This morning, we're going to welcome the Reverend Andrew Goisweta to our pulpit.
Andrew is the former assistant pastor at a Presbyterian church in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina,
and now serves as the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship at Davidson College.
And Andrew's not just simply a guest preacher, he's actually had some influence on our church,
so I'm going to tell you a couple of stories.
I first met Andrew in 2008 as a student.
We were both students at Davidson College, and Andrew went ahead of me to Covenant Seminary.
Andrew started Covenant in St. Louis in the summer of 2012.
And July 3rd, 2012, was a Sunday.
July 4th, 2012, Andrew walked over from his apartment on campus,
and he scanned in his worship guide from the worship service the previous Sunday and emailed it to me.
You might be wondering, why was he sending you a worship guide?
Well, he wanted me to see what this church was doing,
which is that they had these interesting worship guides where they had a sidebar explanation of what was happening in the worship service.
And I thought, that is so cool.
If I'm ever leading a church, we have to do that.
So nine years later, it finally happened last year in 2021.
So if you can either thank or insult Andrew depending on your feelings about the worship guide, it's his fault.
The other thing that's Andrew's fault is, so that was 2012.
And then in 2014, I actually started at Covenant Seminary.
And what I think none of you know is this Bible that I use every Sunday to preach from was a gift from Andrew as soon as I arrived in seminary.
And he gave it to me partially to show me the importance of having a Bible.
What's neat about this Bible is it can stay open on any page of the Bible, including Genesis 1.
So it's a preaching Bible.
And he told me, it's really important when you preach.
You've got to always have the Bible in your hand so people know where the authority comes from.
So that's some influence.
It has this inscription in the front that says,
For my dear friend, Matthew Capone, June 2, 2014, from Andrew Coisweta, Proverbs 30, verse 5.
And Proverbs 30, verse 5 says this,
Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Which is fitting because Andrew's going to come now and bring us God's word.
So, Andrew, we're delighted to have you.
Thank you.
Matthew, for that kind introduction.
It is great to be with you this morning.
Joined by my wife, Amanda.
This is actually my second time worshiping with y'all.
Even though it's my first time preaching for you, it's my second time worshiping here.
The first time was several years ago at Matthew's installation service.
And what a joy that was to be here for that special occasion and to worship the Lord that Sunday morning, that Lord's Day morning.
So, it's a delight and a privilege to be able to preach God's word for you this morning.
I want to thank Matthew and the elders for having me.
My sole regret in offering to preach for Matthew this morning was that I wouldn't get to hear him preach this morning.
As y'all know very well, Matthew is quite the gifted preacher and has been for very many years.
I know that he has served y'all well through those preaching gifts.
But even more importantly, Matthew is a good man.
And I'm sure you've learned that as well.
He did not mention this, but he was actually the best man in my wedding and one of my dearest friends for very many years.
So, it's a privilege to preach in his stead this morning.
If you have a copy of God's word, I'd invite you to turn with me to John chapter 21.
We're going to be looking at verses 4 through 19 this morning.
And we are jumping into the very end of this gospel account.
We're going to be looking at the very famous passage of Jesus restoring Peter.
And as we prepare to read God's word, I want to ask you this.
Have you noticed how very many TV shows these days, they begin with the two words, previously on.
And then they launch into a recap.
In fact, Matthew and Amanda and I were watching a TV show last night and it did the very same thing.
It started with previously on.
And it helps orient you to where you are in the story.
So, as we're jumping into the very end of John chapter 1, I want to begin by saying,
previously on John's gospel, Jesus has been crucified.
He's been buried in the tomb in Jerusalem.
He remained there for three days.
And on the third day, he has risen again to new life.
And he appeared to many of his disciples on multiple occasions.
Well, our story begins more than a week after those events.
No longer are we in Jerusalem, but we are up in the north in Galilee.
And this story begins after Jesus' disciples have been fishing all night and they've caught nothing.
So, that's where our story begins early the next morning.
So, would you please give your attention to the reading of God's word?
This is John chapter 21, verses 4 through 19.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them,
Children, do you have any fish?
