Restored Again

Church, there's something special about when we gather in this place together and if you're joining online as well. The Bible says, and Jesus said it himself, when there are two or more in His name, gather, He is there. So when He is in the room, there is freedom, there is joy, there is peace, there is healing. So raise your voice today and worship. Come on, put your hands together. Here we go. Oh, I've been born again. Again and again and again and again. The rest of me, I confess I was in. I traded my song for something to sing. I was dancing on the pain that I was living. Goodbye yesterday. I'm fading in the light of the new day. I won't waste another minute of my life. Praise the Lord. I've been born again. Goodbye yesterday. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. I've got resurrection. Praise the Lord. I've been born again. Again and again and again and again. The rest of me, I confess I was in. I traded my song for something to sing. Now I'm dancing on the pain that I was living. Again and again and again and again. The rest of me, I confess I was in. I traded my song for something to sing. Now I'm dancing on the pain that I was living. I have decided to follow Jesus. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back.

I have decided to follow Jesus. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back. I have decided to follow Jesus. I'm gonna leave the world behind. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back. I have decided to follow Jesus. I'm gonna leave the world behind. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back. I won't turn back. I won't turn back. I won't turn back. No, no, no. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back. I won't turn back. I won't turn back. I won't turn back. No, no, no. The world behind will cross before me and I won't turn back. Again and again and again and again. The rest of me, I confess I was in. I traded my song for something to sing. Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't scream. Again and again and again and again. The rest of me, I confess I was in. I traded my song for something to sing. Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't scream. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. I've been born again. Praise the Lord.

I've been born again. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Surrender our hearts to you. Oh. Thank you, Lord. Who thought I'd find you at the lowest place? Who thought you'd feel me in the crowd? Who knew you'd make good on my mistakes? You're nothing like I thought you were. You're better, what a God, what a friend. What a God, what a God What a God, what a God Oh, what a God, what a God I thought you'd show up for perfection It's what kind of God looks for the lost They say it's over for the sinner You say, no it's not, no it's not You say, no it's not, no it's not What a God, what a God What a God, what a God What a God, what a God What a God, what a God As we sit in a seat of awe and recognition of God's power and His might and His goodness and all these things sometimes we can say, oh but I can't bring all of my mess to this place and we forget that this is the very God who sits on a throne but welcomes our mess at His feet I'm going to invite our prayer team to come forward and if you're here today and you're carrying mess that you just feel like is maybe a little too messy to show up at God's feet I'd encourage you to come forward, we'd love to pray with you, we'd love to stand in the gap with you and it's the same God who welcomes the mess at His feet, it's the same God who gets off the throne

and shows up in the mess it's a God who literally uses mud to heal a blind man the picture of mess, He's just showing up and there's nothing too big that He can't handle there's nothing too small that He can't handle so if you're here and you need prayer, now's the time don't worry about the people next to you, we can tap on the shoulder, we'll make some room that's what this space is for, that we just get to show up at His feet recognizing His awe and power and then just saying like, while I'm here God can you take this thing from me? and He's like, yes, my child, yes, of course, I am your father I want to carry this for you you guys trust us with so many prayer requests so I'm going to pray for a handful of them, a representative of the many if you're comfortable, would you just extend a hand as we carry each other's burdens in prayer this afternoon God, we come to you recognizing your awe, recognizing your power recognizing your might, recognizing your goodness and just recognizing, oh, what a God what a good and faithful and we fall for words what a God you are, and so we come before you, Lord recognizing your power, recognizing that with one word you can change everything for us so we ask that in our circumstances today, Lord we pray for Zenny, Lord, as she is recovering from a heart attack God, we just pray the name of Jesus over her body that it be restored to full health the name of Jesus over her heart the name of Jesus over every cell in her body, Lord that you would bring her back to full health, God we thank you that you have kept breath in her lungs

