The Danger of Desire: Why Wanting God Isn’t Enough

• The Incarnation and Humanity of Jesus [00:02:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Jesus was fully God and fully man, emphasizing his unity with humanity through his physical growth, emotions, and temptations to show he understands the human condition.
• Peter's Denial and Moral Failure [00:06:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor details the story of Simon Peter, highlighting his close relationship with Jesus, his confident promise of loyalty, and his subsequent threefold denial of Jesus, framing it as a total moral and spiritual failure.
• Human Response to Sin and Shame [00:13:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the natural human reaction to severe failure, which is to flee from God's presence and return to pre-conversion habits, using Peter's return to fishing as the primary example.
• Repentance and Restoration [00:19:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor analyzes Jesus' threefold question 'Do you love me?' as a mechanism for restoring Peter after his denial, emphasizing that God seeks relational repair over mere behavioral correction.
• Divine Initiative vs. Human Failure [00:23:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The speaker contrasts Peter running away from Jesus with Jesus actively chasing Peter, illustrating that God pursues the sinner regardless of their attempts to flee.
• The Nature of True Repentance [00:24:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the only reason to turn from sin is not because sin is unappealing, but because one loves a relationship more than the sin itself.
• Divine Knowledge and Love [00:26:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes Jesus knowing Peter beyond his actions and sin, seeing deep inside his heart.
• Heart vs. Action Congruency [00:26:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the human desire for alignment between internal love for God and external actions, noting that even with failure, the heart's love remains.
• Forgiveness and Second Chances [00:28:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains how Jesus transforms the memory of failure (the charcoal fire) into a symbol of forgiveness and a new beginning.
• The Call to Return [00:27:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor interprets Jesus' command to Peter as a call to 'get back in the game' and not let sin define one's end.

• Sermon Illustration [00:00:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references a 2022 American advertising campaign featuring a relatable, compassionate Jesus to contrast cultural perceptions with the biblical Jesus. He then tells the detailed story of Peter's denial, including the context of the charcoal fire, the relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, and the rooster crowing, to illustrate total moral failure.
• Sermon Illustration [00:14:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Peter returning to his trade as a commercial fisherman after his failure to illustrate how people often flee from God's presence and return to their old lives when overwhelmed by shame.
• Sermon Illustration [00:14:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical narrative of Peter's first call (Luke 5) and his restoration (John 21), highlighting the parallel of fishing all night with no catch, the miraculous catch of fish, and the specific detail of the charcoal fire which served as a vivid reminder of Peter's denial.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy is used to describe the state of wanting God without true relational commitment: 'It's like saying, sure, I want to be married, but you still are dating around.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:28:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical story of Peter's restoration by Jesus, highlighting how Jesus reminded Peter of the initial call 'Follow me' and transformed the charcoal fire from a symbol of failure into one of forgiveness.

• Pastoral Charge [00:27:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Cease fleeing from God's presence due to shame or failure.
• Pastoral Charge [00:27:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > Return to active participation in spiritual life and service.
• Pastoral Charge [00:27:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > Return to spiritual service and stop avoiding God
• Pastoral Charge [00:29:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > Seek a relationship with God

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:00] He gets the pressure, the heartbreak, the doubts we hide, and the battles we face.
[00:00:06] Through powerful moments from the life of Jesus, we'll discover someone who meets us where we are, with empathy, compassion, and understanding. Because no matter your story, He gets us.

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:23] Welcome to MEX Online Campus. You know, in 2022, there was a major, ongoing, American advertising campaign launched that took a lot of people by surprise.
[00:00:36] With multi-million dollar Super Bowl ads, it didn't push soft drinks or cars or insurance policies or weight loss drugs. Instead, it introduced people to Jesus. A Jesus who was relatable and compassionate and loving. A Jesus who, in the immortal words of the campaign,
[00:00:58] gets us. Here's a taste of a few of their spots. Don't cry, but don't be silent. Don't mess up,

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:01:16] but don't make a scene. Don't try to be a hero. Don't get your hopes up. Don't make problems.
