Restoration and Calling

In 1854, 17 year old Dwight Lyman Moody moved to Boston looking for work. His family was poor, since his father died and his mother was caring for 9 children. He was desperate for better living conditions, so his mother sent him away. He moved to Boston to work as a salesman for his uncle in the family shoe shop. The only conditions his uncle had were that Dwight obey him and attend the Congregational Church of Mount Vernon on Beacon Hill. In 1855, Moody’s Sunday school teacher, Edward Kimball, showed up at this shop to discuss the Gospel. The message was new for him, having grown up in a Unitarian Church where the Gospel was not preached. He gave his life to Christ that day and quickly applied for church membership.

Just like today, the pastor wanted to make sure Moody understood the Gospel before admitting him as a church member. Multiple times, Moody met with the church leaders in hopes of gaining admittance. They asked him questions like, “What has Christs done for you?” His response? “Nothing I am particularly aware of.” In fact, his teacher, Edward Kimball, said that he thought the church had “seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of the Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness.” Wow. Harsh words!

So what happened to this young man who failed THREE TIMES to articulate the gospel well enough to earn church membership?

In the second half of the 19th century, D. L. Moody became one of the most well-known and prolific Evangelists in America and England. He started by teaching Sunday school, volunteering at the YMCA, and preaching to the soldiers during the civil war. Later, he preached all across the United States after gaining popularity as an evangelist from preaching over 100 times on a trip to England. Somewhat surprisingly, he was even very popular in Sweden, though he never went there and didn’t speak Swedish. He founded what is today called the Moody Church and the Moody Bible Institute (in Chicago), and established both the Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. Though he had only a 5th grade education, he has helped educate countless believers for life and ministry. Some estimates number the people who put their faith in Christ under Moody’s preaching to be around 1,000,000. This is particularly astounding given that there was no radio, television, or easy ways to travel.

It would have been so easy for Moody to simply give up at first. But someone, specifically his Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, believed in him enough to encourage him to keep trying and to be persistent in his Bible reading, prayer, and trust in the Lord.

Have you ever felt like giving up? It could have been a project, a job, or even your faith. For Moody, his lack of understanding got in the way of him progressing in his life with the church and in his faith. For others of us, the problem stems from the difficult obstacles we face in our life with Christ. I’ve known many believers who struggled with their faith after hurtful experiences with a Church or other Christians. Others had a difficult time trusting in God after a significant loss. Still others were challenged by their own sins and struggles, making them ineffective in service to others or even despairing of their own salvation. It can be so easy to give up.

But Jesus doesn’t give up. Instead of writing us off, Jesus wants to restore us and call us to something greater.

Jesus Reveals Himself

In John 21, we find Peter giving up.

Read john 21:1-14

Jesus told the disciples both before and after his death (Mathew 26:32; 28:7) to meet him in Galilee after his resurrection. After the initial sightings of Jesus in Jerusalem, the disciples went back to Galilee. Jesus told them to wait for him there. Instead of waiting we find Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, John and James (along with 2 unnamed disciples, possibly Andrew and Philip) at the Sea of Galilee fishing. Peter was the ringleader, and the one who suggested fishing.

Remember that this was their profession before they started following Jesus. It’s not like they were just going out to enjoy some lake time that day. Peter was at a point (after seeing Jesus alive again!) where he was ready to resume the life he had before following Christ. It’s as if he were saying, “that three year adventure sure was great, but now its time to get back to real life.” Why would he do that?

I can imagine there were at least these two factors. The first is that Jesus showed himself after the resurrection but then he disappeared. Remember that almost 2 months passed between the sightings of Jesus just after Easter and the final time Jesus appears to the disciples in Galilee and was raised up into heaven before their eyes. That’s a long time to wonder what it is that you’re supposed to be doing. Peter, and the rest, likely wondered what they were supposed to do with their lives now that Jesus had disappeared.

Maybe you can relate to that sense of wondering. Maybe you were doing something that felt important but it came to an end. Now what? What is your purpose? What are you supposed to do with your life next? This can happen after a major transition like losing a job or retiring, like experiencing a major disappointment or loss, or even after achieving a great goal. Each of these transitions can leave you feeling empty and apathetic about life. I imagine the disciples were all feeling some of this emptiness.

On top of that, Peter, specifically, was struggling with the knowledge that he had abandoned Jesus in his greatest time of need. He stood out among the disciples at the last supper by boldly declaring is unflinching commitment to stay with Jesus, even unto death. That very night Jesus was arrested, put through an unfair trial, and handed over to Rome for crucifixion. But, as Jesus predicted, Peter disowned his Lord when things got scary. He denied even knowing him when people began to realize he was one of Jesus’ followers. Peter bore the shame of his cowardice and betrayal.