we thank you that you're not done with her yet, Lord we pray that she's reminded of that right now in this very moment, that you have kept breath in her lungs and so she has purpose, you have a plan for her you're not done with her yet, Jesus and so we pray that you would build her back up strengthen her body, strengthen her bones strengthen her soul, so that she can continue to give you praise and honor people would come to know your name because of what you're doing in and through her, God we come alongside Meredith who's praying for her new for her not yet born twin grandbaby, Lord we thank you in advance for a healthy and safe delivery we thank you in advance for the strength for mom and dad we pray that you send your people around them the community to lift their arms when they grow tired we pray that these children would come to know your name that they would come to know your grace they would come to know your goodness, God we pray for that whole circumstance, God we come alongside a child who's praying for their father who just left, lost his job and we thank you for the faith of a child who knows that this is what we run to our father for this is what we run to God with the burdens of this world, Lord, that you can carry them that you are our provider that you are the God who makes a way that you are a God who opens wide the doors a path for purpose for this man so that we pray that over this family

but God, we thank you for the faith of this child we pray that over this room right now somebody who does not have the faith that they need to keep on going somebody who's struggling with their faith, Lord we pray you give them more faith we pray that you give them more strength we pray that you continue to reveal yourself to them, Lord that you would lift up their weary arms just because things are going wrong does not mean you have left them does not mean that you are done with them it means you're bringing them through them so Lord, I pray you grab onto their arm and you keep carrying them you keep making a way through this season, Lord because you are a God who brings them through makes all all things right. You are the God that will get glory no matter our circumstance. You are God that shows up in all things. You bring the healing. You bring the hope. You bring the comfort, God. We thank you that you do these things. We come at your feet and we just recognize your power. We recognize your goodness. We recognize that you're in it. We recognize that you're here and we love and praise you. It's your greeting we pray. Amen and amen. Come on Church, sing it out. Forever satisfied. God, you are my everything, yeah. And if one word is the only thing you speak, then I've heard it all. If I feel your heart and never see your hair, oh, I still have it all. No treasure of this life could ever satisfy. God, you are my everything. Oh, God, you are my, yeah. You're my one desire. You are my. Come on, Church, sing it out. Oh, what a God. What a God. What a God. What a God.

What a God. What a God. Oh, what a mighty God we should... What a mighty God... Come on, Church. Come on, sing it. If the highest... If the highest place I reach is at Your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is Your glory, oh, then I've seen it all. Oh, yeah. Your love has changed my life. Forever satisfied. You are my everything. If one... If one word is the only thing You speak, then I've heard it all. If I feel Your heart and never see Your hand, oh, I still have it all. No transfer of this life could ever satisfy. You are my everything. Your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above them all. With all those in dominions, all powers in position, Your name stands above them all. Your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above them all. With all those in dominions,

all powers in position, Your name stands above them all. Come on, Church, raise a voice and declare it. Your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above them all. With all those in dominions, all powers in position, Your name stands above them all. What a God, what a God. We can't get praise all around. What a God, what a God. That's who you are. What a God, what a God. What a mighty God we serve. What a mighty God we serve. What a God, what a God. That's who you are. You are my everything. Oh, but you are my everything. Jehovah, I will provide. You are my everything. Jehovah, I will do. You are my everything. ♪ The highest place I reach is at your feet ♪ Come on church. ♪ Then I've done it all ♪ ♪ If the best thing that I've seen is your glory ♪ ♪ Then I've seen it all, yeah ♪ ♪ Your love has changed my life, forever satisfied ♪

♪ God, you are my everything ♪ ♪ And if one word is the only thing you speak ♪ ♪ Then I've heard it all, if I feel your heart ♪ ♪ And never see your hand, oh I still have it all ♪ ♪ No treasure of this life could ever satisfy ♪ ♪ God, you are my everything ♪ Come on, give me a declaration. ♪ You are my everything, oh God, you are my everything ♪ ♪ You are my everything, oh God, you are my everything ♪ Come on, church. Let's just give the Lord praise in this place. Let's declare he's good. There's no one like him, amen? No one compares to him. No one would welcome imperfect people like us and give us everything, give us life, give us the kingdom of God. His presence is here with us, that he wants to grow us. And it may not be easy, it may stretch us, it may be a little painful, but it's for his purposes that will produce such great fruit. So would you just stretch out your hands right now to receive what the Spirit of God wants to do in this place? Father, we surrender all, because what a God you are. You're so good, you're so merciful. You've done everything so that we could be accepted into your family forever. We're so grateful, God. And we come before you right now with our offerings,

