1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,840 If I asked the middle row, has anyone in the middle row ever 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,160 messed up before? What would you say? 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,960 What if I went to the back row and I said, is anyone in the 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,840 back row ever messed up before? What would you say? 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,360 Absolutely. OK, what if we came to the front 6 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:18,360 row? I know some of you on the. 7 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,080 I know the answer to that one. If we came to the front row and 8 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,360 said have you ever messed up, what would you say have? 9 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,200 The reality is there's not a soul in this room today. 10 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,440 You can honestly say I've never messed up. 11 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,479 None of us are perfect. So if that's you, you need to 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,520 pay attention right now because we are going to look at how the 13 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,280 Lord Jesus Christ dealt with failures. 14 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,880 So here's where I'm going today. I've got 3 headings for you. 15 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,880 My first heading is 1 Maverick, my second heading is 2 fires and 16 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,600 my third heading is 3 questions, 1 Maverick, 2 fires, 3 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,400 questions. OK firstly 1 Maverick. 18 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,880 Let's be honest Peter, he was a non conformist wasn't he? 19 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,200 He was unpredictable, he'd blow hot and cold and that's why we 20 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,840 love him so much, because he reminds us of ourselves. 21 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,240 He reminds us that OK, we're flawed and so was Peter. 22 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,160 Peter was always the first one to open his mouth. 23 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:13,120 He was the first one to get violent. 24 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,680 Do you remember when he chopped off the the high priest's 25 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,120 servant's ear and Malchus's ear? Do you remember? 26 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,120 And he was the 1st to get wet, as we've seen in this passage 27 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,720 here. But I wonder how many people in 28 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,400 this room today concern yourselves with what other 29 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,600 people are doing, just like Peter did. 30 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,800 I wonder how many people concern themselves with what other 31 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:35,200 people are doing. Because have you ever questioned 32 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,560 this? Why is it that Peter denied the 33 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,920 Lord? If you ever ask that question, 34 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,760 well, I think the answer's in John chapter 18. 35 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,560 If you've got a Bible, just turn to John chapter 18, and we're 36 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:57,960 going to look at verse 15, John 18, verse 15, Simon Peter and 37 00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,920 another disciple. Now, it's important to remember 38 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:02,920 that the early church and the early church fathers believe 39 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:04,760 that this other disciple was John. 40 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,280 OK. And I think he was, too. 41 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,840 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. 42 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,040 Because this disciple was known to the high priest. 43 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:18,280 He went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, but Peter 44 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,600 had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple who was known 45 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,880 to the high priest came back, spoke to the servant girl on 46 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,040 duty there, and brought Peter in. 47 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,080 Did you catch that? So here we find Peter was locked 48 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,080 outside. John went in, but Peter was shut 49 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,240 outside. And here's the question, Why was 50 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,080 Peter shut out? Was it just a chance, just an 51 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,680 accident? Or could it be that God, who 52 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,480 knows all things, was warning Peter? 53 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,040 Peter, if you go through this door, something bad's going to 54 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:51,640 happen. If you walk through this door, 55 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:53,840 bad things will happen to you right now. 56 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,960 But Peter waited and waited and waited. 57 00:02:58,360 --> 00:02:59,800 He couldn't take no for an answer. 58 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:02,720 If John's going through, I can't be the only one to be left 59 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,120 outside. If John's the one who looks like 60 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,680 the loyal one to Jesus, I have to go through too. 61 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:08,680 And he couldn't take no for an answer. 62 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,960 So can I ask you a question? How many times has the Lord God 63 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,920 slammed the door shut in your face, so shut you can't get 64 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:19,000 through it? But you couldn't take no for an 65 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,760 answer, and you kept waiting. You kept waiting until 66 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:24,480 eventually the Lord allowed you to go through it. 67 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,360 Not because he wanted it to happen, because you were so 68 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,880 stubborn, you wouldn't take no for an answer. 69 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,720 I hesitate to say this, but I do wonder, do you think that Peter 70 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,040 was a little bit jealous of John? 71 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,000 Nod your head if you think he might have been. 72 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,280 What do you think? At the very least he was nosy, 73 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,920 wasn't he? Verse 21 of of chapter 21, we 74 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,000 see when Peter saw him again, that's John, he said, Lord, what 75 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,560 about him? Isn't that quite relatable? 