[00:01:20] Don't forget to plan. Don't get carried away. And don't you dare let us down.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:01:39] Well, those are good. They're slick. They're well-produced. But is that the Jesus of the Bible?
[00:02:22] a Jesus who gets us, who understands us, who can relate to us?
[00:02:28] Oh, the answer is yes.
[00:02:30] A thousand times yes, more than you may have ever imagined.
[00:02:34] Here's what you need to know about Jesus.
[00:02:36] Here's a quick little theological primer that may open your eyes a bit.
[00:02:40] Jesus was fully God and fully man.
[00:02:44] The God-man.
[00:02:46] That's the meaning of what theologians call the incarnation, that Jesus was God incarnate in human form.
[00:02:53] The whole point of the incarnation was to identify with the human condition in such a way as to save it.
[00:03:00] That's why Jesus' favorite term for himself, if you've ever read any of the biographies in the Bible, was Son of Man.
[00:03:06] Son of God expressed his divinity.
[00:03:08] Son of Man expressed his humanity.
[00:03:10] But he liked Son of Man most of all, using the term for himself more than any other because it emphasized time and again his unity with humanity.
[00:03:19] that he really does get us, which means that he experienced everything we do, felt everything we do.
[00:03:27] For example, we're told that he had a fully human body along with a fully human nature.
[00:03:34] And talking about his childhood, it says, and let me read this, and Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit.
[00:03:42] In other words, developmentally, just like us.
[00:03:45] We're told that he experienced hunger when he fasted.
[00:03:48] He experienced thirst when he died.
[00:03:50] We're told that the spear brought forth blood.
[00:03:53] He was in fully human form.
[00:03:56] He was also human psychologically.
[00:03:57] He thought, he reasoned, he felt.
[00:04:01] We are told in the biographies of Jesus in the Bible that he had compassion and pity, was angry, troubled, indignant, grieved, even astonished when he encountered people, for example, with strong faith. We are told of his love for people and his close friendships
[00:04:18] with people. For example, Jesus pulled Peter, James, and John off to the side to be with him at spiritually important times and as well as at his most difficult times. One of those men, John, the cousin of Jesus, was particularly close to Jesus, even called the one he loved above all
[00:04:37] or was closest to above all. And then there was three people, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, three siblings that Jesus visited time and again. The Bible tells us he loved them and he seemed to purposefully orient all of his travel plans in order to stay at their house. Their home was just
[00:04:54] like a happy place for him. When Lazarus died, we have a scene of the deep grief of Jesus that he wept. In fact, his grief was so intense that the term used in the original Greek was a term used
[00:05:07] for the snorting of horses, like the grief of Jesus was like a heaving, a doubling over, uncontrollable sobbing. And then there is the passage where we're told that he was also tempted just like we are. Let me read how that's talked about at length in the Bible in the New Testament
[00:05:25] book of Hebrews. It says, since we are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue us. It was for people like us. That's why he had to
[00:05:38] enter into every detail of human life. Then he would have already experienced it all himself, all the pain, all the testing, and would be able to help where help was needed. And then he adds
[00:05:48] this, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin.
[00:06:01] So today, we're going to start a series I'm really excited about and looking forward to diving into just how much Jesus gets us, just how much he gets us and how he responds to getting us.
[00:06:13] And I think by the time we're done, you'll never think about Jesus the same ever again, not to mention your relationship with him.
[00:06:19] So let's get started with the first of our pictures.
[00:06:21] And each one of these pictures is going to be very, very different.
[00:06:24] But this first picture is of Jesus getting us when we are utter moral failures.
[00:06:31] And it revolves around a man named Simon.
[00:06:34] Simon had been personally called by Jesus to come and follow him, and he had.
[00:06:40] In fact, Simon spent three years with Jesus by his side.
