GYC 2025: Follow Me

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

Chad Kreuzer

From Failure to Faith: Assurance of Salvation

Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to study your Word.

I pray just now that your Holy Spirit would be with us.

You may remember from your American history course looking back in the Revolutionary War the story of a man by the name Johann Roll.

He was a Hessian colonel and the Hessians, as you might remember, were basically what we called German mercenaries who were hired on by the British to fight against the colonies that were trying to, you know, break away from Mother Britain.

And Johann Rahl, being German, did not understand English, and it was Christmas Day.

And on Christmas Day, he thought, there's no way these colonies are going to come attack us on Christmas.

But well, you know, George Washington, he was kind of a rough dude.

We don't think of him that way, but he's like, yeah, you know, that's the last time they're gonna think we'll attack.

And so he got his men and they began to it, they began to move forward and on Trenton, what we call Trenton, New Jersey now, and so they were making their way in and 1 of the, 1 of the men who lived in that area between where Washington just crossed the Delaware, he sees, he looks out of his cabin window and he sees something, he's like, what on earth is it?

He goes outside and looks and he sees a bunch of soldiers moving on toward the Hessians, and this man was a sympathizer because not everybody in the colonies wanted to separate from Britain.

Some people were sympathetic with Britain, and so this man was like, well, I better run and tell the Hessians that the soldiers are coming after him.

He took off, he made it all the way to the house that this Johann Roll, the colonel of the soldiers, was in, and that night, since it was Christmas night, they were having a good time, they were, they say that they were probably playing cards, and he had told the man who kept the door, he said, do not let anybody come in this place no matter what.

And so this American, or this man from the colonies I should say, he came up and he knocks on the door and the soldier enters and he tries to talk with the guy, but that guy didn't speak English either.

They could only get a few words out and he tried to explain to the guy and the guy's like, no, no, no, we're not going to let you in, and he kept trying and he would not let him in.

And so finally, this man wrote out a little letter saying, listen, George Washington is on his way, he is about to attack you, Please, you know, he tried to like give this to your colonel So this soldier wouldn't let him in but he finally took the note he went over to the colonel and he interrupted him and the colonel was angry that he was being interrupted and So he finally, you know just told him in German a man came to give you this note.

He said, you know, trying to, like, he seemed like it was very important.

And so the colonel opened it up, but the colonel himself could see, oh, this is all in English.

I'll get somebody to translate it for me later, but I'm playing cards.

So he ends up, well, as you may know, the very next morning, George Washington and his men attacked, and within a day or so, Johann Rahl lost his life, and those Hessians were beaten by soldiers who, they say historically, probably the Hessians could have totally stopped them if they knew they were coming.

So he missed a message because, you know, a message that was life or death.

And we're going to look at the life of a man who was not partying.

He was actually living a very good life, but he did miss a message that was directed toward him.

And it's interesting when we look at Peter.

Peter is the disciple that is talked about more than any other disciples in the Bible.

And so we see repeatedly, you know, Peter talking.

We see Jesus talking more to Peter, at least in the Gospels, than any of the other disciples.

We see Peter, he was a man who was, he was exciting, he would do things that were fascinating.

That's why we like to look at the stories of Peter.

Many people associate with Peter, and it's interesting, though, he's the only disciple that we know of that rebuked Jesus, and also he is rebuked harsher than any other disciple by Jesus.

Peter is even rebuked harsher than Judas, And that may be in part because this.

When you are close to Jesus, you have to be willing to take a rebuke, And close friends should be able to talk frankly with friends.

I know we live in a time where people don't like to have anybody, and I mean, we don't like a rebuke.

Nobody enjoys to hear it, but the Bible says open rebuke is better than secret love.

Rebuke is actually a good thing when done in love, and obviously Jesus rebukes to him we're always done in love.

And Peter, you may remember, had a disease, and that disease has been called foot-in-mouth disease, and I have had that disease more than 1 occasion, saying things I shouldn't and then having to apologize for saying that, and I have done it, and I'm sure that, well, hopefully it'll be the last time, but I sadly hardly doubt it, not that I want that.

But also, looking at Peter, the Bible says in Mark chapter 1, verse 30, you may remember the story, it says, but Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever.

Now, if you have a mother-in-law, that means you have a what?

Now, that doesn't fit very well with him being the first pope, right?

The Bible never refers to him as the pope, and he did have a wife, and it's interesting too because Peter was a type A personality.

From reading the stories of the Gospels, he was a man who was a leader, and he was, on so many occasions, he was doing exciting things.

When you look at him time and time again, he, even though, you know, people kind of look down on him because he makes mistakes and he says things he shouldn't, but you can tell he's just a natural-born leader, or he learned to be 1 way or another, and looking at that, he...

And by the way, girls often like guys who are exciting, so it does make sense that Peter got married, right?

It makes sense that Simon's wife's mother likes to think about Peter.

Yeah, Peter's married because he's an exciting guy.

And looking at this, you know, he was a fighter.

I mean, hacked a guy's ear off, and you know, sometimes people, they kind of look down on him for that, but I mean, he said, hey, I'll fight with you, I'll be with you till the end, and so he was showing that, hey, I'm willing to fight for the death for my Lord.

Now, obviously, that Jesus told him to put his sword away, but we're gonna get into that as we look into it.

Peter was a man who had assurance, right?

He was sure that he was ready to be with Jesus to the end.

So I want to look, if you have your Bibles, you can look with me in Matthew chapter 26.

We're gonna look at the, this is, there they are after they had just partaken of the Passover, Matthew 26, Matthew chapter 26.

We're going to begin in verse 30, Matthew chapter 26 and verse 30.

So this is right after they partake into the Passover, and it says in verse 30, And when they had sung in hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to him, All of you will be made to stumble, or the king James says, will be offended because of me this night.

For it is written, I will smite or strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

But after that I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

But Peter answered and said unto him, Even if all should be offended, or if even all shall be made to stumble because of you, I will never be offended.

Jesus said unto him, Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me 3 times.

Peter said to him, even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.

Notice everyone, we always think of Peter doing it, but it seems like Peter was the one's instigator.

He's the first 1 to say, no way, I will never do that, because Peter often is the first 1 to speak.

Peter, when Jesus is, he made, on the Mount of Transfiguration, you have Jesus there, and who is it, who are the people there that were with him other than Peter, James, and John.

And Peter sees this, and you remember what he says?

He says, hey, why don't we build, you know, dwellings for you, 1 for Moses and 1 for Elijah, 1 for Jesus.

And then it actually says in the Gospel of Mark, it says, he said this because he didn't know what to say.

So Peter just said, and I don't know if you've ever done that, if you're nervous, and so you just say something just to say something because you're nervous.

Peter was that kind of guy, and that's why I think people like Peter too, because he just seems real.

That you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, I'm kind of like Peter too in some ways.

Maybe not all the ways, but in some ways we can kind of see that.

And so he says, he says, listen, Jesus says, you are all going to be offended of me because of me.

There's no way I'm ever going to do that.

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From Failure to Faith: Assurance of Salvation

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