Collierville First Baptist Church

[01:00:00;14 - 01:00:06;09]
Let's go to the Lord together in prayer. Father, we do bless you this morning.

[01:00:08;33 - 01:00:12;05]
We thank you for the privilege of gathering with you in spirit and in truth.

[01:00:13;58 - 01:00:41;49]
We thank you for revealing your purposes to us eternally through your word. We thank you for revealing yourself clearly to us in the person and work of Jesus. And we thank you, Holy Spirit, for your presence among us, to convict us of sin, to transform us into the likeness of Jesus, to empower us. And we trust you to do your work according to your purposes during this time together. We pray that every word of our mouths, every meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight.

[01:00:43;35 - 01:00:45;09]
And Lord, we trust you to speak to us.

[01:00:47;13 - 01:00:49;31]
In Jesus' name, Amen.

[01:00:51;22 - 01:01:02;52]
With the voice that I have left after singing, I will attempt to preach the Word. Pastor Joshua, worship team, thank you. Let's thank them for leading us so very well.

[01:01:06;39 - 01:01:43;31]
If you have a Bible with you this morning, I'd like to invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of John, the very last chapter, John 21, and we will pick up there in just a few moments. I want to begin just by saying thank you for the way that you have shown your patience and unending love and support both to me and to my family. My wife and two boys are sitting here in the front row. They are here in the front so that if at any point I drop and am not able to complete this message, they can step in without interruption. So, boys, I need you to be ready at any point.

[01:01:45;16 - 01:01:47;32]
It is a joy to be a part of this congregation.

[01:01:48;51 - 01:02:01;01]
It's a joy to serve you. Long before we had an opportunity to be a part of this church, we knew of Collierville First Baptist and Pastor Chuck and have always had a high regard, and so it really is an honor to be able to be here.

[01:02:02;11 - 01:02:13;34]
This morning, I have the opportunity to finish out a series of messages that we've been walking through after Easter in looking at the first words of Jesus after His resurrection.

[01:02:14;45 - 01:02:28;46]
Over the course of the last few weeks, we've seen that on the morning of the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb and gave to her a word of hope that changed everything, and it's a word of hope that still is being extended to us.

[01:02:29;47 - 01:02:48;39]
The next week, we looked at Jesus on the road to Emmaus and how He happened upon a couple of disciples and explained to them from beginning to end of the Old Testament how it all was pointing to Him, and we saw in them and in that interaction that God's truth clears up confusion and gives direction to our lives.

[01:02:49;55 - 01:02:56;53]
The following week, we looked at the disciples in the upper room and how they discovered Jesus to be the ultimate peacemaker.

[01:02:58;16 - 01:03:01;38]
Thomas, the next week, learned that Jesus was strong enough to handle His doubts.

[01:03:03;39 - 01:03:24;36]
Two weeks ago, several disciples who had gone fishing, actually the first part of the passage that I'm going to be looking at this morning, we looked at that in John 21, and we saw that these disciples who experienced a miraculous catch-up of 153 fish that pointed back to a similar miracle that happened in Luke 5,

[01:03:26;02 - 01:03:50;41]
that clarity about the Lord and about His work guarantees our success and the mission that He gives to us, that we don't do anything in our own power, but it's His presence, His power, in and through His people that empowers them. Last week, our pastor preached from the Great Commission, and we were reminded that Jesus' followers are given a word of action to make disciples everywhere.

[01:03:52;57 - 01:03:55;04]
Our passage this morning in John 21

[01:03:56;13 - 01:04:02;12]
reinforces the truth that the Lord is never finished with us.

[01:04:03;49 - 01:04:06;40]
The Lord is never finished with you.

[01:04:08;52 - 01:04:20;09]
In fact, I want to encourage you to turn and look at one or both of your neighbors and remind them of that together with me. Let's say that together. The Lord is not finished with you.

[01:04:22;22 - 01:04:23;51]
The Lord is not finished with you.

[01:04:26;39 - 01:04:28;41]
Now, I'm sure that you meant that

[01:04:30;41 - 01:04:32;57]
with every fiber of your being because it's true.

[01:04:35;09 - 01:04:51;10]
This should be good news for all of us because whether we like it or not, in one area or another, every one of us will experience at some point in life limitation, failure, discouragement, or disappointment.

[01:04:53;33 - 01:05:00;57]
At some point or another, all of us will fall short of either the expectations that are placed upon us or the expectations that we have placed upon ourselves.

