When We Deny God: Beyond Peter's Moment
Today, our minds might immediately go to that poignant scene in the Gospels where Peter, in a moment of fear and weakness, denied Christ three times. His denial was verbal and direct, a heartbreaking failure in the face of immense pressure. We read that account and often think, "I would never do that."
But what if denying God isn't always a dramatic, verbal repudiation? What if, in our daily lives, we subtly, sometimes even unknowingly, deny Him through our actions, our attitudes, and our choices?
Our theme today is When Do We Deny God? It's a challenging question, one that calls for honest self-examination. Let’s explore this crucial topic together, going beyond the dramatic denial of Peter to uncover the more subtle, yet equally serious, ways we might deny our Lord.
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I. We Deny God When We Are Abominable
The Bible uses the strong term "abominable" to describe things that are utterly contrary to God's holy character and His revealed law. When we engage in such practices, even if our lips confess God, our lives deny Him.
A. Abomination = Contrary to God's law. This is not simply a distasteful act, but something that God detests, something that goes against His very nature and moral order.
B. Biblical examples of what is abominable:
• Idolatry (1 Kings 21:26): King Ahab "behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel." Anything that takes the place of God in our lives – whether it's money, power, pleasure, self, a career, or even a relationship – becomes an idol. When we serve these things, we deny the exclusive claim of the one true God on our worship and devotion.
• Spiritual foolishness (Psalm 14:1): "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" A fool is not necessarily intellectually unintelligent, but morally and spiritually bankrupt. Such a person denies God not just with their lips, but in their heart and in their practical ways of living, acting as if God does not exist or is irrelevant.
• Refusal to hear the law (Proverbs 28:9): "If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable." It's not enough to simply hear God's Word. If we hear but consistently refuse to obey, if we willfully ignore His commands, then our very hearing becomes an abomination. This is a profound denial of God's authority.
• Injustice in dealing with others (Proverbs 11:1): "The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him." "False scales" symbolize dishonest business practices, cheating, exploitation, or any form of injustice in our dealings with others. When we are unjust, we deny God's character of righteousness and fairness.
• Lying (Proverbs 12:22): "The Lord detests lying lips, but delights in people who are trustworthy." Lying is fundamentally denying God's truth. Jesus told the Pharisees who rejected Him, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44). When we lie, we act like children of the devil, not children of God, thereby denying the God of truth.
• Wicked Thoughts (Proverbs 15:26): "The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but he delights in those who are pure." It's not just our actions; what we harbor in our minds can also be an abomination if it goes against God's holiness. Malice, lust, envy, revenge – these secret thoughts deny God's call to purity of heart.
C. Conclusion of this point: When we consistently live out these abominable practices, even if we claim to know God with our lips, our very lives contradict that claim. Our actions become a resounding denial of who God is and our supposed relationship with Him. And if we deny Him in this way, Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:33: "But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." This is a terrifying thought.
II. We Deny God When We Are Disobedient
Beyond abominable practices, a pattern of disobedience to clear biblical commands also constitutes a denial of God. Obedience is a fundamental expression of our love and allegiance.
A. Examples of disobedience that deny God:
• Disobeying civil laws (Romans 13:1-2): "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." Rebellion against legitimate authority, especially when it doesn't conflict with God's higher law, is rebellion against God Himself.
• Disobeying parents (Ephesians 6:1-2): "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise—". Disrespect, defiance, or disobedience in the home denies God's clear design for family order and His authority over us.
• Lack of order in the family:
◦ Husbands who don't lead (Ephesians 5:23): "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior." When husbands abdicate their God-given responsibility to lovingly lead and care for their families, they deny God's design for the home.
◦ Wives who don't submit (Ephesians 5:22): "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." When wives refuse to willingly submit to their husbands' loving leadership, they deny God's complementary design for the family.
• Not preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15-16): Jesus' Great Commission is unequivocal: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Missionary silence, a failure to share the life-saving message of Christ, is not passive inaction; it is an active disobedience, a denial of the very purpose for which we have been saved and sent.
III. We Deny God When We Are Useless for Any Good Work
Finally, we deny God when our lives are characterized by a lack of fruitfulness and usefulness in His service.
A. God created us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10): "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." If we are not actively engaged in the good works He has prepared for us, we are failing to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
B. God expects a people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14; 3:8; 3:14):
• Titus 2:14: Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
• Titus 3:8: "And I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."
• Titus 3:14: "Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives." Not being useful, being idle or negligent in Christian service, makes us like the "worthless servant" in Jesus' parable.
C. Jesus himself said it: "A worthless servant" (Luke 17:10): Jesus taught, "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’" While the context is humility, the implication is clear: those who do nothing are truly worthless in the kingdom. Whoever doesn't do what they ought to do, even if they claim to know God, is denying Him by their inaction.
D. What good works are you failing to do today? This calls for personal reflection. Are we actively helping others, teaching the truth, comforting the sorrowful, serving the church, or evangelizing the lost? He who does nothing, who sits idly by, is already denying God with his actions, or lack thereof.
- Preaching on The People of God: Called, Chosen, and Transformed
- Preaching on Test the Spirits 1 John 4:1
- Preaching About Hope Colossians 1:5
Conclusion
Peter's denial was a moment of weakness, followed by bitter repentance and restoration. But the denials we've discussed today are often a pattern of life, a lifestyle that contradicts our confession.
Jesus' words are a solemn warning for all of us: "Whoever denies me... him I also will deny" (Matthew 10:33).
Let us not live lives that, by our abominable practices, our persistent disobedience, or our spiritual uselessness, deny the very God whom we claim to serve. Instead, may our lives be a resounding "Yes!" to Him—a life of purity, obedience, and fervent good works, all to His glory.
May God give us the grace to examine our hearts and lives, repent where necessary, and live in such a way that our every breath and action proclaims our unwavering allegiance to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
