Grace Bigger Than Our Failures

This morning, we're going to welcome the Reverend Andrew Goisweta to our pulpit.

Andrew is the former assistant pastor at a Presbyterian church in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina,

and now serves as the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship at Davidson College.

And Andrew's not just simply a guest preacher, he's actually had some influence on our church,

so I'm going to tell you a couple of stories.

I first met Andrew in 2008 as a student.

We were both students at Davidson College, and Andrew went ahead of me to Covenant Seminary.

Andrew started Covenant in St. Louis in the summer of 2012.

And July 3rd, 2012, was a Sunday.

July 4th, 2012, Andrew walked over from his apartment on campus,

and he scanned in his worship guide from the worship service the previous Sunday and emailed it to me.

You might be wondering, why was he sending you a worship guide?

Well, he wanted me to see what this church was doing,

which is that they had these interesting worship guides where they had a sidebar explanation of what was happening in the worship service.

And I thought, that is so cool.

If I'm ever leading a church, we have to do that.

So nine years later, it finally happened last year in 2021.

So if you can either thank or insult Andrew depending on your feelings about the worship guide, it's his fault.

The other thing that's Andrew's fault is, so that was 2012.

And then in 2014, I actually started at Covenant Seminary.

And what I think none of you know is this Bible that I use every Sunday to preach from was a gift from Andrew as soon as I arrived in seminary.

And he gave it to me partially to show me the importance of having a Bible.

What's neat about this Bible is it can stay open on any page of the Bible, including Genesis 1.

So it's a preaching Bible.

And he told me, it's really important when you preach.

You've got to always have the Bible in your hand so people know where the authority comes from.

So that's some influence.

It has this inscription in the front that says,

For my dear friend, Matthew Capone, June 2, 2014, from Andrew Coisweta, Proverbs 30, verse 5.

Proverbs 30:5

And Proverbs 30, verse 5 says this,

Proverbs 30:5

Every word of God proves true.

He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Which is fitting because Andrew's going to come now and bring us God's word.

So, Andrew, we're delighted to have you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Matthew, for that kind introduction.

It is great to be with you this morning.

Joined by my wife, Amanda.

This is actually my second time worshiping with y'all.

Even though it's my first time preaching for you, it's my second time worshiping here.

The first time was several years ago at Matthew's installation service.

And what a joy that was to be here for that special occasion and to worship the Lord that Sunday morning, that Lord's Day morning.

So, it's a delight and a privilege to be able to preach God's word for you this morning.

I want to thank Matthew and the elders for having me.

My sole regret in offering to preach for Matthew this morning was that I wouldn't get to hear him preach this morning.

As y'all know very well, Matthew is quite the gifted preacher and has been for very many years.

I know that he has served y'all well through those preaching gifts.

But even more importantly, Matthew is a good man.

And I'm sure you've learned that as well.

He did not mention this, but he was actually the best man in my wedding and one of my dearest friends for very many years.

So, it's a privilege to preach in his stead this morning.

If you have a copy of God's word, I'd invite you to turn with me to John chapter 21.

John 21 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking at verses 4 through 19 this morning.

And we are jumping into the very end of this gospel account.

We're going to be looking at the very famous passage of Jesus restoring Peter.

And as we prepare to read God's word, I want to ask you this.

Have you noticed how very many TV shows these days, they begin with the two words, previously on.

And then they launch into a recap.

In fact, Matthew and Amanda and I were watching a TV show last night and it did the very same thing.

It started with previously on.

And it helps orient you to where you are in the story.

So, as we're jumping into the very end of John chapter 1, I want to begin by saying,

John 1 · chapter mention

previously on John's gospel, Jesus has been crucified.

He's been buried in the tomb in Jerusalem.

He remained there for three days.

And on the third day, he has risen again to new life.

And he appeared to many of his disciples on multiple occasions.

Well, our story begins more than a week after those events.

No longer are we in Jerusalem, but we are up in the north in Galilee.

And this story begins after Jesus' disciples have been fishing all night and they've caught nothing.

So, that's where our story begins early the next morning.

So, would you please give your attention to the reading of God's word?

