Where Is Jesus In... Our Mistakes
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever made a big mistake?
I feel like I mention this about once a year, but Arika and I when we first got married and were on our honey moon, we decided to learn how to sail.
And suprisinginly they let anyone take the boat out without supervision.
And I remember it was our last day on our honeymoon and it was a little extra windy, and Arika said we should stay in and I said no this will be fun.
So we went out really far in the ocean and were having fun and we got to the point where the land started to look small and foggy and Arika said its time to turn around.
i saaid okay and we began to turn, but the issue was as we turned we made it half way and then got blown back out into the ocean.
So we tried again, aand we made it half way and got blown back into the ocean.
And at this point Arika is crying, I am realizing I was married a week and got my bride lost at sea.
And I remember thinking this was a pretty bad mistake.
But you know the truth is when we catch ourselves in the middle of a mistake (whether its on a boat or just a mistake in life) it can be a really difficult thing.
In fact its easy to get to a place where you even become unsure what to do and which direction to turn.
And I think whats important for us to understand is that yes mistakes can happen, but the theme that we have been looking at over the past few weeks is whether we are in caught in questions, disappointment, brokenness, and even in our mistakes.
These are the places that we will often times find Jesus.
And so today we are looking at a story where Jesus meets a man named Peter and he actually meets him in the middle of a mistake that he made a few weeks ago.
And so we will be in John 21 and this is a really big passage this morning so we will try to make sure we get to all of it.
But we will start in verses 1-6 and it says this:
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
So Jesus had already appeared to the disciples a couple times now, but He has not stayed with them.
And so they are kind of in this weird spot, because, on one hand, they experienced this amazing news that Jesus is not dead, but on the other hand they are in this weird place where they are going what now?
And really they are in a place where they are waiting on Jesus.
I mean have you ever been in a spot where your waiting for God, and your kind of going okay God what now?
And so what Peter does in verse 3 is He goes okay I am going fishing.
And I think there are a few reasons for this. first off, you need food right?
But then the two bigger reasons that I think sometimes we view waiting on God is kind of this thing that we do where we sit there and meditate and and just go okay I am waiting on God.
But the reality is when we wait for God, so often we are actively waiting.
I mean has anyone ever been pregnant? I have not but When you get pregnant, it takes 9 months to have a baby right?
and so you do not just sit around and wait and do nothing right?
Because there are things you have to do.
You have like a 1000 things to put together
You have to make a nursery
You have doctor appointments.
You need to buy clothes
Because whenever we wait its not where we sit their staring at a wall but most of the time we are doing something.
And whats neat with this passage is they are waiting, but Peter is actively waiting.
And not just that but the first place that Jesus called Peter to follow Him was actually on a boat fishing.
And so this was probably a place where Peters going I am hungry, but this was a place where I encountered God, and I imagine Him thinking maybe I’ll go back there.
You know when we are at those places where we feel like we are waiting for God, what would it look like to wait activly.
To look at the places where we found God and go maybe ill find him here again.
And lets keep going because they start to fish and they catch nothing. (It sounds like when I go fishing)
And so they are beat down and they are in this place where yeah they are actively waiting, but they have nothing to show for it.
And in the waiting look what happens because Jesus comes onto shore (and they do not recognize him), probably from the lighting not being great and being a distance from shore,
But Jesus calls out to cast the net on the other side of the boat.
And they listen (after all what do they have to loose they have caught nothing) and all the sudden the net fills with fish so much that they can barely pull them in.
And you might know this but this is almost an identical passage to when Peter first called Peter.
And so you can picture them going somethings fishy hear right?
And look what happens verses 7-9. It says:
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
So one of the guys goes its Jesus!
And what I love is Peter does not just paddle in but it says peter litterly throws off the jacket jumps in the water and swims to Jesus about 100 yards away.
And what I really like about its passage is it incorporates Peter waiting, it incorporates the very first time Jesus called Him, but then it also incorporates a big time Peter has fallen short.
