Category: JOHN

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day seven)

Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” vs 15

His plan was good on paper. Blend in. Don’t get caught. What Peter didn’t realize was that his association with Jesus was already known. People were watching Jesus and this group of ragtag disciples. It is likely that Peter was a polarizing member of this group making him easily recognizable, but something also stands out to me that is written about Peter days later.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John […]  they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:15 ESV

When you have been with Jesus, people can tell. Even in the midst of denying Christ, people could not deny that Peter had been with Christ. People are watching you too. Some are waiting for you to fail so that they can leave it all behind. Others are waiting for you to bring them along and show them the way. If we cannot deny that we have been with Christ, then what message are our actions showing about His impact on our lives?

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day six)

If Peter teaches us anything, it is that we are terrible predictors of our own behavior and choices. Even though Jesus told him what would happen in advance, and even though Peter was adamant that he would never abandon Jesus, in fact he insisted he would die for him before denying him, when put in an unexpected situation Peter did the unexpected. Not once but three times he denied he was a disciple of Jesus.

Here’s the point, don’t take your sinful flesh for granted. You can make wonderful and wild proclamations (like Peter), and still fall flat on your face. When it comes to your own sinful nature, be self-ware, be watchful, be ready, be sober minded, be humble. You can never have too many safeguards or accountability.

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day five)

Peter learned the hard way where His source of strength and power came from. We often think of Peter being an intense, loyal, bold man. After all, Peter was a man that cast out demons. Someone who had said he would follow Jesus anywhere and do anything for Him. A man who was outspoken about how much he loved Jesus. Someone that spoke up in truth and first recognized Jesus as the Christ. On the other hand, we can say that Peter was disloyal, brash, and fearful. He was the one with the quick temper. The one that acted in rashness to cut a man’s ear off. The one to deny Jesus three times, even though he had been warned that it would happen.

The night that Peter denied Jesus showed Peter just how dependent on Jesus he was. He learned that apart from Jesus, he was weak and fearful. He was not strong. He was not loyal. He was not brave. But that is not what defined Peter forever. Soon, Peter would receive restoration and hope from Jesus that would rouse him to be the intense, bold, and loyal man that Jesus knew Him to be. Yes, it was humbling and hard to learn the way he did. But He learned that his strength, power, and everything else came from Jesus. And there is nothing better than to know that.

Apart from Jesus, we are nothing compared to what Jesus knows us to be. Aren’t you grateful for His restoration and hope in spite of your daily failings? Aren’t you grateful that He makes you better?

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day four)

What if this were the last thing written about Peter? What if all we got from Scripture about Peter’s life ended here with him denying his friend and savior, not once, not twice, but three times? If his story ended here, we would not remember him kindly. But we know his story doesn’t end here. We have the benefit of living in a post-resurrection world. We know how Peter’s story ends – in just a few chapters, his relationship with Jesus will be restored. He’ll go on to lead the early church and ultimately give his life for the sake of Christ. We know that in Peter’s darkest hour, his story wasn’t over. It’s good to know how the story ends, isn’t it?

Because we know Christ, we know how our story ends too. But often, on the days that we deny Christ, or on our most painful days in this life, when the light seems to have gone out completely, we think to ourselves, “My life is over. There’s no coming back from this.” But by the grace of God, our story doesn’t end there either. The Lord has done, is doing, and will always be doing his work of redemption in us. We may not know our future, but we do know how our story ends. This is the hope we have in Christ.

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day two) “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” vs. 17b

Taking a hard look at our own journey, we deny Christ countless times, and rarely, if ever, are we publicly castigated for it. We deny him when we are dishonest, when we are unkind or unfair. We deny him when we do not confess sin that we know is impacting our testimony. We deny him when we fail to witness with a lost soul. We deny him daily.

Thanks be to God that this is not the end of our story. It was not the end of Peters. We just finished a study with the redeemed and restored Apostle Peter and his incredible letter speaking of how to treat others and to embrace the sufferings of Christ. Do not let the denials define you. They didn’t define Peter. Let us be defined by the restorative power of Jesus to be more like him every day.

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through  John 18:15-18, 25-27 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Beauty of Restoration” The Final Days of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

Re:Verse passage – John 21 (day seven)

Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21:11)

153 was a remarkable haul of fish and an unusually exact record.  Many scholars have conjured up hypotheses to explain the exact accounting, but it seems the logical explanation is that the number 153 has no ulterior meaning.  It was just a bunch of fish.

Just imagine, if Jesus points His disciples to a bunch of fish on an impromptu fishing trip, how much more will Jesus point these fishers of men to people ready for the Gospel.  Like fish shoaling near a boat there are many like Zaccheus (Lk 19) or the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8) who long for the Gospel that Jesus Christ can point His followers to.

May our nets be full of those ready to follow Jesus Christ.