1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,083 2 00:00:04,167 --> 00:00:19,167 [music] 3 00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:47,000 This is the Word of God, 4 00:00:47,083 --> 00:00:50,333 and as we read it, it has truths, 5 00:00:50,375 --> 00:00:55,375 and those truths are declarations of who God is. 6 00:00:55,458 --> 00:01:00,292 It also has testimonies, which are demonstrations of what God 7 00:01:00,333 --> 00:01:04,333 does, and they go together, because God wants us to know 8 00:01:04,375 --> 00:01:09,208 who he is, and he wants us to see what he does, 9 00:01:09,292 --> 00:01:13,000 and today we get the great privilege of hearing 10 00:01:13,042 --> 00:01:15,917 the testimony of a man named Peter. 11 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,917 This is the 91th sermon in Luke. 12 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,833 I think I just made up a word: the 91th. 13 00:01:21,875 --> 00:01:25,000 This is the 91th sermon in Luke. 14 00:01:25,083 --> 00:01:29,000 We're in Luke 22, beginning in verse 31, 15 00:01:29,042 --> 00:01:31,917 looking at Jesus and Peter. 16 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,167 And the story of Peter 17 00:01:34,250 --> 00:01:37,917 commenced very early in the Gospel of Luke, 18 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,583 where we learned that Peter was initially 19 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:42,833 a businessman and a business leader, 20 00:01:42,875 --> 00:01:45,625 and he had a fishing company with boats, and supplies, 21 00:01:45,667 --> 00:01:47,833 and employees, and the like. 22 00:01:47,875 --> 00:01:51,917 And Jesus came and called to him, "Follow me," 23 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,333 and so Peter left his business and followed Jesus. 24 00:01:56,375 --> 00:01:59,333 And to this point, he's been following Jesus for roughly 25 00:01:59,375 --> 00:02:03,708 3 years, as a disciple, as a student of Jesus, 26 00:02:03,792 --> 00:02:06,125 learning from him. 27 00:02:06,167 --> 00:02:10,208 And just by way of caveat, we see here that Jesus redeems 28 00:02:10,292 --> 00:02:13,417 all of his business experience. 29 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:15,375 And we believe this at Mars Hill, 30 00:02:15,458 --> 00:02:18,792 that oftentimes God will give people great experience 31 00:02:18,833 --> 00:02:21,875 outside of ministry and outside of church, 32 00:02:21,958 --> 00:02:25,000 even sometimes when they are outside of Christ, 33 00:02:25,083 --> 00:02:29,000 that then he can utilize to help them expand the ministry 34 00:02:29,042 --> 00:02:31,125 and the message of the church. 35 00:02:31,167 --> 00:02:32,917 And so if you're a business leader, 36 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,500 we welcome you, and want to invite you all to think about 37 00:02:36,583 --> 00:02:42,167 how could my job skills, my life experiences be redeemed 38 00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:46,917 for service to Jesus, and Peter serves as an example of that. 39 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,708 And as we look at their relationship today, 40 00:02:50,792 --> 00:02:53,125 these men are friends. 41 00:02:53,167 --> 00:02:56,875 They have eaten and traveled together for 3 years, 42 00:02:56,958 --> 00:02:59,125 and Peter's been there for all of it. 43 00:02:59,167 --> 00:03:05,583 He's seen Jesus preach, teach, heal, cast out demons, 44 00:03:05,667 --> 00:03:07,500 and walk on water. 45 00:03:07,583 --> 00:03:10,417 Peter has been there for it all. 46 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:13,625 And today we're going to hear the testimony of Peter 47 00:03:13,667 --> 00:03:16,000 in a profoundly dark moment 48 00:03:16,083 --> 00:03:18,625 in his friendship with the Lord Jesus. 49 00:03:18,667 --> 00:03:21,625 And the first thing that we learn is that Jesus 50 00:03:21,667 --> 00:03:24,208 knows who will fail him. 51 00:03:24,292 --> 00:03:28,000 We read this in Luke 22:31-34. 52 00:03:28,042 --> 00:03:30,708 "'Simon, Simon," Jesus says, "'Behold, 53 00:03:30,792 --> 00:03:33,083 "'Satan demanded to have you, 54 00:03:33,167 --> 00:03:35,167 "'that he might sift you like wheat, 55 00:03:35,250 --> 00:03:39,000 "'but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. 56 00:03:39,083 --> 00:03:40,708 "'And when you have turned again, 57 00:03:40,792 --> 00:03:42,417 "'strengthen your brothers.' 58 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:46,500 "Peter said to him, 'Lord, I am ready to go with you 59 00:03:46,583 --> 00:03:49,708 "'both to prison and to death.' 60 00:03:49,792 --> 00:03:53,625 "Jesus said, 'I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow 61 00:03:53,667 --> 00:03:58,708 this day, until you deny three times that you know me.'" 62 00:03:58,792 --> 00:04:02,708 Now, Peter's name here has been changed. 63 00:04:02,792 --> 00:04:04,833 Here he is called Simon. 64 00:04:04,875 --> 00:04:07,125 We refer to him as Peter. 65 00:04:07,167 --> 00:04:10,375 This is because his name was changed by Jesus. 66 00:04:10,458 --> 00:04:14,083 In the Bible, when you pass from non-Christian to Christian, 67 00:04:14,167 --> 00:04:17,083 from spiritual death to spiritual life, 68 00:04:17,167 --> 00:04:22,125 the change is so dramatic, drastic, cataclysmic, 69 00:04:22,167 --> 00:04:24,333 that you are a new creation, 70 00:04:24,375 --> 00:04:27,208 a new person with a new identity, 71 00:04:27,292 --> 00:04:30,792 and a new mind, and a new Lord, and a new heart, 72 00:04:30,833 --> 00:04:34,417 and new passions, and pleasures, and longings, and thoughts, 73 00:04:34,500 --> 00:04:39,083 and ambitions, and desires that sometimes God renames a person 74 00:04:39,167 --> 00:04:43,417 to show the magnitude of what it means for them to be born again. 75 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:47,000 So, Abram becomes Abraham, and Saul becomes Paul, 76 00:04:47,083 --> 00:04:49,583 and Cephas is Peter. 77 00:04:49,667 --> 00:04:52,500 Simon becomes Peter. 78 00:04:52,583 --> 00:04:57,000 And here he refers to him as Simon. 79 00:04:57,083 --> 00:04:59,500 That's his old name. 80 00:04:59,583 --> 00:05:03,833 Peter is hearing from the Lord Jesus, 81 00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:07,792 "You're going back to your old ways. 82 00:05:07,833 --> 00:05:14,500 "You're going to think and act in a way that you used to 83 00:05:14,542 --> 00:05:16,917 before we met." 84 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,667 How many of you, that would be true? 85 00:05:19,750 --> 00:05:23,583 There are times in your life when you're thinking and acting 86 00:05:23,667 --> 00:05:28,333 the way you used to, perhaps before you met the Lord Jesus 87 00:05:28,375 --> 00:05:31,000 and became a Christian or before you had a season 88 00:05:31,083 --> 00:05:33,500 of maturity and transformation. 89 00:05:33,542 --> 00:05:35,333 Sometimes we revert back, 90 00:05:35,375 --> 00:05:36,917 and those are discouraging times, right? 91 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,333 Sometimes they can be disappointing 92 00:05:38,375 --> 00:05:39,792 and/or depressing times. 93 00:05:39,833 --> 00:05:42,292 Sometimes it could become so dark that people even wonder, 94 00:05:42,333 --> 00:05:43,667 "Am I really a Christian? 95 00:05:43,750 --> 00:05:45,208 "Did I ever even meet Jesus? 96 00:05:45,292 --> 00:05:47,917 Am I just fooling myself and faking it?" 97 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,208 And Jesus looks at him and says, "You're going back to your 98 00:05:51,292 --> 00:05:55,708 old ways, and you are going to deny me three times." 99 00:05:55,792 --> 00:05:57,500 Jesus here is God. 100 00:05:57,542 --> 00:05:58,917 He knows the future. 101 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,417 He's sovereign over it. 102 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,333 He is here predicting, anticipating, prophesying, 103 00:06:03,375 --> 00:06:08,000 promising the failure, the denial of Peter, 104 00:06:08,042 --> 00:06:13,125 and Peter says, "There's no way I will fail you! 105 00:06:13,167 --> 00:06:14,583 "You can depend on me. 106 00:06:14,667 --> 00:06:17,417 "You can count on me. 107 00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:19,667 "I would go to prison for you. 108 00:06:19,750 --> 00:06:21,500 "I'll die for you. 109 00:06:21,583 --> 00:06:25,167 Don't worry about me, Lord Jesus." 110 00:06:28,750 --> 00:06:33,292 We all need to know 111 00:06:33,333 --> 00:06:36,833 that God is fully aware 112 00:06:36,875 --> 00:06:40,125 of when we will sin and fail, 113 00:06:40,167 --> 00:06:44,292 and where and how. 114 00:06:44,333 --> 00:06:46,917 Some of you don't think that sin is in your future. 115 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,625 Some of you don't think that failure is in your future. 116 00:06:49,667 --> 00:06:52,125 Some of you don't think that tragedy's in your future. 117 00:06:52,167 --> 00:06:55,125 God knows the future. 118 00:06:55,167 --> 00:06:59,625 He knows exactly what tomorrow holds, and the day after that, 119 00:06:59,667 --> 00:07:03,708 and he knows who will fail him! 120 00:07:03,792 --> 00:07:05,417 He does. 121 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:07,708 And he says, "Peter, Satan has come to me, 122 00:07:07,792 --> 00:07:10,083 and he has asked to sift you like wheat." 