Undeserved Restoration

Introduction

A few years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt's famous painting "Nightwatch." Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. A short time later, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo's beautiful sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art were severely damaged. But what did officials do? Throw them out and forget about them? Absolutely not! Using the best experts, who worked with the utmost care and precision, they made every effort to restore the treasures.

Too often in our lives we think if we fail at something we are useless.

We think it is time for us to be thrown out and pushed into the garbage dump.

We think we are done and of no value because we failed at the most important thing.

Maybe this was adultery.

Maybe this was theft at work.

Maybe this was a DWI that cost you your job.

Maybe this was you blowing up the deal the biggest client the company ever had.

Maybe you failed to tend the cattle as you should and now too many died.

Whatever the struggle is or the failure you committed, none of these are on par with what Peter did in denying the Lord.

Peter denied Christ on the night of His false trials and eve of His crucifixion.

This was the man who said he would do anything and yet he denied Christ.

But the amazing thing is this denial was not the end.

No, there was restoration for Peter and there can be restoration for you too in any mistake, failure, sin, or corruption you have done.

Before we look at the restoration let us examine some of the build ups to the restoration of Peter.

Maybe when we examine these traits Peter had, you may see something of you in this and change before the fall occurs.

First we see Peter’s

Bold Bravado

We read of this in John 13:36-38 but in Mark 14:29-31 we get a more detailed version of the situation.

Mark 14:29–31 ESV

29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Bold, arrogant, egotistical.

Maybe we have felt this way about things just to be shown we are not what we thought we were.

I know I have.

I have said I was going to put on a school for some others on something only to be schooled in return.

When we begin to be too proud, you can guarantee we will be put on the ground.

I get it.

We want to sound good.

We want to look good.

We want others to see us and think “Man that person has it going on. I wish I could be like them.”

Peter had that thought too.

Remember the disciples had been arguing earlier in the evening about who was the greatest.

Peter saw this as a chance to show he was the greatest.

He failed because he said “I,I,I” instead of “with your strength I will not do.”

We need to avoid thinking we can’t fall.

We can fall and we will fall when we think we can’t fall.

Just as Proverbs says of the proud, Proverbs 16:18 “18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Paul told us to 1 Corinthians 10:12 “12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

But know, even if you fall and falter like Peter did, you can have a second chance.

Life may become hard and become painful, but that does not mean it is over, that just reveals to you that you are still in the fight.

Remember that failure is not the end, but can become the end if you stay in it.

Look at what Peter did after being so bold he had a...

Fearful Denial

We read of this denial in John 18:15-18, 25-26 but we have a more detailed version in Mark 14:66-72 in which we read

Mark 14:66–72 ESV

66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Here we see that Peter did the exact opposite of what he boldly boasted he would do.

He did not fail once but three times.

Peter rejected Christ three times.

Wow.

That is bad.

He let fear of others stop him from being faithful tot he Lord.

But, he knew he failed when he wept.

Do you remember reading the little section in the Gospel’s where Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him?

This is in Luke 22:31–32 “31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Christ knew Peter would turn again and be even stronger for the failure than without it.

What we see from this failure is that

Jesus helped Peter grasp his most valuable life lesson—he must learn humility before he could obtain leadership. Peter needed to confront realistically his shortcomings before he could guide the flock. This strong, powerful person had to be broken before he could deal compassionately with others. Do you aspire to lead others? It takes more than talent to gather followers. To have Jesus’ style of leadership takes a spirit broken from pride, linked to God, and tender toward others. (Barton, John, Life Application Bible Commentary, 407).

Maybe you have fallen into something that is bad.

Maybe you have been left high and dry because you were to proud and arrogant.

Maybe you have taken on something that was too big for you.

Maybe you think you are too far gone and not capable of coming back.

Well, this is where Jesus came into Peter and helped him find his way back.

Where he helped him see his shortcomings and make that a strength so he did not do this again.

We see Jesus give...

Gracious Restoration

We see the restoration in John 21:15-19

John 21:15–19 ESV

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus could have rejected Peter.

He could have sent him out and found another.

But remember Jesus knew Peter needed this to make him better and make him a more capable leader.

When Satan asked to sift Jesus said that when Peter was restored he would lead better.

Much like this story of a Johnson and Johnson employee.

