Northside Church - Sydney
No Reservations Week 3: Jesus & A Failure
You're listening to another great message from Northside Community Church. I don't know about you personally, but I have never actually restored anything. I've never had a go at bringing something back to its former glory. You might have been able to restore an old car, you might have been able to restore a family heirloom or something different that maybe no one else has ever restored. But I've always had dreams about different things that I could restore, whether it's an old armchair or an old house and seeing the house being brought back to what originally should look like. Or even an old photograph and seeing what it should have looked like back in the day when it was taken. But I've actually never had a thought about restoring like an old piece of artwork. And it's not because I'm terrible at art, but it's also because I actually wouldn't know where to start if I did. And it reminded me of this newspaper article that I read a couple of weeks ago, and you might have seen it on the news or you might have read it yourself, about this older woman who noticed a painting in her Church of Jesus that was a bit deteriorated and it didn't look as good as what it should. And so she decided that she would take it upon herself and do a DIY job of restoring this 120 year old painting. So I'm not sure if this lady had any experience in art, let alone in restoring, because it did not go according to plan. Her shocking DIY restoration, should we say, effort, left Jesus who originally was wearing a crown of thorns and gazing sorrowfully towards heaven, looking more like a pale monkey with a half a bead. So some have labelled it the worst restoration of all time, while the BBC described the end result as looking like a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic. So in simple terms, she botched it, does not look like Jesus. So we all know that we personally wouldn't take a precious piece of artwork as we don't have the skills, we don't have the knowledge, and we don't have the power to bring it back to the way the artist intended it to be. So it's one thing to restore paintings on a wall, but what about restoring human life that's been cracked and weathered by the pains of times and circumstances? Is this even possible? Is there actually even a restorer out there? Well if there ever was a guy who botched up his job of being a faithful disciple, then it definitely was Peter. So in the passage that Anne beautifully read for us this morning, we see that Jesus is connecting with his disciples after he has been resurrected. So this encounter that we see in verse 14, verse 12, 10 to 12, it talks about this meal that we're having. And so all the meals that we've looked at during this series have been Jesus being the guest. And this meal is different and it's not only different because it's a brunch and it's not only different because they're having it by the lakeside, but it's different because Jesus is actually the inviting, the inviter. He's the one that is inviting them to eat with him. He's no longer the guest and he's the one who's prepared this meal and he's the one who's serving it to his guests with the disciples. So let me ask you this question. If you're at odds with someone, someone who's maybe let you down, you've had maybe a bit of a misunderstanding or you've been hurt and you wanted to mend the relationship, what would you do? You'd probably say, let's grab a coffee or do you want to come over for dinner or let's go grab a bite to eat. See, that's what Jesus is doing here. So Jesus is saying through this brunch and this encounter that his arms are wide open and ready to restore the relationship. So why is Jesus doing this? What has happened? What has made Peter a bochi disciple? You see, Peter had let Jesus down. So Peter was one of Jesus' disciples. They were doing life together and Peter and Jesus had a really special relationship. Early on, we see that Peter really knows who Jesus is. He's the son of the living gods. And so Peter knows that he's been called to be part of this new kingdom that Jesus is talking about. So Peter was really devoted to Jesus and this new kingdom and that he actually told Jesus many times in the Bible that he wouldn't let him down. For example, in Luke 22 verse 33, Peter says, "Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death." And then in John 13, 37, Peter's asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you? I will lay down my life for you." And then in Matthew 26 verse 33, Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." But then Jesus said to Peter and John 13, "Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will just know me three times." Matthew 26, immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken. "Before the rooster crows, you will just know me three times." And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. You see, Peter botched it. Peter had betrayed Jesus. Have you ever had those feelings of someone letting you down, someone hurting you, feeling upset and betrayed? Jesus had those feelings too, just because of what Peter had done. But how would you react? Do you react like Jesus and say, "Come and have a meal with me. Let's hang out." Or do you not initiate the restoration of the relationship? See, Jesus was putting on his meal for Peter and the other disciples. And even though he was betrayed, he was making the very first move to restore the relationship with Peter. He's saying, "Come and have brunch with me, because everything is okay between you and I." See, Peter botched it and then Jesus sat next to the betrayer and saying to him, "I love you just as much as I did then as I do now." Are you seeing this? Jesus is showing the heart of the God of Christianity, because it's not the only instance in which they are the first ones making the initiation to restore the relationship. It's all the way throughout history and it's all the way to come. God is always the one who is making the first move to initiate to restore the relationship. See, in Romans 5, 8, it says, "But God's demonstrates his own love for us in this, that whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us." You see, it's a betrayal and a first move. So firstly, we learn from this encounter that no matter how much you fail or let down or run the other way from God, God wants to restore his relationship with you and he makes the first move. Okay, so why are lots