76 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,480 Because we are all busy bodies, aren't we? 77 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,840 You know, what about John, What about his retirement plan? 78 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,280 What about his bank balance? What about the trauma he's been 79 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,040 through, What about John? I want to know all about John. 80 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,480 Well, jealous people, Jesus has a message just for you. 81 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,320 And it's this. Don't worry about John, Don't 82 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,160 worry about Jane. You know, stop looking sideways 83 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,240 all the time at other people and fix you. 84 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,839 Set eyes on me. Look upwards at me. 85 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,160 You see, we're all called, aren't we, as Christians to to 86 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,680 run a race. And who is at the end of the 87 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,840 race? It's Jesus. 88 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,440 So here we are. We're in this lane and we're 89 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:30,400 running this race. And the problem is I'm running 90 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:31,840 this race. I'm meant to be fixing my eyes 91 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,360 on Jesus, but at times I'm looking in your lane and at 92 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,080 times you're looking in my lane. And the issue is this. 93 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,400 Paul said that we are to take care of ourselves. 94 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,400 Now again, I know some of you in this room and aren't you guys 95 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,560 enough trouble yourselves? Some of you are you trouble 96 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,280 yourselves without worrying about other people. 97 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,160 But there is one accusation about Peter that I believe is 98 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,120 totally false and it's this. Peter might have been many 99 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,080 things, but Peter was not a coward. 100 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:02,840 Quite the opposite. He he was brave and he was 101 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:04,680 loyal. May I go deeper? 102 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,840 Who was it who daringly said Lord, if it be thou bid me to 103 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,160 come fence to thee on the water. You remember it, don't you in in 104 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,200 the boat. They saw this figure out on the 105 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,880 water and all the disciples that are shaking with fear but Jesus 106 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:24,120 sorry, but Peter bravely takes a step onto the water to meet the 107 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,160 Lord Jesus. Who was it who was first to risk 108 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,200 his life protecting the Lord Jesus? 109 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,040 Who didn't abandoned Jesus after the mob ambushed him with clubs? 110 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,520 You know, it's so strange that we are so quick to to point the 111 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,320 finger at Peter, but we forget that if he ran like the rest of 112 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,360 the disciples, he would never have been in this position in 113 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,080 the 1st place. He was only in this position to 114 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,960 deny the Lord because he did what the disciples failed to do. 115 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:55,680 It's absolutely critical to remember just how much Peter 116 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,800 really did love the Lords. You see, as the, as the Bible 117 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,000 says, strike the shepherds and the sheep will scatter. 118 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,640 There was a point when all the disciples, when, when, when the 119 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,760 mob came with their clubs, all the disciples started running 120 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,280 down the Mount of Olives, running as fast as they could. 121 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:15,280 And there was a point when Peter was running with them, but he 122 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:19,880 decided to turn back to to not save his own skin, but but to 123 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,360 risk his life to go back to try and do something in some way to 124 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,600 help the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? 125 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,800 Because he was loyal and because he loved Jesus very deeply. 126 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,240 You remember that famous answer, don't you? 127 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,880 There was a time when the disciples were leaving and Jesus 128 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,760 looked at the disciples and said, will you also leave? 129 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,800 What did Peter say? Where else would we go for you 130 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,560 alone have the words to eternal life. 131 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,880 OK, secondly, 2 fires. Now I can hear exactly what 132 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,800 you're thinking right now. You're saying to me, two fires. 133 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,680 There's only one fire here in John chapter 21. 134 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,200 Where is this second fire? Well, before I reveal fire #2 135 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,320 for you, let's start with fire number one. 136 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,360 Look at John 21 verse nine with me. 137 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,520 When they had landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with 138 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,360 fish on it and some bread. So take all of that into your 139 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:19,920 mind and stop me now if I get something wrong. 140 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,160 Here we see Peter, and he's trying to find a sort of relief 141 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,720 from activity. You know, he's trying to do 142 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:27,840 something. We all know what it's like. 143 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,760 You know, when you're stressed out, maybe you've had a 144 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:31,960 bereavement or something's going on in your life and you think, I 145 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,560 can't just sit still. I can't just let my mind run 146 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:35,680 away. I need to do some. 147 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,840 I need some kind of activity. That's what Peter's doing here. 148 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,920 And I think Peter, he felt sort of inadequate. 