[01:05:02;43 - 01:05:08;13]
And if we're not careful, those moments of embarrassment or disappointment or shame,

[01:05:09;40 - 01:05:16;18]
they can take a life of their own and end up shaping our outlook on life, our very identity,

[01:05:17;57 - 01:05:19;13]
indeed our entire lives,

[01:05:21;08 - 01:05:23;13]
in ways that the Lord never intended to happen.

[01:05:26;15 - 01:05:33;48]
My encouragement to you this morning, based on this passage in John's gospel, is that the Lord is not finished with you when those moments come.

[01:05:38;49 - 01:05:42;50]
In establishing the scene for the passage that we're going to take a look at,

[01:05:44;59 - 01:06:02;20]
first of all, we have to remember that this is taking place at the Sea of Galilee, a place very familiar with the disciples. They've worked there for years. They've fished there. They've experienced all kinds of things with Jesus there. And so it's an area in their geography that was full of meaning.

[01:06:04;05 - 01:06:13;22]
The disciples have been waiting for another one of Jesus' appearances, in which he's going to give them instruction or words of encouragement prior to his ascension to heaven.

[01:06:15;01 - 01:06:16;45]
And because it's what Peter does,

[01:06:18;24 - 01:06:26;06]
Peter didn't sit still, and either by necessity, either they needed food or he just couldn't sit still, Peter suggested that the group of disciples go fishing.

[01:06:28;07 - 01:06:47;38]
And so they go fishing. During the night, while they're alone, they catch nothing. And as I mentioned earlier, Jesus shows up as a shadowy figure on the bank right around daybreak, suggests that they cast the nets on the other side. They pull in 153 large fish, and everybody, either by boat or by swimming, they get to the shore just as quickly as possible.

[01:06:49;28 - 01:06:57;11]
They realize it's the Lord, and so they get over to the shore, and there he is with a meal prepared over a charcoal fire.

[01:07:00;21 - 01:07:06;28]
While other disciples are involved in this scene, it's Peter that rises to the foreground in verse 15.

[01:07:08;35 - 01:07:18;30]
It's important in looking at Peter to look back and understand a little bit of the back story to Peter so that we can grasp the significance of this scene.

[01:07:20;44 - 01:07:23;46]
We meet Peter in the very first chapter of John's gospel.

[01:07:25;21 - 01:07:32;10]
Right? And we have a beautiful prologue in the first 18 verses that describes Jesus as the eternal word.

[01:07:33;27 - 01:07:57;14]
He's identified by John the Baptist, and then he starts calling disciples. One of those was a man by the name of Andrew, and Andrew has this brother named Peter. And so he goes to his brother, and in John chapter 1, verse 42, it says the first person that he found was his own brother Simon, and he said to him, "We have found the Messiah. We have found the promised one that is going to heal God's people. He's going to remove their sin and transform them."

[01:08:00;04 - 01:08:01;06]
He brought him to Jesus.

[01:08:03;12 - 01:08:20;20]
And there's no telling what's going through Peter's mind as Andrew has him and takes him to Jesus, and Jesus looks at him, literally looks into him, looks through the man. He looks through the exterior to the heart of the man, who he truly is, and he says this of him, "You are Simon, the son of John.

[01:08:22;38 - 01:08:23;57]
You will be called Cephas."

[01:08:26;43 - 01:08:41;27]
Now, that can mean a lot of different things, and commentators have their own ideas on what Simon means, what the name means. Some say it means shifty like sand. Others say it means to be a pebble, and others that it comes from the Hebrew word, meaning listener.

[01:08:43;44 - 01:08:59;38]
Whatever it means, the Lord is going to take him and do something qualitatively different, to transform him to become Peter, Cepha, rock, steadfast, immovable.

[01:09:02;32 - 01:09:08;10]
And Jesus looked through the rugged exterior and saw something in Simon Peter that no one else saw at the moment.

[01:09:09;52 - 01:09:18;17]
And he promised him that if he would follow him, that he would help him, he would make him to become Peter.

[01:09:20;13 - 01:09:21;48]
And so Simon Peter followed the Lord.

[01:09:23;26 - 01:09:26;02]
For three years, he followed the Lord in person.

[01:09:28;26 - 01:09:32;18]
And during those three years together, he became kind of the team captain among the disciples.

[01:09:33;33 - 01:09:42;47]
You see him at the center of many episodes that are recorded in the Gospels. And rest assured that any time you see Simon Peter's name,

[01:09:44;31 - 01:09:45;36]
you don't know what you're going to get.

[01:09:47;31 - 01:09:49;04]
Sometimes he acts like Simon.

