed are called benefactor. So guys, you don't sound like Christians at all. You sound like Gentiles.

He's not talking ethnically. He's just saying you sound like unbelievers. You sound like the world. Disciples, you've been with me for three years watching me heal, listening to me tonight, having your feet washed by me. But you still sound more like Herod than like Jesus. He says you are never more like the world than when you are striving to be important and great. But that's not the way it's going to be in my church. I've given you an example that you ought to serve others.

Wilds teaching of Ken Collier has stuck with me for the last three decades. And Ken Collier teaches a lot of good things, but he would especially emphasize that Christianity, Christian leadership, Christian influence is service. That like Jesus, we are supposed to lay aside our garments, take a towel and wash dirty feet.

And he would say in the world, you know, the big shot wins. But in the kingdom, in the church, the one that has the dirtiest towel wins. Jesus calls us to service, but the disciples are ambitious.

They're like the world. They're not humble like Christ. You say, well, that's a bad day for them. Well, it's a bad day for them, but it's going to get worse for Peter. Jump down with me to verse 31. Verse 31, Jesus has rebuked the disciples, but now he speaks to Peter in particular. It says, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you that he may shift you as wheat, but I prayed for you that you fail not.

And when you're converted, when you come back, strengthen your brethren. And Peter in typical fashion says, Lord, that's, that's inaccurate. I'm ready to go to prison with you. I'm ready to die with you. He says, Peter tonight, before the rooster crows in the morning, you're going to deny that you know me three times.

And of course that happened just that way. Peter has this, not only this tone deaf ambition like the rest of the disciples, but he has this delusional, he has this delusional confidence. We see it in Matthew. I'll read to you a similar passage from Matthew.

Jesus is going out to the garden of Gethsemane and he is predicting that they would depart from him, that they would scatter from him. Then in Matthew 26 33, Peter answered and said unto him, though all men be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. So Peter says, all right, Jesus, you and I know these other disciples are sketch. You know, I mean, it's you and me. And then these guys, these guys are an embarrassment to the word disciple, but of course I will stick with you.

I'm better than them. So Peter had two ideas. He wanted to ride the coattails of Jesus and be great. And he committed himself to Jesus no matter what happened. But then he's told by Jesus that he would deny him three times. And in Matthew 26 verse 35, Peter argues with Jesus and says, though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.

And then all the other disciples agreed. So put yourself in Peter's shoes. Jesus just said, Peter, Simon, Simon, Satan is after you. Satan, the son of God is warning you that Lucifer, the father of lies, the murderer from the beginning is after you. You would think this would be a time when Peter would ask for help or, or he would pray or he would weep.

He's been forewarned. You think he'd be concerned, but instead he talks, he protests, he argues with the Lord Jesus and he's going to fall miserably. You look at the disciples, you look at Peter.

And what I'm saying with the, with the main point is that your heart has more sin than you realize, because these are, these are the best. These are the men that Jesus chose. They've walked with him for three years.

They've served him. They do love him. And they're still so selfish.

They're still so self-confident. So I say, it angers me and it saddens me, but it frightens me because there's a lot of me in here. I'm more sinful than I realize.

I have this delusional self-confidence that I would be different. Of course we're not, but there's such encouragement here in such an unlikely place. The second point I want to consider really the thrust of the message is this. Your savior has more grace than your heart has sin. You're so sinful. You're so much worse than you think. Yes, you're ambitious, but you're also lustful and you're dishonest and you're self-absorbed and you're unkind and you're divisive.

That's who we are by nature. But Jesus is so much more merciful than we are sinful. Romans five says that where sin abounded, grace abounded even more. If you're in an arms race between your sin and Jesus' mercy, Jesus wins every time. He loves you so much more than you realize. And if you would realize the depth of your need and depravity, and if you would run to Christ, he is so eager to forgive you, to have mercy on you, even to change your character to use you.

John Newton has advanced in years. Someone's talking to him about religion and he says, I don't remember everything, but I remember this. I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great savior.

Exactly so. There is more mercy with Jesus than there is sin with you. Look at the text with me.

Disciples are fighting about who's going to be greatest, even as Jesus prepares to be crucified. He corrects them. He says, you're talking like Gentiles.

You should be serving. But look at verse 28. It almost feels like there was an accidental copy and paste and this doesn't fit the passage. Jesus says to them after the rebuke, ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appointed to you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

What? I read this and I think the disciples deserve a back hand. Jesus should just start over and say, you know, I'm going to pick another 12. Instead, he corrects them for their argument, but then he says, guys, the truth is you have stuck with me for three years. Others have departed from me.

I would preach hard things and they would leave me. You have left all. You have followed me. You have stayed with me. His words are so kind.

