TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO BE FORGIVEN IS DIVINE (MARK 14:66-72)

GCEFC: DECEMBER 27, 2009

INTRODUCTION

1. In just 5 days we’ll begin a brand new year. And along with a brand new year will come one of a new year’s perennial activities—New Year’s resolutions.

2. I don’t know if you’re a fan of New Year’s resolutions or not. But there are plenty of people willing to take up the slack if you’re not.

3. It’s estimated that between 137-212 million Americans will make New Year’s resolutions for 2010.

4. The making of New Year’s resolutions implies that failure is universal. Even if you make no resolutions for 2010, it’s a virtual certainty that you’ve made them in the past.

5. Making a New Year’s resolution probably means there was something in the old year you should have done that you resolve to do in the new year. Or something that you did in the old year that you resolve not to do in the new year.

6. But to some degree, a resolution implies a previous failure of some kind. In fact, many people no longer make New Year’s resolutions because they were such miserable failures at keeping them in the past.

7. Failing to keep the resolution was just another failure to resolve to change in the next year—a New Year’s resolution to keep my resolutions this year.

8. As you know, there were some famous failures in 2009. These would include Bernard Madoff and Governor Mark Sanford. As well as the more recent failure of Tiger Woods.

9. Most of us haven’t failed to such a high degree and to such a public degree. But it’s safe to say that all of us have failed at one or more things in 2009. And all of us have failed in one or more ways in 2009.

10. If it’s any consolation, it’s been said that if you didn’t fail at anything in 2009, it’s because you didn’t do anything. Which would be a kind of failure in itself, wouldn't it?

11. Even if we had no profound failures this year, there is certainly some sense in which 2009 wasn’t all we had hoped it would be in the closing days of 2008.

12. And, in 2010, we hope that at least some things will be different—therefore we have at least one resolution. Even if it’s not written down anywhere.

13. One of the best known failures in the Bible on the other team is of course—Judas. Have you ever known anybody in your life named Judas? Probably not. He’s regarded as one of history’s greatest failures.

14. But one of the best known failures on our team is—Simon Johnson.

a. In JN 1, Andrew brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus. Jesus says: You are Simon, son of John. Which is what the name “Johnson” originally meant—son of John.

b. Jesus goes on: You are Simon, son of John. You will be called “Cephas,” or Kephas in the more correct Aramaic pronunciation.

c. Which translated means: Peter, or Rock. And in some ways Peter was a rock. In other ways he was not.

15. This morning, as we’re on the brink of a new year, I want to briefly explore the negative and then the positive side of this extraordinary man, Simon Peter.

A. PETER’S GREAT FAILURE

1. The passage from Mark that was just read is the account of Peter’s great failure—his denial of Jesus 3 times.

2. To recap.

a. Peter was in the courtyard of the Jewish High Priest on the night Jesus was betrayed. He’d followed him there after he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

b. Peter was warming himself by a fire and at three different points someone remarked to Peter that they thought he had some connection to Jesus, the one who had been arrested and was now on trial.

c. And 3 times Peter denied even knowing Jesus, the third time calling down curses on himself and swearing at those asking him about it.

d. You may recall that Jesus had earlier predicted that his followers would fall away when things got tense. Peter said: Even if all fall away, I will not.

e. But Jesus responded to Peter: Today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows, you yourself will disown me three times. But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’

f. But later that night, Peter did disown Jesus, just as predicted. And we’re told that Peter broke down and wept over what he had done.

g. Not just because he had done it. But because he was so sure he would not.

B. PETER’S GREAT LIFE

1. But it would be grossly unfair to think of Peter as a failure, because he was anything but.

a. Peter’s name appears 180 times in the New Testament.

b. He was one of Jesus’ original disciples.

c. He was in Jesus’ inner circle.

d. His name is listed first in all 4 lists of the disciples in the New Testament.

e. He was the first Apostle to see Jesus risen from the dead.

f. Peter was at Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountain.

g. Peter made the pronouncement that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

h. Peter preached the first Christian sermon at Pentecost and 3,000 people were saved.

i. He was the original leader of the Jerusalem Church.

j. He performed miracles in Jesus’ name.

k. He defended the Christian faith before the Jewish Sanhedrin. A very tough audience.

l. Peter was the only Apostle with enough courage to even attempt to walk on water.

m. He asked questions the other Apostles were afraid to ask, which gave us some of the most important insight found in the New Testament.

n. Peter was at the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead.

o. He was the chief spokesman for the Apostles.

p. He was the primary Apostle to the Jews.

q. He traveled as a missionary.

r. He wrote 2 very important books in the New Testament.

s. He died a martyr’s death.