123 00:07:10,167 --> 00:07:12,583 To use our modern vernacular, this would be like saying, 124 00:07:12,667 --> 00:07:16,500 "Satan has asked to tear you apart!" 125 00:07:16,583 --> 00:07:21,500 You need to know that it's not just you and God. 126 00:07:21,583 --> 00:07:26,000 You also have an adversary, an enemy, the devil, 127 00:07:26,083 --> 00:07:29,208 that great serpent, the dragon. 128 00:07:29,292 --> 00:07:34,125 He hates God, and he harms you. 129 00:07:34,167 --> 00:07:36,792 So, when things get tough, you're being tempted, 130 00:07:36,833 --> 00:07:40,417 and tested, and tried, you can't always just cast 131 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:42,625 a shadow of judgment on God. 132 00:07:42,667 --> 00:07:44,125 "Where are you? 133 00:07:44,167 --> 00:07:45,833 What are you doing?" 134 00:07:45,875 --> 00:07:49,792 You need to also consider: where is my enemy, 135 00:07:49,833 --> 00:07:54,208 and is this from him? 136 00:07:54,292 --> 00:07:57,083 Satan is real. 137 00:07:57,167 --> 00:07:58,917 Demons are real. 138 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,500 They're created beings, angels who rebelled against God 139 00:08:02,583 --> 00:08:06,083 and are responsible for evil, and injustice, and sin, 140 00:08:06,167 --> 00:08:07,583 and death on the earth, 141 00:08:07,667 --> 00:08:10,583 and when we sin, we conspire with them 142 00:08:10,667 --> 00:08:13,125 in their war against God. 143 00:08:13,167 --> 00:08:15,917 Many don't believe that. 144 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,083 Many think that the spirit realm is only good. 145 00:08:19,167 --> 00:08:21,083 There is also evil. 146 00:08:21,167 --> 00:08:23,417 Many, even professing Christians, 147 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:26,208 sort of dismiss those parts of the Bible. 148 00:08:26,292 --> 00:08:27,625 We don't. 149 00:08:27,667 --> 00:08:32,750 Jesus says that Satan is real, and we believe Jesus. 150 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,708 Satan is also real, therefore, in your life and mine, 151 00:08:38,792 --> 00:08:42,000 and he works categorically in three ways: 152 00:08:42,083 --> 00:08:44,125 the world, the flesh, and the devil. 153 00:08:44,167 --> 00:08:45,708 This is what the Bible teaches. 154 00:08:45,792 --> 00:08:49,292 The world is the external system that is opposed to God, 155 00:08:49,333 --> 00:08:53,833 that tempts you to rebel against God, and sin against God, 156 00:08:53,875 --> 00:08:56,917 and live a life of folly, and the world is filled with 157 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:03,167 innumerable opportunities to fail God and to sin against him. 158 00:09:03,250 --> 00:09:06,375 Internally, we have the flesh. 159 00:09:06,458 --> 00:09:11,625 This is a predisposition toward rebellion, toward sin, 160 00:09:11,667 --> 00:09:17,000 toward folly, toward death, toward failure, 161 00:09:18,542 --> 00:09:21,917 and working in concert with the world externally 162 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,833 and the flesh internally is the devil. 163 00:09:25,875 --> 00:09:28,500 He's our enemy and our adversary, 164 00:09:28,542 --> 00:09:32,000 and he's going to come at you, friends, with temptations. 165 00:09:32,042 --> 00:09:34,917 He's going to come at you with accusations, 166 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,917 with second-person conversations. 167 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,375 "You are a failure. 168 00:09:40,458 --> 00:09:41,792 "You are unloved. 169 00:09:41,833 --> 00:09:43,208 "You will never change. 170 00:09:43,292 --> 00:09:48,000 You should just kill yourself." 171 00:09:48,042 --> 00:09:51,875 He will come at you, as well, with lies. 172 00:09:51,958 --> 00:09:54,208 He is the father of lies. 173 00:09:54,292 --> 00:09:58,000 And if you believe his lies, he will destroy you. 174 00:09:58,083 --> 00:10:01,125 That's why Jesus says you need to know the truth, 175 00:10:01,167 --> 00:10:04,000 and the truth will set you free. 176 00:10:04,083 --> 00:10:08,500 And furthermore, he will come at you with condemnations. 177 00:10:08,542 --> 00:10:10,125 "This is what you've done. 178 00:10:10,167 --> 00:10:11,875 This is who you are." 179 00:10:11,958 --> 00:10:15,875 Even taking sins of your past that you've apologized for 180 00:10:15,958 --> 00:10:20,125 and moved on from, throwing them into your face, 181 00:10:20,167 --> 00:10:23,500 so that you feel condemned, and ashamed, and dirty, 182 00:10:23,583 --> 00:10:26,000 and destroyed, and devastated, 183 00:10:26,083 --> 00:10:29,833 and hopeless, and bewildered. 184 00:10:29,875 --> 00:10:32,208 And you need to go to the truth. 185 00:10:32,292 --> 00:10:37,000 "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ." 186 00:10:37,042 --> 00:10:42,167 "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." 187 00:10:42,250 --> 00:10:46,708 "No temptation has seized you, except for that which is common 188 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:51,333 to man, and when tempted, God always provides a way of escape." 189 00:10:52,875 --> 00:10:59,792 Jesus promises that we will fail him, 190 00:10:59,833 --> 00:11:01,625 that you will fail him, 191 00:11:01,667 --> 00:11:03,500 that I will fail him, 192 00:11:03,583 --> 00:11:09,500 that the enemy will have a victory at our expense. 193 00:11:09,583 --> 00:11:12,125 And Peter says, "No, not me!" 194 00:11:12,167 --> 00:11:17,708 And some of you have said or will say, "No, not me!" 195 00:11:17,792 --> 00:11:24,000 Jesus' second point is that even the best among us fail Jesus. 196 00:11:24,083 --> 00:11:27,417 And Peter's the best! 197 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:29,625 He's a disciple of Jesus. 198 00:11:29,667 --> 00:11:32,708 He's always listed first, because he's the senior leader 199 00:11:32,792 --> 00:11:35,708 and the first among equals. 200 00:11:35,792 --> 00:11:38,000 He's the best! 201 00:11:38,083 --> 00:11:41,125 Some time later, he writes books of the Bible. 202 00:11:41,167 --> 00:11:45,625 He is the best among us. 203 00:11:45,667 --> 00:11:48,208 But even the best among us fail Jesus. 204 00:11:48,292 --> 00:11:52,292 Luke 22:54-61. 205 00:11:52,333 --> 00:11:54,583 "Then they seized him," that is Jesus, 206 00:11:54,667 --> 00:11:56,833 "and led him away--" he's being arrested-- 207 00:11:56,875 --> 00:11:58,792 "bringing him into the high priest's house, 208 00:11:58,833 --> 00:12:00,875 "and Peter was following at a distance. 209 00:12:00,958 --> 00:12:02,625 "And when they had kindled a fire 210 00:12:02,667 --> 00:12:05,000 "in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, 211 00:12:05,083 --> 00:12:07,208 "Peter sat down among them. 212 00:12:07,292 --> 00:12:08,708 Then a servant girl--" 213 00:12:08,792 --> 00:12:12,208 maybe a poor, powerless junior high girl-- 214 00:12:12,292 --> 00:12:14,208 "seeing him as he sat in the light 215 00:12:14,292 --> 00:12:16,000 "and looking closely at him, 216 00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:20,583 "said, 'This man also was with him.' 217 00:12:20,667 --> 00:12:25,125 "But he denied it, saying, 'Woman, I do not know him.' 218 00:12:25,167 --> 00:12:29,125 "And a little later someone else saw him and said, 219 00:12:29,167 --> 00:12:31,167 "'You also are one of them.' 220 00:12:31,250 --> 00:12:34,375 But Peter said, 'Man, I am not.'" 221 00:12:34,458 --> 00:12:36,333 There's the second time. 222 00:12:36,375 --> 00:12:39,000 "And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, 223 00:12:39,042 --> 00:12:42,625 "saying, 'Certainly this man also was with him, for he too 224 00:12:42,667 --> 00:12:44,208 is a Galilean.'" 225 00:12:44,292 --> 00:12:46,708 His accent betrayed him. 226 00:12:46,792 --> 00:12:49,167 "But Peter said, 'Man,'" third time, 227 00:12:49,250 --> 00:12:52,000 "'I do not what you are talking about.' 228 00:12:52,042 --> 00:12:56,417 "And immediately, while he was still speaking, 229 00:12:56,500 --> 00:12:58,625 "the rooster crowed. 230 00:12:58,667 --> 00:13:02,375 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter." 231 00:13:02,458 --> 00:13:06,500 Imagine seeing Jesus' face at that moment. 232 00:13:06,583 --> 00:13:08,500 "And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, 233 00:13:08,583 --> 00:13:12,333 "how he had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows today, 234 00:13:12,375 --> 00:13:17,375 you will deny me three times.'" 235 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,208 Friends, Peter is the best among us! 236 00:13:23,292 --> 00:13:25,208 Here's our leader! 237 00:13:25,292 --> 00:13:29,625 Here's the highest human authority, after Jesus, 238 00:13:29,667 --> 00:13:34,333 spiritually speaking, on the earth. 239 00:13:34,375 --> 00:13:37,500 It's Peter! 240 00:13:37,583 --> 00:13:40,708 It's Peter, 241 00:13:40,792 --> 00:13:42,625 and he fails Jesus. 242 00:13:42,667 --> 00:13:47,625 He fails Jesus at his moment of most desperate need. 243 00:13:47,667 --> 00:13:49,917 Jesus has just been arrested. 244 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,000 He has been detained. 245 00:13:52,083 --> 00:13:56,375 He is nearing his execution via crucifixion. 