CROSS TO COMMISSION | But After | Matthew 26:30-35 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Summary

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Podcast Summary: 2819 Church

Episode: CROSS TO COMMISSION | But After | Matthew 26:30-35
Date: November 17, 2025
Speaker: Philip Anthony Mitchell, 2819 Church

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Overview

This episode, part of the “Cross to Commission” series, centers on Matthew 26:30-35—the moments immediately after the Last Supper, when Jesus prophesies his disciples’ imminent abandonment. Lead Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell delivers an impassioned, deeply personal message on human frailty, the inevitability of betrayal and failure, and the extraordinary grace and faithfulness of Jesus, who assures restoration and recommissioning “but after” the fall.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Gospel Urgency and Welcome

• (00:32 – 06:15) The episode opens with a heartfelt invitation to all—believers, digital attendees, and seekers—to find belonging in the church family. Pastor Mitchell warns of life’s uncertainty, urging listeners not to harden their hearts but to respond when the Spirit calls:

  “For there is no one prepared to die apart from the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Lead Pastor (02:13)

2. Matthew’s Narrative Apex: The Crucifixion and Resurrection

• (06:15 – 09:42) Framing Matthew 26–28 as the culmination of all previous chapters, Mitchell underscores the uniqueness of Christ’s resurrection and the centrality of the Passion narrative.
• The resurrection should spark joy in every believer, forming the foundation of the faith.

  “If Christ is not raised, all of this is in vain.” — Lead Pastor (04:48)

3. The Pain and Gift of Human Relationships

• (09:42 – 15:16) Human connection is a double-edged sword:
  • Our greatest joys flow through relationships (“Some of the greatest blessings you’ll ever know… will come into your life on two legs.” — Lead Pastor (08:14))
  • Betrayal and abandonment, often at the worst moments, yield the deepest pain.
  • Jesus, fully human, intimately knew both sides—the beauty of friendship and the agony of betrayal.

4. The Upper Room: Last Teachings and the Lord’s Supper

• (15:16 – 19:39) Jesus spends his last night with his disciples, giving profound teachings (John 13–17), introducing the new covenant, and serving the first Lord’s Supper.
• Notable: The importance placed on worship—teaching crowned with song (the “Hallel”)—even when the disciples are unaware it’s their final chance to do so with Jesus.

5. Spiritual Dullness and Missed Moments

• (19:39 – 24:49) The congregation is admonished not to take corporate worship for granted. Spiritual dullness leads to missing sacred, unrepeatable moments with God and one another.

  “We act like you will always have these moments. These disciples did not know this is the last time they will sing with the Lord.” — Lead Pastor (22:01)

6. Mount of Olives: Place of Vulnerability and Betrayal

• (24:49 – 27:16) Jesus and his disciples retreat to the Mount of Olives—a place of both intimacy and, ironically, betrayal (since Judas knew Jesus’s habits).
• Prophetic significance: The Mount of Olives is not just a setting but tied to Jesus’s ultimate return (Zechariah 14 referenced).

7. Prediction of Abandonment: Humanity’s Frailty Foreknown

• (27:16 – 34:46)

  • Jesus predicts: “You will all fall away because of me this night…” (Matthew 26:31).
  • The pain: Those closest to Jesus will abandon him in his hour of greatest need.
  • Yet, this abandonment is not accidental or outside God’s will.

  “The abandonment of Christ is inside the sovereign will of Almighty God.” — Lead Pastor (34:01)

  • God can use even failure and falling away as part of his plan. Listeners are urged not to be consumed by condemnation but to see God’s providence even in setbacks and stumbles.

8. Failure as Preparation for Faithfulness

• (34:46 – 39:20) Mitchell shares personally:

  “What I'm living right now is called a second chance. So my faithfulness to him is on steroids because I've already abandoned him in the past.” — Lead Pastor (37:25)

  • The disciples’ failure eventually produced deeper faithfulness; “These men will get another chance.”

  • Failing does not disqualify; it often prepares and deepens faith, character, and future ministry.

9. The Power of “But After…”

• (39:20 – 44:52)
  • Jesus’s prophecy does not end at failure:

    “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” (Matthew 26:32)

  • The assurance: Your failure isn’t final.
  • Jesus’s shepherding continues “but after” mistakes, promising restoration and future purpose.

    “You will forsake me, but I will not forsake you.” — Lead Pastor (44:29)

10. Resurrection Power and the Holy Spirit

• (44:52 – 49:02)

  • Jesus trusts the Father’s power to resurrect him—a model of faith even in the face of death.

  • That same resurrection power, through the Holy Spirit, lives in believers.

    “The power that raised Christ from the dead…lives on the inside of you.” — Lead Pastor (46:58)

  • The Holy Spirit enables Christians to face trials and accomplish God’s assignments, despite feelings of weakness or inadequacy.

11. Blind Spots and the Dangers of Self-Reliance

• (49:02 – 54:54)
  • Peter’s overconfidence mirrors common tendencies: self-reliance, pride, dismissing needed correction.
  • Everyone has blind spots; community and the Spirit’s conviction are gifts from God to reveal and refine us.

    “You all have blind spots and you need to thank God for the conviction that shows you those blind spots.” — Lead Pastor (53:41)

12. The Lord’s Unchanging Faithfulness

• (54:54 – 59:16)
  • Even though the disciples desert Jesus, he remains committed and faithful.
  • God isn’t surprised by our flaws—he called us in full knowledge of them.