149 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,520 He felt useless. You know, I've messed up. 150 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,560 I've really botched up here. So what does he do? 151 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,520 He leads the disciples as the leader back into secular work. 152 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:57,080 Now can I ask you a question? How many of you in this room 153 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:58,920 have ever done an all nighter before? 154 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:00,640 Have you ever done an all nighter? 155 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,560 Hopefully you weren't doing one last night. 156 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,520 I know I saw some of you in King Street last night, but hopefully 157 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:08,480 you weren't all doing an all nighter last night. 158 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,480 But you know what it's like, don't you? 159 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,320 You know, you feel that kind of cold, clammy feeling. 160 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,400 You've got bags under your eyes, your face is that sickly pale. 161 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,280 You just feel exhausted, you know, doing nodding Donkey. 162 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,760 You're exhausted. And that's what the disciples 163 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:23,240 had done. They'd done an all nighter. 164 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,600 They'd got their Nets, they'd thrown it into the water, they'd 165 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,600 pulled it back in, nothing. They'd got their net. 166 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,080 They'd thrown it into the water, pulled it back in, nothing. 167 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,919 They'd got their net, they'd thrown it into the water, pulled 168 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:38,559 it back in, nothing. They've got their net. 169 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,640 They've they've just done it all nights, all nights and they've 170 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,440 caught absolutely nothing. Now this part I absolutely love 171 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,240 because it shows us just how human the Lord Jesus Christ was. 172 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,280 Jesus asks a question that we always ask fisherman, every 173 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,440 single one of us asks it. He says have you caught anything 174 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,760 yet lads? We've all asked that before. 175 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,640 And what was their answer? 0 We've caught nothing. 176 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,840 May I ask you a, a personal question? 177 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,400 I wonder if there's anyone in this room today, whoever feels 178 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,920 tempted to feel like Christianity is clipping your 179 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:16,920 wings in some way, you know, you feel tempted to, to think, you 180 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,840 know, if I went off on my own, if I did my own thing, you know, 181 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:21,560 Christianity, it's holding me back. 182 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,240 If I didn't, if I wasn't a Christian, I'd have a better 183 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,120 job. I'd have more success. 184 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,120 I'd have so much more fun. There's so much things out there 185 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:30,640 I'd enjoy. I've got all these ideas. 186 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,840 If I wasn't a Christian, I'd really do a lot better. 187 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,920 Well, here we see Peter and he's gone out without the Lord 188 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,000 telling him to go out. He's gone out on his own accord 189 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,040 doing his own thing. And has Peter had any success? 190 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,560 He's caught nothing. So then Jesus says to him now 191 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:51,800 the that the net was on the left side, and he says, take the net 192 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,840 and put it on the right side. Now, it's important to remember 193 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,120 that Jesus wasn't making a political statement here. 194 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,280 You know, it's not about whether you you vote Kamala or Trump. 195 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:01,880 He wasn't trying to say left or right. 196 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,360 You know, now, what was Jesus trying to say here? 197 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,080 He was trying to say that I can do more in five seconds than you 198 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,360 can do in five years. And if you're in any kind of 199 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,800 Christian service, this is just for you. 200 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,360 So you know the story. They get to shore and here we 201 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:19,360 see, you know, Peter, he jumps in. 202 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:21,240 They get the net, they bring it in. 203 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,400 It's full of fish, 153 fish. They get to shore and here's the 204 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,160 Lord Jesus Christ and he's got a fire there and he's got some 205 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,520 fish on the fire. Now here's a question. 206 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:33,640 Where did Jesus get those fish from? 207 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:35,400 Because it wasn't from the net before. 208 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,200 Where did Christ get those fish from? 209 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:41,680 But then what does Jesus do? He feeds the disciples. 210 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,640 He's showing them that I, I care about you. 211 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:48,000 I, I want to, to look after you. So what's the lesson for us as 212 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,840 Christian workers? It's this if you're starving, 213 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,000 hungry, you're not going to feed anyone. 214 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,240 If you're constantly giving out and you've got nothing inside 215 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:57,960 you, you're not going to get very far, are you? 216 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,400 That's a lesson for us. We've got to eat to, to, to give 217 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:02,840 out. We've got to feed on the word of 218 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:04,920 God. But on the flip side, however, 219 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,240 if you're someone in this room and all day long you're 220 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,040 listening to sermons, all day long you're feeding on the word 221 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,480 of God, all day long you're eating all the time, all the 222 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:14,600 things of God, what's going to happen to you? 223 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,000 Well, if you don't give out, you're going to get bloated, 224 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,960 you're going to get lethargic. It's just simple maths. 