They're so undeserving because these guys are such knuckleheads. But he says, you have stayed with me. And in fact, I am going to reward you. You will be with me in the kingdom. And here you are arguing about who will be greatest.

You shouldn't argue about that, but all of you will be with me in my kingdom and you actually will bear authority in my kingdom. His words are so kind in light of their arguing. His words are so ironic in light of the fact that they are hours away from scattering and forsaking him and leaving him alone. It's so bad that when he gets to the garden of Gethsemane and he says to them, pray with me, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death.

Please Terry here and watch with me. And even then they sleep instead of helping him. They're totally oblivious to his needs. And the only one that would comfort him is God sent an angel to Gethsemane to give him strength for what was yet to come.

His friends absolutely blew it. And yet in his mercy, he rebukes them and he says, you have stayed with me. I will reward you. And he kind of takes a long term assessment of them. I'm not judging you based on your failure tonight because actually these men would be recovered and they would turn the world upside down and they would all die as martyrs. With the one exception of John, he's tortured and exiled onto Patmos. They would be faithful.

Tonight was just a really bad night. And in mercy, Jesus didn't think that this failure was final. He just heaps grace upon us when we deserve his scorn.

If you don't think of Jesus this way, you're not thinking of him accurately. He delights in mercy, even when he rebukes Peter. Oh Peter, always arguing with Jesus. Jesus says, Peter, you're going to deny me three times. And Peter says, no, I would never. And then he fails miserably. When he thinks Jesus will be king, he tries to write his coattails to self-promotion. When Jesus is arrested and in trouble, he denies him in the act of self-protection. You say, man, those are inconsistent.

No, they're not. He did what was better for Peter every time. And yet in the middle of that, look at verse 32. The placement of verse 32 is stunning to me. Peter, you're going to deny me. Satan's after you. But I've prayed for you that your faith fail not. And when you are converted, when you are recovered, strengthen your brethren.

That's amazing. Jesus prays for you. Christian who still struggles so much with your sin, and that's all of you, that's all of us. Jesus prays for you. He's not angry at you. He's burdened for you.

He loves you. And even at this moment, Hebrews 7 25 says, he is able to save us to the uttermost since he always lives to make intercession for us. He's praying for us right now. 1 John 2, verses 1 and 2 says, don't sin. But when you do, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. When you sin, we have Jesus who pleads our case. And we read, I love the hymn that says, when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me. You don't walk with God because you're so obedient. You walk with God because Jesus is so merciful because his power, his blood is so powerful to cleanse you from sin. It's all grace.

He loves you in spite of you. He delights in forgiveness. There's a new book by a man named Dane Ortlund called Gentle and Lowly.

You'll see it recommended everywhere. He's reading this book. He talks about the mercy of Jesus. When Jesus in Matthew 11 says, come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, I'll give you rest. He says, I am meek and lowly of heart.

I am gentle. Dane Ortlund says, Jesus sides with you against your sin, not against you because of your sin. He hates you. Excuse me, he hates your sin.

Well, that would have been a really, that would be a bad excerpt from the sermon to post online. He hates your sin, but he loves you. He quotes Thomas Goodwin and Old Puritan, your very sins move him to pity more than to anger. When you sin, he's even more merciful to you.

I've heard the illustration put this way. It's like you get in a car accident. Is your first thought, I need to call my dad for help or Oh no, my dad's going to kill me. When you sin, you think, Oh, God is so mad at me.

No, God loves you so much. He wants you to confess your sin and he is faithful and just to forgive you. He's the father on the edge of his seat waiting for the prodigal. He's not folding his arms. He's not mad. He's not going to lecture you.

He's going to run to you and embrace you because he's so merciful and even your sin inspires his mercy. I love basketball. My son-in-law Ray Holden played basketball here. He was a good basketball player.

He married my daughter, Rebecca. She was not a good basketball player. She played in high school just for a couple of years. When she first got her uniform, she came to me. She said, dad, we have a game tomorrow. I'm so excited.

I haven't even tried on my costume. Baby is called a uniform. She comes home from practice. She says, dad, I'm not great, but my coach told me to practice my layovers.

Yep, baby, that's a layup. You know, she needed to practice piano or something. Rachel who is a senior here, she's good at knitting, not basketball.

I asked her. She was the athlete. She's playing basketball in high school.

She dives for a ball. Her face meets the opponent's knee and her nose just blew up. I didn't know the body had that much blood in it.

It looked like a crime scene. So terrible, terrible, terrible. I take her to the ER and eventually she has to have surgery. She has this surgery to fix her deviated septum. And I asked the surgeon, do we need some medication for pain?

Because it seems like this is going to be miserable. And the guy says, you know, it's an outpatient surgery. I put her under, but she's going to be fine.

