What is broken will be restored.
Brokenness and pain. Unfortunately, both are universal in our experiences as human beings. We may have been hurt by a love that ended prematurely, by abandonment and isolation, by chronic illness or death, or by circumstances we bring on ourselves through our sin and failure—but we all know what pain feels like. It feels like something has been broken inside us. It feels like we are broken.
Like clay jars, we’re fragile. We can be easily broken—but we don’t have to remain “broken vessels.” We’re never beyond the healing and redeeming power of God. In the face of failure, God responds with restoration. In spite of our shortcomings, God will work in and through us. In the midst of our circumstances, God will help us endure.
Yet God doesn’t stop there! He uses us to speak into the lives of other “broken vessels.” He uses our experiences with His grace and power to comfort others. He desires to use us to help our neighbors and loved ones encounter the God who brings hope and restoration.
“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7). We are broken vessels, but this great treasure—the good news of Jesus Christ—shines through our brokenness. And that’s a truth worth celebrating.
Broken Vessels
Session 1 A Fresh Start John 18:15-18,25-27; 21:15-19
Session 2 Objections Overruled Exodus 3:11-12; 4:10-17
Session 3 The Gift of Grace 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Session 4 A Channel of Comfort 2 Corinthians 1:2-7
Session 5 A Passion to Share the Gospel 2 Corinthians 5:11,14-21
Session 6 Right Here, Right Now Mark 5:1-2,8-15,18-20
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Making a mess in the kitchen is one thing. Making a mess of life is quite another. I can clean the kitchen to the point you’d never know I was in there. But when I make a mess of my life, I can’t just wipe away the evidence—or the consequences.
Have you ever found yourself at rock bottom? It may have been because of an inappropriate relationship, a string of lies, or a temptation or habit that seemed to gradually take over everything in life. At that moment, you stand at a crossroad. Do you continue down the road you’re on, continuing to repeat the mistakes because the pain of changing seems greater than the pain of remaining the same? Or do you look to Jesus for a way out?
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, knew what it meant to mess up. He failed in a big way. But Peter’s story also offers us encouragement and points us to the way out—a fresh start in Jesus Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
John 18:15-18,25-27
15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” “I am not,” he said. 18 Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself. … 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.
Peter had been through a lot on this particular evening: the last supper, failing Jesus by falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, witnessing Judas’ betrayal, fighting the temple guards, and watching Jesus allow Himself to be arrested and taken away. None of these events excuse Peter’s denials, but they do help us recognize that he was surely exhausted and confused. His whole world had been turned upside down. Still, after all the disciples initially ran away from Jesus’ arrest (see Matt. 26:55), Peter at least made an effort to get near enough to see and hear what was going on—as long as he could do it undetected.
“The other disciple,” who is generally acknowledged to be John, was able to follow Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. Peter stayed outside. Being neither a slave nor a member of the temple police, he must have stood out like a sore thumb. Not surprisingly, people immediately began connecting him with Jesus’ followers—and that’s when the denials started.
The Gospel of Luke adds another detail after the rooster’s famous crow: “Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62).
Many times we tend to see the men and women in Scripture as “bigger than life.” Their encounters with God and their victories seem so far beyond what we experience today. We may view their failures as equally above our own—and more catastrophic. Consequently, we might be tempted to say: “I would never fail Jesus like that.”
In fact, that’s just what Peter said earlier that night. When Jesus shared one last meal with His disciples, He predicted Judas’s betrayal. When Peter declared that he would lay down his life for Jesus, the Lord predicted that he also would betray Him (see John 13:37-38). This no doubt came as a shock to Peter. After all, he alone had walked on water with Jesus, and he was the first of the disciples to confess, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Thus, Peter responded like many of us surely would: “I will never deny you!” (Matt. 26:35).
Maybe we’re not so different from Peter after all. We’ve all been in circumstances where we gave in to fear or succumbed to the crowd. We may not have denied Jesus as overtly as Peter did, but we’ve had our own moments when we tried to hide our relationship with Him.
