Am I Peter or Am I Judas | Pastor Tyler Johnson | 03.01.26

Devotional

Day 1: The Heart of True Worship

True worship is not a suggestion but a command, a joyful response to an awesome God. It flows from a heart that recognizes His supreme worth and kingship over all creation. This praise is not reserved for a certain personality or tradition; it is the rightful offering of every soul that understands who He is. When we grasp His majesty, our natural response is exuberant, heartfelt adoration. [17:24]

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.
Psalm 47:1-2 (NLT)

Reflection: What does the command to "shout to God with joyful praise" reveal about the nature of our God? In what practical ways can your daily life more fully reflect this heart of exuberant worship?

Day 2: Running to Jesus After Failure

Spiritual maturity is not defined by an absence of failure but by the direction we run when we fall. Both Peter and Judas experienced deep remorse for their epic failures on the same night. The critical difference was not the severity of their sin, but their response to it. One ran from Jesus into isolation and despair; the other ran toward Jesus, believing mercy was bigger than his sin. Our story is determined by where we turn in our shame. [44:12]

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)

Reflection: When you have failed or feel ashamed, what is your instinctual response? What would it look like this week to consciously choose to run toward Jesus instead of away from Him?

Day 3: Who Is God to You?

The most foundational question for our faith is who God is to us personally. Is He merely a rabbi—a source of information we leverage for our benefit? Or is He truly Lord—the one who owns every part of our lives? This distinction shapes everything. Peter’s intimate cry of “Lord” and Judas’s distant “Rabbi” revealed the state of their hearts before their failures even occurred. Our view of God determines our destiny. [55:29]

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”
Luke 6:46 (ESV)

Reflection: In the quiet places of your heart, do you relate to God more as a helpful rabbi or as your surrendered Lord? What is one area of your life where you are being invited to move from familiarity to full surrender?

Day 4: The Church as a Place for Getting Back Up

The church is designed by God to be the best place to fall, because it is filled with people who help you get back up. It is not a museum for the perfect but a hospital for the broken, a community where we can be truly known. Like Peter, we are called to live a public, messy life of faith, swinging the bat and sometimes missing, surrounded by grace that restores us. True community moves beyond superficiality into redemptive honesty. [50:30]

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2 (ESV)

Reflection: Is your experience of church more like a place where you perform or a place where you can be real? Who is one person you can trust to share a recent struggle with, inviting them to help you get back up?

Day 5: Grace as Your Tether to the Mountain

Grace is not just the entry point to salvation; it is the divine tether that keeps us connected to Christ as we climb the mountain of life. We will stumble and fall, but grace ensures we never plummet to destruction. It is the harness that pulls us back onto the path, transforming us from liars like Jacob into saints who worship in God’s presence. Our standing is not based on our perfect grip but on His unwavering hold. [01:29:28]

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 24:3-5 (ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding grace as a constant tether, rather than a one-time rescue, change the way you approach your daily walk with God? Where do you need to stop striving to climb in your own strength and simply rest in His secure hold today?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 47 issues a summons to loud, embodied praise—clapping, shouting, lifting hands—because the Lord most high reigns. Announcements celebrate eight years of gathered life, a week of prayer and fasting, revival nights, a Nehemiah building campaign, and a bold Easter at the Concord Pavilion aimed at reaching a thousand-plus souls. The central scriptural contrast examines the same night in two lives: one who betrayed and despaired, and one who denied and was restored. Both experienced deep failure, but one let guilt finish the story while the other let grace rewrite it.

The difference hinges on three realities. First, the identity of God in a heart shapes response: Lord as intimacy and ownership produces repentance that runs back to Jesus; Rabbi as mere information produces proximity without transformation. Second, the nature of church life matters: superficial or private memberships hide sin and stunt growth, while true, honest community calls one out of isolation into accountability and healing. Third, grace functions as the tether up the mountain—sin will buckle knees and scatter dignity, but grace catches, cleans, and reorients a life toward holiness. Historical sketches of John and Charles Wesley clarify how disciplined practices—regular Scripture, prayer, community, sacrificial giving—form believers beyond occasional religious feeling.

