Dig Deeper - Sunday 16th August

17 Aug

Sermon Reflection: Peter - Courage That Fails and Recovers

Link to service

Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 16th August service -

So, what do we know about Simon Peter? What was his CV like? Peter was born around 1 BC and began working as a fisherman in the family fishing business. The business was a partnership between Jonah and Zebedee and their sons, Simon and Andrew, and James and John. Around 27 AD, Peter had a career change, becoming a disciple of Jesus, and later received the name Peter.

So, what might Peter’s CV as a disciple have looked like?

Hospitable – invited Jesus and the disciples to his house (Luke 4:38-39).
Impulsive – jumped out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus (Matthew 14:28-31).
Insightful – declared that Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16:17).
Rock – Jesus named Peter as the rock on which to build the church (Matthew 16:18).
Block – Jesus also called him a stumbling block and even “Satan” (Matthew 16:22-23).
Knows best – thought he knew better than Jesus at the foot washing (John 13:8-9).
Courageous – said he would follow Jesus even if it meant dying (John 13:37-38).
Fighter – drew his sword to protect Jesus (John 18:10).
Failure – denied Jesus three times (John 18:25-30).

Of all Peter’s slip-ups, denying that he knew Jesus was the biggest. Looking back over his apprenticeship with Jesus, there were certainly some high points, but his enthusiasm and outspoken nature also got him into a number of scrapes.

So, how should we think of Peter? Was he a failure? In many areas of life, we strive to win. It can seem as though our performance defines who we are. Are my exam results good enough? Have I got the best job? Am I financially secure? What do other people think of me?

Think about an athlete who misses out on gold by just a fraction of a second. They have failed to win on that occasion, but that doesn’t make them a failure. That distinction is important when we look at Peter. He had failed, but Peter didn’t conclude that he was a failure. In John 21, matching the three times Peter denied Jesus, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Each time, Jesus commissions Peter to feed and care for his sheep – his followers.

Peter had failed, but he was not a failure. Scripture shows us a different value system. Being a Christian and receiving eternal life doesn’t depend on what we have done or how much we have achieved. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

We are saved and receive eternal life as a gift from God, not through our own achievements. Eternal life isreceived, not achieved. But Paul continues by saying that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Excellence still matters. We should seek to do our best and serve God faithfully, but our achievements are not the source of our identity. They are an expression of our identity in Christ.

Gordon Daniels from Christians in Sport puts it well: we can “celebrate success without worshipping it” and “pursue excellence without being enslaved by it.” We can even “lose without being destroyed by it.”

Like Peter, the apostle Paul had some failures on his CV. He had impeccable Jewish credentials, but he counted them as nothing compared with knowing Christ. Writing in the context of an athletics race, he says:

“Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13-14)

That should encourage us too. Looking ahead and not behind. We should press on to become more Christlike, strive to be the best witnesses for Jesus we can be, and seek excellence in our service of Christ. But we are not trying to achieve God’s call to heaven – that is a gift. Received, not achieved. And we can hold on to what Peter’s life teaches us: just because we may have failed at some point, that doesn’t make us a failure.

Failed, but not a failure; Received, not achieved; Ahead, not behind

Questions for Reflection & Discussion:

1. Look at John 6:60-69 and Mark 14:37,38. If these events were to go on Peter’s CV, how would he describe them?

2. If you were to show Peter the bullet point list above, which do you think he would point to as the most satisfying?

3. We will have failed at times in the past. How much do these have an impact on our lives today? Do we think that having failed we are a failure or have we put the past behind and are looking ahead

4. People strive to get good exam results, secure a good job and be financially secure. How can we celebrate things like this without them taking over and we start worshipping them?

5. Paul uses the analogy of a race to encourage us to move forwards in our Christian lives. Are there ways we should straining forward as Paul puts it or are we perhaps walking or jogging?

6. Our salvation is a gift received from God and anything we achieve is an expression of our identity in Christ. How can we make sure we seek excellence in our service of Christ?

Prayer:

Father God, we know we may have failed you in the past but like Peter that doesn’t make us a failure. Thank you for the gift of eternal life that isn’t dependent on our own achievements, but needs to be received as a gift. Please help us to keep our focus on you, moving forwards in our life with you and keeping our eyes on you; the way the truth and the life. In Jesus name. Amen