    “He knew exactly what he was getting when he called you…Nothing in you has surprised him.” — Lead Pastor (59:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Spiritual Awakening:

  “That's what we need—an alarm to go off in this country…because I feel like in America we're doing church and we're sleeping and not paying attention.”
  — Lead Pastor (06:16)

• On Betrayal:

  “From the same well [of relationships] comes our deepest joys…and even our deepest pains and sorrows.”
  — Lead Pastor (11:13)

• On Overconfidence:

  “Peter is a victim of…a dangerous misplaced confidence—in himself.”
  — Lead Pastor (51:16)

• On the “But After”:

  “You’re going to fail me tonight. But after…I will go before you.”
  — Lead Pastor (44:23)

• On God’s Faithfulness in Weakness:

  “He deals with us in our strengths, he deals with us in our weaknesses, but he does not abandon us in our weaknesses.”
  — Lead Pastor (56:25)

• On Being Known and Still Chosen:

  “He knew exactly what he was getting when He said come. There is nothing happening in your life that he did not know or did not plan for.”
  — Lead Pastor (59:05)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:32 — Welcome and Gospel Urgency
• 04:48 — The Resurrection’s Centrality
• 08:14 — Value of Human Relationships
• 11:13 — The Deep Pain of Betrayal
• 15:16 — The Upper Room and New Covenant
• 19:39 — Importance of Not Missing Sacred Moments
• 24:49 — Mount of Olives: Setting and Significance
• 27:40 — Jesus Predicts the Disciples’ Abandonment
• 34:01 — Abandonment as Part of God’s Sovereignty
• 37:25 — Pastor’s Testimony: Second Chances
• 39:20 — “But After” and Assurance of Restoration
• 46:58 — Resurrection Power of the Holy Spirit
• 51:16 — Peter’s Blind Spot and Self-Reliance
• 53:41 — The Need for Conviction and Community
• 54:54 — The Lord’s Steadfast Faithfulness

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Tone and Style

• The sermon is passionate, earnest, and personal—punctuated by warnings, invitations, and encouragement.
• Language remains biblical, urgent, and direct, but laced with pastoral care, vulnerability, and occasional spiritual admonishment.
• The emotional arc runs from sobering assessment of human frailty to triumphant proclamation of grace.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with extended worship, cementing the message’s call to depend not on self, but on the presence, power, and faithfulness of Jesus—especially “after” failure. Listeners are invited not to be paralyzed by mistakes, but to live out their “but after,” trusting in the God who knows, forgives, restores, and leads even through our darkest, most disappointing moments.

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Transcript

[Lead Pastor]

If you're a guest, we want to welcome you to 2819 Church, where we are striving for the spread of the gospel and the multiplying of disciples. To all of our digital disciples watching live right now from across America and around the world, we welcome you into this holy gathering. You are our family. We pray for you, we cry for you, we believe God for you, and we thank you for being a part of this family from wherever you are. If you're not a follower of Jesus Christ and you crept into this gathering or onto this live stream, we know that you are either in this live stream, in this chat, so we know that you're in the room. We are thankful that you are here. If you're not a follower of Christ, we acknowledge your presence. We want you to know that you could be long before you believe and you could be amongst us before you believe. And as I am keenly aware, like there's a clock on me right now counting backwards that time is running out on humanity, I would only nudge you from this platform that by the grace of God, in a moment of prayer or while a song is being sung, or during the word being proclaimed, you might sense and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit and surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ before time has run out on you. For there is no one prepared to die apart from the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ. And for as much as we make plans for next week, you have no guarantees you will see that. And so in the day you sense the spirit of God drawing you, that is the day of salvation. We pray you would not harden your heart when the Spirit draws you. We pray that by God's grace, the next time I stand here, you will be inside the family of God. As a church, we've been studying one of the most important books in the New Testament, the Book of Matthew, for the last three years. We're coming down to the final three chapters of that study in our final teaching series through the Book of Matthew, called Cross to Commission, in which we are walking through Matthew chapter 26 through 28 together. This is the apex of Matthew's writings. Everything that Matthew has recorded from chapter one to chapter 25, this is the apex of his writings. It is for this purpose that Matthew wrote to prove to a Jewish audience that Jesus was the promised Messiah, that he is king, he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. And then this last three chapters that we study together are critically important. These last three chapters cover the final days and the final hours of the one you call Lord and Savior. It records what we call the Passion of the Christ. Some of you are old enough to remember that movie. Some of you are too young. Maybe you didn't watch it. You should go back and watch that movie. It is Matthew, chapter 26 to 28, in which they made the movie the Passion of the Christ. It is for this purpose Jesus came. This records the greatest event in human history when the Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed and died on the cross for your sins and mine. And without that, we all would be hellbound. No matter your morality, no matter your good behavior, no matter what you think about yourself. We have no hope apart from the cross of Jesus Christ. No human being has hope apart from the cross of Jesus Christ. And what we approach in chapters 26, 28 is the single greatest events of human history. The death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. In fact, Paul said, if Christ is not raised, all of this is in vain. So when we talk about the resurrection, it should well up joy in your heart, especially if you're a follower of Christ. Let me repeat, if Christ is not raised, all of this is in vain. And if history serves me correctly, he is the only founder of a world religion who was raised from the dead. And was seen alive by over 500 witnesses. Some of them wrote that they saw a man alive. Can't say the same for other world religion. Progenitors was not seen alive after they died. They are buried and they are not coming back to life in this life. Our text today is Matthew, chapter 26, verses 30 through 35. Six short verses. Holy father, God, I pray right now in my own weakness for my brothers and my sisters, all of us, those who would hear this message as long as it will live before you return. How wary I am, Lord, of.

[Worship Leader]

What.