246 00:13:56,458 --> 00:13:59,000 Peter is his friend. 247 00:13:59,083 --> 00:14:03,583 Peter is his disciple. 248 00:14:03,667 --> 00:14:06,333 Peter is part of the inner circle of three. 249 00:14:06,375 --> 00:14:11,917 There's only three leaders that are close to Jesus, 250 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,708 the closest to Jesus, and one of them is Peter. 251 00:14:16,792 --> 00:14:22,000 Peter was there when Elijah came down from heaven with Moses 252 00:14:22,083 --> 00:14:25,750 for a meeting with Jesus. 253 00:14:28,958 --> 00:14:31,500 Peter is not suffering. 254 00:14:31,583 --> 00:14:34,667 He's not even facing certain suffering. 255 00:14:34,750 --> 00:14:39,375 He's facing possible, potential suffering. 256 00:14:39,458 --> 00:14:42,167 The servant girl is absolutely powerless. 257 00:14:42,250 --> 00:14:45,625 In that culture, to be a woman is to be powerless, 258 00:14:45,667 --> 00:14:48,667 to be a young woman is to be even more powerless, 259 00:14:48,750 --> 00:14:53,292 to be a young servant woman is to be the most powerless 260 00:14:53,333 --> 00:14:55,208 or the least powerful. 261 00:14:55,292 --> 00:14:56,625 She has no authority. 262 00:14:56,667 --> 00:14:58,125 She has no power. 263 00:14:58,167 --> 00:14:59,833 Peter is a grown man. 264 00:14:59,875 --> 00:15:03,875 It's not illegal for him to have been a disciple of Jesus. 265 00:15:03,958 --> 00:15:06,500 There's no assurance that anything will happen to him, 266 00:15:06,583 --> 00:15:08,833 just the hypothetical possibility. 267 00:15:08,875 --> 00:15:12,417 And we could look at Peter and say, "That is so shameful." 268 00:15:12,500 --> 00:15:16,375 And how many of us did it last week at work? 269 00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:20,500 Somebody is badmouthing Christianity, 270 00:15:20,583 --> 00:15:23,625 we don't say anything. 271 00:15:23,667 --> 00:15:25,417 "I'm not one of those Bible thumpers. 272 00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:27,208 "I'm not one of those born-againers. 273 00:15:27,292 --> 00:15:29,875 You know, I'm not going to force my religion on you." 274 00:15:29,958 --> 00:15:32,708 Which is another way of saying, "You can go to hell, 275 00:15:32,792 --> 00:15:36,417 "as long as you don't think I'm mean, 276 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:39,167 "'cause I'm not gonna say anything about Jesus, 277 00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:41,500 "because if I say something about Jesus, 278 00:15:41,583 --> 00:15:43,417 "somebody may not like that, 279 00:15:43,500 --> 00:15:45,792 "and that may have a negative consequence for me, 280 00:15:45,833 --> 00:15:47,792 "and I love myself more than them, 281 00:15:47,833 --> 00:15:51,083 so I will remain silent." 282 00:15:53,875 --> 00:15:56,167 This young girl looks at him. 283 00:15:56,250 --> 00:15:57,792 "You were with Jesus." 284 00:15:57,833 --> 00:15:59,792 "No, I was not!" 285 00:15:59,833 --> 00:16:02,333 "No, I think you were, and you've got an accent 286 00:16:02,375 --> 00:16:05,083 "that sounds like you were from that same region of Galilee 287 00:16:05,167 --> 00:16:07,083 "that he was, and he's arrested right here. 288 00:16:07,167 --> 00:16:09,333 "And why would there be another Galilean outside, 289 00:16:09,375 --> 00:16:11,625 if you were not with him?" 290 00:16:11,667 --> 00:16:13,708 "I do not know him!" 291 00:16:13,792 --> 00:16:15,125 "Are you sure you don't?" 292 00:16:15,167 --> 00:16:17,125 "I swear I've never met him!" 293 00:16:17,167 --> 00:16:19,167 He's lying. 294 00:16:19,875 --> 00:16:21,875 He's lying. 295 00:16:25,792 --> 00:16:28,417 This was the first man to confess, 296 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:32,167 "Jesus, you are the Christ!" 297 00:16:32,250 --> 00:16:34,375 "I never met him. 298 00:16:34,458 --> 00:16:37,208 I don't know who you're talking about." 299 00:16:37,292 --> 00:16:39,208 How many of you have made a vow? 300 00:16:39,292 --> 00:16:40,917 He just made a vow previously, right? 301 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,333 We read it. 302 00:16:42,375 --> 00:16:43,708 "Jesus, I'll go to prison. 303 00:16:43,792 --> 00:16:45,125 "I'll go to death. 304 00:16:45,167 --> 00:16:48,125 I promise you, you can depend on me." 305 00:16:48,167 --> 00:16:50,125 How many of you have made a vow? 306 00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:52,167 Any of you been married? 307 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:53,833 What happens in a Christian marriage, 308 00:16:53,875 --> 00:16:56,625 we put the husband and the wife on the altar. 309 00:16:56,667 --> 00:16:58,625 They face one another, and they exchange vows. 310 00:16:58,667 --> 00:17:00,208 "I will love you." 311 00:17:00,292 --> 00:17:02,375 How's that going? 312 00:17:02,458 --> 00:17:04,500 "Like Christ loves the church." 313 00:17:04,583 --> 00:17:07,458 We don't even need to ask that. 314 00:17:09,292 --> 00:17:13,250 "I will be faithful to you." 315 00:17:14,750 --> 00:17:18,083 How is your vow going? 316 00:17:18,167 --> 00:17:22,500 Baptism is a sort of vow as well, correct? 317 00:17:22,542 --> 00:17:27,583 In baptism, we are publicly declaring, "I belong to Jesus, 318 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:30,625 "and I'm going to follow him, and I'm going to worship him, 319 00:17:30,667 --> 00:17:33,500 and I'm going to serve him, by the grace of God." 320 00:17:33,583 --> 00:17:36,417 How's it going? 321 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:38,417 Any of you a church member? 322 00:17:38,500 --> 00:17:39,917 It's a vow. 323 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,333 "This is my church. 324 00:17:41,375 --> 00:17:43,833 "I'm going to give here, I'm going to serve here. 325 00:17:43,875 --> 00:17:47,125 This is where I'm going to make a difference." 326 00:17:47,167 --> 00:17:49,792 How's the vow going? 327 00:17:49,833 --> 00:17:53,292 You ever looked a friend in the face or called him on the phone? 328 00:17:53,333 --> 00:17:54,667 "Look, I'm here for you. 329 00:17:54,750 --> 00:17:59,917 I know this is a hard season, but you can depend on me." 330 00:18:00,042 --> 00:18:02,625 You're like, "Yeah, I haven't even been praying for him. 331 00:18:02,667 --> 00:18:04,125 "I haven't called him. 332 00:18:04,167 --> 00:18:05,625 "I haven't followed up on him. 333 00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:08,875 I just forgot." 334 00:18:12,042 --> 00:18:17,167 Jesus knows who will fail him, 335 00:18:17,250 --> 00:18:22,667 and even the best among us fail him. 336 00:18:24,250 --> 00:18:28,125 You have failed him, I have failed him, we have failed him, 337 00:18:28,167 --> 00:18:31,083 Peter has failed him. 338 00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:35,333 Some of you failed him last night. 339 00:18:35,375 --> 00:18:37,917 Some of you failed him last week. 340 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,917 Some of you failed him last month. 341 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,292 Some of you failed him last year, 342 00:18:42,333 --> 00:18:44,708 and some of you are here today, smugly, 343 00:18:44,792 --> 00:18:48,500 proudly declaring in your heart, "I'm glad it's not me." 344 00:18:48,583 --> 00:18:51,083 Wait 'til tomorrow. 345 00:18:51,167 --> 00:18:54,625 Jesus knows when you will fail him. 346 00:18:54,667 --> 00:18:59,333 And how do you feel about that fact? 347 00:18:59,375 --> 00:19:03,500 Here's how Peter felt. 348 00:19:03,583 --> 00:19:08,833 Luke 22:62, "And he went out and wept bitterly." 349 00:19:08,875 --> 00:19:10,792 Have you had that day? 350 00:19:10,833 --> 00:19:13,083 Peter is a grown man. 351 00:19:13,167 --> 00:19:18,583 Grown men don't cry a lot, but when confronted with the depth 352 00:19:18,667 --> 00:19:24,167 of their sin, it is a righteous thing for a man to be broken. 353 00:19:26,875 --> 00:19:29,417 And Peter here, if you could just get the picture, 354 00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:31,125 he had just denied him. 355 00:19:31,167 --> 00:19:33,875 "I don't know Jesus!" 356 00:19:33,958 --> 00:19:37,917 "There he is, looking me in the eye, 357 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:43,833 "hearing everything I've just said, as he's going to suffer, 358 00:19:43,875 --> 00:19:48,000 and I denied him." 359 00:19:51,083 --> 00:19:55,417 I could just see Peter's face in his hands, just weeping, 360 00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:58,833 bawling bitterly, uncontrollably. 361 00:19:58,875 --> 00:20:02,917 "What have I done? 362 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,583 What have I failed to do?" 363 00:20:05,667 --> 00:20:08,000 Have you had that moment? 364 00:20:08,042 --> 00:20:11,375 You said something, and as it just came out of your mouth, 365 00:20:11,458 --> 00:20:14,333 you just saw it absolutely destroy someone. 366 00:20:14,375 --> 00:20:15,917 They were obliterated, 367 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,792 incinerated right in front of you. 368 00:20:17,833 --> 00:20:20,208 You can't take it back. 369 00:20:20,292 --> 00:20:24,125 "What have I said?" 370 00:20:24,167 --> 00:20:26,583 How many of you, you've had that moment. 371 00:20:26,667 --> 00:20:28,333 You sinned. 