We’ve denied Him through our words and our actions. And whenever we choose to sin, we’re denying once again the One we say is Lord over our lives. Somewhere along the way, a rooster crows, and we’re hit with the full force of our denial.
When that happens to you—not if, but when—what do you do? What happens after you fail? Do you write yourself off as a failure? Do you just try to get on with your life as if nothing happened?
We’ll see from the life of Peter that a far better option awaits.
John 21:15-19
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
What immediately stands out from this passage is the three times Jesus asked Peter the same question. Three times. That’s the same number of times Peter betrayed Jesus on the night of His arrest— the very moment when his allegiance would have mattered most.
What also stands out is that “love” is a key word in verses 15-19. Unfortunately, the deeper impact of this passage is lost to most modern readers because the English language has only one word for “love.” So, it seems like Jesus was asking Peter the same question three times. However, if we look at the original Greek, which has multiple words for love, we unearth a deeper interaction.
In the first two questions, Jesus used agapao—the deep, affectionate, and cherishing type of love that God has for Jesus and that Jesus has for us. Interestingly, Peter didn’t respond with that same word for love; instead, he used phileo, which refers to more of a brotherly, personal type of love. The second interaction followed the same pattern. Jesus asked, “Simon, son of John, do you agapao me?” But Peter answered, “you know that I phileo you.”
In the third interaction, however, Jesus switched to phileo, the same version of love Peter had been using, which meant Peter was able to respond in kind.
Why didn’t Peter echo Jesus’ type of love? Perhaps he was feeling too guilty from his betrayal and felt unworthy to use the higher form of love, since he had not displayed it on the night of his denials. Or perhaps Peter intentionally used the more personable version of love, phileo, because he wanted to show Jesus how deeply repentant he was.
In either case, what matters most is that each time Jesus asked the question, He followed up with a commission: “Feed my lambs.” “Shepherd my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” Peter was a broken vessel, but the past was forgiven, and Jesus desired for Peter to move forward in ministry.
The beautiful thing about God is He doesn’t simply offer forgiveness. He wants to restore, redeem, and renew our past, our hurts, and our failures. He takes the broken pieces of our lives and makes us whole.
- Marriages that seem beyond the point of repair can be renewed and the couple can experience a deeper love than ever before.
- Hearts broken through divorce can experience a restoration through God’s grace and faithfulness.
- People dragged down by addictions can be renewed and move forward to live productive, Christ honoring lives.
I like how the apostle Paul described this phenomenon: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:4).
Whatever our past sins and failures—however we might have denied Christ—He forgives. He restores. And He chooses to work through us for His glory.
LIVE IT OUT
We all fail as followers of Jesus, yet He restores. Consider these suggestions for living out that truth this week:
- Remember. Look back to a period of your life marked by sin. Thank God for His forgiveness and consider the ways that He has brought restoration to your life.
- Memorize. Memorize Psalm 139:23-24. Pray this on a regular basis to keep short accounts between yourself and God. And when a circumstance or sin arises in your life for which you need to ask God’s forgiveness, do so.
- Write. Write a letter of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you. Whether or not you give this letter to the person, the writing process can help you express forgiveness and fully forgive that person just as Jesus has fully forgiven you.
Yes, you’ve messed up. But God’s grace is so deep and His love is so wide that He will always restore you when you come to Him in repentance. Your sin—your denial of Jesus—is not the end of the road. Christ offers a fresh start.
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Teacher Notes:
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, knew what it meant to mess up. He failed in a big way. But Peter’s story also offers us encouragement and points us to the way out—a fresh start in Jesus Christ.
I. We Fail John 18:15-18, 25-27
15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” “I am not,” he said. 18 Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself. … 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.
The Gospel of Luke adds another detail after the rooster’s famous crow: “Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So, Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62).
We might be tempted to say: “I would never fail Jesus like that.”
