Restored: The Story of Peter's Restoration

Peter's journey from confident disciple to broken denier, and finally to restored church leader, illustrates the transformative power of God's grace. After boldly declaring his loyalty, Peter denied Jesus three times in the high priest's courtyard. Following the resurrection, Jesus orchestrated a beautiful restoration by the Sea of Galilee, asking Peter three times if he loved Him and commissioning him to feed His sheep. This restoration led to Peter's remarkable transformation, becoming a foundational church leader who preached powerfully, performed miracles, and helped spread the gospel to the Gentiles.

Transcript

This morning we're going to open up with some scripture. So I invite you, if you have your Bibles with you, to turn to the book of Matthew. And we're going to start in chapter 26. If you don't have your Bibles this morning, you can follow along on the screen. But the best way to read Scripture, in my opinion, is always to bring your Bibles.

And that way you can underline, make notes, question, go look stuff up after. It's fantastic. But we're going to start today in chapter 26, verse 17. Here is the word of the Lord for us today. On the first day of the festival of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?

He replied, go into the city to a certain man and tell him, the teacher says, my appointed time is near. I'm going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house. So the disciples did as Jesus directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the 12. And while they were eating, he said, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.

They were very sad and began to say to him, one after the other, surely you don't mean me, Lord. Jesus replied, the one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man. It would be better for him if he had not been born.

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, surely you don't mean me, Rabbi. Jesus answered, you have said so. While they were eating, Jesus took the bread and he had given thanks. He broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, take and eat, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink from it, all of you.

This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus told them, this very night you will all fall away on account of me. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter replied, even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. Truly. I tell you, Jesus answered this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. But Peter declared, even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.

And all the other disciples said the same.

Church, this morning, we're going to be focusing on Peter. Before we get going too much, I want to know what it is that you know about Peter. What are some of the things that come to your mind when you think of the Apostle Peter? He was big.

Oh, God. Making fat jokes in here. Poor Peter. He was called Simon first. Yes.

Bent. First Pope of the Church. That's right. The first Roman Catholic Pope. Yeah.

It wasn't like a celebration like we're going to see, hopefully soon. But, yes, he was the first Pope in the Catholic Church. What other things do you know about Peter walked on water. Any of you guys ever done that? No.

Right. Yeah. Do what is frozen water count? No, not the same that we all do. Right.

Speak before we think Peter was very passionate. Right. We're going to learn a little more about that in a little while. Yeah. Ben, something else.

Is that St. Peter's Basilica then? Where is that? Vatican City. That's right.

Yeah. He had a difficult relationship with Hansius. What, roosters? Yeah. He had a difficult relationship with chicken.

Yeah. Roosters specifically. Yes. Anything else? Peter and Paul, they had incredible disagreement when the Church began.

Initially, there was a whole council that was called together in Jerusalem where they fought it out. Do we allow Gentiles to come into the church? And how Jewish do they have to be before they can become Christians? That's right. It was a big debate.

Anything else? Yes, he was. So church tradition. Now, there's nothing scriptural about it, but the church tradition is that Peter was crucified. And because he felt unworthy to die the same kind of death that Jesus did, he was crucified upside down.

That's church tradition. Now, we don't have proof of that, but yeah. Anything else? Okay, listen, you guys know a lot, but here we are after this kind of post Easter glow, right? We know that Jesus has died and been resurrected.

And why are we jumping back in time? Well, it's important because we have to set up the story for the kind of restoration that Jesus offers. So I want us this morning to focus on another story that Easter draws into the light. In Matthew, chapter 26, we just read it. Jesus tells his disciples, you're all going to fall away on account of me.

And Peter, God bless him, says, even if everybody else, Even if all 11 of these other bros fall away. I won't. Jesus, I love you so much more than them. Right? That's kind of the mentality that we get behind it.

That is the between the lines scripture. Even if I have to die with you, he says, I will never disown you. And that's bold. Does that sound like a response that you might make when Jesus says, hey, I'm going to be crucified and you're all going to fall away, you're going to scatter? And would you be the one that says, oh, no, not me.

I would like to think that I would be that guy, but I don't know. Right. Peter wanted to believe that nothing could shake his love of Jesus. But we know that Jesus knew better. Before the rooster crows, he says, you'll deny me three times?

Not just once, but three times. Luke 22:31 through 34 tells this same story from a different perspective and adds a little something I want us to dive into. We're going to start in verse 24. So this is Luke 22:24. Oh, I've got that written down wrong.

