Sheep Food

  “...and when you have returned to Me, Peter...strengthen your brethren...” -Jesus (Luke 22:32) I mentioned yesterday how hard it is for me to read this exchange that Jesus had with Peter, and not be moved to tears by it. It really hits close to home, for me, personally; and I would imagine it does so for others...who have ‘been there’ themselves. In case you are not familiar with this interaction between the two, it took place shortly before Jesus was arrested. Peter had been feeling pretty confident and determined to not let anything happen to Jesus, and that he was ready to ‘lay down his life’ for Him if need be. Peter was, after all...(in his own eyes at least), Jesus’s ‘right hand man’, sword at his side and ready to go that extra mile. Ever been there? This is when Jesus informs Peter that He had received a request from ‘Satan’, asking to ‘sift Peter as wheat’ (31). That revealed dialogue in itself is interesting for several reasons that we won’t spend much time on today,...

  If you think, for even a moment that you, or anyone else can somehow find, experience, and enter in to this ‘abundant life’ that Jesus came to offer us (John 10:10) outside of taking up your own cross...you are sorely mistaken, if not deceived. There simply are no...’shortcuts’. “Then He (Jesus) said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) This is the lesson, or the ‘takeaway’ we should glean when we listen in to those parting words Jesus had for Peter, which we have been studying the past two days. And it was all packaged in that one penetrating question that Jesus asked Peter, three times in a row: “Peter...Do. You. Love. Me?” Now....insert your name there in place of Peter’s. Do you love Jesus? “IF...you love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.” – Jesus (John 14:15-Amp) Ca...

  I have a soundtrack in my music collection of children’s ‘church’ songs that the boys (my twin grandsons) love to listen to; they call them the ‘God Songs’. One of them tells the story how ‘Peter, James, and John in the sailboat...’fished all night and caught no fishes’. This of course taken from the story I mentioned in yesterday’s message as we were taking some time to see what we could draw and learn from in Peter’s 'stumbles'. I hear it often. In fact... it was mentioned in a sermon I heard this past weekend...how people ‘find comfort’ in realizing that even someone like Peter, who walked close with Jesus for three years...still...had his epic moment when he denied knowing Jesus, when it mattered most. Somehow...we convince ourselves that we too...will continue to have epic failures and fall short...and disappoint God by falling back into sin. Friends...nothing could be more misconstrued and misunderstood... if that is your take-away from what happened to Peter. We sur...

  Peter...Peter...Peter. Everyone always wants to point to Peter and make the case that even Peter...who spent three years walking as close to Jesus as anyone could ever hope to do... and he still fell flat on his face in the end and denied knowing Jesus in his most epic failure that left him broken and ashamed. (Luke 22:55-62) Could someone please tell me why it’s ...‘that Peter’ we always want to look to and draw from... when we fall flat on our faces and ‘fail God’? Because clearly...something happened to Peter on the Day of Pentecost that forever changed him until he was put to death for boldly proclaiming the gospel of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. This is why I have said on more than one occasion that the modern day ‘church’ has become the biggest ‘enabler’ for ‘sinners’, because we continue to console and comfort ‘sin’ as we remind and ‘indoctrinate’ sinners that they will always be ‘sinners’ and fall short and fail God. Now that’s not to suggest we should be ‘casting s...

  “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” “ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6) Did that say: 'He who says he abides in Him...ought himself also...to walk just as He (Jesus) walked...'? So...how’s that been working out for you? You have your good days, maybe those few good moments spread far and few and in-between, you say? Two steps forward and then three steps back? Story of your life, right? I mean, nobody’s perfect and God sure doesn’t expect us to be ‘perfect’ so why beat yourself up over and over and just accept His love and grace...they tell us. And yet, Jesus said: “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Not my words.... His words (Matt. 5:48). But wha...

  In the days leading up to the arrest of Jesus that would in turn, lead to His death on the cross, His disciples met with Him on the Mount of Olives and inquired of Him asking: ”Lord...tell us what it will be like at the end of the age prior to your coming.” (Matt. 24:3) And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you, for many...will come in My name...and will deceive many.” (4-5) Have you ever stopped to consider how often we are warned throughout the NT to ‘be not deceived...brethren’? The answer is probably more than you might guess. “Many...will come in My name...” Jesus told them. That warning in itself could be reason enough for many half-hearted skeptics to use as an excuse to not ‘turn to Jesus’, citing there are ‘so many out there today’ who have ‘come in His name’...so how are you supposed to know ‘which one’ to follow? I get it, and I was there one time myself. It can sure be easy to take that circular path of ‘philosophical debate’, like Pont...