372 00:20:28,375 --> 00:20:30,500 You did it! 373 00:20:30,583 --> 00:20:33,625 The thing you said you'd never do 374 00:20:33,667 --> 00:20:37,708 or you said you'd never do again, 375 00:20:37,792 --> 00:20:41,708 and you did it! 376 00:20:41,792 --> 00:20:43,500 And it hits you. 377 00:20:43,583 --> 00:20:48,000 The Holy Spirit, he hits you, 378 00:20:48,083 --> 00:20:50,500 and you're devastated, 379 00:20:50,542 --> 00:20:54,917 because who you truly are, apart from the grace of God, 380 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,625 is fully revealed. 381 00:20:57,667 --> 00:21:00,875 Oh, my gosh. 382 00:21:00,958 --> 00:21:03,833 You feel sick to your stomach. 383 00:21:03,875 --> 00:21:05,208 You feel ashamed. 384 00:21:05,292 --> 00:21:06,625 You feel dirty. 385 00:21:06,667 --> 00:21:08,000 You feel embarrassed. 386 00:21:08,083 --> 00:21:10,083 You're mortified. 387 00:21:15,667 --> 00:21:19,125 This is Peter demonstrating repentance. 388 00:21:19,167 --> 00:21:22,417 If there's any good news in this account, 389 00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:26,625 it is that Peter didn't wait a long time to repent. 390 00:21:26,667 --> 00:21:28,417 It doesn't say, "And 5 years later, 391 00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:31,083 Peter came to his senses." 392 00:21:31,167 --> 00:21:36,917 It's more like 5 seconds later, Peter came to his senses. 393 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,000 Dear friend, how long have you been waiting to look at 394 00:21:40,083 --> 00:21:44,375 Jesus' face, to see your own sin, and to weep bitterly? 395 00:21:46,542 --> 00:21:48,417 Some of you, it's been too long. 396 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:53,417 Your heart has grown cold and hard. 397 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:58,000 Let this be the day that you weep bitterly. 398 00:21:58,042 --> 00:22:02,500 Ecclesiastes says that a sad face is good for the heart, 399 00:22:02,583 --> 00:22:08,625 that sometimes the bitter weeping is partial cleansing 400 00:22:08,667 --> 00:22:13,042 for the soul, through the tears of the broken. 401 00:22:16,083 --> 00:22:17,625 Around this same time, 402 00:22:17,667 --> 00:22:19,792 there was another disciple who betrayed Jesus. 403 00:22:19,833 --> 00:22:21,708 Do you remember him? 404 00:22:21,792 --> 00:22:24,792 Peter's not alone in betraying Jesus at this season. 405 00:22:24,833 --> 00:22:27,375 Who else betrayed Jesus? 406 00:22:27,458 --> 00:22:30,292 Judas Iscariot. 407 00:22:30,333 --> 00:22:34,833 Peter and Judas denied, betrayed, 408 00:22:34,875 --> 00:22:38,125 failed Jesus! 409 00:22:38,167 --> 00:22:42,500 Both men feel bad. 410 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:46,333 Peter has repentance. 411 00:22:46,375 --> 00:22:52,000 By the grace of God, he wants to change and return to Jesus. 412 00:22:52,083 --> 00:22:54,625 Judas does not have repentance. 413 00:22:54,667 --> 00:22:57,833 He only has remorse. 414 00:22:57,875 --> 00:23:00,500 He doesn't return to Jesus. 415 00:23:00,542 --> 00:23:05,875 Instead, he commits suicide by hanging himself. 416 00:23:08,833 --> 00:23:11,333 See, two people can sin. 417 00:23:11,375 --> 00:23:13,500 Two people can feel bad. 418 00:23:13,542 --> 00:23:17,500 The Christian repents and runs to Jesus. 419 00:23:17,542 --> 00:23:20,667 The non-Christian only has remorse 420 00:23:20,750 --> 00:23:26,625 and runs toward destruction. 421 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:32,292 It's not enough, dear friend, to feel bad about your sin. 422 00:23:32,333 --> 00:23:36,417 You have to repent and look Jesus in the face, 423 00:23:36,500 --> 00:23:42,083 because you've sinned against him. 424 00:23:42,167 --> 00:23:45,000 It's horrible, isn't it? 425 00:23:45,083 --> 00:23:50,708 The best among us failed, 426 00:23:50,792 --> 00:23:54,000 failed miserably, failed publicly, 427 00:23:54,083 --> 00:23:58,500 failed shamefully. 428 00:23:58,583 --> 00:24:01,792 And if this is all we had in the Bible, 429 00:24:01,833 --> 00:24:06,917 if this is where the story ended, 430 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:12,667 it would be completely devastating, utterly depressing. 431 00:24:15,667 --> 00:24:18,625 But the reason it's so dark is all we've talked about 432 00:24:18,667 --> 00:24:22,125 is Peter and us. 433 00:24:22,167 --> 00:24:25,208 See, we haven't talked about Jesus yet. 434 00:24:25,292 --> 00:24:27,292 What's he gonna do? 435 00:24:27,792 --> 00:24:30,375 What's he gonna do? 436 00:24:32,500 --> 00:24:37,125 That brings us to a happier point. 437 00:24:37,167 --> 00:24:40,708 Jesus fails no one. 438 00:24:40,792 --> 00:24:42,375 Peter failed Jesus. 439 00:24:42,458 --> 00:24:44,000 Yes or no? 440 00:24:44,083 --> 00:24:45,417 Yes! 441 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:46,833 You failed Jesus. 442 00:24:46,875 --> 00:24:48,208 Yes or no? 443 00:24:48,292 --> 00:24:49,625 Yes! 444 00:24:49,667 --> 00:24:51,000 Jesus failed Peter. 445 00:24:51,083 --> 00:24:52,500 Yes or no? 446 00:24:52,542 --> 00:24:53,875 No! 447 00:24:53,958 --> 00:24:55,292 Jesus fails you. 448 00:24:55,333 --> 00:24:56,667 Yes or no? 449 00:24:56,750 --> 00:24:58,417 No! 450 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:01,000 2 Timothy 2:13, he says it this way. 451 00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:05,625 "Even when or though we are faithless, 452 00:25:05,667 --> 00:25:09,208 he remains faithful." 453 00:25:09,292 --> 00:25:12,792 That's the essence of Christianity. 454 00:25:13,500 --> 00:25:17,000 That's the essence of Christianity. 455 00:25:17,083 --> 00:25:21,083 Even though we're faithless, he's faithful. 456 00:25:21,167 --> 00:25:25,292 Do you know what holds your relationship, my relationship, 457 00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:28,500 Peter's relationship with Jesus together? 458 00:25:28,542 --> 00:25:30,125 Faithfulness. 459 00:25:30,167 --> 00:25:34,500 But it's not ours; it's his. 460 00:25:34,542 --> 00:25:39,500 So, what's Jesus going to do? 461 00:25:39,583 --> 00:25:42,333 What's Jesus going to do? 462 00:25:42,375 --> 00:25:44,792 Well, I'll tell you what he's going to do. 463 00:25:44,833 --> 00:25:46,333 He's going to go the cross. 464 00:25:46,375 --> 00:25:49,125 I mean, at this point, he is hours from the cross. 465 00:25:49,167 --> 00:25:51,333 Jesus is arrested. 466 00:25:51,375 --> 00:25:52,917 Peter denies him. 467 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:58,333 Jesus goes to the cross where he suffers and dies. 468 00:25:58,375 --> 00:26:00,917 Our God becomes a man. 469 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,208 He does not sin! 470 00:26:03,292 --> 00:26:04,833 We deny him. 471 00:26:04,875 --> 00:26:06,667 He does not deny us. 472 00:26:06,750 --> 00:26:08,083 We are faithless. 473 00:26:08,167 --> 00:26:09,833 He is faithful. 474 00:26:09,875 --> 00:26:11,625 Peter should, 475 00:26:11,667 --> 00:26:15,833 Peter should go to the cross and die. 476 00:26:15,875 --> 00:26:18,125 Jesus should have been set free. 477 00:26:18,167 --> 00:26:23,125 Jesus had not sinned, but Peter had. 478 00:26:23,167 --> 00:26:25,000 And what does Jesus do? 479 00:26:25,083 --> 00:26:26,833 He goes to the cross. 480 00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:28,625 He is beaten, mocked, flogged, 481 00:26:28,667 --> 00:26:31,208 and he has a series of false trials. 482 00:26:31,292 --> 00:26:36,000 He is absolutely brutalized beyond recognition, 483 00:26:36,083 --> 00:26:38,792 and the carpenter, God, 484 00:26:38,833 --> 00:26:44,125 has railroad ties and spikes 485 00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:47,208 that are used to crucify him, 486 00:26:47,292 --> 00:26:50,125 so that through the most sensitive nerve centers 487 00:26:50,167 --> 00:26:55,000 on the human body, God suffers, God bleeds, 488 00:26:55,042 --> 00:27:00,417 God dies for his friend, Peter. 489 00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:04,500 The death that Peter should have died, Jesus dies. 490 00:27:04,583 --> 00:27:09,500 And Jesus is on the cross, and he says things like, 491 00:27:09,583 --> 00:27:12,417 "Father, forgive them." 492 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:14,917 Because he's going to pay the penalty for sin, 493 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:19,208 he makes that prayer possible to be answered. 494 00:27:19,292 --> 00:27:21,500 And he says in a loud, triumphant cry, 495 00:27:21,542 --> 00:27:24,833 "It is finished!" 496 00:27:24,875 --> 00:27:29,833 And three days later, Jesus rises from death, 497 00:27:29,875 --> 00:27:32,708 and he conquers sin and death, and the word gets out. 498 00:27:32,792 --> 00:27:36,167 "Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive!" 499 00:27:36,250 --> 00:27:39,500 And they run to the tomb, and who's the first one there? 500 00:27:39,542 --> 00:27:41,708 Peter. 501 00:27:41,792 --> 00:27:44,125 "Oh, I've got to see him. 502 00:27:44,167 --> 00:27:45,833 I have to see him." 503 00:27:45,875 --> 00:27:51,000 And Peter runs, first one, into the empty tomb of Jesus. 504 00:27:51,083 --> 00:27:54,208 Peter failed Jesus. 505 00:27:54,292 --> 00:27:57,625 Jesus didn't fail Peter. 506 00:27:57,667 --> 00:28:00,292 You fail Jesus. 