They answered him,
No.
He said to them,
Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.
So, they cast it.
And now, they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish.
That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter,
It is the Lord.
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work,
and threw himself into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
dragging the net full of fish,
for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
When they got out on land,
they saw a charcoal fire in place,
with some fish laid out on it,
and bread.
Jesus said to them,
Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.
So, Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore,
full of large fish,
153 of them.
And although there were so many,
the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them,
Come and have breakfast.
Now, none of the disciples dared ask him,
Who are you?
They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them,
and so with the fish.
This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples
after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast,
Jesus said to Simon Peter,
Simon, son of John,
do you love me more than these?
He said to him,
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him,
Feed my lambs.
He said to him a second time,
Simon, son of John,
do you love me?
He said to him,
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him,
Tend my sheep.
He said to him the third time,
Simon, son of John,
do you love me?
Peter was grieved
because he said to him the third time,
Do you love me?
And he said to him,
Lord, you know everything.
You know that I love you.
Jesus said to him,
Feed my sheep.
Truly, truly, I say to you,
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.
This he said to show
by what kind of death
he was to glorify God.
And after saying this,
he said to him,
Follow me.
Every word of God
proves true.
He's a shield to those
who take refuge in him.
Would you pray with me?
Father in heaven,
would you grant us this morning
eyes to see
and ears to hear
glorious things
spoken of you
in your word.
We ask this
in the powerful name of Jesus,
our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Now,
I don't know if
Pastor Matthew
does this
when he preaches,
but a lot of times
I will preach
and I'll save
the main point,
the big idea
to the very end
of the sermon.
Not this morning.
This morning
I am too excited
and this is too important
for you to miss.
So here it is.
Here's the big picture,
the big idea
from this morning's passage.
In fact,
it's right there
printed in your bulletin.
God's grace
is bigger
than our biggest failures.
Can I say that again?
God's grace
is bigger
than our biggest
failures.
You know,
that's the message
of all of Scripture
and in particular
it's the message
of this morning's passage.
And as we dig
into this story
that we just read,
let me ask you this.
What's been
your biggest failure
from this past week?
Take a second.
Think over this last week.
Perhaps
it was a sharp word
spoken out of anger
and frustration
to a child,
to a spouse,
to a parent.
Maybe it was
a show that you watched
or a website you visited
that you know
you had no business visiting.
Maybe it was
a word of gossip
or slander
where you highlighted
someone else's failures
instead of covering
over them
in love.
What's been
your biggest failure
from this past week?
Maybe you're sitting here
this morning
and you're thinking,
well, shoot,
I've had a pretty good week
this week.
I haven't had
big failures.
Well, if that's you,
let me ask you this.
What's your biggest failure
from the past month
or the past year
or your entire life?
If you have read
any of the four Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John,
then you already know
what Peter's biggest failure was,
don't you?
Peter's biggest failure
was denying Jesus
three times,
just mere hours,
maybe even minutes,
since promising to Jesus
that he wouldn't.
Now, you and I,
we may have failed
pretty spectacularly
this week
or this month
or this year
or in our lives,
but not quite like Peter,
not like this.
And yet,
look at that very last verse
that we just read together,
verse 19.
Jesus,
even in the aftermath
of Peter's biggest failure,
Jesus turns to him
and says,
follow me.
In other words,
Jesus doesn't discard Peter
even after his biggest failure.
He doesn't discard Peter.
In fact,
he beckons Peter
to himself.
If God's grace
is bigger
than Peter's biggest failure,
then it's bigger
than our biggest failures too.
And what this story
highlights for us,
what it shows us,
is just how this grace,
this huge grace,
comes home to us.
And it does so
in three ways.
Through the grace
of presence,
the grace of place,
and the grace
of persistence.
So let's begin
with the grace
of presence.
Have you noticed
how many protagonists,
how many heroes,
main characters
in books or movies
have particular
calling cards?
These distinct things
that they do
or they say
that lets everyone,
including the reader
or the viewer,
know that they're there?
I mean,
think about it.
Who says,
elementary,
my dear Watson?