of people into restoration? Why are lots of people wanting to restore things? What makes it so fascinating and so enjoyable? And why would anyone want to do that as an actual profession? You see, I looked at an app and to be a professional art restorer, it takes a four-year degree in fine arts and approximately 500 hours per artwork to restore a painting. So why would anyone actually want to endure that? You see, I think the reason is because the biggest joy that we get from restoring things is seeing the difference that the restoration is producing in the item, seeing it go from what it looked like to what it should look like. So whether it's sanding back the old wood in an old armchair, bringing out the dins in a smashed up car, wouldn't you agree seeing the item being restored to what it was originally planned for is the greatest part of restoration? However, if we don't actually know what the original item looked like and we can't actually experience that joy, we might think the thing looks lovely and great but we don't get to experience the joy of seeing something come to what it should be like. So why don't we have a little look at what Jesus is doing with Peter in a little bit of a before and after treatment. So let's have a look at what it says in verses 15 to 17 and it says this, "When Peter, when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than me?' 'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'feed my lambs.' Again, Jesus said, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, do 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 hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, do you know all things? Do you know that I love you?' Jesus said, 'feed my sheep.' So in verse 17 we see that Peter is actually hurt and why is Peter hurt? I think Peter is hurt because he's getting a, 'I got it moment.' I mean, have you ever had those moments when you're actually with the friend who's really upset you and really hurt you? So you just want to remind them so you put that little subtle dig in that they have actually upset and hurt you? We've all been there, trust me. And that's what Jesus is doing, he's doing it three times, three times, three times. And Peter is thinking, 'What are you doing, Jesus? Have you lost your mind?' And then I think it hits him and he goes, 'He's crawling.' See, Jesus was not just being cheeky about asking him three times because these two old friends, one that's let them down and the other the betrayed, but they both knew that the elephant in the room was that denial and then Jesus had to dig it up again. Why? Now, as Sam would say, it's the before and after principle and trust me, Sam speaks like this at home so it has definitely rubbed off of me. But it's the before and after principle and just like all those before and after shows, you know the biggest loser or extreme makeover which I absolutely just love seeing them and seeing the person come from what they were into this new person that they are. Or it's like all those restoration shows or restoring shows and it's like, my favourite one is Filling Houses Australia where they come in and they take over the whole entire house and they get this house ready to be sold and so each of the rooms they redo and they look after. And what these shows do in the last five minutes, they do the final reveal. It's the frame by frame shot, the before and the after. See, we only find the transformation spectacular when we know what they looked like before. I know about you, but when you come in and you see the show right at the end and you just see the after shot, you think to yourself, 'Oh yeah, that looks pretty good.' But you don't actually get to experience the wow factor or the joy unless we have seen the before shot. See, that is what Jesus is doing three times, three times. He's giving him the frame by frame shot, the before and the after. See, Jesus is reminding Peter that he didn't just need a spruce up, but he didn't just need a little bit of a clean, but he actually needed a restoration job. And that restoration just wasn't with his relationship with one another, but it was also with his identity. Okay, so let's speculate just for a little bit about maybe what the disciples were thinking or maybe what the disciples were doing. And to the other boys know about Jesus and Peter and Peter's betrayal to Jesus, where they're whispers out there on the boat. I wonder if Peter ever felt like that other boys were saying to each other, 'Peter the betrayer, oh here comes Peter the flaker, Peter the failure or the three tweet Pete.' In other words, did Pete let the denial define him? Maybe they weren't bagging him out, maybe they were not saying anything at all. But I'm sure that Peter, who was human, just like we all are, not just a character in a story, but he probably often feel how we feel. You know, I have felt like that before, when you let someone down or you maybe have not done something that you should have done and you think to yourself, oh my goodness, everyone is calling me, Christen the failure, Christen the betrayer, Christen the one who flaked. But you see, Jesus isn't just restoring Peter's relationship with him, he wants to restore his identity. See, Jesus in asking three times to Peter is saying to him, 'You're no longer that anymore.' Come on, we've all been there thinking to ourselves that this one decision, this one mistake defines who we are and we let that take us and consume our identity. But you know what Jesus is not only saying to Peter, but also saying to each and every one of us this morning, you see saying, 'I've actually given you a new identity, haven't just come to spruce you up, but I've actually come to restore you.' And with that comes a brand new identity, if you love me, a brand new identity that says, 'You're a kid of the King, that you are loved unconditionally, that you are forgiven, that you are accepted, and that you are His masterpiece.' See, you'll never experience the joy of the transformation unless you put your life into the hands of Jesus and you'll never experience the joy of Jesus' transformation in your life until you get to see the before and the after. But with God, it never actually stops there either. He doesn't just save us from something, but he also saves us for something. See, every time in this encounter, Jesus didn't just ask him a question and leave it there. Each time Jesus told Peter something, you see, in verse 15 it says, 'Feed my lands.' In verse 16, he says, 'Take care of my sheep,' and in verse 17 he says, 'Feed my sheep.' So, what is Jesus going on about? I don't know, but have you ever been on a really long holiday and you've got everything organised, you've got your paperwork done, you've got your bags packed, you've got gone out and bought all those little knickknacks that you need to get. And then you thought to yourself, 'Ooh, what about my house?' I'm a little bit worried about my house. So, you decide to ask someone who you trust and you know to look after your house, to house it for you. Or maybe you've actually been the lucky person who's been asked to house it. And they give you the keys to their house and they ask you to look after their place. So, what do they say to you? They say, 'Do you love me? Feed my cat.' 