Bel Air #2
Notes
Transcript
Repentance and Preparation
Repentance and Preparation
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
Pray
Introduction
Repentance is a central theme of our Christian faith. When we repent, we perform a sincere turning away from sin and we return to God. This is a transformational process that every Christian will go through. The Apostle Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ and his repentance is a profound biblical example of this transformational process. I want to show everyone with this message, Peter’s journey from denial to restoration honestly highlights the depths of human frailty and the boundless grace of God.
Peter’s denial
The account of Peter’s denial is found in all four Gospels.
This underscores the significance
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter, faced a moment of crisis
Despite his earlier bold declaration of loyalty
33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Jesus foretold his denial
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Peter succumbed to fear and denied know Jesus three times before the rooster crowed
69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Now the nature of Peter’s repentance
Peter’s response to his denial was marked by what?
deep remorse and sorrow
Peter was weeping bitterly
this signifies a heartfelt recognition of his failure and a genuine contrition for his actions
Why do you think this must happen?
This emotional response is very critical
This reflects an awareness of sin and a desire for a reconciliation of your relationship with God.
So what does this truly mean?
Peter’s repentance was not just an emotional reaction
it was a transformational turning point in his life
Why do you ask?
This repentance involves a change of heart and mind
This leads to a renewed commitment to Christ
How do we know this happened?
This was evident in Peter’s subsequent actions and his role in the early church
Peter became a bold and faithful leader
This would not have happened without Peter’s repentance
Restoration and Forgiveness
In our message today. I wish to focus on Jesus restoring and forgiving Peter.
I want to focus on Jesus preparing Peter for his new ministry serving Jesus
This is why we are taking a look at the Gospel of John
a powerful narrative of Peter’s restoration is provided and demonstrated here
Jesus will ask Peter three times, “Do you love me?”
Each affirmation of love from Peter corresponds to his earlier denials
This symbolizes forgiveness and reinstatement
Jesus gives the command to “Feed my sheep”
This signifies Peter’s restored position and his commission to shepherd the early Christian community
This underscores the theme of divine grace and forgiveness
This will illustrate the fact that repentance leads to renewed purpose and mission.
Let us take a look at our verses today
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
Peter, John, and five other disciples are eating with a resurrected Jesus
Jesus had just performed a miracle, resulting in a huge catch of fish
Interesting fact
This echoed an earlier miracle where Jesus had first called Peter to become a disciple
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Only a few days earlier, Peter had stood by a fire and denied even knowing Jesus
Now Peter stands by another fire, and Jesus will make him repeat his loyalty three times
Jesus’ question about whether Peter loves Him “more than these” is probably a reference to the other disciples
in other words, Jesus is saying “Do you love Me more than they love Me”
This is speaking to Peter’s self assured bragging shortly before Jesus was arrested
29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
Three times Peter denied Jesus
Three times , Jesus will make Peter confess his faith
Let us look at our next verse
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Peter’s shame at denying Jesus, three separate times
36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. 37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
was evident in his remorse
61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
Now Jesus has been resurrected
He has asked Peter to affirm his love
Now He repeats the question using essentially the exact same ideas
Peter probably understands where this is going
If he does not, he will certainly grasp the symbolism the third time Jesus asks
Let me show everyone something to really put this into its proper context
The terms used by Jesus and Peter here are not identical in all three instances
But they are meant to imply the same ideas
Jesus’ commands use the terms for sheep and lambs, but He doesn’t mean to draw a distinction between them
In the same way, Jesus uses the Greek term agapao, referring to love in His first two questions
His third question, and all of Peter’s replies use the term phileo.
This also refers to love, in separate contexts, these imply different types of love
In this instance, they are intended to mean the same thing
Let us look at our next verse
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Now if Peter did not understand what Jesus meant by repeating His questions about love, he certainly does now.
Jesus miraculously provided fish when He called Peter to be a disciple
Jesus recently repeated that act, reminding Peter of his initial calling
Peter once bragged that he would be loyal to Jesus even when others were not
Jesus started this conversation by pointedly asking if Peter loved Him more than the other disciples
Only a few days prior, Peter had declared three times and with great emphasis that he did not know Jesus
Jesus has already asked His question “do you love Me?” twice
Jesus now asks for a third time
This last question is even more piercing
Now Jesus uses the same word as Peter for love
Now Jesus is asking what Peter has already said twice
The implication is clear
Peter has said this very same thing twice
Jesus wants to hear it again for a third time
Peter’s response is to be grieved
This same term was used to describe Jesus’ emotion in Gethsemane
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
He understands that Jesus is not asking because He does not know
He is asking to prove a point
What is that point?
Three denials are being countered with three affirmations
Peter’s betrayal of his own promises is being challenged
Now Jesus will not leave Peter in sorrow
This is the moment of repentance and restoration
His next words predict that Peter’s reaffirmed faith will be permanent
It will also lead to martyrdom
Our next verse
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Peter denied Jesus three times
Three times, Jesus made Peter affirm his love and faith
Jesus called Peter after a miraculous provision of fish
Having performed a similar miracle, Jesus is about to restore Peter’s calling
Jesus is making a prediction which is both dire and comforting
The description of being dressed and led, with outstretched hands, is a poetic foreshadowing of crucifixion
The next verse confirms this
Now Church tradition indicates Peter was crucified
He asked to be crucified upside down out of respect for Christ’s similar death
While this seems like a terrible fate
This implies that Peter would find his faith would never fail him again
He found that encouraging
That does not mean Peter would be perfect
I encourage you to look at these verses
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
It does mean, however, his passionate desire to serve Jesus would define the rest of his life
Let us look at our last verse
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
In the prior verse, Jesus used a descriptive parallel.
In youth, Peter would dress himself and walk where he chose
but in death, he would be dressed and led by others, with outstretched hands
as this verse notes, Jesus has just predicted how Peter would die
by crucifixion
it is also a prediction that Peter’s restored faith would never fail again
Although he would make mistakes
He would never deny Christ again
even in the face of his own death
Conclusion
What can we learn from this?
Peter’s experience of repentance and restoration offers profound insights.
It demonstrated the possibility of redemption even after a grave sin
It emphasizes God’s readiness to forgive those who genuinely repent
We are reassured through Peter’s account of the transformational power of repentance
I have a few questions
Have you ever felt that sorrow?
Do you understand the power of that transformational repentance?
Have you ever experienced this in your life?
In order for God to properly prepare you for your service,
You need to repent
Have you ever experienced this transformational power?
Peter’s journey highlights the importance of humility and dependance on God’s strength
Do you rely on God’s strength?
Think of this
Peter’s initial overconfidence contrasts with his later reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Peter’s denial and repentance serves as a timeless example of the Christian journey from sin to redemption.
I challenge you to seek God’s forgiveness
I challenge you to embrace the transformative power of repentance
I am asking you a simple question, brothers and sisters
Do you trust in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ?
Are you willing to allow God to prepare you for your ministry?
Lets pray
