Now, can you turn with me in your Bible to John chapter 21 on page 1090.
Now, we're thinking this morning about the hope beyond the fear of shame and failure
that Jesus and the gospel brings. So we're in John chapter 21,
and we're going to read together the first 17 verses.
Afterwards, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.
It happened this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee,
the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
I'm going out to fish, Simon Peter told them, and they said, we'll go with you.
So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, friends, haven't you any fish?
No, they answered. He said, throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord.
As soon as Simon Peter heard him say it is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him,
for he had taken it off, and jumped into the water.
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish,
for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it and some bread.
Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you have just caught.
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore.
It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast.
None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you?
They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When he'd finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?
Yes, Lord, he said, you know that I love you.
Jesus said, feed my lambs.
Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?
He answered, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
Jesus said, take care of my sheep.
The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me?
He said, Lord, you know all things.
You know that I love you.
Jesus said, feed my sheep.
Amen.
Now, I wonder if you were to reflect on your life to date,
what you would consider your defining moments to be.
In a sense, your life and mine are these collections of events and memories,
things that have happened that are then available for us to replay in our minds.
So we have those moments that we love to think about, times of happiness and success and joy,
times where everything just came together perfectly.
But yet we know that there are other moments, other events, other memories which are profoundly painful.
Those two are etched in our minds.
Times of failure, of shame, of disgrace.
It could be as simple as being picked last in the playground.
It could be reflecting on words spoken in anger to somebody that we love.
People that we failed to defend.
Lies that we told to protect ourselves.
Perhaps a parent who saw nothing good in us.
Abuse that we experienced.
A failure to meet our own expectations or the expectations of others.
Shame has been described as a master emotion.
Because these dark strands of our past, they can play and replay in our minds,
seeking to persuade us that we are worthless, that we are unclean, that we are hopeless.
That shame would seek to dominate and define us.
Now where does shame come from?
Well, biblically we find it way back in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3.
That the moment at which Adam and Eve decide to turn away from God,
they decide that they're going to disobey God's word,
they're going to eat the fruit they're not supposed to,
they discover that rather than becoming godlike, and that's a wonderful thing,
now they find that they want to hide.
There is shame that has entered into the human experience.
They feel exposed and unclean, and they're seeking to hide both from one another and from the Lord God.
If guilt belongs in the courtroom, then shame lives in the community.
I don't know if any of you have read Nigel Hawthorne's book, A Scarlet Letter.
The main character in that book is a young woman by the name of Hester Prynne.
And Hester had to wear a scarlet A around her neck as a mark of shame,
a badge of shame because of adultery that she had committed in her past.
A story that really reflects on shame and community.
But we know too that as well as shame being something that's heaped on us from other people,
it's also something that we can pour on ourselves.
Shame can come because of experiences and actions.
Sometimes where we're the active agent and we have wronged someone,
and shame is one of those consequences that we feel,
but sometimes we're passive.
We feel shame because of wrongs that have been done to us.
And what's really important for us as we set out on looking at this theme
is to remind ourselves that when God created man and woman,
Genesis 2 verse 25, we're told that they were naked and they were unashamed.
We were not created to bear that weight of shame,
and therefore there is hope in God and in the good news of Jesus
that that shame can be removed.
And that's what takes us to today's account in John chapter 21,
where we have, in a sense, the rehabilitation of Peter by Jesus the Savior.
But just before we get into that, just an important clarification to make,
that we're very much dealing here this morning as we were last week
with what we might call low-level anxiety about shame or failure.
But we need to recognize that for some people that anxiety runs much deeper.
It might be clinical, requiring medical help, requiring counseling,
requiring medication, etc.
Ultimately, the healing of the Lord Jesus is the hope for us all,
that he is the one who brings help at that deep spiritual level.
But that's not to downplay, of course, the importance of seeking professional help
where that's required.
Now, having said that, let's see together how Jesus deals with Peter
and how it speaks to us.