Everyone knows
that's Sherlock Holmes,
right?
Or,
I'll be back.
We all know
who that is,
right?
Or,
to infinity
and beyond.
Like,
we can't help
but know
who exactly
is talking to us
with those
distinct calling cards.
Well,
Jesus has a distinct
calling card too.
Did you catch it
from this morning's story?
Look back with me
at the first couple
of verses,
verses 4 through 6.
The text says,
God's word says,
that just as day
was breaking,
Jesus stood on the shore,
yet the disciples
did not know
that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them,
children,
do you have any fish?
They answered him,
no.
In verse 6,
he said to them,
cast the net
on the right side
of the boat
and you will find some.
So they cast it
and now they were not
able to haul it in
because of
the quantity
of fish.
Okay,
so did you catch it?
What is Jesus'
calling card?
It's him
telling his disciples
after a really
poor night of fishing
to cast the net
and then providing them
with this miraculous,
this supernatural
catch
of fish.
That's Jesus'
calling card.
that's his thing.
That lets everyone
know that it's him.
And this is not
the first time
that Jesus has done this,
right?
At the beginning
of Luke's gospel
in Luke chapter 5,
we read
that this is precisely
how Jesus called
his first disciples.
It's his
calling card.
And so how,
here in our story,
how did the disciples
respond to Jesus'
calling card?
look at verse 7.
First,
something snaps,
something clicks
in John's mind,
the disciple
whom Jesus loved.
It said that
he said to Peter,
it is the Lord.
John gets it.
He turns to Peter
and says,
it is the Lord.
And then,
and then something
kind of goes haywire
almost in Peter's,
in Peter's mind
because look what happens
when Peter hears
that it's the Lord.
he put on
his outer garment
for he was stripped
for work
and threw himself
into the sea.
He was so overwhelmed
and overcome
by the realization
that Jesus is here.
He's overwhelmed
by the grace
of Jesus' presence.
And you can imagine him
just thinking,
can this really be?
Is Jesus really here?
When I was 12 years old,
my Grandpa Santos,
my dad's dad,
passed away.
Now, Grandpa Santos
was one of my favorite,
I'll just say,
he was my favorite grandparent.
He was the one
that loved me
and my siblings the most.
And he had
a unique calling card.
It was this whistle,
this sound
that he would make
that let everyone know
that he was present,
that he was there.
And you probably
never heard it before.
I'm going to try it
this morning.
But Grandpa Santos' whistle
sounded like this.
That was Grandpa Santos' thing.
Who here has ever heard
that noise before?
Exactly.
Right?
A couple people.
Have you met my grandpa?
That's amazing.
But whenever I would hear that,
if I was in a large crowd,
I would know
that Grandpa Santos
was there.
Well, like I said,
he passed away
when I was 12.
It was really sad
and really tragic.
It was the first grandparent
to lose.
And, you know,
he was in the hospital.
He was recovering
from surgery.
They had removed
some cancerous tumors.
And we thought
he was going to pull through
and make it.
And then the day
that he was supposed
to come home,
everything went south.
All of his internal systems
started shutting down.
There were complications
from the surgery
that they didn't catch.
And I remember
as a 12-year-old
praying fervently
with my family
that the Lord
would spare his life.
And within a day or two,
he was gone.
Now,
if I were walking
around Davidson
where I live,
where my wife and I live
with our two girls,
let's say I was walking
down Main Street
or I was walking
around campus
where I work,
and I heard,
you better believe
that I'd be overcome
with emotion,
that the hair
on the back of my neck
would stand up
just as it's standing up
right now.
And you better believe
that I'd be wondering,
could this really be?
Is Grandpa Santos here?
Are all these sad memories
coming untrue?
Brothers and sisters,
have you,
like Peter,
have you heard
Jesus' calling card?
Have you experienced
the grace
of Jesus' presence?
Have you been overwhelmed
by that grace?
If you have ever experienced
genuine,
loving fellowship,
Christian fellowship,
then you have heard
Jesus' calling card.
He promises that
where two or three
are gathered in his name,
there he is among us.
