Like No Other - EASTER [Part 2] // Nick Serban III

Like No Other [Part 2] __ Nick Serban III

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

jesus, peter, quit, morning, lord, speaking, god, denied, fail, ultimately, father, moment, redeem, day, watch, answer, people, earlier, today, failure

Well, we started, I think Nick started the series like no other last week, Easter at full life, we're going to pick it, pick it back up. And so we're going to share some stories from what we would we would call the Easter account, the Easter story, and this morning, is I think it's such a powerful, a powerful message. And I guess you'll judge very quickly whether it's powerful, powerful or not. But um, I believe God wants us to be ready to overcome falling. I believe God wants us to be ready to overcome failure. I believe that oftentimes, I know we live triumphantly, I know we live victoriously. We live from victory to victory, glory to glory, oftentimes, we'll hear four steps. If you've, you've heard four steps for me three steps. For me, we've had as many as 10 steps, there's 12 Step programs. But when all comes down to it, we have to continue to look to the Lord and continue to rely on him and continue to embrace him and everything that He has for us. We've set standards for ourselves, you've set standards for yourself, so you know, or you've come and you've maybe dealt with a sin in your life or a challenge in your life. And let's just get, let's just dive right in this morning. And you've said, Lord, I'm never going to do that, again, if you've just helped me out of the situation. And sure enough, you get helped out of the situation, and you go back and do it again. Or there's a situation that you fall back into again, or I'm not going to watch that, I'm not going to see that I'm going to turn it off, and yet it lingers and it stays. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in hard situations where we're trying to overcome. We're trying to make it, it could be in a relationship, it could be in marriage, it could be in giving, it could be in time management, which is ultimately a stewardship issue. Jay Wallace Hamilton said this people are training for success when they should be training for failure. Failure is far more common than success. Poverty is more prevalent than wealth, and disappointment more normal than arrival. Now, don't get me wrong this morning. I live in victory. You live in victory. All fear is gone. You declared it with me and just a little while ago. You're more than a conqueror, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Greater see that is in you than he that is in the world. But yet, how many times have you sat in an exit row on an airplane? And the stewardess or steward goes over? And wants you to acknowledge now with a head shake with a verbal yes or no? If the plane goes down, those doors go up in the rafters under the seat. And there you go. How do we come back from failure? How do we come back from messing up. And we see this in the Easter story. We see this in the days leading to the cross the most significant thing that could ever have happened to us church today we sang four songs in worship, we've worked in for over 30 minutes because of what happened on the cross. We worship because Jesus made a way for us we worship because blood was shed, we worship because atonement was made, there was a transfer that was made, the ultimate sacrifice was paid for you and for me, so that we could have relationship with the fathers. Anybody excited about that this morning? What do we do when we blow it? Now I know this is not necessarily for anybody in this room, or maybe anybody watching online, you. So I just want you to kind of tuck this away. And if you ever need to bring it up, you can bring it up? No, I'm very aware. And I'm very assured that every one of us in this room, including myself, has blown it one way or another. When I pointed finger, I got three pointing back at me of situations and circumstances. We've learned to mess up good. We've learned to fail forward. John Maxwell says this, if you're not failing, you're probably not really moving forward. Think about that. God uses people who fail, because there aren't any other kind around. Think about that God uses people who fail because there aren't any other kind around. I'm not going to ask for a show of hands this morning. because there'll be hands up all over the room. In fact, if we want to respond to the end, ISIS, how many of us have failed? How many of us have blown it? How many of us have denied the Lord, how many of us have said things we shouldn't have said how many have thought things we shouldn't have thought? How many have said things not said it out loud, but we said it inside but then ultimately it came out later somehow some way. This message may be unconventional this morning. But think about it. We have all failed. We have all messed up. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 323 says this to us, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that comes by Jesus Christ. We have all sinned. We've all fallen short of God's glory at one time or another. I think for many of us, it's a daily occasion. I think for many of us, is it every couple of days. I think we're Ever since multiple times a day, one way or another, but for the next few moments, I just want to talk about kind of child proofing things. As you have children in the home now, it'll take a while from the crawl around, but you got to childproof everything. If you haven't yet, here's my advice to you got to put stuff on the plugs, because little fingers can go in the plug holes. You've got to put bumpers on coffee tables, because somehow some way the tripping comes and then the stitches come or the scars come. But it's so important that we even today, we can look from history, we can look how God used people in the past and