with our worship, with our lives. And God, if we're honest, some of us, we've brought some other things into this place. We've brought some burdens, we've brought some baggage, some fears, some anxiety. You can take them, Lord. So we lay them down at your feet. I pray that you would lift every burden in this place, that you would open up our ears and our minds and our hearts to receive the hope of your word, God. It's living, it's active, it's powerful. It will produce the fruit that you sent it forth for. So let it begin in us. Let it happen in and through our lives. Thank you, Jesus, for what you're about to do. What a God you are. We give you all the praise, and we pray all of these things in the name of Jesus. And all the people of God who love him said, come on, church, he's so good, amen. Turn a few people, tell them God is good. Let them know he's good, amen. Before we continue on in worship and the opening of God's word, we're gonna respond through the worship of our giving. And if giving is part of your worship today, if you've come prepared, there's several ways that you can do so that you can respond to the Lord. Our service guides are gonna be passing down some buckets. We have a giving kiosk out in the lobby, boxes in the back.

Many of you, you automate what is important. But if you're a guest today, I want you to hear this. Scripture tells us that the most important thing when we give is not to give out of guilt, not to give out of compulsion, not to give out of because this thing is going by me, but to give out of a cheerful heart because God loves a cheerful giver. God loves when we are generous in and through our lives, through everything we do with our time, our talent and our treasure. But God is also a God who gives to us. So right now, as we prepare ourselves, let's get ready for what he wants to give to us, how he wants to grow us today. I wanna welcome you to the perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. My name's Eric and I love grilling. Anybody in here love grilling? I don't care if it's chicken or steak or vegetables. I believe the far superior way to cook is grilling. Now, I'm a grilling guy. I have several grills at my house, but I've learned that there are two types of people when it comes to grilling. There are gas grill people and there are charcoal grill people. Gas grill people, they speak a very simple language. They say, I'm gonna turn a knob, press a button. There's in 10 minutes.

It's a simple life, a simple life. Charcoal grill people, they talk differently. They say, you don't rush the process. They say, you don't just cook with charcoal. You commune with charcoal. I've realized that charcoal grill people, they have a whole pretentious personality and I get it because it's better. It just tastes better with a little bit of smoke and a lot more char. And so I became a charcoal grill person early on in life. I remember the first time I ever grilled on a charcoal grill. It was at the beach. I was a senior in high school. I was with my friends. I went to the grocery store. I got the briquettes. I got the lighter fluid. I got one of those long red lighters. I got the ribeye steak. and some chicken, and so I have energy, I have excitement, but I also have no idea what I'm doing. So everyone's looking at me to cook the meal for the day. I pile up the charcoal briquettes. I pour the entire bottle of, what is it called? Lighter fluid, because I'm like, it needs to burn hot, right? It needs to be big. So all of it, I put the lighter in there. I'm not exaggerating.

It's like a six to eight foot mushroom cloud. Smoke everywhere, we had to jump back, like I'm in a Tom Cruise action film, except instead of a car or a building, it's the barbecue grill that explodes. People in other gazebos, they're saying, hey, is everything okay there? I'm like, yeah, I got it. That should have been the first sign that I did not have it. I looked at the fire, and because it was bright, I thought that it was ready, but I had to learn that just because something is on fire doesn't mean it's prepared. That'll preach some other day. I didn't understand that the charcoal has to burn down so it can burn right, and so I threw the steaks on. It was too early. What started off strong died down quickly. The heat began to lower. The fire began to decrease because the coals weren't ready, and what I was left with was some steaks that were charred on the outside and inside was like blue rare, barely cooked. The chicken smelled like lighter fluid, but the heat wasn't high enough to cook it, so it was just like a warm pile of salmonella, and I'm thinking in that moment, like, man, I ruined my money. I wasted it.

I messed up everything. Had I just followed the instructions, had I just been patient and waited a little bit longer, I wouldn't be standing here with a plate full of burnt food and people surrounding me in disappointment. Now, the reason I shared that is in a room like this, I understand that there's some of us in here where something has happened to us in our life. Something's happened to us that has affected us, and I wanna let you know that God's restoration, that God's renewal, that God's resurrection power is available for every single person in this place. I believe that to be true, but what I also know is that for most of us, we don't struggle so much with what happened to us. Most of us, we struggled with what we did, a decision that we made, that we decided on on our own. No one forced us. No one asked us to do it. We can't even blame it on our childhood upbringing. It was a decision that we made, and now we have to pay the consequences for that. Whether it was a conversation you shouldn't have had, and now you said some words that you can't take back, or it's something you didn't fully plan out and you executed on it, and now you're experiencing the consequences because you didn't think it through. Whatever it was, it's not just that it happened. It's what it did within us.

