Having a new start

Having a new start

                                        

Text: Matthew 26:72.

“But again he (Peter) denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

What would you think of a preacher who would curse and swear in front of a teenager girl? Well, Peter the apostle did just that and denied the Lord Jesus Christ in the time of His greatest need, in only a few hours Peter turned from a follower of Christ to cursing Christ. You could say that Peter was unfit to be chosen or used of God, yet Jesus never rejected him but gave him a second chance.

1.    PETER THE MAN WITH COURAGE.

        We criticize Peter for taking his eyes off the Lord on the Sea of Galilee and beginning to sink, but at least he got out of the boat! While the other disciples stayed in fear. When they came to arrest Jesus, it was Peter who pulled out his sword to defend Jesus and tried to take off one of their heads!

          Peter was not the first to fail God. Here are some other examples: 

Moses.

The Bible says he was the meekest among men (meekness is strength under control). But what did he do? He lost control of his emotions and killed an Egyptian and later smote the rock twice!

Abraham.

He is called the father of faith, but he left Canaan and went into Egypt, and lied about Sarah his wife, because he did not have enough faith that God would protect him.

David

A picture of purity/the apple of God’s eye/a man after God’s own heart, but he committed adultery, and put to death the innocent husband.

None of these failed in the strength of the Lord, but when the going got tough they lost their faith and trusted in themselves. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” When I am weak, them am I strong! (For then I am depending on the Lord, and not myself!).

Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, and a proud spirit before a fall.”

Note verse 33, “Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble” Matthew 26:33. We can admire Peter’s statement at first glance, but there is a difference between saying I can do all things “through Christ,” or just I can do all things! The proud and boastful will always fail in the end.

2.    PETER THE MAN THAT FAILED. 

          

Even when we fail, God is still in control. The rooster crowing is a testimony that God was still in control, the Lord shut the beaks of hundreds of roosters until the precise moment of the 3^rd denial! Right now, Peter is at his worst, lowest, failing and out of control, but the Lord says, “Peter, I am still in control!”

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He (God) remains faithful.” We often fail God, but He never fails us. That is why we sing “Great is His Faithfulness!”

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever will be.

Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Refrain

We must remember that even when we despair and feel out of control, God is still in control. He’s still sovereign! When Romans 8:28 says “all things work together for good,” that includes our failures!

3.    PETER THE MAN UNDER GOD.

You may feel like you have blown it, and maybe you have! But no matter what you have done, God still has a wonderful plan for your life. According to Luke 22, the moment Peter denied, he turned and saw the Lord, and their eyes met! It was not a look of disappointment or anger it was a look of love!

God is not changing us so He can love us, no, He loves us and therefore, He changes us. God does not love us because we are worthy of love; we are worthy because He loves us! In other words, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” 1 John 4:10.

GOD LOVES YOU JUST AS YOU ARE, BUT HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH TO LEAVE YOU THAT WAY! “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” Psalm 103:14. So He is moulding us day by day into His likeness.

Jesus already warned Peter, note Luke 22:31-32, And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Are you glad that your salvation does not depend upon YOU? If you have been born again, you are forever changed. You are safe and secure in His Mighty Hands! The devil wanted to sift Peter to condemn him, but Jesus allowed the sifting in order to cleanse Peter. Jesus knew that Peter had to be worked on to make him the man God could use.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is not concentrating on the faults and failings in our lives. He sees the man or woman He can use, if you let Him use you. Maybe you have failed, who hasn’t? Or fallen? Get back up just don’t fail to be saved! 

Peter went on to become a great man in God. We need God for our salvation, but just maybe He needs us for something special to do for Him.

        

God of the Second Chance.

Reading: Luke 13:6-9.

V 6 “He (Jesus) also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
V 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?”
V 8 But he answered and said to him, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
V 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.”

I like these verses because it speaks about our God of the second chance, these verses also speak about God’s love and forgiveness.

Jesus tells a story about a man who had a fig tree in his vineyard. He went to the vineyard expecting to find some figs on his tree, but there were none. He said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?”

But, the keeper of the vineyard begged saying: “Leave it alone for one more year, I will dig around it and put fertilizer on it. If it has fruit next year, fine. If not, then cut it down.” The vine dresser cared, and asked the owner to give the fig tree a second chance.

In this story:

The owner of the vineyard is God.

The keeper of the vineyard is Jesus.

The tree represents God's children.

The advantages which this fig-tree had.

“This fig tree was planted in his vineyard.” It was placed in better soil, and where it had more care taken of it and more pains taken with it, than other fig-trees had, that commonly grew, not in vineyards (Those are for grapevines), but by the way-side, Matthew 21:19.

This fig-tree belonged to a “certain man.”

This man owned it, and it was at his expense and property. Note, the church of God is His vineyard, we are fig-trees planted in this vineyard by our faith in Christ; we have a place and a name in the visible church, and this is our honour and happiness.

The owner’s expectation of fruit:

“He came seeking fruit on it and found none.”  He had reason to expect fruit on it. Note: he did not send someone else, but came himself, implying his desire to find fruit.

The God of heaven requires and expects fruit from those that have a place in His vineyard. He has His eye upon those that enjoy the gospel, to see whether they live up to it; He seeks evidences of His grace and love in their lives.

Leaves will not do.

Blossoms will not do.

There must be fruit. Our thoughts, words, and actions must be according to the gospel, of light and love.

Note, the disappointment of His expectation:

He found none, none at all, not one fig. It is sad to think how many enjoy the joys of the gospel, and yet do nothing at all to the honour of God. God has “planted” us on this earth and he expects us to produce good fruit in our life. God has every reason to expect His children to produce good fruit. What kind of fruit? Things like love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, and kindness. When He does not see these things in our life, He is very disappointed, but He is willing to give us another chance.

Just as the owner of the vineyard gave the fig tree a second chance, God gives us a second chance too and it is important for us to know that we do not have to do it alone. When we allow Jesus to work in our lives, he will help us to produce the kind of fruit that God expects. I am so glad that we have a loving and forgiving God who gives us a second chance?

Prayer:

Dear Father, we are thankful that even though we don't always produce the kind of fruit that you desire, you give us a second chance. Help us to allow Jesus to work in our lives so that we will produce the kind of fruit that you want from us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.