COALS | Moments with Yahweh

FROM COALS TO COALS

(PETER’S JOURNEY INTO RESTORATION)

Dr. CHUCK GLENN

FROM COALS TO COALS

(PETER’S JOURNEY INTO RESTORATION)

Published by Moments with Yahweh

reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by

any means, including photocopying, recording, or other

electronic or mechanical methods without prior written permission.

Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are

1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1995,

by the Lockman Foundation. Used under the guidelines of Zondervan.

Dr. Chuck Glenn

mwy4chuck.com

contacts@mwy4chuck.com

Lincoln, Nebraska

Like us on Facebook @ Moments With Yahweh

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:—————————————————————————————-5

LESSON ONE: TRUST——————————————————————————– 7

LESSON TWO: BOLDNESS———————————————————————– 12

LESSON THREE: CONFIDENCE—————————————————————- 17

LESSON FOUR: HOPELESSNESS————————————————————- 22

LESSON FIVE: RESTORATION—————————————————————— 27

CONTACT INFORMATION————————————————————————-33

INTRODUCTION

Heads snapped around as uncontrollable soul wrenching anguish poured out of the hunched over man. Many shied away from this overt display of emotion, some watched silently, and some chose to ignore the situation, pretending it didn’t exist. No one knew what had happened, but they could plainly see the results.

The man pressed balled fists against his eyes struggling with the black despair that overwhelmed him. Only a few hours ago he was supremely confident, unmovable in his belief he would never renounce the Messiah or forsake Him. and feeling more than slightly angry when he was quietly told that he would.

“How could this happen?” Peter asked himself. “How could I give in so easy? Why did I run away so fast? I am a failure, a traitor to the cause of Yahweh. I have no future and no hope. I know that He can never use me again after I deserted His son.” The mere thought of his ruined relationship with Yahweh engulfed him in hopeless despair and the uncontrollable sobbing shook his body once again.

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. I’ve been supremely confident, standing firm as a rock assuring the Messiah that I would never waiver; never forsake him, only to find myself lying in a hopeless broken heap. Have you wondered if our Lord could ever use you again, ever forgive you enough to accept you back into his loving arms? I understand, because I have walked in those shoes. We are not alone, Peter felt the same way.

How did Peter go from being supremely confident and standing firm as a rock, to the hopeless shell of a man we find in Matthew 26? These five lessons are designed to help us walk with Peter through his failure and into restoration. All of us have failed. All of us have felt that we could never be useful to God again. Some of us have been vocal about our failure and some of us have cringed at the very thought of our secret being made known. But all of us can stand beside Peter and say, “I relate.” Each lesson will have a one word title designed to portray a particular character trait of Peter. There will be an introduction, study questions, a practical application, and a summary. The ending of Peter’s journey is really just his beginning, and it is the same thing God has in store for us.

NOTE: Each lesson begins and ends with a small story involving a young man named Brent. Brent is a fictional character who is used to portray the real life events of three different individuals. Although the character is fictional the events are true.

LESSON 1

Trust

Introduction

Brent, a member of his university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.), calmly watched as a very scared freshman prepared to die. At least that was the look she gave him as she was hooked up to the rappelling line (rope) on the 35 foot high rappelling tower. Some of the other senior cadets thought Brent’s self-confidence boarded on conceit but with a brand new class of freshmen cadets, the self confidence he exuded was greatly needed on the tower. The unnerved cadet was calmly told to loosen her back hand and press an “L” against the side of the tower. Her hysterical eyes once again met Brent’s, he smiled and reassured her with the words, “Trust the person on the end of the rope, if you start to fall she’ll stop you.” The frightened cadet quickly glanced at the tiny object below, and with dismay looked at him, letting him know that deep within her soul she knew that trusting the speck below made absolutely no sense.

In this lesson, we are going to see that Peter faces the same situation regarding trust. He is going to be asked to do something that makes absolutely no sense.

Before we begin, let’s read these passages to gain an understanding of this event.