This is John chapter 21, verses 4 through 19.

John 21:4–19

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them,

Children, do you have any fish?

They answered him,

No.

He said to them,

Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.

So, they cast it.

And now, they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish.

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter,

It is the Lord.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,

he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work,

and threw himself into the sea.

The other disciples came in the boat,

dragging the net full of fish,

for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

When they got out on land,

they saw a charcoal fire in place,

with some fish laid out on it,

and bread.

Jesus said to them,

Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.

So, Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore,

full of large fish,

153 of them.

And although there were so many,

the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them,

Come and have breakfast.

Now, none of the disciples dared ask him,

Who are you?

They knew it was the Lord.

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them,

and so with the fish.

This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples

after he was raised from the dead.

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,

Feed my lambs.

He said to him 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,

Tend 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 everything.

You know that I love you.

Jesus said to him,

Feed my sheep.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

when you were young,

you used to dress yourself

and walk wherever you wanted.

But when you are old,

you will stretch out your hands

and another will dress you

and carry you

where you do not want to go.

This he said to show

by what kind of death

he was to glorify God.

And after saying this,

he said to him,

Follow me.

Every word of God

proves true.

He's a shield to those

who take refuge in him.

Would you pray with me?

Father in heaven,

would you grant us this morning

eyes to see

and ears to hear

glorious things

spoken of you

in your word.

We ask this

in the powerful name of Jesus,

our Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Amen.

Now,

I don't know if

Pastor Matthew

does this

when he preaches,

but a lot of times

I will preach

and I'll save

the main point,

the big idea

to the very end

of the sermon.

Not this morning.

This morning

I am too excited

and this is too important

for you to miss.

So here it is.

Here's the big picture,

the big idea

from this morning's passage.

In fact,

it's right there

printed in your bulletin.

God's grace

is bigger

than our biggest failures.

Can I say that again?

God's grace

is bigger

than our biggest

failures.

You know,

that's the message

of all of Scripture

and in particular

it's the message

of this morning's passage.

And as we dig

into this story

that we just read,

let me ask you this.

What's been

your biggest failure

from this past week?

Take a second.

Think over this last week.

Perhaps

it was a sharp word

spoken out of anger

and frustration

to a child,

to a spouse,

to a parent.

Maybe it was

a show that you watched

or a website you visited

that you know

you had no business visiting.

Maybe it was

a word of gossip

or slander

where you highlighted

someone else's failures

instead of covering

over them

in love.

What's been

your biggest failure

from this past week?

Maybe you're sitting here

this morning

and you're thinking,

well, shoot,

I've had a pretty good week

this week.

I haven't had

big failures.

Well, if that's you,

let me ask you this.

What's your biggest failure

from the past month

or the past year

or your entire life?

If you have read

any of the four Gospels,

Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John,

then you already know

what Peter's biggest failure was,

don't you?

Peter's biggest failure

was denying Jesus

three times,

just mere hours,

maybe even minutes,

since promising to Jesus

that he wouldn't.

Now, you and I,

we may have failed

pretty spectacularly

this week

or this month

or this year

or in our lives,

but not quite like Peter,

not like this.

And yet,

look at that very last verse

that we just read together,

verse 19.

Jesus,

even in the aftermath

of Peter's biggest failure,

Jesus turns to him

and says,

follow me.

In other words,

Jesus doesn't discard Peter

even after his biggest failure.

He doesn't discard Peter.

In fact,

he beckons Peter

to himself.

If God's grace

is bigger

than Peter's biggest failure,

then it's bigger

than our biggest failures too.

And what this story

highlights for us,

what it shows us,

is just how this grace,

this huge grace,

comes home to us.

And it does so

in three ways.

Through the grace

of presence,

the grace of place,

and the grace

of persistence.

So let's begin

with the grace

of presence.

Have you noticed

how many protagonists,

how many heroes,

main characters

in books or movies

have particular

calling cards?

These distinct things

that they do

or they say

that lets everyone,

including the reader

or the viewer,

know that they're there?

I mean,

think about it.

Who says,

elementary,

my dear Watson?

