Functional Failure Week 2

THE MOMENTS AFTER FAILURE

Spoiler Alert: Peter did deny Jesus…it even included profanity.

This is one of the most monumental failures of someone who had played such an instrumental part in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples.

But what I don’t think we talk about a lot is the life that Peter lived after his failure.

THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR HIM IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE CRUCIFIXION.

John stands by Mary and Jesus says this is your son. The other disciples scatter and hide as Jesus said they would.

But Peter is left with the understanding that his last act for a living Jesus was denying that he even knew him.

As Christ Followers: Failure is terrible…but what comes after failure is the worst.

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Failure has a following:

REGRET, SELF LOATHING, IDENTIFICATION. (Feelings)

BUT MORE THAN A FEELING…

FAILURE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FUNCTION…It’s gonna do something.

I noticed four functions from Peter’s failure.

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1. FAILURE CAN SLOW OUR PURSUIT

Peter spends the next two days not only grieving the loss of his master…his best friend…but also to wallowing in the regret of what he had done…

But then on the third day…something that was somehow unexpected took place.

John 20:1–4 NKJV

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

Peter and John get word of the fact that Jesus is not in the tomb any longer.

There had to at least be a hint of a reminder of what Jesus had said “I’ll rise again in three days.”

And so they don’t talk about it…they just get up and start running towards the tomb.

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Peter gets outran

It’s interesting to note the little insertion that John makes in chapter: 20

“The other disciple outran Peter.” Was John flexing on us here?

I THINK THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION

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THE REMINDER OF A ROOSTER

THE TIMING IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER.

Mary had gone down before sunrise So as they are running it’s possible that the sun is just about to come up

What is something that would happen right at sunrise in Jerusalem? “THE ROOSTER CROW”

Peter is headed to the tomb when he gets a somber reminder of the worst day of his life.

RUNNING WITH ALL HE HAS…THEN IN THE DISTANCE HE HEARS THE SOUND OF THE ROOSTER.

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Personal Application

Have you ever been minding your business and all the sudden you hear a song that takes you back to the moment of your worst failure.

There’s a certain air freshener that when I smell it sparks regret because it was the air freshener in the room at one of my earliest viewings of pornography.

I wonder if maybe John’s mention of outrunning Peter isn’t so much a highlight of John’s track-star status as it is a window into the conscious of Peter.

One of the primary functions of failure is that FAILURE WILL SLOW YOUR PURSUIT.

PRACTICAL APP

If the enemy can get failure into your life after you’ve followed Jesus…he can work all kinds of tricks from there.

You will begin to enter into the presence of God and then remember your failure.

You remember the scene you should have skipped but didn’t You will remember the hurtful thing you said to your spouse as you were arguing You will remember the moment you weren’t the best parent You remember the dishonesty

A moment marked by presence and aimed at praise turns into an internal self-prosecution for our failures.

As Peter was running to the tomb could it be that the sound of the rooster reminded him of the worst mistake of his life.

This reminder took his attention off of the resurrection of Jesus and put it onto the failure of Peter.

FOCUS ON OUR FAILURE CAUSES US TO WITHHOLD THE GLORY GOD DESERVES.

2. FAILURE CAN CREATE DISTANCE

They get to the tomb and no one is there…later in the day Mary encounters Jesus and everyone finds out he is alive…

We then find Jesus approaching the disciples behind closed doors…literally.

MATRIX LEVEL: He walks through a wall into a dinner party the eleven are having.

(V. 19 - 23) he spends an evening with the disciples (V. 24 - 31) He spends time with Thomas and the disciples…does miracles…

ALL OF THIS WITHOUT PETER SAYING A WORD

Remember Peter has never sat on the sidelines in his entire life.

Failure will make even the most zealous individuals awkwardly subdued.

Peter was there when Jesus walked through the walls the first time.

Peter was there when Jesus showed Thomas his nail scarred hands

Peter saw the countless miracles that we read about in verse 30.

HE WAS IN THE ROOM..BUT OUT OF THE NARRATIVE

Failure will convince you that even though you can sometimes feel his presence..there’s no way you could ever fulfill your purpose.

I’m sure there was a deep part of Peter that wanted to fully embrace Jesus I’m sure he was ready to tell the world from the first moment he saw him…but rather than going all in…he sits off to the side…outside of the narrative of scripture because his failure created an unnecessary element of distance.

I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO COME INTO CHURCH WITH CONSTANT FOCUS ON I WISH I HADN’T DONE THAT.

You can sing the songs…listen to the sermon…and even participate in the praise without ever really engaging with the presence of God. YOU CAN BE IN THE ROOM BUT NOT IN THE PICTURE.

Are you In the room but out of the picture narrative today?

Do you come and sing the songs and hear the word thinking man it’s nice to be here but I could never contribute. Are you here because you want your kids to know Jesus but you feel like you’ve blown your shot at fulfilling your calling.

Your failure is creating an unrealistic distance between you and God.

No matter how monumental your mistake…you are a moment of repentance away from reconciliation.

