Message of the Month

Jesus is the Destiny-Restorer that Re-signs Us after Our Defections
Jn 21:15-22

Intro – From a courageous disciple to a cowardly defector; from a man who had been called from his fishing nets to follow Jesus as a fisher of men, and now back to the old business of fishing for fish; from the inner circle that walked in great intimacy with Jesus, to feeling that he is out of the circle all together, and perhaps forever; from Peter, the Rock, back to Simon, the rolling little stone, who had denied Jesus three times, then upon hearing the crowing of the rooster and looking at Christ, hangs his head in shame, and flees the scene of his denial – how art the mighty fallen? 

Was there a future for Simon Peter after such a fall? Was his destiny to be follower of Christ and a fisher of men beyond recovery? Having resigned, could he be – re-signed? How could he be restored to a sense of spiritual wholeness, much less usefulness and destiny-fulfillment in the kingdom of God?

Many of us would find ourselves identifying with Peter over our own sense of spiritual faltering and falling, of failing to confess Christ in the presence of His enemies. Oh, at one time or other, we have made good confessions, committed to firm resolutions of faithfulness, received prophetic words about our destiny, and then have defected, denied, and disbelieved all of the above. We may have not fallen into what others would call “gross sins”, but we have lost our passion for Christ, moved into spiritual coldness and barrenness, and now feel that we will never find again, much less, fulfill our destinies in the kingdom of God. How often have we done the very thing we said that we would not do in terms of spiritual commitment and destiny fulfillment?

The encouragement for all of us in this narrative in John 21 is that there is mercy with the Lord!  He alone can restore the fallen to usefulness. He alone is the Destiny-Restorer that Re-signs Us after Our Defections!

We are told in Luke 22:62 that Peter "wept bitterly" over his sin against Christ, but there was not a sense of resolution and restoration at this point in his spiritual journey. He had publicly boasted of his level of dedication and commitment. Then he had publicly humiliated himself in the denial of Christ. Now, by the great mercy of Christ, we find Peter being publicly restored to usefulness and re-signed to destiny fulfillment in the kingdom of God. The most striking element of this whole scene is that we see Jesus pursuing the fallen. The women who saw the angel at the empty tomb were told to go ahead to Galilee and tell the disciples and Peter of the resurrection (Mark 16:7). Jesus, on two occasions, entered the closed doors where Peter and the other disciples met to give them assurance and minister out of the abundance of His great power.  Now He confronts Peter in what has to be a time of intense pain, as Peter faces up to the reality of his sin. Yet, we find this a time of great healing and restoration for the fallen.

I. Recreating the Scene of Peter’s Failure – 21:1-14

A. When We Run from Our Destiny because of Personal Failure, Jesus Pursues Us in Love!

1. Jesus Prepares Situations – Three years earlier in the same sea of Galilee there had been a similar situation as recorded in Luke 5 where the disciples had toiled all night, caught nothing, and Jesus told them to let down their nets and they were filled with fish. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." Then in 21:9, a “fire of coals” is seen with fish and bread – the fish and bread reminding them of the feeding of the multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish. The phrase “fire of coals” is found only in one other place in scripture – this is in Jn. 18:18 where Peter stood by the fire with the enemies of Christ to warm himself and there denied he ever knew Jesus! Jesus is setting things up, not to relive the hurts of the past, but to remove them so for full healing and restoration of Peter!

Most of us know what that is like. There was a place, a time, once, where something happened that we are ashamed of, that we regret, that we would give anything if we could undo it. The thought of it pains our hearts and the enemy of our souls still drags it out to attempt to rob us of our destiny and darken the hope of our future. But Jesus wants to deal with it in a once and for all manner that frees us and refocuses us to our destiny.

2. Jesus Does Interrogation – 21:5, (NASV -- Children, you don’t have any fish do you?) Jesus is not asking questions out of ignorance, but is seeking to prompt admissions that just as on previous occasions, Peter’s efforts and expertise are fruitless unless he is following Jesus’ directions. The point is for all of us to understand that all our efforts at bringing forth spiritual fruit is to no avail unless Jesus directs and blesses them.

3. Jesus Provides Spiritual Illumination –2:6-7
Our text mentions three times Jesus "manifesting Himself" to the disciples.(21:1,14) Note, the manifestation was a divine self-disclosure made to the disciples. Also, the revelation came after they obeyed. They obeyed the “now” word from Jesus and got another word. The next word will not come in revelation if we are not obeying the now word of his communication!

