This is Love – Forgiveness of Sins
Theme:
Text: John 21:1 – 15
Introduction
Ideas “Last week we left off service with this statement ‘You cannot have the resurrection without the crucifixion’. The good news is in our life the things that we go through prepares us for life. Prepares us for hope. We get excited because we know that 2 Corinthians 4:17 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So truthfully to get to life we often times have to experience a crucifixion of the flesh.
Then we can see the life and hope that the resurrection brings. This would seem to make sense. But not everyone gets it. This is what this story is about.
Peter finds himself at a dark place. This is after the resurrection, after finding the tomb empty by him and John. After Jesus appears to them in closed room. Even after all of this where do find Peter. Well at the same place Jesus found him at the beginning. Fishing.
This was Peter’s profession. Yet for 3 years he left all to follow Jesus, Mat 4:18-20 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. (19) Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (20) They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
And boy did Peter follow Jesus. Peter was bold and brash. He was the one who answered all the questions.
Matthew 18 “Who do men say that I am?” Boisterous and loud Peter proclaimed “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”
It was Peter who walked on water. When all the others stayed in the boat, Peter bravely (at least for a few moments) walked on water.
It was Peter that was caught up with James, John and Jesus on the Mt. Transfiguration. Meeting Elijah & Moses, hearing the voice of the Almighty God Himself. Peter was always the one out front.
So you would think he would be the most excited of the disciples to see Jesus. To see him after the resurrection. To get “reconnected”. We find him here back to the same job. Instead of running to Jesus he was avoiding him.
Why?
Yet but it is also Peter who denied Jesus. : Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75; Mark 14:29-31,66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:36-38, 18:25-27, 21:15-19.
Peter must have felt very ashamed at this. Peter had betrayed and failed God. When the fire came Peter had given in. Not just once or twice but three times. Wow!
So we find Peter instead of running to Jesus he is running from Jesus. Instead of asking for help he is trying to find his own way out of it or avoiding it all together. This is how we often deal with sin.
From This is Love week 1 message
Asking for help to resolve a mess we’ve made means admitting we’re at fault. And we don’t want to admit guilt. Guilt is an uncomfortable feeling, and “sorry” is an uncomfortable word.
We’d rather deny it, ignore it, recover on our own, or even justify our actions. But admitting it is painful.
And yet . . . it won’t go away. The feeling that we’ve fallen short, that we’ve failed, eats away at us.
Our culture doesn’t really have a word for this. We tend to psychologize our shortcomings so that they can be recast as the result of someone else’s failure: We are the way we are because of our parents, or our community, or the poor education we received, or some other way the system failed. All these things are surely true enough: Systems carry part of the blame.
But that doesn’t erase the problem; if anything, it expands it. It isn’t just individuals who have failed; it’s entire communities and systems. And still—what is the word for that?
The Bible’s word for that is sin.
Sin is the sense of missing the mark, or failing to be who God created us to be. It is a falling short of the original vocation, the first calling to be God’s image-bearers who reflect God’s wisdom and love and rule into the world.
Sin is also a rebellion, a turning away from God, a decision to move against Him or independent of Him.
Sin is a transgression, a crossing of lines and boundaries, a violation of another person.
And ultimately sin is a power. It is Sin with a capital “S” that holds us captive and paralyzes us with shame.
Shame isolates us. It tells us we’re the only ones. It says that our sin is uniquely disqualifying, that no one else has ever done anything quite like it. It makes us the exception in the worst way. We’re the one person who can’t be forgiven; we’ve done the one thing that cannot be set right; we’ve gone past the point of return; we’ve fallen too far.
Shame tells us it’s Game Over, The End.
And, in a sense, it’s true. Sin is a dead end.
Or as the Bible puts it, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, ESV).
But let me close with three things that Jesus does to help Peter and us get past sin and shame.
I. Jesus prays for Peter
Luke 22:31-34 And the Lord said, [141] "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. (32) But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (33) But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." (34) Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."
He is praying for you also
He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
II. Jesus Meets Peter where he is
Right on the shore. Jesus doesn’t wait on Peter to come to Him pursues after Peter.
Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart today.
Jesus loves us enough to meet us where we are and too much to leave us there.
III. Jesus restores Peter.
The whole interaction between Jesus and Peter here is bringing Peter back to a remembrance of failure but also giving him and opportunity for repentance. Three times Jesus asked Peter does he love him (agape the unconditional love). Three times Peter affirms his love for Jesus. This is repentance.
John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.
Conclusion – Lord’s supper
I think it is significant here that Jesus and Peter are sitting around a fire eating a meal and having this interaction. There is a meal that transcends church history that constantly brings us back to a place of hope and restoration.
If you have not gotten a cup and juice this is a good time to get one
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; (24) and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (25) In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (26) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
From Strongs
- Original: ?ata??e´???
- Transliteration: Kataggello
- Phonetic: kat-ang-gel'-lo
- Definition:
1. to announce, declare, promulgate, make known
2. to proclaim publicly, publish
3. to denounce, report, betray
- Origin: from G2596 and the base of G32
- TDNT entry: 02:10,1
- Part(s) of speech: Verb
Here the word translated proclaim could be declare. Today let us declare our relationship with Christ.
