The Lost Ones - Part 6 | Undeniable: The Story of Simon Peter
If Jesus prayed before choosing His disciples - and He did - then every selection was intentional. So here's the question worth sitting with: if you had a first-round pick, would you have chosen Simon Peter?
Jesus did.
Who Was Simon Peter?
"As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, 'Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.'"
- Matthew 4:18-19 (AMP)
Most of us find Peter likable from the moment we meet him. He had real natural strengths - bold, outgoing, gregarious, transparent, and enthusiastic. But he was also unstable, impulsive, and deeply insecure. Most important of all? He loved Christ.
Foundational Principle: God Already Knows You
Before we look at Peter's failures, we need to understand something foundational. God doesn't choose people based on their current condition. He chooses them based on what He sees they can become.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:5 (AMP)
"You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."
- Psalm 139:15-16 (MSG)
Here's the truth we have to hold onto: I see pieces. God sees the picture.
The Defining Moment: Three Denials
Peter had made a bold promise. Just hours before his greatest failure, he declared with confidence:
"Though they all fall away because of You [and doubt and disown You], I will never fall away!"
- Matthew 26:33 (AMP)
Neighbor, watch your mouth. Don't write a check you can't cash - because pressure busts pipes.
"I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this night, before a rooster crows, you will [completely] deny Me three times."
- Matthew 26:34 (AMP)
And then it happened exactly as Jesus said:
"Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came up to him and said, 'You too were with Jesus the Galilean.' But he denied it before them all, saying, 'I do not know what you are talking about.' And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and she said to the bystanders, 'This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.' And again he denied it with an oath, 'I do not know the man.' After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, 'Surely you are one of them too; for even your [Galilean] accent gives you away.' Then he began to curse and swear, 'I do not know the man!' And at that moment a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the [prophetic] words of Jesus... And he went outside and wept bitterly [in repentance]."
- Matthew 26:69-75 (AMP)
The Redemption Story: Going Back to the Comfort Zone
After the resurrection, Peter did what most of us do when life falls apart. He went back to what was familiar.
"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said, 'And we are coming with you.' So they went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing."
- John 21:3 (AMP)
When pressure comes, we retreat to our comfort zones - old habits, old relationships, old ways of coping. We try to hop back into what God has already moved us out of. That night, Peter's nets came up empty. They always do.
4 Signs God Has Shifted You - and You Can't Go Back
- What used to work no longer works - Your old methods, old coping strategies, old sources of satisfaction lose their power.
- Provision begins to dry up - The resources that once flowed in your old season stop flowing.
- You lose sensitivity to God's voice - The signal gets lost when you step outside of where He's called you.
- You depend more on flesh than on faith - You find yourself working harder in your own strength with less and less to show for it.
"I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing."
- John 15:5 (AMP)
Jesus Comes to the Shore
Jesus didn't wait for Peter to find his way back. He showed up where Peter was - exhausted, empty-handed, back on the water that used to define him.
"And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat (starboard) and you will find some.' So they cast [the net], and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great catch of fish."
- John 21:6 (AMP)
When you're willing to listen to the voice of Jesus, even after your failures, provision doesn't just return - it overflows.
"The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]."
- Psalm 37:23 (AMP)
"The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want."
- Psalm 23:1 (AMP)
"And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4:19 (AMP)
If Jesus already knows the answers to your problems - and He does - why wouldn't we listen?
Peter's Leap: Moving Without Hesitation
When John recognized Jesus on the shore and told Peter, Peter didn't wait for the boat to dock.
"So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer tunic (for he was stripped for work) and threw himself into the sea [and swam ashore]."
- John 21:7 (AMP)
He swam the length of a football field to get to Jesus. Forget the fish. He was going to the Source.
This is consistent with who Peter always was:
- He was the first disciple chosen
- He was the first to step out of the boat to walk on water
- He was the first to draw his sword in the garden
Failure never changed what was on the inside of Peter. And it doesn't have to change what's on the inside of you.
Jesus Provides Before He Corrects
Notice what happened when they reached the shore:
"So when they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire set up and fish on it cooking, and bread... Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.'"
- John 21:9, 12 (AMP)
Jesus didn't address Peter's betrayal first. He fed him first. He provided for him first. Before the conversation, before the correction, before the commission - Jesus prepared a meal. That is the character of God. He is not in a hurry to condemn you. He is eager to restore you.
The Love Motivation: Three Questions for Three Denials
After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter a question. Not once - three times. Once for every denial.
"So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do - with total commitment and devotion]?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My lambs.'"
- John 21:15 (AMP)
"Again He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.'"
- John 21:16 (AMP)
"He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, 'Do you [really] love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.'"
- John 21:17 (AMP)
Notice the Progression
Feed My Lambs - Lambs represent the young, immature, and spiritually vulnerable. New believers need care and nourishment.
Shepherd My Sheep - To shepherd means to pastor, guide, protect, lead, and care for. This is active, ongoing ministry.
Feed My Sheep - Continue nourishing those who are already mature. Growth never stops in the Christian life.
The proof of your love for Jesus is found in how you care for what belongs to Him.
God Uses Imperfect People
Do you feel like God couldn't possibly use you? Look at who He's already used:
- Noah was a drunk
- Jacob was a liar
- Joseph was abused
- Moses had a stuttering problem
- Gideon was afraid
- Samson was a womanizer
- Rahab was a prostitute
- David was an adulterer and a murderer
- Elijah was suicidal
- Jonah ran from God
- Naomi was a widow
- Job went bankrupt
- John the Baptist ate bugs
- Peter denied Christ
None of them disqualified themselves from God's plan. Neither have you.
The Promise Over Peter
Before any of this happened - before the denial, before the failure, before the restoration - Jesus had already prayed for Peter.
"Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain; but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]."
- Luke 22:31-32 (AMP)
"Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I've prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start."
- Luke 22:31-32 (MSG)
Jesus wasn't surprised by Peter's failure. He had already prayed him through it. And when Peter came through - notice Jesus said when, not if - his assignment was to strengthen others.
Your greatest failure may become the foundation of your greatest ministry.
Discussion Questions
- Peter made a bold declaration he couldn't back up - "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." Have you ever made a promise to God (or about your faith) that you later broke? What did that experience reveal about the difference between our confidence in ourselves and our dependence on God?
- When the pressure came, Peter went back to fishing - back to his old identity and comfort zone. What are the "fishing boats" in your own life - the habits, relationships, or distractions you tend to retreat to when life gets hard? What does it look like for you to stay where God has called you instead?
- The sermon identified four signs that God has shifted you out of a season: fading effectiveness, drying provision, losing sensitivity to His voice, and depending more on flesh than faith. Are you experiencing any of these right now? What do you think God may be trying to move you toward?
- Jesus fed the disciples before He addressed Peter's failure - provision before correction. How does that picture of Jesus change or challenge the way you think about coming back to God after you've fallen? Is there anything that's been keeping you from returning to Him?
- Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love Me?" - and each time followed Peter's answer with a call to serve others. The sermon notes that "the proof of your love for Jesus is found in how you care for what belongs to Him." In practical terms, what does that look like in your current stage of life? Who are the "lambs" or "sheep" God may be asking you to feed or shepherd right now?