II. Recalling the Source of Peter’s Failure – 21:15

A. Jesus is a Destiny Writer who Names us in Order to Aim Us toward Our Destiny! Jn 1:42

When Jesus saw Simon for the first time, He not only saw the real man, Simon as he was, He saw Simon Peter as he could be. He saw the man that God's grace could make out of Simon. And the two men - what Simon was and what he could be - were so different that each of them required a different name. Looking at the man as he was, Jesus said, "Thou art Simon"; looking at him as he could become, He said, "You shall be called Cephas, a Rock." And every time Jesus Christ looks at a person, He sees not one person, but two.  He looked at Simon and saw Peter; He looked at Saul of Tarsus and saw Paul the Apostle; He looked at Jacob the liar and cheat, and saw Israel, the prince with God.  And when He looks at you or me, He sees two people - the one I am, and the one He can make of me. He is working at every moment, using His grace and power while preserving your freedom, to uncover and produce "the Possible You."

Yet in our text we see Jesus:
1. Exposing the Source of Peter’s Failure by the Use of the Old Name – 3 times –15-17—Simon, Simon, Simon
2. Exposing the Self-confidence that was the Force behind Peter’s Failure by the Reminder of the Old Claim -- Mat 26:33  Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Mat 26:34  Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Mat 26:35  Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same.
“Simon, do you love me more than these?

III. Rekindling the Sizzle in Peter’s Fervor – 21:16-17

A. Do you have a Burning Love for Me? – 21:16 -- agapao

B. Do you have a Brotherly Love for Me? – 21:17 – phileo
Peter’s Response – Lord, you know my heart, I thought I did, but it is so deceitful – but you know! Peter’s confidence is in the Lord Jesus’ omniscience. He knew that Jesus knew the worst about him and loved him anyway. Also he knew that Jesus knew the best about him when others only wanted to focus on the worst!

IV. Reaffirming the Scope of Peter’s Future – 21:15-19

A. Jesus Speaks to Peter in Terms of His Future Destiny and not His Past History!

1. Feed My Sheep – 3 times
2. Follow me – 2 times – 19, 22

When God views us in Christ, destiny is the standard, not past history! Destiny keeps us forward focused and not past possessed. When God speaks to me as a king's kid it's always in terms of my future destiny and not my sinful past!
Fulfilling your Destiny is more about Knowing a Person than Discovering a Plan!
Jesus didn’t ask, “Do you work for me, give for me, go for me, speak for me, war for me, witness for me – but, “ DO YOU LOVE ME?”
Destiny is not knowing all the details of the will of God for your life, but knowing the heart of God’s love and knowing some accurate things about God’s ultimate purpose for our lives so that we can begin in the immediate a faith-filled and faithful journey of glorifying God and enjoying the trip!

Norm Willis defined destiny as, "God's plan, accomplished in His strength, but realized through our obedient and persistent work!”

Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you are going in life, you are liable to wind up somewhere else!" He meant, if you don't know where you are going, how will you ever know when you get there? 

Knowing your purpose is the key to using your potential. Coming into a loving relationship with the Lord means that it's no longer my responsibility, but my response to His ability made operative by my availability that enables me to fulfill my destiny!

Coming into a relationship with King Jesus and entering into kingdom partnership is a divine, holy calling. Every believer has a calling. First to be with Him, then represent Him in every sphere of life. A calling is a singling out by Someone, to love and be loved by that Someone, and to live wholly for that Someone -- not to something (making a living, motherhood, a career, etc.), or to somewhere (inner city or Outer Mongolia) -- but to Someone, and that Someone is King Jesus!
We tend to think of purpose and calling in terms of aims, ambitions, achievements, assessments, aspirations, but the key is in the word AUDIENCE! We are to live and work for an audience of ONE!

His calling so captures us, changes us, and captivates us that it makes us glad love-slaves of the cross who savor and serve Christ with the belief that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for Him!
Dwight Bain writes about  “The City of Regret.

" I had not really planned to take a trip this year, yet I found myself packing anyway. And off I went, dreading it. I was on another guilt trip.
I booked my reservation on Wish I Had airlines. I didn’t check my bags— everyone carries their baggage on this airline—and had to drag it for what seemed like miles in the Regret City Airport. And I could see that people from all over the world were there with me, limping along under the weight of bags they had packed themselves.
I caught a cab to Last Resort Hotel, the driver taking the whole trip backward, looking over his shoulder. And there I found the ballroom where my event would be held: the Annual Pity Party. As I checked in, I saw that all my old colleagues were on the guest list:
The Done family—Woulda, Coulda, and Shoulda and both of the Opportunities—Missed and Lost.
All the Yesterdays—there were too many to count, but all would have sad stories to share.
Shattered Dreams and Broken Promises would be there, too, along with their friends. Don’t Blame Me and Couldn’t Help It.
And of course, hours and hours of entertainment would be provided by that renowned storyteller It’s Their Fault.
As I prepared to settle in for a really long night, I realized that one person had the power to send all those people home and break up the party: me! All I had to do was return to the present and welcome the new day!"
If you have found yourself getting on a flight to the City of Regret, recognize that it’s a trip you book yourself, and you can cancel it at any time— without penalty or fee. But you’re the only one who can.
There's a saying in Texas, "It doesn't matter how much milk you spill as long as you don't lose your cow!” Stop crying over spilled milk and begin to learn how to get your cow back on the track of successful output!

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