Lesson Text: Luke 5:1-11

Background Texts: Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-42

Study Questions

For Question 1, Read John 1:35-42

How do we know Peter meet Jesus before the event in Luke 5:1-11?

For Questions 2-9, Read Luke 5:1-11

Luke records that Jesus sat down in Simon’s boat to teach. Sitting down was a posture taken by masters, or teachers, as they taught. Why was Jesus’ act of sitting important?

In John 1:41 we read how Peter’s brother Andrew, told Peter he had found the Messiah, and then took him to meet Jesus. Time has passed and now Jesus is in Peter’s boat. After He finishes teaching, Christ tells Peter to “…Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter answers “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets.” When the word Master is used as it is in this verse it always indicates a person of high status. Why would believing Christ is a master teacher instead of the Messiah make it difficult for Peter to trust that Jesus knew where the fish were?

Did Peter doubt Jesus? Explain your answer.

Philippians 4:6 reads, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” How is taking our doubts to God in prayer, different from Peter’s response to Christ?

The second part of Luke 5:5 reads “…but I will do as you say and let down the nets.”

Why does Peter’s statement show obedience but not trust?

In verses six and seven we see the result of Peter’s obedience even in the face of doubting Jesus was the Messiah. Verse eight shows us Peter’s response. “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” The Greek word used for Lord in this verse is kyrios. The definition of kyrios is “…supernatural master over all.”^¹

Why did Peter fall down at Jesus’ knees?

How does the use of kyrios show us a shift in Peter’s thinking?

In verse eleven we read, “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” These fishermen walked away from a catch that would have provided them significant income. What is the significance of walking away from this catch of fish?

Practical Application

Think back to a time when trusting God made absolutely no sense. Record your thoughts about what happened. What was the circumstance? What did you do? What was the outcome?

Summary

As the cadet froze on the tower, Brent could see fear pouring out of every fiber of her body. He backed to the edge of the tower, pressed an “L” against its side, looked over and smoothly said, “It’s okay, I’m right beside you.” He explained that he was going to jump away from the tower and let go of the rope with both hands. He also told her to watch the speck at the end of his rope when he jumped. As he let go and jumped back, he yelled “falling.” His tiny speck wrapped itself in the rope, then ran in the opposite direction of the tower. When the cadet looked at Brent he was hanging in mid-air, hands-free, and smiling at her; her body relaxed, and her eyes refocused. Brent locked eyes with her and they slowly walked down the tower together.

Each of us has questioned God, especially when asked to do something that makes absolutely no sense. That’s what Peter did. He questioned Christ, but obeyed Him and then trusted Him. If you are stuck on a tower and afraid to move, don’t be. Christ was there to help a fisherman from Galilee even as he doubted, and He is there for you. Trust Him, just like Peter did. Lock your eyes on Him and let him walk with you the rest of the way down the tower.

LESSON 2

Boldness

Introduction

Trust in God and boldness to God often go hand in hand with each other. Brent trusted the person at the end of the rope to keep him from falling, but his smile at the cadet as he hung in the air suggested a hint of conceit. Brent is a Christian with deep moral beliefs based on Scripture. He trusts God to keep His promise about saving him though the blood of His Son, but Brent doesn’t allow Christ to be involved in every part of his life, so there are times he becomes bold and in word, action, or deed, (sometimes all three at once). Here’s an example:

Brent works as a part-time commissioned sales person an electronic retail store. God has blessed his hard work and he is constantly one of the top three sales persons (including those who are full-time). Lately Brent has felt God calling him to help serve dinner at a homeless shelter. Brent works hard because he passionately believes a Christian should strive to live a debt free life which means he needs to graduate with no student debt. He knows if he commits to helping serve dinner at the homeless shelter he will be forced to give up at least one night of his retail work and will most likely have some educational debt to pay when he graduates. He is convinced that God doesn’t understand what He was asking him to do, so when he prays, he makes sure to tell God how wrong He is. In short, Brent is bold enough to believe he needs to correct God.

