All in: Grace

ALL IN: A HEART SHAPED BY GRACE

John 21:15–19 (ESV)

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.”

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.”

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.

“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.”

(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.”

Prayer

Series of Talks entitled “ALL IN” - ARe you all in?

Because if you are you would be able to testify to the magnitude of the miracle working power of God.

We’ve been talking about being all in. And Peter knew what it was to make that kind of commitment.

Before Jesus went to the cross, Peter said:

“Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” — Luke 22:33 (ESV)

“Jesus, you can count on me. Whatever happens, wherever this goes, I’m with you.”

And then, before the night was over, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

What happens when your commitment is sincere, but your courage fails?

What happens when you’ve said, “I’m all in,” and then done something you thought you would never do?

That is where we meet Peter in John 21.

Jesus has risen from the dead. Peter and several other disciples have been fishing. And when they come ashore, Jesus has breakfast waiting for them.

There is a striking detail here: a charcoal fire.

In John 18:18, Peter stood warming himself by a charcoal fire in the courtyard where he denied Jesus. In John 21:9, a charcoal fire is burning on the shore where Jesus will restore him.

John doesn’t tell us what Peter thought when he saw that fire. But the connection gives us a powerful picture: Jesus meets Peter in a setting that echoes his failure and gives him a future.

After breakfast, Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love me?”

Three denials. Three questions about love. And with each answer, Jesus entrusts Peter with responsibility:

“Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus addresses Peter’s love and calls him back into caring for his people.

The man who failed is still being called to follow.

And notice where the conversation ends: “Follow me.”

Jesus has just spoken about the death through which Peter will glorify God. This is a costly invitation. Peter’s restoration leads into a life of deeper surrender.

The Peter who once confidently promised to die for Jesus will eventually follow him at the cost of his life. This time, he moves forward having experienced how deeply he needs the grace of Jesus.

Being all in means bringing Jesus our whole selves—including the failures we wish we could hide.

So let me ask you: Do you have a revelation of grace?

I don’t mean, “Do you know about God? Do you go to church? Do you know the spiritual language?”

Do you know grace? Do you know how forgiven you are?

When you fail, do you believe you can return to Jesus? When he calls you forward, can you trust his mercy enough to follow?

Peter’s restoration shows us that forgiveness flows from the heart of Jesus—and that receiving his grace changes the way we live.

Transition into the three points

In this encounter, we see the direction of a life shaped by grace:

1.FORGIVENESS COMES FROM GOD.

Notice ….Jesus takes the initiative to meet and restore Peter.

Peter doesn’t try to get a meeting with the ressurected Jesus

We cant work our way into Gods good graces on a good day. No we are simply recieptients of whats true of God.

He is a forgiving GOD.

God has made himself known in the Bible as a God who wants to forgive, restore, and bring people into relationship with himself.

Psalm 86:5 (ESV)

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

Notice how David describes God: good and forgiving.

Some people imagine that God is reluctant to forgive—that we have to convince him, impress him, or suffer enough before he will show us mercy.

But forgiveness begins in God’s heart.

all forgiveness issues from Gods heart

In Exodus 34:6–7, when God reveals his character to Moses, he describes himself as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and willing to forgive. That same passage affirms his justice. God understands exactly what sin costs, and he provides the way for sinners to be restored.

Exodus 34:6–7 ESV

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

God doesn’t need to be persuaded to become merciful. We need to believe the mercy he has revealed in Jesus.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While we were still sinners.

Before we had our lives together. Before we knew how to pray properly. Before we had anything to offer him.

The cross was God taking the initiative.

We repent and trust Christ in response to his grace. We cannot earn what Jesus has already purchased.

Dallas Willard put it this way:

“Grace is not opposed to effort, but to earning.”

There is effort in following Jesus. We turn from sin, renew our minds, and learn obedience. But none of that purchases forgiveness.

We obey from a place of acceptance in Christ. We don’t obey to settle an outstanding bill.