[01:09:50;17 - 01:10:03;49]
Sometimes he acts like Peter. And sometimes the writers leave the reader up to try to guess, "What's he going to be this time? Is he going to be Simon or Peter?" Because it'll just say, "Simon Peter said," or, "Simon Peter did this."

[01:10:07;36 - 01:10:14;20]
Simon's the kind of guy that whenever he speaks, he's not always right, but he's never in doubt.

[01:10:16;31 - 01:10:28;16]
He's the consummate man of action. John was one who was more contemplative. He's the thinker, the philosopher of the group. But Simon Peter was always quick to respond, either in word or in deed.

[01:10:30;46 - 01:10:55;51]
And you see several examples of this at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, this incredible scene where Jesus is standing there talking with Moses and Elijah, this reference to the law and the prophets, finding their fulfillment in Jesus. Peter has the bright idea, and he brings it up to the Lord. "Hey, Lord, it's really good that we're here. Do you want me to build three tenths so that we can just stay here for a while?"

[01:10:58;22 - 01:11:10;36]
It's a brilliant idea, but it was so inappropriate that the Father spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son. Peter, you need to listen to him and be quiet for a moment."

[01:11:14;02 - 01:11:17;03]
Peter misses the point of the foot washing in the upper room in John 13.

[01:11:19;30 - 01:11:34;37]
And when Jesus warned the disciples of his crucifixion and of their temptation to fall away, Peter was the one, right? Don't you resonate with his heart. Peter was the one who said, "Hey, they all may fall away, but I won't.

[01:11:36;13 - 01:11:37;28]
I'll die if I have to.

[01:11:38;51 - 01:11:42;59]
If I have to die along with you, I will not fall away."

[01:11:44;32 - 01:11:47;26]
And he looked ready to defend that statement for a few moments.

[01:11:49;27 - 01:11:54;31]
When they were initially tested in the Garden of Gethsemane, this band of soldiers and chief priests arrived.

[01:11:56;22 - 01:11:59;40]
Peter takes out his sword and shaves the ear off of Malchus,

[01:12:00;44 - 01:12:01;46]
the servant of the high priest.

[01:12:04;40 - 01:12:08;05]
But the night before Jesus' crucifixion grew longer,

[01:12:09;55 - 01:12:11;15]
and the testing intensified,

[01:12:12;16 - 01:12:32;17]
within just a few hours he finds himself along with the other disciples at a trial where Jesus is being held and having to answer questions about his identity and his work. When the disciples could only observe, Peter was pressed.

[01:12:33;31 - 01:12:36;31]
Peter's watching Jesus, and others are watching Peter.

[01:12:37;49 - 01:12:43;31]
They confront him, and they interrogate him about his identity and his relationship with Jesus.

[01:12:45;15 - 01:12:50;46]
And over a charcoal fire, Peter denies knowing Jesus.

[01:12:53;35 - 01:13:05;36]
Not once, not twice, but three times. And as soon as he does that third time, he turns and he locks eyes with Jesus, who saw it all.

[01:13:11;45 - 01:13:14;55]
Can you imagine the embarrassment and the disappointment of Peter

[01:13:16;16 - 01:13:23;07]
as he looked upon the only one who had ever looked into him and seen something redeemable?

[01:13:27;15 - 01:13:33;57]
Three of the gospels record Peter's response. They say that he left the scene and he broke down in tears.

[01:13:37;15 - 01:13:39;35]
Some rock, right?

[01:13:42;29 - 01:13:50;56]
We have to remember, Jesus called this man at his weakest,

[01:13:53;14 - 01:14:02;31]
knowing at the very beginning when he first laid eyes on him on this earth exactly how he would respond at that time of tempting.

[01:14:06;19 - 01:14:16;47]
He shared a meal with him in the upper room, he washed his feet, and he prayed over him, John 17, in full knowledge of the upcoming denial just a few moments later.

[01:14:18;50 - 01:14:21;24]
And he even told him that it was going to happen.

[01:14:24;46 - 01:14:30;02]
I've been reminded in studying this passage that that's the way that Jesus approaches us in our weakest moments,

[01:14:31;35 - 01:14:36;49]
those times when we feel blanketed in embarrassment or disappointment.

[01:14:39;20 - 01:14:43;49]
And I believe that this passage gives to us a word of renewal,

[01:14:45;39 - 01:14:49;06]
a word of renewal for Peter and a word of renewal for us

[01:14:50;14 - 01:14:54;21]
that reminds us of the big picture plan that God has for each of his children,

[01:14:55;49 - 01:15:02;47]
that whenever we're tempted to throw in the towel or question our usefulness, the Lord is not finished.

