Peter - The Bitter Made Sweet

Open with prayer:

For world situations…

For our nation…

For our church/sick/unity…

For the lost…

For Alpha…

For forgiveness…

Connection/Tension

Christ is risen!

Jesus rose on the third day - it that changes everything. It changes us. It changes our circumstances. So we’re looking at what it means now for us to be Third Day People. This morning I want to look at the topic of bitterness.

We’ve probably all experienced some bitterness in our life:

Bitter family members

Bitterness of crushed dreams

Or if you’re broke, the bitterness of cheap beer

The apostle Peter knows something about bitterness. On the night that Jesus is arrested and brought to the high priest’s home for questioning, Peter follows and hangs around outside. While he’s warming himself at a fire someone identifies him as one of those who was with Jesus. Peter denies it. A little while later someone else asks him if he is one of Jesus’ followers. Again, he denies it. Finally, as morning approaches, one more person asks him if he is part of Jesus’ group, and he begins to curse and yell that he doesn’t even know him.

And then a rooster crows. And Peter remembers that at the meal they all shared with Jesus the previous evening that Jesus predicted Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed. And then we read this: Luke 22:61–62 “The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”

Have you ever felt bitter? Often the things that make us bitter are caused by other people and circumstances. You weren’t treated fairly by someone. You got passed over for a job - even though you were more qualified. You had to take the blame for something you didn’t do. Maybe you grew up in a home that was abusive or neglectful. You’re not where you thought you would be at this point in your life. Your spouse isn’t changing in the ways you hoped and your image of a “dream” marriage isn’t coming about. You gave someone a second, third, fourth chance, and they betrayed you anyway. A loved one died way too early. I could go on. But life has happened, and there are places in your heart where bitterness has taken up residence, and it colors how we see the rest of our life.

I spent a long time in bitterness toward people who betrayed me. Who took opportunities I graciously gave them, and then used them to undermine me. I’ve felt the bitterness of doing my best to raise my kids to love and serve the Lord, only to watch two of them - for now - walk away from that. Here is a bitterness that quickly sucks the joy our of life.

But sometimes, our bitterness, like Peter’s, is because of our own actions. In the heat of passion or anger we’ve done something that we regret, that we feel ashamed of, and it’s created bitterness. Maybe our bitterness is because we feel like we’ve let God down, that we’re a disappointment to him. Maybe we become bitter because we have a past we can’t seem to shake. Whatever the reason, bitterness is robbing us of joy and peace.

If you are walking in a bitterness that is robbing you of life, this morning I want you to hope again that because of the third day What has been bitter in your life can be made sweet again.

Text and Context

If you have Bible you can turn to Exodus 15. Let me give some context. The people of Israel had become enslaved to the Egyptians. And so God sends Moses to deliver them, and through Moses brings ten plagues upon Egypt. Finally, after the last one, the pharoah lets the people go. They head out but quickly come to the Red Sea. In the meantime, pharoah changes his mind and sends his army after them. So Israel is facing pharaoh's army with their back to the Red Sea. And then God does one of the great miracles in OT - he parts the waters of the sea so that Israel can walk through. But when the army of pharaoh tries to follow them, the water comes crashing back in and drowns them. The Egyptians would never be able to enslave Israel again.

Chapter 15 opens with something that looks like a pentecostal tent revival. Lot’s of singing and rejoicing. Pews being leaped in a single bound. Then, beginning in verse 22 we see this:

Exodus 15:22–24 “Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?””

The people leave the Red Sea, and on the third day they come to some water. But it isn’t drinkable. It’s bitter. And in a span of three days, they’ve gone from triumph to tragedy. From sweetness to bitterness. We can detect in the passage that the bitterness of the water is revealing a bitterness that had found its way into the people. Everything had been wonderful, and now there is bitter disappointment. Where is God? Did he just drag us out into the desert so we could die of thirst? After a huge show of strength by God, now it seems that he has forsaken them. And they become bitter like the water.

This is a pretty good description of life in general, isn’t it? We have highs, but we also have lows. We celebrate some victories, but we also experience bitter defeats. And these moments of let-downs, disappointments, failures become our Marah. They become this bitter water in our life. And there’s a lesson here on how we deal with life’s bitter moments. Do we do like the Israelites? When you come to bitter water, do you complain? Do you doubt God? Do you try and find your own solution?

I remember a Marah-moment. We had moved to Arkansas and I had started my new job as a computer programmer. I’d been there a few months and had gone through all the on-the-job training and orientation. And I’d finally been given my first real assignment - don’t remember what it was. But I just knew I nailed it. I was feeling really good about myself. Then I went to my mentor to have him review it. And I had done it all completely wrong! And he told me something I’ve never forgotten. He said one “oh, crap” knocks out a thousand “atta-boys”. Except he didn’t say “crap”. I had to start all over, and my triumph turned to tragedy! Let’s keep reading...

Exodus 15:25 “He cried out to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.”

When met with bitterness, Moses didn’t complain or blame. He turned to God. To the One who three days previously had opened the sea for them. Moses couldn’t change his situation. But he didn’t let it make him bitter. He couldn’t fix it, but he knew a guy.

Then we see this curious thing. In response to Moses’ prayer, God shows him piece of wood. We don’t know anything about the wood. What kind it was, how big it was, nada. But he does as God says, he throws it in the water, and the water becomes sweet. It’s restored to being drinkable. Look, then, at the promise God makes:

Exodus 15:25–26 “There the Lord made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.””