See, if we're not careful, we don't just say I made a mistake. We start to believe I am the mistake, and we start to let who we are be redefined because of the regret of decisions that we've made. And so if you find yourself in that place right now, or you've been in that place, but you haven't fully healed from that, or if you know somebody who's in that place, I've titled today's teaching Restored Again. As we talk about the God of again, I want us to see how he restores us again. This whole God of again series is from Psalm 71, verses 20 and 21. Three verses says the same word again three times. It says, you who have made me see many troubles and calamities, you will revive me again. From the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. That word again means that God is not surprised at our need for restoration. He's not shocked, he's not sitting in heaven saying, come on, Gamero, you dummy, you did it again? No, he already knew what would be done, and he made a provision. And what I love about God's word, it doesn't just give us promises that we can trust, it shows us pictures of those promises. And so if we wanna see what this restoration looks like in real life,

we gotta look at this story in John chapter 21. The story many of us are familiar with. The story where Peter pretends to not know Jesus. He has this opportunity to stand up for Jesus, but instead of standing up saying, I know him, he's my Lord, he's my Savior, he denies Jesus. Not once, not twice, but how many times? He denies Jesus three times. But Jesus, rose from the grave. Now Jesus is alive and Peter has to live with this decision that he made. Again, many of us, we know this story. But I want to show us what God does. What Jesus does in and through us when we mess up again and again and again. First thing I want you to write down is this. Jesus restores what failure broke. Jesus restores what failure broke. John 21 9, after Jesus resurrects and reveals himself to his disciples. Peter, he goes out fishing because of his shame. It says this, when they got on the land they saw a what? Charcoal fire in place with fish laid on it and bread. John didn't include that detail by accident. This is very intentional. Because the last time Peter was around a charcoal fire was the day that he denied Jesus. In John 18 18 it says, now the servants and officers had made a what? Charcoal fire. Because it was cold and they were standing and warming themselves. And Peter also was with them standing and warming himself. Same kind of fire. Same kind of setting. Completely different outcome. The first time that Peter stands by a charcoal fire he is denying his Savior. The second time we see him standing by this charcoal fire Jesus is drawing him in. Jesus is drawing him closer. This is how God works. He recreates the exact moment of Peter's greatest shame. Why? Not to shame him more. Not to call him out in front of the other disciples. He repurposed it for Peter's restoration. He didn't pretend that it didn't happen. No. He redeemed what happened to restore Peter. And when we talk about, when we talk about restoration, a lot of us we like the idea of being restored, right? The problem is

we want restoration without revisiting. We want God to move us forward without having to deal with what's behind us. And that's not how God works. We cannot heal what we're not willing to face. We can't grow by avoiding things. We grow by allowing Jesus to heal the thing that we've held on to. Man, in my position I have made a lot of bad decisions in my life. I have done some things in my life and towards other people that I feel deep regret and shame over. But what I've learned is that time alone cannot heal what only Jesus can touch. All time does is bury it deeper until something triggers it back to life again. This is why some people feel stuck even though time has passed. It's not because God isn't good. It's not because God isn't working. It's because we've refused to surrender to Him the thing that we've held on to. And what we've done instead is we've learned how to function with the pain. We learn how to go through life still feeling that pain. We say, no I'm moving on. We're not moving on. We're moving around. And Jesus isn't interested in moving things around in our life. He wants to grow us through it. Amen. So what we do, what we tend to do, is what Peter did. Peter went back to what was familiar. Peter went back to fishing. This is what he did before he was called. He was good at it. He was comfortable in it. He went back to what was familiar. Now that's what shame does. Shame and our failure has a way of making us question who we are. It's not just what we did. It's now what we think about ourselves. Somewhere between him denying Jesus and now Jesus making this coal fire to share a meal with him. Peter began to believe this lie that I'm not the same person I used to be. I'm no longer his beloved disciple. I've disqualified myself because of my decision. And when our identity gets shaken, what happens? We go back to what's manageable. We go back to what's familiar. This is why some people, they fall back when they fail. They don't just feel bad. They distance themselves. They don't take steps of faith forward. They don't use their gifts for God anymore. It's not that God took away the calling, right? God didn't take away Peter's calling. Peter just began to question it. God didn't call Peter to go back to ... He called Peter forward to be a fisher of men. But Peter began to believe this lie.