[Lead Pastor]

We see in our nation and around the world. Just empty services and dead sermons and people just going through the motions with the tag Christian on their life, not knowing that you are coming. And God, I pray you would. You would awaken men and women, the remnant across this nation and around the world as we are living in the final hours of the church age. You would stir up revival in cities all across America and around the world. You would turn the hearts of sons and daughters away from idols and our love affair with everything other than you. You would snatch the unbeliever from hell's doors before fire consumes them. Lord, you would deliver the American church from her adulterous affair with the culture, From being a for things God, outside of Jesus. You would deliver her from Being a prostitute with things in the culture that she would turn to the only one that truly loves her God. In this hour, I pray, spirit of the living God, you would minister to those under the sound of my voice that this moment will go beyond a sermon, beyond proclamation, God, that they would be a light of revelation in the hearts of your children. I ask God that they would. They would hear your voice speaking to them. This morning I pray for grace and help in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless, name of our Lord and soon coming King Jesus Christ. Amen. And amen. And amen. Y' all heard that phone go off. That's what we need right now, an alarm to go off in this country, in Africa, in the United Kingdom. That's what we need. We need alarms to go off because I feel like in America we're doing church and we're sleeping and not paying attention. As I was looking over this passage, I thought about the fact that one of the greatest blessings that you and I have in this life is right here in the room. It is our human relationships. And it is through human relationships the Lord will funnel into the human experience things like comfort and joy and laughter and strength and shoulders and memories, bonds that transform lives. It's through our human relationships the Lord will funnel into your life some of the greatest blessings you will ever know in this life will come into your life on two legs. As God works through our human relationships to bring into our lives some of the most meaningful things we will ever enjoy in this life.

[Assistant Pastor]

They come through our human relationships. They make life more meaningful.

[Lead Pastor]

They make life more enjoyable.

[Assistant Pastor]

And almost all of us can attest or testify to all of the great things we have experienced through the context of the deep bonds we've had in our human relationships, things we have experienced.

[Lead Pastor]

Through the bonds of marriage, through the.

[Assistant Pastor]

Bonds of friendships, through the bonds of relationships and situationships, through the bonds of friendships and mentorships and coaching, through the bonds of family and siblings and husbands.

[Lead Pastor]

And wives, through the bonds of brothers and sisters.

[Assistant Pastor]

We can testify, if we live long enough, of all of the great valuable things that God has funneled into our.

[Lead Pastor]

Life through our human relationships. And for that, we thank God for those things. Without that, the world would be boring.

[Assistant Pastor]

But at the same time, for in.

[Lead Pastor]

As much as our greatest joys come from our human relationships, for those of.

[Assistant Pastor]

Us who have lived long enough, we can also testify that from the same.

[Lead Pastor]

Well comes our greatest joys, as the same well has come our greatest pains.

[Assistant Pastor]

Because if we have lived long enough, we can Testify.

[Lead Pastor]

Not only has great joys come out of our human relationships, but the truth.

[Assistant Pastor]

Of the matter is our deepest pains.

[Lead Pastor]

And disappointments have also come out of our human relationships. And if you've lived long enough, you.

[Assistant Pastor]

Can testify to both. It is the dichotomy of human life.

[Lead Pastor]

That from the same well of relationships come our deepest joys. And even our deepest pains and sorrows. And among those categories of pain, one of the greatest categories of pain a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Human being will ever know because of.

[Lead Pastor]

Human relationships is the pain that enters our life as a direct result of betrayal and abandonment.

[Assistant Pastor]

It is that person you love who betrayed you. It is that friendship you had when that person betrayed you. It is that family member who betrayed you. It is that business partner who betrayed you. It is the spouse that walked away from the relationship. It is the father that walked away.

[Lead Pastor]

From a child, the mother that abandoned the child.

[Assistant Pastor]

It is the person that walked out of a relationship is the person who you loved who betrayed you. Or the person you loved who abandoned you. And not only abandoned you, but abandoned.

[Lead Pastor]

You in an hour of need.

[Assistant Pastor]

And I know what it is to.

[Lead Pastor]

Be in human relationships and be on.

[Assistant Pastor]

The receiving end of the pain of betrayal. And I know what it is in.

[Lead Pastor]

Human relationships to be on the receiving end of being abandoned by people you love, especially when you need them the most. The scripture says about Jesus that he was a man acquainted with sorrows and grief.

[Assistant Pastor]

That he knew the joys and the pleasures of human relationships. Spending time with his disciples and going to weddings and laughter and joy. And in as much as Jesus knew.

[Lead Pastor]

That the blessings of human relationships, our Lord also knew the pain of betrayal and abandonment, especially from those who thought they can walk with him through anything.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is a very difficult pain to endure. When you've been betrayed or when you've been abandoned. It is a very difficult thing to walk through. It is a very difficult thing to bounce back from. And Jesus, who was fully God, was.

[Lead Pastor]

Also fully human is why the writer of Hebrews tells us that as a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Great high priest, he can't identify with.

[Lead Pastor]

The pains that you and I experience in this life.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is all of what we read.

[Lead Pastor]

And what we deal with in Matthew, chapter 26, 28.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is all of what we're studying that will send Christ to the cross. This is all of what we approach in this passage. A very difficult conversation between Christ and his closest friends. It was Jesus in the final hours of his life. He's in the city of Jerusalem, in a room in someone's house in that city. And in that room was his closest disciples, his closest friends, these 12 men.

[Lead Pastor]

That he spent three and a half years walking with them and eating with them and talking with them and doing.

[Assistant Pastor]

Ministry with them, sleeping with them and traveling with them. It was in that room on a Thursday night, just hours before he's crucified. It was in that room on a Thursday night the Lord got down on his hands and knees and washed the.

[Lead Pastor]

Feet of men he created because he was God in the flesh.

[Assistant Pastor]

It was in that room that night he said, one of you will betray me. And then the spirit of the devil.

[Lead Pastor]

Entered into that man and he left the room on that very night.

[Assistant Pastor]

It was in that upper room where Jesus began to teach his followers about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit. It was in that room when he said that I am the true vine. It was in that room when he.

[Lead Pastor]

Said, I am the way.