How many times in our own lives have we been tempted to give up on something important due to our own shame stemming from some kind of moral or otherwise debilitating failure. Given the degree to which we all sin, maybe we should all disqualify ourselves from serving Jesus. On merit, I know I fall far short of the standards of Christ. He requires perfection. Therefore, shame and giving up seem to be the only reasonable options.

In this difficult moment for the disciples, when they have already retreated back to their old way of life, insult is added to injury. They weren’t even able to catch any fish! You can just imagine the thoughts in their heads. “Not only have we lost Jesus, all our hopes and dreams, now we can’t even do what we used to do in order make a living. We’re sunk!”

But then, in the midst of the disciples pity party, Jesus shows us. Have you ever noticed that Jesus has impeccable timing? He doesn’t enter the story before they get in the boat to beg them not to go back to their former way of life. He doesn’t wait until they’re back on land and experiencing the full dejection of a wasted night on the water. No, Jesus calmly tends a small cooking fire with some fish and bread. When the failed fishermen get close to shore, he calls out to see if they’ve caught anything. The disciples don’t recognize him yet. But when he asks them to fish on the other side of the boat, they oblige him.

Jesus had pulled a trick like this before. When Jesus first called his disciples to follow him, he was preaching in Peter’s boat. When he had finished, he instructed Peter to put the boat further from the shore and to cast his nets. Peter, a season fishermen, informed Jesus that the first weren’t really biting, but agreed to do it anyway. As soon as those nets were in position, Peter knew he had a problem. The nets were so full of fish that the nets began to break.

So when that morning Peter agreed to drop his nets on the other side of the boat and found the nets so full that they couldn’t haul them it, they were able to connect the dots. John was the first to recognize that it was Jesus. “It is the Lord!” he cried. Peter was so overwhelmed that he jumped into the water to swim back to shore. He couldn’t wait for the others to wrangle in the fish. He needed to get to Jesus, post haste!

Then look at how Jesus greets Peter and the others. He has food ready for them. He serves them and welcomes them as friends. He even allows them to contribute some fish for the meal. Why? He’s reminding them that they aren’t just a project he’s working on. They are his partners, his brothers. they’re in this thing together. And that’s how Jesus often approaches us when we’re feeling washed up, without a purpose, and tempted to return to the life we had before Christ.

Sometimes, all we need is for Jesus to reveal himself in a difficult moment. The self-pity, the shame, and the fear go away and all that’s left is the simple desire to be with him. That’s certainly what happened for Peter.

**STORY**??

Jesus Restores Us

What’s great about Jesus is that he doesn't merely show up. The next thing Jesus does for Peter, and what he does for us, is so powerful.

Remember that Peter was feeling genuine guilt and shame over the way he abandoned Jesus in his time of trouble. In life, we can all face those “moments of truth.” It could be when a co-worker or another student at school says something about Jesus, Christianity, or the Church that isn’t true. You want to stand up for what you believe but you’re afraid to for social reasons or because you fear losing your job.

It’s no secret that there are many people today who are openly opposed to us and our faith. In fact, it has become almost chic to mock the Christian faith. And as some very public people have seemingly attached their faith to their political positions, it has become increasingly difficult for their political opponents to avoid mistaking the Gospel for a particular political agenda. That makes it so much more difficult for us to stand up for our faith in a politically charged environment. But whatever the circumstances and whatever they opposition, we are called by Christ to stand up for the gospel. When we don’t, we can feel awful.

But look at what Jesus does for Peter.

Read John 21:15-17

Jesus implicitly responds to those three times Peter denied him before his crucifixion by asking three times if Peter loves him. Each time, Peter responds with a “yes.” And each time, Jesus invites Peter to be feed his sheep. In other words, to be a shepherd/pastor of the flock of God. In one sense, by asking peter three time, I wonder if Peter was getting nervous that his answers were not enough. In fact, his last answer includes the emphatic, “You know all things.” Peter is feeling desperate for the Lord to believe him that he does, indeed, love Jesus. But in hindsight, I believe that Peter knew he was being given the chance to make amends for each of the three denials he make about Jesus. Each one was restored.

When Jesus reveals himself to you, don’t expect him to simply give you a light pat on the back and say, “aw shucks, don’t worry about what happened.” No, when Jesus restores people, he takes them back through the difficult moment and brings healing to each one. It may have seemed hard on Peter to make him verbalize his love to Jesus three times. But if he had not, might Peter have spent the rest of his life second-guessing himself and wondering if God truly accepted him? If he was fully forgiven? By going back to each of the three denials, Jesus was showing Peter that he knew about all three, that he was giving Peter a chance to respond to all three, and that after each one he was trusting Peter to care for his body, the Church.