Because if you are familiar with this guy Peter, one thing He did as Jesus was getting ready to be crucified, was Peter denied that he even knew Jesus three times.
And so Peter has seen Jesus but he has not really gotten to talk with Him. So what I love is we see Peter not going oh no I did him wrong, lets go a little further out,
But He is going I need to get to Jesus as fast as I can.
And I just have to say this because we are a people that make mistakes.
I mean you might be thinking I can not get things right
But our decision to run from Jesus or run to him is what makes the difference.
I mean imagine you fell and broke a bone.
You could go I am tough, and try to cover it up and what will happen?
The pain will probably get worse, it might heal wrong, it can cause other issues.
Or you could go to the doctor and guess what they can help it heal.
You know i think a lot of times we feel ashamed like we can’t show the brokenness of our lives to others or even to God.
And when we do this it just sits inside it probably gets worse,
And I love the model that Peter sets because He gets to Jesus as fast as He can.
And He gets to Jesus and Jesus invites him to sit and have breakfast,
And a lot of you know this but in biblical times eating a meal with someone was a very intimate thing. It meant you were close to them, but whats neat is it was also something you did when forgiving someone, you would share a meal.
And look what happens in verse 15 it says:
John 21:15–17 (NIV)
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
So I want you to notice that there are a lot of parelleles here because they are sitting around a coal fire which was there when Peter denied Jesus
but then whats interesting is Jesus ask Peter if he loves him three times, which is how many times Peter denied Jesus.
And its easy to go wow Jesus thats a little obessive, Peter obviusly feels bad about whatr happened, why do you need to rib it in.
But heres what I want us to get, Jesus forgives, but He is also in the business of life change.
He does not just want us to go great I am forgiven, and go back to where we were, but He wants to change our hearts.
And on a deeper level in the Bibles original language there is some word play.
Because the love that Jesus uses when He ask Peter do you love me is the highest form of love.
It is a love that is sold out, a love where you are completely surrendered.
And Jesus goes do you love me like that Peter?
And whats interesting is Peter says yeah I love you Jesus, but the word He uses for love would have almost been equivalent to I admire you.
I really like you, your a great person,
And then Jesus gets to the third time and whats interesting is Jesus the last time He ask Peter if he loves Him uses the word form for admire.
Basically He is going do you even admire me Peter?
And it says Peter is hurt? Not where Jesus is offending Him necessarily, but I think what he is realizing is Jesus knows where we are in our walk with Him.
Because when Jesus told Peter he would deny Him before He was crucified, He said theres no way.
But I think Peter is starting to understand that maybe there are things that He needs to work on.
And I want to pause here, because a lot of times we are really good at seeing others problems.
But I think so often what God whats us to do is look at our own.
Because so often w are good at seeing the junk in others lives and meanwhile we are blind to our own.
I mean its almost like if you are like me you get into aa routine when you clean the house. and when your in a routine sometimes you will discover that you have completely missed an area of the house that has needed cleaned.
And when you find it, your like this is disgusting, look at all the dust, look at all the gross things under hear.
And hears what I want you to get because we need to open our eyes to our own issues, and sometimes that means really examining our lives or even talking with a friend about it.
And heres the thing, because when we get our own life then it says you can go get on others right?
No! Jesus says feed my sheep and follow me.
You know how we bring others closer to God should look more like feeding then attacking.
And just for the sake of time I am not going to read the rest of this but after this Jesus begins o tell Peter that following Him is going to be hard.
And tyou probably know how I am going to end this, but Jesus meets us even when what we are called to do is hard or painful.
And so as we close this morning, I imagine there are some of us in a place where we have made mistakes, there are others of us in a place of waiting, maybe you in a place where you are trying to follow God.
I think regardless is Jesus meets us, what would it look like if we jumped out and swam toward Him.
Will you pray with me?