[01:15:05;02 - 01:15:06;20]
The Lord is not finished.

[01:15:08;40 - 01:15:11;01]
So look with me at this passage beginning in verse 15.

[01:15:12;38 - 01:15:26;11]
And when they, speaking of the disciples, had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, the first title he ever gave to him, it's almost like he's intentionally referring back to their initial introduction.

[01:15:27;35 - 01:15:31;01]
Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

[01:15:34;00 - 01:15:37;07]
Peter responded to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

[01:15:38;32 - 01:15:40;32]
He said to him, feed my lambs.

[01:15:42;09 - 01:15:50;03]
And he said to him, Jesus said to Peter a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

[01:15:51;16 - 01:15:52;59]
He said to him, tend my sheep.

[01:15:54;35 - 01:15:58;44]
He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me?

[01:16:00;55 - 01:16:02;21]
It was the third time that God had.

[01:16:04;14 - 01:16:10;39]
Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know everything.

[01:16:12;33 - 01:16:13;29]
You know that I love you.

[01:16:15;09 - 01:16:18;07]
And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.

[01:16:22;39 - 01:16:26;30]
In these initial verses, I want to draw attention to the Savior's approach with Peter.

[01:16:27;52 - 01:16:34;44]
And so if you're taking notes by way of outline, then you're going to listen for that cue. The Savior's approach is blank.

[01:16:36;47 - 01:16:42;05]
And I'm convinced that the approach that Jesus took with Peter is the approach that he takes with you and with me.

[01:16:43;12 - 01:16:46;56]
First of all, the approach that Jesus takes with Peter is wise.

[01:16:48;40 - 01:16:57;09]
It's a wise approach. Jesus knew what was at stake with Peter based upon his very public denial.

[01:16:58;52 - 01:17:07;06]
Think about this with me. Everyone knew what had happened with Peter. Every single one of the gospels records in great detail Peter's denial.

[01:17:10;33 - 01:17:12;49]
He was probably most deeply felt among the disciples.

[01:17:16;14 - 01:17:35;27]
If Jesus took the approach of just ignoring what had happened, sweeping it under the rug, letting bygones be bygones, what would that have communicated about Christian commitment and the danger of apostasy to those disciples and to future disciples?

[01:17:38;48 - 01:17:40;48]
He would communicate that it was just not a big deal.

[01:17:42;23 - 01:17:51;24]
The best way to deal with sin or denying the Lord is just to ignore that it ever happened and move on. That's the way many of us address sin in our lives and with our families, isn't it?

[01:17:52;31 - 01:17:54;19]
Is that the wise, godly approach?

[01:17:56;09 - 01:17:56;46]
It is not.

[01:17:59;05 - 01:18:00;51]
Jesus takes a very wise approach.

[01:18:03;19 - 01:18:13;02]
He talks to Peter about this because it does matter. And he addresses him publicly in front of the other disciples because it took place publicly.

[01:18:17;18 - 01:18:18;36]
But he's not unkind.

[01:18:19;58 - 01:18:21;56]
The Savior's approach is also kind.

[01:18:24;17 - 01:18:30;45]
Jesus didn't have this conversation in a way to where he was rubbing Peter's nose in his faults.

[01:18:32;04 - 01:18:38;52]
He's not holding court like an accuser. Jesus is acting like a physician who's aiming to heal rather than harm.

[01:18:42;17 - 01:18:52;54]
He says to him, "Do you love me?" He looks into the man, past the externals, even past the denial to the root cause. What's the root of it?

[01:18:54;18 - 01:18:55;47]
It's a question of love.

[01:18:57;15 - 01:19:12;23]
It wasn't long ago, just a few hours prior to the denial, that Peter claimed to have the greatest love for Jesus out of all the disciples. Even if all the rest of them fall away, I will die with you, Lord.

[01:19:13;28 - 01:19:14;33]
He was the standard.

[01:19:19;05 - 01:19:27;30]
And so Jesus is asking him, "Simon, do you love me more than these? Do you love me more than these other disciples as you have declared in the past?

[01:19:29;03 - 01:19:33;23]
Are you still the standard by which everyone else should measure themselves by?"

[01:19:37;08 - 01:19:39;07]
Notice what Jesus doesn't say in this passage.

[01:19:41;08 - 01:19:45;57]
Jesus doesn't come to him with a hard hand asking Peter, "Do you still believe?"

[01:19:47;16 - 01:19:51;14]
Peter, "Are you really sorry for what you did because he already knew those things?"