[00:06:44] He was listening.
[00:06:45] He was learning from his teaching.
[00:06:46] He was witnessing his miracles.
[00:06:48] He was watching every move Jesus made.
[00:06:50] He was being personally mentored by Jesus, personally molded and developed for a life of impact and significance and leadership.
[00:06:58] Over the course of those three years, Simon became one of the most intimate and trusted of all of the disciples of Jesus.
[00:07:05] When you analyze, again, the New Testament biographies of his life, out of the many thousands who flocked to hear him teach, you find that he selected 120 to pour into.
[00:07:15] And then out of the 120, Jesus chose 70 to go even deeper with.
[00:07:19] and out of the 70, he chose 12. Simon was one of the 12. And even among the 12 disciples handpicked by Jesus, I mentioned there were three, they were consistently chosen by Jesus to be with him at
[00:07:32] pivotal events, his inner circle, if you will. And those three were James, John, and Simon.
[00:07:39] You say, wait a minute, I thought the third was Peter. He was. Before he was Peter, he was Simon.
[00:07:46] You see, Jesus was so impressed with Simon and had such vision for his life that he even gave him a new name.
[00:07:55] It had been Simon, but Jesus said, you are now Peter, which is a word that meant the rock.
[00:08:02] As if Jesus was saying, I can build on you and I want to build on you.
[00:08:10] Even on the last night that he would ever spend with Jesus, Jesus pulled Peter off to the side and told him exactly what was going to happen.
[00:08:17] that he was going to be betrayed, that he was going to be turned over to the authorities, that he was going to be crucified, that on the third day that he would rise again, just like he had been telling him all along.
[00:08:26] He told Peter not to lose faith.
[00:08:29] He told Peter to take heart, that as all those events began to unfold, he told him to stand strong, that the others would need his leadership and his courage and his strength.
[00:08:39] And Peter, like any of us probably would have, looked Jesus in the eye and said, You can count on me. I will never let you down.
[00:08:46] Others might let you down.
[00:08:48] I will not.
[00:08:49] I am your man.
[00:08:50] I am your rock.
[00:08:52] I would lay down my life for you.
[00:08:56] And then Jesus looked Peter in the eye and he said, what if I told you that before the dawn comes, before the dawn comes, before the rooster crows in the morning, you'll deny that you even know me and you're not going to do it just once or twice.
[00:09:16] You can do it three times.
[00:09:21] And Peter, Jesus said, this is going to happen in just the next few hours.
[00:09:28] Peter was devastated.
[00:09:32] Stunned is not even strong enough.
[00:09:34] You can imagine it resolved even deeper in his heart that no matter what Jesus said, it's not going to happen.
[00:09:40] I will not let that happen.
[00:09:41] I will not turn away.
[00:09:42] He'll show Jesus just how faithful he could be.
[00:09:44] Then in a landslide of events that unfolded with blinding intensity and speed, Jesus was betrayed.
[00:09:52] He was arrested. He was taken to the authorities. Here's what happened next.
[00:09:58] Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest's courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the
[00:10:11] disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, you're not one of that man's disciples, are you? No, no, no, no, he said, I'm not. Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards
[00:10:27] had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it warming themselves and Peter stood with them warming himself. As Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, you're not one of his disciples, are you? He denied it saying, no, I'm not. But one of the household
[00:10:48] slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. Okay, wait a minute, quick stop there. In case you're not familiar with what that was about, when the soldiers came
[00:10:59] to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, Peter immediately took out a sword. He'd been carrying a sword to defend Jesus, and he cut the ear off one of the men. Jesus told him to stop
[00:11:11] and to put away his sword, and then Jesus picked up the man's ear and healed it right then and there. Get back to the fire. A relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off asked,
[00:11:23] didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus? And again, Peter denied it and immediately a rooster crowed. Epic fail. No matter what you may have done, no matter what you may
[00:11:41] have experienced, I personally can't imagine a more total and complete personal, moral, relational failure than that. I mean, this was a complete spiritual breakdown. Everything that his life had been about, everything that he committed himself to, pledged himself to,
[00:11:53] was renounced in a single night, and not just once, but three times. Some rock.