Peter did the same thing. In this lesson we are going to see Peter being extremely bold. He will correct Christ (God in living flesh) and tell Him He is wrong about what He is saying.

Before we begin, let’s read these passages to gain an understanding of this event.

Lesson Text: Matthew 16:13-23

Background Texts: Mark 8:27-33; Luke 9:18-27

Study Questions

For Questions 1-3, Read Matthew 16:13-16

Jesus is in the district of Caesarea Philippi and is alone with His disciples. He asks them a simple question “Who do people say I am?” Christ already knew who men thought he was, but by asking this question, he prepares the disciples for a far more important question, “But who do you say that I am?” Up until this time our author (Matthew) has been quietly leading us toward the recognition that Jesus was the Messiah. He has shown us healings and miracles, but now he records this event to bring to the front who Christ is. Why do you think people thought Jesus was John the Baptist; Elijah; or one of the prophets?

When Christ asks His disciples “But who do you say that I am?” he is asking them to voice what he knows they are thinking. Why is it important the disciples hear for the first time that Jesus was not another prophet, but instead was the Messiah?

In verse sixteen, Peter being bold and passionate, declares “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It’s easy for us as Christians to read what Peter said and think “Yup, you got that right. Jesus is the Son of the living God.” But place yourself back into Jesus’ time. Here is a man who is the son of a Jewish carpenter, with radical ideas about religion and how to practice it. If you heard Peter’s declaration what would you think?

For Question 4, Read Matthew 16:17-19

Jesus responds to Peter in verses seventeen through nineteen. Pretend for a minute that you are Peter. How are you feeling after hearing Jesus’ response?

For Question 5, Read Matthew 16:20-21

In verse twenty-one we read that Jesus began to show the disciples what the future held for him. The word show is the Greek word deiknyein which means to “…explain, show the meaning of something” ^² This verb is in the active voice which means the action does not stop but continues. This tells us that from the time Peter made his declaration up to the moment of this event, Jesus continually told his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem, suffer and be killed. If you are a disciple and hear this from the man you know to be the Messiah, the one who is to come and save Israel from its oppression, how do you feel?

For Questions 6-7, Read Matthew 16:22

Peter began to rebuke Jesus. Why would he feel he had the right to rebuke the living God?

How do the words “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” show Peter’s boldness?

For Question 8, Read Matthew 16:23

There are several theological positions concerning Christ’s words “Get me behind me Satan!” One position believes that Peter was being used by Satan and that Christ was rebuking Satan. Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes, in their works on the book of Matthew disagree with this view because the Greek word translated as Satan is typically used to designate an adversary. In short Christ was telling Peter he was an adversary to His (Christ’s) plans. Why would the words Peter spoke be seen as something opposed to Jesus’ plan?

Practical Application

List three times you have told Jesus you knew you were right and He wasn’t.

Explain what happened during one of those times.

Summary

After continually praying about the homeless shelter for three months and reminding God how important it is to live debt free, Brent’s pastor stops by his dorm room and tells him the team that works at the homeless shelter needs someone to help serve dinner twice a week. During the conversation Brent’s pastor lets him know that typically the church does not ask college students to serve at the homeless shelter because of the time commitment, but he firmly believes God wants Brent to be involved. Brent knows God wants him to graduate debt free, yet it is obvious He is asking him to give up two nights of work. Brent is also convinced God sent his pastor to talk to him. That night at work he asks to sit down with his sales manager. He explains that God is calling him to serve dinner at the homeless shelter and needs to have two specific nights off from work. Brent’s manager smiles and tells him that the store firmly believes in reaching out to the community. He also tells Brent the store owners have a policy which allows a commissioned sales person to be paid his average hourly wage while serving as a volunteer in the community. God knew all along where He needed Brent and what the store’s policy was. This was a great lesson in humility for Brent and it can be a great lesson for us. The next time we want to tell God what He needs to do, lets remember this lesson. God is God and we are not.

LESSON 3

Confidence

Introduction

So far in this study we have looked at the character traits of trust (or lack of it) and boldness. In this lesson we are going to look at self-confidence.