[Assistant Pastor]

It was in that room when he began to teach them that they would be hated and they would have hostility.

[Lead Pastor]

Towards them in the culture. It was in that room he began to teach them about the work of the Holy Spirit in the earth. It was in that room he gave the Holy Spirit a pronoun. He.

[Assistant Pastor]

And not she. We have too many people that think they're theologians because they have platforms and too much heretical doctrines in America where we think that because we want God to be a God of inclusion, we call God he, she or it. The devil is a liar. The scriptures does not support that. God has a pronoun. Father. Male Jesus gave the Holy Spirit a pronoun. He, when he comes, he will teach you all things and he will remind you of all things and he will convict the world of sin. He, He, He, He. That's why we got to stop listening to everybody on social media and read the Scriptures for ourselves. Woe to those who change the word of God. For the Lord said of his own mouth, you cannot add to them Scriptures and you cannot take away from them Scriptures. The last time that I checked, God was a he. It was in that room on a Thursday night, hours before he would be betrayed and crucified, that God gave his.

[Lead Pastor]

Followers man, a perpetual audience. The Lord's Supper, the bread that represented his body, and the wine that represented his blood. And he said, this is the blood of the new Covenant. It was in that room he was explaining to them, I have now fulfilled the law. The old has passed away. And now a new ordinance was coming into humanity. The ordinance of the New Covenant, that Jesus will be the head of that new covenant. It was in that room he did all of that. All these things you read in John 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. It was in that room he prayed over them and prayed for all of us who would follow after him. And it was in that room we come to this passage where Matthew recorded a very difficult conversation. I want to just go back to verse 26, what you would learn last week in Matthew, chapter 26, verse 26. Now, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, he broke it, and he gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink of it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is a new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins. I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. So everything I just told you happened right before this. Everything from John 13 to John 17 happened right up to this moment. Then he gives them the new covenant through the Lord's Supper. And then we come to our text in verse 30. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

[Assistant Pastor]

Stop.

[Lead Pastor]

Pause. I want you to notice in the text that the Lord has just sat in an upper room and has just taught his followers all these things you can find in John's recording.

[Assistant Pastor]

It is a solemn moment. It is a prophetic moment. It is an important moment. He is hours away from being executed. He gives them very important teaching in that upper room.

[Lead Pastor]

He gives them the Last Supper in that upper room.

[Assistant Pastor]

And then watch, they seal the moment with a song, the Hallel. I just want to draw your attention to this.

[Lead Pastor]

It's not the bulk of what I'm.

[Assistant Pastor]

Going to teach, but I just want.

[Lead Pastor]

To draw your attention to the fact.

[Assistant Pastor]

That they shower teaching in worship. They shower teaching and singing.

[Lead Pastor]

And I would like to believe that maybe it was their custom to do this stuff. I could see them in my mind right now, like fireside chats in Jerusalem, traveling in Israel. The Lord sitting with them in circles, talking to them, teaching them, loving them. And then before they got up from that circle, maybe breaking bread, having a cup of wine, and then singing a song together. They probably had a practice of singing songs after teaching and proclamation. Man, this is what I want for us.

[Assistant Pastor]

I know it's new, like, to lean.

[Lead Pastor]

Into opportunities like this. Like, we have the same opportunity each.

[Assistant Pastor]

Week when we come to solemn moments like this where we sit and listen.

[Lead Pastor]

To the proclamation of God's word. And then we want to take a.

[Assistant Pastor]

Moment to sing over you after that.

[Lead Pastor]

But.

[Assistant Pastor]

But we don't like to lean into.

[Lead Pastor]

Moments like this that are solemn. Instead, we're more concerned about beating your brother to the parking lot instead of singing in the presence of the Lord.

[Assistant Pastor]

We're more concerned about getting to a.

[Lead Pastor]

Restaurant instead of eating the bread of life. We're more concerned about trying to get out to get to the merch station instead of sitting in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

[Assistant Pastor]

Man, we've been just dishonoring God's presence and dishonoring solemn moments. And we act like you will always have these moments. See, these disciples did not know this.

[Lead Pastor]

Is the last time they will sing with the Lord.

[Assistant Pastor]

They have no idea this is the last time they will get to watch have corporate worship together.

[Worship Leader]

Father.

[Assistant Pastor]

It's just like we run in and run out. We take this for granted and say, I'll just. I'll do better next week. You have no idea if this will be the last time we have corporate worship together. Someone here may not be here next week. And 10 years from now, at the.

[Lead Pastor]

Rate we going, if we don't.

[Assistant Pastor]

If we. If we don't take a stand for Christianity, if we don't vote right and pray right, 10 years from now, the scriptures might be illegal in America. Don't say you was not warned. And you, you can, you can tear me down on social media all you want. There is another entity taking over the whole world while we play in church that will persecute Christianity and put believers to death. You keep having your little dead conferences and your little dead sermons that are completely disconnected from what's happening right now. Y' all can hate me all you want and make videos about me all you want. Do not say you was not warned. Do not say God did not send a prophet to America. Right. Through diplomacy and the people we vote into power and aggression. We will see the persecution of Christians if we don't stand up and wake up and vote right and pray right and take a stand for this word. I'm telling you, they had no idea this would be the last time they would sing Corporate worship together. This is why when you are mature, you learn to discern moments and lean into them. It's like being in the presence of people who are smarter than you and being quiet instead of telling them your resume. You are stupid to do that when you're in the presence of people who are Wiser than you. You shut up and listen and learn. When you sense the spirit of God moving in an atmosphere, you sit there and you enjoy his presence. You don't even know if he'll call you home next week. You're so quick to get to the parking lot. They end a solemn moment with worship.

