Series Title: Resurrection Encounters

Sermon 3: An Encounter with Failure

Text: John 21: 1-14

One of the most difficult things I have to cope with is failure. Failure triggers different emotions in me: disappointment; anger; embarrassment.

Yet people fail in every area of life. We fail in school, we fail in driving, we fail in marriages, we fail in families, we fail in business, we fail the Lord. The most debilitating failure with which a Christian has to deal is spiritual failure, letting down the Lord. What do we do when we have failed? Where do we go when we have failed? Let us look at how Jesus dealt with failure in one of His most outspoken disciples.

The Reasons for Peter’s Failure

There are always reasons why we fail. We can discover some of these by looking at Peter’s actions. We find those in John 18 and Mark 14. Both of these passages deal with the arrest and trial of Jesus. Remember Peter has just tried to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has drawn a sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. Jesus has been arrested and has been taken to the house of Annas. Peter and John are following.

In John 18:15-16 John goes into the house but Peter stays outside; he did not go in. He was not close to Jesus physically; I wonder, does that indicate where he was spiritually? Probably the number-one reason for spiritual failure is not being in close contact with Jesus.

Mark 14:54 makes the point more poignantly, “Peter followed Him afar off.” Did not Jesus tell them in John 15, “Abide in me and I in you”? Stay close to Me and I will be close to you.
In John 18:16, John brought Peter in. He was brought in but I wonder where his heart was. He was in the house but his heart was not there. How many people are there like that in our churches? They are present in the building but their heart is no longer there.

(Aside: thank God for the Johns in the church, those whose ministry is to bring people on the outside into the house.)

In John 18:18, Peter chose to stand with those who were hostile towards Jesus. His real downfall was that he was found in the wrong company. With whom are you keeping company?

The Results of Peter’s Failure

In John 21:3, he went back to his old profession. Several pastors were talking about a young pastor who felt he was a failure. They were recounting how he had been looking at job vacancies in his former profession. I have been there. There have been times in my ministry when I have thought, “Things are not going well. Best thing I can do is quit.” I have searched the teaching vacancies in the local newspaper. Why do we do such things? Because when we feel as though we have failed, the easiest thing to do is quit, to give up, to bail out, to resign.

Failure affects not just us but those around us. In John 21:3, the disciples with Peter said, “We will go with you.” A Christian who quits following the Lord, who gives up on a calling, who bails out of a church, who resigns a ministry affects others. Like a stone thrown into a pond, the ripples go everywhere. No one is an island. We have influence over many people. Think for one minute about the influence you have. Who would be affected if you quit? Are you a children’s worker, a youth leader, an adult leader, a pastor? What damage will be done if you walk away? In the worst possible scenario, if you feel as though you have let down the Lord irretrievably, and you walk away from Him, what damage will you do to your spouse, your family, your church? What awful words, “We will also go with you.”

Peter found there was no satisfaction in the old life. In John 21:3, they caught nothing. The empty nets are a symbol for me of what was going on inside Peter. His life was empty. In v. 5 Jesus asks, “Have you got any meat?” What a question from One who had told them He was the Bread of Life. “Any meat—what have you found to take my place?” Nothing. No one can satisfy like Jesus. Child of God, you have tasted and you know the Lord is good. Nothing or no one else can take His place. There is no satisfaction outside of Jesus. There is existence but no satisfaction.

The Remedy to Peter’s Failure

John 21:1: Jesus showed himself again. He is the Lord of the Second Chance. There is not one person alive who has not failed spiritually to some degree or another. But the One we follow is the One who reveals himself to us again and extends a second chance.

John 21:4: Jesus stayed near. He stood on the shore. He is never far away from us. He was within hearing distance of the disciples. He is within hearing distance of us today. He is only a prayer away.

John 21:5: He called out to them. If you have failed and you have quit, have you found anything to replace Jesus? Have you found anything to replace that ministry from which you walked away? He is calling out to you today. He is calling you back. You are valuable to Him and to the Kingdom. He is calling you. Come back.

John 21:6: They were only a boat’s width away from blessing. “Throw your nets on the other side,” He told them. When they did so their nets were full of fish. They could not handle the fullness. That’s where we are this morning, one boat’s width from fullness. He can turn defeat and failure into success. That is what He wants to do in our lives today. He wants us to experience His fullness.

John 21:7: Excitement returned to Peter’s life. This is reminiscent of the night Jesus came to them walking on the water. Peter could not contain himself that night. He was over the side of the boat and walking toward Jesus. Here he is again over the side of the boat. “It is the Lord!” The adventure, the joy, the excitement are back in Peter’s life. Do you remember days when you had great faith? Days when you took steps of faith for Jesus? But those days are behind you. Those days can return. He is calling you today. He is very close to you. He is only a prayer away. He wants to help you overcome the failure you feel. He wants to bring His fullness back into your life.

I heard a friend of mine say in one of his sermons, “You can stare your worst sin or your greatest failure in the face when you hold the hand of Jesus.” Are you holding the hand He extends to all of us this morning? Why not put your hand back into His?