Everyone knows

that's Sherlock Holmes,

right?

Or,

I'll be back.

We all know

who that is,

right?

Or,

to infinity

and beyond.

Like,

we can't help

but know

who exactly

is talking to us

with those

distinct calling cards.

Well,

Jesus has a distinct

calling card too.

Did you catch it

from this morning's story?

Look back with me

at the first couple

of verses,

verses 4 through 6.

The text says,

God's word says,

that just as day

was breaking,

Jesus stood on the shore,

yet the disciples

did not know

that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them,

children,

do you have any fish?

They answered him,

no.

In verse 6,

he said to them,

cast the net

on the right side

of the boat

and you will find some.

So they cast it

and now they were not

able to haul it in

because of

the quantity

of fish.

Okay,

so did you catch it?

What is Jesus'

calling card?

It's him

telling his disciples

after a really

poor night of fishing

to cast the net

and then providing them

with this miraculous,

this supernatural

catch

of fish.

That's Jesus'

calling card.

that's his thing.

That lets everyone

know that it's him.

And this is not

the first time

that Jesus has done this,

right?

At the beginning

of Luke's gospel

in Luke chapter 5,

Luke 5 · chapter mention

we read

that this is precisely

how Jesus called

his first disciples.

It's his

calling card.

And so how,

here in our story,

how did the disciples

respond to Jesus'

calling card?

look at verse 7.

First,

something snaps,

something clicks

in John's mind,

the disciple

whom Jesus loved.

It said that

he said to Peter,

it is the Lord.

John gets it.

He turns to Peter

and says,

it is the Lord.

And then,

and then something

kind of goes haywire

almost in Peter's,

in Peter's mind

because look what happens

when Peter hears

that it's the Lord.

he put on

his outer garment

for he was stripped

for work

and threw himself

into the sea.

He was so overwhelmed

and overcome

by the realization

that Jesus is here.

He's overwhelmed

by the grace

of Jesus' presence.

And you can imagine him

just thinking,

can this really be?

Is Jesus really here?

When I was 12 years old,

my Grandpa Santos,

my dad's dad,

passed away.

Now, Grandpa Santos

was one of my favorite,

I'll just say,

he was my favorite grandparent.

He was the one

that loved me

and my siblings the most.

And he had

a unique calling card.

It was this whistle,

this sound

that he would make

that let everyone know

that he was present,

that he was there.

And you probably

never heard it before.

I'm going to try it

this morning.

But Grandpa Santos' whistle

sounded like this.

That was Grandpa Santos' thing.

Who here has ever heard

that noise before?

Exactly.

Right?

A couple people.

Have you met my grandpa?

That's amazing.

But whenever I would hear that,

if I was in a large crowd,

I would know

that Grandpa Santos

was there.

Well, like I said,

he passed away

when I was 12.

It was really sad

and really tragic.

It was the first grandparent

to lose.

And, you know,

he was in the hospital.

He was recovering

from surgery.

They had removed

some cancerous tumors.

And we thought

he was going to pull through

and make it.

And then the day

that he was supposed

to come home,

everything went south.

All of his internal systems

started shutting down.

There were complications

from the surgery

that they didn't catch.

And I remember

as a 12-year-old

praying fervently

with my family

that the Lord

would spare his life.

And within a day or two,

he was gone.

Now,

if I were walking

around Davidson

where I live,

where my wife and I live

with our two girls,

let's say I was walking

down Main Street

or I was walking

around campus

where I work,

and I heard,

you better believe

that I'd be overcome

with emotion,

that the hair

on the back of my neck

would stand up

just as it's standing up

right now.

And you better believe

that I'd be wondering,

could this really be?

Is Grandpa Santos here?

Are all these sad memories

coming untrue?

Brothers and sisters,

have you,

like Peter,

have you heard

Jesus' calling card?

Have you experienced

the grace

of Jesus' presence?

Have you been overwhelmed

by that grace?

If you have ever experienced

genuine,

loving fellowship,

Christian fellowship,

then you have heard

Jesus' calling card.

He promises that

where two or three

are gathered in his name,

there he is among us.