[00:12:03] Have you ever done anything that you knew was wrong, that you knew you should not have done, even vowed you wouldn't do it, and then did it? It's one of the sickest feelings in human existence,
[00:12:18] and Peter felt it. He had totally, utterly screwed up, had dropped about as far off of God's dream team as anybody could. Well, everything else that Jesus said would happen began to happen too. He was crucified. He was buried. On the third day, the stone had been
[00:12:36] rolled away. The body was gone. And then word began trickling out from people that were starting to see Jesus alive and well and just imagine how all that affected Peter. What would happen when he saw Jesus now? He knew exactly what he deserved if he came face to face with him. I mean, it was
[00:12:55] his worst nightmare. He knew he deserved utter, complete rejection and condemnation, but he also knew what he longed for, that somehow, some way he could be forgiven, that just somehow, some way he could still be accepted and even loved, that there would be a second chance.
[00:13:11] That maybe, just maybe, Jesus would know what it was like around that fire, the fear, the anxiety, the impulses that took over that, yes, he said it, but he didn't mean it.
[00:13:24] Yes, he did it, but he wished he hadn't.
[00:13:27] But then he probably thought to himself, but there's just no way.
[00:13:30] I didn't just sleep around in all the wrong beds.
[00:13:33] I didn't just get drunk.
[00:13:34] I didn't just kill somebody, even murder wouldn't be as bad as what I did.
[00:13:39] I denied Jesus, even after he told me on the front end, don't do it.
[00:13:46] And I did it over and over again.
[00:13:52] So what did Peter do?
[00:13:53] Well, he did what a lot of us would have done, I think.
[00:13:55] I could see myself doing this.
[00:13:57] When you epically fail and you feel like you've burned a bridge and you don't feel like you can look God in the eye, what do you do?
[00:14:05] You get away from God's eye.
[00:14:07] You run as far away from him as you can.
[00:14:10] You flee not only the scene of the crime, but you flee the source of the conviction.
[00:14:14] You get as far from Jesus as you can.
[00:14:16] You go back to the life you were living before God, the friends you had before God.
[00:14:22] Jesus was through with him, so now he knew that he was going to have to be through.
[00:14:26] Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to have to be through with Jesus.
[00:14:29] So according to the Bible, Peter went back to what he was doing before he even met Jesus, which was fishing. That's what Peter was by trade. He was a commercial fisherman that would meet his living. And that's exactly what he was doing when he first met Jesus. He had just come
[00:14:45] off a night of fishing. It was an interesting first meeting. Peter was fishing. He wasn't catching anything. And he was a professional fisherman who knew exactly what to do, where to go. It was just a bad day or actually a bad night. You'd go out and fish all night, just like boats
[00:15:03] do today in order to have the catch ready for the market at the start of the day in the morning.
[00:15:09] At the end of this very bad, terrible, horrible, no good night, as the day began and they were putting away their nets, he's introduced to Jesus, who all Peter knew was just some wandering religious prophet he'd heard about. That's about it. Peter didn't have time for wandering prophets.
[00:15:26] He was a blue-collar, dock-working, profanity-spewing, earthy guy and didn't really go for religious stuff.
[00:15:35] But he was respectful to Jesus, shook his hand, looked him in the eye.
[00:15:40] Then Jesus looked at his empty boat and said, how was the fishing last night?
[00:15:45] Peter said, well, as you can see, not very good.
[00:15:48] Then Jesus said, well, why not take me out with you?
[00:15:52] Now, Peter was seasoned at his trade.
[00:15:54] He'd been out all night.
[00:15:56] He was tired.
[00:15:57] He was ready for a cold one, multiple cold ones.
[00:16:02] Here's this religious guy.
