August 21, 2026 · David Farmer
Follow, Meditate, Rise
“Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Luke 22:54-62 →
## Blessed is the Man
There’s a common sermon here that we’ve all heard preachers preach from this Scripture. That is “not following Jesus closely enough will lead to sitting down amongst His enemies. Sitting down with them, will leave you weeping bitterly out in the cold. This reminds me of the progression of actions within Psalm 1. Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsels of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers,” So you see as one who walks with the wicked eventually stands with sinners and then sits with scoffers, following at a distance we eventually sit down among the enemy and go out weeping.
## Day and Night
Haven’t you observed in church some who follow Christ closely, and others who sit and scoff at everything else. I can’t say in my own experience these types commonly have a Christianity I desire to copy. So what is the alternative to becoming like this? Psalm 1 goes on...
Psalm 1:2 “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
## Self-Check
Could this be the temptation Jesus told Peter to pray about right before He was taken? Follow Jesus closely lest you be tempted to walk with the wicked. Meditate on God’s Word day and night lest you walk in the way of sinners. Rise and pray, so you will not fall to the temptation of scoffing.
## Jesus’ Employees