[Lead Pastor]

Not knowing it will be the last time they would have an opportunity to gather like that in corporate worship. They slide off to the Mount of Olives. I've stood on top of that mountain in Jerusalem, a gentle slope just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is at the Mount of Olives. @ the base of that mountain is a garden. I've stood in that garden. I'll show you a picture of it next week. It has olive trees. Some of them are 2000 years old. They put a fence around it to protect those olive trees. Some of those olive trees were there when Jesus was there. I'll show you a picture of it next week that I snapped standing at the gate. It was at the Mount of Olives where the Lord would often go to spend time with his disciples in that garden. We learned that from John chapter 18. In John, chapter 18, we learned that Jesus would often go to that garden to hang out with his disciples. Watch. That was a place he would slip away for respite and for relaxation and for intimacy with his friends. It was easy for Judas to find him there, Especially when your betrayer knows your movements, When they watch your movements on social media and they watch who you hang out with, and they got their eye on your husband, and they got their eye on your wife, and they got their eye on your ministry, and they got their eye on your platform. Or Judas was very familiar with the movements of his lord, because John 18 says Jesus would spend time at the foot of that mountain in the garden. It is also on the Mount of Olives where the prophet tells us that the Lord will return when he returns to the earth. The scripture tells us his feet will touch the top of that mountain. That mountain will split in half. Water would run out of that mountain down the Kidron Valley towards the Dead Sea. And the bitter waters of the Dead Sea.

[Assistant Pastor]

I've spoken.

[Lead Pastor]

Swam in it.

[Assistant Pastor]

Can't drink from it. You can die.

[Lead Pastor]

It will turn sweet. So they slide off to the Mount of Olives.

[Assistant Pastor]

And after they get to the Mount.

[Lead Pastor]

Of Olives, Matthew records a very painful conversation between Christ and his disciples. Matthew, who was there, look what he said happened. He said, then Jesus. Look what he said in verse 31. Then Jesus said to them, you will.

[Assistant Pastor]

All fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

[Lead Pastor]

Stop.

[Assistant Pastor]

The Lord goes into the garden.

[Worship Leader]

And.

[Assistant Pastor]

He looked into the eyes of the ones who are closest to him. And he said to them, probably with pain in his heart, tonight, all of you are going to fall away from me. You all will abandon me on this night. There is the Lord. I was away from being brutally beaten to the point he's not recognizable. That's what Isaiah said. Isaiah said the Lord was beaten so bad, he could not be recognized. Not these little fake pictures you see of Christ on a cross. And his face is perfect, and his lips are perfect and his hair is perfect. No, that's not biblical. Isaiah said God was beaten so bad. Jesus was beaten so bad, he was unrecognizable. A massive lump of just blood and flesh. They could not recognize his face. He was beaten so bad, he was hours away from. From taking one of the most brutal.

[Lead Pastor]

Beatings recorded in human history.

[Assistant Pastor]

He's hours away from a crown of thorns. He's hours away from people spitting in his face that he created. He's hours away from carrying a crossbeam down the Via della Rosa all the way to the top of Golgotha to be executed for your sins and for mine. He's hours away from begging his father, if there's any other way this thing could be done, please, Lord, let this cup pass from me. He's hours away of looking for an option out of what he's about to suffer. His humanity now rising up on the inside of him. He didn't endure that pain as a spirit for you. Since we love sin so much, he endured that pain as a man for you. He's hours away of carrying the sins of the whole world. And his father turned his back on him. He's hours away from all of that. And in the time he needs his friends the most, He looks them in their eyes and he prophesies to them. Not next week, next year, next month.

[Lead Pastor]

Tonight.

[Assistant Pastor]

Y' all all will abandon me on this night. You all will leave me alone on this night.

[Lead Pastor]

You all will be offended at me in this night. Hours from now, these men will witness one of the most brutal beatings in history. They will witness Christ carrying a cross. And in their mind, they would think, we ain't ready for all of that. Yeah, you've been with him for three and a half years. You ate with him for three and a half years. You taught with him for three and a half Years, traveled with him for three and a half Years, ministered with him for three and a halfyears.

[Assistant Pastor]

Peter, you walked on water. You've seen him raise the dead. But you only follow him until it's inconvenient. And before we condemn them, you and I do the same thing. We love to name Christ until it's inconvenient. We love to be faithful to Christ until it's inconvenient. We love to keep showing up for Christ until it's inconvenient. We love to say we love him until he demands something of us we.

[Lead Pastor]

Don'T want to do.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is American way. How people are faithful to the Lord until He demands something of them that makes them feel uncomfortable, pushes them out of a comfort zone or pushes them to a place of inconvenience.

[Lead Pastor]

Man, we have too many of us that follow Christ so long, and it is convenient for us to follow Him.

[Assistant Pastor]

But don't tell me to forgive. Don't tell me to reconcile. Don't tell me to let something go. Don't tell me to be faithful. Don't tell me to be generous. Don't tell me what to do with.

[Lead Pastor]

My home, my children. Whatever the case may be, we're no different than these disciples, man. They followed the Lord and called him Rabbi and called him Teacher, and they talked about their love for him. They did all of that until it was inconvenient. And we do the same thing. And there is the Lord about to be abandoned by his followers. But I want to draw your attention to the words, for it is written, I will strike the sheep, the shepherd and the sheep will scatter the Lord in this moment. Quotes from Zechariah, the prophet who says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. The Lord now takes the prophetic words From Zechariah, chapter 13 brings it all the way to present day 1st century, and applies that passage to himself.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is so powerful.

[Lead Pastor]

I wish I had time I could.

[Assistant Pastor]

Spend a whole message unpacking the fact that all of the Old Testament points to Christ. And from Genesis to Malachi, it's all about Christ. And then the Exodus is all about the deliverance of Christ. And they pass through a sea because it is the baptism of Christ. And when they set up camp, they set up camp in the form of a cross. If you can fly over it with a drone, you will see the children of Israel set up like a cross prophesying the death of Christ. And all of the laws point to the fact that we need Christ. The Entire Old Testament reveals Christ. He's hidden in the Old Testament.