Practical applications move from diagnosis to invitation. Small groups should become places where questions cut past polite talk into integrity, finances, sexual purity, prayer habits, and calling. Spiritual methods—set rhythms and honest confessing—guard against drifting. Biblical imagery of climbing the Lord’s mountain underscores that climbing requires clean hands and pure hearts, not self-righteousness; those marks come by imputed righteousness through the cross. The invitation remains simple and urgent: exchange shame for the robe of righteousness, name Jesus as Lord, and let grace do the work of restoration rather than letting failure become the final word.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose Jesus as Lord, not Rabbi. Repentance restores relationship, not merely corrects behavior. When God is known as Lord—owner, lover, and rightful king—sin becomes a rupture with a beloved, and returning centers on reunion. Conversion that understands Jesus as Lord reorients priorities, so obedience flows from love rather than duty. [55:29]
2. Let grace, not guilt, define response. Guilt that hardens seals a tragic end; grace that pursues changes life stories. The Gospel offers a tether that prevents permanent collapse, enabling repeated rises after catastrophic failure. Choosing grace means refusing narrative death by shame and embracing continual restoration. [43:27]
3. Build true, honest church community. Superficial gatherings mask struggles; chaotic scenes entertain dysfunction; true community cultivates confession, correction, and restoration. Small groups that ask hard questions—about integrity, finances, lust, prayer rhythms—become the crucible of real growth. Intimacy with other believers accelerates sanctification and dismantles isolation. [69:56]
4. Practice rhythms that form faith. Spiritual disciplines create real formation where mere familiarity fails. Regular Scripture reading, prayer, service, and accountability produce a life that looks like Peter—messy but maturing—rather than Judas—private and ultimately broken. Methodical devotion makes holiness habitual, not episodic. [67:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:24] - Call to Praise (Psalm 47)
[36:54] - Announcements & Eight-Year Celebration
[39:15] - Easter at the Concord Pavilion
[41:11] - Am I Peter or Judas?
[52:28] - Who Is God To You?
[67:26] - Methods for Forming Faith
[69:56] - What Is the Church?
[85:52] - Grace and the Mountain of the Lord
[90:48] - Invitation: Make Jesus Lord

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading:
Psalm 24:3-6 (ESV)
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Matthew 27:3-5 (ESV)
When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Luke 22:61-62 (ESV)
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word 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.

Observation questions

What are the specific requirements listed in Psalm 24 for someone to "ascend the hill of the LORD"?
How did Judas respond after realizing his sin of betraying Jesus?
How did Peter respond after he realized he had denied Jesus three times?
What was the key difference in how these two men viewed Jesus, as shown by their use of "Rabbi" versus "Lord"? [55:29]

Interpretation questions

Why would the requirements in Psalm 24 be impossible for anyone to meet on their own?
How does viewing God as "Rabbi" (teacher) versus "Lord" (master) affect a person's response to failure? [56:06]
What role does genuine Christian community play in helping someone get back up after they fall? [01:09:56]
Why is grace described as a "tether" that keeps us connected to God even when we fail? [01:29:28]

Application questions

When you fail or sin, what is your immediate response? Do you tend to hide in shame like Judas or run back to Jesus like Peter? What practical step can you take this week to run to Jesus more quickly?
Who is God to you right now - primarily a Rabbi who gives good advice, or a Lord who owns your entire life? [56:06] What area of your life (finances, relationships, purity, time) are you still keeping from His lordship?
How authentic is your Christian community? Are your relationships at the level of talking about sports and weather ([01:18:19]), or do you have people who ask you the hard questions about integrity, purity, and prayer life? Who could you invite to speak this kind of truth into your life?
What spiritual rhythms (Bible reading, prayer, serving, giving) have you been inconsistent with lately? [01:07:26] What one method can you put in place this week to become more intentional rather than drifting?
Where has shame been defining your story instead of grace? [01:29:28] What would it look like to receive the "robe of righteousness" today and let grace rewrite your next chapter?
The Wesley brothers asked group members: "Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling?" [01:25:03] How would you answer that question right now? What's one thing God might be calling you to that you've been avoiding?
Easter is an opportunity to bring people to Jesus. [39:15] Who is one person you could not only invite but personally bring to church? What would it look like to be a "Janie Reynolds" to someone in your life?

