The Failure, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Jamie Greer, my friend of the gospel has one agenda in your life is to convince you that your performance is on the basis of your stuff is going. So God allows you to fail, you will sometimes remind you of your failures so that you can see that it is his rights, not your righteousness. That is the basis of your acceptance. As always, I'm your host Molly minutes you sometimes feel like an Olympic event with a panel of judges sitting around and scoring us on everything we do, we constantly feel the need to be better. In fact, that's how a lot of people imagine God like a judge who's constantly evaluating and is consistently disappointed in us. But today Pastor JD reveals that God actually uses our failures to make us more to get on here. If the conclusion of our series, can't believe if you miss any part of this study catch up online. JD Greer.com but for now let's jump into John chapter 21 Jesus revealed himself to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius, he revealed himself in this way first to start later, Thomas called the twin, the Faneuil Taylor and Dolly the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

By the way, how would you have liked to have been those two other disciples writer. This is your one chance to get your name in the Bible right burglary. Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing not fishing you know was what Peter did before Jesus called so Peter now depressed over his failure is going back to his pre-Jesus life the gravity of they baby, something of some Zebedee in two other guys they said to him, we will go with you.

They went out, got in the boat, but that night they caught nothing to you about to his old life. But when the same anymore. The fish all night and caught nothing about that that ever happened to you. Your discouraged spiritually and you go back to your old life that you just can't find the same enjoyment in it any longer. Verse four just as day was breaking Jesus to the store yet the disciples did I know that it was Jesus. Verse five Jesus said to them, children do you have any fish they answered and no verse six he said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some verse seven that disciple Jesus loves us the Peter is the Lord when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord. He put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work and he threw himself into the sea birthday the other disciples came in by the way, I don't know anybody that can outswim about your peers in the water. He's just trust me just freestyle and he's fighting his ways and his other guys like that alongside him as Ryan seriously went room in the garage and they were not far from the land. They were about 100 yards away. First time I got out on land they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on an inbred Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish that you just caught verse 11 so Simon Peter went aboard right to slam anyone aboard and hauled the net ashore, full large fish hundred 53 of Peter got out of the water from his swim notes: the net full of fish hundred 53 big ones from the shore. Question stop what's characterizes Peter in these verses strenuous effort right he swim and ride you swimming all by himself as one.

Meanwhile, Jesus never sought a breakfast that is already prepared for Peter that he need leaders fish the face of Peter called the Needham know just the detail verse nine that Jesus already had fish on the fire to see that John Beecher included the Delamere so Jesus gives Peter another gospel invitation verse 12.

As I got a reverse loves you read as a gospel invitation. Probably most unusual one you ever heard, have breakfast, what you coming a breakfast that I prepared for you. Verse 15 when they finished breakfast.

Jesus said to Simon Peter, want to Simon son of John, did you love me more than these will be morning stable Peter, he looks at his language is yes right you know I love Jesus appears as a data feed my sheep never breaks his gaze keep looking. Peter eyes. He says a second opportunity. Let me kiss I just told you I love you be mushy Peter, do you love me. John says that when Jesus asked to miss 1/3 time he was grieved. Why was he grieved. Why was Peter briefed. He recognized that Jesus was asking him three times to be loved him because he had that item 3 times. In fact, if you want to read this the right way, you can see Jesus set up this whole scenario to remind Peter of his failure. He asked him around the fire Peter had denied Jesus around the fire. He said Peter do you love me more than these these other disciples love me never want Peter's post had been even of all these fools always losers for sake you never will and she's like really Peter you will be more nice ones record so Peter record, a look I go to your right on your behalf, you both should you. Love you more knees, but they certainly you for me and denied me positive. Peter asked him three times. Why is Jesus doing this.

Why is Jesus doing it this way to try to embarrass Peter the alternative is this cruel, no not cruel to actually tenderness. Jesus is trying to show a guy who is always based is worth a guy who was always based Jesus's acceptance of him on his performance try to show him that his love and acceptance are not given according to merit they are given as a gift. Based on his own finished work.

My friend, if the gospel has one agenda in your life one is to convince you that your performance is not the basis of your acceptance before God and so God allows you to fail and he will sometimes remind you of your failures so that you can see that it is his grace not your righteousness.

