Commission | Sermon on Peter's Restoration from John 21:15-25

Well, good morning everyone. Normally I would say open his Bible to John chapter 21, that would be a very good thing, but we are looking at the story of Peter's

restoration

and his

commission

ing from a wide range of biblical passages today and when we get there. to John 21 you will know that we are almost at the end of the

sermon

and I say this so that you do not think that I have been completely and absolutely lost. This is the last message in our series about life. from Peter and I have loved every minute of working on this series.

I see myself in Peter and some of you have told me that you do it too many times these weeks. I have heard one or another in the congregation say pastor, I am so like Peter I really love Jesus but I am very far from what he calls me to be, we see you in Peter and that is why his story is so encouraging because if the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ can Triumph in the life of this imperfect disciple. So there is hope for each of us here today Discipleship is sometimes presented as a list of disciplines and skills that are learned and then practiced throughout life, but what we have seen is that authentic discipleship actually has its failures. , just as his Successes Peter loved Jesus, he was undoubtedly a totally committed disciple, he said that he was willing to give his life for Jesus and we have no reason to doubt his sincerity in what he said.

Jesus said to Peter, the spirit is willing, but the flesh. It's weak Peter, I know your spirit is willing, but there is another reality that you must take into account. Your flesh is weak and every believer lives with these two realities, your spirit is willing, of course, you love Jesus, you want to serve God. has made you want this is the evidence of the reality of the work of the Holy Spirit in You but what you find is that your flesh remains weak and that is why many times you fall short of what you want to be and what you want to do and we have seen in this series that Peter overestimated the power of his willing spirit and underestimated the power of his reluctant spiritual flesh.

Pride took hold of him and ignoring Jesus' warnings, he entered that courtyard where he denied ever knowing. His Lord was a spiritual disaster he was the ruin of the public testimony of an esteemed leader and we ended last week with this wonderful promise that even when we are unfaithful he remains faithful thank God for that and today we are going to follow the wonderful story of how Peter was restored and

commission

ed for a whole new chapter of service and purpose of ministry. Now, as we follow this story, we don't know where Peter went or what he did after leaving the courtyard that Thursday night, what a night it had been to think about the beautiful intimacy of sharing the last supper with Jesus in which Jesus spoke of his body being given, his blood shed by Peter and the other disciples and then that joyful song as they went down to the Garden of Gethsemane. where Jesus had prayed so passionately and where he had warned Peter that he needed to watch and pray so as not to fall into temptation and then the sudden drama Peter wakes up to find the scene of Jesus' arrest taking place and hits the high priest's servant with his sword only to be rebuked by Jesus who then heals the ear of the high priest's servant and then the disaster in the courtyard when Peter denied his Lord under oath invoking curses on himself and remember we saw in the gospel of Luke that It was at that very moment that Peter cursed and swore that Jesus was taken out of the high priest's house and through the courtyard and Jesus turned and looked at Peter, what a moment that must have been and the Scriptures record that Peter came out and wept bitterly.

If only I would not have gone to that courtyard if only I had not spoken as I did if only I had lived up to the faith I professed if only I could tell Jesus how sorry I am but of course Jesus had taken and the last of Peter The memory of that night was not of him being called to be a disciple and leaving his nets and following Jesus, it was not the glory of Walking on Water, it was not even the beautiful intimacy of sitting at the table with Jesus, the last memory. What Peter had that night was to look into the eyes of Jesus in that terrible moment when the rooster crowed and he had just cursed himself now I want to tell you then this morning that if you have known what it is to take a step into spiritual disaster the story is for you if you have known the pain of not being able to right the wrong you did to another person because it was taken from you well this story is for you if you find yourself surrounded by great Darkness and wonder if there will ever be hope for you again .

This story really is for you. That dark and thirsty night led to the day we call Good Friday, the day our Lord was crucified. What was that day like for Simon Peter? Well, we don't know. I don't know where Peter was on Good Friday, we know that John was standing at the foot of the cross, he remembers standing next to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, but Peter was not there. I suppose Peter spent Good Friday alone somewhere away from the crowd, but whatever that day was contained some things that Peter couldn't help. At noon the light went out.