3. FAILURE CAN DEVELOP DESPERATION

Peter spends close to a month living in this terrible space of constant awareness of his failure.

It weighs on him to such a degree that he makes an earth shattering statement.

John 21:2–3 (NLT)

2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

Why is that statement significant?

because Peter had experienced an identity shift when he followed Jesus.

Jesus had specifically told him no longer will you fish for fish…I will make you fishers of men.

When Peter said I’m going fishing…this was a proclamation of returning to his old identity.

Failure will keep you from seeing the potential of the present while giving you a false perspective of the past.

Peter was tired of feeling like a failure because of his mishandling of being a disciple…so he thought..I’ll just go be a fisherman again.

When you can’t get past the guilt of your failure…it’s tempting to go to old sources for fulfillment. (GO BACK TO ___________ )

THE PROBLEM IS THAT FOLLOWING JESUS RUINS YOU FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

John 21:3 (NLT)

….“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

Peter goes back to a source that he thought would satisfy only to find out that your past cannot produce.

We go to things thinking they will make us feel better…but pull the net up and find out that it’s empty.

Peter and the disciples spend a whole night trying to produce from the product of their past…THEN JESUS SHOWS UP.

John 21:4–5 (NLT)

4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.

AT DAWN

Again…let’s look at the timing.

Peter denies Jesus just before dawn Peter slows his run to the tomb…just before dawn

And Peter is coming to the realization fo his failure as a fisherman…just before dawn.

DAWN HAS BECOME A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT IN PETER’S LIFE REPRESENTING HIS FAILURES.

Dawn has carried a sense of failure for Peter for the last month of his life…but Jesus is about to change the way he looks at dawn forever.

JESUS DOESN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO GET TO A BETTER PLACE…HE MEETS YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR MESS.

But before he will ever make any moves to mend our broken situation…he requires a certain level of identification on our behalf.

HAVE YOU CAUGHT ANY FISH?

This question was about more than just fish….He was asking are you fulfilled?

Did you find what you are looking for?

THE ANSWER WAS A RESOUNDING NO

The simplicity of the gospel is seen in Jesus response to their lack of productivity and fulfillment.

John 21:6 (NLT)

6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

He doesn’t tell them to do something astonishingly extravagant…He simply says…do what you’re doing in another direction.

Repentance doesn’t require you gaining a new skill…it simply requires you to live your life in a different direction.

They oblige Jesus request and find a haul of fish that they couldn’t even handle…this is a picture of life more abundant…

IN THIS MOMENT JOHN SAYS…”IT’S THE LORD.”

Peter realizes…Jesus still loves him

John 21:7 (NKJV)

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Peter has slowed his pursuit and stood at a distance but in one moment he realizes that his failure didn’t negate Jesus love for Him.

WE CAN ACTUALLY FIND A POSITIVE ASPECT OF FAILURE IN THIS SCENARIO.

FAILURE CREATES DESPERATION

I COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE: This whole scenario is reminiscent of another night a couple of years ago when Jesus shows up to the disciples in a boat.

Peter was still confident in his apostleship so he was over-analytical.

IF IT BE YOU BID ME TO COME. HE CONSIDERED THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO COMMIT. Then ended up failing because he made it about himself.

Failure births a desperation that says if I walk on the water cool…if I fall in the mud…cool.

Whether this step leads to a miracle or to a mess…I have to get close to Jesus again.

FAILURE CREATES A DESPERATION THAT NO LONGER TAKES PUBLIC OPINION INTO CONSIDERATION.

Religious people don’t know desperation.

Pharisees don’t know desperation

People who have it all together don’t know desperation.

But when you’ve failed the God you love more than anything and can’t figure out how to make it right…there’s a part of you that says I’ll do anything, anywhere, anyway….I just have to have your presence in my life.

4. FAILURE GIVES YOU A STORY

Peter makes his way to the shore…leaving a boat full of fish only to find that Jesus had already prepared what he had spent an entire night trying to gather.

JESUS ALREADY HAS AN ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF WHAT WE CAN’T GARNER ON OUR OWN.

Then Peter sits down with Jesus and Jesus asks him the question that we’ve heard preached numerous times.

Do you love me? He asks three times…the same amount of times that Peter denied…God’s grace is always sufficient for our failures.

Opportunities for redemption will always outweigh opportunities for condemnation.

Jesus gives Peter the purpose of feeding his sheep.

Peter had a purpose to build the church and develop the system that would ultimately see the gospel turn the world upside down.

In Acts chapter two Peter stands up in front of thousands of people and proclaims the gospel fo Jesus Christ.

I’m sure the maid from the night of the crucifixion was in that crowd. I’m sure the individuals who spoke to him by the fire were there.

Peter couldn’t erase his failure…but he could allow it to function in such a way as to draw him back to Jesus.

Will you allow your failure to slow your pursuit?

WIll you allow your failure to develop a divide

Or will you let it give birth to a desperation and let an encounter with Jesus turn your struggle into your story.