Or,

have you ever

opened up

God's word

and let God's word

open you up?

Have you ever

let yourself

become saturated

in God's word?

If so,

then you have heard

Jesus' calling card.

Jesus was so saturated

in God's word.

And if you

have internalized

God's word,

then you've internalized

Jesus as well.

The word of God,

the writer of the Hebrew

says,

is living and active.

Why?

Because Jesus

is living and active

among us

in and through

his word.

Or how about this?

Have you ever

prayed?

Have you ever

offered up

your sincere

thoughts,

longings,

desires,

fears,

worries,

anxieties?

Have you ever

lifted them up

to the Lord?

If so,

then you've

experienced

the grace

of God's

presence.

God's word

promises that

our prayers

are like

incense before

the Lord.

Even today,

even right now,

in the very

presence of

the most high

God in the

heavenly throne room.

An extension

of you is

there.

Your thoughts,

your desires,

your longings

in God's

own presence.

Or,

how about this?

Have you ever

participated in

communion?

Have you ever

taken communion?

Have you ever

been baptized?

Have you ever

witnessed a

baptism?

Then you,

too,

have heard

Jesus'

calling card.

Because he

promises to

meet with his

people in

and through

the sacraments

of the Lord's

Supper and

baptism.

Well,

not only does

God meet

with Peter

and with us

through the

grace of his

presence,

but he also

ministers to us

through the

grace of

place as

well.

Would you

look with

me at

verses 9

through 14,

kind of the

middle of

the passage

that we

just read.

And as we

look over

these verses,

I want to

invite you

to imagine

the sights

and the

smells of

this scene

through the

eyes and,

yes,

even the

nose of

Peter.

So enter

Peter's

sandals and

imagine this

scene through

his eyes and

even through

his nose.

Here's what I

mean.

So for

one,

it's dark

out.

Verse 4

told us that

day was just

breaking.

And on the

shore, there's

this charcoal

fire already

set up.

Jesus is there

and he's

breaking bread

and he's serving

you a meal.

He's feeding

you.

Now, if you're

Peter and you're

taking in all

these sights and

smells, what do

these things

remind you of?

when was the

last time you

saw Jesus

break bread and

serve you a

meal?

Oh, yeah.

It was that

night when

Jesus predicted

that you,

Peter, would

deny him.

And you

doubled down

and said,

no way, I'm

going to die

before I deny

you.

Or, man,

what is that

smell?

I mean, what is

that smell that's

filling your nose,

that's clinging

to your hair,

that's getting in

all your clothes,

that's stinging

your eyes?

What is that?

Oh, yeah.

How could you

forget?

It's the smell

of a charcoal

fire.

Now, let me

pause there.

For you and

for me, the

smell of a

charcoal fire,

what does that

remind us of?

It was a July

4th, Independence

Day, right?

Like, gathering

with family and

friends, cooking

some hot dogs and

hamburgers, right?

Not so for

Peter.

What does the

smell of a

charcoal fire

remind Peter

of?

Well, for

Peter, that

smell is the

smell of

failure.

Because it

was around

another charcoal

fire that

Peter watched

Jesus be

dragged before

a kangaroo

court in the

high priest

courtyard.

And it was

there around a

charcoal fire that

you, Peter,

denied Jesus

three times.

And you

know, they

say that

smell is one

of the

strongest senses,

especially as it

relates to

memories.

So again, if

you're Peter and

you're there on

the shore of

Galilee, your

body might be

here on the

shore of

Galilee, but

your mind and

your heart are

back in that

courtyard, around

that other

charcoal fire,

watching Jesus

and denying

that you ever

knew him.

And so, for

Peter, the

smell of

failure is the

smell of a

charcoal fire.

It reminds him

of the biggest

failure that he's

ever had in his

entire life.

What does

failure smell

like to you?

Is it the

smell of your

childhood home?

Maybe a

particular room in

your childhood

home?

Is it the

smell of a

certain perfume

or a certain

cologne?

Is it the

smell of

stale beer

or whiskey?

Is it the

smell of a

high school

gymnasium or

locker room?