Darkness covered the land. What was Peter thinking wherever he was? when in the middle of the day everything was in complete darkness for three hours and then the gospels tell? tells us that after the three hours of Darkness the earth shook Matthew tells us specifically that the Earth shook and the Rocks broke what Peter felt when that happened surely he must have thought that this is the end of the world it is the end of God's day The judgment you must have thought has finally come, the curse I invoked has fallen on me and has fallen on everyone else too, but the terrors of last Friday and then came Saturday, another day of lasting and unspeakable loss, some of you They know what that's like.

Another day of self-loathing, another day of fighting damnation, where do you go from there? What can you do when you feel like you're at the end? Well, we will see today as we look at this wonderful story that there is hope. in Jesus Christ even after your worst sins and failures we are going to see how a person can be restored even after a spiritual disaster there were three elements in Peter's

restoration

and there will be three elements in ours also a promise to trust in a savior seek and a mission to fulfill, above all, a promise to trust, what did Peter have to cling to the night he denied the Lord through all that terrible darkness of Good Friday and the emptiness of the Sabbath that followed?

I saw the last time that Jesus had given a promise to Peter Simon Simon behold Satan demanded to have you to sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you so that your faith does not fail and when you have turned again strengthen your brothers notice that in this promise Jesus did not say Peter if you turn Jesus said Peter when you turn I have prayed for you and when you have turned you see Jesus knew that Peter's spiritual disaster would not be the end for him he would turn he would turn because Jesus had prayed for him and when Peter made Jesus work so that he would strengthen his brothers, think about this.

Jesus knew before Peter denied him, not only that he would do what he did, but that he would repent long afterward, he knew that Peter's repentance would be real when Peter came out and wept bitterly and hoped that the weight of his own sin was upon him. in the days ahead and you will remember that in the Old Testament scriptures King David knew what this It was as many of you will also know well the words of Psalm 51, David's great Psalm of repentance, where he says: I know my transgression and my Sin is always before me.

You will know that in your own experience, what in the world possessed me? I acted the way I did. What was I thinking? How could I have been so stupid? My sin is always before me, but at the end of Psalm 51, David tells us what helped him when his sin was always before him when he found himself in that great moment. The darkness this is what helped him verse 17 the sacrifices of God he says is a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart or God you will not despise God knows when you repent of what you have done and he will never turn away from a broken and contrite heart In the darkness of Good Friday and on the empty Saturday day that followed Peter had a promise to believe and when you get to really dark places in your life you have a promise to believe too Jesus knows when you repent and when the darkness of guilt, shame and condemnation press upon you trust in this promise a broken and contrite heart will not despise Christ has prayed for you that your faith may not fail and when you are converted you will strengthen your sisters and your brothers in the shame of Thursday night in the darkness of Friday and the emptiness of Saturday Peter had a promise to cling to and then Sunday came, the gospels record nine occasions when the Risen Lord appeared to his disciples, let me list them the first of Of course it was to Mary Magdalena who dresses beautifully described by John where at the tomb she thinks that the Risen Lord is the gardener until she pronounces his name and realizes that she is in the presence of our savior and our Lord there was an appearance to the other women. who had heard the announcement of the angels at the tomb and went to tell it to the disciples and as they acted in obedience, Matthew tells us very simply and briefly that Jesus met them on the road, then there was an appearance that we are told specifically to Peter . only then was there an appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, there was on the afternoon of the first day of the week an appearance of Jesus to the disciples when Thomas was not with them and then eight days later another appearance of Jesus when Thomas was with them. , then we are told that there was an appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples in Galilee after a night of fishing from John chapter 21, which we read before and then again to the disciples in Galilee, this time on the top of a mountain where Jesus He spoke the words we know as the Great Commission sending them to go and make disciples and then the Disciples of course saw Him again on the Mount of Olives on the occasion when He ascended again to heaven and spoke words of blessing.

Among them are nine occasions on which the Risen Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples recorded in the gospels and to complete it there are three others referred to later in the New Testament. Paul tells us in First Corinthians in chapter 15 about an occasion when Jesus appeared to James, he refers to another occasion when Jesus appeared to 500 people at the same time and of course in the Acts of the Apostles we have the wonderful appearance of the Risen Lord to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, but today I want to focus on the nine appearances of the Risen Lord recorded in the gospels, these of course occurred over a period of 40 days and I want you to notice very significantly that Pedro was blessed to participate on six of these nine occasions.