That is the basis of your acceptance to the biggest enemy to the gospel in your lives is self-sufficiency and some of you that listen to me every week or even not with self-sufficiency because honestly you're pretty good people when it comes to morality in the triangle during the upper 20% your capable you got jobs.

You're responsible you are pretty good people. If you understand that that puts you in a place where self-sufficiency begins to dominate you when you are spiritually blind and you are in a dangerous place. David Nasser last week sent this way. He told the story how God brought him to Christ out of unrighteousness is a God had to bring my wife to Christ out of church righteousness.

He said in her track was harder than my truck because it is easier to be delivered from unrighteousness that it is from church righteousness, and self-righteousness. Because self-righteousness is so deceptive.

Self-righteousness keeps you from seeing how much you actually need got Jesus in this way, it is easier for a camel to go to the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven.

That means rich, by the way in money. It means rich in talent. It means rich in good works. It means rich in morality or righteousness. Whatever. What you want to put in the blank of which there. If you are rich in any of those things that is the place that is hard for you to experience the righteousness and the provision of Christ is not your Senate will keep you from Jesus. It is your self-sufficiency it easier to things that will keep you from realizing how much you depend on God and our pastor mentor friend of mine said he said he scared me about you Jenny. Please interpret what he said the right way.

He said because when you send out the preached is that you will need the Holy Spirit a lot of times when you are rich in your righteousness when you are a good person when you are a moral person.

A lot of times what happens is that keeps you from sensing how deeply you are in actual need of forgiveness. The Gentiles did not come to Jesus because of unrighteousness. The Jews did not come to Jesus because of self-righteousness, but I guess you ended up better the Gentiles the church was made out of Gentiles. The Jews never got it because it is almost impossible to be delivered out of self-righteousness and Jesus has an agenda and it is to be out of Peter and his followers is to be out of them, their sense of righteousness and he allow something like this failure fear to wake you up because they are invitation for you to learn about Jesus.

Maybe for the first time reference.

Do you realize how how acute, how powerful this is a temptation for you this way. Imagine you got a kid grows up in a shelter house. His parents are regarded they will then look at the Internet because it wanted to be aware put out is never heard of pornography right. He's always been a controlled environment. She's never really been about temptation, he, with the ultimate sheltered life and then he gets accepted at UNC Chapel Hill and he leaves home and he moves on campus at UNC Chapel Hill with no knowledge at all. What is about to be in his face sexual temptations and temptations like these didn't even know existed. You would say that young man is a fool going him if he has no knowledge of it.

Elise got to know that it's there you can know how to avoid it.

You understand that you you. Having grown up in a church environment. If you are not equally as aware and equally as terrified of self-sufficiency and self-righteousness can help. Naturally, it just pervades the air that you breathe in dominate you that you are every bit the folder that young men would be for something you want to think about every single day.

How is self-sufficiency. How does self-righteousness remove my understanding of my need for grace and power in the intimacy of Jesus self-righteousness and self-sufficiency are the most damning stands in the New Testament, and their sins affect people who are in this room now. The people were out visiting prostitutes as we can. Jesus meets Peter learned that two Jesus forces Peter to embrace his failures so we can tap into Jesus life was he going to finish this verse a truly, truly, I say to you what this is. When you were young Peter used to dress yourself and walk wherever you want to go but when you're old you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go this he said to show Peter but what kind of death he was to glorify God. What you referring to Saint Peter when you stretch out your hands one day. Right to be crucified and died for me and then he said this to Peter, follow me right question to question this is good news about it for later.

You think that is right. Jesus tells you that even in July by being crucified.

That's bad news, but is really good news for Peter regional. Jesus told Peter that boast that you made about not deny me even face of death when they really going on. One day there to stretch out your hands in the most painful of positions you're actually going to be crucified for me and in that moment you're not going to deny me you're going to make good on that boast, you're going to show that I am worth more to you than life. But notice what's this that in this metaphor for dying on the cross, Jesus mixes in a rather odd image. He compared stretching out your hands dying on the cross. He compares that to be a little child stretches out his hands to his parents. When you dive across Peter. That's what you're going to stretch out your hands toward me a picture of childlike dependency and intimacy and trust, listen, and that childlike posture toward me is what can I give you the strength to die like that CP would always thought that his strength came from being a man who proved himself, but he was better than others. That's what every possible way. He's flexing the spiritual muscles stretches out his hand and said I'm stronger then these guys I could swim, I called for sure. Jesus told him, his strength would come not from stretch out his hands in my butt from, relating to him the way a child relates to a loving parent. Do not miss this.