225 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,520 You take in, you give out. So here's the part you've been 226 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:27,240 waiting for. Have you guessed what the second 227 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,840 fire is? Do you think it's any accident 228 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:33,680 that Jesus lit a fire in front of Peter? 229 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,040 Could it be that he's saying to Peter, come on, Peter, let's go 230 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,120 on a trip down memory lane? Peter, when when you look at 231 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,640 this fire in front of you, does that ring any bells? 232 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,920 Does that fire remind you of anything? 233 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,120 The fact is, this Peter messed up when he warned himself up in 234 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,800 the courtyard of the high priest, he warmed himself up on 235 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,760 that fire. And it is true, isn't it? 236 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,480 The Bible doesn't deny this. There is a a temporary warmth 237 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:02,800 that the world's fires give to us. 238 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,400 The Bible doesn't pretend there isn't pleasure out there in this 239 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:07,160 world. When we warm ourselves up on the 240 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,240 world's fires, it does give us a temporary warmth, doesn't it? 241 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,200 But it always, always, always leads to regret. 242 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,520 So over to you this week. Which fire have you been warming 243 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,760 yourself up on? The world's fire or the fire of 244 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:31,440 the Lord Jesus Christ. When I was, I used to work with 245 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,280 Vinny a lot. You know, Vinny's a very good 246 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,760 friend of mine and I used to work for his organization at 247 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,320 Young Life. And over the years, doing Young 248 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,400 Life and doing beach missions, I've come across a lot of young 249 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,400 people. And there is a trend that I seem 250 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,120 to have noticed with a lot of young people. 251 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,320 You go on a beach team and you see these young people, you 252 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,000 know, 181920 years old and they're on fire for the Lord 253 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Gods, they're waking up early. They can't wait to get into the 254 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,680 words. They want to share the gospel. 255 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:01,000 They want to do evangelism and then something happens to them. 256 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:05,080 They go to university. Now please do not misunderstand 257 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:06,720 me. University can be a wonderful 258 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:08,680 thing. It can either make you or it can 259 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,160 break you. But you see these young people 260 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,360 and perhaps they go to university or they get into a 261 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,240 relationship with a a non Christian and slowly as time 262 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:22,080 goes on, they start warming themselves up on the world's 263 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,440 fires and what happens to them? They grow cold to the Lord Jesus 264 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,840 Christ. And then you see on Facebook or 265 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,120 on social media, they're in the nightclubs. 266 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,560 They're not coming to church anymore and we don't hear 267 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:38,400 anything of them. Charles Spurgeon once was after 268 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:40,960 his preaching, a young girl came up to him and said, Mr. 269 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,600 Spurgeon, I've got an issue. I'm kind of struggling with what 270 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,680 it is to be a lukewarm Christian. 271 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:49,920 You see, there's a big part of me I look out into that world 272 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,640 and I see there's so many amazing things out there. 273 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,480 There's so many exciting pleasures and I'm attracted to 274 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,000 that. But at the same time, I do love 275 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,600 the Lord Jesus and I I want to follow after him and I want to 276 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,120 obey him. How do I sort this, this idea of 277 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,640 being lukewarm? Spurgeon said, young lady, you 278 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,840 need a good lesson. And he said I want you to go 279 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:10,360 outside. It's before the times of, of 280 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,800 cars. And he said, I want you to go 281 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:14,440 outside and I want you to go outside and find the nearest 282 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,120 carriage. And I want you to put 1 foot on 283 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,400 the carriage. And I want you to put the other 284 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,320 foots on the pavement. And then I want you to say to 285 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:26,720 the driver, drive on. And the girl looks at Mr. 286 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,800 Spurgeon like he's got 3 heads and says, Sir, Mr. Spurgeon, 287 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,760 I'll fall flat on my face within a few seconds If if that 288 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,520 happens. And Spurgeon said, so it is, 289 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,040 young lady. If you put 1 foot in heaven's 290 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,440 Kingdom and 1 foot in the devil's Kingdom, what's going to 291 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:43,520 happen? Eventually you're going to fall 292 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,240 flat on your face. Hey, this next bit's a little 293 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,200 bit important, so you might just want to catch this, but three 294 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,600 times Peter denied Jesus. But I can't help but wondering 295 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,280 if the initial challenge was just so direct, so straight to 296 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,880 the point. Do you love Jesus? 