2. So what happened to Peter? How could he have managed such a comeback after such a fall? How did he ever recover from such a setback?

3. Because Peter messed up…he had to fess up, get up, buck up, and look up. This is what he did. And it’s why he was used to the degree he was.

C. PETER’S REMARKABLE RECOVERY

1. Peter’s remarkable recovery begins on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where his life as Jesus’ disciple began.

2. Peter had gone back to his fishing career after Jesus died. There didn't seem to be anything else to do. Jesus was gone and fishing was what Peter knew.

3. So Peter is out fishing with his partners in the Sea of Galilee. They’d fished all night and caught nothing.

4. Then in early morning Jesus appears on the shore, and he called out to the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and they’ll catch some fish.

5. They did and they did. It even tells us how many they caught—153—and that the fish were large.

6. Then Peter recognized that it was Jesus on the shore and he jumps out of the boat into the water and starts making his way to shore.

7. We’re told that they were only about 100 yards from the shore—so Peter wasn’t crazy—just excited.

8. When the disciples reach the shore, Jesus has a fire going. He told the men to bring some of the fish they caught. And they had breakfast together on the shore of the lake.

9. After breakfast, Jesus says to Peter in JN 21: ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’

a. This was the name Jesus used before he had changed it 3 ½ years ago to Peter. And they’re now standing around a fire with someone asking Peter some hard questions.

b. Peter must have remembered that the last time this happened was the night Jesus was betrayed and he was being interrogated by the fire. Déjà vu all over again.

c. Peter says to Jesus: ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’

d. Why did Jesus ask if Peter loved him more than these? Well, recall that when Jesus said that his followers would fall away and flee, Peter said—NOT ME!

e. So now Jesus asks him if his love and loyalty is greater than the others, considering he had claimed that it was.

f. When Peter answered ‘yes,’ Jesus said: ‘Feed my lambs.’

g. Then Jesus asked him: ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me?’ Peter answered: ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’

h. Then Jesus asks Peter a third time: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ By the third time Peter is hurt. He says: ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’

i. Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’ Essentially Jesus was telling Peter to shepherd his followers. To feed them by teaching them. And to watch over them.

10. I wonder if Peter noticed that just as he had denied Jesus 3 times—he has just affirmed him 3 times? I can’t imagine him not noticing. I suspect that’s why he got a little annoyed at the third question. It was all too painfully familiar to him.

11. Peter has now been reinstated as a disciple and leader. What he had done was not good. But what was not good was done. He was moving on.

12. Jesus then makes some comments about Peter’s future. In some ways it would be glorious. In other ways it would be costly and painful—it included that he would die.

13. Then Peter asks Jesus an interesting question in V21: ‘Lord, what about him?’ He was referring to another disciple. Peter is asking if that one is going to suffer too.

14. Jesus says: ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’

15. It’s as if Jesus was saying to Peter in his final words: Don’t struggle over God’s unknown secret will. Rather—commit yourself to his clearly known and revealed will.

16. Jesus is saying: Don’t get hung up on the mysterious. Commit yourself to the obvious and depend upon my presence and provision as you do.

CONCLUSION

1. As we enter a new year, we must remember that failures are likely—just as they were in 2009. The Bible reminds us in 1 COR 10: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.

2. There’s no place in the Christian life for arrogant overconfidence. Even the Apostle Peter should have been humble and reliant. He got into trouble because of overconfidence.

3. Peter’s life and ministry began with a miraculous catch of fish. Now it happens again.

4. For a carpenter, Jesus was a good fisherman. I’m sure this was not lost on Simon Peter.

5. Peter was first baffled as to how Jesus could know where the fish were. Now he knows.

6. Jesus has revealed his continuing love for Peter, his forgiveness of Peter, his confidence in Peter, and his restoration to usefulness and effectiveness.

7. When the time comes when we fail (and it will), we’ll need to fess up, get up, buck up, and look up—just as Peter did.