Empowering Restoration

Last time, I shared the story of God restoring Adam and Eve and preparing them for the new life they had brought about. I want to continue reflecting on this subject of restoration by sharing one of my favorite accounts from the New Testament.

Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. Although he could be impulsive, and sometimes reacted without thoroughly thinking things through, he was fiercely loyal to Jesus. In light of this, he understandably took offense to Jesus’ claim that he would deny Him three times on the night in which He was arrested (John 13:36-38). So, when the time came, which side of Peter won out, his fierce loyalty or his impulsive nature?

Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself….Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed (John 18:18, 25-27, NASU).

I empathize with Peter when I read this account. I know, from all the other accounts of Peter in Scripture, that His heart was in the right place. However, he found himself faced with the same challenge each of us faces today: will we trust God with our very lives. There can be no doubt that Peter feared for his life in that moment. His impulsive nature told him to go into self-preservation mode. Who could blame him? The Savior he had been following for the past three years didn’t look like He could even save Himself from the leaders of His day.

The anguish Peter must have felt from that moment on had to be excruciating. How could he move beyond this enormous failure? What would his life be about now? Not knowing what to do, Peter returned to what he had always done. He went back to the familiar – fishing. It is at this point that God’s movement and restoration in Peter’s life became visible again.

After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught” (John 21:1-9, NASU).

Now I need to state that I am not a believer in coincidence when it comes to the things of God. So, I don’t believe it is a coincidence that John records that Jesus had started a charcoal fire. I’m certain that when Peter came ashore and saw the fire, his mind was immediately taken back to the charcoal fire he stood around at the moment of his greatest failure. It must have felt like someone was twisting the dagger that had pierced his heart when he denied his Savior. All that he had hoped to forget and put behind him, came rushing back like a flood.

There must have been some apprehension on Peter’s part as he approached the fire and Jesus. How was Jesus going to respond? What penalty was awaiting him for his denial? What kind of relationship would he have with Jesus going forward? Will he ever experience relief from his feelings of guilt? The feelings he felt, and the questions racing through his mind, are all too familiar to me. They might be to you as well. Can you recall times where you were brought face to face with the failures of your past, especially those where you felt that you failed God? If so, take heart and read on.

The breakfast that followed must have been full of anxiety and tension as he awaited Jesus’ response. But then, Jesus does something wonderful and amazing. Around that charcoal fire Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to show his heart. He allows Peter a chance to respond to Him the way he wished he would have initially.

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep” (John 21:15-17, NASU).

You see, Jesus knew Peter’s heart. Jesus knew that it was not Peter’s desire or intention to fail. So, with gentleness, He looked beyond Peter’s failure and helped him to see who he really was. In Peter’s mind, he was a failure. When push came to shove, he crumbled. However, In Jesus’ eyes, Peter was a rock; a rock solid enough for Jesus to build His Church upon (Matt. 16:18). Peter was not the sum of his failures.

Maybe that is the reminder you need to hear today. You are not the sum of your failures. God knows your heart and He stands ready to redeem you from your failures. But, just like with Peter, He is not content to leave you there. His desire is to use you in new and wonderful ways for the advancement of His Kingdom. Today is a new day, full of amazing possibilities! Meet Jesus at the charcoal fires of your life and experience the empowering restoration of His grace and mercy.

New Clothes for A New Day

Good Morning! I hope this morning finds you excited about opportunities that lie ahead. We serve an awesome God, full of grace and mercy, and that is what I want to share with you today. If you are anything like me, you are well aware of the failures of your past. The weight of these failures can seem overwhelming at times. However, I have come to discover the truth that God’s grace and mercy are truly sufficient to not only sustain me, but also to restore and propel me. When this truth becomes a reality in your life, the freedom becomes amazing. I want you to take a few moments and reflect on the fall of man as recorded in Genesis 3. While the fall is tragic, what takes place next is remarkable. Scripture tells us that after Adam and Eve sinned, God went looking for the man and his wife (Gen. 3:8). Even before Adam and Eve fully understood the impact of their actions, or their need for restoration, God began to move.

