How Jesus Restores Me After I Fail Him

How Jesus Restores Me After I Fail Him

• Mark 14:23-31, Jesus said all would fall away on account of him. Though Peter said he would never deny Jesus, Jesus said he would do exactly that three times before the rooster crowed. Peter boastfully said that even if he ha to die with Jesus, he would “never’ disown him.

• Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said that Satan had asked to sift Peter like wheat. Jesus aid he prayed for Peter.

• John 18:18, While hovering over a charcoal fire, Peter denied Jesus.

• Luke 22:60, at the moment of the last denial, Jesus looked straight at Peter.

• Luke 22:62, Peter went out and wept bitterly.

This passage is not so much about the question, “Does Jesus forgive?” Jesus forgave Peter the moment he went out and kept. At that campfire in John 21, Jesus would go beyond forgiving Peter and walk him through a process of Restoration.

Does Peter’s journey resemble yours? Maybe you lost some battles with the sinful nature. Maybe you failed Jesus. And while you were broken by the sin, you mourned over it and asked God forgive you; no one told you there is more to what God does. He “restores our soul.” (Psalm 23:3)

John 21:1: The sea of Galilee is also called the sea of Tiberis, sea of Gennsaret or the lake of Kinneret.

John 21:5: Jesus asks literally, “have you any food?” (verses have you any fish.)

John 21:6: His command to cast their net on the “right” side has stirred lots of debate. It probably simply means that the nets were currently on the left, so he was telling them to switch sides.

John 21:11: Why 153 fish? Some suggest this represents all the known types of fish at the time. So the sea represents the world, the dragnet the Gospel and the fish all mankind. However, there is no evidence from that era that people actually believed there were 153 types of fish.

John 21:7: Peter was “goomnos”, naked. That is, he was stripped down for work. He “Ballo” cast himself into the sea.

How does Jesus restore us?

1. He

• Jesus asks Peter is he loves (agape), Peter’s response is one of friendship.
• To be restored you have to be clear about what you love.
• Jesus set the scene to break Peter. A charcoal fire would have been a unique smell, and is the exact fire that was burning when Peter denied Jesus. Jesus asked three times. It becomes so clear what Jesus is doing, Peter becomes, “Grieved.”
• Jesus is willing to hurt me to heal me.
• The Gospel makes us nervous because it doesn’t flatter us. (Story, Winston Churchill)

2. He demands I

• Jesus’ command is clear, “Follow me.” That means Jesus leads.
• Sometimes we try to lead Jesus! We don’t “give Jesus a chance” – we follow Jesus. Doctrinally, emotionally. We belong to Jesus.

3. He puts me

• Three times Jesus told Peter to help take care of the flock. (John 21:15, John 21:16, John 21:17)
• Jesus’ sheep are in his Church.
• God has a role for every person in his church.
• God’s flock is part of my spiritual growth because it moves me in circless I would not naturally move in on my own.

4. He Keeps it

• Part of God’s healing is being allowed to suffer for his cause.
• Suffering identifies us as a child of the king.
• Danger in Christianity is that we are making converts without transparency.
• He asks you to do things he doesn’t ask other people to do.
• He wants me to deeply trust him.