Brent likes a lot of the extra curricular activities offered by the R.O.T.C. program and has participated in a few of them, but his deepest passion is for the close order drill team. This is Brent’s senior year and he has been chosen as the commander of the team. The team is preparing for a regional drill meet which he knows they will win (we already know Brent has self-confidence which boarders on conceit). He also knows that when they win they will go to nationals for the first time in school history. The competition focuses on close order drill. Each team has been given a series of commands that the commander needs to commit to memory and then execute during their two minutes of time on the drill field. Brent’s team was small, but he knew he was on equal footing with some nationally known teams and teams from a couple of the military academies. The competition was not about the size of the team, it was about who could best execute the series of commands. Brent’s team had spent hours on the drill field practicing. He had memorized the list of commands until he could recite it backwards and knew deep in his soul that nothing could keep his team from going to nationals. His coach had constantly cautioned him that he would be on a different drill field and there was a chance he would become disoriented. Brent knew his coach was wrong. The team had put in the time, he had memorized the commands, and they were ready. Deep in his soul, Brent knew they were going to win, he had a great team, and they had him. He had an abundance of self-confidence.

As we continue to follow Peter towards the high priest’s house we see another character trait which leads to his failure. Just like Brent believed he knew himself better than his coach, Peter believed that he knew himself better than Christ knew him. He had an abundance of self-confidence.

Before we begin, let’s read these passages to gain an understanding of this event.

Lesson Text: Mark 14:26-31

Background Texts: Matthew 26:30-35; Luke 22:31-38; John 13:34-38; Zechariah 13:7

Study Questions:

For Questions 1-3, Read Mark 14:26-27

Jesus and the disciples have finished their last meal together in the upper room and are now at the Mount of Olives. Jesus turns to them and tell them “…You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.’” Anytime we see a quote capitalized in the New American Standard Bible, after the words “it is written” it means the verse being cited is from the Old Testament. This particular verse is from Zechariah 13:7. It is part of a prophecy regarding the death of Christ. Who is the shepherd in this verse?

Who are the sheep in this verse?

Imagine for a moment that you are one of the eleven standing in the garden with Christ. You have spent the last three years at his side and have faced trail after trail without leaving his side. Now He quotes the prophet Zechariah and lets you know that you are going to fulfill this prophecy. How do you feel?

For Questions 4-7, Read Mark 14:28

After Jesus quotes Zechariah, He tells the disciples two important facts. What are they?
1. He will be ________ _______,
2. He will go ahead of them to _____________.

When Jesus tells his disciples these two things he wants them to know four important facts.

a) He will die, b) He will be buried, c) He will raise from the __________, d) He will meet them in G_____________.

We already know about the resurrection, but the disciples had no clue what was coming. Why do you think Jesus told His disciples He would meet them in Galilee after He rose from the grave?

Jesus’ statement seems to fly right over the heads of the disciples. Why do you think they could not grasp what Christ was saying in this verse?

Although this is a small deviation from our main discussion about Peter and his self-confidence which bordered on conceit, we need to stop and ask ourselves an important question. Why do we often times have a difficulty hearing what Christ says even through He is speaking plainly?

For Question 8, Read Mark 14:29

Peter ignores what Christ has said about meeting them in Galilee and concentrates on the verse quoted from Zechariah. It’s pretty apparent Peter is offended by Christ saying he will be one of the persons who fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7. If we paraphrased what Peter said in verse twenty-nine, it might sound like this, “Hey even though those weaklings over there may fail to stand beside you, you can count on me.” Why would this be considered a statement that shows self-confidence boarding on conceit?