Do not miss this.

How did Jesus turn Peter a guy who was so shaky that he would deny him three times in one evening. How did he turn him how did he transform him into being someone who would endure even crucifixion joyfully do it to seminary things like a Marine level, boot camp, learn a bunch of doctrines already did know things are all good.

Beauty did they gave him a deep and profound experience of grace because that experience of grace would give Peter greater strength than anything else in his life ever could. When Peter stretched out his hands in his own strength. He denied Christ 20 stretch that his hands and childlike dependent intimacy to Jesus like a child stretches out toward his parents.

He would have the strength to endure even crucifixion the most powerful force in a Christian's life is his experience of grace.. Peter's pride and confidence in his abilities would keep him in for spiritually deadly conditions. Here's someone who would make him unsure of his relationship with God.

Always you want. Have I done enough Rachel. I got another am I good enough for Jesus number two that would lead him spiritually weak because he would never be in touch with God strength you would only have his own number three that would keep yourself focused right because when you're so worried about how you are doing help where you stand when you're so worried about how much you are before God, you'll have the bandwidth to be able to pay it to other attention other people's needs and before that would make Peter unable to help other people in their weaknesses is you can't help others if you're consumed with your your own strength is you what I realize this and this people's greatest need is not a teacher there greatest is not a role model my kids greatest need is not a perfect earthly father.

They need a Savior, and the story of how God showed me grace to help them because it shows them where they can find that fountain of grace in their time of weakness. It is a deep experience with God's grace it would reverse all four of those things it would take Peter from being someone who was unsure and give him an assurance of God which would make him feel safe. That would give him intimacy with Jesus because when he knew that Jesus how Jesus felt about him. He would draw close to Jesus right you understand that I compare with you the way I am with my kids went with my kids know how affectionate I am toward them. They want to be close to me.

So when I'm on the phone with him. Tell them how much I miss them when I'm on a trip. When I pulled my car at that business trip is over, and a garage door goes up on pull my car if I see that little front garage door open up Cassie for little heads running on the stairs and Amanda try to not run over him was Opal Beccaria, pulled my door opener happen in Kissimmee, and there's a debt would you buy the trip right. I know some of you parents with teenagers like well you know interdicting a general quit doing that. You know what they're not teenagers yet to do is let me have this okay let me have this for a few more years but he didn't know how I feel about them and so they want to be close to my kids that come out of them. A stairway when you have a sense of Jesus intimacy.

It makes you draw close because you know you know there's nothing there but acceptance of fatherly love that just spells out that gives you strength a strength that stretches outward Jesus, strengthened, like Peter, you look up toward Jesus and you say Jesus you can take all that I have, because Jesus you are all that I need you take everything I have is your all that I need so I open my hands up and even if they nail it to across it's okay because my hands are filled with you and your my father and I'll go with you anywhere. Take Peter self-centeredness to make your mother centered. It would help take Peter's eyes off of himself.

Right is not always try to prove himself. He could be aware of other people's needs and I would number four take somebody was unable to help, to be someone who is full of grace which would give him an ability to help others as he could show them how to access the same grace that he had access. Listen to this. Jesus chose Peter to leave his church not despite his failures, he chose to believe his church because of his failures because his failures would put him in touch with God's grace and God's grace is where leaders will strength comes from.

It is a church leaders most valuable resource to be able to help others in a time of need.

I can only pour God's grace into somebody else. When I am filled with it myself mark this mark. This wasn't it was not Peter successes that made him a great leader. It was his failures. His failures were his gateway to his need for grace and his need for grace was his date way to Jesus and Jesus was the gateway to everything else. Ritalin is length by ready Rudolph. Just when you thought the story was finally over.

And Peter could not possibly say anything, verse 20 Peter Turner saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following them. He said to Jesus, what about this man, not Jesus is just okay or later you love me leave for me Peter.