507 00:28:00,333 --> 00:28:03,167 Jesus doesn't fail you. 508 00:28:03,250 --> 00:28:05,500 I fail Jesus. 509 00:28:05,542 --> 00:28:09,167 Jesus doesn't fail me. 510 00:28:09,250 --> 00:28:10,833 Do you know what that is? 511 00:28:10,875 --> 00:28:16,292 That's good news! That's good news! 512 00:28:16,333 --> 00:28:22,292 And what I love is Jesus doesn't just give good advice. 513 00:28:22,333 --> 00:28:24,792 This world is filled with good advice. 514 00:28:24,833 --> 00:28:27,083 Turn on the television. Good advice. 515 00:28:27,167 --> 00:28:29,000 Turn on the radio. Good advice. 516 00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:31,125 Pick up the magazine. Good advice. 517 00:28:31,167 --> 00:28:33,208 Buy the book. Good advice. 518 00:28:33,292 --> 00:28:35,417 Talk to your friend. Good advice. 519 00:28:35,500 --> 00:28:37,625 Go meet with a therapist. Good advice. 520 00:28:37,667 --> 00:28:39,292 Do you know what we need? 521 00:28:39,333 --> 00:28:41,208 Good news! 522 00:28:41,292 --> 00:28:43,917 Good advice is, "Maybe you could do this or try that?" 523 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,875 Jesus says, "How about, it is finished!" 524 00:28:48,958 --> 00:28:51,292 That's good news! 525 00:28:51,333 --> 00:28:53,833 Good news is about what Jesus does. 526 00:28:53,875 --> 00:28:58,667 Good advice is about what we need to do. 527 00:28:58,750 --> 00:29:02,333 Jesus is not just another therapist. 528 00:29:02,375 --> 00:29:05,167 He's not just another counselor. 529 00:29:05,250 --> 00:29:08,083 He's not just another professor, or a teacher, 530 00:29:08,167 --> 00:29:11,500 or an author who gives good advice. 531 00:29:11,542 --> 00:29:16,333 He's a good God and Savior who died and rose to give good news, 532 00:29:16,375 --> 00:29:19,375 and the good news is we all failed God, 533 00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:22,333 and God fails none of his children. 534 00:29:22,375 --> 00:29:27,083 That's good news! 535 00:29:28,750 --> 00:29:30,792 So, if you're here today, and you say, 536 00:29:30,833 --> 00:29:32,333 "I used to be a Christian, 537 00:29:32,375 --> 00:29:34,292 and I don't know where I'm at today," 538 00:29:34,333 --> 00:29:36,708 or "I have failed God so many times, 539 00:29:36,792 --> 00:29:38,875 how could he take me back?" 540 00:29:38,958 --> 00:29:43,167 And some of you might even ask, "Have I lost my salvation?" 541 00:29:43,250 --> 00:29:45,917 That's the wrong question. 542 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,667 You can't lose your salvation. 543 00:29:48,750 --> 00:29:51,000 The question is not, "Have you lost your salvation?" 544 00:29:51,083 --> 00:29:55,167 The question is, "Has Jesus lost a Christian?" 545 00:29:55,250 --> 00:29:57,667 Some of you say, "But I've been so faithless." 546 00:29:57,750 --> 00:30:01,500 Yeah, but he's so faithful. 547 00:30:01,542 --> 00:30:06,417 If you're not a Christian, Mars Hill is not about giving 548 00:30:06,500 --> 00:30:10,625 you good advice, but good news. 549 00:30:10,667 --> 00:30:12,500 Jesus forgives sinners. 550 00:30:12,542 --> 00:30:14,375 Jesus pursues sinners. 551 00:30:14,458 --> 00:30:16,208 Jesus loves sinners! 552 00:30:16,292 --> 00:30:18,708 Jesus changes sinners! 553 00:30:18,792 --> 00:30:22,083 And you're welcome, you're welcome, 554 00:30:22,167 --> 00:30:26,583 you're welcome to follow him! 555 00:30:26,667 --> 00:30:31,667 Friends, it doesn't matter what you've done. 556 00:30:31,750 --> 00:30:36,500 You are not beyond the good news. 557 00:30:36,542 --> 00:30:38,208 And I tell you this. 558 00:30:38,292 --> 00:30:41,000 Some of you are going to sin in the future, 559 00:30:41,083 --> 00:30:45,792 and you're going to have that bitter weeping moment, 560 00:30:47,667 --> 00:30:52,417 and you're not beyond the good news. 561 00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:58,500 See, I have complete hope for you--not in you, but for you. 562 00:31:02,500 --> 00:31:05,500 You can depend on Jesus, 563 00:31:05,583 --> 00:31:10,583 especially when you've failed him, 564 00:31:10,667 --> 00:31:13,208 because Jesus fails who? 565 00:31:13,292 --> 00:31:15,167 No one. 566 00:31:15,250 --> 00:31:18,333 That's amazing. 567 00:31:18,375 --> 00:31:20,000 C.S. Lewis says it this way: 568 00:31:20,042 --> 00:31:24,583 "Though our feelings come and go, his love for us does not. 569 00:31:24,667 --> 00:31:29,292 "It is not wearied by our sins or our indifference; 570 00:31:29,333 --> 00:31:33,500 "and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination 571 00:31:33,583 --> 00:31:37,500 "that we shall be cured of those sins at whatever cost to us, 572 00:31:37,542 --> 00:31:39,208 at whatever cost to him." 573 00:31:39,292 --> 00:31:41,667 See, Jesus is relentless to love you. 574 00:31:41,750 --> 00:31:43,625 He is relentless to pursue you. 575 00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:46,208 He is relentless to forgive you, 576 00:31:46,292 --> 00:31:51,333 and he knows when you will fail him, 577 00:31:51,375 --> 00:31:56,000 and he will be there on the other side of that failure, 578 00:31:56,083 --> 00:31:59,125 because he is faithful, 579 00:31:59,167 --> 00:32:04,792 even to those who are unfaithful. 580 00:32:07,083 --> 00:32:10,792 The last point then is the remedy for failure 581 00:32:10,833 --> 00:32:14,875 is friendship with Jesus, right? 582 00:32:14,958 --> 00:32:19,917 Luke 22:32, back to the early initial discussion 583 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,167 between Peter and Jesus. 584 00:32:22,250 --> 00:32:25,333 I want to revisit these words, 585 00:32:25,375 --> 00:32:28,625 "...when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." 586 00:32:28,667 --> 00:32:31,500 Jesus says, "You will deny me and fail me." 587 00:32:31,583 --> 00:32:33,333 Peter say, "I will not." 588 00:32:33,375 --> 00:32:34,917 "Yes, you will. 589 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,167 "When you do, you will also return, repent. 590 00:32:38,250 --> 00:32:40,708 "You're going to turn around. You're going to feel bad. 591 00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:42,375 "You're going to say you're sorry. 592 00:32:42,458 --> 00:32:43,792 "I'm going to forgive you. 593 00:32:43,833 --> 00:32:45,292 "Your life is going to change. 594 00:32:45,333 --> 00:32:46,667 When you repent..." 595 00:32:46,750 --> 00:32:48,083 "When repent? 596 00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:49,500 I haven't even sinned yet." 597 00:32:49,542 --> 00:32:51,125 "You will. Trust me. 598 00:32:51,167 --> 00:32:53,500 "You're going to sin, then you're going to repent, 599 00:32:53,542 --> 00:32:56,083 "and when you do, tell your story, 600 00:32:56,167 --> 00:32:59,500 so that your brothers may be strengthened." 601 00:32:59,542 --> 00:33:01,875 In order for us to tell the good news, 602 00:33:01,958 --> 00:33:06,333 we need to tell the bad news about our own life. 603 00:33:06,375 --> 00:33:08,500 What this world doesn't need is another Christian 604 00:33:08,583 --> 00:33:10,333 who tells the story, 605 00:33:10,375 --> 00:33:14,333 "Jesus made me a winner; he can make you a winner, too." 606 00:33:14,375 --> 00:33:15,917 Right? 607 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,708 The story is, "I failed. 608 00:33:18,792 --> 00:33:20,208 "He's faithful. 609 00:33:20,292 --> 00:33:22,292 Yay, Jesus." 610 00:33:22,333 --> 00:33:23,833 Right? 611 00:33:23,875 --> 00:33:25,833 That's how we tell our story. 612 00:33:25,875 --> 00:33:29,333 However we tell the story of God's involvement and investment 613 00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:32,708 in our life, that has to be the plot line: "I failed. 614 00:33:32,792 --> 00:33:34,208 "Jesus didn't. 615 00:33:34,292 --> 00:33:36,167 Yay, Jesus." 616 00:33:36,250 --> 00:33:38,833 And that's what he tells Peter. 617 00:33:38,875 --> 00:33:41,000 "You're going to repent, and when you do, 618 00:33:41,083 --> 00:33:42,875 "tell the truth, right? 619 00:33:42,958 --> 00:33:45,208 "Don't let them just write a biography that says, 620 00:33:45,292 --> 00:33:46,625 "'Peter was a fisherman. 621 00:33:46,667 --> 00:33:49,125 "'Then he became a disciple, and he changed the world, 622 00:33:49,167 --> 00:33:51,125 "'and he wrote two books of the Bible. 623 00:33:51,167 --> 00:33:54,167 Peter, coming to a theater near you.'" 624 00:33:54,250 --> 00:33:57,875 Because Peter isn't the hero of his life. 625 00:33:57,958 --> 00:33:59,500 He's the villain. 626 00:33:59,542 --> 00:34:01,625 Jesus is the hero. 627 00:34:01,667 --> 00:34:03,333 You're not the hero of your life. 628 00:34:03,375 --> 00:34:05,000 I'm not the hero of my life. 629 00:34:05,083 --> 00:34:06,417 We're the villain. 630 00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:07,833 Jesus is the hero. 631 00:34:07,875 --> 00:34:11,833 Jesus says, "Tell the truth so that all the other villains 632 00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:16,750 and failures come to me, instead of praising you." 633 00:34:19,458 --> 00:34:23,708 So, what's Jesus going to do? 634 00:34:23,792 --> 00:34:26,708 There is one gospel-- we'll leave Luke 635 00:34:26,792 --> 00:34:29,083 and go to John for a moment-- 636 00:34:29,167 --> 00:34:35,375 that records this repentant restoration meeting 637 00:34:35,458 --> 00:34:38,417 between Jesus and Peter. 