And I don't want us to believe it today. Just because you failed doesn't mean that God is finished with you. We can't make one moment where we made a bad decision identify who we are for the rest of our future. We can't judge ourselves based off of our weakest moment. When God looks at us, He judges us based on His grace. Some of us, we've let a moment of mistake speak louder than what Jesus did for us on the cross. And that has to stop. Turn to your neighbor and say, it stops today. Turn to them again and say it again. Say, it stops today. Here's what I love about Jesus. Here's what He does. He doesn't stand at a distance. He doesn't shout corrections at Peter. He prepares a meal. He makes a charcoal fire. He sets a fish and bread. He creates space. He invites Peter close. That's the heart of God. The same place that reminds Peter of his greatest failure is where he's gonna experience the greatest grace from Jesus. That's what He does. Write this down. Jesus will revisit the place of your failure to restore you, not to condemn you. To restore you. John 3.17. Many of us are familiar with John 3.16. We've memorized it. For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. That is what God did. John 3.17 gives us the why. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. He doesn't condemn us. He came to restore us. To raise us to new life. Some of us, we've been praying, God take away the reminder of my sin. Get rid of this thought of where I failed you. God says, no, I'm not trying to erase it. I want to redeem it so that you can be restored. I don't want you to ignore it. I don't want you to look at it and think, woe is me. I want to redeem it so you can be restored. When Jesus redeemed something, you know what happens? That thing loses its power over our lives. That area where we once failed and once brought shame now begins to tell a story of Him and His grace for us. That thing that we did, that we thought defined us, now begins to display the power of God in and through us. For all people. He wants to restore us. And if you let Him today, He will meet you right where you are. Not with shame. Not with condemnation. But with restoration. Amen. That's what He does. What else does He do when we mess up again, and again, and again?

Jesus redeems what shame tried to define. He redeems, He restores, and He redeems what shame tried to define. We continue to read this story. Verse 15. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes sword. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said, yes Lord. You know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. Verse 17. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? He said, Lord you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Now if you're not familiar with the story, you might think this is just repetition for repetition's sake. Why would you remind him over and over and over again about his worst moment where he failed you? How many times did Peter deny Jesus? Three times. And right here, Jesus gives three opportunities to reaffirm what failure tried to erase in Peter's life. Jesus isn't ignoring his failure. Jesus isn't minimizing what he did. No, he's addressing it, but with grace. That's what God does. There's a big difference between those two approaches. If we just ignore something, what happens? It festers. It leaves itself unresolved. In fact, it gets worse over time. We don't ignore the situation. But when we approach it with grace, what happens is it's allowed to be redeemed. And when it's redeemed, it's transformed. Jesus, he asks, do you love me? He's not asking Peter for information. He already knows the answer. When Jesus says, do you love me, what he's doing is, he's restoring Peter's heart. He asks, do you love me? What he's doing is, he's reconnecting the relationship that Peter thought he wasn't worthy of anymore. That's what shame does. Again, it doesn't just remind you of what you did. It's to redefine who you are. It takes an event, and it makes it your identity. I failed, so I'm a failure. That's what I am. I'm messed up, so I'm messed up. I denied Jesus, so I don't really love him. It turns it into our identity. But listen to what Jesus does. Listen to how he responds. He doesn't say, Peter, explain yourself. Peter, why did you do this? He asked Peter a question. He asked, do you love me? Do you love me, Peter? That's all Peter needed. All he needed to do was to know his love for his Savior, and his Savior's love for him.