[01:19:56;16 - 01:20:04;55]
He's not asking Peter to make up for his previous denials. He's not expecting him to wallow in despair until he feels like he suffered enough.

[01:20:07;30 - 01:20:09;14]
Jesus leans into love,

[01:20:10;15 - 01:20:17;21]
not sharpening of skills, not putting forth greater energy,

[01:20:19;26 - 01:20:21;43]
but he touches him, he touches the wound,

[01:20:24;38 - 01:20:28;57]
asking him about love and about trust and about rest.

[01:20:31;06 - 01:20:39;55]
Why love in light of such a significant denial? Why does Jesus appeal to love?

[01:20:42;00 - 01:20:44;18]
Think about it.

[01:20:45;52 - 01:20:47;33]
To love is to give oneself to.

[01:20:49;38 - 01:20:55;18]
It's to devote, it's to obey, it's to become defined by the object that you love.

[01:20:56;41 - 01:21:02;51]
To love is to cast away any consideration of a life apart from the one loved.

[01:21:04;16 - 01:21:10;54]
And so if Peter loves Jesus, then everything else about him should fall into place.

[01:21:12;20 - 01:21:13;38]
It should necessarily follow.

[01:21:17;47 - 01:21:23;29]
Jesus' approach with Peter is first of all, it's wise. He's kind. Third, he's patient.

[01:21:24;47 - 01:21:25;35]
Oh, he's patient.

[01:21:27;05 - 01:21:32;21]
He could have come in and crushed him in a moment, but he didn't.

[01:21:34;01 - 01:21:40;02]
He also didn't stretch it out just to make him squirm.

[01:21:43;13 - 01:21:45;53]
He also didn't come down too hard, too fast.

[01:21:48;05 - 01:21:55;31]
He touched the wound. Rather than trying to make Peter squirm, he gave Peter just enough space to take it in.

[01:21:57;39 - 01:22:01;46]
And instead of asking about the depth of his commitment, he said, "Do you love me?"

[01:22:04;39 - 01:22:06;41]
I like what Peter does. Peter takes this in.

[01:22:08;06 - 01:22:16;18]
Gone is the Peter that's making bold claims about his level of commitment, what he plans to do.

[01:22:18;08 - 01:22:22;47]
And instead he says, "You know that I love you."

[01:22:24;24 - 01:22:26;52]
Yes, you know that I love you.

[01:22:27;59 - 01:22:35;26]
The second time, "Lord, you know that I love you." Third, "Lord, you know everything."

[01:22:37;27 - 01:22:44;03]
You know the good, the bad. You know what happened. You know where it happened. You know why it happened. You know all things.

[01:22:46;50 - 01:22:49;21]
Lord, you know the actions. You know the motives.

[01:22:51;01 - 01:22:59;21]
And I'm not scared of you knowing any of that. Honesty is the best policy in confession.

[01:23:04;15 - 01:23:05;54]
You know the best and you know the worst.

[01:23:06;56 - 01:23:09;10]
And, Lord, as best as I can tell, I love you.

[01:23:10;28 - 01:23:19;14]
Peter appeals to the depth of Jesus' judgment about him, and he rests his case there knowing that he's found a kind and wise and patient Savior.

[01:23:20;16 - 01:23:26;48]
And Jesus is looking at Peter, and he's not judging him by his darkest moment.

[01:23:28;35 - 01:23:34;48]
He's not judging him by his greatest failure, his strongest disappointment.

[01:23:36;30 - 01:23:46;13]
Jesus knew that Peter's denial had to be viewed in the context of a greater relationship, and indeed a greater work that God was doing in his life than just in that moment.

[01:23:47;14 - 01:23:53;56]
This one event betrayed what Jesus knew about Peter.

[01:23:56;10 - 01:24:04;01]
It's like what one 19th century English preacher said, "Under all the blasphemy there lay an affectionate heart.

[01:24:05;01 - 01:24:10;02]
Under all the lapse and shame and treason there throbbed an immortal love."

[01:24:12;30 - 01:24:15;28]
Peter's denial was a chapter in a larger story,

[01:24:16;39 - 01:24:18;58]
not the whole story and certainly not the conclusion.

[01:24:22;15 - 01:24:33;45]
And despite the pain that had taken place in Peter's life and the collateral damage that had come from one of Jesus' chief disciples denying him at the pinnacle moment,

[01:24:35;15 - 01:24:44;22]
Peter loved the Lord and he's learned a humility necessary that will equip him for what Jesus is going to say next.