Or,
have you ever
opened up
God's word
and let God's word
open you up?
Have you ever
let yourself
become saturated
in God's word?
If so,
then you have heard
Jesus' calling card.
Jesus was so saturated
in God's word.
And if you
have internalized
God's word,
then you've internalized
Jesus as well.
The word of God,
the writer of the Hebrew
says,
is living and active.
Why?
Because Jesus
is living and active
among us
in and through
his word.
Or how about this?
Have you ever
prayed?
Have you ever
offered up
your sincere
thoughts,
longings,
desires,
fears,
worries,
anxieties?
Have you ever
lifted them up
to the Lord?
If so,
then you've
experienced
the grace
of God's
presence.
God's word
promises that
our prayers
are like
incense before
the Lord.
Even today,
even right now,
in the very
presence of
the most high
God in the
heavenly throne room.
An extension
of you is
there.
Your thoughts,
your desires,
your longings
in God's
own presence.
Or,
how about this?
Have you ever
participated in
communion?
Have you ever
taken communion?
Have you ever
been baptized?
Have you ever
witnessed a
baptism?
Then you,
too,
have heard
Jesus'
calling card.
Because he
promises to
meet with his
people in
and through
the sacraments
of the Lord's
Supper and
baptism.
Well,
not only does
God meet
with Peter
and with us
through the
grace of his
presence,
but he also
ministers to us
through the
grace of
place as
well.
Would you
look with
me at
verses 9
through 14,
kind of the
middle of
the passage
that we
just read.
And as we
look over
these verses,
I want to
invite you
to imagine
the sights
and the
smells of
this scene
through the
eyes and,
yes,
even the
nose of
Peter.
So enter
Peter's
sandals and
imagine this
scene through
his eyes and
even through
his nose.
Here's what I
mean.
So for
one,
it's dark
out.
Verse 4
told us that
day was just
breaking.
And on the
shore, there's
this charcoal
fire already
set up.
Jesus is there
and he's
breaking bread
and he's serving
you a meal.
He's feeding
you.
Now, if you're
Peter and you're
taking in all
these sights and
smells, what do
these things
remind you of?
when was the
last time you
saw Jesus
break bread and
serve you a
meal?
Oh, yeah.
It was that
night when
Jesus predicted
that you,
Peter, would
deny him.
And you
doubled down
and said,
no way, I'm
going to die
before I deny
you.
Or, man,
what is that
smell?
I mean, what is
that smell that's
filling your nose,
that's clinging
to your hair,
that's getting in
all your clothes,
that's stinging
your eyes?
What is that?
Oh, yeah.
How could you
forget?
It's the smell
of a charcoal
fire.
Now, let me
pause there.
For you and
for me, the
smell of a
charcoal fire,
what does that
remind us of?
It was a July
4th, Independence
Day, right?
Like, gathering
with family and
friends, cooking
some hot dogs and
hamburgers, right?
Not so for
Peter.
What does the
smell of a
charcoal fire
remind Peter
of?
Well, for
Peter, that
smell is the
smell of
failure.
Because it
was around
another charcoal
fire that
Peter watched
Jesus be
dragged before
a kangaroo
court in the
high priest
courtyard.
And it was
there around a
charcoal fire that
you, Peter,
denied Jesus
three times.
And you
know, they
say that
smell is one
of the
strongest senses,
especially as it
relates to
memories.
So again, if
you're Peter and
you're there on
the shore of
Galilee, your
body might be
here on the
shore of
Galilee, but
your mind and
your heart are
back in that
courtyard, around
that other
charcoal fire,
watching Jesus
and denying
that you ever
knew him.
And so, for
Peter, the
smell of
failure is the
smell of a
charcoal fire.
It reminds him
of the biggest
failure that he's
ever had in his
entire life.
What does
failure smell
like to you?
Is it the
smell of your
childhood home?
Maybe a
particular room in
your childhood
home?
Is it the
smell of a
certain perfume
or a certain
cologne?
Is it the
smell of
stale beer
or whiskey?
Is it the
smell of a
high school
gymnasium or
locker room?