[00:16:03] He wants him to get back out on the boat, taking him with him and trying.
[00:16:08] There was no point.
[00:16:10] He tried to tell Jesus that, but all Jesus said, let's try again.
[00:16:15] This time, let's just go way out.
[00:16:18] For whatever reason, Peter humored him.
[00:16:20] And when they did get way out, Jesus said, why don't you throw your nets here?
[00:16:31] Peter did.
[00:16:32] and instantly the nets couldn't even hold all of the fish that were in there.
[00:16:38] Peter's first reaction was to be terrified.
[00:16:40] I mean, just suddenly he knew he was in the presence of someone or something not of this world because there was no explanation for this.
[00:16:47] And all he found himself saying was, go away from me, really.
[00:16:49] I mean, you have no idea what kind of man I am, and I don't need to be around you, and you don't need to be around me.
[00:16:56] And while it was true, Peter was, like all of us, a moral failure and a man of habitual premeditated sin, Jesus did not go away.
[00:17:05] Jesus simply said, Peter, you're exactly the kind of man I'm looking for.
[00:17:09] I want you to follow me.
[00:17:12] Peter did.
[00:17:14] Now fast forward to the present.
[00:17:16] Peter had abandoned Jesus.
[00:17:17] He knew that Jesus would never want anything else to do with him, so he went back to what he knew, fishing.
[00:17:23] And some of the other disciples went along with him, probably hoping they could bring him back to his senses.
[00:17:29] Well, let's read what happened next.
[00:17:31] So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
[00:17:36] At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was.
[00:17:40] He called out, fellas, have you caught any fish?
[00:17:44] No, they replied.
[00:17:46] They said, well, throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat.
[00:17:50] You'll get some.
[00:17:51] So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
[00:17:58] Then John said to Peter, it's the Lord.
[00:18:01] When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he jumped into the water and headed to shore.
[00:18:06] The other stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about 100 yards from shore.
[00:18:13] When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them.
[00:18:17] Fish cooking over a charcoal fire and some bread.
[00:18:22] Okay, pause button.
[00:18:24] Did you catch that it was almost an exact repeat of the first time Jesus and Peter ever met?
[00:18:32] Peter out fishing, not catching anything.
[00:18:35] The stranger comes and says, catch anything?
[00:18:37] No.
[00:18:38] Okay.
[00:18:38] Try again with me telling you where to put the net.
[00:18:42] Peter does.
[00:18:43] A miracle occurs.
[00:18:45] The net becomes filled with fish just like before.
[00:18:48] Was Jesus saying that there could be a second new beginning?
[00:18:55] Jesus had already reached out and touched his life once.
[00:18:57] Could Jesus want anything to do with him now?
[00:19:00] And then when he got to Jesus, did you notice what was going on there?
[00:19:05] This is interesting.
[00:19:07] Jesus was standing around, it's very specific, a charcoal fire.
[00:19:13] Same kind of fire.
[00:19:15] Peter had stood around when he had denied Jesus.
[00:19:19] Most vivid reminder imaginable of Peter's failure.
[00:19:23] It's like Jesus was saying, not only am I going to call you back to where all this started between us, but I'm going to call you back to where you failed.
[00:19:35] Well, let's keep reading.
[00:19:37] After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
[00:19:44] Yes, Lord, Peter replied, you know I love you.
[00:19:47] Then feed my lambs, Jesus told him.
[00:19:51] Jesus repeated the question, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
[00:19:56] Yes, Lord, Peter said, you know I love you.
[00:20:00] Then take care of my sheep, Jesus said.
[00:20:04] A third time he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
[00:20:11] Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time.
[00:20:13] He said, Lord, you know everything.
[00:20:15] You know I love you, Jesus said.
[00:20:19] Then feed my sheep.
[00:20:21] Then Jesus told him, follow me.
[00:20:26] Okay, that's a conversation.
[00:20:30] First, did you notice how Jesus addressed Peter?