'Do you love me? Feed my budgie.' 'Do you love me? Collect my mail.' So, in other words, they are basically saying to you, 'I now give you the responsibility to look after what is most precious to me.' And they ask you to look after and maintain the house whilst you're gone. So, this is what Jesus is doing here. He might not be saying, 'I ask you to feed the budgie.' But he's saying to Peter, 'I'm giving you the keys to this house. I'm giving you the keys to this movement. I'm giving you the keys to these people in this community.' And he's restoring the vision that was given to Peter right back when Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter. And then later, when he said to Peter, 'Upon this rock I will build my church.' You see, complete restoration happens not only when the item that is being restored has got the bumps and the dings and the marks of it, but when it's been restored for its desired purpose. So, Jesus restored Peter not just from something, but also for something. And you know, it's the same with us. I don't know if you've ever been to a really cute, like Italian restaurant, it's called Ventunos. And it's, I think it's in Walsh Bay, yep, Walsh Bay, and it's got this beautiful water pump in there. So, when you walk in, there's this beautiful water pump because it used to be a pumping house. I think that's what it's called. And so, you walk in and this beautiful water pump has been restored and it's looking lovely, but it's no longer in use. It's just been restored and just sitting there and you walk in and you say, 'Oh, lovely.' And then you go past and you sit down at your table and you forget about the water pump. So, even though this water pump has been restored, it actually hasn't been restored for something. And with us, God doesn't just restore us to put us on display and for people to go, 'Oh, that's nice and walk off.' But He's restored us for something and for a purpose. So, where are you this morning? You see, the God of Bible talks about and the one that we worship this morning, the one that we love, you know, He's actually prepared a branch for you. And He's saying to you this morning, 'It's time to get out of your boat and come and eat with me.' Despite your failures, despite where you've been, despite what you might be thinking about yourself and despite the labels that you're beginning to believe because I love you despite that. Or you might need to be reminded that you have a brand new identity, that you are no longer defined by your moments, no longer defined by your circumstances, no longer defined by your decisions, but you are defined by Him, or maybe this morning you need your vision restored. Maybe God has asked you to house it His house and instead of actually living in the house, you put a tent up in the front yard and you're staying there. Not only are you not taking full advantage of their privileges extended to you, but you might not actually be doing your job. See, are you passionate about what is most precious to Him? But you know, it's more than that, it's not just seeing all those things restored. But what about us with the bumps and marks and cracks that the pains of times and circumstances has withered us? Are you in need of a full restoration, a real restoration? And is that even possible to be fixed, to be renewed? How do we restore that? You know, some people would say that it's impossible, and others know that it's possible, but instead of actually putting their lives in the hands of the true restorer, they try and do a DIY job, just like the lady in Spain. And you know, they've botched it. They actually haven't restored their life to the way it is. You know, one of my favourite verses in the Bible is Ephesians 2, 10, and it says, "But we are God's work and ship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." You see, we are God's artwork. Your life is the picture He shows up to the rest of the world. Your life is the mean by which the world sees the master artist. You see, you are God's Mona Lisa. And just like how paintings shouldn't be given to someone who's not a professional, it's the same with our lives. We should be giving our lives to someone who isn't a professional, but rather we should be putting it in the hands of the master restorer. See, if we did it in a minute, some of us would be like, "Yeah, I do know that, but actually I'm going to use my own tools because I feel like I need to restore myself before I come to God." You know what, God is the one who's like, "Actually, I've already initiated it. You don't need to restore yourself because I'm the one that will restore you." And for some of us, we might think to ourselves, "Ah, but I don't need a restoration. It's for everyone else, but not for me." But God is also saying, "I've also come to restore all of you, not just the person on either side of you, but to restore you." A restoration needs to come from the one who knows us, who wants to meet us, and wants to give us a new identity. So who are you going to go to? Are you going to put it in your own hands? Do a DIY job and botch it, or are you going to put it in the hands of the master restorer. So come to the master restorer this morning who's Jesus Christ. If you don't know him, you have an opportunity this morning to get to know him and to restore the relationship. And if you do know him this morning, maybe you actually need to be reminded that you don't need a spruce up, but you need a true restoration. So come for a touch up with God. So friend, are you trying to restore your own life? Are you going to put your hands in the hands of that who could botch it? Are you going to give it to the ultimate restorer?