When Jim Burke became the head of a new products division at Johnson & Johnson, one of his first projects was the development of a children's chest rub. The product failed miserably, and Burke expected that he would be fired. When he was called in to see the chairman of the board, however, he met a surprising reception. "Are you the one who just cost us all that money?" asked Robert Wood Johnson. "Well I just want to congratulate you. If you are making mistakes, that means you are taking risks, and we won't grow unless you take risks." Some years later, when Burke himself became chairman of J&J, he continued to spread that word.

He failed but was restored.

When restored he did not forget the amazing grace he was shown and he carried that on to others.

Jesus did this for Peter and will do the same for you if you are open to hear what He is saying to you.

In this section of Scripture we see Jesus ask Peter three times if he loves Him

Three times he then tells Peter to tend, feed, and tend my sheep.

Simply put He is saying, “submit to me and take care of others that are mine and you will do well.”

Or as another has said it, “Supreme love for and loyalty to Jesus is the prerequisite for significant service to our Lord” (Köstenberger, Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective, 184).

Think about it this way.

When you make a terrible mistake and then the one you hurt severely gives you another chance, you commit to them even more.

You strive to be the best for them you can be and you are more wary of your shortcomings and what needs work.

But for this to happen there will be work in restoration.

Restoration can be

Painful

The pain is from the three time asked question of “do you love me.”

Maybe in your restoration you may be grieved by some questions asked of you.

Remember these are to restore you not reduce you.

Pain is part of the restorative process because we have failed and regaining placing will be painful.

Don’t become angry with questions and prodding, it is part of the process.

In these Christ is assuring that you are corrected and true and not just saying you are.

Purposeful

God still has a plan for you as He did for Peter.

He told Peter to tend, feed, and tend the sheep.

These are the flock of Christ and Peter was told to tend their needs, watch out for them, and feed their needs.

These were Christ’s sheep not Peter’s.

This was not placing him in a place of primacy, and there is not guarantee you will ever be placed in a place of primacy when you are restored.

What this is for Peter and for us is that even in failure God can and will still use you if you will follow what He says and not what you desire.

When we allow God to lead us and we seek His purpose over our desires, we will see the beauty of the place we are in and not desire something more.

Hard as this one is, it is the truth because He is our leader and we follow Him.

Which leads to the next aspect of what restoration looks like.

Praise-filled

When we follow God fully as His we bring praise to Him because.

Peter was told that he would be led places by others.

That they would bind him and take him where he did not want to go, but that he was to do this because in doing this he was following Christ.

When we follow Christ regardless what it is we do we will always do what is right.

We will not fall into our old wants and desires because we will have forsook them for the Lord.

We will not seek glory or fame but His glory alone will we seek.

When we do this we will be walking in four ways that all are part of the restoration.

These are as follows:

This is discipleship- we are growing and learning more and more rather than thinking we know it all.

This is worship- we are giving praise and glory to God over ourselves where we, even if unknowingly, were seeking all of this for ourselves.

This is pursuing God- we are chasing after God trying to be more like Him in all we do rather than trying to make God more like us in all we do. And then this leads to us

This is becoming mature through failure and not staying in defeat- we are finally becoming the man or woman God has set for us to be because we have taken the weaknesses we had and given them to God for Him to mold into power.

This is the second chance. This is why we praise His glorious name and amazing grace.

No matter how bad you think you are.

No matter how far you think you have fallen.

No matter what it is, you can have restoration, just listen to the voice of Christ and let Him speak back into you what you have let go by chasing all you want.

Conclusion

I have read of this story of this almost ruined wall until this man went to work on it.

J. Stuart Holden tells of an old Scottish mansion close to where he had his little summer home. The walls of one room were filled with sketches made by distinguished artists. The practice began after a pitcher of soda water was accidentally spilled on a freshly decorated wall and left an unsightly stain. At the time, a noted artist, Lord Landseer, was a guest in the house. One day when the family went out to the moors, he stayed behind. With a few masterful strokes of a piece of charcoal, that ugly spot became the outline of a beautiful waterfall, bordered by trees and wildlife. He turned that disfigured wall into one of his most successful depictions of Highland life. This is what God by His sovereign grace, can do for us in our failures. God can bring good out of our failures, and even out of our sins.