[00:20:32] So much about this is just worth noticing.
[00:20:34] He didn't address him as Peter.
[00:20:36] He didn't call him Peter.
[00:20:36] He went way back, didn't he?
[00:20:38] He called him Simon.
[00:20:40] It was formal, solemn, intensely serious.
[00:20:43] And what was it that was so serious to Jesus?
[00:20:48] Four words.
[00:20:50] Do you love me?
[00:20:52] Interesting question.
[00:20:54] Do you love me?
[00:20:55] Not, what were you thinking?
[00:20:57] Or not, are you sorry for what you've done?
[00:21:00] Or do you promise this will never happen again?
[00:21:02] No.
[00:21:03] Do you love me?
[00:21:06] Was that what you would have expected Jesus to ask him?
[00:21:10] Or might he ever ask you?
[00:21:13] That the thing that would most burn in his heart toward you after an epic fail would be, do you love me?
[00:21:21] And reflecting on this passage, New Testament scholar Murray Harris writes, of course Jesus asked that.
[00:21:27] First things first.
[00:21:31] You see, when we sin, and let's call it what it is, sin, it's our betrayal of God. It's our disowning of God. It's spiritual adultery. Jesus didn't call him Peter because the question was whether Simon wanted to be Peter, wanted to be a rock for Jesus.
[00:21:46] You see, we're the ones who turn away, not God. We're the ones who consciously and unashamedly pursue things. So do you hear what Jesus was after? Again, first things first. Before we even talk about what happened, before we even talk about how you've been living, do you want to be
[00:22:04] in a relationship with me? You see, God loves us. No matter how much failure we bring to the table, the real issue is whether we love him. That's what comes first. Think about that for your life.
[00:22:21] Do you think Jesus is more interested in your train wrecks than your heart? If you do, you're wrong. We think he's focused on our shame because that's what we're focused on. While you're focused on your shame, God is focused on your name. Do you want to go back to being Simon or do you want to
[00:22:42] move forward and be Peter? He's far more interested in your heart. His biggest concern, no matter what you've done with your life, is are we going to be in a relationship? Do you want to be in a
[00:22:57] relationship. There's nothing you can do to make me love you more and nothing you can do to make me love you less. But do you want to love me? Jesus is wanting Peter to know that God is a God
[00:23:10] not only of the second chance, but the third and the fourth and the 104th chance. God wants to forgive us. He wants to restore us. He wants to be close to us and accept us beginning right where
[00:23:22] we are, failure and all, but do we want to be close to God? That's why he went to Peter. He was the one who chased Peter down. Peter ran away. Jesus ran after him, and he's chasing you now. He's chasing
[00:23:37] you, and he wants to offer you the same thing, standing around whatever fire you built that you stood around that he needs to, only this time instead of failure, having that fire represent forgiveness. But his question is going to be whether you want to be forgiven. You're thinking,
[00:24:00] well, of course I do. Who wouldn't want that? Okay, be careful. You can want to know about God.
[00:24:09] You can want to talk about God. You can want to think about God. You can even want to do some things for God and be miles away from really wanting to love him. Meaning not wanting to
[00:24:25] really deal with the relational repair necessary to deal with the sin or turn away from your sin or own your sin and come to God with your sin with a heart that is tender, a heart that wants
[00:24:38] to be restored. It's like saying, sure, I want to be married, but you still are dating around.
[00:24:45] There's only one reason why anyone would ever want to turn from sin.
[00:24:50] You know what that is, right?
[00:24:52] It's not because sin isn't appealing.
[00:24:54] It's very appealing.
[00:24:56] It's not because sin doesn't have moments of pleasure.
[00:24:58] Oh, it does.
[00:25:00] It's not because sin is a hard road to travel.
[00:25:02] It's not.
[00:25:02] It's actually the easy road to travel.
[00:25:04] There's only one reason anyone would want to turn from sin, and it's because you love something more than the sin.