The first thing I want to say is that Jesus offers hope beyond your failure.
What is Peter's story up until this point?
Well, we read in Luke chapter 5 of Peter being called from his occupation
as a professional fisherman by Jesus to become a fisher of men.
He was going to share in the work of Jesus, bringing the message of Jesus,
the news of the kingdom of God to others.
But now we find him, along with some of his contemporaries, fellow disciples,
and verse 3, Peter says, I'm going out to fish.
And they say, we'll go with you.
And they're all out there in the boat.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that,
but you do get a sense that somewhere along the line,
Peter's mission has been lost.
That rather than being a fisher of men, here he is out fishing.
Now, why is that?
Well, we read, didn't we, in John chapter 18,
and we could have read in other places,
that Peter had very much failed Jesus in his point of need.
Peter had been the most confident of all the disciples,
saying to Jesus things like, I'll never let you down.
Everyone else might, but I never will.
I will die for you.
Peter could say, did say.
But he abandons Jesus with the others that Jesus arrests,
and he runs.
And then in that trial scene, he denies even knowing Jesus.
But here's the wonderful thing,
that Peter has failed Jesus,
but Jesus is not finished with Peter.
Here we are in a post-resurrection scene.
Jesus has died.
Three days later, he's come back to life,
and then he's making these appearances to his disciples.
And here is one of these,
in which he issues Peter, in a sense,
with a new call to mission
that recalls that first call to mission.
That we notice that both in Luke 5 and here,
the call of Jesus happens in the same place,
by the Sea of Galilee.
Now here it's described as the Sea of Tiberias.
And we notice to just how similar the two miracles were.
That both times, the fishermen have been out all night
and have caught nothing.
Jesus tells them, throw out your net,
and there's this huge catch of fish.
Here is Jesus deliberately taking Peter back
to that moment where he was called at first.
And when John, in verse 7,
the disciple whom Jesus loves,
having reflected on what's just happened
in this massive catch of fish,
says to Peter, it is the Lord,
we've got this wonderful movement of Peter
where instantly he's running towards Jesus.
We might expect the opposite
because he's failed him hugely.
But he recognizes in Jesus
the extension of undeserved grace.
That Jesus is offering kindness and restoration.
That Jesus is continuing to provide for Peter
despite and beyond his failure.
We see that physically.
In verse 9, Jesus has prepared breakfast.
While these professional fishermen couldn't catch anything,
Jesus has got a barbecue going,
there's fish on it, and there's some bread.
And then in verse 12, there's the invitation,
come and have breakfast.
So he's providing for Peter and the others physically,
but also spiritually.
The same word used for fish there is,
it's a deliberate choice because in John chapter 6,
John who writes his gospel also uses that same word fish.
And it takes us back to the feeding of the 5,000.
When Jesus multiplied a few loaves and two fish
to feed a huge crowd.
And after that, Jesus declared,
I am the bread of life.
And he called on people to, as it were,
feast on his body and his blood.
An image that before the cross,
people didn't understand,
and some were horrified by.
But now after the cross,
it's clear to Peter that Jesus is inviting him
to feast on that forgiveness that is available to him
because of the sacrifice that Jesus had offered on the cross.
That here is this spiritual gift
of forgiveness, of restoration, of reconciliation.
Did Peter feel the weight of his failure?
Of course he would have because he's human.
But those fears and that weight is met by
Jesus calling him friend
and that invitation from Jesus to come.
Jesus offers hope beyond failure.
As we read through both Old Testament and New Testament,
what we find is a catalog of heroes
whose lives are redeemed from failure.
People like Jacob, who lied and deceived to inherit.
Moses, who was a murderer.
King David, guilty of adultery and organizing a murder.
Jonah, the prophet who ran from God.
Saul, the one who was determined to destroy the church of Jesus Christ.
But all of them received grace and mercy
beyond these failures.
There is hope for us.