This is huge. In my own life, I have faced moments where I struggled with how I would go on in my faith, in the ministry, and just in life. I haven’t been suicidal or anything, just wondering how to do and be what and who I’m called to do and be. I have felt inadequate. I’ve known my failures. I see my shortcomings. At least some of them, since (thank God) I can’t see all my faults at once. But in those moments, the most powerful encouragements have come when I’ve had to face square on the very things that bring me shame, guilt, and fear. With Jesus by my side, I can have the courage face those most difficult things in my life.

This is why it’s so important that Jesus reveals himself to Peter at this moment. If Jesus weren’t there, Peter would not have been able to face his failures and his sin. But with his friend by his side, the friend who had literally just died for him and been raised from the dead, Peter is able to face it head on and find the healing he needs to step back into the calling Jesus had placed on his life. Like Peter, so can I and so can you. Church, please don’t miss this. With Jesus by your side, you can face all the difficult moments of you life, whether they are your failings or the failings of others, whether they are shame based or guilt based or fear based or pain based. With Jesus, you can face them all. And not just face them, but find healing in them.

Our tendency is to avoid the difficult places. That is a way of coping and it’s only so helpful. Eventually, it will come back up in ways that you may not have ever expected. But when you heal from it, the past no longer has power over you. You’re no longer sent back to the lake of Galilee to go fishing. That was not Peter’s destiny, and it’s not your destiny either. Unless of course, you’re a fisherman, but the point remains that you are not called to go back to your life before Christ.

Even if you are a fisherman, you have a much greater calling than to catch fish. As you catch fish, you are called to follow Jesus.

Jesus Calls Us

And that’s where we end. Jesus revealed himself to the self-pitying Peter, welcoming him as a friend and brother. Then, Jesus restored the shame-ridden disciple by facing the pain and bringing healing. Finally, Jesus called Peter again to follow him.

In verse 19 we read, “And then Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me!” These are the same words Jesus spoke when he first called his disciples. And now he speaks them again to Peter. In other words, all the failures and difficulties and fears Peter had did not annul the calling God had put on Peter’s life. He still had a purpose. And that purpose was still, at the core, to walk with Jesus.

No matter what you’ve done or what has happened to you, your calling from god has not been annulled. You still have a purpose. And that purpose, at the core, is to walk with Jesus.

Do you know what I love about the way Jesus gives people a calling, or a purpose in life? It’s relational! It’s about being with him. It’s about walking with him, following him. Jesus isn’t nearly as interested in accomplishing some grand project with you as a laborer and servant. He’s more interested in being with you and working with you. Besides, the big project is already done. He already did it. He died for you and me and the world so that we could be forgiven and freed from sin and shame. The rest is just the application. It’s like with the pandemic. The brilliant scientists have already made the vaccine. Now it’s just about manufacturing and getting needles in arms, as they say.

So it is with Jesus. He did the work, so our calling it to apply that work wherever we are. That is our calling! Walk with Jesus. Know him. Love him. Then spread that knowledge and love to others wherever you are. Sometimes, it means changing where you are, as Jesus wants you do to that ministry in a specific place or with a specific people. But in the end, your calling is simply a specific instance of doing the big calling of “follow me.”

Church, we’re going to spend the next 6 weeks learning about and exploring our callings together. We’re going to be challenged to look at our pain. We’re going to see what the process looks like to discern and live out our purpose in Christ. But at the end of the day, this is what it’s about.

If you’re scared, I understand. If you feel too much shame to think you can be used by God, I get it. Do you want to give up? I’ve been there. But if that’s the case, I suggest you take time to be with Jesus. Let him welcome you into his presence. Let him restore you. Then listen to his invitation to follow him.

At the very end of the book of John, we read this interesting line.

25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

I used to see that as a great example of hyperbole. And maybe it is. But now I think about how Jesus didn’t only do other things during his 33 years on this earth. He is still doing other things. He’s still active, because he’s still alive. And he is revealing himself to us all the time. He is showing up, if only we have eyes to see it. And when he shows up, he heals people. He restores people. He’s doing it for someone listening to this right now. So no, that’s no longer hyperbole, in my mind. There would be no way to record all the things Jesus has been doing for the last 2,000 years in the lives of billions of people. So don’t think God can’t do something great with you.

So then, I hope you’re all ready to join us for our 6 weeks in Nehemiah. Sign up or show up, whatever is the next step for you. And let’s do what Peter did. After this moment, Peter waited on the Holy Spirit and then began the most powerful and world changing mission in the entirety of human history. And God is inviting you to join the team!