One day her and stretch out your hands and you got for me and you're not going to deny me you're going to be my champion.

Turns around and sees John is all about. I got to see Jesus rolling his eyes one last time and like Peter for the last time, would you stop comparing yourself to everybody else if I want him stay alive till I come. What's not to you. You follow me you love me you delight in me, you rejoice not, that the demons are subject to you.

Not that I'm making new leader of my church now that you can write a couple books in the Bible, not that you did not courageously, you rejoice that your names written down in the Lamb's book of life because that's enough.

That's it that's all. And you stretch out your hands toward me and you quit comparing yourself to everybody else and you learn that I am enough for you because I'm telling you listen, take it from a guy who struggles with this every day of his life comparing yourself to other people that performance mentality that is a chronic problem and it is one that Jesus will spend the rest of your life eating out of you because it keeps you from knowing the love and the power of Jesus. Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit. I spent all my life.

And so if you try to become anything but poor in spirit. If you are poor in spirit. That's not a good thing to put on your resume you to put all the ways you are rich in spirit on your resume. I'm extremely intelligent, good person with people.

I've been successful in everything that I've touched hundred trick trick trick trick trick trick trick rich and that's great resume but will destroy you spiritual because until you understand how much God's grace is absolutely necessary in your life you were riches and spiritless it is for Americans. The facts were middle-class in spirit.

The facts were middle-class in spirit will keep you from ever laying hold of the righteousness and the goodness and the power and the gracefulness of Jesus Christ. The enemy seems to keep us from this kind of relationship with Jesus to keep us from an interim associate intimate with Jesus conducted two things I wasn't one it takes about your life. Some of you were there professional value not catching anything. You know it's not working, don't you, you know it's not work. So when that doesn't work, he goes to strategy number two which is a more effective strategy and that is he tries to get you to prove yourself to Jesus because if you aren't, that's not what Jesus wants either the gospel invitation is to rest in Jesus to put faith in the gospel to rest in his love, the invitation is to eat breakfast on the beach with Jesus to just love him and walk with him and serve him from a heart of love for many of you, your spiritual life has always been about performance.

I am equipped pornography. I will quit doing drugs, quick cheat on my wife. I will clean up my mathematics. No drugs or whatever you begin to accept me, that's not how it works.

Salvation is a gift that is given to you in your response is complete and total surrender is free but it cost you everything that a lot your bosses as it was the only deal with Jesus. He's willing to make his his righteousness, for your guilt and absolute surrender.

So you try to negotiate with God, our chief guy. How did I gotta be to get you grace.

But I gotta be still be blessed again. God doesn't negotiate like that the gospel is his righteousness, for your guilt and your absolute surrender. Have you ever repented and believed that. Have you ever really received the gospel had you ever turned over 100% of your life to him in total surrender and have you received his free gift of righteousness is dipped, righteousness and grace you ever received. That is your you can receive the gospel you can receive this invitation rightness on the beach with Jesus for eternity as he painted all depended on receiving and follow me. I'll meet you as your zest for lying. There's nothing we can do to make him love us more. And there's nothing we can do to make concluding our teaching series called can't believe you're listening to Pastor JD Greer on Senate life to hear any message from this series again or to share them with a friend (visit us@jdgreer.com. All of these online resources are available without cost.

Getting in the way because people like you have donated to support this ministry.

When you give to Senate life, you're getting to people across the country, even around the world. People like Stephanie who wrote to us recently. She said I can't tell you how many times we've been struggling with something that was so painful. We thought we didn't want to live anymore. Pastor JD preached exactly what we needed to hear. Thank you for being obedient to the Lord and for pouring yourself into this ministry Jesus has seen us through it all.

Help us continue reaching people like Stephanie by joining the team of gospel partners make a gospel partner commit to regular monthly giving because they believe in this ministry and their ongoing gas companies produce and distribute gospel centered as a token of our thanks for your generosity and you monthly resource and including the current resource which is a 20 day devotional title for our latest vent when you become a gospel partner today when you make a generous one. Find anything and never to collect 866354 getting JD Greer.com Molly benefits inviting you to join us next.

I'm starting a new series were talking about a part of the Bible probably see is a lot to learn Old Testament minor prophet will see you Tuesday on Senate life