Do you love me? Why did he ask that question? Do you love me? Because the core of restoration with God is relationship. Religion says we've got to do all these things. You want to get right with God, you've got to do, do, do, do, do. It's do, do. A relationship with God. That's the core of our restoration. We can't do until we know who we are. And when we are restored, then we can live with purpose again. But the relationship comes first. Church, for me, Jesus loves you as you are. Where you are right now, he loves you. But he loves you so much he doesn't want you to stay there. He wants to use you. He wants to grow you. He wants to stretch you. Every time Peter responds to, do you love me? Jesus follows it with an assignment. He says, tend my sheep. Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. This means that he isn't just restoring Peter's relationship. Hear this. He's restoring Peter's purpose. He's saying, I love you, and I'm not done with you. I have something great for you to do. You know what that is? That's redemption. Write this down. Redemption is not just God removing your guilt. Man, that's forgiveness. That's grace. Redemption has forgiveness. Redemption has grace. But it's not just God removing your guilt. It's God repurposing your life. It's God taking what the enemy meant to define you and using it as a backdrop for the grace of God. Peter's story could have ended with this failure. He could have been known as a disciple that talked a whole lot. But when it came to doing something, when things got difficult, he crumbled. He collapsed. That could have been how his story ended. But Jesus says, no, I'm not done with you, Peter. That's not how your story is going to end. And Jesus is saying the same thing to you today. Some of us in here were rehearsing more what we did than what Jesus did on the cross for us. Stop magnifying what you did and minimizing the finished work on the cross. The cross tells us, shows us that sin is serious. But the resurrection of Jesus says that sin does not have the final say. Amen? If Jesus was still dead, then maybe who you are is defined by what you've done. But because Jesus is alive, He's saying, I can rewrite your story again and again and again. Amen? Tell somebody, He's the God of again. Jesus redeemed what shame tried to define. And He wants to do the same thing in us if we allow Him to. The third thing, when we mess up again and again and again, the God of again does this. Jesus renews the calling I thought I'd lost. He redeems. He restores. And Jesus renews the calling I thought I'd lost. Verse 18.

Truly, truly, Jesus said, when you were young, Peter used to dress ... yourself and walk where you wanted. But when you're old, you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you don't want to go. Jesus has restored him. Jesus has redeemed him. Doesn't sound like it, right? Well what are you saying, Jesus? He's telling Peter, Peter, you're gonna go places you don't want to go. You're, you're not gonna have control over what you do. Why? How is that encouraging? How is that helpful? It continues on in verse 19. This he said to show by what kind of death he was going to glorify God. That doesn't make it better, Eric. Jesus telling him, you're gonna be led to death. How is that renewing him? Do you remember what Peter said when Jesus says you're gonna deny me three times? What did Peter say? No, Jesus, never. I will die for you. Jesus is restoring his purpose. He's renewing his calling. He's saying, I'm allowing you to do what you want to do for my glory. Now this is what he said to Peter. This may not be what you want to do for the Lord's glory, but, but he was, he was renewing this calling that Peter thought that he had lost. But what's for all of us is what he says next. And after saying this, he said to him, follow me. Follow me. Two powerful words that change it. Follow me. Not do better. Not prove yourself. Follow me. What we just read is not a warning from Jesus. It's an invitation. He's inviting Peter back to his calling. And it's powerful enough that he said it. But what makes it more powerful is when Jesus said it. Jesus said this after Peter failed him. Jesus said this after Peter denied him three times, and he had to live with the shame of his decision. This isn't the first time Peter has heard those two words. When Jesus first called him, he said, follow me. I will make you fishers of men. You're so good at this profession, but I'm going to allow you to be part of building my kingdom, of seeing people saved and set free and their eternities being forever transformed. Peter, follow me. And now after Peter has rejected the one that he initially followed, Jesus is there again essentially saying, follow me again. You know what that is? That's renewal. That's his renewal. Yes, you're forgiven, but you're also invited to go forward with him again. Jesus doesn't just bring Peter back to the presence of God. That's where it begins again. It's not performance. It's his presence. It's our relationship with him. But he doesn't just