Is it the

smell of

scantrons and

number two

pencils?

What does

failure smell

like to

you?

Well, for

me, failure

smells like

rubber.

Not all

rubber, but

a very

particular kind

of rubber.

The kind

of rubber

that they

put in

stairwells

in commercial

buildings.

You know

what I'm

talking about?

Like those

concrete stairs

in commercial

buildings that

have the

rubber coating

and that's

glued down

and it has

those little

bumps that

prevent you

from skidding.

That smell,

that's the

smell of

failure for

me.

Because when

I was in

college, when

I was a

junior at

Davidson, I

had a huge

crush on

this girl

that I

met in

RUF.

The same

ministry that

Matthew and

I met in,

the same

ministry that

I now serve

with.

And it just

so happened

that my

junior year,

she lived

one floor

above me

in our

dorm.

And so

one night,

I mustered

up the

courage to

go and

ask this

young woman

out.

And just

so you

know where

this story

is going,

that young

woman is

not my

wife,

Amanda.

So late

one night,

I get the

courage, I'm

going to go

ask her

out.

I go out

of my

room, down

the hall,

get into

the stairwell,

and bam,

immediately I'm

hit with

the smell of

these rubber

steps.

Our dorm had

just been

renovated the

year before,

and I don't

know if it

was the

rubber or

the glue

that was

connecting the

rubber to

the steps,

but man,

it was making

me lightheaded.

So distinct.

And so I

go up the

steps, I'm

getting nervous,

right, to ask

this young

woman out,

and I go to

reach for the

door, to

open the door

to go onto

her hall, and

I say, I

can't do

this.

So I let

go of the

door, I

turn around,

I go back

down the

steps, I go

to open the

door to my

hall, and I'm

like, Andrew,

you've come

this far, you

got to go

follow through

with it.

And I must

have done

this probably

two or three

times up and

down the

steps.

And at one

point, I

actually started

to get

concerned

for my

own health

and physical

well-being

because I

was getting

so light-headed

from these

fumes coming

off these

rubber steps.

And so I

was like,

all right, you

just got to

go do this,

you can't

stay in this

stairwell, go

for it.

So I did, I

opened the

door, went

onto her

hall, got up

to the door,

knocked on

her door, and

she answered, I

asked her out,

and she turned

me down.

And then I

had to go back

into that

stairwell, get

my nose and

my lungs filled

with this

obnoxious smell

of rubber, and

then go back

to my room.

Now, that

is not

necessarily a

story of

moral failure,

but it

certainly felt

like social

failure.

You know, that

rejection from

a young lady

that you're

interested in,

it certainly

felt like a

failure of

attractability,

of

desirability.

and so for

years, whenever

I would smell

that distinct

rubber smell,

I'd be brought

back to that

place and be

reminded of

that failure.

Until just a

few years ago,

when I returned

to Davidson

College to

serve as the

campus minister,

and wouldn't

you know it,

the same stairs

with the same

rubber is in

the student

union, where we

have all of our

meetings, as it

was in that

dorm room, when

I was a

junior.

And so from

the very

beginning, when

I started

serving as

campus minister,

I'd have to

go up and

down these

stairs and

smell that

rubber smell to

go to our

large group

meetings, to

go to our

Bible studies.

But here's

the difference.

When I would

go on Tuesday

night to go get

ready for large

group as a

campus minister,

I had my

wife Amanda by

my side.

We would often

go up those

steps together.

And after a few

times of that

happening, I

realized,

this smell

doesn't have a

hold over me

anymore.

The Lord is

redeeming that

smell and that

memory for me

and replacing

those with new

and better

memories with

my wife Amanda.

The Lord is

doing something

very similar here

for Peter.

He's bringing

him back to

that place of

failure so that

he can redeem

that memory for

him, so that

he can heal him

of the guilt and

shame and regret

that he felt in

denying his Lord

and Savior three

times.

And the Lord is

inviting you to

return to those

places of failure

so that he might

heal and redeem

those parts of

your stories.

And now, it

might not be

practical for you

to actually

physically go back

to those places.

I mean, what if

it was in another

country, right?

