Shore Of Second Chances | Pt 2

Speaker 1: Today, on the Dwelling Place.
Speaker 2: He delivered her from her past. He delivered her from demonic possession. Not just one or two demons, seven demons. He transformed her life. Where am I going to go now? She wondered she had to have Jesus and somehow found the courage to stoop down and to look in one more time. That is illustrative of humility.
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord and grow. To support this ministry financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Your donations keep this radio ministry going. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here's Pastor Al.
Speaker 3: And tonight, he's in pursuit of yours, in pursuit of your heart. The Lord is relentless in his pursuit. Amen. Oh, he is. He's relentless in his pursuit of our heart. I'm always reminded of the story when I think of you know, sometimes I want to just give God half my heart or 90% of my heart. Lord, that's pretty good. That was 95% but he's he's relentless. He wants all of our heart. I'm reminded of the story of Abraham and Isaac. Remember the story? Abraham took Isaac, his son up to sacrifice him. Many say Isaac wasn't just a little seven year old kid. He's probably in his 20s or 30s. And there was no sacrifice to be offered but he took his son, many of you know, and laid Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him and raised the the knife and the angel of the Lord spoke to him. And listen to what the angel of the Lord said. Genesis 22 verse 12 do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God. Since you have not withheld your son, your only son for me. Whatever threatens to rob God of that place of ultimate and the highest worship in my life, God will always be after it. And he will call us to lay it down because God does not want any rival when it comes to our worship. If there's something that is a rival in your heart that is robbing God of his worship, he will deal with it. The elephant in the room. And until we're willing to lay it down and sacrifice it, God says now I know Abraham that you love me more than even your son. Parents, God is calling you to lay your children down. God is calling us to lay down our careers, our jobs or whatever it is. You know, just say you you you treat them wrong. I'm not talking about that. You know what I mean? I'm saying he's lay it down. Lay it down before him. Lord, I love you more than these than all the things that the world has to offer and there are things in our lives. Here's Here's the core of the reason for the struggle in our lives as believers. The reality is that we love that thing more than we love the Lord. And he will have none of it. Person, place or thing, he must occupy the highest place of worship in our hearts. He will not tolerate any rival. Peter, do you love me more than the approval of men? More than these? Now, verses 15 and 16 and you Bible students have studied this text and and I'm sure many of you can talk about these Greek words more than better than I can but you know that the Greek word that Jesus used was Peter, do you love me? The word love the Greek word love there is agape o or agape. And it means to breathe after. It's It's It's used as the highest form of God or love, God's love. Do you love me, man morning? Did you breathe after me, Peter? The third time Jesus said, do you love me in verse 17, he uses the word phileo. Phileo, the Greek word phileo. The Greeks have three words for love, eros and agape and phileo. Uh and uh and they use the word phileo there in verse 17. The Lord does it means to be fond of. It speaks of personal attachment or affection. Now, this is very unique because here's what I you know, I I I see here within this exchange that Jesus says the first time, do you agape me? Do Am I like the number one love in your life, you know? And Peter kept answering, Lord, you know I phileo you. You know I'm affectionate. You know I'm fond of you. You know we're we're down, Lord. We're We're good but we're close. You know I really care about you. But he could never use the word agape. And then Jesus is the third time uses phileo, the same word that Peter was using. And what that says to me is that Jesus came down to the level where Peter was. Peter was at phileo and Jesus said, will you phileo me? Are you fond of me? Are you affectionate? Lord, you know all the things. You know I phileo you. You know I'm affectionate. You know I want to I want to I want to follow you. I want to serve you. And it's really refreshing to me because sometimes, Lord, I I I in my heart there's days where it's like I feel I can't say, Lord, I love you. I love you, Lord, because I haven't acted like much like I love the Lord. Some days it's, Lord, I phileo. I I I want to do the right thing but I'm I'm a jerk. I messed up. God, and instead of condemning Peter, Jesus said, do you phileo me? Came down to where Peter was that he might lift him up to where he ought to be. I love that. God doesn't condemn us. He's just looking for a willing heart. And he will meet us where we are to lift us up to where we ought to be. And Peter says, Lord, you know all things. Amen. You know all things. And knowing all things, listen, Jesus still commissioned him. I don't know if you've ever had the thought, Lord, why in the world did you ever bother to save me when you knew I was such a mess? Is it just me? I guess it's just me. I thank you for gathering tonight for my counseling session. Lord, why did you even bother to save You knew I was jacked up. And yet he still commissioned him. Wow. He still commissioned him. And he said, not only feed but tend my sheep. I love that word tend. The word tend means to herd or to lead to pasture. That's what I'm supposed to be doing tonight, leading you to green pasture, leading you to the word of God, not to human reasoning and human wisdom, worldly