638 00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:44,333 It says this in John 21:15-17. 639 00:34:45,667 --> 00:34:47,208 "When they had finished breakfast--" 640 00:34:47,292 --> 00:34:48,917 now let me just pause real quick. 641 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:50,333 The Jehovah's Witnesses say 642 00:34:50,375 --> 00:34:53,333 Jesus never rose physically, bodily. 643 00:34:53,375 --> 00:34:57,500 He only rose spiritually like an angel. 644 00:34:57,542 --> 00:34:59,000 No, he didn't. 645 00:34:59,042 --> 00:35:02,542 He had breakfast! 646 00:35:07,583 --> 00:35:10,625 Angels don't get up and eat breakfast, right? 647 00:35:10,667 --> 00:35:13,583 There's no angel mom telling an angel kid, 648 00:35:13,667 --> 00:35:18,917 "It's the most important meal of the day." 649 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,833 Me: chorizo sausage, eggs, green chiles, coffee, 650 00:35:23,875 --> 00:35:28,625 to the glory of God and the joy of all people. 651 00:35:28,667 --> 00:35:34,292 When they had finished chorizo, eggs, and coffee, 652 00:35:34,333 --> 00:35:37,833 "Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, 653 00:35:37,875 --> 00:35:41,500 "'do you love me more than these?' 654 00:35:41,542 --> 00:35:46,292 "He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.'" 655 00:35:46,333 --> 00:35:49,167 Second time, "He said to him, 'Feed my lambs'" 656 00:35:49,250 --> 00:35:52,000 "He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, 657 00:35:52,083 --> 00:35:54,125 "'do you love me?' 658 00:35:54,167 --> 00:35:57,833 "He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' 659 00:35:57,875 --> 00:36:00,583 "He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' 660 00:36:00,667 --> 00:36:02,500 "He said to him the third time, 661 00:36:02,583 --> 00:36:07,333 "'Simon, son of John, Do you love me?' 662 00:36:07,375 --> 00:36:12,208 "Peter was grieved, because he said to him the third time, 663 00:36:12,292 --> 00:36:14,083 "'Do you love me?' 664 00:36:14,167 --> 00:36:17,208 "and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything.'" 665 00:36:17,292 --> 00:36:21,125 We kind of just proved that. 666 00:36:21,167 --> 00:36:23,000 "'You know that I love you.' 667 00:36:23,083 --> 00:36:26,500 And Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'" 668 00:36:26,542 --> 00:36:30,000 How many times did Peter deny Jesus? 669 00:36:30,083 --> 00:36:31,500 Three. 670 00:36:31,583 --> 00:36:34,375 How many times does Jesus ask Peter, "Do you love me?" 671 00:36:34,458 --> 00:36:35,792 Three. 672 00:36:35,833 --> 00:36:39,208 And these men here, the God-man and the mere man, 673 00:36:39,292 --> 00:36:42,500 they're face-to-face. 674 00:36:42,583 --> 00:36:44,833 Peter's looking Jesus in the eye, 675 00:36:44,875 --> 00:36:46,875 and Jesus is looking Peter in the eye. 676 00:36:46,958 --> 00:36:48,417 And let me say this. 677 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:52,125 If you want to have a real friendship with someone, 678 00:36:52,167 --> 00:36:56,667 when there's sin between you, you need to get face-to-face, 679 00:36:56,750 --> 00:36:59,958 not just a letter, not just an e-mail, not just a call. 680 00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:02,125 You've got to get face-to-face. 681 00:37:02,167 --> 00:37:04,208 You need to look them in the eye, 682 00:37:04,292 --> 00:37:07,917 if you're the one who's sinned, and just say it. 683 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,500 "This is what I did, and I'm sorry." 684 00:37:10,583 --> 00:37:12,708 If you're the one who's been sinned against, 685 00:37:12,792 --> 00:37:15,208 you need to look them in the eye and say, 686 00:37:15,292 --> 00:37:18,375 "I forgive you," and mean it from the heart. 687 00:37:18,458 --> 00:37:20,583 These men are friends. 688 00:37:20,667 --> 00:37:26,125 Three years together, meals together, journeys together, 689 00:37:26,167 --> 00:37:29,625 life together, memories together. 690 00:37:29,667 --> 00:37:31,000 They're friends. 691 00:37:31,083 --> 00:37:32,417 They're face-to-face. 692 00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:35,083 And in the Bible, that's the language of friendship. 693 00:37:35,167 --> 00:37:38,125 The Bible says that Moses saw God face-to-face. 694 00:37:38,167 --> 00:37:41,792 He was a friend of God. 695 00:37:41,833 --> 00:37:45,917 See, earlier, Peter had looked at Jesus' face, 696 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:51,083 right as he was denying him, and their friendship 697 00:37:51,167 --> 00:37:56,125 was potentially damaged or even destroyed. 698 00:37:56,167 --> 00:37:59,292 So, they need to come face-to-face again, 699 00:37:59,333 --> 00:38:02,500 and Peter and Jesus need to look one another in the eye, 700 00:38:02,542 --> 00:38:07,833 and they need to get beyond this sin. 701 00:38:07,875 --> 00:38:10,625 Who do you need to apologize to? 702 00:38:10,667 --> 00:38:13,500 Who do you need to go look in the eye? 703 00:38:13,583 --> 00:38:18,000 Who do you need to say, "I'm sorry, please forgive me" to? 704 00:38:18,083 --> 00:38:20,208 For those of you that have been sinned against, 705 00:38:20,292 --> 00:38:23,583 who have you refused to forgive? 706 00:38:23,667 --> 00:38:27,667 Peter not only denied Christ, in Christ dying for his sin, 707 00:38:27,750 --> 00:38:32,125 to some degree, we could say that Peter murdered his friend. 708 00:38:32,167 --> 00:38:36,333 And here his friend says, "I love you." 709 00:38:39,375 --> 00:38:42,292 The Bible says that one day, 1 Corinthians 13, 710 00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:45,333 we will rise from death and see Jesus how? 711 00:38:45,375 --> 00:38:50,875 Face-to-face, face-to-face. 712 00:38:50,958 --> 00:38:57,208 The key to overcoming sin is to get face-to-face with Jesus. 713 00:38:57,292 --> 00:39:02,625 What I love is that Jesus doesn't look at Peter 714 00:39:02,667 --> 00:39:08,583 and say, "Your real problem is you're a coward," 715 00:39:08,667 --> 00:39:10,500 though that was accurate. 716 00:39:10,542 --> 00:39:12,667 He doesn't look at Peter and say, 717 00:39:12,750 --> 00:39:17,125 "You have deep-seated fear of man issues," though that's true. 718 00:39:17,167 --> 00:39:22,833 He doesn't say, "You're a liar," and that's true, too. 719 00:39:22,875 --> 00:39:27,667 Instead, he gets to the root, and he looks at Peter, 720 00:39:27,750 --> 00:39:33,375 and Peter can tell in the face of Jesus, that Jesus loves him, 721 00:39:33,458 --> 00:39:39,125 and so Jesus asks him three times, "Do you love me?" 722 00:39:39,167 --> 00:39:42,833 Why does he ask him that question? 723 00:39:42,875 --> 00:39:47,125 Because sin is not just the breaking of God's laws. 724 00:39:47,167 --> 00:39:50,417 It's the breaking of Jesus' heart. 725 00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:54,792 When you sin, you're sinning against your friend. 726 00:39:54,833 --> 00:39:58,208 You're sinning against a God who loves you. 727 00:39:58,292 --> 00:40:02,417 You're sinning against a God who wants to do life with you. 728 00:40:02,500 --> 00:40:05,208 You're sinning with a God who--against a God, rather, 729 00:40:05,292 --> 00:40:11,292 who calls you by name and treasures you as a friend. 730 00:40:14,667 --> 00:40:18,125 And so when Jesus asks him, "Do you love me?" 731 00:40:18,167 --> 00:40:22,500 he is in essence teaching Peter, "If you love me, 732 00:40:22,583 --> 00:40:24,000 "you're not going to lie. 733 00:40:24,083 --> 00:40:26,500 "If you love me, you're not going to deny me. 734 00:40:26,583 --> 00:40:29,375 "If you love me, you're not going to be a coward. 735 00:40:29,458 --> 00:40:32,583 "If you love me, you're going to live for the glory of God, 736 00:40:32,667 --> 00:40:35,125 not for the approval of others." 737 00:40:35,167 --> 00:40:37,708 See, friends, all of your problems and mine, 738 00:40:37,792 --> 00:40:41,000 they really come down to two things. 739 00:40:41,083 --> 00:40:44,833 We don't really believe that Jesus loves us, 740 00:40:44,875 --> 00:40:48,708 and we don't really love him; and even if we do, 741 00:40:48,792 --> 00:40:52,083 sometimes, in a moment, we choose otherwise, 742 00:40:52,167 --> 00:40:54,708 and that's why we sin. 743 00:40:54,792 --> 00:40:59,625 So, the key to overcoming sin is a friendship with Jesus. 744 00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:01,333 Right? 745 00:41:01,375 --> 00:41:04,875 It's a friendship with the real living God, 746 00:41:04,958 --> 00:41:08,708 who's not just an idea, but a person, 747 00:41:08,792 --> 00:41:12,500 a person named Jesus, who loves us. 748 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:18,167 And he looks at Peter, and he says, 749 00:41:18,250 --> 00:41:20,792 "Tend my sheep, feed my sheep." 750 00:41:20,833 --> 00:41:23,625 Who are the sheep? 751 00:41:23,667 --> 00:41:27,625 The people of God are the sheep, and Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, 752 00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:32,417 and there are wolves that try to devour and hurt the sheep. 753 00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:37,208 And then God appoints some as leaders to be shepherds 754 00:41:37,292 --> 00:41:42,625 to protect the sheep, to love the sheep, to feed the sheep. 