So 24 through 34. Then it says this. A dispute arose among those as to which of them would be considered the greatest. Jesus said to them, the kings of the Gentiles lorded over them, and those who exercised authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that.

Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves, Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

Simon. Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. But he replied, lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.

Jesus answered, I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.

Jesus says, peter, Satan is asked to sift you like wheat. But I prayed for you. And when you turn back from being lost, from your moment of turning away, strengthen your brothers. Now, this is the only gospel that gives us that version of the story. So I want to show you guys some photos.

This is what, wheat? What piece of wheat? Okay, sorry. Somebody sounded like it said cheese and I'm like, that's. No, listen, we need to talk.

So this is wheat, right? So the wheat that we eat doesn't look anything like this. You guys ever eaten just barley wheat or grains of wheat? Some, yes. It's not super easy to harvest.

It's not really easy, but you look down here at the bottom and you can see the little stalks of the grains of wheat, right? This is a process called sifting. This is a sieve. Everybody say that with me. Sieve, right?

And so what happens is the heavier wheat kernels will stay in the sieve and you throw up the wheat and the chaff together and the wind will separate it out. It's a process that takes a long time, but you have to really break apart the grains of wheat from. If you've ever eaten one fresh off the stalk. Anybody ever done that? You can take a full head, pull it off, and then you rub it in your hands, and then you can pull up what are called the wheat cherries, and you just, you eat those.

It takes a process to make bread and to like. This is an all day situation on these sieves. This is the ancient technology. This is how Native Americans, this is how, you know, Central Africans, Western Europeans, everybody would sift their wheat in a similar way. You separate the chaff from the wheat and when you're done, you can use the wheat, you grind it up to make bread or whatever.

And Jesus says here in this moment that Satan wants to sift the disciples like wheat. Sifting like wheat is a metaphor for being taken apart. It means to afflict and distress someone by scattering both from Christ and from one another. To sift wheat means putting a grain head into a sieve where the head of the grain will be crushed and pulled apart. So when Jesus talks about sifting, he's talking about a process that's going to be hard to go through.

Shaking those to whom the process is applied in such a way that they in part are going to break, but the best part of them will remain. The image that Jesus chose is painfully graphic. And it might relate a little bit more to our English idiom of picking someone to pieces or taking someone apart has a similar emotive force. Jesus knew what was coming for the disciples and for Peter specifically. And the great news about Jesus is that he also knows what's coming after what's coming.

Peter's heart is loyal, but Jesus says that his strength is going to be tested in the coming days. And we know that that's true. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter proves just how loyal he is by defending Jesus. Right? In the Book of John, chapter 18, it's recorded that as the guards and the soldiers come to grab Jesus, to arrest him and take him, Peter pulls out a sword and he cuts off a man's ear.

Now that's dedication, right? Peter was willing to fight and potentially in that moment, to die for Jesus.

But the problem was Peter was trying to fight in the wrong way. And then Jesus has to stop him. Because the movement that Jesus came to start is not a war of steel. It's a war of surrender. Peter swore that he would die before denying Jesus.

But untested courage often crumbles in the face of real sacrifice. Passion is easy in times of comfort. Conviction, though, is proven in the fire.

We know that Peter's fierce passion to protect Jesus. It's not how the story ends. Story doesn't end with Peter cutting off an ear. Then everyone marching into Jerusalem and Jesus triumphantly taking the throne of David. Peter's loyalty lasted as long as he could fight the way that he wanted.

But when Jesus tells him to put away his sword, he loses his confidence and everybody scatters. Fear takes hold.

Peter's story is a lot like a kid who swears that they're not afraid to go into the haunted house until they take three steps inside and then they won't stop clinging to mom's leg, right? Or his confidence might be compared to a fighter who promises a first round knockout, but he forgets that once you get into the ring, boxing not only involves throwing punches, it also involves receiving them. Some of you might have watched the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last November. Anybody remember that? How awesome it was?

Lots of heavy size. Okay, now, I'm not somebody who watches a lot of boxing at all, but I happened to tune into Netflix because, I mean, Mike Tyson was really, really big when I was a young person. And so I wanted to see this 58 year old man box. Jake Paul, for a number of reasons, actually, but he promised a knockout. First round knockout against a 27 year old.

If you watch that match, you know that's not how the fight turned out. And while that might have been more of a result of the age difference between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, more than a skill issue, Tyson lost that fight unanimously. Courage and overconfidence can sometimes be a detriment instead of an asset. And as we turn back to Peter, we have to know and understand that Peter wasn't wicked in his desire to protect Jesus. He was overconfident about the lengths to which he would go to prove his love to Jesus.