For Question 9, Read Mark 14:30-31

In verse thirty, Christ address Peter directly and tells him, he (Peter) will deny Him (Christ) three times before the rooster crows. The translators of the New American Standard Bible use the words “…kept saying insistently…” to describe Peter’s response to Christ in verse thirty-one. Sometimes its important to know the grammar behind the words so we can understand the full emotions behind the text. The words “kept saying” are from the Greek word elalei. This is a verb and uses the imperfect tense (the action is not completed) with the active voice (the action does not cease). The word insistently could be better translated as “emphatically” and in the Greek it is placed before elalei. To put that in English, Peter emphatically said (and kept on emphatically saying) that he would never deny Christ even if he had to die. Why does Peter’s language show he thought he knew himself better than Christ knew him?

Practical Application

Have there been times when you’ve been confident and thought that you knew yourself better than God knows you and were so confident in yourself you did not hear what God was saying? On a separate piece of paper record one of those experiences and what you learned.

Summary

Three commands into the drill sequence Brent became disoriented and his mind went blank. He moved the team aimlessly around the field giving them random commands for the next two minutes then went through the procedure of formally exiting the drill field. Off the field, he found a private spot, sat down, buried his head in his hands and began to sob from deep within his soul. His coach was right, he knew Brent better than Brent knew himself. He had failed.

Peter experienced the same thing. In the next lesson we are going to look closely at his failure and what it leads to.

LESSON 4

Hopelessness

Introduction

Hopeless and defeat is what Brent felt after his showing on the drill field. It’s what Peter will feel at the end of this lesson. Although he ran away after cutting off Malchus’ ear, Peter is still strongly confident that he will never deny Jesus. He follows the procession to Caiaphas’ house, gains admittance by way of John, then enters the courtyard and warms himself at a charcoal fire (John 18:18). It is at these coals that he meets his ultimate failure and his life will change forever.

In this lesson we are going to see Peter rely on what he thinks is his impressive self-confidence and fail. He ends up sitting on the high priest’s house steps sobbing uncontrollably.

Before we begin, let’s read these passages to gain an understanding of this event.

Lesson Text: John 18:15-27

Background Texts: Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-62

Study Questions: Its been four weeks since the start of this study, let take a small quiz (three questions) over the first three lessons.

List the three characters traits of Peter that the gospel we have looked at up to this point.
1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________

For Questions2-3, Read Mark 14:27-31

Jesus told Peter he would do something before the rooster crowed three times, what was it?

“How did Peter respond to what Jesus said in Mark 14:27; 30?

For Question 4, Read John 18:1-4

Moving forward in time, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prays in anguish over what he knows he must endure in the coming days, then wakes Peter, James and John. Right at that time, Judas shows up with cohort (a cohort was the tenth part of a Roman Legion and numbered between 400 to 600 men), and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. Seeing this great multitude, Jesus went forward to meet them. Think of that for a moment, Jesus know what he is going to endure (remember His prayer he just completed) and instead of running away moves forward to meet a crowd of Roman soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. Why would Jesus move forward instead of running?

For Question5, Read John 18:10-11

Peter true to his word attempts to protect his Lord. He draws a sword, takes a swing, and cuts off Malchus’ ear. Jesus gently rebukes Peter and as Luke tells us in his gospel, heals Malchus’ ear. When Peter pulled a blade and took a swing at Malchus do you think he was angry, passionate, or determined to show he would not deny Christ? Explain your answer.

For Question 6, Read John 18:15-16

In his gospel Mark tells us that once the crowd had seized Jesus all His disciples left him and fled (Mark 14:50). However, Peter did not completely abandon Christ, he followed the crowd at a distance with John. Why would Peter run away, then follow at a distance?

For Question 7, Read Matthew 26:74

Why do you think Peter cursed and swore when earlier he had promised to lay down his life for Christ?

For Question8-9, Read Luke 22:61-62 and Matthew 26:74-75

In Luke’s gospel we read that Jesus turned and looked at Peter after the rooster crowed. Christ saw Peter (along with the other disciples) run away after He was arrested. Christ sees him in the courtyard and hears Peter denying Him with cursing and swearing. Just as Peter is finished cussing and denying Christ, the rooster crows and Jesus looks directly at Peter. Christ has seen and heard everything that Peter has done in the courtyard. If you are Peter and Christ is looking at you after you finished denying him by cursing and swearing, how do you feel?

