RESTORED FROM FALLS AND FAILURES

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”  – Luke 22:31-32

Today’s text tells the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus. Verse 61 reads: “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”  Earlier verses showed a confident Peter boasting that he would never deny Jesus: “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison, and to death” (v.33). As the story unfolds we see that Peter’s hope was a false hope. Somewhere along the way he had become less dependent on Christ and more secure in his faith, a misplaced confidence. He believed that denying Jesus was a possibility only for other people. He thought he was strong, but then he fell. 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns: “let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall.”

Denying Jesus is the one thing that Peter was sure he could never do. But he did. Do you have a similar list of things you think you can never do? Beware of self-confidence. Even so, there is still hope, if you’ve done that thing that you thought you’d never do! Your past can make you think that you have lost out with God; that there is no way that He could still desire, embrace, and much less use you. Even where you believe that God has forgiven you, the devil still tells you the lie that your life will forever be marked by your past falls or failures. Peter’s story shows us that God not only forgives us; He also restores our failings. Regardless of what you have done, there is still hope for restoration.

Think of this: both Peter and Judas sinned. One betrayed the Lord because of his fear of man, the other because of his love for money. They both responded in sorrow and weeping. However, Judas’ sorrow led him back to his own self-sufficiency; a self-righteous refusal to come broken to Christ. He tried undoing what he had done. He tried self-atoning, and on failing, resorted to suicide. By the sea of Tiberias, Peter came broken to Christ (Jh.21). As soon as he realized that it was the Lord, he desperately threw himself into the water, leaving the other disciples to tend to the fish. He later re-joined them for breakfast. He knew that in the presence of the Lord there is always hope for forgiveness and for restoration.

You might have missed it. You might have messed up. Your failure might even have been public. God still uses broken vessels to accomplish His glorious purposes. Avoid the destructive self-righteous path of Judas. Follow the path of Peter – trusting in the righteousness of Christ alone. His restoration will fully cancel all of your falls, failures, and transgressions!