Jesus’ account of the two debtors in Luke 7:41–43 makes this wonderfully clear. Both owed money. Neither could pay. The moneylender cancelled both debts.

Their hope was the generosity of the one they owed.

Then Jesus connects forgiveness and love in Luke 7:47: the woman’s great love reveals how deeply she has received mercy.

When you understand how much you have been forgiven, your love for Jesus grows.

Practical application: Bring the sin you keep hiding into the light. 1 John 1:9 invites us to confess, trusting God’s faithfulness to forgive and cleanse. You can be honest with the God who already knows you and has made a way for your forgiveness.

We give Jesus our lives because we have received his grace.

Where in your life are you still trying to convince yourself otherwise this morning?

Where are you still trying to prove that you deserve God’s love? Bring your failure to him honestly. Let your next step of obedience begin with gratitude for his mercy.

Peter didn’t. He just readily accepted it… and Jesus showed up on that beach to make sure he knew that he still didnt need to do anything to be deserving of Gods love. He never did deserve it

God gave it.

2.FORGIVENESS BREAKS SIN’S POWER.

Peter’s denial will not have the final word over his life.

Forgiveness brings freedom, every single time.

When you forgive yourself or someone else. you know what happens. you loosen the grip of sin. you break its power. you push back the darkness. You dont give the devil a foot hold.

you actually walk in the grace thats been brought to you….

1 Peter 1:12–14 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

bought and brought.

Dont put down the grace thats been brought to you!

Now Forgiveness is a decision not a feeling:

Colossians 3:13 ESV

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Forgiveness begins with obedience, even when our emotions haven't caught up.

One of the greatest misconceptions about forgiveness is that we must feel ready before we can forgive.

But Scripture doesn't command us to feel forgiveness. It commands us to forgive.

Our feelings are real, but they are not always reliable guides for our decisions.

Forgiveness is a choice to surrender our right to retaliation and place the situation into God's hands.

Sometimes our emotions change quickly. Other times, healing takes months or even years.

Forgiveness Sets You Free

SCRIPTURE — HEBREWS 12:15

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (NIV)

Big Idea: Forgiveness is not just about releasing someone else; it is about refusing to live imprisoned by bitterness.

Unforgiveness has a way of taking root in our hearts.

What begins as a wound can become resentment. Resentment can become bitterness. And bitterness can eventually affect our relationships, attitudes, and spiritual lives.

The writer of Hebrews warns us that bitterness doesn't remain isolated. It spreads.

Forgiveness doesn't mean that what happened was acceptable. It means we refuse to allow what happened to control our future.

Three powerful truths:

Unforgiveness keeps yesterday's pain alive. Holding on to resentment can allow a past offense to continue influencing our present.

Forgiveness breaks the power of bitterness. We can release the desire for revenge and entrust justice to God.

Forgiveness creates room for healing. When we release resentment, we make space for God's peace to work in our hearts.

Quote: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” — Common saying, often attributed to Nelson Mandela

3.FORGIVENESS BRINGS THE LOST HOME.

Peter was so close to grace and He never lost sight of it

Forgiveness is the heart of the Gospel:

The Cross Is the Greatest Picture of Forgiveness

SCRIPTURE — LUKE 23:34

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” (NIV)

Big Idea: The greatest demonstration of forgiveness was given by Jesus in the middle of His greatest suffering.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He was surrounded by people who mocked Him, rejected Him, and participated in His crucifixion.

Yet in the middle of unimaginable suffering, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness.

He didn't wait for an apology.

He didn't wait for the pain to stop.

He demonstrated the very forgiveness He came to make possible.

The cross reminds us that forgiveness is not weakness. It is an extraordinary expression of love, strength, and grace.

Forgiveness is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus gave His life so that our sins could be forgiven and our relationship with God restored.

Forgiveness demonstrates spiritual strength. It takes courage to respond with mercy when we have been wounded.

Forgiveness is a testimony to the world. When followers of Jesus forgive, they reveal the transforming power of the Gospel.

Quote: “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” — Commonly attributed to Mark Twain, though the attribution is uncertain