The Restoration of Peter | John 21:1-19

Have you ever done something so shameful, so embarrassing, so disgusting, so bad, so sinful,
that all you wanted to do was run away and hide? Now put yourself in the shoes of Peter where
that very moment has occurred. After closely following Jesus for three years, in Christ’s darkest
hour, Peter denied even knowing Him. Not once, not twice, but three times. Although Peter once
said, “even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Matt 26:35), he still did.
Imagine living with that kind of guilt, weight, and burden. For some, you don’t have to imagine.
I’ve failed Jesus too many times, you think. You still come to church, you still believe that Jesus
is who He says He is—but you are convinced that because of what you have done, you cannot
be useful for the name of Jesus.
This is why we need a Bible. And praise God for passages like John 21:1-19. For those who
believe that their story is over, know this: your failure does not have the final say—Jesus does.
This is a story about the heart of Jesus—the One who pursues disciples who have denied Him,
abandoned Him, and let Him down. What does He do with them? Jesus restores.

BIG IDEA: Jesus restores.
1) Peter Retreats (1-3).
- Lies that Cause Us to Retreat (And the Truths to Combat Them)
- LIE: God couldn’t love me // TRUTH: Romans 5:8
- LIE: God can’t forgive me // TRUTH: Hebrews 7:25
- LIE: God doesn’t want me // TRUTH: Ephesians 2:10
2) Peter Remembers (4-14).
- Peter remembered…
- When Jesus called him (John 21:4-6; Luke 5:4-8).
- When he denied Jesus (John 21:9, John 18:18).
3) Peter Restored (15-19).
- Why does God restore me?
- I’m restored to strengthen others (21:15-17, Luke 22:31-32).
- I’m restored to glorify God (21:18-19).
- I’m restored to follow Jesus (21:19).