Six in other words, take this that Peter was restored not only by believing in a wonderful promise but also by repeated encounters with his Risen Lord and when we ask how we will be restored it will not be only by trusting in the promise, but also through a sustained communion with Our Risen Lord, for which he promised to trust. but secondly, a savior to look for, let's see what this was really like for Peter. He saw the resurrected Lord on six occasions and it is very clear from reading the gospels that Jesus used these occasions to restore and then commission Peter.

Now we are not given any. Details of this private meeting between the Risen Lord and Simon Peter all we have is the testimony of the two disciples who met the Lord on the road to Emmaus, they said that the Lord has truly risen and has appeared to Simon, specific appearance to Simon Peter and this. It is confirmed of course by the apostle Paul in First Corinthians in chapter 15 where he says that another name appeared to Peter and then to the twelve which indicates quite clearly the order of these appearances that this was before the appearance to the group of disciples together when Peter was also present and therefore it was actually the first apparition that happened after the appearances to the women.

Now we do not know, of course, what Jesus said in that meeting with Peter at the moment when he first saw the Risen Lord, but we are of course told a lot about what Jesus said in the second and third meeting that Peter had with the Risen Lord when he was with the other disciples first without Thomas and then with Thomas eight days later, so just putting the pieces together, I think if Peter were here today he would say something like this when I left that courtyard I got bitterly wet and felt that I didn't There was no hope for me but then I remembered the words of Jesus I prayed for you and when you turned, strengthen your brothers.

Jesus knew I would come back, so I dared to believe that He wasn't done with me yet. Then, on that first Easter day, he appeared to me. I can't describe the joy and relief that this was the conversation just between us, but I can tell you that those same eyes that had looked at me with wounded love in the yard looked at me again with forgiving love. His graceIt was enough for me. I wasn't quite sure what to do after that, but I knew Jesus would want to. I stayed close to the other disciples so I went and found them we all felt that our lives were in danger so we closed the doors of the room in which we had gathered but that night Jesus appeared to us in the room I just looked he got up and there I was, I was with you, he said, I held on to these words as if they had been said only to me, they were exactly what I needed to hear and then he showed his hands that had been pierced and his side that had been broken. by the spear it was as if he were telling us that the peace that he gave came from the wounds he suffered and that is why years later under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit I wrote that he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we would die to sin and let us live to justice because by his wounds we have been healed and then Jesus said a second time peace be upon you as the father sent me so I send you Jesus gave me peace and I received it but I have to tell you that in the following week I still struggled with a guilty conscience just when I thought I had dried my tears. and I buried my sorrows it seemed as if repentance rose from the grave to take possession of me again but Jesus appeared to us again eight days later and when he did the first thing he said was to repeat the words that he had already said twice before the peace .

I will be with you, see friends. Peter was restored by repeated encounters with the Risen Lord, three times Peter had denied having known Jesus and three times Jesus spoke peace to his soul and Jesus restores us in the same way he restored Peter. As we speak peace to our souls now, obviously there is a uniqueness to Jesus' resurrection appearances to Peter, but we have this promise from Scripture that I want us to take advantage of together today, the Bible tells us to draw near to God and he will draw near. . to you and that's not why we are here today we came here today to get closer to God we get closer to God through his son the Lord Jesus Christ and and he speaks to us how through his word the scriptures and I want you to hear his voice speaking peace in your soul today peace be with you he gives peace he offers forgiveness he brings restoration and Jesus Christ wants you to receive these gifts and the reason he can give them to you is because he bore our sins he took our guilt, our shame and our condemnation upon himself and He did it when he died for us on the cross.

Listen to the risen Lord Jesus Christ when he says peace be upon you, so there is a promise to trust and there is a risen savior for let's seek who will speak peace to our souls and finally this morning there is a mission to fulfill and if the main focus Of the first three encounters Peter had with the Risen Lord was restoration speaking peace to his soul so it is very clear that the last The three encounters Peter had with the Risen Lord focused very clearly on his commission for a completely new chapter of service. Think about these last three, taking the last one first on the Mount of Olives.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, Jesus said to Peter and the other disciples, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Peter, you will be my witness. That is what he heard from Jesus and you remember on the mountain. Galilee you go up to the top of the mountain there you worship Jesus and he says to you Peter listen to these words go therefore and make Disciples of all Nations Commission Commission but I want to end today with these words of Jesus spoken directly to Peter in John in chapter 21 It is a beautiful story when the disciples were back in Galilee, Peter and the others had gone out fishing at night and in the morning Jesus appeared again standing right on the shore of the lake of Galilee, as he had done three years before, when Peter had been called for the first time to follow Jesus as a disciple and John tells us that the disciples had breakfast with Jesus and then records that when they finished breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter Simon son of John, do you love me more than these Peter told him Yes, Lord, you know that I love you and Jesus said to him, feed my lambs.

