Would You Die for Christ?
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000
Would You Die for Christ?
"Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him,
Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me
afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will
lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy
life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow,
till
thou hast denied me thrice." (John 13:36-38)
"This spake he, signifying by what death he" (Peter) "should glorify God.
And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him," (unto Peter) "Follow me."
(John 21:19)
Jesus told His disciples that He was going away (by means of
crucifixion,
resurrection, and ascension) and that they would not be able to go with Him,
at least not at that time. Peter, the most outspoken one, said that he
would
even lay down His life for Christ. And, Jesus predicted accurately (knowing
the future) that Peter would deny Him that very night, before the rooster
crowed.
Oh, dear soul, Peter didn't know the awful potential of his carnal
heart. One
hour he could boast of his firm resolve to follow Christ to the bitter end.
The
next hour found him sleeping instead of praying. Next, we find him severing
an
ear from a soldier. After that, he followed Christ "afar off". Finally, we
see him
cursing and boldly denying that he even knows Who Jesus is. No, Peter could
not yet follow Christ unto the death!
Immediately after Peter denied the Lord three times, the rooster crowed.
Then he remembered the words of Christ's prediction, and while remembering
turned to look in Christ's direction. What he saw in the face of Jesus we
can
well imagine. It must have been a look of disappointment and of having been
wounded by one whom He dearly loved; but, it must also have been a look of
such compassion that no mortal can ever describe it. It was then that Peter
went out and "wept bitterly".
BUT, Jesus said, "Thou shalt follow me afterwards". Jesus, having
predicted
Peter's downfall, also predicted his conversion, or reclamation.
Furthermore,
He predicted what type of death that Peter would later die for Him. The
tradition of the church tells us that Peter, having stated that he was not
worthy
to be crucified in the same manner as his Master, was crucified upside down.
What made the difference between "thou canst not follow me now" and
"thou shalt follow me afterwards"?
We can find the answer in the upper room, where Peter, after having been
reclaimed, and the rest of the 120 were tarrying "until...endued with power
from on high" (Luke 24:49), and where they were "baptized with the
Holy Ghost and with fire" (Luke 3:16). For when that happened, Peter
along with the rest had his heart purified from all the defilement of the
old
sin nature (See Have You Received the Holy Spirit ? & The Gift of the Spirit
Purifies the Heart), and he had the perfect love of God shed abroad in his
heart by the Holy Ghost.
That which had made Him afraid to admit his relation to Christ before
was now removed from his heart and he was enabled to love God with all
his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now, Peter was able to follow Christ
no
matter what happened to him.
Will YOU die for Christ? If you are truly willing to die for Him, you
will certainly LIVE for Him. Are you living for Him? If you would follow
Him to the death, you must take up your cross, deny yourself and follow
Him day by day (Luke 9:23).
If you would have what it takes to live the rest of your time according
to the will of God -- your will being submitted totally to His - then you
must have your old nature of sin crucified. YOU must have a spiritual
crucifixion and resurrection with Christ in order to follow Him to
the very end.
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ...
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:6, 11)
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20)
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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