Pastor Jon Burgess
July 10, 2016 - W1628

Good morning. Pastor Talo and Nori from New Hope Tokyo shared with us the story about how they encountered and overcame problems while pastoring the church in Tokyo. The strains of pastoring a church and raising a family were beginning to put a lot of strain on Pastor Talo and Nori. In fact they considered moving back to Hawaii. However, their Aunty Carol Ann, after asking Nori a few questions, was against it and gave them advice to continue to do the will of God in spite of all their problems since the Lord did not tell them to leave Japan. 

As I hear about Carol Ann talking to them and asking those probing questions, I can't help but be reminded of Jesus' conversation with Peter after Peter’s massive failure.

And if you turn in your Life Connect Bible to page 1301, you'll see in John Chapter 21 what we can learn from a season of failure. God will ask us a series of questions.  Just like Carol Ann did with Talo and Nori, Jesus does with Peter. God wants us to answer those questions, also. 

I don't know what you're going through right now. I don't know if you're in failure.  Maybe you're at the peak of success and you're about to be broadsided by a failure you didn't see coming just like in their story.  Wherever it is that you're at, you're going to want to ask the same questions tonight. 

So we pick up here in John 21. Peter of course denied Jesus three times instead of standing by His side, and Jesus is now going to reinstate Peter.

John 21:15-19 says,

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'  Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'  He answered, 'Yes, Lord, 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, you know all things; you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.  Very truly I tell you when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.  Then he said to him, 'Follow me!'"

What's Jesus talking about there? It is the same thing that Carol Ann told to Nori.  You cannot go until God says to go.  God is in charge of your days.  Your days are numbered and led by him.  If God hasn't said to leave Japan, you don't get to leave.  When He's telling Peter how he's going to die, He’s actually saying, “Peter, no matter what you go through, even right now when you're at the depth of despair, you don't get to stop yet because I'm not done with you yet.”  That's what God speaks to us in the middle of our failure. 

Now when there is an accident the first responder comes up to you, and asks you four questions called Alert and Oriented Times Four.

1. Who are you? Your God given identity

   When Jesus is asking those questions of Peter, when Carol Ann was asking those questions of Nori, what they were doing was they were finding out whether those people were alert and oriented towards the things of God. Because when we get broadsided by failure, a lot of times we are so disoriented, we don't know who we are, we don't know what happened, we don't know how to go on from there. If you've ever failed, if you've ever had those epic fails like Peter did, you know exactly what that feels like. Pastor Talo felt that. Nori felt that. Peter certainly felt that.

   Jesus asked, "Peter, who are you?" Peter responded, "I'm just a fisherman." Jesus corrected, "No Peter, you're a fisher of men.

   Three different times Jesus had told Peter who he was in Christ. Jesus even said, “Upon this rock I will build my church,” referring to Peter. And so three different times He has to ask this First Identity question, who are you? He has to bring Peter out of that place of failure and bring him back into the place of identity. And right now some of us are in that place where you are identifying with failure, and God is saying that is not who you are. God is saying, “Remember who I've called you to be. Let failure refine you, not define you. Yes, you've failed, but that doesn't define you as a failure.”

2. Where are you? Your God-given position

   Some of us right now are lost on the streets of failure, and you've been trying to find where you're supposed to be or where your God?given position is. And you've failed, and you feel like that's where you're going to be. But Cyndi has told me something recently that I want to drive home tonight.

   Failure is a place of reference, not a place of residence. Yes, refer back to where you have failed so you can learn from it, but remember, you don't live there.

3. What time is it? Your God-given direction

   It is time to move in the direction of God! That's your God?given direction. There's a timing element to what it is that he's called you to do. You have to do things according to God’s timing but you cannot give up. First, it is time to seek God. Second, your family has to be a priority. Also, do not get distracted by what other people are doing. Your timing may be different from theirs.

4. What are you doing here? Your God-given purpose.

   If you get anything out of tonight, let me help you understand that if you are failing, you are not defined by your failure. You are defined by who you follow, and if you're following failure, that's where you're going to stay. If you're following Christ, watch what happens next. You actually only have one job - just one – and that is to follow Jesus Christ!

   Alert and Oriented Times Four means we are going to step into the God?given purposes that He has given us. You are not a failure in shame. You are a follower of the Savior. You are going to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and you're going to leave the streets of shame behind. You may be still dizzy and confused. You still may be wondering, “Does Jesus even love you?” But the same thing that God spoke to Peter, the same thing that Carol Ann spoke to Pastor Talo and Nori, that's the same thing Jesus is speaking to you tonight. Wherever you're at, whatever failure you're stuck in, He's asking you those questions, and look where you're going to end up, where Peter did.

   After Peter and John healed a lame man in the name of God, Acts 4: 8-12 says,

   "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is the stone you builders rejected which has become the cornerstone."  Wait, this is Peter. This is dejected?failure Peter standing up and talking straight.He's speaking to a whole group of elders and teachers of the law in Jerusalem.Peter concludes, "Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 

   And look at this verse 13. Here's a man who left failure behind and did one job - followed Jesus.

   "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

   So tonight, who are you? What's your God?given identity? Where are you? What's your God?given position? What time is it? What's He calling you to do next? What's your God?given direction? And what are you doing here? What is your God?given purpose?

   Right now if you're stuck and mired in the lies of failure, ask those four questions and watch Jesus use you the same way He did Peter. You're not stuck. You don't have to stay where you are tonight. Reach out to Him because He's looking you in the eyes just like He did with Peter, and He's saying it's time to move on. You're not a failure. You're a follower of Jesus. Let's pray.

   Questions:

1. Why it is that sometimes it seems that God does not answer our prayers?

2. What are the four questions a first responder asks when there is an accident?

3. What four questions do you ask yourself when you try to understand God’s will for your life?

4. Why did Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him?