297 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,480 Like if I got any of you Christians now and I sat you 298 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,120 down and I looked you straight in the eyes and I said, do you 299 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,640 love Jesus Christ? What would your answer be? 300 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,800 Of course I do. I love him to pieces, you'd say. 301 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,400 But that wasn't how the the the challenges. 302 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,080 That wasn't how the questions were phrased. 303 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,840 It was aren't you one of his disciples? 304 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,280 Or sorry, didn't didn't I see you earlier in the garden? 305 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,720 And here we see Peter. He's demoralised, he's weak and 306 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,800 he's tired. And Satan, who's the master of 307 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,280 manipulation, takes him down inch by inch, subtly. 308 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,600 And we see this, don't we in, in the real world, you know, we 309 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,640 see, we hear stories of, of the church, you know, that Deacon 310 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,000 or, or that minister. And, and they had a heart of 311 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,720 gold. They wanted to help the church, 312 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,520 but they started counselling, perhaps a young woman. 313 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,240 And then what happened? An affair started. 314 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,240 Or we've got that high flying businessman. 315 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,760 And again, he wanted to make lots and lots of money. 316 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,080 So he was able to, you know, fund missions, fund the work of 317 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:00,320 the Lords. But because he was so stressed 318 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,400 out, he started to drink a little bit and that bottle got a 319 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,280 grip of him. Well, the person who was devoted 320 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,600 to Jesus at one time, but you know, because of looking after 321 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,360 elderly parents, because they had so much on their plate, they 322 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,640 stopped reading their Bible until eventually they're asking 323 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,680 the question, do I even believe any of this anymore? 324 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,080 Friends, be wary of the schemes of the devil. 325 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,840 Oh, it's subtle, the collapse, when it happens, it's very, very 326 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,800 sudden and it looks very, very instant. 327 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,520 But it's often just a little bit here, a little bit there. 328 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,280 And the devil, bit by bit, he just chops down at your tree one 329 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,120 bit at a time until eventually crash. 330 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,240 And then people say, where did that come from? 331 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,840 I never saw that happening. How did this happen? 332 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,320 How did it happen so quickly? I'll tell you how it happened. 333 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,520 It happened 8 years ago when that man or woman compromised on 334 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,040 an issue on a principle that they once held so very dear. 335 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:01,480 OK, lastly, 3 questions. Now here's something you are not 336 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,880 going to want to admit to me, but I reckon pretty much every 337 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,720 person in this room today probably at some point has 338 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:12,240 watched the Jeremy Kyle Show. You probably have or Trisha or 339 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,319 or Jeremy Springer. We've all watched those trashy 340 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,800 television programmes at times. And what do they often have in 341 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,960 those shows? At the end of the show, they 342 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,400 have a lie detector, don't they? And you see the contestant that 343 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,760 it looks like they've not had a shower in 30 weeks, you know, 344 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:28,640 and they, you know, you've got Jeremy Kyle, he's abusing them. 345 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:30,400 He breaks them, gets them really wound up. 346 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,000 And you, you do feel sorry for them. 347 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,920 But then in the end, you know, after they put the lie detector 348 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,120 on them, and I don't know how they do it, but they put 349 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,800 something on your fingertips and they, they measure your nervous 350 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:41,240 system. They, they measure your, your 351 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,800 sweat and your, your heart beating and your breath. 352 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,040 And somehow the lie detector is able to tell whether you're 353 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,560 telling the truth. So he pulls out the results. 354 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,760 Jeremy Kyle. And what does the contestant 355 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,080 often do? He says I'm innocent. 356 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,080 I'm telling the truth, that the lie detector is broken. 357 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,200 And often you watch it and you think, I think the lie 358 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:01,880 detector's probably telling the truth. 359 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,720 But here we see Peter. And if you like, he's in a sort 360 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,160 of lie detector. The Lord Jesus asks him three 361 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:11,280 questions. But here's the thing. 362 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,640 This is a lie detector that has 100% accuracy. 363 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,440 You cannot pull the wool over God's eyes. 364 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,240 Just flick over to John 21 verse 15 with me. 365 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:28,920 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon 366 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,280 son of John, do you love me more than these? 367 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,520 Yes, Lord, He said, you know that I love you. 368 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:40,240 Jesus said, feed my lambs. Did you see that? 369 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,480 Then do you notice how we called him Simon Peter? 