I wonder today, is there anybody here holding back from God
due to a failure in your life?
imagining that there is some sin, some mistake,
some wreck that you've created
that's too great for God to want anything to do with you.
I wonder if there's anyone here punishing themselves
rather than coming to Jesus
to find hope and healing.
Martin Luther, the reformer,
Luther says this to those who would be tempted
to stand on the sidelines thinking that you're too bad.
Luther says,
join the company of hard-boiled sinners.
Jesus is a savior and redeemer
from real, from great, from terrible sins.
We need to beware the lie that would say that we are unworthy
and that our sense of worthiness would keep us
from the mercy of God.
Because what we discover in the Bible,
what we discover in Peter's story,
is that our shame, our sin, our failure
is outweighed by our need for mercy
and God's desire to extend that mercy to us.
That Jesus' death on the cross
is sufficient to cover all of our darkest moments.
We are not to put our sin
as being something greater than
the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
As if we are in a special category.
Jesus can heal of all sin.
And hope begins
when we humbly own our failure,
when we acknowledge our unworthiness,
but we don't run from Jesus.
Instead, we run to hear that invitation
to forgiveness,
to restoration,
to reconciliation.
There's a Christian author
from New Zealand
by the name of Rita Snowden.
And she said this in an interview.
She said,
You can ask me what forgiveness means.
It is the wonder
of being trusted again by God
in the place
where I disgraced Him.
There is grace beyond disgrace.
That's Peter's testimony.
That can be yours too.
And what about as Christians
when those feelings of guilt
and shame and unworthiness
rise up again in our own minds?
When those events from our past
come back to haunt us?
We will, towards the end of the service,
be singing a hymn
before the throne of God above.
I find myself often going back
to the words in the second verse
which say,
When Satan tempts me to despair,
and he will, and he does,
and we know this,
and tells me of the guilt within,
that guilt that is real,
and we know that too.
Upwards I look
and see Him there
who made an end
to all my sin.
What's our response?
It's to pray the gospel.
It's to live with hope
in the gospel.
It's to shift our focus
from our failure
back onto the cross of Jesus.
Jesus shows to us
the undeserved love of God,
and that's our hope
beyond our failure.
The second thing
to notice
in the story of Peter here
is that Jesus offers hope
beyond your shame.
In verses 15 to 17.
So if Jesus has deliberately recalled
that first call that He made
to Peter to become a fisher of men,
Jesus also recalls for Peter
His denial,
takes him back
to that time around the fire
where He denied three times
even knowing Him.
Jesus takes him
to that painful place
in order that He might
provide healing,
like the surgeon
who needs to cut
in order that He might heal.
And there's two ways
that this shows itself
in John's account.
Again, John very deliberately
in verse 9
uses a specific word
for a charcoal fire.
When they landed,
they saw a fire
of burning coals
there with fish on it.
The only other place
where that's used
is in John chapter 18.
The same fire,
charcoal fire.
Peter is warming himself
while Jesus is on trial
and Peter denies knowing Him.
And if you've ever lit a barbecue
or been around a charcoal fire,
you know that it's a strong smell.
And smells can evoke
strong memories for us,
can't they?
Smells that take us back
to granny's home cooking.
Smells that we associate with
Christmas perhaps.
Smells can do that
in our brain.
They can take us back
to places and times
and events.
You can well imagine
for Peter
around a charcoal fire,
what would burn
in his mind
would have been
that denial
that he made.
That most shameful
episode
of his life.
But Jesus takes him back
there
in order to
heal.
We read
in verses 15 to 17
that
that conversation
after breakfast
between Jesus
and Peter.
Just as Peter
had denied
three times
knowing Jesus,
that's called to mind
three times
by that question.
Simon,
do you
love me?
And by
three times
receiving
the commission,
feed my lambs,
take care of my sheep,
feed my sheep.
Here again
is the grace
of Jesus.
Here is
Jesus
seeking to bring
as it were
a memory
replacement
for Peter.
What will
the smell
of burning
charcoal
mean to Peter
now?