bring him back to the presence of God. He brings him back to his purposes for the kingdom of God. No amen for that. Okay. I get it. We love this idea of restoration, but when we talk about God using us, many of us, we resist the reality of the responsibility that comes with restoration. See, we want God to heal us. Amen. God, heal me. But if we're honest, I don't know that I want God to use me. Like Psalm 71 says, Lord, Lord, bring greatness again. Comfort me again. But we don't want the calling that comes with the comfort that he gives to us. This is not how Jesus works. Ephesians 2, 8 through 10, it tells us this. For by grace you have been saved through faith. It's not of your own doing. It's the gift of God. Not a result of works so that no one may boast. We are not saved by our, by our good works. We are not saved by our works. We are saved because Jesus did everything necessary on the cross. He did all the work. He says it is finished. It is done. But now that we are saved, now that we are resurrected to new life, now he has good works for us. Now he wants to use us. It says, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Jesus didn't restore and renew and bring Peter back simply just to sit by a fire and reflect on what happened. He restored him so he can step back into what he was created for. I'm not talking about this church. I'm talking about the church, which this church is included. But so much of the church has believed this lie that following Jesus is more about spectating than participating. I'm so glad you're here. You, you made a move with the mission to come to our late service so our two middle services, people far from God, can, can come and to hear without all the, the, the, you know, the, the traffic and the, the, the grouping up together and the heat in the place. But we think that this is what following Jesus looks like. We come, we sing, we nod our head, we write some things down, we say amen if he asks us to say amen. Maybe we give. I put on, you know, nicer clothes than my, my workout outfit and we've just believed this lie that this is what it means to follow Jesus. Amen. It's not. She gets it. He gets it. They get it. I don't know. Kid gets it, right? Following Jesus was never meant to be passive. It was meant to be active. It was meant to be proactive. It's not just sitting around being comfortable. I'm saved. I'm set free. I'm just gonna soak in everything that God has for me. No. He wants us to get up and do something. If he's restored you, he's restored you for a reason.

If he's restored you, there's a next step. There's a role that you can play. There's a part that he has for you. There's a, a way that your life has impact in someone else's life for the kingdom of God. And if you ignore that, hear this, you're not simply missing out. You're resisting what God wants to do in and through your life. He's restored you for a purpose and a reason. I want you to write this down. Restoration is not the end of the story. For so many followers, I committed my life to him. I got my get out of jail free card. I'm good. I'm just gonna wait till he comes and takes me back. No. Restoration is not the end of the story. It's the restart of your calling. He restores you because he wants to use you again. Can I tell you, this is why we talk about ConnectTrack so often. Today we had nine people graduate from ConnectTrack. We gather once Sunday a month for a few hours and it's not just getting information. ConnectTrack is about stepping into formation. Discovering how God made you. How he shaped you. The gifts that he's given you. Where you fit and where you can help in his kingdom. If you've never signed up for ConnectTrack, take that next step. Understand how God made you and how he wants to use you. Too many Christians, we think that church is just a place that we attend. But biblically, that's not accurate. Church is a body that you belong to. And every part of that body matters. And every part of that body has a function. And every story has power. He saved you for a reason. He restored you for a reason. He didn't restore Peter simply to be comforted again. He restored Peter so he could lead sheep. So he could feed the hungry. So he could continue to build what Jesus was establishing. And church, the same is true for us today. Jesus doesn't just save you to sit. He saves you to serve. All right, so you clapped your hands. Now it's time to move your feet. If you've been coming and receiving and growing but not stepping into anything, can I tell you today's the day. Not next week. Not next time we have, here are all the areas you could serve in. Not when I get my money right. Not when everything lines up today. God loves you too much to allow you to sit in something he's already called you out of. You've sat, you've soaked in. Hopefully, in the name of Jesus, understand the grace of God for your life now. He wants you to give that away. So for some of us this is our moment. Not just because we heard something or felt something, but it's our moment to respond to something. Because just like Jesus spoke to Peter, Jesus is saying the same words to us, his sons and daughters today. He's saying, follow me. I'm going to invite the worship team.

I want to read one final passage, Revelation 3.20. Jesus says, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Jesus is speaking to a group of people, some churches that have drifted away, they've grown cold, they've become comfortable, and they stop responding. And Jesus' response is, well, I'm done with them. Forget about them. What does he do? He stands, and he knocks, and he invites them back into relationship. He wants to restore them again, like Peter by that charcoal fire. He wants to come in and share a meal with his friends. That moment that you thought disqualified you, that thing that you did that you thought made everything dead, that's the exact place where God wants to develop you again. You thought it was the end of my story, I'm disqualified. God says, I'm not done with you yet, because we don't serve a God who throws away broken pieces. He takes the pieces, and he puts them back together again. He makes them beautiful. He makes them far more valuable because they've been in his hands. There's some of us in this place where we're hearing Jesus say, follow me again. He wants to renew you.