Advil should do it. That night, one of the longest nights of my life, she's in utter agony. She's wailing. She said, dad, why won't it stop?

Dad, I keep asking God to take it away and it won't stop. And we spent the whole night just, just kind of gripping our hands and rocking together. And it was absolutely miserable. Truth be told, I should have gone and bought some vodka or something to help her. It was miserable. Medicinal, medicinal.

Worst night, one of the worst nights of my life. Now listen to me. As she's suffering, I'm her dad. I don't say, Esther, why were you so stupid to dive for the ball? Esther, I'm tired.

This is costing me money. You made a mess. She's actually asking me if God loves me, why doesn't he make the pain stop? I didn't say, Esther, let me talk to you about your theology. I wasn't angry with her.

I was heartbroken because I love her. God is not angry primarily when we sin. He's so merciful and he's ready to forgive. So Jesus says, Peter, you're going to blow it so big. I've prayed for you.

Described this as a sifting. He says, Satan has desired to shift you. There's encouragement here. Satan couldn't come at Peter without divine permission.

It's like Job one. Satan wants to attack Peter and he can't unless God says yes. And God gave him permission and you read the passage and you say, why would God let him do that? Why, why not just protect Peter? I think the answer is this, that Peter was too proud to be used. It's too full of himself. God allowed Satan to work and it didn't sift Peter. It didn't ruin his life. It actually was used of God to humble him and to sift out the chaff so that finally a humble Peter could be used of God.

That's mercy. I prayed for you that your faith will stand. And when you come back, lead your brothers.

And that's exactly what happened. I was a student here in the nineties and enjoyed my time here very much. By God's grace, I had, I'm aspiring for ministry, I'm training for ministry, have campus leadership opportunities in the dorm and society and that was good.

Eventually I get to be a GA working in the dean of men's office. I thought I had, I had it together. I was all that.

I got in trouble with the university and I got expelled. It was dark. Utter failure. Abject humiliation. I deserved it. I blew it.

I was so low. Called my mom and I'm disconsolate. She doesn't know what to do.

She cries with me. Before I know it, I get a call. She had called Warren Cook. She said, I'm worried about my son.

Would you help him? Warren and Jean Cook call me, invite me to their house just to encourage me. Dan and Jamie Turner are there and I, my car's not even working. Everything's falling apart. And they say, you can borrow ours. And for the next week I'm borrowing their car.

People are telling me, just transfer, do something else. I failed so bad. God is so merciful. He forgives and he uses us because we are so small.

He delights to use clay pots. He forgives and eventually I come back and even when I came back a year later, it was humiliating. I was sitting down here in the tan section. Sorry if this applies to you. I was sitting in the tan section because I was under spiritual probation. So a former dean of men's staff has to sit in the front of the auditorium. So I really pay attention to the sermons. If that's you guys, hang in there, you'll be fine. Remember walking on campus, absolutely humiliated.

I'm going through the library to enroll, to sign up for classes. Feel like everybody's looking at me, whispering, saying, Ted Miller is behind a desk working and he sees me and he walks around the desks. He walked around the desk, gives me this huge bear hug and he says, I am so glad to see you. Thank God for friends like that. God has been so merciful to me to use me, but do you understand? God is merciful to use any of us. We bring sin to the equation. He brings grace and he teaches us that we're not all that, but his grace is sufficient for us.

That failure need not be final. There is more grace in him than sin in us. And I'm telling you as we close, you will be sinning and repenting the rest of your life. But you have a savior who loves you so much.

He is so ready to forgive you. So you don't despair. You don't quit. You don't walk away. You come to him and you say, God, I did it again.

I'm sorry. Please have mercy on me. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. And when you are restored, you take some brothers and sisters with you and you keep serving the Lord.

Thank God for his great grace. Go home and read first Peter chapter five. Peter's going to write about pastors. And he says, when you pastor, don't Lord it over the flock and don't do it for bad motives. You'd be humble.

You'd be an example. And you say, Peter said that, right? Peter said that because God broke him and then forgave him and filled him with the spirit and use him. And God wants to do the same with you. You're so sinful, but God is even more gracious through the blood of Jesus Christ. So when you sin, you run to Christ and he forgives and he'll use you in spite of yourself. Lord, use your word today to make us Marvel and wonder at Jesus to make us worship him. But Lord, use your word to inspire hope in the hearts of hopeless people. I thank you for grace.

Without it, we would have no chance. Might you use this and might you be glorified through it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. You've been listening to a sermon from Reverend Chris Anderson, senior pastor at Killian Hill Baptist Church in Littleburn, Georgia. Join us again tomorrow as we hear more sermons preached from the Bob Jones University Chapel platform.