Is it the
smell of
scantrons and
number two
pencils?
What does
failure smell
like to
you?
Well, for
me, failure
smells like
rubber.
Not all
rubber, but
a very
particular kind
of rubber.
The kind
of rubber
that they
put in
stairwells
in commercial
buildings.
You know
what I'm
talking about?
Like those
concrete stairs
in commercial
buildings that
have the
rubber coating
and that's
glued down
and it has
those little
bumps that
prevent you
from skidding.
That smell,
that's the
smell of
failure for
me.
Because when
I was in
college, when
I was a
junior at
Davidson, I
had a huge
crush on
this girl
that I
met in
RUF.
The same
ministry that
Matthew and
I met in,
the same
ministry that
I now serve
with.
And it just
so happened
that my
junior year,
she lived
one floor
above me
in our
dorm.
And so
one night,
I mustered
up the
courage to
go and
ask this
young woman
out.
And just
so you
know where
this story
is going,
that young
woman is
not my
wife,
Amanda.
So late
one night,
I get the
courage, I'm
going to go
ask her
out.
I go out
of my
room, down
the hall,
get into
the stairwell,
and bam,
immediately I'm
hit with
the smell of
these rubber
steps.
Our dorm had
just been
renovated the
year before,
and I don't
know if it
was the
rubber or
the glue
that was
connecting the
rubber to
the steps,
but man,
it was making
me lightheaded.
So distinct.
And so I
go up the
steps, I'm
getting nervous,
right, to ask
this young
woman out,
and I go to
reach for the
door, to
open the door
to go onto
her hall, and
I say, I
can't do
this.
So I let
go of the
door, I
turn around,
I go back
down the
steps, I go
to open the
door to my
hall, and I'm
like, Andrew,
you've come
this far, you
got to go
follow through
with it.
And I must
have done
this probably
two or three
times up and
down the
steps.
And at one
point, I
actually started
to get
concerned
for my
own health
and physical
well-being
because I
was getting
so light-headed
from these
fumes coming
off these
rubber steps.
And so I
was like,
all right, you
just got to
go do this,
you can't
stay in this
stairwell, go
for it.
So I did, I
opened the
door, went
onto her
hall, got up
to the door,
knocked on
her door, and
she answered, I
asked her out,
and she turned
me down.
And then I
had to go back
into that
stairwell, get
my nose and
my lungs filled
with this
obnoxious smell
of rubber, and
then go back
to my room.
Now, that
is not
necessarily a
story of
moral failure,
but it
certainly felt
like social
failure.
You know, that
rejection from
a young lady
that you're
interested in,
it certainly
felt like a
failure of
attractability,
of
desirability.
and so for
years, whenever
I would smell
that distinct
rubber smell,
I'd be brought
back to that
place and be
reminded of
that failure.
Until just a
few years ago,
when I returned
to Davidson
College to
serve as the
campus minister,
and wouldn't
you know it,
the same stairs
with the same
rubber is in
the student
union, where we
have all of our
meetings, as it
was in that
dorm room, when
I was a
junior.
And so from
the very
beginning, when
I started
serving as
campus minister,
I'd have to
go up and
down these
stairs and
smell that
rubber smell to
go to our
large group
meetings, to
go to our
Bible studies.
But here's
the difference.
When I would
go on Tuesday
night to go get
ready for large
group as a
campus minister,
I had my
wife Amanda by
my side.
We would often
go up those
steps together.
And after a few
times of that
happening, I
realized,
this smell
doesn't have a
hold over me
anymore.
The Lord is
redeeming that
smell and that
memory for me
and replacing
those with new
and better
memories with
my wife Amanda.
The Lord is
doing something
very similar here
for Peter.
He's bringing
him back to
that place of
failure so that
he can redeem
that memory for
him, so that
he can heal him
of the guilt and
shame and regret
that he felt in
denying his Lord
and Savior three
times.
And the Lord is
inviting you to
return to those
places of failure
so that he might
heal and redeem
those parts of
your stories.
And now, it
might not be
practical for you
to actually
physically go back
to those places.