After the denial, the rooster’s crowing, and Jesus’ look; Matthew and Luke record that Peter wept bitterly. In Greek the word “wept” is in the indicative mood, aorist tense, with an active voice. This means it is a fact that Peter wept, it happened in the past (before Matthew or Luke wrote about it in their gospels) and he did not just shed a tear or two but continued to cry and weep with agony and mental suffering (the word bitterly” means to weep with agony and mental suffering.)⁴ Why would Peter be in such agony over his failure?

Practical Application

The gospel writers show us that the once bold and confident Peter is now filled with hopelessness. Have you ever been extremely confident you would never fail Christ only to end up in experiencing what Peter felt? Please Explain.

Summary

After that experience with the drill team, Brent ran away. He left the drill team, carrying a burden of deep shame and regret. The same type of guilt and shame Peter is carrying with him. Luke records that after the resurrection, Christ appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34). However, there is no written account of what was said. We do know Peter followed Jesus’ command and went back to Galilee but he did not minister. Even after the private meeting with the resurrected Christ, he believed he had failed, and ran back into his old way of life.

LESSON 5

Restoration

Introduction

After his failure, Brent found a ragged peace in going back to those R.O.T.C. activities he was comfortable with before becoming a member of the drill team. He went back to shooting on his university’s rifle team, joined a military fraternity, and hung around the campus building which housed the university’s R.O.T.C. programs. Months passed, then one day Brent heard a familiar sound coming from behind the R.O.T.C. building. He went out a back door and cautiously looked around the corner. What he saw shocked him to the very marrow of his bones.

In this lesson we are going to see Peter has found a ragged peace. He is back in Galilee but is not ministering, instead he is fishing. He sees someone on the shore and responds to what the person shouts, then climbs over the side of the boat and rushes to shore. What Peter finds will change his life forever.

Before we begin, let’s read these passages to gain an understanding of this event.

Lesson Text: John 21:1-17

Background Texts: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 5:4-6 NOTE: In verse one, some translations use the term Sea of Tiberias. The sea of Tiberias is another name for the Sea of Galilee.

Study Questions:

For Questions 1-3, Read John 21:1-3

After Christ appeared to Peter. Peter leaves. Where did he go?

According to John, 21:2 five other disciples are with Peter. In verse three Peter tells them he is going fishing and they say they will come with him. This means over half of the remaining disciples decided to go fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Why do you think they are fishing instead of engaging in ministry?

The six disciples fish all night and catch nothing. They notice a person on the shore watching them but they don’t recognize who it is. The person calls out to them and asks if they have caught anything and they answer back with a disgruntled “No.” The person tells them if they cast their net on the other side of the boat they will find some fish. John (who was one of the disciples fishing), does not record any discussion among the disciples, they just respond by tossing their net on the other side of the boat. I think it is important to note Peter’s response to the person on the shore. He didn’t know who it was, but he does what he is told to do. How does this differ from how he reacted in Luke 5:4-6?

For Questions 4–6, Read John 21:6-11

Once the disciples throw out the net and began to draw it in, they find its so full of fish they can’t pull it to the boat. John immediately knows who the person is on shore and cries out “It is the Lord!” Peter hearing John, puts on his outer garment and makes a passionate charge for Jesus. It’s obvious Peter had an overwhelming desire to meet with Christ. Why would he rush to meet with Christ after he failed and turned back to his old life of fishing?

Verse nine says “So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.” Peter sees the charcoal fire, and he sees Christ looking at him. He remembers the last time he stood at a charcoal fire and Christ looked at him. What do you think is going through Peter’s mind?

Christ tells the disciples to bring some of the fish they just caught. Peter went to the boat and “…drew the net to land.” (V 11) Notice that Peter doesn’t argue about fish already cooking on the fire, he just goes to the boat and draws the net to land. How do Peter’s actions show he has changed from the inside out?