[Lead Pastor]

The whole Old Testament is about him. But I want you to see this. He says, watch these words, for it is written. Now, this is powerful to me. Why? Because watch the Lord tells them, Pete.

[Assistant Pastor]

The text, you're all going to abandon me this night. And then the next thing he says, it is written.

[Lead Pastor]

You'Re all going to abandon me this night. And then he says, it is written, you're all going to abandon me this night. And he says, it is written, oh, the abandonment is not accidental. I'm going to help some of you. The abandonment of Christ is inside the sovereign will of Almighty God. So you mean to tell me the failure of this man was inside the will of God? That the Lord was not caught by surprise by the fact that it was going to abandon him? Because it was already written that they would abandon him. It was written that the shepherd Jesus would be struck, crucified, and his followers.

[Assistant Pastor]

Would scatter and Israel would scatter. It was already. So you mean to tell me that the Lord knows about our failures, even those inside the context of his perfect will? So you mean to tell me there are some things you have failed at, fallen, made mistakes that did not catch God by surprise? That there are some things you have done that actually happen inside the context of God's will? Yes. I'm telling you right now that there's some areas you failed, some places you've fallen, some mistakes you made that God absolutely allowed. And he allowed it because it was written for the purpose of fulfilling the plans he has for your life. Jesus. Some of you have been persecuting your.

[Lead Pastor]

Own self for so many years, not.

[Assistant Pastor]

Realizing the thing, the area he let you fail, the mistakes he allowed you to make, some of that God used to produce in you the man and woman you are today.

[Lead Pastor]

You was in a false religion inside his will.

[Assistant Pastor]

You failed in that season inside his will. You was mad at God inside His will.

[Lead Pastor]

There are some things that God has allowed in your life. There are some things God has allowed in life that he allowed it inside the context of his will. Washes. This is the beautiful marriage between sovereignty and human weakness, sovereignty and humanity that God absolutely. Listen to me, man. God absolutely planned and knows about all of your stumbles. And there's some areas he knew. I know what it is as a young believer to fall away from God. I know what it is to run from a pastoral call for four years when the cross of the calling to this right here seemed too much for me to bear. And I bounced the other direction four years running from God. I know what it is to run from God for four years. I know it is to fail God early in my relationship with him. I know what it is to fall and make mistakes. I know what it is to do all of that. And I know it is to look over my shoulder and say, look what God has allowed. That it has helped to produce in me the man that I am right now.

[Assistant Pastor]

Let me just insert this for some.

[Lead Pastor]

Of y', all, and I'm going to come back to this in a few moments, Man. What I'm living right now is called a second chance. So my faithfulness to him is on steroids because I've already abandoned him in the past. You better believe God used this abandonment to change those men. You better believe these men never forgot about this abandonment. You better believe that these same men who were cowards on this night were.

[Assistant Pastor]

The same men, men who were powerfully preaching the gospel after they saw a red, resurrected Jesus. You better believe that the Holy Spirit used this failure to produce in them a faithfulness that would cause them to even become martyrs for Christ. And you better believe that the same God who transformed these men through failure, it's the same God who was able to transform you and strengthen you and preserve you and build your character through the things you have failed and not just through your successes. This is how we don't let the devil rob us of the testimony. Not only that I was faithful, but that I made mistakes and God still used it for my good. Thank God for Romans 8:28. That he works all things.

[Lead Pastor]

I look the devil in the face and saying the God that I serve, he works all things. All. Paul did not say he works some things. No, he works all things. For good, for those who love him and call. This is how you don't let the enemy keep persecuting you for things that are behind you. Because if it's under the blood, It has been weaponized. My failures, more than my mountaintops, produced in me the faithful man I am today. Maybe that's not your story, but that thing you keep running from, maybe God wants to use it. It's not a big platform or a large Instagram following or thousands of people. Y' all think this is what made me faithful? I was faithful when it was 50 of us. I was preaching like this when 2019 started with 183 people. These men will get another chance. I know what it is to get another chance. Some of you, it's the things that you despise sometimes the most that God will use as a scalpel to perfect something in your heart that made you a better man, a better woman, a better husband, a better father. It's your failure with the first child that made you a better father with the second child. It's your failure in the second marriage that made you a better husband. In the the Lord knows how to use all of that. The only stuff he won't use is the stuff you won't let him. So we give him access to the mountaintops and the valleys. We give him access to the successes and the failures and let him use all of it for your good. For it is written. So he told him, watch, gosh, I'm almost done tonight. All of you are going to abandon me tonight. The Lord had to bear the pain of that. But watch this next verse, verse 32 but after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee, O my Lord in heaven. The Lord just looked these men in the face. Watch the text. The Lord looked these men in the eyes and say, you're going to abandon me. Then the next thing he says, but after. He said, but after I'm raised up, I'm going to go before you. He's talking to them Future context He's already telling them, you're going to survive what you're about to go through. The fiery trial they're about to go through that night.

[Assistant Pastor]

He's telling them, they're about to go through a fiery trial and you're going to survive it. He's telling them to their face, you're about to fall and get back up. You're about to fail and get back up. You're about to go through a fiery trial and you will survive the trial. I'm talking to all of you that have experienced a but after, who have looked trials in the face and felt the peace of the Holy Spirit letting you know you will survive the very thing you're about to enter. Is anybody thankful for a but after oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Watch he says, but after on the line but after. You're going to fail me tonight. But after. And I have lived but after watch after. I will go ahead of you. He's already saying, you will fail me.

[Lead Pastor]

As a you will fail me tonight. I will be your shepherd tomorrow still.