370 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,960 This is the first time that Jesus is using Peter's old 371 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,760 unconverted name. It's almost as if he's saying, 372 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:54,040 OK Peter, you're acting like your old self right now, so I'm 373 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,480 going to call you by your old name. 374 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,760 But I was kind of taken aback the first time I saw this. 375 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:03,680 Not only are there 2 fires, but they're actually also three 376 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,160 questions. It's not a mistake. 377 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,920 Three questions each for the occasion of when Peter denied 378 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,400 the Lord. Let me go deeper again. 379 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,200 What was this threefold question? 380 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:22,240 Was this, Do you love me? You see, Peter's actions had 381 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:24,960 brought his love for the Lord into question. 382 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,400 Did he ask him? Do you love Scripture? 383 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,360 No. Did he ask him? 384 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,320 Do you love the people of God? No. 385 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:33,040 Did he ask him? Do you love creation? 386 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:33,840 No. Do you love? 387 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:36,640 No. He said Do you love me? 388 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:42,120 So guys, I apologise to be so direct with you right now, but 389 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:44,200 can I ask you the exact same question? 390 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:51,720 Do you love him? Do you really, really love the 391 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,680 Lord Jesus Christ? If the lie detector fell on you 392 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,040 right now, what would the results come out to be? 393 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,880 Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? 394 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,120 Oh, you might be earnest. You might preach on street 395 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:06,960 corners. You might teach in Sunday 396 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:08,440 school. You might listen to sermons all 397 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,160 day long. You might love Christian music. 398 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:14,480 But do you really love him? You might visit the poor you, 399 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,560 you might show hospitality you, you might have outstanding 400 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,560 church attendance. And we admire this zeal. 401 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,400 It's wonderful to have zeal for the Lord. 402 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,720 But the question needs to be asked, Do you love him? 403 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,040 You know, I think it is so strange. 404 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,360 There is a zeal that sort of funds a lot of our activity. 405 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,520 It fuels what we do. And it's the the opinion of 406 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:35,640 others. I really care what you think 407 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:37,800 about me. And I guess many of you in this 408 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,480 room also care what other people think about you. 409 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:42,640 And this zeal, it is a great thing. 410 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,600 It's it's done wonderful things for the Kingdom. 411 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,760 It's filled churches. It's it's cast out demons. 412 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,640 It's, it's done wonderful things, wonderful missions. 413 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,960 But when it's all said and done, if it's all we've got is zeal, 414 00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:57,600 we don't have love. Just like 1 Corinthians 13 says 415 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,120 we're just a clanging cymbal. We're just a musical instrument 416 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,920 without love. I wonder if you think that 417 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,320 sounds a little bit harsh now or Jesus raises the bar. 418 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:14,200 He says, do you love me more than these? 419 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,120 Now theologians for centuries have argued, what are the these 420 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,240 that he's talking about? Is he talking about, you know, 421 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,760 these boats behind me? You know that your recreation, 422 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,360 do you love me more than fishing than your work, Peter? 423 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,000 Or is he saying, do you love me more than these disciples? 424 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,440 You know, at one time you, you were saying, you were saying 425 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,760 you're the big shot, Peter. You were saying, listen, when 426 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,200 all these other guys leave you and all these other guys forsake 427 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,400 you, I will die for you, Lord Jesus. 428 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,920 Are you still going to say that? Now Peter, do you really love me 429 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:46,360 more than these men? And it has made me think, do I 430 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,520 love the Lord Jesus more than my work? 431 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,960 Do I love him more than my hobbies? 432 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,520 Now the proof is really in the pudding here. 433 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,800 You know, I don't know how many of you are football fans, but 434 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:00,920 every four years we have something called the World Cup 435 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,280 and then we also have the Euro Cup as well. 436 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,600 And it's a real test for many men, isn't it? 437 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,560 You know, because England, let's be honest, they don't do well. 438 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,840 They might get to the quarter finals, maybe in every blue moon 439 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,360 they might get to the semi finals. 440 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:17,960 But what day do those games always fall on Sundays? 441 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:19,920 And the men have to ask the question. 442 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,640 I go to church every week. Maybe the women as well. 443 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,000 I love the Lords. Am I going to get crucified and 444 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,680 am I going to go to church or am I going to watch the football? 445 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,000 I'm more of a boxing fan, believe it or not. 446 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,440 I know I'm a bit of a dweeb, but I love boxing and I'll stay up 447 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:38,200 till 3:00 AM watching Tyson Fury getting battered by you sick. 448 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,080 But I've got to ask myself, you know, I'm staying up so late and 449 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,160 then the next day I'm, I'm shattered for, for, for church. 