755 00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:46,708 And for me, I'll be honest with you. 756 00:41:46,792 --> 00:41:49,917 As I was praying, and studying, and considering this, 757 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,000 that's the part that really broke me, 758 00:41:54,083 --> 00:41:56,917 that Peter would have an opportunity 759 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,167 to love and to serve God's people 760 00:42:00,250 --> 00:42:03,417 and to feed them, and the way that a pastor 761 00:42:03,500 --> 00:42:07,792 feeds his people is by teaching the Scriptures. 762 00:42:07,833 --> 00:42:10,917 Jesus says we don't just live on bread alone, 763 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,917 but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 764 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,125 That this is, the Bible says it's like milk, and it's like meat, 765 00:42:18,167 --> 00:42:19,500 and it's like bread. 766 00:42:19,583 --> 00:42:21,500 It uses that language to say, you know, 767 00:42:21,583 --> 00:42:24,625 this is what people need in order to grow in godliness 768 00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:26,167 and be strong. 769 00:42:26,250 --> 00:42:30,125 They need to be fed the Word of God. 770 00:42:30,167 --> 00:42:33,417 And I was thinking about it this week. 771 00:42:33,500 --> 00:42:37,083 Gracie and I, we had an opportunity to go over 772 00:42:37,167 --> 00:42:41,500 to a place we'd not been in about 19 years. 773 00:42:41,542 --> 00:42:43,375 I went to college 774 00:42:43,458 --> 00:42:47,500 as a non-Christian with a bad temper, 775 00:42:47,583 --> 00:42:51,292 running around, messing around with a pastor's daughter, 776 00:42:51,333 --> 00:42:54,375 who thought he was a really great guy and didn't need 777 00:42:54,458 --> 00:42:57,500 a Savior, because he didn't really have any sin. 778 00:42:57,583 --> 00:42:58,917 Okay, that was me. 779 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:03,292 And at the age of 19 in college, Jesus saved me, 780 00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:06,417 and I became a follower of Jesus. 781 00:43:06,500 --> 00:43:10,417 And, you know, what I deserve is to be a crash test dummy 782 00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:13,667 or a punching bag and then sent to hell. 783 00:43:13,750 --> 00:43:15,625 That's what I deserve. 784 00:43:15,667 --> 00:43:18,500 And instead, I get to feed the sheep, 785 00:43:18,583 --> 00:43:21,625 and I get to tend the sheep. 786 00:43:21,667 --> 00:43:25,333 And so Grace and I, we had this opportunity to go back this week 787 00:43:25,375 --> 00:43:28,833 and to look at the first church where I got to attend 788 00:43:28,875 --> 00:43:31,375 as a Christian, where I was baptized in, 789 00:43:31,458 --> 00:43:35,375 where we were first fed the Word of God, that helped me to grow; 790 00:43:35,458 --> 00:43:37,875 not that I don't have growing left to do, 791 00:43:37,958 --> 00:43:40,583 but that's where I started getting fed the Word of God. 792 00:43:40,667 --> 00:43:43,875 We got to meet with my old pastor and his wife and say, 793 00:43:43,958 --> 00:43:46,333 "Hey, thank you for tending the sheep, 794 00:43:46,375 --> 00:43:49,417 and we were among that flock." 795 00:43:49,500 --> 00:43:52,583 And Grace and I got to go back and look at the place 796 00:43:52,667 --> 00:43:56,833 that we lived as a brand-new Christian married couple. 797 00:43:56,875 --> 00:44:01,333 And to think of all the grace that God has poured out. 798 00:44:01,375 --> 00:44:04,708 I'm not just a man who's undeserving, 799 00:44:04,792 --> 00:44:08,708 but ill deserving. 800 00:44:08,792 --> 00:44:10,708 It was really overwhelming, 801 00:44:10,792 --> 00:44:14,625 and I'm still processing it. 802 00:44:14,667 --> 00:44:19,000 It's amazing that Jesus would not only forgive people, 803 00:44:19,042 --> 00:44:24,375 but allow them to communicate the message of forgiveness; 804 00:44:24,458 --> 00:44:27,500 that Jesus would not only love people but allow them to be 805 00:44:27,583 --> 00:44:31,667 agents of his love; that Jesus wouldn't just allow people 806 00:44:31,750 --> 00:44:35,833 to become sheep in his flock, but shepherds of his flock, 807 00:44:35,875 --> 00:44:38,000 and this includes elders, and deacons, 808 00:44:38,042 --> 00:44:42,333 and Community Group leaders, and Redemption Group leaders. 809 00:44:42,375 --> 00:44:45,667 And some of you God is calling to be a leader, 810 00:44:45,750 --> 00:44:49,500 and some of you would say, "But my sin is so dark and so gross." 811 00:44:49,583 --> 00:44:53,875 Yes, but your Jesus is so faithful and so good. 812 00:44:53,958 --> 00:44:56,917 And once he's gotten you a little more mature, 813 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:01,208 your story could be powerfully used to encourage others 814 00:45:01,292 --> 00:45:05,917 in the faithfulness of the loving Jesus. 815 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:11,125 I am amazed that God would use a man like Peter. 816 00:45:11,167 --> 00:45:14,917 I'm more amazed that God would use a man like me or that God 817 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:17,667 would use a man or a woman like you. 818 00:45:17,750 --> 00:45:20,167 That's amazing. 819 00:45:22,833 --> 00:45:27,333 "Feed my sheep, tend my sheep, feed my sheep, tend my sheep." 820 00:45:27,375 --> 00:45:30,000 Do you know what Jesus cares a lot about? 821 00:45:30,042 --> 00:45:33,833 The church and the people of God. 822 00:45:33,875 --> 00:45:37,000 That really hit me this week when Grace and I went back to 823 00:45:37,042 --> 00:45:39,167 our old college town. 824 00:45:39,250 --> 00:45:42,417 We never made it to the college. 825 00:45:42,500 --> 00:45:45,500 We never even set foot on the campus. 826 00:45:45,583 --> 00:45:47,833 We met with a couple that has 12 kids 827 00:45:47,875 --> 00:45:50,208 and was one of our first mentors. 828 00:45:50,292 --> 00:45:53,583 We met with the pastor and his wife. 829 00:45:53,667 --> 00:45:57,500 We went around to see God's people. 830 00:45:57,583 --> 00:45:59,958 It's not that I didn't like college, 831 00:46:00,083 --> 00:46:03,917 but the best part of college was God's people 832 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:08,333 and God's shepherds. 833 00:46:08,375 --> 00:46:11,000 In the end, it's the most important thing 834 00:46:11,083 --> 00:46:13,000 we give our life to. 835 00:46:13,083 --> 00:46:16,417 It's the people of God and the church of God. 836 00:46:16,500 --> 00:46:18,917 It's the place we get to tell the story, 837 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:21,583 "This is how Jesus has been so faithful to me," 838 00:46:21,667 --> 00:46:25,500 and then encourage others just like Jesus told Peter, 839 00:46:25,542 --> 00:46:29,625 right, "Tell your story, and others will be strengthened." 840 00:46:29,667 --> 00:46:32,125 Some of you say, "My story is not good." 841 00:46:32,167 --> 00:46:35,500 Meet with Jesus, and then I promise you, 842 00:46:35,583 --> 00:46:40,333 you'll have a good story to tell. 843 00:46:40,375 --> 00:46:41,833 And what happens next? 844 00:46:41,875 --> 00:46:44,000 Jesus ascends into heaven! 845 00:46:44,042 --> 00:46:46,583 There's Peter watching his friend go. 846 00:46:46,667 --> 00:46:50,208 That had to be weird, right? 847 00:46:50,292 --> 00:46:55,208 "Bye." 848 00:46:55,292 --> 00:46:58,000 And then everybody looks at who? 849 00:46:58,083 --> 00:47:02,333 There's 120 Christians or so left in that day, meeting. 850 00:47:02,375 --> 00:47:04,667 They all look at who? 851 00:47:04,750 --> 00:47:06,500 Peter. 852 00:47:06,583 --> 00:47:08,792 "It's all riding on you, buddy!" 853 00:47:08,833 --> 00:47:12,333 "Ah! 854 00:47:12,375 --> 00:47:18,792 "It wasn't that long ago, weeks ago, I denied Christ, 855 00:47:18,833 --> 00:47:21,625 "and now I'm in charge. 856 00:47:21,667 --> 00:47:26,417 Oh, Holy Spirit, come quickly." 857 00:47:26,500 --> 00:47:29,000 And then the day of Pentecost comes. 858 00:47:29,083 --> 00:47:32,333 See, Luke writes Luke and then Acts, which is the sequel. 859 00:47:32,375 --> 00:47:35,500 It tells the story of how the news and the work of Jesus, 860 00:47:35,583 --> 00:47:37,833 through the power of the Holy Spirit, continues. 861 00:47:37,875 --> 00:47:40,292 And all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit drops, 862 00:47:40,333 --> 00:47:41,667 and people are being saved, 863 00:47:41,750 --> 00:47:44,833 and the church goes from 120 to thousands! 864 00:47:44,875 --> 00:47:47,833 And who steps forward to preach the gospel? 865 00:47:47,875 --> 00:47:50,625 Who talks about Jesus? 866 00:47:50,667 --> 00:47:52,625 Peter! 867 00:47:52,667 --> 00:47:55,708 And Christianity is unleashed on the earth 868 00:47:55,792 --> 00:47:57,417 by the power of the Holy Spirit, 869 00:47:57,500 --> 00:48:02,708 and the good news of Jesus goes out from Peter, 870 00:48:02,792 --> 00:48:05,083 and the world has never recovered, 871 00:48:05,167 --> 00:48:08,208 and there's billions of us today who claim to be Christians 872 00:48:08,292 --> 00:48:11,500 and follow Jesus! 