change things. We know that. How many here remember learning to ride a bike? Anybody? Okay, I remember learning to ride a bike. It was five Boone Avenue in Ewing Township, New Jersey. And I remember I remember riding and back in those days, it was not prevalent. Think about this. Think about all the safety features today that a parents have. I mean, you can't you can't bring a baby in the car. I mean, our our our parents threw us in the backseat. I mean, forget about seatbelts. Just kidding. I don't know what they did. But I have not been the same since but, you know, you got to wear helmets today, right? A bike and elbow pads and knee pads and all these things. And yet, back in the day, I mean, I remember wiping out and having I got scars on my elbows today I remember. And anybody remember something called Macura? Comb. I mean, what happened to that stuff? Is that around quite as much today. But I think I have stain for for a long time because of that. But we prepare ourselves for different seasons, we just came out of a series about seasons. And so this morning, just for the next few moments, I want to talk about preparation for the difficult moments hate to say it like this preparations for failing, preparations for tripping, preparations for stumbling preparations for missing the mark. Moses had quite a failure, Old Testament, He murdered somebody that's, that's quite a big 10 commandment there. He also struck a rock when he was exposed to leadership issues. He had some challenges. Samson stumbled as a man of God with a Nazirite vow on his life who realized that separation and strength went hand in hand with what he had set his life aside for the Lord. And he lost it all. King David had had some issues with we always think about, you know, King David, you know, only boy named David, David and Goliath, he won hallelujah. But I hear the major you want to talk about family dynamics, dysfunction, with children and family. He went through it. Judas sold out, Jesus. Look how he ended up. And then there's Peter. That's it. We're going to focus in on this morning, Peter, Peter deny the lower three times. And yet Jesus had already declared earlier upon this rock, I will build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. What are we prepared for relationships with their ups and their downs? I'm not saying I go in with you know, hoping that everything's going to be the best. But knowing that things can be challenging. Let's face it, let me be clear. Life can be a grind. Monday through Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday, can some days and sometimes be a grind. To be a champion. It's hard to be a leader. It's hard to be a parent. It's hard to tell the parents that Amen. The a person of character. It's hard to be an accomplished musician. It's hard to be a great dancer, it's hard to have a great marriage. It's hard to start a business. It's hard to lead a business. It's hard. The foster parent, it's hard to follow Christ. It's hard. It's not always easy. I came across this it says this if quitting is in your vocabulary. Quitting is in your future. If quitting is in your vocabulary, quitting is in your future. Jesus himself never quit. That he had moments. And that's where we're gonna go this morning. Dave your Bible. We're going to jump in the New Testament and book a Mark chapter 14, verse 36. Here's Jesus who didn't quit. Had a moment. He said this Abba Father that he father, he cried out everything is possible for you please take this cup of suffering from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. He didn't quit. Was there a moment? Of course there was to appreciate this moment that we had to go back to the last supper and I actually didn't travel back in time, but I got some pictures this morning and I'm probably standard We're in the middle of them, so you can't see as well. But here's the bigger picture of the Last Supper. And in Matthew chapter 26, verse 31. Here's here's what it says. Then Jesus told them this very night, you will fall away on my account, Peter replied, Even if all fall away on your on your account, I never will. Truly I tell you, Jesus answered this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me. How many times, three times. But Peter declared, Even if I have to die with you, I will never dis own. You know, I'm saying, I'm not saying that you've done this before. But I just saw it as a hypothetical. How many times I mentioned it earlier. Have you gone before the Lord and said, Lord, I'm never going to do that again. If you'll just forgive me right now. Lord, if you'll get me out of this jam right now. And here's Peter, in this moment, almost being accused of like, Oh, my Oh, my, what do you mean? What do you that'd be like me going up with somebody in this in a church says, you know, you're gonna betray me, you know? Who is it? One of you in this room will betray me one day. And here Jesus with the guys he's hanging out with with the people that he's invested in. So why is Peter so laminate? Adam? Because before if we go back to Matthew chapter 16. So we gotta go back, because a few more chapters. I got a lot of scripture this morning, but I want you to get this. We're heading up the passion weekend to be excited about that. We're headed up for the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Matthew 1615. But what about you? He asked, Who do you say I am? So here's Peter. And here's Jesus. And he's talking to the disciples Peters there. And he's asking them, Well, who do you? Who do you really think I am? I mean, he has not come. He's not said, you know, I am the Son of God. I, he's asking him what's what do you think of all these things that have been going on? What about you? He asked, Who do you say him? Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus replied, blessing are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood. He didn't read it in Wikipedia. But by my Father in heaven, how many others revelation from the Father in heaven, there is revelation from the Father in heaven today. And I tell you, that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church. So now we fast forward to the Scripture before in Matthew 26. They're just hanging out. Now, Peter had just answered the question properly. I mean, so it's kind of like, you know, when you get it, you kind of get some confidence. Wow. You know, you know, you did a great job worshiping today, like, Oh, wow. I feel good about that, you know, sounded great. You know, I feel great about that. company ever been in a moment. Before that. You've you kind of stepped you had you had the answer to the question, but it was wrong. And we ever did that. Like, what's the capital of Tennessee? Not Knoxville. No, it's Nashville, if you didn't know that, all right. Right. It's natural. Right? Yeah. And, you know, uniquely, you know, things happen in our lives. I remember many years ago, I've shared this. I've shared this publicly, publicly before, but the Lord has just healed my heart over the last like three years. So early on, we had switched elementary schools from fourth grade to fifth grade. And then then we switch again for sixth grade. So I was in three different schools in three different years. And in the middle, the middle school, the fourth grade, if I had, there was a question asked, what type of teeth did George Washington have? I remember, remember this, I was scarred so deeply on this. Right. And I had heard the year before in third grade. At the other school, I was at the kind of teeth that he had it so I raised my hand. And, you know, because I got the answer, you know, like, it's like, Peter, I know who you are. I know the answer. I remember raising my hand. And they called on me. And I was so proud that I knew the answer. I mean, nobody else knew. And I said he had hip eponymous teeth. Yeah, and you laugh, and we don't. But that's what I had heard here before. I mean, that's that's what the teacher the year before said hit one of his teeth and the end, the teacher scolded mean from the the whole class that I was being a smart guy in the room and all this kind of stuff. And I remember like, next next time, the questions coming around, I'm not raising my hand, you know, you know, you know, no, it's not Nashville, you know, it's not whatever. And so, so I shared that story about, you know, hesitation and everything. And sure enough, if you go look in Wikipedia today, and you type in what type of teeth the George Washington half gets, what they were hit If eponymous to you, so I knew I was right. All right. So I don't know why degress there, but here we go. So, I know that Peter thought, you know, Hey, um, I am in a good place with Jesus, you know, I'm, I'm giving, I'm worshiping. I'm going to church. I'm spending all this time. I know the answer here, you know, and sure enough, now I'm going to be questioned about my faithfulness. Now I'm going to be questioned about about actually speaking up for you. Fast forward, Mark chapter 14. Another view, the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus goes. And he's praised, they went to the olive, olive grove called Gus m&e. And Jesus said, Sit here while I go and pray, he took Peter, James and John, with him. And he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death, stay here and keep watch. So here are the disciples and Peter's part of them and, and you know, he still, I think he's still trying to get over just a little bit earlier. You know, he's being questioned about his allegiance, whether he's going to stick around whether you're going to be truthful. In Mark 1436, Abba, Father, he cried, everything is possible for you please take this cup of suffering right earlier away from me, yet I want your will to be done. You can just feel the deep, even the feelings of you know what, I don't know if I want to do this, I don't know whatever. But ultimately, he knew it was ultimately to please the Father. So Mark, chapter 14. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, now understand his name had already been changed. He started calling them Peter. But now he's upset with them so thick all the all the one was always calling about you know, it's kind of like you know, your mom calling you by your your real name, or you know, your full name, your like your full, full first, middle and last name and your suffix to go with it. He returned and found in sleeping, he said, The Simon feeder, are you asleep? Could you keep what couldn't you keep watch for one hour, just one hour, watch and pray so that you will not fall into the patient, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He just had his name changed. I mean, he just he just had the, you know, the the sash presented to him. I mean, he is the church, he will be the rock, the future will be in Peters hands. And now Jesus is chastising him. Because you didn't follow through with what he was asked to do. What how do you think Jesus feels with us when we don't follow through? To call you by your first name. Normally it's, you know, son, a son, or daughter. But now it's Nicolas. Nicolas, what were you thinking? What's going on here? It's a slight reminder, Peter, that he's not quite there yet. You're being formed into the rock. Aren't you thankful that Jesus has not quit on our humanity? It's because he's been there. That's why Jesus says Not my will. But yours. Be Done. Mark 1441. When he returned to them the third time he said go ahead and sleep have your rest. But no, the time has come. The Son of Man has betrayed into the hands of sinners. up let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here. John 18 There's an accountant. One more scripture passage. Then Simon Peter drew his sword slashed off the right ear of melkus the high priests slave. But