I mean, what if
it was in another
country, right?
What if it was in
your childhood home
and your family
since sold it?
I'm not saying
that y'all need
to go back and
knock on a
stranger's door and
say, hey, I used
to live here.
Can I go to my
bedroom?
There's some
unfinished business
that Jesus wants.
No, that's not
what I'm saying.
But what I think
the Lord would have
us do is, look,
you can invite
Jesus into those
places of failure
by inviting a
brother or sister
in Christ into
those stories.
You could turn to
a trusted brother
or sister in
Christ and open
up and share in
vivid detail the
story of your
biggest failure and
allow the Lord
Jesus to heal and
redeem those
memories for you.
That's the grace
of place.
Well, we've
encountered the
grace of presence.
We've encountered
the grace of
place.
Lastly, we
encounter the
grace of
persistence.
Let me ask
this.
As I finished
reading the last
section of this
story as Jesus
is restoring
Peter, as I
read verses 15
through 19, where
Jesus, again, he
asks three times,
do you love me?
Do you love me?
Did any of you
feel for Peter?
Like at least a
little bit?
I know I did
when I first read
this story and
many times since.
Or how about
when you read
that Peter was
actually grieved
the third time
that Jesus asked
him, do you
love me?
I mean, anyone
else here kind of
feel like, man,
Jesus, why do you
got to be so hard
on poor Peter?
Like, can't you
see that you're
hurting him, that
you're causing
grief, that you're
inflicting pain?
Anyone?
Anyone else kind of
feel for Peter in
this situation?
Y'all, there's no
way around it.
This is a hard
passage, and
especially when we
get to those last
two verses in 18
and 19, where
Jesus predicts how
Peter would die.
That last section,
this whole last
section, can kind of
feel like a wet
blanket.
Like, man, that's
cold, that's harsh,
that's heavy.
But what I want us
to see before we
end our time in
God's word this
morning, is that
grace is abundant
here.
And it's the grace
of persistence.
So look with me,
and let's notice the
grace of Jesus'
persistence and even
the grace of Peter's
persistence.
So first, Jesus'
persistence.
In verses 15
through 17, three
times Jesus asks
Peter if he loves
him.
Which, wouldn't you
know, that's one
time for each of
Peter's three
denials.
three times Jesus
restores Peter to
his high holy
calling, to go and
fish for men.
That calling that
Jesus placed on
Peter's life, Jesus
is now restoring
Peter to that
calling.
And I don't know,
I can imagine
Peter, after a
really poor night of
fishing where they've
caught nothing, just
being really hard and
down on himself.
like, man, Peter,
what made you even
think that you could
fish for men like
Jesus called you to?
You can't even fish
for fish anymore.
Like, I just imagine
Peter just so hard on
himself or even
wondering, you know,
man, now that
Judas is gone, I'm the
worst disciple.
I mean, the text
doesn't say it, so I'm
not saying that this
actually happened, but
if I were Peter, that
would be going through
my head.
I mean, Judas was the
worst disciple.
He betrayed Jesus.
But Judas is gone.
Who does that leave?
That leaves me, Peter,
the denier.
I denied him three
times.
Have you ever been
there?
Have you ever been
to this place where
you failed just so
spectacularly that
you're like, man, is
life even worth
living?
Should I keep going?
If you have wondered
that at all, and I'll
just acknowledge that
there have been a few
times when I've
acknowledged, when I've
wondered that myself.
If you've ever wondered
that, please pay
attention to what Jesus
is saying to Peter
here.
He is saying, look,
Peter, I am not done
with you yet.
He's restoring Peter to
his Jesus calling to go
and fish for men.
Feed my lambs, Peter.
Tend my sheep.
Feed my sheep.
I still have a use for
you.
How amazing is that?
So why is Peter
grieved?
Why does it hurt so
much?
And why does Jesus
allow Peter to feel
that grief?
I think what's going
on here is that Jesus
wants to make sure that
Peter doesn't take the
same path that Judas
took.
Peter, or Jesus,
wants to call Peter off
of that path that leads
to death and despair.