Peter, do you love me more than these? Peter had been very sure that he loved Jesus more than these other disciples and didn't we see that that is in fact the first sign of spirituality? Pride is thinking that you are stronger, more committed and better than other believers. Peter was sure that he was more devoted, more loyal, more committed to Jesus than any of the others and that is why he said to Jesus, even if everyone turns away, I will never fall much further. strong that I love you more than them but Peter had discovered that he was not as strong as he thought and here Jesus asks him the question: do you love me more than these and do I want you to notice this beautiful Peter?

It doesn't say yes Lord, I love you more than these, it simply says Lord, you know I love you, the old spiritual pride is gone, it no longer claims a stronger love or a deeper commitment, it no longer claims spiritual superiority over other people, He's just confessing. Honestly, Lord, you know I love you and Jesus says, feed my lambs, feed my lambs and of course that's something Peter could never have done before. A disciple who feels superior to other believers can never strengthen them, he will only crush them. God used the exposure of Peter's weakness to cure him of his spiritual pride.

Isn't it a beautiful thing? Peter became humble and by becoming humble he became useful more useful than he could ever have been before and you see the fruit of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the life of this man in the letters he wrote at the end of the New Testament just listen to this of the man who was once possessed by spiritual Pride is the same man who is able to say, all of you, clothe yourself in humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The early believers all knew Peter's story like we do and so they knew exactly what he was saying.

I was the one who became proud, everyone knows it and God humbled me. God. He opposes the proud, he tears them down, but this is what I have found and this is what you need to know Peter is saying as he writes this letter God gives grace to the humble, he demonstrated it in his own experience, which is why he says humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that in due time he may exalt you by casting all your anxieties on him because he cares about you and then Peter says something else that obviously comes from his own experience, he says now be sober and be attentive. why because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone who will be our attitude resist him firm in your faith of course the first believers all knew like us that Peter had fallen asleep in the garden he did not look he did not pray and went in in temptation, but you see that Jesus had said when you have strengthened your brothers, feed my Lambs and that is exactly what Peter did for the rest of his life.

You see that God used the most difficult thing in Peter's life. life to prepare him for the future Ministry and you know the story continues that Jesus asked Peter for the second time Simon son of John do you love me and Peter said yes Lord you know that I love you and he said take care of my sheep and then John records that Jesus Simon, son of John, said to him for the third time, do you love me? And Peter was sad because he said to him for the third time, do you love me? And he said, Lord, you know everything.

You know that I love you. you love me three times well it's probably because Peter denied Jesus three times three times Peter had denied having known Jesus and three times he was given the opportunity to confess his love. for Jesus I wonder if you've ever noticed that it seems like everything in this story happens three times three times Peter denies Jesus three times John records Jesus says peace with you three times Peter confesses his love for the Savior three times Jesus commissions his disciple restored feed my Lambs care for my sheep feed my sheep when you feel overwhelmed by your own sin and there are times in every Christian's journey where we come to such a dark place remember there is a promise to trust Jesus knows when you are repentant and broken and contrite heart will not despise so trust in the promise and seek the savior the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross so that your worst sin would not be the end for you he died so that your sin would not define you so that your sin would not condemn you and he was resurrected so that it does not lead to your ruin but to your restoration so seek this savior come to him and He will come to you and speak peace to your soul and then fulfill the mission remember this that God can use the most difficult thing in your life to prepare you for the future Ministry feed my Lambs tend my sheep feed my sheep when you have returned strengthen your sisters and brothers Jesus has worked for you to do this and when he restores you he will commission you for a life of service for his glory and honor let us pray together Our Father we thank you that our worst sins do not have to be the end for any of us because Jesus died and rose again granted by your grace we will trust in your promise seek your son and Turning again to you, be useful as your servants, living for your praise, Glory and Honor, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, in whose wonderful name we prayed and all together said.