“Commitment Issues”
John 18:15-18; 25-27
All of us have at least one. All of us have at least one sound; one noise that really annoys us. For some it is the sound of the dentist drilling in your mouth, for others it may be the sound of screeching tires on pavement or perhaps when kids used to rub their fingernails across the chalkboard. But it’s not always the sound that really bothers us. It is often the memories that go with it. If you have ever been in an accident, you know what happens when you hear screeching tires. Clench up. And when you hear it you know something painful is about to happen.
For Peter it was the crowing of a rooster. If you grew up on a farm it would be a signal to get up and start your day. But not for Peter. Jesus told Peter that before the rooster would crow three times that he would deny Jesus three times and he did. These were his words:
• woman, I don’t know him
• man, I am not one of them
• I don’t know what you’re talking about
And I figure that every time after that, when Peter would hear a rooster crow, he would clench up-it was painful. Because it reminded him of the day he denied Jesus. One, two, three times. We can honestly say that Peter had commitment issues. We know what he was like because we all know someone like that I think. We know Peter because he was quick to react---on one occasion he cut off a man’s ear. None of us do that I hope. ? We know Peter because we all have one friend like this in our lives….. Someone who reacts quickly to problems…not always in the right way but they do step up. But then we also have friends who are good friends ….. But when things are going well-they are there for us----but when things go wrong---- they are nowhere to be found.
Now when Peter stepped out and walked on the water we forget to mention that at first Peter didn’t trust completely in Jesus. Remember that his own brothers didn’t believe He was the Messiah until after the resurrection and they lived with Jesus. Peter said, Lord if that’s you... If that’s really you... then stand there while I come out on the water. Jesus says, come on out. And Peter does. And then he sinks. He sinks because he has doubts. He doubted Jesus and he doubts himself. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do the same. Right? Amen? I mean most of us, if we are honest, can really relate to Peter and also to Thomas.
• Because too many of us act before we think
• we speak before we think
• we trust ourselves but we don’t trust others
• we speak up but for all the wrong reasons
• And we do it all in one brief moment
Now here is a theological question for you. Did Jesus know how all of this was going to turn out? Did he know Peter was going to take a step? Did he knew that when he took a step he would then sink? Did he know Peter would deny him three times? I think so. And so from the very beginning, Jesus is working to create something new in Peter….He is working with what He has but He wants to change it into something new. Like taking a piece of clay and molding it. And He is doing the same for you and for me. There are these defining moments for Peter. These moments when he takes a step …when he’s called upon to testify …. And they define him for life. And you and I have them too. Thomas doubts this one time and he gets labeled forever as “Doubting Thomas.” We label others … you’re just a doubting Thomas. These moments define us. Jesus knew Peter would sink; he knew Peter would deny that he even knew him. Jesus knew Peter would fail but he also knew something else... And here it is.
1. Our failures are not final. Life is not defined by our failures. We are defined by what we do with our failures. Jesus looked at Peter and saw his future, not his failures.
I think we relate to Peter because we really, really want to be like Jesus but when it comes down to the bottom line---when it comes down to that moment when we are called upon to make to make that commitment, we deny him, we sink; we have more words than we have actions. In short, we have commitment issues. When it comes time to pull the trigger, to cross the line, to step up to the plate, we sink.
Up to this point, Peter had been walking with Jesus for about three years. He followed him absolutely everywhere. He was there when Jesus changed the water to wine…. All the disciples were. He was there when Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. The Bible tells us that one time-after the resurrection, that seven of the disciples were together fishing. They had fished all night and had caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus saw them out on the lake and he called out to them... Hey guys, didn’t you catch anything? Somebody always has to point it out.
He says, throw your net over on the other side of the boat and you’ll catch some fish. So they did and sure enough they caught so many they were unable haul them all in. And the Bible says there were all large fish—these were keepers—there were so many they counted them--153 fish. Peter personally witnessed all of these miracles but yet when it came right down to it, when someone said to him, aren’t you the one I saw with Jesus? He said, I am not. Not me. I don’t know him.
For three years walking with Jesus, hearing his teachings, seeing the difference Jesus made in one life after another, it’s hard to imagine what he must’ve felt on the day Jesus was crucified. Difficult would not begin to describe his emotions. His hope snatched away. Plans torn apart. Suddenly everything must have seemed out of control. If words could somehow sum up what Peter and the others felt that day, it might sound very much like this...
• we gave up our families to follow Him and now this
• He’s gone now
• What will we do?