Peter, and Jesus is
calling Peter back onto
this path that leads to
life and salvation.
How do I know this?
Well, in 2 Corinthians
chapter 7, the apostle
Paul, he highlights the
difference between godly
grief and worldly grief.
And what does Paul say in
2 Corinthians 7 verse 10?
Paul says that godly grief
produces a repentance that
leads to salvation without
regret, whereas worldly
grief produces death.
Again, Jesus wants Peter off
that path that leads to
worldly grief and onto that
path of godly grief that
produces a repentance that
leads to salvation.
Jesus here, towards the end of
our story, Jesus is like the
field surgeon that is pulling
the wounded soldier off the
field.
This soldier, Peter, has just
stepped on this landmine of
failure.
And there's all sorts of
shrapnel of regret surrounding
his heart.
And so Jesus, the field
surgeon, the good physician, he
is working hard to remove that
shrapnel and to save Peter.
And yes, it's painful.
And just as Peter starts to feel
overwhelmed and overcome by this
pain, and just as Jesus starts
losing Peter, Jesus has his hands
around Peter's face.
It's as if he's telling him, stay
with me, soldier.
Stay with me.
Do you love me?
Jesus is sharing the grace of
persistence with Peter.
And you know what?
That leads to the grace of Peter's
persistence.
So let's look at the ending again.
Look at verses 18 and 19.
Yes, this is a hard couple of
verses.
Jesus saying that when Peter was
young, he used to dress himself
and walk where he wanted, but
when he's old, he's going to
stretch out his hands.
Another is going to dress him
and carry him where he does not
want to go.
And then verse 19 says,
this Jesus said to show by what
kind of death Peter was to
glorify God.
Please don't miss this.
Here at the very end, Jesus
promises Peter that he's going to
end well.
That Peter's death is going to
glorify God.
Peter has that promise from
Jesus' own lips.
And can I be honest here for a
second?
There are some days where I long
to have that same promise from
Jesus' own lips.
You know those kind of days where
things are not going well, where
you've messed up royally, when
you're convicted over your own sin,
and you're just, you wonder, man,
am I going to make it?
Am I going to make it to the
finish line?
And again, being really honest
here, like as a minister of the
gospel, it is hard to see those
news headlines of ministers who I'm
sure went into ministry with great
intent, but at the very end, they
don't end well.
And you know who I'm talking about.
Their names end up in the news and
in the media, right?
I know that apart from God's grace,
that can be me.
And there are some days where I'm
just longing for that assurance that
I'm going to end well.
I know what kind of day Peter was
having on the Sea of Galilee before
Jesus showed up.
And y'all, it was not the same day,
the same kind of day after Jesus
showed up.
Because after Jesus showed up,
Peter has this assurance that he
will end well.
And brothers, you and I, brothers and
sisters, you and I have that same
assurance from our Lord and Savior
Jesus.
And so as I end, let me ask you this.
Has Jesus shown up in your life?
Have you heard his calling card?
Has your hair ever stood on edge,
on end, at the grace of his presence?
Have you invited Jesus into those
places of past failure?
Have you heard Jesus' persistent
knock, knock, knocking on the door of
your heart?
If you can answer yes to those
questions, then you need to rejoice.
Rejoice.
This is the best news there ever was.
Rejoice.
Have joy.
And share that joy with someone.
Go tell someone about this.
This is amazing.
But if not, if you haven't experienced
that sort of grace, a grace that's
bigger than your failures, then please
would you hear these words from
Jesus' own mouth.
Jesus says,
Behold, I stand at the door and
knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come into him and
eat with him and he with me.
Peter heard that voice and opened the
door.
You all, you all have just heard that
voice.
Will you too open that door?
Would you pray with me?
Holy Spirit, I pray for all those in
this room who have heard your voice,
who want to open the door, but don't
know how.
Would you rush into them right now?
Would you overwhelm them with your
grace that is bigger than their
failures?
And would you, Holy Spirit, comfort and
convince all of us of your presence
and your persistence?
We long for you to heal us.
And we ask all of these things in
Jesus' powerful name.
Amen.