That’s just what Peter said earlier that night. When Jesus shared one last meal with His disciples, He predicted Judas’s betrayal.
Why did Peter fail so miserably?
What do we learn from Peter’s failure?
6 Causes of Spiritual Failure
1. We refuse to submit to the hard teachings of Scripture.
Jesus taught the disciples that He must suffer many things, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, and be killed. But Peter couldn’t accept that. He took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him. Jesus in turn rebuked Peter by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Mark 8:31-32). When Jesus predicted that Peter would be sifted by Satan, Peter protested that he would follow Jesus to prison and to death (Luke 22:33). He directly contradicted Jesus’ word because it was a hard thing to submit to. We’re all inclined to do exactly what Peter did. There are difficult things in Scripture that run counter to our liking. If we’re not careful, we focus on the Scriptures we like and skip the ones we don’t care for. We like the idea that man is free to choose his own destiny, but we don’t care for a God who has mercy on some and who hardens others according to His will (Rom. 9:18). our Bibles. We like a loving and tolerant God, but we don’t care for a holy God who lets us reap what we sow. We like a God who heals us and makes us happy, but we don’t like a God who refines us through trials and hardship.
2. We do not face up to our pride.
Peter believed in his own commitment more than he believed the word of the Lord (22:31-33). Peter also believed that he was more committed than the other disciples: “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not” (Mark 14:29). But Peter was blind to his own pride and self-confidence. Pride is the most common and troublesome sin that we face. Satan fell when he boasted, “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). He tempted Eve by appealing to her pride, telling her that she could be like God. Ever since, the human race has been plagued with the sin of thinking too highly of ourselves. This is being fed in our day with the false teaching that we need to build our self-esteem. Scripture nowhere teaches such a thing. In many places, it tells us to clothe ourselves with humility and to regard others as more important than ourselves (1 Pet. 5:5; Phil. 2:3). One clue that we are blind to our pride is when we hear of someone who has sinned and we think, “I could never do such a thing!” “Even though others fall away, I will not!” “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12)! “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov. 16:18).
3. We come under satanic attack.
Satan had demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat, but Peter was oblivious to the danger, even though Jesus warned him (22:31-33). Later Peter wrote, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). If a real lion were loose on the streets of Flagstaff, we would walk much more carefully than normal! We would be always on the lookout, and probably be armed with a weapon to defend ourselves. And yet we often ignore the adversary of our souls, living as if he did not exist.
4. We grow spiritually dull and distant.
Peter was not only dull with regard to the enemy without, he was dulled with regard to the enemy within. Jesus had warned the disciples, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). But not sensing their spiritual danger, they fell asleep when they should have been praying. As a result, when Jesus was arrested, Peter reacted in the flesh, whacking off the servant’s ear, then fled in fear. Now, he came back, following at a distance, and sat down among Christ’s enemies to warm himself by the fire. Whenever I deal with someone who is having serious problems, I ask about his devotional life. Invariably, it has either turned into an occasional routine, or it has ceased altogether. The person has allowed his first love for Jesus to cool. Your private devotional times with the Lord are the roots that sustain the tree. If a tree lacks deep roots, it may look pretty for a while, but invariably, a storm will hit that topples the tree. If you lack deep roots with the Lord, frequent times where you meet alone with Him to read and meditate on His Word and to commune with Him in prayer, you will fall when the storms of temptation hit.
5. We respond to crises in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
When the mob came to arrest Jesus, Peter started swinging his sword, but his response was not what the Lord wanted. Peter meant well, but his zeal did more damage than good. He was fighting when he should have been submitting. Something will happen that demands a godly, spiritual response, but we start swinging the sword or we say and do things to deny our faith in Christ.