450 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,120 Why do we do these things? Do I love him? 451 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:49,120 This is a big test for many of us parents. 452 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,000 Do I love the Lord more than my children? 453 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:54,560 Do I love him more than my spouse? 454 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:58,840 I remember watch once watching a YouTube video of Cristiano 455 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:00,800 Ronaldo. A day in the life of Cristiano 456 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,080 Ronaldo and Ronaldo wakes up at 5:30. 457 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,000 He drinks a litre of water, he goes to the gym and then he goes 458 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,480 back to bed for a nap. He then gets up, he has 459 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,120 breakfast with his family, he studies football, and then he 460 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:15,840 goes back to bed and has another nap. 461 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:19,720 He then gets up, he goes to the pitch, plays football with his 462 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,680 teammates, he has a cold shower and then he goes back and has a 463 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:24,760 nap. He has five naps every day. 464 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,160 Now, if you watched Cristiano Ronaldo, if you just spent a few 465 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,920 hours with him, it wouldn't be hard to figure out what does 466 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,600 this man live for? He lives for football. 467 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,520 Football is his God. Fitness is his God. 468 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,480 And I can promise you this, I can tell exactly what you love 469 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,680 by watching what you do. So let's get real practical now. 470 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,960 When was the last time you opened the Bible without a 471 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,400 preacher or a pastor or a church? 472 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,720 Surely if you love someone, you want to be around them. 473 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,440 When was the last time you told told the Lord Jesus Christ, I 474 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,560 love you? Do you know there's very few 475 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,040 things the Lord loves more than to hear his children say I love 476 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,040 you Jesus. If you love him, tell him. 477 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,840 And then the question needs to be asked, do we repent of the 478 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,960 things that Jesus hates? Jesus Christ said, if you love 479 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,920 me, keep my commands. What does your love for Christ 480 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,400 say about you late at night on your phone, on the Internet? 481 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,080 The house is empty. What does your love for Christ 482 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,440 say about you in that moment? What does your love for Christ 483 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,440 say about you at your business? And one of your customers comes 484 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,560 in and they pay you in a nice big wad of cash and you give the 485 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,080 government, you give the tax man enough money and, and after all, 486 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:41,720 they're going to fund it. On all these things you don't 487 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,000 agree with, I could just put it away and no one will know about 488 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,160 it. What does your love for Christ 489 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,720 say about you when that handsome man or that handsome woman who's 490 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,520 not a Christian asks you to go on a date, but Jesus says don't 491 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:57,360 be unequally yoked? What does your love for Christ 492 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,000 say about you in those moments? I don't want anyone to leave 493 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,960 here without remembering Peter's answer though, because I think 494 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,200 it's very, very beautiful. Just look at verse 17 with me. 495 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:15,160 The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love 496 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:18,120 me? Peter was hurt because Jesus 497 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:20,720 asked him the third time, do you love me? 498 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,000 He said, Lord, you know all things. 499 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,880 You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep. 500 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:33,880 So here we have Peter and is after being pressed with the 501 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,560 same question, he responds in the same way. 502 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:37,760 It's like he's learnt his lesson. 503 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:39,800 I'm not not going to make something hyperbolic, 504 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:41,880 hyperbolic. I'm not going to exaggerate the 505 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:42,920 truth. I'm just going to tell you the 506 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:44,560 truth. And it is interesting. 507 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,200 If you look at the original Greek we see here, I love you. 508 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,880 That's what it says here. But you know what the original 509 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,080 Greek says that the accurate translation. 510 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:57,920 It says I like you a whole lot. I have a fond affection for you, 511 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,040 Lords. I have a sort of 60% love for 512 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:02,480 you, Jesus. That's what I'm saying right 513 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,720 here. And this really melts my heart. 514 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,480 Shall I tell you why? Because here we see the Lord who 515 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:13,080 knows all things says, OK, Peter, you're being honest now. 516 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,640 So you have this 60% love for me. 517 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,920 OK, well, do you know what I'm going to do? 518 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,520 I can work with that. I'm going to give you one of the 519 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,200 greatest callings. I'm going to make you into a 520 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,440 shepherd Now, never think that the shepherd is just the guy at 521 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,360 the front or the, you know, a bit like what Jamie was saying 522 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:31,160 earlier. You know, we're all called to be 523 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:32,960 shepherds in one way. If we've got children or 524 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:35,440 grandchildren or that weak person in the family, we're 525 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,520 called to, to be shepherds. And there's no higher calling 526 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,840 to, to be a shepherd to, to look after the lambs because we've 527 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,320 got 1 chief shepherd and all the rest of us are under shepherds. 