What if it was in

your childhood home

and your family

since sold it?

I'm not saying

that y'all need

to go back and

knock on a

stranger's door and

say, hey, I used

to live here.

Can I go to my

bedroom?

There's some

unfinished business

that Jesus wants.

No, that's not

what I'm saying.

But what I think

the Lord would have

us do is, look,

you can invite

Jesus into those

places of failure

by inviting a

brother or sister

in Christ into

those stories.

You could turn to

a trusted brother

or sister in

Christ and open

up and share in

vivid detail the

story of your

biggest failure and

allow the Lord

Jesus to heal and

redeem those

memories for you.

That's the grace

of place.

Well, we've

encountered the

grace of presence.

We've encountered

the grace of

place.

Lastly, we

encounter the

grace of

persistence.

Let me ask

this.

As I finished

reading the last

section of this

story as Jesus

is restoring

Peter, as I

read verses 15

through 19, where

Jesus, again, he

asks three times,

do you love me?

Do you love me?

Do you love me?

Did any of you

feel for Peter?

Like at least a

little bit?

I know I did

when I first read

this story and

many times since.

Or how about

when you read

that Peter was

actually grieved

the third time

that Jesus asked

him, do you

love me?

I mean, anyone

else here kind of

feel like, man,

Jesus, why do you

got to be so hard

on poor Peter?

Like, can't you

see that you're

hurting him, that

you're causing

grief, that you're

inflicting pain?

Anyone?

Anyone else kind of

feel for Peter in

this situation?

Y'all, there's no

way around it.

This is a hard

passage, and

especially when we

get to those last

two verses in 18

and 19, where

Jesus predicts how

Peter would die.

That last section,

this whole last

section, can kind of

feel like a wet

blanket.

Like, man, that's

cold, that's harsh,

that's heavy.

But what I want us

to see before we

end our time in

God's word this

morning, is that

grace is abundant

here.

And it's the grace

of persistence.

So look with me,

and let's notice the

grace of Jesus'

persistence and even

the grace of Peter's

persistence.

So first, Jesus'

persistence.

In verses 15

through 17, three

times Jesus asks

Peter if he loves

him.

Which, wouldn't you

know, that's one

time for each of

Peter's three

denials.

three times Jesus

restores Peter to

his high holy

calling, to go and

fish for men.

That calling that

Jesus placed on

Peter's life, Jesus

is now restoring

Peter to that

calling.

And I don't know,

I can imagine

Peter, after a

really poor night of

fishing where they've

caught nothing, just

being really hard and

down on himself.

like, man, Peter,

what made you even

think that you could

fish for men like

Jesus called you to?

You can't even fish

for fish anymore.

Like, I just imagine

Peter just so hard on

himself or even

wondering, you know,

man, now that

Judas is gone, I'm the

worst disciple.

I mean, the text

doesn't say it, so I'm

not saying that this

actually happened, but

if I were Peter, that

would be going through

my head.

I mean, Judas was the

worst disciple.

He betrayed Jesus.

But Judas is gone.

Who does that leave?

That leaves me, Peter,

the denier.

I denied him three

times.

Have you ever been

there?

Have you ever been

to this place where

you failed just so

spectacularly that

you're like, man, is

life even worth

living?

Should I keep going?

If you have wondered

that at all, and I'll

just acknowledge that

there have been a few

times when I've

acknowledged, when I've

wondered that myself.

If you've ever wondered

that, please pay

attention to what Jesus

is saying to Peter

here.

He is saying, look,

Peter, I am not done

with you yet.

He's restoring Peter to

his Jesus calling to go

and fish for men.

Feed my lambs, Peter.

Tend my sheep.

Feed my sheep.

I still have a use for

you.

How amazing is that?

So why is Peter

grieved?

Why does it hurt so

much?

And why does Jesus

allow Peter to feel

that grief?

I think what's going

on here is that Jesus

wants to make sure that

Peter doesn't take the

same path that Judas

took.

Peter, or Jesus,

wants to call Peter off

of that path that leads

to death and despair.

Peter, and Jesus is

calling Peter back onto

this path that leads to

life and salvation.

