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Let's Become People Who Do Not Deny Jesus!

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Bible verse : Matthew 26:74-75 (NIV)

Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them,
"I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken:
"Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
And he went outside and wept bitterly.

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The evening before Jesus suffered on the cross, he had his last meal with his disciples. After Jesus took the bread and wine, gave thanks, and spoke to his disciples about Jesus' own death, he took his disciples and went up the Mount of Olives.

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Jesus, who climbed the mountain with his disciples, told them what would happen to him from that night. “Tonight you will all abandon me. I will rise again and after that I will go to Galilee.” Jesus already knew what would happen to him.

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After hearing Jesus' words, Peter stepped forward and said, "Jesus! Even if everyone else forsakes you, I will never forsake you.” Peter insisted that no matter what, he would not betray Jesus.

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After hearing Peter's words, Jesus said something shocking to Peter. “Peter, I tell you the truth. You'll say you don't know me three times before the cock crows tonight."

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When Peter heard Jesus say he would say he didn't know Jesus, Peter spoke even more strongly. “Even if I die with you, I will never deny you.” The other disciples said they would be with Jesus to the end, just like Peter.

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That evening, men sent by the chief priests and elders put Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, in front of them, and arrested Jesus and brought him before Caiaphas, the high priest. They treated Jesus as a sinner by using false witnesses to make a false sin of blaspheming God. They spat on Jesus' face, hit him with their fists, hit him with their palms, and insulted him with all sorts of insults.

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Peter was sitting outside the courtyard of the high priest's synagogue, watching what was going on with Jesus. Then a female servant recognized Peter and said, She said, “Are you also the one who was with that Jesus?” Peter hurried away, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

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Peter left and went to the gate. Then another female servant recognized Peter as the one who had been with Jesus. “This is the man who was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Upon hearing this, Peter said, “I swear I do not know that man.”

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After a while, another person spoke to Peter.

“Obviously you are one of them. I'm sure it's from the way you speak.”

Upon hearing the third word, Peter cursed and swore.

“I don’t know him.” When Peter said he did not know Jesus three times, a        rooster crowed.

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Hearing the crowing of a rooster, Peter remembered what Jesus had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter immediately ran outside. And he wept bitterly because he was so ashamed that he did not know Jesus.

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While Jesus was on this earth, He showed that He was the Messiah through numerous words and miracles. However, the chief priests, elders, and scribes did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. In order to kill Jesus, the Messiah, by crucifixion, they accused Jesus of false sins to the governor Pilate the next day.

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Pilate knew that Jesus was without sin. But he was more afraid of the people shouting for Jesus to be crucified than God. To satisfy the people, Pilate severely scourged Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

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The soldiers dressed Jesus in purple. A crown of thorns was placed on his head and a reed was placed in his hand. They knelt before Jesus and pretended to bow.
They spit on Jesus and hit him on the head with a reed and made fun of him.
Then they put him on a cross and took him to a place called Golgotha. Jesus died on the cross at Golgotha.

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Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, came to this earth in the same flesh as us to forgive our sins. But people did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and crucified him. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah who would come to this earth would suffer in order to forgive our sins.
[But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)]
The death of Jesus on the cross is the most certain proof that he is the true Messiah.

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Judas Iscariot, who was a disciple, betrayed Jesus, and even Peter, who said he would be with Jesus until his death, denied knowing him three times. But Jesus did not give up on the path of suffering to save us.
Jesus accomplished salvation by dying on behalf of all our sins. Because Jesus died on the cross, we have been set free from sin. Having received the grace of salvation, what we must do is clear. We must become people of true faith who do not deny Jesus in any situation. We live our whole lives with the courage of faith to confidently say, “I am a believer in Jesus” in front of anyone.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)