THANKSGIVING
(Failure is never the end - November 20, 2022)
Series Big Idea: "As followers of Jesus we can never go back to our old way of life"
Sermon Big Idea: "Don’t let sins drive you from the Lord"
Key Scripture (John 21:3-7)
At the cross, God took all the pain and shame of sin and placed it on His only Son Jesus so the power of sin could be broken. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God’s love overcomes death. We see the love of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we look at Jesus, we can say, “This is love.”
So many times, when we make a mess of our lives, we don’t want to ask for help from anyone, especially God. ILLUSTRATION: Asking for help would mean we would have to admit our faults. And usually, we don’t want to admit guilt. Sorry becomes an uncomfortable word. Because it is so painful to admit we would rather deny it, ignore it, or just try to justify it. But here’s the PROBLEM: it won’t go away. Blaming our shortcomings on others doesn’t solve anything either, it just expands it. The Bible has a word for this, SIN.
The Bible explains SIN as “missing the mark.” It is not being who God created us to be in the first place. Sin is crossing the lines and boundaries of God and others and ultimately holds us captive and paralyzes us with SHAME. You could say it like this; Sin is a dead end! So, for a Christian, what do we do about this?
The Bible tells a story of a man named Peter who was one of the closest followers of Jesus and who had a moment of miserable failure. By the world's standards, it really should have ended his story right there. You see, he had denied he even knew Christ when he was approached in Jerusalem right before Jesus was crucified. He didn’t just deny Jesus once but three times. That must have been excruciating to hold on to, knowing Jesus was crucified later.
Later in the story, Jesus had risen from the dead and quite a few of His disciples had already seen Him alive. But Peter, during this same time, decided to go back to what he knew best, fishing. (John 21:3) “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. What do you think he must have been feeling? He knew that Jesus has risen from the dead but how was he going to face Him? How would Peter recover from this? How do we recover from the mess we think we have made of our lives?
1. Don’t Allow the Shame of sin to Drive you from God
This is what SHAME does; it isolates us. It says we are disqualified, and we are the one person that can’t be forgiven. We’ve gone past the point of return. SHAME tells us GAME OVER/THE END! In a sense this is true. (Romans 6:23) “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” SHAME that comes from actual guilt is not a liar. It tells us the story without Jesus. But look at what happened. Jesus showed up that day in the middle of Peter’s fishing trip. (Read John 21:4-7) 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5 “Men,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” He told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around him (for he was stripped) and plunged into the sea.
Jesus met all the disciples on the beach and cooked for them. Fish and bread. While they were eating Jesus gave Peter a chance to redeem himself. Peter proved to Jesus, he really did love Him. My friends, when we are filled with SHAME, Jesus will always be there for us too. He will never let go of us. His love can change everything.
2. Trust Jesus to never let go of you
What Jesus did for Peter, He will do for us. The risen Jesus breaths new life, the life of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, into His followers. He says that true PEACE is theirs. No more fear, no more shame, no more guilt. PEACE. This is the true and deep sense of being put back together again, of being set right, right with God and right with each other. This newness of life is not just for a select few. The Good News is for the entire world! BECAUSE OF THE RESURRECTION, SINS CAN BE FORGIVEN! The power of Sin that kept us bound, that has paralyzed us, that has held us in the same patterns of failure, is now broken! To be forgiven is to be FREE. Free from guilt, and shame, free from the power that enslaves us.
Peter’s life would never be the same. He is known for leading a movement that would be called the “Church.” Although he suffered greatly, he continued to preach boldly. He taught the Church what it means to be forgiven and free. That deep love for Jesus was his anchor that brought him through the most difficult days. And it all began when Jesus found him on the beach and restored him.
Conclusion:
My friend, your life can change today too. Maybe you’ve thought it was The End. Game Over. That you have hit a dead end because of a mistake you have made or a destructive habit you have been caught up in. Good News! It’s not over!!
It wasn’t over when Jesus died on the cross and it’s not over for you. Because Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the cross and because God raised Him from the dead in victory over sin and death, it is not over.
(Romans 5:8) “But God proves His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!”
Think of that. While we are still enemies of God, while we are still stuck in sin and while we are still caught in the trap, Jesus came and died for us. Before we ever knew how to call on His name, He came running to us. God comes running after us just as He did for Peter. Today is your day. This is love and it can change everything.
Lord Jesus, thank You for the forgiveness you have given us. I pray that today and forever more we follow You. Give us the faith to believe You will never leave us. Help us when we tend to believe the world and not You. In Jesus name. Amen!
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
WORDsearch. Adult Questions for LESSONmaker. WORDsearch, n.d.
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Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
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