And his loyalty and overconfidence will sometimes buckle under fear. I want to remind you, confidence is really easy when life is good. Being sure of your convictions is no problem in the light of day. But we know that fear lurks in the shadows. And Scripture shows us that Peter's certainty collapsed when the pressure turned up.

And suddenly his survival felt more urgent than his loyalty. So let's jump back into the story of Peter. Jesus has now been arrested and is being taken to the house of the high priest. So let's pick up again. In Luke, chapter 22, verses 54 through 62, it says this.

Then seizing him, they led him away and took him to the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance, and when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, this man was with him. But he denied it.

Woman, I don't know him, he said. A little later, someone else saw him and said, you also are one of them, man. I am not, peter replied. About an hour later, another asserted, certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean. Peter replied, man, I don't know what you're talking about.

Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. Verse 61. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him before. The rooster crows, today you will disown me three times.

And he went outside, wept bitterly.

From this point forward in story, everything starts moving really rapidly, right? As the story continues, Peter's following at a distance as Jesus is being transported to the high priest's house, where he's going to stand in front of the Sanhedrin. He's going to talk to them and be accused. And then Peter goes to stand and well be near the fire, right? He sits down with everybody.

There's a fire in the courtyard where three different people recognize him. Weren't you with Jesus? They ask, you're one of them, right? And three times Peter says, no, I don't know him. I swear.

I don't even know who this guy is. I don't know what you're talking about.

And then the rooster crows. And in an instant, two things happen. Peter remembers what Jesus said, and Jesus makes eye contact. Could you imagine Peter's stomach must have dropped. That look.

That moment, it broke him, because immediately, Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

Denial doesn't usually come from hatred. Denial comes from fear. Peter wasn't wicked or evil because he denied Jesus. He was terrified. And still, even in Peter's most shameful moment, Jesus loved him.

Have you ever disappointed someone that you deeply love or admire? Maybe it was a parent, a friend, a mentor, a teacher, a pastor. That look right when you lock eyes and you just know you messed up. That's Peter. And that's also us.

From time to time, I'm going to tell you a little story. There was a time where I was back in high school. The year was a great year. It was the year of our Lord, 1998, and I was drum major for Owasso Band. I was in marching, and I happened to come across one of the coolest pair of sunglasses I had ever seen sitting outside.

And I said to myself, those are mine now. They were a pair of killer loop sunglasses. You guys remember those? Anybody from the 90s? Yeah.

Okay, one person. All right. Needless to say, it's not a brand that's that popular anymore. But they, back in the 90s, were a very expensive brand. So I wanted them.

I didn't know anything about brands. I just saw these cool pair of sunglasses and I wanted them. Then a friend of mine said, hey, those are great glasses. Where did you get those? And I said, the mall.

They're mine. And he said, well, would you sell them to me? And I said, sure, for 40 bucks. I thought that was a good deal for him. I get 40 bucks.

Then it just so happened that as my friend, when he was wearing those brand new glasses that he just purchased from me around the band room, one of our band directors said, hey, those sure look like my sunglasses.

That band director got an earful from my friend John. Nope, those were Matt's. He bought those at the mall. He sold them to me. They're mine.

So that band director went and got Mr. Gorham. Mr. Gorham was the lead band director at the Owasso Band program for generations. He was my favorite teacher.

I loved him to death. And then Mr. Gorham gathered around him a gaggle of other band directors. And he came carrying those sunglasses, and he handed them to me, and he said, where'd you get those? I said, I bought those at the mall.

And he looked at me, dead eye contact, looked at me, grabbed them up out of my hand and just went away and gave them to the other Band director and left.

Nothing was ever said about it again. But in that moment, I had exposed myself as a liar and a thief.

I was so embarrassed I'd let down Mr. Gorham, my favorite teacher. And I'd also embarrassed myself in front of the entirety of the Owasso High School band staff. And I exposed myself to one of my best friends in high school.

But in that moment, I was shown more grace than I deserved.

And I bet in that moment, in a very small way, it was probably similar to the way that Peter felt when he let down Jesus, somebody he loved and cared for. And he knew that he had disappointed him. Clearly, it's not the same, but I'm sure that many of us in here have similar stories. A time where we disappointed someone that we love and care about to a degree that brought us some sense of shame or guilt.

