“Commitment Issues”
John 18:15-18; 25-27
All of us have at least one. All of us have at least one sound; one noise that really annoys us. For some it is the sound of the dentist drilling in your mouth, for others it may be the sound of screeching tires on pavement or perhaps when kids used to rub their fingernails across the chalkboard. But it’s not always the sound that really bothers us. It is often the memories that go with it. If you have ever been in an accident, you know what happens when you hear screeching tires. Clench up. And when you hear it you know something painful is about to happen.
For Peter it was the crowing of a rooster. If you grew up on a farm it would be a signal to get up and start your day. But not for Peter. Jesus told Peter that before the rooster would crow three times that he would deny Jesus three times and he did. These were his words:
• woman, I don’t know him
• man, I am not one of them
• I don’t know what you’re talking about
And I figure that every time after that, when Peter would hear a rooster crow, he would clench up-it was painful. Because it reminded him of the day he denied Jesus. One, two, three times.
We can honestly say that Peter had commitment issues. We know what he was like. We know Peter because he stepped out of the boat and when the waves came up around him, he began to sink any lost faith... We know Peter was quick to react-on one occasion he cut off a man’s ear. We know Peter because we all have one friend like this in our lives. They are good friend when things are going well-but when things get off-they are nowhere to be found. When Peter stepped out and walked on the water we often forget to mention that at first Peter didn’t trust in/believe in Jesus. Peter said, Lord if that’s you... If that’s really you... Stand there while I come out on the water. Jesus basically says, come on. And Peter does. And then he sinks. He sinks because he has doubts. He doubted Jesus and he doubts himself.
Now here is a theological question for you. Did Jesus and know how all of this was going to turn out? Did he know Peter was going to sink that day? Do you know Peter would deny him three times? I think so. And so from the very beginning, Jesus is trying/working to create something new in Peter and he is doing the same for you. Jesus knew Peter would sink; he knew Peter would deny that he even knew him. Jesus knew Peter would fail but he also knew something else... And here it is.
Our failures are not final. Jesus looked at Peter and saw his future, not his failures. Most of us, if we are honest can actually identify with him. We can relate to him.
• Because too many of us act before we think
• we speak before we think
• we trust ourselves but we don’t trust others
• we speak up but for all the wrong reasons
We relate to Peter because we really, really want to be like Jesus but when it comes down to the bottom line---when it comes down to making that commitment, we deny him, we sink; we have more words than we have actions. In short, we have commitment issues. When it comes time to pull the trigger, to cross the line, to step up to the plate, we sink. Up to this point, Peter had been walking with Jesus for about three years. He followed him everywhere. He was there when Jesus change the water to wine. He was there when Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. The Bible tells us that one time-after the resurrection, that seven of the disciples were together fishing. They had fished all night and had caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus saw them out on the lake and he called out to them... Hey guys, didn’t you catch anything? Somebody always has to pointed out.
He says, throw your net over on the other side of the boat and you’ll catch some fish. So they did and sure enough they caught so many they were unable call them all in. And the Bible says there were all large fish—these were keepers—there were so many they counted them--153 fish. Peter personally witnessed all of these miracles but yet when it came right down to it, when someone said to him, aren’t you the one I saw with Jesus? He said, I am not. Not me. I don’t know him.
For three years walking with Jesus, hearing his teachings, seeing the difference Jesus made in one life after another, it’s hard to imagine what he must’ve felt on the day Jesus was crucified. Difficult would not begin to describe his emotions. His hope snatched away. Plans torn apart. Suddenly everything must have seemed out of control. If words could somehow sum up what Peter and the others felt that day, it might sound very much like this...
• Well guys, we lost
• we gave up her families
• Jesus is gone now
• it feels like we lost
Verse 10. Tells us that Peter fought for Jesus. He cut off the year of a man named Malchus. Then in verse 15 Peter, along with the others began to follow Jesus. Knowing that the Jews felt that “one man should die for the people” Still they followed. Knowing there was a real possibility that Jesus could be killed, and them as well, they still stood with him. But in verse 17 when the servant girl, who was keeping watch when Peter arrived at the door... She recognized him as having been with Jesus. Peter said, no not me. You got the wrong guy. We struggle with commitment don’t we? We have good intentions but when it comes down to signing on the dotted line we get cold feet.
There’s a thing called buyer’s remorse. I’ve had it before. I could be purchasing something and then get almost to the register with it and then decide, nope, not today. You’ve probably experienced it before as well. You way all the pros and cons and then you finally go for it then you regret it.
It is said that the reason many people have buyer’s remorse is directly related to the cost. I read recently that the average home buyer looks for 10 weeks before making a purchase. And after viewing hundreds of homes on the Internet and seeing at least 40 homes in person, many still have doubts. The more you are involved-the more remorse you can have. The bigger the commitment, the more it weighs on you. There are two things I would say about that related to our commitment to Christ.
(1) We should give heavy consideration to any major commitment we make in life. In financial decisions, credit cards have gotten plenty of people in trouble because frankly, it’s just too easy to plop down your Visa card or your Discover card. Then a month later you get a bill and you discover just how much you actually owe.
(2) When we are contemplating a commitment to Christ we should never make that decision in a casual manner. There is a prayer we often pray that we call the sinners prayer. The person praying the prayer is asked to pray something like this... Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins. Today, I trust you as my Lord and Savior. I give my life to you. In Jesus name. There have been thousands of people who have prayed that prayer and have been saved. But I have never met one person who has regretted it. Not one who said, wish I hadn’t done that... What was I thinking?? But here’s the thing-it is not those words that will save you. In fact you could say those words without truly making any commitment and all in your heart. You could say them without meaning them. Because the power is not in those words; the power is actually found in two places.
(1) There is power in the blood of Jesus to save us. And it is only through the blood of Jesus that we can be saved.
(2) There is power in the commitment we make; we make it from the heart. When it is genuine. The Bible says that the Lord does not look at the things others look at. People look at the outer appearance... The Lord looks at the heart.
This is what it takes to be saved... Two things... The blood of Jesus and a heart that is filled with remorse. A heart that is remorseful over their past. You see God can’t save you if your heart is cold or stubborn. More than anything God looks at the heart. Our motives. We read his word, he works on our heart to soften it, to cleanse it, to make us more like him. More than anything he looks at our heart.
You see Jesus is the only one who can take care of our sin problem. The Bible says that we were born with a sinful nature. David said, surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceive me. As a result we need a Savior. Because all of us are sinners. Romans 3:23. The Bible says, no one is righteous, no not one. Couldn’t be more clear. Then the Bible tells us there is a price, a consequence that must be paid for sin and the consequence his death. Romans 6:23. Fortunately for you and me Jesus stepped up and paid that debt. Romans 5:8. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Salvation is ours if we will confess and believe. Romans 10:9-10 and 13. Doubt can be very difficult to deal with. Commitments can be hard to keep. They were for Peter. They are for me and I am sure they are for you as well. We wonder what people think; we wonder if we change if people will actually believe we have changed. They may doubt your decision. They may even put you down for making it. But this is what the Bible says... Romans 8:1.
