Twists & Turns

VBS 2023 • Sermon • Submitted 10 months ago • Presented 10 months ago

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Introduction

I enjoy playing games. I’ve always enjoyed getting into an exciting video game. During the pandemic, my family and I discovered some new board and card games and we enjoy spending time together playing those games.

Games are exciting because you never know exactly how things are going to work out. The circumstances within a game are always changing with new twists and turns that affect the outcome of life. Sometimes you win if the circumstances are favorable for you and sometimes you lose if they go against you. You are never truly guaranteed a win in a game. That’s part of what makes a game fun.

However, when it comes to life, we want to find a way to win. Life, like a game, is full of twists and turns. But unlike a game, we do not want to lose. We want to make sure that we are living in such a way as to know we have accomplished the goal we were created for.

This past week, we have looked at the life of Peter and what Jesus did to help Peter overcome the twists and turns in his life and how, as we follow Jesus, He can change everything for us too!

I. Jesus Gives Us a New Purpose

First, we looked at how Jesus invited Peter to follow Him and gave Peter a new purpose in life.

Read Matthew 4:18-20

Matthew 4:18–20 (ESV)

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

We see here that Jesus is invited Peter to come and follow Him and to find a new purpose in life.

Up to this point, Peter’s main purpose in life was his job, to catch fish. Day in and day out, his whole life existed primarily of catching fish, both for himself and to sell to others. His purpose and identity were in his job.

However, when Jesus comes along, He invites Peter to follow Him and find a greater purpose and identity than what he has known so far.

Jesus is calling Peter to come know Him, love Him and to lead others to know him.

We all are trying to find our meaning and purpose in different things.

Our jobs

Our relationships

Our success

Our possessions

Our pleasures

All of these purposes may seem to satisfy for a while, but when we come to the end, we realize that none of them can truly give us the satisfaction we are looking for.

What happens when we retire from the job we have worked so hard at or when we are laid off or fired? What happens to our sense of identity and purpose then?

What about when we experience failure at what we set out to do or when everything we own seems to be taken away from us? What will we do when the person we love passes away or leaves us? All of these things are temporary in one way or another. If our purpose and identity is in any of these things, we will have a hard time surviving the twists and turns of life because the foundation we are building upon will always be shifting and changing.

Peter experiences the abundant life that came from following Jesus that nothing else could provide. He saw that Jesus is good, holy, eternal, powerful, and loving. He saw that true life could only be found in Christ.

John 6:66–69 (ESV)

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Jesus is inviting us to follow Him as well. We can either keep trying to follow our own paths and purposes and continue to be let down and disappointed, or we can find true life even in the midst of our own twists and turns. Jesus doesn’t promise us an easy life, but He does promise to be with us and to give us an abundant life worth living as we follow Him.

Will you choose to find your purpose in knowing Christ and loving Him the way Peter did? Only in knowing and loving Christ can we find the fullness of Life that Christ promises to us.

II. Jesus Offers Us Salvation

Just because Peter chose to follow Jesus did not mean that Peter did not need Jesus’ salvation.

Throughout Jesus’ three year ministry and during Peter’s time of following Jesus, Peter had many ups and downs. But one of Peter’s lowest spots occurred right as Jesus was getting ready to go to the cross.

Read Luke 22:54-62

Luke 22:54–62 (ESV)

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Peter, just a couple hours earlier to this event had just made the declaration that he would go with Jesus all the way to the end and die with him. He was ready to fight and to die for Jesus.

However, Jesus, being God knew exactly what Peter would do. Jesus even told Peter, you’re not going to die with me right now because you are going to deny me three times before the rooster crows.

We can criticize Peter for his denial, but in reality, we all have denied Jesus. Every time we sin and rebel against God, we deny Jesus. We say, my way is better than your way Jesus. We are rejecting Jesus and telling Him I don’t want to listen to you and to love you the way you deserve.

The amazing thing about this whole account, though, is that even though Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, Jesus still went to the cross to die for Peter’s sin.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This is how Jesus is with all of us. He knows every sin and rebellion you’ve ever committed. And He knows every sin you will ever commit. And yet, He still chose to die for you because of His great love for you.

John 21:15–19 (ESV)

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are 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 by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

After Jesus’ death, Peter still hadn’t quite understood all that Jesus was teaching him about His resurrection. Peter was heartbroken and believing that he would never get to see Jesus again after his denial. Its like when someone dies and your relationship with them was never fixed.

However, this is not the end of Peter’s story. Jesus does die. But Jesus did not stay dead. Jesus was buried for three days and then, proving His power over death, rose again to life.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He comes to Peter again, much like He did when He came to Peter the first time. Peter and the other disciples do not immediately recognize Him. But after a night of fishing and failing to catch anything, Jesus tells Peter and his friends to cast their net on the other side of the boat. They listen and then they catch so much they can’t haul it in. It was at this point that one of the other disciples, John, recognized Jesus and pointed him out to Peter.

Peter in his joy jumps out of his boat to go to Jesus. Jesus then invites them to have breakfast with Him. It is here that Jesus has this compassionate and loving conversation with Peter.

Jesus is lovingly restoring Peter back to a right relationship with Himself. Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus is giving Peter three times to confess his love for Jesus. Jesus is also calling Peter to a life of obedience to Him.

Jesus offers salvation to each one of us here today. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have all denied Jesus. However, Jesus took upon Himself the penalty of our sin by dying upon the cross.

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But this free gift is not automatic for any of us, including Peter. We must turn to Christ in faith and repentance.

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 16:31 (ESV)

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God made only one way for us to experience a relationship with Him and that is through Jesus.

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

III. Jesus’ Invitation is for Everyone

Acts 10 & 11

Finally, Peter learns that Jesus’ invitation to follow Him and find forgiveness in Him is available for everyone!

God sends Peter to share the good news of Jesus to Cornelius, a Gentile Centurion who is searching for the truth about God.

Gentiles were considered the enemy and unclean to the Jews. Gentiles were not allowed to enter into the temple to worship God throughout the Old Testament. They were seen as evil and outcasts by the Jewish community. The Gentiles certainly were pagan worshippers, worshipping false gods and living in opposition to God’s law.

However, what we see in Acts 10 and 11 and what Peter learns here is that God wants to save people from sin regardless of their background.

Peter obeys God by going to Cornelius’ home to share the truth about Jesus. And Peter learned that God can save anyone regardless of their background and their past.

Acts 10:34–35 (ESV)

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Acts 10:44–48 (ESV)

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

God is showing that He is big enough to save anyone, regardless of ethnicity, background, education level, or past.

Maybe you’re here this morning and you do not feel that God can still love you because of all things you’ve done in the past. Maybe you have heard the lies from others that you just aren’t good enough. Jesus went to the cross to take upon Himself the penalty of all our sins, if we simply turn to Him in faith and repentance. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to save us. There is no sin too great, no past too damaged that is beyond saving.

Conclusion

Life is constantly giving us twists and turns and taking us into unexpected directions. However, Jesus has promised to guide us through this life and to give us all we need in order to gain the kind of life He created us to live by living in His presence.

Jesus changed everything for Peter as Peter learned to trust and follow Him. Jesus will change everything for you too when you come to trust and follow Jesus.

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