[00:25:13] You love a relationship that the sin affects negatively.
[00:25:20] You really want the marriage.
[00:25:23] So Jesus asked him that same question, do you love me?
[00:25:27] And then he asked it again.
[00:25:29] And then he asked it a third time.
[00:25:31] He knew what he was doing, right?
[00:25:33] Three times Peter had stood around a fire and denied Jesus.
[00:25:37] Three times Jesus asked Peter to stand around a fire and do the opposite.
[00:25:42] And he wanted Peter to make the connection.
[00:25:45] And on the third question, we became so clear what was going on.
[00:25:48] It grieved Peter, as well it should have, so much so that Peter changed his answer.
[00:25:54] He didn't say, well, of course I love you.
[00:25:56] The final answer was different because he couldn't really say that, could he?
[00:26:01] Because there was nothing obvious about the actions of the last handful of hours that demonstrated love.
[00:26:08] He had just betrayed Jesus three straight times.
[00:26:11] He had shown anything but love.
[00:26:14] So what did he say?
[00:26:14] it was the only thing he could fall back on. You know that I love you. You know that I love you.
[00:26:27] It was all Peter had. All Peter had was that somehow, someway, Jesus got him. Jesus, he said, you know me. You know everything about me. You know me beyond my actions. You know me beyond my sin.
[00:26:42] You know what's deep inside. You got to know that I love you. And Peter did love Jesus. He failed spectacularly, but there was no failure about where his heart was toward God. And that's the
[00:26:54] way it is with a lot of us, isn't it? We wish there was more congruency between our heart and our actions. But if someone could just see deep inside our heart, wouldn't there be that flicker
[00:27:05] of love for God that never was extinguished, never went away, didn't go anywhere? So he said, listen, Jesus, we both know what I did, but you got to know my heart. You have to know. I'm begging
[00:27:20] you to know that I love you. Tell me that you get me, please. And how did Jesus respond? I get you, Peter, even more than you realize. So here's what I want to say to you because of all that I do
[00:27:39] get. If you love me, and I know you do, what are you doing out here? Get back in the game.
[00:27:50] Don't let your sin be the last word. Stop running from me. And then came his final words that Peter heard first three years earlier. Follow me. And there it was. The very words that Jesus had told him at the start of their relationship, the ones that made Peter drop his
[00:28:10] nets and start doing life with Jesus at the first. Jesus said them again, and suddenly the charcoal fire that had only represented failure now represented something brand new, forgiveness and a second chance. And this obviously isn't just a Peter deal. He gets you too. God offers
[00:28:31] complete, total forgiveness to anyone who wants it. He comes bringing second chances and new beginnings. He'll stand around any fire you've built and change it from failure to fresh start.
[00:28:47] That doesn't mean you ignore the lessons that should be learned from epic fails or that sometimes the consequences of our choices don't linger or that our sins are something that God takes lightly. What it means is that sin doesn't have to end your life. It doesn't have to be the final
[00:29:03] word. It doesn't have to be the final verdict. It all depends on one thing, how you answer the question of a God who gets you. And that question is, do you love me? He gets you. Do you want
[00:29:22] to get him? Okay. Let's just consider this an opening story. There's so much more that God wants to say through Jesus about you and your life and his way of understanding you. But until then,
[00:29:43] let me pray for us. Father, thank you for knowing us even before we began to know ourselves and knowing us better than we know ourselves. Thank you for knowing our hearts even when we fill them with darkness and we turn from you. You see all that's there. You see what we hope you see.
[00:30:07] So many of us want to say that we love you.
[00:30:10] Thank you for hearing that answer offered in the midst of our brokenness.
[00:30:15] And that's the point.
[00:30:16] You get our brokenness.
[00:30:19] Thank you.
[00:30:21] We pray this to you.
[00:30:23] Because of that, we can pray to you.
[00:30:27] In the name of Jesus.
[00:30:29] Amen.