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Printer Friendly VersionOne 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.
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?
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.
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?