Sermon Clips

One let guilt have the final word. One let grace have the final word. One believed his sin was bigger than mercy, and one believed mercy was bigger than his sin. They both felt deep remorse. They both failed epically. And the only things that make them different is one ran from Jesus and one ran to Jesus. And I'm here to encourage you. This service is gonna encourage you run back to Jesus. The more you follow Jesus, you'll realize that spiritual maturity is not about falling. It's about when you do fall, how quick do you run to Jesus? [00:43:49] (31 seconds) #RunToJesus

And I'm here to tell you that if you wanna be Judas, live like Judas, stay private. Keep your struggles to yourself. Keep your mask on tight and handle your guilt in the dark. You'll look great right up until the moment you collapse. And I wanna show you a moment of what real church looks like in Mark eight. Jesus is having a service, if you will, if I could just kinda give you that kind of context. He's just building he's building a group of people. That's what Jesus is doing. [01:11:18] (27 seconds) #DontBeJudas

And then eventually, started reading my bible. And I saw a God that I did not know. Wow. A God that loved me, that was gracious, that was kind. Oh, but he was holy. Yes. And I'm here to ask you a question. What has shaped your view of God? So good. Your abusive dad? Your absent dad? Your good dad? You have a carnal culture? Consuming culture? What has made you view God in a way that he is not? [01:01:42] (30 seconds) #WhoShapedYourGod

So what what am I trying to show you? I'm trying to show you that this mountain that you are supposed to climb in life, that Jesus is your guide. He wants to climb it with you. That his death and resurrection has created the path. When there was no way up the mountain, he made a way. And grace is the harness that keeps you connected so you don't fall to the bottom. [01:28:37] (22 seconds) #JesusIsYourGuide

I started getting this picture of church and when somebody falls. What's their experience? Is it mocking and words being said and walking by them? Failure, mistake, what a joke. Or is it people just kinda looking at them weird? Is it people that are acting like they don't see it? Or is there anybody that's gonna go, man, I got you. Let me keep you back up again, buddy. And I and I wanna I wanna encourage you that that this thing called Christianity, this should be the best place for you to fall. Yes. [00:49:52] (34 seconds) #ChurchLiftsYouUp

And I'm here to encourage you that if you actually wanna follow the lord and get everything you got, it's not gonna be because you have proximity to him. Proximity Christians, you are deceiving yourself. Yeah. You come to church, say some words, you're around Christians, but God is just something to you. But a practicing Christian like Peter is, he's my everything. Yes. Yes. I miss Jesus when I sin. Yes. I miss him when I stray. Yes. I miss him when I drift. [01:02:32] (32 seconds) #PracticeOverProximity

It's I just can't get up yet. Like like, that would be weird. Yes? Yes. But we do this emotionally and spiritually and relationally. That's all good. Yeah. Yeah. And Jesus would invite you today that he wants to get you back up. The the righteous will fall seven times and get up. That word seven is not on accident. It means completion. It means those will be people who completely fail. Yeah. It's not like you're gonna be like, oh, I tripped and I stubbed my like, no. It's people who absolutely face plant in their life. Complete failure. [00:51:21] (29 seconds) #FallSevenRise

And and and that's the that's what you gotta ask yourself in the room today. Do I wanna be formed by Jesus, or do I wanna just be familiar with Jesus? And so they once said, I wanna get formed. And the Bible is very clear. You do not get formed by familiarity. You get formed by actually allowing him to shape your life. And so so they started the holy club, they would read the word. And they would just say, what does the word say? And we're gonna do it. [01:07:26] (19 seconds) #BeFormedNotFamiliar

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Am I Peter or Am I Judas | Pastor Tyler Johnson | 03.01.26

Devotional

Day 1: The Heart of True Worship

Day 2: Running to Jesus After Failure

Day 3: Who Is God to You?

Day 4: The Church as a Place for Getting Back Up

Day 5: Grace as Your Tether to the Mountain

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Am I Peter or Am I Judas | Pastor Tyler Johnson | 03.01.26

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