But for Peter, even in that moment of denial, Jesus didn't shout. He didn't shame. He didn't say, I told you you'd fall away. He simply looked. And when his eyes met Peter's, Peter knew immediately that he had broken Jesus heart.

Peter's tears weren't the end of the story. Peter's tears were kind of a new beginning. Because the Gospel doesn't end in a courtyard of failure. It continues to the shore of restoration. So you guys, if you have your Bibles to jump over to, John chapter 21, and we're going to read a lot in John 21, this comes to us from verse one through 20, sorry, one through 19.

And we're going to jump to verse 25. So it says this. Afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this Simon Peter Thomas, also known as Didymus Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish.

Simon Peter told them relatable. And they said, we'll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat. But that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore.

But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called to them, friends, haven't you any fish? And if you're a fisherman that hasn't caught any fish, oh, man, there's nothing that rubs you like that comment, you know? You catching anything, buddy? No, that's just painful.

No, they answered. He said, throw your net to the right side of the boat and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul in the net because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it is the Lord. As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, it is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him, for he had taken it off and he jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish. For they were not far from shore, about 100 yards. When they landed. They saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it and some bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you've just caught.

So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish. 153 but even with so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dared to ask him, who are you?

They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord.

He said, you know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my lambs. Again Jesus said, simon, son of John, do you love me? He answered, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, take care of my sheep.

The third time he said to him, simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was now hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep.

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself, went where you wanted. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, follow me. Verse 25 says, Jesus did many other things as well.

If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

So in the next part of Peter's story comes after the trial, after the crucifixion, after Jesus resurrection, Peter had gone back to fishing, back to what he knew, back to what was comfortable and safe. Maybe he thought that his denial of Christ had disqualified him from ministry. Maybe he thought that Jesus was done with him. I mean, his last interaction with Jesus was face to face denial. But then, man stands on the shore after fishing all night with no luck.

They hear, throw your net on the other Side and they're like, shut your mouth, right? But they do. And the nets nearly burst. And John says, it's the Lord. Peter doesn't wait.

He dives into the water. The same man who once started walking towards Jesus on water now swims as hard as he can to Jesus. No hesitation. And what does he find? A fire, some fish, some bread, and a Savior who forgives him.

Jesus says, come and have some breakfast. Not come and explain yourself. Not let's talk about all the ways that you failed, but just come and eat. Then Jesus looks at Peter and asks him three times, do you love me? And every time, Peter says, yes.

And each time, Jesus says, then you have a responsibility to take care of those who come after you. Feed my sheep.

Jesus in this moment, doesn't discard the denier. He dines with him. He doesn't just erase the failure. He entrusts the future of the church to Peter. Imagine that, friends.

Someone making you a full meal right after you betrayed them. No lecture, no grudge, no conditions. Just pancakes and grace, right? That's what Jesus does. That's not just forgiveness.

It's complete and total restoration.

In this moment, Peter doesn't just get a second chance. He ends up with a deeper calling than he had before. God's grace doesn't rewind the story. It redeems the whole of Peter's story. And then what happens next in the life of Peter is nothing short of miraculous.

Peter accepts Jesus call to feed his lambs by becoming the first evangelist for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter two, that same Peter stands up in front of thousands and preaches the first gospel sermon. And in that moment, more than 3,000 people are saved. In Acts chapter three, the same Peter heals a man who couldn't walk in the name of Jesus. He heals him and gives that man new life.

In Acts chapter 10, that same Peter has a vision and as a result opens the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and baptizes a man named Cornelius and his entire household into the faith.

And in first Peter, that same Peter writes to persecuted believers with power, with humility, and with grace. And he sets an example for church leaders to this day. Peter the denier becomes Peter the preacher, and later Peter the first pope of the church. God builds his holy church not with perfect people, but with people like us who've been restored.

Some of the world's greatest leaders failed first. Abraham Lincoln lost elections. Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Peter denied knowing who Jesus was and still became the rock on which God used to build his church.

If you hear nothing else from me today, hear this. You are not your failures.

You are not your last bad decision. You are who Jesus says you are. And, friends, Jesus calls us to that same breakfast of restoration.

Jesus is still on the shore. The fire is still burning. The bread is still warm. And he's still calling to each of us. Do you love me?

Then come and eat. Come be restored. Come and lead, friends. Don't stay in the courtyard. Don't stay in the boat.

Get out. Swim towards Christ, and let's let Grace write the rest of our story. Let's pray together.