wisdom, not to my opinion but to the green pasture of God's word. That's the exhortation for every pastor. If we're not leading the people of God, the green pasture, we're not tending the sheep, then we are sinning against God. I don't care how good your book sales are or anything else. You must feed his sheep with the word of God. And so the exhortation in 1 Peter chapter 5 old Peter here remember the words of Jesus. And so Peter would say later on, shepherd the flock of God. Excuse me, which is among you serving as overseers not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but uh but eagerly, not as those being Lord over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd, amen, the pastor's got to report to somebody. The chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Amen. Tend my sheep. Verse 19 despite the is interesting because Jesus says in verse 18 he says, this is Peter, how your life is going to end. You're going to You're going to have a severe case of glaucoma. You're not going to be able to see too well. And people are going to lead you by the hand. And others will gird you. Won't be able to put your clothes on. They're going to help help you put your clothes on. And they will carry you where you do not wish. This he spoke, verse 19 says signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. Interesting. Because despite the trials Peter would face in the future, Jesus makes no apology but simply says, follow me. Think about that. Peter, you're going to have a life of prosperity. You're going to be rich and have a house on the hill. Peter, you're going to be many books and people going to come to you and by the thousands and listen to you. Oh, Peter, I have a wonderful plan for you. You can have a a prosperity and and wealth and no, Peter, you're going to eventually go blind. It will lead you around by hand and and you won't even be able to dress yourself. They're going to have to dress you and they're going to take your places you don't even want to go. You're so old and so feeble. And despite all that, Jesus said, I apologize, Peter, for you know, listen, I really want to do something better but the father said, you know Amen. Think about it. And even though he shares this with Peter, he does it unapologetically. And after telling him that it's going to be rough for you here on this earth, you, here's the Lord's response, follow me. And he doesn't apologize for it. So when we complain and murmur against the Lord and say, I got it so bad, he doesn't apologize. Well, let me fix it. Let me make it better. No. Follow me. See, that's that's collard greens and spinach right there. That's not cotton candy. Follow me. Although the paths as you follow me will take you places you don't want to go. Amen. Can you relate to that? As I follow the Lord, there've been some places I did not want to go but I ended up there because I was trying to follow him. And sometimes you get upset with God. If I hadn't followed you, I wouldn't be in this situation. And that's right. But he doesn't apologize for it, does he? He just says, you follow me. Cuz he knows what he's doing. We don't know what we're doing. He calls us to trust him that he is good. And yet he says, Peter, even in death, let me let me show you the death by which you will glorify God. Wow. Even in death, Christ is glorified through it all. As we follow him even to the point of death, Jesus is glorified. So regardless of what I've gone through in my life, you've gone through in your life, he will be glorified as we continue as we make it up in our mind, Lord, I'm going to follow you. As Paul said, none of these things matter to me but that I finished the race God has called me to run and that with joy. But like many of us, verses 20 to 23 then Peter turned around saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following who also had leaned on his breast at the supper and and I used to talk This is John. John's talking about himself. And said, Lord, who is the one who is the one who Excuse me. Who said the Lord who is the one who betray you? I'm sorry. That's what the this one leaning on the breast uh at the Last Supper said to Jesus, Lord, who is the one who will betray you? And Peter seeing him, seeing John said to Jesus, but Lord, what about this man? And Jesus said to him, if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me. Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple, that is John, would not die. Yet Jesus did not say that say to him that he would not die but if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Peter is kind of a a natural reaction that we all have when the Lord starting to get into our business. Amen. And deal with us. We all start looking around go, well, what about him? What about her? What about them? What about that ministry? What about that pastor? What about that guy on TV? Lord says, what business is it of yours? You follow me. I wish, man, they would broadcast that in every church. Stop complaining and critiquing and criticizing and condemning everybody and just follow the Lord. You follow me. Paul tells us he says that in the first 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 12 he said, you comparing yourself among yourselves, it is not wise. And we see this all the time in the church. We're comparing ourselves among ourselves and somehow, you know, my church is better than your church. My church is better than yours. My church is better cuz we have, you know, live streaming. I don't know. Whatever. Comparing these that's what causes dissension and division within the church. Here's the Lord to answer. Are we listening to what he said? Shut up and follow me. And he didn't say shut up. I added that. You, what business is it of yours? I am afraid we spend so much time beating each other up, devouring each other while people are going to hell because we're comparing