Well,
it's around
this fire
where Jesus
showed him
great love,
giving him
work to do
despite the fact
that he made
such a mess
of things.
It's significant
in the conversation
that we see
Jesus
challenges
Peter's pride.
It encourages
him to humility.
Do you
truly love
me more
than these?
Peter was
the one
who would
say,
I'm better
than them,
I love
more than
them,
but gone
now
is that
pride.
Peter
rests his
hope
in being
known
by Jesus,
being loved
by Jesus,
and responding
to that love
with his
own.
Ed Welch,
the biblical
counselor,
says that
the king
prefers his
ambassadors
weak and
needy,
and those
qualities
are at the
top of
an unworthy
person's
resume.
Jesus
here takes
Peter in
his weakness,
in his need,
in his shame,
and he turns
his shame
into honor.
As he gives
him this
job to
feed,
to take
care of
the lambs
and the
sheep,
in other
words,
to teach
and to
lead the
church
and the
message
and the
ways
of
Jesus.
Here
is hope
beyond
shame.
Shame
makes us
want to
run
and hide,
but from
the beginning,
what we
discover,
it is the
goodness of
God,
the God
who moves
towards us
to cover
our shame.
The first
time shame
entered into
the world,
what did
God do?
He came
searching for
Adam and
Eve,
where are
you,
wanting
relationship,
and he
covered them,
he clothed
them,
and he
promised a
saviour,
a deliverer,
a champion
who would
come to
bring an
end to
sin and
shame.
It's the
same in
the story
of Peter.
Jesus
moves
towards
him to
cover his
shame.
It's the
great message
of the
cross
that we
bring our
sin,
our shame,
our failure
to Jesus.
He bears
it,
he carries
it,
he covers
it,
so that we
might know
his love,
that his
love and
his grace
might be
what define
us,
not our
sense of
shame or
failure.
Just as we
close,
John,
who writes
this gospel,
wants us to
be absolutely
sure that
it's the
resurrected
Jesus who
offers hope
beyond shame.
So in
chapter 21
and at
verse 1,
we're told
that this
is another
appearing of
Jesus.
And then in
verse 14,
this was
now the
third time
Jesus appeared
to his
disciples after
he was
raised from
the dead.
Very
deliberately
drawing attention
to that fact.
Why does
that matter?
Well,
it reminds
us that
Jesus has
gone through
the cross,
that Jesus
has experienced
for his
people the
shame and
the humiliation
of rejection.
of being
beaten and
mocked and
spat at and
being laughed
at and
hanging naked
and dying
under God's
curse,
dying as
though he
were a
failure.
Why?
Hebrews
chapter 12
verse 2,
Jesus,
for the joy
set before
him,
endured the
cross,
scorning its
shame,
and sat
down at
the right
hand of
God.
Jesus took
that shame
and he
treated it
as a
small thing,
as an
insignificant
thing,
because of
future glory,
because of
the resurrection,
because of
his return
to the glory
of heaven.
His
resurrection
stands for
us as
proof.
There is
hope beyond
shame.
Jesus at
the cross
is treated
as the
scum of
the earth.
He faces
that judgment
for you
and for
me,
so that in
him,
you and I
can live
with hope
that if our
lives are
defined by
what Jesus
did on
the cross,
that we
can trust
him,
that our
shame can
be turned
to honor.
We may
feel, as I'm
sure Peter felt,
hopeless, ashamed,
worthless, but
we have in
Jesus the
king of all
glory and
honor, and
he chooses
to associate
with us,
and that
because of
his honor,
we share
in that
honor, that
we have an
invitation,
come to
me, that
can set us
free from
shame and
failure and
bring us
home.
There is in
Jesus the
promise of
healing, that
that weight of
shame and
failure that we
carry will not
be forever,
that in the
gospel that
process of
healing begins
now, and
it will be
made complete
in eternity,
that we will
stand face
to face
before our
Savior without
shame and
full of joy.