“THE BEAUTY OF RESTORATION” John 21:15-19
FBCF – 4/26/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Restoration shows are popular on TV these days. Just on HGTV:
- A Very Brady Renovation
- American Rehab (Buffalo, Detroit, Virginia)
- Beach Flip
- Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation
- Brother vs. Brother
- Carolina Reno
- Curb Appeal
- Extreme Makeover
- Fixer Upper
- Flip or Flop (Atlanta, Ft. Worth, Nashville, Vegas)
- Good Bones
- Home Town
- I Hate My Bath – I Hate My Kitchen
- Love It or List It
- Property Brothers
Lots of renovations & restorations going on during this pandemic. Hardware stores & home improvement stores busy these days. Saw a post on FB: “Church notice: Since 500 people can be in Home Depot at one time, today’s service will be held in plumbing!”
Right here in Flora, there are people everywhere who are busy working, building, rebuilding, restoring, refreshing, renovating, & fixing all sorts of homes, building, fences, yards, landscapes, etc.
There’s just something about seeing something that was in need of repair, worn out, & broken down restored to new life & new usefulness. That’s why all those HGTV shows are so popular. That’s why they always cut to a commercial right before they do the big reveal to show the homeowners & the viewers the finished restoration project.
But, even more exciting than seeing a home restored is seeing a life restored – a life in need of repair – a life that is worn out – a life that is broken down.
- We’ve all been there & will be there again at some point in our lives.
- We’ve all found ourselves in need of repair & restoration.
And the Good News for today is that restoration can happen in your life & in mine. Jesus is the Life Restoration Expert. It’s something that He wants to do in us. It’s something that He will do in us. And it’s a beautiful thing when He does it in us. Whether you’re saved or lost, Jesus will restore you.
- Paul David Tripp – “The coming of the Prince of Peace is a promise that everything that is damaged by sin will be restored.”
- John MacArthur – “The glorious good news of the Gospel is that the sin-devastated relationship between lost sinners & the holy God can be restored.”
- Jerry Bridges – “Even when God deems it necessary to discipline us for persistent disobedience, He always does so out of love to restore us to the way of obedience.”
Today’s sermon is a story of the restoration of someone who had blown it big time. That’s why the title is, “The Beauty of Restoration.”
EXPLANATION – Open Bibles to John 21:15-19.
Let’s take a 3-part look at Peter’s life during the time that Jesus was w/ him.
THE RISE – Peter was a fisherman when he met Jesus – Matt. 4:18-20 - 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. (NIV)
From that moment forward, Peter began a journey that would change his life forever. And it’s obvious that he had a very close relationship w/ Jesus b/c when we look at the Gospels, we see the different size groups that Jesus related to & w/ whom He interacted:
- The multitudes
- Sent out the 72 – Luke 10:1-2 – “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (NIV)
- The 12 disciples
- Peter, James, & John
- John, the beloved disciple
Peter’s zeal for the Lord Jesus & his passion for following Him was evident throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. Think about some of the things for which he’s most well-known:
- Usually the spokesman for the disciples
- Part of Jesus’ inner circle who got to witness the Transfiguration of Jesus
- Was the disciple who answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” when Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I am?” – That’s when Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter, which means “Rock.”
- Walking on water
- Cutting off ear of servant, Malchus, in Garden of Gethsemane
THE WRECK – Unfortunately, Peter is also well-known – maybe most-known – for his 3-time denial of Jesus. All 4 of the Gospels tell about it.
Why would the chief of the disciples fail Jesus like this & have such a horrible wreck in his spiritual life? 2 reasons: weakness & fear.
In the most intense moment in his life when he needed to be praying for the strength to stand, his weakness & human frailty took over. He fell asleep & fell spiritually.
In the most intense moment in his life when he needed to be courageous, his human fear took over.
THE RESTORATION – Which is where we are this morning:
APPLICATION – If you will come to Jesus, He will restore your life, no matter what condition it’s in.
THE QUESTIONS – 3 questions
- 2 times – agapao
- Last time - phileo
THE ANSWERS – 3 answers
- All 3 times, Peter said, “I phileo you”
- Last time – “grieved” – Jesus’ last question caused Peter to be grieved – distressed, sorrowful.
o Thought back to the denial
THE REASONS
- To RESTORE Him (to fellowship)
- To RELEASE Him (from guilt)
- To REMIND Him (of his calling & ministry) – “fishers of men”
CONCLUSION – To experience the restoration work of Jesus in your life:
- Be honest about your situation
o Do you need to be saved?
o Do you need to get back in fellowship w/ Jesus?
- Bring your need to God
o Confess – to agree w/ God; to say the same thing
o Confess Jesus as Lord to be saved
o Confess your sins to have fellowship restored – 1 John 1:9
- Break free from your past
o “Forgetting what is behind…” – Phil. 3:13
- Boldly step into who you are in Christ
o “…more than conquerors…” – Rom. 8:37