Frederick Buechner notes, God asked Adam and Eve two penetrating questions after their first act of disobedience: “Where are you?” and “What is this you have done?” Therapists, he remarks, have been asking the same questions ever since. “Where are you?” exposes the present reality. They are hiding, naked, ravaged by never-before-known feelings of guilt and shame. “What is this you have done?” exposes the past. In his encounter with Adam and Eve, God sets forth the consequences of their behavior and then provides clothing to equip them for the new state they have brought about. “They can’t go back, but they can go forward clothed in a new way,” says Buechner – the result any good therapist hopes to accomplish (Philip Yancey, Prayer, p. 32).

We know that Adam and Eve knew something had change as a result of their actions. They felt the shame of their nakedness, and for the first time they felt the need or desire to be separated from God (Gen. 3:10). But God, being rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4), pursued them. He did not abandon them to the consequences of their own actions. Rather, He pursued them to restore them and to prepare them for what laid ahead. You might be reading this and thinking, “Why can’t God move in my life the way He did for Adam and Eve?” “I feel abandon.” “I feel overwhelmed.” Well, the fact of the matter is that He already has. Romans 5:8 states:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (NASU).

What Paul is telling us is that God moved in each of our lives before we recognized our need or desired His involvement. God took the initiative. God sought us out with the desire of restoring us. God’s message is, “I know your past, now let me show you your future.” We cannot undo the past, but through His grace and mercy, we can be re-equipped for a new life; a life that can begin today. Submitting ourselves to His retooling is what will allow us to be successful. Some of you, today, are caught up in a cosmic game of hide and seek. Some may be hidden, hoping to never be found. Others may have been hidden for so long that they aren’t certain anybody is still looking. Whatever your case may be, I encourage you to reveal yourself. Stand up and shout to God, “HERE I AM!” Be found! Be restored! Today is a new day, and the God of the universe is prepared to give you a new set of clothes for what lies ahead!

Finding Your Voice

"The challenge before us is to present Jesus to our generation in a way that is both historical and contemporary, both authentic and appealing....The main reason for every betrayal of the authentic Jesus is that we listen with exaggerated deference to contemporary fashion, instead of listening to God's Word" (The Contemporary Christian, John R.W. Stott, p. 24).

2000 years earlier the Apostle Paul addressed this very issue with a young pastor named, Timothy. He challenged Timothy with these words:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry (2 Tim. 4:1-5, NASU).

Paul clearly recognized that people were ultimately going to want a god of their own making. As a matter of fact, Paul was well aware of the historical precedence of this. Societies had been creating their own god's for generations. His challenge to Timothy was to stay the course and remain true to the God of Scripture. Why did Paul not want Timothy to compromise? Paul knew that in time, all man-made gods would reveal themselves to be lacking. In those moments someone needed to be the voice of truth and hope. So, what voice are you today? Are you the silent voice that chooses to stay out of the crosshairs of controversy? Or, are you the voice of a windswept wave; changing your message with the ever-changing tide of political correctness. Hopefully you are the strong voice of truth and hope. Hopefully you are the voice of patience and perseverance. Hopefully you are the voice that will lead those in your circle of influence to the only God who will never be found lacking. Hopefully you are that voice today. Today, my voice is feeling strong! But pray for me, the day is still young.

Welcome

"Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not claim it to be true. Morally, you can practice anything, so long as you do not claim it to be a "better" way. Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ into it" (Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zachariah, p. vii).

Let me begin my first post by stating unequivocally that I am a believer and follower of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I do not apologize for this fact. In addition, I want to state without qualification, that I believe Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him (Jn. 14:6). Put more plainly, salvation is through Christ and Christ alone. While I recognize that not everyone reading this blog will agree with those statements, I feel that it is important to let each of you know from what perspective I will be writing. If you are among those who do not believe the testimony of Scripture, I invite and encourage you to interact with me anyway. Your thought provoking questions and statements will challenge me to examine my own beliefs more thoroughly and to see whether I can defend what I say I believe. To all, I want to welcome you. It is my hope that we can have an open dialogue about what matters most to each of us. May our conversations challenge and draw our the best in all of us.