[01:24:47;32 - 01:24:51;43]
The Lord is patient. The Lord's approach is also redemptive.

[01:24:53;41 - 01:25:17;15]
He's always working with redemption, with recovery, with re-creation in mind. And that's always been his goal. From the time he first meets Peter until this moment here, his goal is not to build this army of unchanged robots. His goal is to build people, to cultivate followers who reflect his character and extend his kingdom,

[01:25:18;17 - 01:25:28;59]
whose lives take the shape of his own life, invested into others, to the ends of the earth, to the end of time.

[01:25:31;24 - 01:25:41;14]
Jesus has something to do but not self-sufficient Peter. Only broken Peter, only humble Peter will be equipped for this work.

[01:25:42;15 - 01:25:47;28]
Only to Peter that realizes that he can't do this in his own strength.

[01:25:51;11 - 01:26:02;17]
And what's his calling? His calling, so you see first of all in chapter 21 we see that calling to catch people evangelistically like fish, that's reinstated.

[01:26:03;18 - 01:26:10;08]
They're reminded that just like in Luke chapter 5, from now on you're going to be catching people.

[01:26:11;10 - 01:26:24;15]
We see that again but here that's not enough. The Lord goes further with Peter and he says I want you to feed them. I want you to feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.

[01:26:25;17 - 01:26:30;34]
The calling is not just to catch people but to nurture them young and old alike.

[01:26:32;05 - 01:26:44;14]
To work with the chief shepherd, to cultivate godliness, to feed them by the word that's been committed to them. And then he goes even further than that. Look with me if you will in verse 18.

[01:26:45;15 - 01:27:01;34]
Jesus says truly, truly I say to you that when you were young you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.

[01:27:02;55 - 01:27:18;45]
And John adds parenthetically that this was to show by what kind of death Peter was to glorify God. So John was aware of it and church history tells us that Peter would also 30 years later be crucified as one of the early church's martyrs for the faith.

[01:27:21;17 - 01:27:41;03]
After saying this Jesus said to him follow me and I believe that that means physically, spiritually, spiritually, physically, spiritually, missionally to follow him. To continue that process of walking in the footsteps of Jesus even though he's going to be absent soon.

[01:27:43;42 - 01:27:51;00]
Peter as you grow in maturity, as you grow in faith your life is going to look more like mine. You're not going to have the freedom that you had.

[01:27:52;15 - 01:28:12;17]
You will be required to sacrifice your life and love. It's a redemptive approach the Lord takes with him and with us and last it's a personal approach. It's a personal approach.

[01:28:13;18 - 01:28:27;32]
What you don't see Jesus doing is approaching the disciples speaking generically about denial and love and unbelief while everybody knows in their head, okay he's talking about Peter.

[01:28:29;35 - 01:29:23;17]
He also doesn't pull Peter to the side and just have a side bar one on one conversation with him. At the same time he addresses Peter as Peter. He steps right into his world and he touches his wound and he gives words specifically to him. Verse 20, Peter turned and he saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him. That's John's really long way of saying he saw me. Verse 21, when Peter saw him, he saw John following them. Apparently Jesus and Peter have gotten up, they've gone for a walk. John's following close behind, Peter sees him and he said to Jesus, "Lord what about this guy? What about this man?"

[01:29:24;18 - 01:29:36;21]
And we don't know if he's asking that out of self preservation, if Peter's been in the hot seat for too long and he wants to push attention over to someone else or if he's asking out of genuine concern.

[01:29:37;41 - 01:29:41;53]
As if he really wanted to know about what was going to happen to John. We don't know.

[01:29:43;34 - 01:29:57;34]
But he asks, "What's going to happen to John?" And Jesus said to him, "If it is my desire that he remains until I come, what is that to you? You follow me."

[01:30:00;50 - 01:30:16;52]
John was quick to add, the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die, yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but only if it's my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? So yes, there is an error in Indiana Jones and the last crusade.

[01:30:22;18 - 01:30:43;27]
It's not that John's going to live forever, it's if I want that, why does that matter to you Peter? You are your responsibility. I'm not talking to you about the person next to you Peter. I'm talking to you about you.

[01:30:46;48 - 01:30:58;43]
And it's the same way that Jesus deals with us. For every one of us in the room, he knows where we've been, he knows what we've done or what has been done to us, and he knows why it happened.

[01:31:00;17 - 01:31:18;37]
And the Lord's word to Peter is a word to us. He approaches us personally with wisdom and kindness and patience, with redemptive purposes always in mind, and always reminds us that he's not finished.

