A Walk On The Beach
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Peter had denied he even knew Jesus on three different occasions. Now Jesus would ask Peter three different times if Peter loved Jesus. Why would Jesus ask this particular question? Why not ask if he was sorry three times? There is something special in the specific question and Peter’s specific response.
Have you ever felt disqualified? Unworthy? Broken beyond repair? This is what Peter must have felt like when he denied Jesus three times.
Jesus really wants to know one thing from us…do we love Him? Peter had messed up royally…He denied the Lord. Now it was time to set things straight so Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”
He had confessed Jesus as the Messiah. Professed His undying devotion and intention, if necessary, to die with Jesus when the going got tough. But when the rubber met the road he failed the test…just like Jesus said that he would. He denied he even knew Jesus.
We know where this left the man because of the words recorded in
He is asking the same thing from you this morning…asking the same thing of me. Do we love Him? That’s what matters. Our failures face away in light of our love for Him.
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
And he went out and wept bitterly.
Peter wept bitter tears over his failure. He was a broken man. He had been called an apostle, the rock on which Jesus would build his church. How must he have felt in the days since his failure? What must he have thought of his once promising future and his present reality? Have you ever been there?
I think a lot of Christians have been right where Peter was during the days following the death and resurrection of Jesus. I believe many live there on a daily basis. They got saved, were passionate about Jesus, wanted to serve Him by any means possible…fell into some sin, were devastated emotionally and otherwise and feel unusable.
This is right where the enemy wants all of us to stay…feeling broken, unforgiven, unqualified, unusable…this is why our enemy, the devil is called the accuser of the brethren.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
He accuses us before God in heaven and he accuses us in our heart as well. Peter felt the sting of those accusations. He loved Jesus but felt His relationship with Him could never be the same because of what he had done while denying Him.
It is in the midst of this emotional and spiritual turmoil that Jesus and Peter go for a walk on the beach. And that is what Jesus is asking us to do this morning…go for a walk on the beach.
If you have felt broken, unusable, unqualified, disqualified, unworthy…accused…let’s go for a walk on the beach and let Jesus change your life the way He did Peter’s.
The Walk on the Beach...
The Walk on the Beach...
There are four things that happen on the beach…and they completely change Peter’s life…Jesus...
Disarms the accuser — The devil and every demon of hell has made it their primary work to accuse the people of God...and their ammunition for doing so is our past failures. Jesus takes this ammunition away from the enemy by focusing Peter on the present.
Jesus is most concerned about where we are right now and where we are headed in the future. He doesn’t dwell on the past.
Illustration — Ex Offenders at West Oaks
Jesus doesn’t say, “Now Peter, let’s have a talk about what you did. Let’s talk about how you felt that night and what led to your failure.” There was no dissecting of the past!
When we fail, God doesn’t question why or how we fell…He already knows the answer to those questions and likely we do as well! He convicts us until we repent…and then He moves on…and He expects that we will do the same.
This is so very important! While we should confess our past sins and failures (and Peter had done that), but then remember that God never dwells on them…and He doesn’t want us to either.
Refocuses Peter on What Matters Most — Jesus asks Peter a simple question, “Do you love me?”
He wants to know where Jesus’ heart is right now at this very moment and what is most important of all is the answer to this question…Do you love Jesus?
Jesus knew that Peter loved Him…Peter himself even says as much. Jesus wanted to provide an opportunity for Peter to say it and hear it from his own lips…for Peter to tell Jesus that he loved Jesus.
We tend to focus on our successes and failures…we have a tendency to judge our relationship with Jesus by them…But Jesus makes clear that our relationship with Him is a product of His love for us and our love of Him…certainly if we love Him we will obey Him…but the love comes first and takes first place in the relationship.
Jesus loves us…and we love Him…sometimes we mess up but our heart still belongs to Him…and He is patient enough to love us in spite of our failures, show us grace and encourage us to be faithful next time.
Jesus wants us to know that we love him…and He wants us to know that He knows that we love Him!
What matters most is love…His love for us and our love for Him. The measure of our relationship with Jesus is love!
God wants us to realize that even though we have messed up and perhaps even messed up very badly…we can still have a relationship with Him.
Reaffirms His Call on Peter’s Life — Jesus says, “feed my sheep.”
Feed my sheep — This ministry is described in verbs not nouns…tend, feed…and the sheep belong to Christ not Peter. Peter was once again told to go and pastor, shepherd the people God would place in His care.
No matter how we mess up…no matter where we believe we have fallen…God loves us and has a plan for us…and He intends for us to cooperate with Him in that plan and bring glory to Him.
Our momentary lapses do not negate God’s call on our life...they do not cause God to remove His power from upon us nor negate His plans for us.
A repentant man or woman is restored. our life, salvation and call are all a product of God’s grace…not of works!
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Peter was affirmed and restored…the grace of God does the same for us as well.
Encourages Peter for the Future — Peter had messed up…he was forgiven…he was dusted off and put back on his feet…his call was reaffirmed…and now Jesus makes certain there will be challenges to come…following Jesus is never the easy road. Jesus encourages Peter...it won’t be easy…but you follow me!
A young man spent an entire evening telling a girl how much he loved her. He said that he couldn't live without her; that he'd go to the ends of the earth for her; yes, go through fire for her, or die for her. But when leaving he said, "I'll see you tomorrow night—if it doesn't rain." How often we say we love God, yet deny it by our actions. John said, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."—
Follow Me! No matter what! Things will get tough again Peter…but you…you follow me…because you love me!
There would come a day in the future when Peter would be called upon to lay down his life as a martyr for Jesus…he would die a painful death on the cross.
It is natural for those of us who are called to a tougher road than others to look around and begin to ask the question, “Why me?” Why is it harder for me to follow Jesus than so many other people…Jesus responds to this in two way...
Stop comparing yourself to others…
This is how YOU will glorify me! — God has a plan by which each of us will glorify Him…make much of Him to the world around us…some of the more difficult road lead to the greatest opportunity to glorify Him!
We each have our own story and we must, by faith, embrace that story and make much of Him…our reward will come in the glory we bring Him.
Conclusions
Conclusions
The repentant are never disqualified…our qualifications only came to us by grace through faith in the first place. God has a plan He wants you to be a part of with Him…the question is do you love Him? Will you follow Him?
Stop focusing on the past and keep your eyes on the now and where you are going in Christ.
Love Jesus…obey Him because you love Him…trust Him and He will make your paths straight…His plans are never destroyed by our unfaithfulness if we will only repent and follow Him.