How do I know this?

Well, in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7, the apostle

Paul, he highlights the

difference between godly

grief and worldly grief.

And what does Paul say in

2 Corinthians 7 verse 10?

2 Corinthians 7:10

Paul says that godly grief

produces a repentance that

leads to salvation without

regret, whereas worldly

grief produces death.

Again, Jesus wants Peter off

that path that leads to

worldly grief and onto that

path of godly grief that

produces a repentance that

leads to salvation.

Jesus here, towards the end of

our story, Jesus is like the

field surgeon that is pulling

the wounded soldier off the

field.

This soldier, Peter, has just

stepped on this landmine of

failure.

And there's all sorts of

shrapnel of regret surrounding

his heart.

And so Jesus, the field

surgeon, the good physician, he

is working hard to remove that

shrapnel and to save Peter.

And yes, it's painful.

And just as Peter starts to feel

overwhelmed and overcome by this

pain, and just as Jesus starts

losing Peter, Jesus has his hands

around Peter's face.

It's as if he's telling him, stay

with me, soldier.

Stay with me.

Stay with me.

Do you love me?

Do you love me?

Do you love me?

Do you love me?

Jesus is sharing the grace of

persistence with Peter.

And you know what?

That leads to the grace of Peter's

persistence.

So let's look at the ending again.

Look at verses 18 and 19.

Yes, this is a hard couple of

verses.

Jesus saying that when Peter was

young, he used to dress himself

and walk where he wanted, but

when he's old, he's going to

stretch out his hands.

Another is going to dress him

and carry him where he does not

want to go.

And then verse 19 says,

this Jesus said to show by what

kind of death Peter was to

glorify God.

Please don't miss this.

Here at the very end, Jesus

promises Peter that he's going to

end well.

That Peter's death is going to

glorify God.

Peter has that promise from

Jesus' own lips.

And can I be honest here for a

second?

There are some days where I long

to have that same promise from

Jesus' own lips.

You know those kind of days where

things are not going well, where

you've messed up royally, when

you're convicted over your own sin,

and you're just, you wonder, man,

am I going to make it?

Am I going to make it to the

finish line?

And again, being really honest

here, like as a minister of the

gospel, it is hard to see those

news headlines of ministers who I'm

sure went into ministry with great

intent, but at the very end, they

don't end well.

And you know who I'm talking about.

Their names end up in the news and

in the media, right?

I know that apart from God's grace,

that can be me.

And there are some days where I'm

just longing for that assurance that

I'm going to end well.

I know what kind of day Peter was

having on the Sea of Galilee before

Jesus showed up.

And y'all, it was not the same day,

the same kind of day after Jesus

showed up.

Because after Jesus showed up,

Peter has this assurance that he

will end well.

And brothers, you and I, brothers and

sisters, you and I have that same

assurance from our Lord and Savior

Jesus.

And so as I end, let me ask you this.

Has Jesus shown up in your life?

Have you heard his calling card?

Has your hair ever stood on edge,

on end, at the grace of his presence?

Have you invited Jesus into those

places of past failure?

Have you heard Jesus' persistent

knock, knock, knocking on the door of

your heart?

If you can answer yes to those

questions, then you need to rejoice.

Rejoice.

This is the best news there ever was.

Rejoice.

Have joy.

And share that joy with someone.

Go tell someone about this.

This is amazing.

But if not, if you haven't experienced

that sort of grace, a grace that's

bigger than your failures, then please

would you hear these words from

Jesus' own mouth.

Jesus says,

Behold, I stand at the door and

knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens

the door, I will come into him and

eat with him and he with me.

Peter heard that voice and opened the

door.

You all, you all have just heard that

voice.

Will you too open that door?

Would you pray with me?

Holy Spirit, I pray for all those in

this room who have heard your voice,

who want to open the door, but don't

know how.

Would you rush into them right now?

Would you overwhelm them with your

grace that is bigger than their

failures?

And would you, Holy Spirit, comfort and

convince all of us of your presence

and your persistence?

We long for you to heal us.

And we ask all of these things in

Jesus' powerful name.

Amen.