[Assistant Pastor]

You will forsake me, but I will not forsake you. You will abandon me, but I will not abandon you. You will betray me, but I will not betray you. You will fall away from me, but I will not fall Away from you. He says, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. He's already telling her I'm going to be a shepherd on the other side of this. You will forsake me tonight.

[Lead Pastor]

I will not forsake you.

[Assistant Pastor]

For all of us who hurt God.

[Lead Pastor]

Had bad seasons, messed up somewhere. He will not abandon you the way you abandon him, will not forsake you the way you forsake him will not turn his back on you the way you turn your back on Him. He said to them, after watch, I'm almost done after I am raised. Notice he didn't say after I get up for myself. He said, after I am raised, meaning someone else will raise me.

[Assistant Pastor]

I have so much faith in the Father. I will go to the cross because.

[Lead Pastor]

I have confidence he will raise me from that tomb. Oh my gosh.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is Jesus showing faith in the Father to be willingly put to death. With confidence, while I'm laying in there, he will raise me from that tomb. The Lord did not get up on his own. Lest we not reason Romans when it says if the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, Jesus was not resurrected. In his own strength, the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. The Lord had so much confidence in.

[Lead Pastor]

The Father that he trusted him even with his death. That I will lay in that tomb and the Father, through the Spirit, will.

[Assistant Pastor]

Raise me from the dead.

[Lead Pastor]

But that's not what the scripture says. Only it says if the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. See, you don't even know how powerful you are. You don't know the help that you have. You don't understand who lives on the inside of you.

[Assistant Pastor]

Come on, man. You don't even understand who lives on the inside of you. That's why you should go back and read John 14, 15 and 16. Do you understand the power that lives on the inside of you? Power the Holy Spirit gives you. The power to not be a slave to sin. The power to live holy. The power to pray the will of God. The power to lay hands and see people healed. The power to believe for miracles. The power to see signs and wonders. The power that raised Christ from the dead. Resident in the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you. That's what the scripture says.

[Lead Pastor]

You have an identity crisis because you don't understand the power of the Holy Spirit.

[Assistant Pastor]

You'll be afraid of people because you.

[Lead Pastor]

Don'T understand the power of the Holy Spirit.

[Assistant Pastor]

You'll be feeling helpless in times of need because you don't understand the power of the Holy Spirit, you'll be saying, I got an assignment, but I don't know how to do it. Of course you don't. But you got the power of the Holy Spirit. You think I'm up here in my own strength. I come up here every week in weakness and I preach in the power of the Holy Spirit and sometimes cry the whole way home. I got up this morning discouraged. And I'm preaching to you right now in the power of the Holy Spirit, The one that empowers you. For every assignment.

[Lead Pastor]

You say, I'm afraid, but the Holy Spirit, I'm insecure.

[Assistant Pastor]

But the Holy Spirit, I feel ill equipped. But the Holy Spirit, I don't know how I'm gonna figure this out. But the Holy Spirit, I don't know how that door is gonna open. But the Holy Spirit, I don't know what to do in the circumstance. But the Holy Spirit, I can't remember that passage. But the Holy Spirit, I feel too weak to pull this off. But the Holy Spirit, how are we gonna do access in three months? But. Feeling the nudge to move to Atlanta to join 2019. Where am I going to get a job and where am I going to live and how am I going to bounce back? But the holy will lead in God.

[Lead Pastor]

Verse 33. Peter answered him, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away, Lord. Never mind. Peter didn't hear the part about the resurrection. He didn't hear the part about the. But after all he focused on is that the Lord is rebuking them for falling away and he tries to explain away the rebuke. So he does what we do. He puts the other disciples down to prop himself up. They will fall away. Those 10, they're gonna fall away because Judas already left those 10.

[Assistant Pastor]

They're gonna fall away. Me, I'll never leave.

[Lead Pastor]

Lord. Peter is a victim of self righteousness. And watch a dangerous misplaced confidence. Watch in himself.

[Assistant Pastor]

Not in the one.

[Lead Pastor]

Who'S talking to him, in himself. And this is what we do. This is the danger of self reliance. We say, I can do this without God, this marriage, I got this parenting, I got this ministry. I got this all the he's self reliance. This is, this is the danger of being overconfident in the flesh. So we want to do ministry without praying and preaching without praying and singing without praying and marriage without praying and parenting without praying. And we're doing business without praying. You said I got degrees.

[Assistant Pastor]

You shaking.

[Lead Pastor]

You're doing business deals without praying. This is the, this is, this is the danger of overconfidence when you think you can do fill in the blank without God, we have to avoid that. Jesus says to him in verse 34, no, Peter, truly, I tell you this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. Not only is my words not going to fall to the floor, Peter, you will deny me. But you're going to be the first person to do it. Forget the other 10. You're going to be the first one to do it. They're going to make it to the morning and balance. You won't even make it through the night. Watch. This is the Lord. Everybody watch. Revealing to his follower the blindness of his weakness. Look at me, everyone. Under the sound of my voice, you all have blind spots. As strong as you think you are, as righteous as you think you are, with all your degrees, all of your businesses, all of your acumen, there are people in this room. You think you are so strong, but what you don't see is that you have blind spots and the Holy Spirit will punch you in your soul to show you those blind spots. This is why you should always be thankful for conviction and you should always be thankful when God puts people in your life. Who is a chorus to keep telling you things about yourself that you can't.

[Assistant Pastor]

See said, why everybody keep telling me the same thing about myself? Because it's there.

[Lead Pastor]

You just don't want to accept accept it.

[Assistant Pastor]

We keep telling you about this area. We keep telling you about yourself in this area. That's why you should be that's why you should be thankful when you have.

[Lead Pastor]

A wife that tells you about yourself.

[Assistant Pastor]

Or husband who tells you about yourself.