Jesus said to Peter Put your sword back into the sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me a picture we do the picture of the further we go. Took me a while to go back in time and grab this picture in the archives. But uh he cuts his ear off. miracle happens. Mercy happens a miracle happens. Jesus puts an ear back on. And I've had people I've had people talk about, you know how well did he get charged for the assault? How could they charge it with a solid, nothing happened? It didn't happen. There was blood. There wasn't blood. He did it. He said he did. He didn't do it. But it all comes down to it. even think Peters in a place he's trying to make up for the accusation of the moment. And ultimate, Jesus says, Just come as you are. Does he accept laziness? I don't think he wants laziness. But he knows we're human. But he also knows that he is created a way that we can go to him. And we can find all the strength we need. We can find all the comfort we need, we can find all the freedom we need. Can somebody say Amen, we can find everything we need in his resource. Beautiful follow follows along and just ends up ultimately falling into the prediction of the prophecy that was spoken. In Luke chapter 22, verse 61, to 62. At that moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter, suddenly the Lord's words flashed before Peters mine. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times that you even know me. And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly. I think there we have one more picture. We've got that picture too. He's like, I don't know, three times. So brings us to kind of the the crux of this of this message today. What do you do when you failed? you've stumbled? You've disappointed. I remember hearing the story in Sunday School back in the day when when we had traditional Sunday school. And for those of you don't know what traditional Sunday school was, like, we meet at 10 o'clock, and we start at 510. There's nobody comes on time here. There's a little something we started. But Sunday school would be at nine o'clock, from nine to 945. We would meet in classes, different classes. I was in a little I was in the kids class. I remember, I remember hearing about this story, and thinking to myself this. How in the world? Could he do this? I mean, as a young guy, I mean, I'm just a little guy. How can you I mean, how in the world, he's hanging out with this guy all the time, Peter and Jesus are hanging out, they know each other. I mean, it's like being BFFs. I mean, they're just, I mean, there's declaration going on, you know, he's gonna be he's gonna carry the church into the future, the rock, I'm changing your name here, no longer Simon, it's got to be Peter the rock. How in the world. I would never deny you Lord like that. I would never deny you like that. Three times, within a short amount of space. And yet, I have found myself in life, as many of us have found ourselves in life, that we have denied the Lord. We've denied an access to our hearts. We've denied our our time. We've denied him our compassion. We've denied being his feet. We've denied being his voice. We've did not praying when he's stirred us in the middle of the night. The pray, really felt this morning. In fact, I talked about sleep, woke up really early this morning and tried to just kind of jump back and forth. And I asked the Lord, Lord, what do you want to do today in this service? What do you want to do with this message? I mean, it's kind of a unique message. It's kind of a unique moment. We're gonna talk we're gonna talk about failure. I mean, who wants to prep for for that moment? And I'm still I haven't got the I haven't got the clear, clear answer, other than he wants to redeem time. I believe he wants to redeem and give back years the locusts have eaten this morning. He wants to get back the time that we've moped and we've pouted and we've weighed it and we just saw it, you know, someone else was gonna do whatever. But I believe that he just wants to turn things around. Jesus didn't quit he endured. Although there was an extreme sense of loss, he didn't quit abandonment, disciples scattered. Jesus didn't quit physical pain unbearable. He didn't quit humiliation. He was stripped naked. We'll hear more about that the next couple of weeks. He didn't quit ultimately, a combination of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross to save us from our own depravity. He didn't quit. He knew he was the only way that God the Father was making through the sacrifice of him. Mary Had a Little Lamb he was the Lamb lead to slaughter. He loved the disciples too much. He loved Peter too much. He loves us too much to quit anybody thankful for that today that we can live in these redeeming moments we can live in this redeeming time. And then a John 1930 New Living Translation says this when Jesus had tasted it, he said, It is finished and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. He was crucified for you. And for me, his life was taken the great atonement for you and for me, because we're too important to him, we are his motivation. So what happened to Peter? What's going on with him? I love his watch from a distance. here. He's here. He's seen Jesus, the Savior. He had seen miracles upon miracles. He had seen the goodness of the Father, he he had seen many amazing things. We find ourselves. Early on in Matthew four, he was found while he was fishing. Well, sure enough, he ends up back fishing. And John 2115. After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peters, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? See, they were out fishing. There's a man on the on the shore, I'm not quite sure who he is. And they were kind of wondering, you know, what's going on here. And he told them, hey, cast your net to the other side. Watch, watch what happens here. They caught they in the