We don’t like failure. It bruises our ego. It angers us. It brings guilt. It brings despair. It brings fear. And the most painful failure for the Christian is the failure to live out our Christian faith. If you can identify, then I have good news for you in John 21. This passage is for failures! It is for those who have failed Jesus! Few people have crashed and fallen to the depths of sin and unfaithfulness as the Apostle Peter, who denied His Lord; yet, few people have been so powerfully used by God as Peter – after he repented and was restored. Peter’s story in John 21 gives us hope and encouragement because it illustrates a glorious truth: Your failure hasn’t put you out of reach from Jesus’ restoring grace.
The most significant, spectacular comeback in history is Christ’s coming back to life. It is significant for many reasons. One of which is that we share in his comeback. His victory is our victory. We have (in the words of Paul) been raised with Christ! Greater news does not exist. In this world filled with tears and trials, we easily lose sight of this glorious truth. The resurrection is not simply to be reflected upon on your deathbed (though you should!); it is also to be remembered in your daily life. What I want to do today is take a look at John 20, and encourage you to let this good news into your heart.
We are going to take a journey to the cross today. Before we get to Golgotha, we are going to the Guest Room, and then into the Garden. I want to look at the last days of Jesus on earth in chapters 14 and 15 of Mark’s (short but powerful) Gospel. Here’s why what we are looking at is so important: Jesus reveals the meaning of his death at this meal and in this garden.
Paul exhorts the Ephesians and us to stand firm by God’s strength in God’s armor in the midst of spiritual warfare. The critical battle has already been won! There’s just a mop up operation going on. He is Lord. We are in him. The emphasis is not on us memorizing each piece and “praying it on.” It’s about putting on the characteristics and virtues that are ours through our union with Jesus Christ. We are to put on Christ, which simply means as in Ephesians 4:24, recognize who you are in Christ, and live consistently with that identity with the spiritual resources that are yours. We keep our armor on, until our King returns. Then, we will fall down before him, the one who has loved us with an everlasting love, and we will put our weapons down because the war will be over.
What’s your least favorite job of all time? I haven’t had as many bad jobs as some of you have. Donnie told me that he milked cows for two years, and also used to discard dead animals from the vet. I’ve been an umpire for Little League. It would have been fun if not for the parents!Work is a gift and we should think God for work. But some jobs are not high on the desirability scale! How can you find any meaning or fulfillment in your daily vocation – either paid work or unpaid work (mom/student)? This text shows us that we need to see Christ as our ultimate “boss” for whom we labor. You see, you can transfer masters without transferring jobs. Paul teaches us in this section how the Lordship of Christ should affect our view of work. We can exalt Christ through our various jobs.