6. We compromise our witness by our words and behavior.
You wouldn’t think that the bold, brash Peter would be toppled by a servant girl, but he was! He was like a mighty tree that has been eaten inside by bugs. Outwardly, it looks tall and strong. Inwardly, it is rotten and weak. One day a small breeze blows on it and it comes crashing down. Although Luke is kind to Peter, the other gospels hint that his three denials began small and grew to horrible proportions. He first said to the girl, “I don’t know what you are talking about” (see Mark 14:68). Perhaps as she kept insisting that he had been with Jesus, he gave the response Luke records, “Woman, I do not know Him.” He changed locations, hoping to avoid any other confrontations. But the girl came again and repeated her charge, and was joined by some of the men. Now Peter had to stick with his story, so again he denied that he was one of the disciples: “Man, I am not!” (Luke 22:58). For about an hour he tried to block out his failure by making small talk around the fire. Then the bystanders began to accuse him of being a disciple because of his Galilean accent. At this point, Peter began to curse and swear, insisting that he did not know “this man” (he wouldn’t even utter Jesus’ name; Mark 14:71). At this point, we can’t believe what we see: Peter, the bold apostle, openly denying that he knew his Savior and Lord!
Point: Even though we may fully intend to be faithful to the Lord at all times, we may face challenges in which we fail to stand for Him.
II. Jesus Restores John 21:15-19
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
Why did Jesus ask Peter 'Do you love me?' three times?
What can we learn from these verses about our relationship with Christ?
Let’s begin with a poem called “And God Said If” that helps set the scene:
There are really two parts to Peter’s story: his three-fold denial the night Jesus was arrested and how Christ forgave and restored him. The first part depends wholly on Peter, the second wholly on Jesus.
Behind this story lies a wonderful, liberating, hope-filled truth: Failure is an event, not a destiny. This is good news because we all fail sooner or later, and if we are honest, we all fail over and over again. As Peter’s story abundantly proves, it’s not our initial failure that ruins us. It’s what happens next that matters.
Point: Even when we fail Him, the Lord reaches out to us in love with grace that restores. Our love for the Lord is to be evident in the confession of our hearts, the profession from our lips, and the service we render. The call to follow Christ is a call to make a lifetime investment.
A Fresh Start: Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, teaching and training others to follow Christ (Acts 2).
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Click Here to Watch
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, knew what it meant to mess up. He failed in a big way. But Peter’s story also offers us encouragement and points us to the way out—a fresh start in Jesus Christ.
I. We Fail John 18:15-18, 25-27
15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” “I am not,” he said. 18 Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself. … 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.
The Gospel of Luke adds another detail after the rooster’s famous crow: “Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So, Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62).
We might be tempted to say: “I would never fail Jesus like that.”
That’s just what Peter said earlier that night. When Jesus shared one last meal with His disciples, He predicted Judas’s betrayal.
Why did Peter fail so miserably?
- Because he was afraid, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. Sometimes we don’t do what is right because we fear what others will think of us.
- Fear: To his credit, although all the others had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance so as not to be identified with Him (Mark 14:54). There’s no question that fear gripped him. From the courtyard, he watched Jesus being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57–66). Peter was afraid Jesus would die, and he was fearful for his own life as well. The world hated Jesus, and Peter found that he was not prepared to face the ridicule and persecution that Jesus was suffering. Earlier, Jesus had warned His disciples as well as us today, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 16:18; cf. Matthew 24:9). Peter quickly found he wasn’t nearly as bold and courageous as he had proclaimed, and in fear he denied the One who had loved him.
- Weakness: the weakness born of human frailty. After the Last Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. He told them to stay awake and pray while He went off to pray alone. When He returned to them, He found them sleeping. He warned Peter to stay awake and pray because, although his spirit might be willing, his flesh was weak. But he fell asleep again, and, by the time the soldiers had come to arrest Jesus, it was too late to pray for the strength to endure the ordeal to come. No doubt his failure to appropriate the only means to shore up his own weakness—prayer—occurred to him as he was weeping bitterly after his denials. But Peter learned his lesson about being watchful, and he exhorts us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be on the alert, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Peter’s weakness had caused him to be “devoured” momentarily as he denied his Lord because he hadn’t been prepared through prayer and he underestimated his own weakness.