[01:31:20;15 - 01:32:18;14]
The Lord is not finished with you. It is impossible to know everyone's situation in a room this size, but some of you might feel the way that Peter felt in a moment like this. Some of you may question at times where you stand with the Lord, or maybe you're saddled with disappointments, embarrassments or shame, and in your life right now the darkest moments have a little bit of the final word. I want to remind you this morning that a bad chapter is not your whole story. That it's only serving as a backdrop to show the Lord's glory in a powerful way, in a way that only he can bring about when he intervenes.

[01:32:19;15 - 01:32:28;24]
If you're not careful, your experiences and your imagination and your emotions will conspire together to make you think that you're done.

[01:32:30;36 - 01:32:51;41]
But you are not done. And we are not those who simply live by what we feel. We live by what God says, and his word to us is clear and true. It is life-giving and life-sustaining. Our takeaway truth for this morning is that the Lord is not finished with you.

[01:32:54;36 - 01:32:58;32]
And when you're tempted to question that, I want to give you four things to remember quickly.

[01:33:00;14 - 01:33:18;03]
When you're tempted to question whether or not the Lord is finished with you, remember the Lord's purpose for you. If you're taking notes, write this down. Remember the Lord's purpose for you. He has called you to be his disciple with full awareness of what he received when he got you.

[01:33:19;36 - 01:33:24;14]
And just like with Peter, he knew both who you were at that moment and the person that he's making you to be.

[01:33:25;15 - 01:33:43;02]
And he has promised, he has staked the integrity of his name upon his ability to save you and keep you and guard you and transform you by the power of his spirit. If he fails, it's his reputation who's on the line, not yours.

[01:33:45;45 - 01:33:53;04]
Romans 8, 28 tells us, "We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good." Even the darkest chapters.

[01:33:54;36 - 01:34:06;16]
"All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." I love this next verse. Some of you might get hung up on it because it uses the word "predestined." Just listen to what I say and not what you think that word means.

[01:34:07;17 - 01:34:20;34]
"For those who before knew, he also predestined or guaranteed to be conformed to the image of his son." That means if you're born again, God has guaranteed that you'll be like Jesus for eternity.

[01:34:21;56 - 01:34:28;08]
And nothing can stop him. Certainly not a failure or disappointment or a sense of shame in your life.

[01:34:30;26 - 01:34:35;08]
He's installed his presence within you by his Holy Spirit to guarantee that it happens.

[01:34:36;42 - 01:34:39;21]
He's one of us going to be strong enough to stop him.

[01:34:41;02 - 01:34:48;17]
1 Corinthians 15, verse 49 tells us, "Just as we have born the image of the man of dust." We were born in sin and we look like Adam.

[01:34:49;56 - 01:34:53;54]
"But it's guaranteed for those who know the Lord that they will bear the image of the man of heaven."

[01:34:56;43 - 01:35:05;03]
The Lord is not finished with you. He is working with great skill to make you like Jesus. And just like everything else he does, whatever he starts, he finishes.

[01:35:07;22 - 01:35:21;38]
So are you discouraged this morning? Do you feel as if you have sinned away any usefulness for the Lord? Then I want to encourage you not to look at your track record. Look instead to his and ask him to apply it to your case.

[01:35:23;45 - 01:35:29;49]
And then begin where you are to walk in obedience to him, trusting him to make you like himself for eternity.

[01:35:31;26 - 01:35:43;27]
Remember the Lord's purpose for you. Second, the Lord is not finished with you. When your love toward him feels weaker, you can always remember the Lord's love for you.

[01:35:44;48 - 01:36:05;18]
Remember the Lord's love for you. He has proven his heart toward you by taking upon himself the full punishment of your sin. All your betrayals, all your failures, heaped upon Jesus. Romans 5.8, that God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

[01:36:06;21 - 01:36:10;38]
All sin, past, present, future.

[01:36:13;34 - 01:36:34;24]
Now if the Lord were to hold you hostage over a sin already forgiven, he would not only be unjust, but he would call into question the fullness of Christ's sacrifice on your behalf. Does more need to be done? To which the answer is a resounding no.

[01:36:35;36 - 01:36:42;14]
Because Hebrews tells us time and again that Christ's sacrifice for us was once for all, all sinners, all time.

[01:36:43;15 - 01:36:55;50]
Take him at his word, run to 1 John 1.9, which says if we confess our sin, if we just simply agree with him, yes, like Peter, Lord you know all things.