[Lead Pastor]

Or friends who tells you about yourself. When the Lord is using people to point out your blind spots, we are.

[Assistant Pastor]

Foolish to push away.

[Lead Pastor]

We are wise to say thank you for showing me that and go process that in prayer. You all have blind spots and you need to thank God for the conviction that shows you those blind spots is why David prayed a powerful prayer. Lord, search my heart and show me if there's anything in me that is grievous. See, this is a powerful prayer. I pray this all the time. Lord, deliver me from my own self deception. If there's things in me I can't say, See, don't let me think I'm some hotshot preacher, some hotshot podcast. Show me everything in me that's nasty, dark, sinful, that hurts other people. Punch me in my soul, make me cry.

[Assistant Pastor]

Show me me.

[Lead Pastor]

Do you pray that way? No, you don't. You don't you don't pray that way when you assume you have it all together.

[Worship Leader]

That's right.

[Lead Pastor]

Peter assumed he had it all together. I'm done, son. Verse 35. Peter said to him, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same. So Peter does not even listen to the rebuke of the Lord. He is so self reliant and so blinded by a dangerous confidence that he really thinks that he has the strength in his own self to survive. What the Lord is about to go through. And the beauty of the text is that the Lord sees in us our weaknesses and our strengths. And the Lord in His graciousness, likes to work in our weaknesses lest those things damage us and damage our relationships. This is a beautiful passage to me because it shows us that the Lord and His sovereignty and his perfect loves.

[Assistant Pastor]

He deals with us in our strengths.

[Lead Pastor]

He deals with us in our weaknesses, but he does not abandon us in our weaknesses.

[Assistant Pastor]

This is powerful to me because I believe that this incident changed these men's lives. I believe that after these men rebounded from this and made them stronger, wiser, more bold man, history tells us that these same men, all of them, will go on to give their lives as martyrs for the Lord Jesus Christ, with the exception of John. It reminds us how God is faithful to us even when we're not faithful to Him. It reminds us how the Lord cares enough to rebuke us and open our eyes from seeing the things that we don't see. It reminds us of how the Lord deals with us as a loving shepherd.

[Lead Pastor]

On mountaintops and valleys and strengths and weaknesses. And it reminds us of how the Lord's faithfulness does not shift. When you shift and does not change because you change. He says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. It reminds us, man, that God is committed to us when we're doing well and when we're not. When we're faithful and when we're not. When we're having good seasons and when we're not, he's faithful to you. And it reminds us that in the sovereignty of the Lord there is nothing that's going to happen in your life that he does not know. And it reminds me of this last thing before I pray for you. You see how Peter was talking to the Lord on that night? The Lord knew that when he called him, The Lord knew exactly when he was getting. When he told Peter come, he knew he was going to get a man that was presumptuous, a big mouth. He knew he was going to get a man that was impetuous. He knew he was going to get a man that could not control his urges. He knew he was going to get a man that was going to betray him. He knew he was going to get.

[Assistant Pastor]

A man that was going to deny he even knowed him. He knew he was getting a man that was going to do all of this. Because nothing in Peter surprised the Lord. And for you. He knew exactly what he was going to get when he called you, when he said to you come. He knew exactly what he was getting. He knew about your failures, your insecurities, your hang ups. He knew about the times you would walk away and come back. He knew exactly what he was getting.

[Lead Pastor]

When he called you. There was nothing in you that has surprised him.

[Assistant Pastor]

He handles all of your beauty and all of your ugliness.

[Lead Pastor]

And I'm encouraging myself right now. Especially in those times when you feel like you've disappointed the Lord. You're going through a hard season. The Lord knew exactly what he was getting when he said come. He knew about everything you would do every time you would fail, fall down, every mistake you would make. He knew about the times you would walk away mad at him and he would have to bring you back like, come, let us reason together. He knew about all of that when he said come. There is nothing happening in your life that he did not know or did not plan for. This is the faithful Lord that you and I serve who's worthy of all of our praise, our affections, our faithfulness, our honor, our devotion. He's worthy of your entire life. So Lord, to you we pray, Thanking you for that you're faithful, that your faithfulness does not shift in our failures, in our weakness and in our frailties. God, reveal to us those areas where we are blind and we cannot see. Areas that are damaging our marriage, damaging our friendships, damaging our relationships. Reveal to us those areas and give us the humility to adjust according to course correct. And Father God, I pray right now something like awe would rise in the hearts of these, your sons and daughters. Their love for you would be deepened when they consider that you will never leave them nor forsake them. They will continuously and perpetually until you come be the recipients of but after, but after, but after. I pray this right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[Worship Leader]

For from you are all things and to you are all things, you deserve the glory.

[Lead Pastor]

Come on, sing to him.

[Worship Leader]

You worthy of it all. You have a voice using you worthy of it all.

[Lead Pastor]

He can see and he can hear you.

[Worship Leader]

You deserve the glory. You worthy of it.

[Assistant Pastor]

Come on church, sing to him.

[Worship Leader]

It all. Oh Lord, you worthy, you wor of it all. We give you our every praise. For from you are all things until you are all things. You deserve the glory. You are worthy of it all. You worthy of it all. Oh Lord, you're worthy, you're worthy of it all. You created all things over you are all things until you are. You deserve. Who you are. You deserve it, you deserve the glory. Night and day, day arise. Day and night, night and day. Let incense arise day and night, night and day. Let incense arise day and night, day and night, night and day. Let incense arise day and night, night, daylight, night and day. Let it be a worthy sacrifice. And you wor, You wor you're worthy of it all. For all you are until you are all you deserve it. All you worthy, worthy of it all, you worthy of it all. We give you our absolute best today, Jesus. Completely out before you are. Much. Worthy, you are. Hallelujah. Thank you, jesus. Thank you, jesus.