What do we learn from Peter’s failure?
- Maybe we’re not so different from Peter after all. We’ve all been in circumstances where we gave in to fear or succumbed to the crowd. We may not have denied Jesus as overtly as Peter did, but we’ve had our own moments when we tried to hide our relationship with Him. We’ve denied Him through our words and our actions. And whenever we choose to sin, we’re denying once again the One we say is Lord over our lives. Somewhere along the way, a rooster crows, and we’re hit with the full force of our denial. When that happens to you—not if, but when—what do you do? What happens after you fail? Do you write yourself off as a failure? Do you just try to get on with your life as if nothing happened? When and why have you denied knowing Jesus by either your words or your life-style?
6 Causes of Spiritual Failure
1. We refuse to submit to the hard teachings of Scripture.
Jesus taught the disciples that He must suffer many things, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, and be killed. But Peter couldn’t accept that. He took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him. Jesus in turn rebuked Peter by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Mark 8:31-32). When Jesus predicted that Peter would be sifted by Satan, Peter protested that he would follow Jesus to prison and to death (Luke 22:33). He directly contradicted Jesus’ word because it was a hard thing to submit to. We’re all inclined to do exactly what Peter did. There are difficult things in Scripture that run counter to our liking. If we’re not careful, we focus on the Scriptures we like and skip the ones we don’t care for. We like the idea that man is free to choose his own destiny, but we don’t care for a God who has mercy on some and who hardens others according to His will (Rom. 9:18). our Bibles. We like a loving and tolerant God, but we don’t care for a holy God who lets us reap what we sow. We like a God who heals us and makes us happy, but we don’t like a God who refines us through trials and hardship.
2. We do not face up to our pride.
Peter believed in his own commitment more than he believed the word of the Lord (22:31-33). Peter also believed that he was more committed than the other disciples: “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not” (Mark 14:29). But Peter was blind to his own pride and self-confidence. Pride is the most common and troublesome sin that we face. Satan fell when he boasted, “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). He tempted Eve by appealing to her pride, telling her that she could be like God. Ever since, the human race has been plagued with the sin of thinking too highly of ourselves. This is being fed in our day with the false teaching that we need to build our self-esteem. Scripture nowhere teaches such a thing. In many places, it tells us to clothe ourselves with humility and to regard others as more important than ourselves (1 Pet. 5:5; Phil. 2:3). One clue that we are blind to our pride is when we hear of someone who has sinned and we think, “I could never do such a thing!” “Even though others fall away, I will not!” “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12)! “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov. 16:18).
3. We come under satanic attack.
Satan had demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat, but Peter was oblivious to the danger, even though Jesus warned him (22:31-33). Later Peter wrote, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). If a real lion were loose on the streets of Flagstaff, we would walk much more carefully than normal! We would be always on the lookout, and probably be armed with a weapon to defend ourselves. And yet we often ignore the adversary of our souls, living as if he did not exist.
4. We grow spiritually dull and distant.
Peter was not only dull with regard to the enemy without, he was dulled with regard to the enemy within. Jesus had warned the disciples, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). But not sensing their spiritual danger, they fell asleep when they should have been praying. As a result, when Jesus was arrested, Peter reacted in the flesh, whacking off the servant’s ear, then fled in fear. Now, he came back, following at a distance, and sat down among Christ’s enemies to warm himself by the fire. Whenever I deal with someone who is having serious problems, I ask about his devotional life. Invariably, it has either turned into an occasional routine, or it has ceased altogether. The person has allowed his first love for Jesus to cool. Your private devotional times with the Lord are the roots that sustain the tree. If a tree lacks deep roots, it may look pretty for a while, but invariably, a storm will hit that topples the tree. If you lack deep roots with the Lord, frequent times where you meet alone with Him to read and meditate on His Word and to commune with Him in prayer, you will fall when the storms of temptation hit.
5. We respond to crises in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
When the mob came to arrest Jesus, Peter started swinging his sword, but his response was not what the Lord wanted. Peter meant well, but his zeal did more damage than good. He was fighting when he should have been submitting. Something will happen that demands a godly, spiritual response, but we start swinging the sword or we say and do things to deny our faith in Christ.
6. We compromise our witness by our words and behavior.
You wouldn’t think that the bold, brash Peter would be toppled by a servant girl, but he was! He was like a mighty tree that has been eaten inside by bugs. Outwardly, it looks tall and strong. Inwardly, it is rotten and weak. One day a small breeze blows on it and it comes crashing down. Although Luke is kind to Peter, the other gospels hint that his three denials began small and grew to horrible proportions. He first said to the girl, “I don’t know what you are talking about” (see Mark 14:68). Perhaps as she kept insisting that he had been with Jesus, he gave the response Luke records, “Woman, I do not know Him.” He changed locations, hoping to avoid any other confrontations. But the girl came again and repeated her charge, and was joined by some of the men. Now Peter had to stick with his story, so again he denied that he was one of the disciples: “Man, I am not!” (Luke 22:58). For about an hour he tried to block out his failure by making small talk around the fire. Then the bystanders began to accuse him of being a disciple because of his Galilean accent. At this point, Peter began to curse and swear, insisting that he did not know “this man” (he wouldn’t even utter Jesus’ name; Mark 14:71). At this point, we can’t believe what we see: Peter, the bold apostle, openly denying that he knew his Savior and Lord!
Point: Even though we may fully intend to be faithful to the Lord at all times, we may face challenges in which we fail to stand for Him.
II. Jesus Restores John 21:15-19
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
Why did Jesus ask Peter 'Do you love me?' three times?
- What immediately stands out from this passage is the three times Jesus asked Peter the same question. Three times. That’s the same number of times Peter betrayed Jesus on the night of His arrest— the very moment when his allegiance would have mattered most.
- There is also an interesting contrast when you look at the Greek words for “love” used in John 21:15–17.
1. Agape / Phileo 2. Agape / Phileo 3. Phileo / Phileo
What can we learn from these verses about our relationship with Christ?
Let’s begin with a poem called “And God Said If” that helps set the scene:
If you never felt pain,
Then how would you know that I’m a Healer?
If you never went through difficulty,
How would you know that I’m a Deliverer?
If you never had a trial,
How could you call yourself an overcomer?
If you never felt sadness,
How would you know that I’m a Comforter?
If you never made a mistake,
How would you know that I’m forgiving?
If you never were in trouble,
How would you know that I will come to your rescue?
If you never were broken,
Then how would you know that I can make you whole?
If you never had a problem,
How would you know that I can solve them?
If you never had any suffering,
Then how would you know what I went through?
If you never went through the fire,
Then how would you become pure?
If I gave you all things,
How would you appreciate them?
If I never corrected you,
How would you know that I love you?
If you had all power,
Then how would you learn to depend on me?
If your life was perfect,
Then what would you need me for?
Pause and consider that final line for a moment:
If your life was perfect,
Then what would you need me for?
There are really two parts to Peter’s story: his three-fold denial the night Jesus was arrested and how Christ forgave and restored him. The first part depends wholly on Peter, the second wholly on Jesus.
- Peter was in charge of his own failure.
- Christ took charge of restoring him.
Behind this story lies a wonderful, liberating, hope-filled truth: Failure is an event, not a destiny. This is good news because we all fail sooner or later, and if we are honest, we all fail over and over again. As Peter’s story abundantly proves, it’s not our initial failure that ruins us. It’s what happens next that matters.
Point: Even when we fail Him, the Lord reaches out to us in love with grace that restores. Our love for the Lord is to be evident in the confession of our hearts, the profession from our lips, and the service we render. The call to follow Christ is a call to make a lifetime investment.
A Fresh Start: Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, teaching and training others to follow Christ (Acts 2).
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