He wants to restore you. He wants to redeem everything you've went through for his glory and for your story. But there's some of us here today where we're hearing Jesus say, follow me for the first time. He wants to resurrect you to new, eternal life in him forever. See, this good news of Jesus is the reason why we do everything. It's the reason why we gather. It's the reason why we come. And the good news is simple. It starts with bad news that we're all sinners. We've all broken his commands. We're all imperfect. And because God is perfect, imperfect people can't be in the presence of a perfect God. There's a penalty for us disobeying his commands, and that penalty is death. That's the bad news. But the good news is God made a way. He sent his one and only son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Why? Because he didn't send Jesus to condemn the world. He sent Jesus to save the world. Jesus, the perfect son of God, paid the penalty that we should have paid with our own life.

He died the death that we deserve, but because he was the perfect son of God who lived for us and died for us, death could not hold him down. He rose up from the grave. He defeated the power of hell and death forever, and he offers that to us. He offers his life in exchange for our life. And how we walk into this new life is just as simple. It's not religion we're a part of. Jesus didn't come to establish a religion. He came for us to be in relationship with God. There's nothing that you can do to make yourself right with God. He's done it all for you through Jesus. All we do is receive it. We decide. We don't drift into salvation. We decide today that I'm done with this, that I'm going to follow him. We don't stumble into salvation because your parents were saved, because your grandparents were saved. Doesn't mean that you are. We surrender to his grace. Whether you're here today and you're saying, I want that, or I want that again, or I need forgiveness of my sin, or I need forgiveness of my sin again, what we're saying is we need Jesus.

So would you stand to your feet right now? And in a posture of surrender, we lifted our hands early on in service, and I want us to lift it up again, but this time in a posture of giving up, giving up to God. We can't do it, God. We can't earn it, but you've done it, so we receive everything you have for us. And if you're here today and you hear him saying, follow me, or follow me again, and you want to respond, just pray this out loud for me. Say, Jesus, I'm a sinner, but you died to save me. I receive your forgiveness. I receive your love. I receive your Holy Spirit, and I believe right now that I am saved and sealed forever. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for giving me another chance again and again and again help me to live for you from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen. As you've prayed that, I want you to believe, and I want you to see all of your sin being washed away by the blood that he shed on that cross. I want you to see all of your sin being washed away. of your shame falling off you. Because He sees now, He sees His Son's name written on your heart.

The name of Jesus that's written on your heart means that He's yours and you are His. He's claiming ownership of you. And in the name of Jesus, every sickness has to go, every anxiety has to go, every demonic power has to go. In the name of Jesus, hope rise. In the name of Jesus, miracles happen. His name is written on your heart. So church, let's worship the God of again. Let's lift up the song. Let's lift up the name of Jesus because the best is still before us. He's always with us. Amen. Let's sing it out. I know a name that can empty out a grave. And I know a name, it's the only name that saves. If it's worthy of all praise. And I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you savior. Worthy of glory forever. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name. In his holy nail scarred hands. He is the healer. That has crushed a serpent's head. Our resurrected great I am. I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you savior. Worthy of glory forever. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name. Chains break, dry bones wake. Every time I call your name. The gates of hell shake. Every time I call your name. Chains break, dry bones wake. Every time I call your name. The gates of hell shake. Every time I call your name. Oh the name of Jesus is a strong tower. We love to call your great name. Every time, every time, every time. Where, oh death, is now your sting? And where, oh grave, your victory? Where, oh death, is now your sting? And where, oh grave, your victory? Where, oh death, is now your sting? And where, oh grave, your victory? Let peace come alive, let peace come alive. Let peace come alive in the name of Jesus. Let peace come alive, let peace come alive. Let peace come alive in the name of Jesus. Let peace come alive in the name of Jesus. Jesus, you're the peace of my life, you're the peace of my life, you're the peace of my life, you're the peace of my life today, I call you Jesus I call you, I call you, healer, risen and reigning in power, something comes out of the grave Every time I call you, healer, I call you, I call you, savior, born to rule forever, something comes out of the grave Every time I call your name, change, break, drive, hold, wait

Every time I call your name, love, peace, love, never change Every time I call your name, everything's come alive, everything's come alive, everything's come alive in the name of Jesus