[01:36:57;40 - 01:37:08;44]
If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sin. And not just to forgive it, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[01:37:10;18 - 01:37:17;40]
Third, the Lord is not finished with you and you're overwhelmed by a particular difficult situation or a difficult season.

[01:37:18;43 - 01:37:24;29]
Remember the Lord's glory through you. The Lord's glory through you.

[01:37:26;23 - 01:37:48;06]
Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians, that the Lord's glory is best beheld in fragile vessels. Listen to this passage, just a few verses of it. We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

[01:37:49;51 - 01:37:52;14]
We're afflicted in every way and all God's people said.

[01:37:53;15 - 01:38:10;19]
We're not crushed. We're perplexed, but not driven to despair. We're persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. It's like we're always carrying in the body the death of Jesus. Why? Here it is.

[01:38:12;14 - 01:38:27;06]
So that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies, so that when people look at us, they see brokenness and they see people to be just as human as everyone else. But they see the surpassing power of the Lord through the cracks in the clay vessel.

[01:38:30;50 - 01:38:42;45]
Sustaining fragile people like us is no chore to the Lord. It's why He came. It's why He saves us. It's why He sustains us by His Spirit. And it's the means by which He glorifies Himself.

[01:38:47;54 - 01:39:01;35]
The Lord put this passage in my path a few years ago and taught me to not resent anything that causes me to be more like Jesus or become closer to Him.

[01:39:03;51 - 01:39:19;59]
And that's a challenge without the help of the Lord. You are no burden to the Lord. You're a living billboard that shows off His resurrection power through a yielded person.

[01:39:21;51 - 01:39:32;16]
Last, and I'll close, the Lord is not finished with you. And when you feel alone, remember the presence of the Lord with you.

[01:39:33;17 - 01:39:38;25]
Last week our pastor preached on Matthew chapter 28, the Great Commission.

[01:39:40;00 - 01:39:45;27]
And in that there's a promise, the very last verse, where Jesus is, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

[01:39:47;45 - 01:39:59;15]
Let me tell you why that verse means so much to me. Yes, it's that Jesus is with me. But according to verse 18, He's also the one with all authority in heaven and on earth.

[01:40:00;16 - 01:40:13;10]
Which means He guarantees success in our mission by virtue of His presence because nobody's going to stop Him. Nobody's going to stand in His way. He has unrivaled authority in heaven and on earth.

[01:40:18;00 - 01:40:21;47]
I want to invite you to respond this morning to the Lord's invitation to you.

[01:40:24;35 - 01:40:31;32]
Perhaps in this passage, the Lord is saying to you, "Do you love me? Do you love me?"

[01:40:33;13 - 01:40:46;12]
Perhaps you're here this morning and you've never repented of sin, you've never trusted in the Lord to save you and to change you. I want to invite you to do that today. I want to invite our worship team and our pastors and staff to come and stand at the front of these aisles.

[01:40:47;13 - 01:41:08;55]
In just a few moments when we pray and as we worship the Lord together during our invitation, I would encourage you, if you realize this morning that you don't have a relationship with the Lord, please come and talk with Him, pray with Him. Tell them what the Lord's doing in your heart. They will lovingly and confidentially talk with you and pray with you and lead you in the Lord's ways.

[01:41:10;51 - 01:41:20;21]
Perhaps this morning you feel sidelined. You feel like the Lord is maybe renewing His call upon your life, just like He did with Peter.

[01:41:21;59 - 01:41:24;03]
I want to invite you to come to these steps and to pray.

[01:41:26;00 - 01:41:32;00]
If you need an action to take part in, to come and pray at these steps, committing yourself afresh to the Lord, please come and do that.

[01:41:33;08 - 01:41:34;37]
Invite a friend to come and pray with you.

[01:41:36;33 - 01:41:44;33]
Maybe you have a friend or a loved one that is lost in sin. They're walking through a wilderness. Maybe they started well and have wandered off path or maybe they don't know the Lord.

[01:41:46;36 - 01:42:01;15]
You may want to come and lift them up to one of our counselors or to the Lord. However the Lord leads you to respond, you follow Him, you obey Him, and trust Him with whatever's next, knowing that He's just getting started and He's certainly not finished.

[01:42:02;16 - 01:42:15;47]
Almighty God, we bless you and we thank you for speaking to us by your word, and oh Lord, thank you that when it was hopeless for us, you came, you lived, you died, you rose again.

[01:42:18;30 - 01:42:24;47]
Lord, help us to hear the voice of your spirit. Help us to obey you and to walk in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen.

[01:42:24;47 - 01:42:27;46]