ourselves among ourselves and we're sinning against the very commandment of Jesus. You follow me. I love that. You know what it does when you just follow the Lord and you're not trying to make trying to get everybody else see what everybody else is doing. You have more time to love people. More time to be an instrument of healing and restoration in the church than of division within the church. You follow me. Now, verse 23 is classic classic example of taking the Lord's words out of context. So it went out from that time that people thought Jesus told John he was never going to die. They took the Lord's words out of context. Nothing much has changed in the church today. We're still doing it today, aren't we not? And Jesus he didn't say that at all. He just said, if I will. In other words, listen, we should never discount his sovereign will. God can do whatever he wants but he's sovereign. And they just assumed that he meant that John would never die. Anyway, taking his words out of context, verses 24 and 25 this is the disciple who testifies John signs off here of these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. Amen. Here's the application I want to leave you with quickly. This you put in your little brown lunch bag like you used to take to school and chew on this later. Because on the shore of the of the of second chances, we find three things. Peter found three three things. Number one, he found grace. He found grace. 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord God said to Paul the Apostle and he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think, Lord, I'm just too much of a challenge for you but I'm here to tell you tonight his grace is sufficient for you. He's the God of the second chance. It was a Paul Tripp. I read this actually today and I thought I need to quote this. This is awesome. Paul Tripp, he's an author, teacher. And he said this and I quote, it's not on the screen but listen. He said, by God's grace, I'm regularly rescued from me. Close quote. By God's grace, I am regularly rescued from me. I love that. Jesus knew Peter would have his clock clean but he called him anyway. Satan had asked for Peter. Luke chapter 22 verses 31 and 34 the devil asked for Peter but Satan's demonic ask was canceled out by the prayers of Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 22 verses 31 to 34 he said, Simon, Simon, Peter, the devil has asked for you but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail. Not your feelings but that your faith in me would not fail. The second thing we find on the shore is love. Peter experienced the love of God. Romans chapter 8 verses 38 to 39 many of us for many of us are one of our favorite two verses for Paul says, I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Do you believe that? Praise his holy name. And God's love, the Bible tells us does what? It casts out all fear. On the shore of second chances you find God's grace. You find God's love because there is no fear. Someone described fear this way. I thought this was cool. F E A R false evidence appearing real. False evidence appearing real. It's the definition for fear. The last thing that Peter found on the shore was victory. Peter had failed miserably. We did not allow his defeat to define him. I know that because he was one of those waiting in the upper room in Acts chapter 1. And Peter became a great evangelist in Acts chapter 2 and a great instrument in the hand of God throughout the New Testament. No one likes defeat but Peter experienced defeat. And God often allows defeat to show us the way to victory. I want to show you this little clip tonight before we wrap up our time. Uh it's it's a Gatorade. Have you seen that Gatorade commercial with Michael Jordan? Anybody? Good. So you're all going to be surprised. All right. But it talks about defeat. I want you to watch this. It's only a few seconds long and then we will wrap our time up together. Check it out.
Speaker 4: You want to know the secret to victory? Fail to make the varsity team. Starts your career as a walk-on. Go three and 13 your rookie season. Lead the league in interceptions. Take a perfect team and blow a perfect season. Spend 108 years as a lovable loser. Be on the wrong side of the biggest upset in your sport. You really want to know the secret to victory. And heartbreak for Matt Ryan who is in utter disbelief.
Speaker 5: Defeat. Come on. One more. Again.
Speaker 4: Make defeat your fuel.
Speaker 3: Amen. You want to know the secret to victory? Defeat. Everybody that God has used mightily has been broken greatly. Everybody including your senior pastor. And there's more breaking to come. How to surpass the victory? Take show take me to the seminar. I want 7 easy steps to victory. Peter learned that the path to victory was defeat. It failed. And yet because he served the God of second chances, he was able to continue on because his identity was not in his defeat but it was in the victory of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:28 says, for all things work together for good to those who love God who are called according to his purpose. You're not defeated. You're just on the path to victory. David understood in conclusion God is being the God of the second chance. I want to end with these verses and then we will wrap up. We'll finish We finish Psalm 51 verses 10 to 12. David said, Lord, created me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be shall be converted to you.
Speaker 2: Dwelling Place. Dwelling Place. Dwelling Place. You are my Dwelling Place. Dwelling Place. Dwelling Place.
Speaker 1: Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at P.O. Box 50584 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949 or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@alpittmanministries.com. That's info@alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless.