"ENDING AN EXPERIENCE OF GUILT"

REV. MF BLUME

Jesus found Peter and John one day when they had tried fishing, but could not make a good catch.

The stranger told Peter to cast on the other side of the boat.
Peter scoffed, but attempted a try just because Jesus said so.
And then a drove of fishes came in.
Peter fell on the ground in sorrow for his mockery, and followed the Lord.

Luke 22:24-34

There are two major problems with most weak believers today.

(1) Problems with guilt over past sins.

(2) Problems with guilt over the idea they are not good enough presently.

Peter knew what it was like to go through a trial. He did.

And he knew what condemnation can do to a person.
He denied Christ three times.
Imagine his condemnation.
But let us look and see how Christ delivered Peter from this guilt.
It will help you in your guilt.

The disciples fought over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.

Jesus asked them who is greater: A servant or the one served, who reclines at the table?
Jesus said He served them.
Jesus is the greatest, obviously, but yet He served them.
Most would think the servant is lesser than the one served.

In verse 30 He said that the disciples would eat and drink at HIS TABLE in HIs kingdom.

Then Jesus turned to Simon Peter and told him that Satan wanted "all of you" (the term "you" in verse 31 is a plural "you" meaning all of the disciples.)

Satan desired to sift all of the disciples.
But Jesus prayed specifically for Peter that his personal faith would not fail.
And when Peter was "converted", or turned again, he would strengthen the others.

To say that Peter would be converted was to say that he would STRAY away from the walk, but RETURN again, since the term converted in this instance means TURN BACK.

Satan desired to sift out their faith.
But Jesus prayed for Peter's faith.
Jesus implied that when Peter's faith was tested and he turned back again to come out of the weak situation he would enter into, he would strengthen the others.

Jesus implied he would walk away.

Now let me point out that Christ had faith in his prayers.

He told Peter that Peter would stray.
But Jesus, knowing this would come, since He knew the future, prayed for Peter.
And Jesus had so much faith in his prayers, that he knew Peter would turn back and indeed be converted, so as to strengthen the brothers.
He knew Peter would get back on track, for He prayed for him to do so. And with confidence that this would occur, He told Peter what to do after he turned back. Strengthen the brethren.

Peter caught this little reference to having need to turn back, or be converted, due to an obvious implication that Jesus must have meant Peter would backslide.

And in verse 33 he said, "Lord, I'll never turn away. I'll always follow you."
Jesus said he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed the next morning.

John's account in John 13:36-38 shows Peter insisting that he would indeed follow Jesus.

Jesus told Peter he could not follow him now, but would be able to afterwards.
In other words, you will fail me.

Instead of saying you will return and be converted, He said in John, "You will follow me afterwards."

Jesus predicted the denial of Peter and the return of Peter to the will of God where Peter would once again follow Jesus.

Peter simply could not stop himself from slipping no matter how much he resisted the thought of failing Jesus.

Peter's carnal man was too strong.

In John 18:10 Peter tried to follow Jesus all the way.

He cut off Malchus' ear to show Jesus he was brave and would not back down and stop following Jesus.

In verses 15-18 we see him slip.

One disciples went with Jesus into the palace, but Peter STOPPED FOLLOWING and stood at the door.
The other disciple spoke to the damsel at the door and brought in Peter.
She looked to Peter and said he was a disciple of Jesus.
Then it was that Peter denied Jesus for the first time.
Peter stood by the coals of fire made by servants.
Again he was recognized, but denied Christ.

A relative of Malchus, a servant, recognized him, too, but again Peter denied Christ.

And the cock crowed.

Peter turned away from following Jesus.

Faith was sifted out.

Luke 22:60-62 shows Peter's guilt and condemnation.

Jesus looked to Peter when the cock crowed.
Jesus was not looking in hatred at a betrayer, but in love and concern at one whom he knew was in the heat of the battle of doubt at that very moment.
But Peter felt Jesus was looking at Him in hate.
When you are guilt-ridden, you take everything wrong.
You take a simple look from someone as a gaze of hatred.
Peter's faith wavered badly.

Thinking when we make a mistake that God hates us is so incorrect!

Sinners will refuse to live for God because they think God will hate them if they make a mistake.

Our mistake is that we feel God hates us because FAITH FAILS US.

Jesus PRAYED for Peter's trial.
Jesus prayed for Peter when Peter would enter a state of error.
Would Jesus pray for Peter if He hated Peter?
Jesus even said that Peter would come out on the other side and get back on track.
But unbelief makes a person forget the word of God.

Jesus died and was a sacrifice for any mistake you might ever make.

When you make a mistake, all you need do is sincerely repent and seek forgiveness, knowing that when you repent everything is alright once again with you and God.

Luke 22:28-30

Jesus spoke about their experience of continuing with Him in His trials.
And He said they would eat in His Kingdom because of that.
And He would serve them in that Kingdom.

Peter remembered those words about eating and drinking in the kingdom.

He figured, "I did not continue with Jesus in His trial, and I have surely lost opportunity to sit and eat in His Kingdom and be served by Him!"

Luke 22:27 Jesus said He served them.

By coals of fire that morning, Peter denied Jesus.

He forgot all about, "When you are converted."

But the truth was that Jesus still loved Peter!

Peter still loved God, and that was why he felt so condemned.
And God knew Peter loved Him!
God is not ignorant.

SOME OF YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT GOD KNOWS YOU LOVE HIM.

Guilt makes you think God cannot realize you made a mistake and did not mean to sin.

You fail and then you think there is something wrong with your desire.

You think something is wrong with your will.
You "will" and still fail.
You desire to serve God and fall.

Paul experienced this according to Romans 7:18.

To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.

You have a good desire, but you need more than desire.

And this is what you do not know.
You are concerned with how GOOD you LIVE.
That is the same incorrect concept as what the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil gave to mankind.
In fact, you are thinking that way because some of the knowledge of good and evil poison is still in you.

You do not realize you need to depend upon the Spirit of God in order for you to do the good things you will to do.

You incorrectly think you just need desire to live for God.
You fall, and think desire was not good enough.
It was good enough!
He could not improve on his desire.
Like Peter you are becoming guilt-ridden.

The concept of the knowledge of good and evil says that all you need is to acquire the knowledge of what is good and what is evil, so you can do the good and refuse the evil.

This is totally incorrect.

It assumes you have the power to do good and refuse evil is all that you need is the knowledge of these things to get by.
You will come to condemnation if you live by that concept.

God wanted Adam to HAVE LIFE and not knowledge.

We need God's Spirit because we are not strong enough on our own.

Mark 16:7
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there ye shall see him, as he said unto you.

The angel told Mary to inform Jesus' disciples of His resurrection, and specifically named Peter.

God knew Peter felt He was forsaken by God due to his error.
But God did not forsake Peter.
Satan was lying to Peter and Peter was believing those lies.

John 20:2,4
Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him. ...So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

Peter let John ran ahead, for he still felt Jesus did not want him.

Peter later went fishing on the Sea of Tiberius.

Back to what he did before Jesus found him.
Peter was a failure, he felt.
Morning arrived and they had fished all night and caught nothing.

John 21:4

Jesus stood on the shore.
No one knew it was Jesus.
"Fish on the other side!" Jesus hollered to them.

John yelled to Peter, "its the Lord!"

John recognized that these were the same words spoken to them when they were first confronted with Jesus.

Who jumped and headed for Jesus?

PETER!!
Peter was behind John by the sepulchre, but this time Peter jumped out of the boat.

John 21:9

As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals....

Exactly the scene where Peter denied Jesus!

The moment Jesus found Peter and the moment Peter left Jesus were both represented here with Jesus calling them to fish on the other side and sitting by coals of fire.

...and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Early in the morning did Peter deny the Lord by coals of fire. Again it was early in the morning.

Peter felt he lost the chance to have Jesus serve him in the Kingdom (Luke 22:27, 30) due to his error. And Peter was filled with condemnation.

Peter felt that since he stopped following the Lord and stopped continuing in the trials with the Lord that Jesus would never serve Him in the Kingdom now!

John 21:12-13

Jesus said unto them, Come and dine. And none of his disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, AND GIVETH THEM, and fish likewise.

JESUS SERVED PETER!

It was like Jesus said, "Peter, now you have turned around! You are converted! You are back on track.

You came to me this time as you first did when I told you to cast the net on the other side.
Satan did not destroy you!
My prayer was answered!
You did do wrong, like casting the net on the wrong side all night.
But you listened to me as when I first called you! I have brought you right back to the point you stopped following me, by coals of fire, to get you back on track again."

Then we read...

John 21:15

So when they dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. he saith unto him, feed my lambs.

AND ONE OF PETER'S DENIALS OF CHRIST WERE CANCELED OUT BY ONE ADMISSION TO TRULY LOVING JESUS.

Jesus asked it again and Peter answered again, and THE SECOND DENIAL WAS DEALT WITH AND CANCELED.

A third time this occurred, and Peter replied this time saying, "Lord you know all things." Then Jesus said FEED MY SHEEP. In other words, STRENGTHEN THE BRETHREN!

Three times Jesus had him answer this question in order to cancel out the three times Peter denied Jesus.

And Jesus was trying to get Peter to realize something.

The third time, Peter said, "Lord you know all things."
Jesus knew that, but He wanted Peter to say it himself.
Then it hit Peter... "You knew I loved you all the time. You did not hate me, you knew it was a mistake!!!"

21:19

This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, FOLLOW ME

Continue with me again, Peter.

Peter thought he lost all chance to continue on with Jesus.
Not at all!

Child of God, you may have erred, but you are not too far off-track if you did not mean it and always loved God even after your error.

You can get back on track.
Peter learned that when he makes a mistake, Jesus knows if we meant it or not.
And if condemnation comes, we can cast it away, knowing God still loves us and simply repent to God for forgiveness and we will freely receive it.

Peter later went on to preach Acts 2:38, the great message of salvation.
WHAT AN ENCOURAGING THOUGHT!