God makes this promise to Israel. That if they would follow him in faithfulness, that he would be known to them by a new name - Yahweh Rophe - the God who heals you.

The word for disease is Ma-halah. Ma-halah = sickness, abnormal functioning. It can mean normal sickness, but it also means anything that isn’t functioning as it normally should. The things God did in Egypt - the sky growing dark, the water turning to blood, locust swarms - are ma-halah - abnormal functioning.

But God promises that he would be for them their healer. Rophe = to heal, rebuild, repair, restore. God’s promise is that he would be the one who restores that which is broken, that which seems to be beyond repair.

He’s not promising them a perfect life. Our world still lies under the curse of sin. There will be ups and downs, victories and defeats. The promise is that he would be the God who restores us and the things that are broken. That he will set things to right. That he will be the one who heals all our bitterness.

God demonstrated his commitment by restoring the abnormal water of Marah to something drinkable. On the third day, God made the bitter sweet.

What’s most interesting in all this is how God would make the bitter sweet again - with a piece of wood. In an almost throw-away line, God gives a clue as to what he was going to do, not just for Israel, but for the whole world. That he had set a plan in motion to heal the bitterness caused by sin and failure and disappointment.

It’s a plan that led Jesus to the cross. But this event that, to anyone watching looked like a bitter defeat, was actually a new exodus for God’s people. Just like the crossing of the Red Sea delivered Israel from slavery, the cross became the place of our deliverance from slavery to sin and death.

And the instrument of Jesus’ execution - a wooden cross beam - has become the wood that is thrown into our Marah. Into the bitterness of our failures, defeats, disappointments and let-downs. Jesus’ cross is the wood that makes the bitter become sweet.

On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. The place of apparent tragedy become the place of greatest victory. Because Jesus rose again, he now has the power to make the places in our life that feel bitter, hopeless, and meaningless, into places of life, joy, and sweetness.

Gospel/Response

Peter left the high priest’s home the night of Jesus’ arrest in deep bitterness over what he’d done. I’m sure as he observed at a distance his Lord hanging on a tree that bitterness took full root in his heart. But we know this isn’t the end of the story. Three days later, Peter would see Jesus alive. And just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, we see how the cross heals the bitterness in Peter.

He and the other disciples had gone fishing. They’d been out all night with nothing to show for it - probably feeling a little bitter about it. As they are rowing to shore, someone on the beach encourages them to throw their nets out one more time. And their net becomes so full of fish that they can’t haul it into the boat. The apostle John, who is there, remembers Jesus doing this exact same miracle when they first met, and he realizes it’s Jesus on the shore. And at that news Peter literally jumps out of the boat and swims to shore.

And later, as Peter is sitting with Jesus, we read this exchange:

John 21:15–17 “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.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt 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.”

Peter denied Jesus three times. Now Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” three times. He isn’t rubbing Peter’s nose in his failure. He’s restoring Peter to his position. Yes, you denied me, but you are still my apostle. I still choose you. For every denial, Jesus heals. I like to imagine in that moment that Peter falls into Jesus’ arms, and broken and bitter Peter is healed.

Let me give you three ways you can begin to experience healing from bitterness:

First, like Peter, Fall into the arms of mercy. This is a call to receive grace. You might recall when Peter denied Jesus the third time that Jesus turned and looked at him. But what was held in that look was not condemnation but mercy. When we feel bitter, especially when that bitterness is caused by shame over what we’ve done, the best thing we can do is fall into the arms of Jesus’ mercy.

Second, Trust that Jesus is working things out. This is the call to faith. We may not always know the plan, but God has a plan. He has promised that he will work everything for good to those who love him. God’s got your back.

Finally, Take up the wood that makes the bitter sweet. This is a call to radial discipleship. It’s the counter-intuitive way of Jesus where self-sacrifice is the way of becoming fully whole again. Rather than allowing ourselves to obsess over our failures - or other’s failures toward us - we take our eyes off our self and take up the cross of Jesus. There is healing for ourselves as we join Jesus in his mission of healing others.

It is the apostle Peter, the one who failed so miserably, who wept so bitterly, who would later write this:

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

When we look at Jesus, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise to be the God who heals you. He heals you of sin, restoring you to the Father. But he also promises to be the one who will heal your bitterness. Who will restore that which is out of place and broken. Jesus will make the bitter sweet again.

Today I invite you to receive the One who died for you, who lives for you, who is even now working to restore all things. We receive Jesus by turning away from our old life and way of living - what the Bible calls repentance - and we turn to Jesus in trust and commitment.

If you’ve never done this, I’d like to lead you in a prayer. You need to understand that it isn’t the words of a prayer that saves you but rather it is by placing your trust in Jesus’ finished work on your behalf. But this prayer can be a way of expressing what is in your heart, and if you are ready to commit your life to Jesus, I invite you to pray this with me:

(Prayer of commitment slide) Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned against you by what I’ve thought, by what I’ve said, and by what I’ve done. [Take a moment to confess anything in particular that is troubling your conscience.] I’m sorry and I turn away from this old way of living. Please forgive me. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins. I receive your forgiveness and give you my life. Fill me, Holy Spirit, so that I can learn to love and follow you for the rest of my days. Amen.

If you prayed that today for the first time, let me be the first to welcome you to God’s family! This is only the beginning. I’d love to meet with you and talk about next steps in your new life. (Next steps slide).

Whatever you are facing, let me leave you with God’s promise. In Jesus the bitter will be - is being - made sweet. Amen.