For Question 7-8,Read John 21:12-17

After breakfast, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him three times if he (Peter) loves Him (Christ). A lot of theologians have expressed an abundance of theological thoughts about verses 15-17, and the fact that Jesus asked Peter if he loved him three times. As I’ve studied these verses I have often wondered if Peter was embarrassed because of his past actions. So when Christ asks him if he has a Godly (agape) love for him, Peter mumbles back that he has a brotherly love (phileo) for him. After all how could Peter claim he had a Godly love for Christ when he did what he did at the High Priest’s house? Christ tells him to tend His sheep and then gently asks Peter a second time if he agapes him. I imagine Peter feels the deep guilt and anguish feeding the fire in his burning cheeks. With his failure so clear and fresh in his mind, he mumbles once again “I phileo you.” Christ tells Peter once again to shepherd His sheep. Then as Peter’s anguish comes pouring out of his eyes and his breath catches in his throat, I see Christ gently lifting Peter’s head, gazing into his eyes with all the love, mercy, and compassion that only God can provide, then gently asking a third time if Peter agapes Him. Peter is in great distress, but the love that he has comes pouring out in a passionate outburst. LORD YOU KNOW I AGAPE YOU! I can imagine Christ’s eyes locked onto Peter’s as he breaks into a bright smile, then tells Peter very slowly and clearly “Feed – my – sheep.” What do you think Peter is feeling as Christ with those words restores Peter and tells him to go back to what He (Christ) has called him (Peter) to do?

After this account we never see Peter back at Galilee working as a fisherman. What does Peters restoration show us about our failures and Christ’s acceptance of us after we fail?

Practical Application

Are you in Peter’s position? Have you failed in some area of your life and believe you are no longer able to enter a church, let alone be used by God? Maybe you have never experienced what Peter experienced, but chances are, you know someone who is in Peter’s position. If you can relate to Peter, explain why. If not, explain how you can help someone to accept Christ’s love, mercy and compassion so they can be restored just like Peter.

Summary

Outside on the parking lot, Brent was shocked to find a small unit of cadets trying to perform close order drill. Brent also noticed his old coach was watching them intensely. Brent felt guilty because he had always been too embarrassed to speak with Coach after his failure. He longed for the relationship they used to have and to be honest, he longed to be back on the drill field. Taking a deep breath, he walked over, stood beside Coach and remarked “Those guys are really struggling out there.”

Glancing sideways, Coach firmly replied,“They need a strong commander who can take care of them on and off the field.”

Brent felt his face burning and pushed down the passion that threatened to erupt from him, “Well its not me. The last time I was trusted with leading a drill team, I failed.”

Coach turned and looked directly in Brent’s eyes, “Yes you did fail, but that doesn’t mean you’ll fail again. You’ve learned a lesson since then. Before, you had self-confidence that bordered on conceit, but now I see self-confidence built on humbleness.”

Brent knew his face was bright red, and the passion he tried to keep buried erupted from his mouth, “Those guys trusted me. You trusted me. I failed.”

Coach continued to look into Brent’s eyes, placed both hands on his shoulders, and spoke with sincerity “Don’t worry about the past, let’s move forward from here. I want you to walk onto that field and help those young men.”

With a pounding heart, Brent stepped onto the drill area. When the team saw him they surrounded him, slapping him on the back and excitedly demanding high fives. The young man who had been attempting to call out the drill commands smiled with relief and almost begged Brent to take the team. Brent looked at Coach, then at the team. He gave the command for everyone to move into position then wiped the tears from his eyes. He had been restored.

We have just seen Christ do the same thing with Peter, and He does the same thing with us. When we fail, and run away believing we are of no use to Him, He meets us and restores us. John said it best in his first Epistle, chapter one, verses eight and nine, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us, If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We are restored by the power of Christ’s blood! Let’s never forget that!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Moments With Yahweh

1201 Calvert Street #21901

Lincoln, NE 68542-1901

Phone: 402-613-5826

Email: contacts@mwy4chuck.com Reference: Coals

1 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

2 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

3 Herbert Lockyer, All The Apostles Of The Bible, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), 72.

4 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.