528 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:49,320 Let us never forget that. But I think what Jesus is trying 529 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,680 to say here is this. If you look after my sheep, you 530 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,440 know, if you love me, you're going to look after my sheep. 531 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,520 OK? I think that's the message here. 532 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,960 And I'm not going to trust my sheep with anyone who doesn't 533 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,560 truly love me. So before we part ways, let's 534 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:09,120 finish with one final thoughts. So Jesus, yes, he's often 535 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:12,200 referred to as the Good Shepherd, but he's also called 536 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,720 the Lamb of Gods. One day there was a little boy 537 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,280 and he was running in a field in Arizona, and here he is, he's 538 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,480 running, he's having a great time, just a little 5 year old 539 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,320 boy. And then suddenly, out of 540 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,680 nowhere, a rattlesnake appears. The little boy is paralysed in 541 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,720 fear and sure enough, the snake comes towards him. 542 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:36,240 And then it gets itself up like you see snakes do, and it lunges 543 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,320 for the little boy. At that very moment, out of 544 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,760 nowhere, a little tiny lamb stands in front in between the 545 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,400 boy and the snake and takes the snake bite for him. 546 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:50,000 The snake then slivers off and the lamb lies there on the 547 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,760 floor, dead. The little boy huddles over the 548 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,760 lamb, starts to cuddle it, crying his eyes out, saying this 549 00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,720 lamb laid down his life for me. I'm I'm so upset, I can't 550 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,320 believe this. But then suddenly the lamb 551 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,000 stands up alive. Now, I don't know if this story 552 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,320 is a true story, but I do know this. 553 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,160 If you go home and you Google this fact, did you know inside 554 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,680 the blood of sheep there is an anti venom that can overcome a 555 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,960 snake's bite? There is an anti venom that can 556 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,160 come over that that toxic, that poisonousness that comes out of 557 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,280 the snake, It can defeat it. And that's what happened. 558 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,720 That lamb stood up. Now do you think this, do you 559 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,120 think that God makes any mistakes in his creation? 560 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:34,120 You know, there's so much anti venom in these blood, in the 561 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,040 sheep's blood that in Wales, they literally sent a ton of 562 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:41,160 Welsh Welsh sheep over to Arizona to help with anti venom. 563 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:42,880 But is there any mistakes in that? 564 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,760 Of course there isn't. You see here you and I stand, 565 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,120 were guilty before the Lord gods. 566 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,240 And here the devil is, he's ready to lunge at us. 567 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,200 His sin is ready to lunge at us. Death is ready to lunge at us. 568 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,360 But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God stands in our place 569 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,840 and he takes the snake bite for us on the cross. 570 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,320 My sin, your sin, everything we've ever done, every wrong 571 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:12,040 thought, every wrong action was laid on the Lord Jesus Christ. 572 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,800 And there he died in our place. There he took our punishment so 573 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:20,320 you and I can be forgiven and safe and then you know the 574 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:22,720 story. They put him in the tomb and the 575 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,280 Pharisees, everyone, they looked at him and said it's over. 576 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,800 Everyone thought it was over for on the third day because there's 577 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,080 an anti venom in the Lord Jesus Christ blood. 578 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,320 He rose from the dead and if you like, he takes the sting of 579 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:38,640 death out of anyone's life. Anyone who puts their trust in 580 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,600 him, he can take that sting out of your life and give you 581 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,320 eternal life. Have you trusted in him? 582 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:46,920 Have you trusted in the Lamb of God? 583 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,280 Perhaps there's someone here and you are already a Christian. 584 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:54,080 But yes, you are living in sin and you know you're, you're 585 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,000 making a mess. Well, let's learn from Peter. 586 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,840 What did the Lord do with Peter after he messed up? 587 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:02,720 He said feed my lambs. He didn't write him off. 588 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:04,480 He didn't say that's that you've finished. 589 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,760 He gave him a second chance. My dear friend, Jesus is willing 590 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,000 to do that with you today. He'll give you a second chance 591 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:14,080 if you come to him. Why? 592 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:16,440 Because it's all in the blood of Christ. 593 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:18,640 That blood can wash you white than snow. 594 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:22,160 So come to Him today and receive that forgiveness.