kitchen, all these all these fish, like there's very incredible significance of the number of fish based on the number of continents, number of countries, number of people that would be touched as the world moves forward. Ultimately, he goes to the side and uniquely, Peter didn't walk on water, but he jumps out of the boat, he goes to the shore, and no one wants to say it, but ultimately they realize it's Jesus in a resurrected body. And here he is. And they have an encounter. And Jesus asked this question, Simon, Simon, John, do you love Me more than these? Yes, Lord, Peter replied, You know, I love you, and Feed my lambs. Jesus told him with one remark, Jesus lovingly puts Peter back in the right state of mind. He uses the word agape, the word of God may mean sacrificial and faithful love, an act of the will. But Peter answers with the definition of phileo, which is brotherly love, often in a close friendship. So in John, we go from John 2115, to John 2116. Jesus repeated the question, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Agape? Yes, Lord. Peter said, you know, I love you phileo. Then take care of my sheep. Again, he uses the Agape phileo. Then last but not least, in John 2117. A third time he asks Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was heard that Jesus asked the question a third time. He says, Lord, you know everything. You know, I love you. Jesus then says, Feed my sheep, and the word love. When he asked me, Do you love me, he switched from Agave to phileo and met Peter, just where he was, what he understood where he was in that moment. And the rest is history from there. Peter went on, just a few weeks later, to preach, arguably, possibly one of the greatest revival services ever, where 3000 people got saved. In the New Testament, things changed. And on the other side of pain, he experienced his Pentecost. And then the question I asked this morning is on the other side of pain, and the other side of circumstance and the other side of situation, will you receive your Pentecost? Do you embrace it? Do you desire it? Do you want it? How do you get it? Don't quit. Don't give up. Stay humble. give mercy. Jesus can forgive more than you can fail. You will write anything down remember that Jesus can forgive more than you can fail. Jesus can forgive more than you can fail. I said this earlier, because if quitting is in your vocabulary, then quitting is in your future. I believe God has an incredible future for us all. We're called the worship team to come. I believe that as we embrace these moments, as we lead up to the Passion Week, we recognize POM Sundays next week, Easter is right around the corner. We recognize the glorious move of God. God knows exactly where you are, I want you to, I want you to hear that today. He knows exactly where you are. He knows what you've gone through. He knows what you've experienced. He knows the next steps. He knows the hopes, the desires, the moments that he has before you. And even in a moment like today, in a day like today, there were still miracles, there are still moments, there are still opportunities. There is still the outpouring, the move of a mighty God in our lives. And we need to tap into that we need to experience that we need to say yes to that. And you're here this morning and you have failed. You're here this morning and and you have fallen short. If you're here this morning, and it's a pastor. I've done things shouldn't shouldn't have done. Do you know what the Savior says? basically asking the question, Do you love me shake it off. Repent, move forward. And watch what God can do with your life. Watch what God will do with your life the the hindrance that we experienced will only all stand with me the hindrance that we all experienced in life. I think it's the tension between this God just doing it are we co laboring with him to do it? He desires greatness. He desires when he looks at this room right now. He's used world changers everywhere. He said, I don't know how God's gonna use me. I work here. I work there. While he's very busy. I see all these things. He sees world changers. He see those that are that can change things. And often it's not. It's not what will God will do is we will let him do that many of us walk around with guilt. When it's walk around with, with with with shame. And oftentimes we're more willing to forgive other people. And we're willing to forgive ourselves. And I just believe in this in this moment. What does God want to do? I think believe he wants to get freedom this morning. I believe I believe he desires that we expect on on the St. Patrick's Day, when we've learned that you know what it's about all about saying yes. And doing the will of the Father. He's looking for a yes this morning. As unique as his message is, I'll never deny the Lord. I'll never deny him. Not gonna do it not three times. He did How many times have we denied him access to our hearts, denied him access to be his hands, denied him access to speak to us. He's speaking to some of you here this morning about ministry. But next steps in ministry. He's speaking to somebody right now about a lifetime partner who they may be who they may not be actually maybe speaking to somebody this morning about some things that you need to sever and cut off. Maybe speaking to somebody earlier this morning about how you treat your spouse, maybe speaking to somebody this morning about the language that you use. And you weren't even in the Navy. If you don't say maybe he's speaking to some of you this morning about the money and the finances he's blessed you with but you've not released. Maybe he's speaking to somebody about your time and your effort. he redeems the years the locusts have eaten here in this moment. Will you let them redeem it? Will you let them touch you? Will you let them significantly make an impact in a change in your life? Let's sing the song