873 00:48:11,583 --> 00:48:15,708 And if this was a Hollywood story, 874 00:48:15,792 --> 00:48:21,125 it would just show Peter riding off in the sunset, right, 875 00:48:21,167 --> 00:48:25,625 with a woman at his side. 876 00:48:25,667 --> 00:48:30,500 "And he rode off in glory, never to sin again, 877 00:48:30,583 --> 00:48:32,625 "never to fail again! 878 00:48:32,667 --> 00:48:34,625 Thankfully, that was behind him!" 879 00:48:34,667 --> 00:48:36,375 True or false? 880 00:48:36,458 --> 00:48:40,125 False. 881 00:48:40,167 --> 00:48:44,708 We love Peter, 'cause he's like us! 882 00:48:44,792 --> 00:48:49,708 Sometime later, the good news gets out to non-Jews, Gentiles, 883 00:48:49,792 --> 00:48:53,667 you and I. 884 00:48:53,750 --> 00:48:57,125 And they don't want to be Jewish. 885 00:48:57,167 --> 00:49:00,375 They just want to love Jesus. 886 00:49:00,458 --> 00:49:03,625 So, the guys don't want to get circumcised for theological 887 00:49:03,667 --> 00:49:08,667 and obviously practical reasons. 888 00:49:08,750 --> 00:49:13,833 And they'd been enjoying ham, and pork, and sausage. 889 00:49:13,875 --> 00:49:16,208 And they're like, "You know, Jesus doesn't care. 890 00:49:16,292 --> 00:49:20,833 "We're going to keep eating that stuff." 891 00:49:24,458 --> 00:49:27,708 So, Peter, being a Jewish Christian, 892 00:49:27,792 --> 00:49:32,708 he knows that those who obey the Old Testament Jewish laws 893 00:49:32,792 --> 00:49:36,375 will not be real happy with their new Gentile friends, 894 00:49:36,458 --> 00:49:38,208 who say, "We're free in Christ. 895 00:49:38,292 --> 00:49:40,167 "The law has been fulfilled. 896 00:49:40,250 --> 00:49:44,375 Please pass the pork product." 897 00:49:47,542 --> 00:49:49,917 And so what happens is when the Jewish Christians come 898 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:52,375 to town, the Bible records that Peter would look at 899 00:49:52,458 --> 00:49:54,292 the Gentile Christians and say [whispering], 900 00:49:54,333 --> 00:49:56,000 "Hey, I'll see you guys later. 901 00:49:56,042 --> 00:49:58,292 "I'm going to go meet with the Jewish guys. 902 00:49:58,333 --> 00:50:01,083 Don't tell them I've been eating ham sandwiches." 903 00:50:01,167 --> 00:50:04,417 And then he goes over, and he meets--and you know what? 904 00:50:04,500 --> 00:50:06,917 He's being a hypocrite, and he's treating some people 905 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:09,292 as second-class Christians, and Paul says, 906 00:50:09,333 --> 00:50:13,000 "I had to confront him to his face." 907 00:50:13,083 --> 00:50:15,500 "Here we go again, Peter. 908 00:50:15,542 --> 00:50:18,125 "Jesus went to heaven, but he sent me. 909 00:50:18,167 --> 00:50:19,667 "What are you doing? 910 00:50:19,750 --> 00:50:22,583 Look me in the eye!" 911 00:50:22,667 --> 00:50:24,792 Peter repents. 912 00:50:24,833 --> 00:50:26,708 "You're right. 913 00:50:26,792 --> 00:50:29,500 "Heck, I'm doing it again. 914 00:50:29,542 --> 00:50:31,375 "I'm a coward. 915 00:50:31,458 --> 00:50:32,917 "I'm a liar! 916 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:37,875 I'm a denier who writes books of the Bible." 917 00:50:40,083 --> 00:50:43,125 How many of you have been a Christian for a long time, 918 00:50:43,167 --> 00:50:46,417 and you thought, "So glad that's behind me. 919 00:50:46,500 --> 00:50:51,042 What?" 920 00:50:54,667 --> 00:50:59,500 And Jesus was faithful to Peter. 921 00:50:59,542 --> 00:51:02,167 That's why he died. 922 00:51:02,250 --> 00:51:06,000 And over time, we do see Peter grow and change 923 00:51:06,042 --> 00:51:08,000 by the grace of God. 924 00:51:08,083 --> 00:51:10,083 Now, we don't find this in Scripture, 925 00:51:10,167 --> 00:51:14,583 but here's how Peter's life ends, as recorded in history. 926 00:51:14,667 --> 00:51:19,625 As an elderly man, an older man, 927 00:51:19,667 --> 00:51:23,625 he's been walking with Jesus for many years. 928 00:51:23,667 --> 00:51:27,000 They come to him and arrest him, 929 00:51:27,083 --> 00:51:29,708 just like they arrested Jesus, 930 00:51:29,792 --> 00:51:35,208 and they tell him, "Peter, you must deny Christ! 931 00:51:35,292 --> 00:51:37,000 "Say you didn't know him! 932 00:51:37,083 --> 00:51:38,500 "Say you didn't follow him! 933 00:51:38,542 --> 00:51:40,333 "Say you didn't love him! 934 00:51:40,375 --> 00:51:42,125 "Deny him! 935 00:51:42,167 --> 00:51:44,000 "You did it before. 936 00:51:44,083 --> 00:51:45,875 "Do it again. 937 00:51:45,958 --> 00:51:50,000 "And if you deny him, you will not suffer. 938 00:51:50,083 --> 00:51:52,208 "You'll be set free. 939 00:51:52,292 --> 00:51:56,125 Your life will be easy." 940 00:51:56,167 --> 00:52:01,625 Peter had an occasion to sin, to fail, 941 00:52:01,667 --> 00:52:06,917 to deny yet again. 942 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:13,417 But after all of those years of faithfulness from Jesus 943 00:52:13,500 --> 00:52:19,708 and the grace of God, Peter became faithful to Jesus, 944 00:52:19,792 --> 00:52:25,875 and history records he looked at them and said, "Then crucify me, 945 00:52:25,958 --> 00:52:32,375 "crucify me, but I'm not worthy to die like Jesus did. 946 00:52:32,458 --> 00:52:37,375 Hang me upside down!" 947 00:52:37,458 --> 00:52:42,500 And they did, and Peter never denied him, not at the last, 948 00:52:42,583 --> 00:52:46,417 and Peter closed his eyes in death, 949 00:52:46,500 --> 00:52:49,917 and he opened his eyes on the other side of death. 950 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,083 And who did he see? 951 00:52:53,167 --> 00:52:56,292 He saw Jesus. 952 00:52:56,333 --> 00:52:58,625 "Peter, do you love me?" 953 00:52:58,667 --> 00:53:01,833 "You know that I do." 954 00:53:03,167 --> 00:53:06,708 Father God, I pray for my friends, this wonderful, 955 00:53:06,792 --> 00:53:10,792 glorious flock that is Mars Hill Church. 956 00:53:10,833 --> 00:53:17,333 Lord Jesus, I thank you that you take a failure like Peter 957 00:53:17,375 --> 00:53:21,375 and a failure like me, 958 00:53:21,458 --> 00:53:27,000 and you allow us to be used by a faithful God 959 00:53:27,083 --> 00:53:31,792 to shepherd a flock of sheep. 960 00:53:31,833 --> 00:53:36,833 God, I am Peter, they are Peter, we are Peter. 961 00:53:38,667 --> 00:53:44,375 We are, we are faithless, and we are failures, 962 00:53:44,458 --> 00:53:48,833 and Jesus, you are faithful, 963 00:53:48,875 --> 00:53:52,333 and your faithfulness to us, 964 00:53:52,375 --> 00:53:58,125 it not only forgives us, it changes us. 965 00:53:58,167 --> 00:54:02,583 Lord Jesus, I thank you for the story, 966 00:54:02,667 --> 00:54:05,833 the testimony of the life of Peter. 967 00:54:05,875 --> 00:54:09,000 I ask for those who are here and not Christian, 968 00:54:09,042 --> 00:54:12,917 that they would not come to the church, or to the Bible, 969 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:17,667 or to Jesus, seeking good advice on how to fix their life, 970 00:54:17,750 --> 00:54:21,333 that instead they would receive the good news 971 00:54:21,375 --> 00:54:23,708 that Jesus is faithful. 972 00:54:23,792 --> 00:54:25,708 For those who are here, Lord God, 973 00:54:25,792 --> 00:54:30,292 and this is their bitter weeping season, 974 00:54:30,333 --> 00:54:33,292 life is hard, things are dark, 975 00:54:33,333 --> 00:54:36,625 they are discouraged. 976 00:54:36,667 --> 00:54:38,417 Lord Jesus, I pray 977 00:54:38,500 --> 00:54:41,208 that they would see your face at this moment, 978 00:54:41,292 --> 00:54:46,917 as Peter did, and that that would be the beginning of their change, 979 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:51,417 their transformation, their redemption. 980 00:54:51,500 --> 00:54:55,417 Lord Jesus, I pray for those of us who are here, 981 00:54:55,500 --> 00:54:58,375 and we are discouraged, because it feels like the enemy 982 00:54:58,458 --> 00:55:01,000 has sifted us as wheat. 983 00:55:01,083 --> 00:55:05,500 Like Peter, we have had success only to be met with failure. 984 00:55:05,583 --> 00:55:09,417 We have sinned, and then we have had victory over sin, 985 00:55:09,500 --> 00:55:12,583 and then we sinned again. 986 00:55:12,667 --> 00:55:19,208 Lord Jesus, help, help those beloved people to remember, 987 00:55:19,292 --> 00:55:25,125 even when we are faithless, you are faithful. 988 00:55:25,167 --> 00:55:28,000 Jesus, thank you that you are the hero of the story 989 00:55:28,042 --> 00:55:30,000 of the life of Peter. 990 00:55:30,083 --> 00:55:34,125 Thank you that you are the hero of the story of our life. 991 00:55:34,167 --> 00:55:37,417 Thank you that Peter did change, and he did grow. 992 00:55:37,500 --> 00:55:41,833 And in the end, he loved you well, 993 00:55:41,875 --> 00:55:45,167 as you loved him well. 994 00:55:45,250 --> 00:55:50,125 He loved you in his death, as you loved him in your death. 995 00:55:50,167 --> 00:55:55,000 And Holy Spirit, we invite you to give us the grace to finish 996 00:55:55,083 --> 00:56:01,625 well in the love of Jesus, finishing well, loving Jesus. 997 00:56:01,667 --> 00:56:06,000 And so Lord God, as we transition now, 998 00:56:06,083 --> 00:56:11,375 we want to take Communion, saying that Jesus is faithful, 999 00:56:11,458 --> 00:56:16,375 and we want to sing as a way of demonstrating that Jesus 1000 00:56:16,458 --> 00:56:21,500 is faithful, because, Lord Jesus, you are, 1001 00:56:21,583 --> 00:56:23,417 and we are glad. 1002 00:56:23,500 --> 00:56:25,167 Amen.