• Their hope was gone
• The one they had relied on for everything was gone
And this became a defining moment for all of them.
Look back at verse John 18:10. This story reminds us that Peter fought for Jesus. He cut off the ear of this man named Malchus. Then in verse 15, Peter, along with the others, Peter began to follow Jesus. Knowing there was a real possibility that Jesus could be killed, and them as well, they still stood with him. But in verse 17 when the servant girl, who was keeping watch (when) Peter arrived at the door... She recognized him as having been with Jesus. Peter said, no not me. You got the wrong guy. Commitment issues. We have good intentions but when it comes down to signing on the dotted line we get cold feet.
There’s a thing called buyer’s remorse. You know about that. I’ve had it before. I could be in the process of purchasing something and then get almost to the register with it and then decide, nope, not today. Or I purchase it and then “Oh this is not exactly what I wanted!” You’ve probably experienced it before as well. You weigh all the pros and cons and then you finally go for it ……. then you might regret it. It is said that the reason many people have buyer’s remorse is directly related to the cost. The higher the cost the more potential to have it. I read recently that the average home buyer looks for 10 weeks before making a purchase. And on the average they view hundreds of homes on the Internet and see at least 40 (homes in person), many still have doubts. The more you are involved---- the more the cost----the more remorse you can have. The bigger the commitment, the more it weighs on you. There are two things I would say about that related to our commitment to Christ.
(1) We should give heavy consideration to any major commitment we make in life. We should weigh the options. In financial decisions, credit cards have gotten plenty of people in trouble because frankly, it’s just too easy to plop down your Visa card and buy something.
(2) When we are contemplating a commitment to Christ we should never make that decision in a casual manner. We should weigh the cost.
There is a prayer we often pray that we call the sinners prayer. The person praying the prayer is asked to pray something like this... “Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins. Today, I trust you as my Lord and Savior. I give my life to you. In Jesus name. There have been thousands of people who have prayed that prayer and have been saved. But I have never met one person who has regretted it. Not one who said, wish I hadn’t done that... What was I thinking?? But here’s the thing-it is not those words that will save you. In fact you could say those words without truly making any commitment and all in your heart. You could say them without meaning them. Because the power is not in those words; the power is actually found in two places.
(1) There is power in the blood of Jesus to save us. And it is only through the blood of Jesus that we can be saved.
(2) There is power in the commitment we make; if we make it when we make it from the heart. Romans 10:9. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” The Bible says that the Lord does not look at the things others look at. People look at the outer appearance... The Lord looks at the heart.
This is what it takes to be saved... Two things... The blood of Jesus and a heart that is filled with remorse. A heart that is remorseful over their past. You see God can’t save you if your heart is cold or stubborn. Because more than anything God looks at the heart. Our motives. We read his word, he works on our heart to soften it, to cleanse it, to make us more like him. More than anything He looks at our heart. You see Jesus is the only one who can take care of our sin problem. The Bible says that we were born with a sinful nature. David said, surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceive me. As a result we need a Savior. Because all of us are sinners. Romans 3:23. The Bible says, no one is righteous, no not one. Couldn’t be clearer. Then the Bible tells us there is a price, a consequence that must be paid for sin and the consequence his death.
Romans 6:23. Wages are death. Fortunately for you and me Jesus stepped up and paid that debt.
Romans 5:8. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Salvation is ours if we will confess and believe.
Romans 10:9-10 and 13. Doubt can be very difficult to deal with. Commitments can be hard to keep. They were for Peter. They are for me and I am sure they are for you as well. We wonder what people think; we wonder if we change if people will actually believe we have changed. They may doubt your decision. They may even put you down for making it. But this is what the Bible says... Romans 8:1. There is no condemnation.
All of us have moments when things can get pretty bad. Moments when we fail. When we fall down. When we feel alone. When people walk out. When we lose someone we love. Don’t let those moments define you. Allow God to use them to make you stronger.
Mary Cushman knew all about this. During the depression she and her family lost everything. Their weekly paycheck shrunk to $18. She took in laundry and did ironing. She got clothes for her kids from the Salvation Army. Then their local grocer accused her child of stealing food one day and it was all she could deal with. This is what she said: “I couldn’t see any home anymore … so I shut off my washing machine, took my little 5 year old daughter into the BR and closed all the doors and windows and turned on the gas heater in the BR ---- and didn’t light it. Just let the gas flow. As I lay down on the bed with my daughter beside me my daughter said, mommy this if strange, we just got up a few hours ago…. Why are we laying back down? She said to her, never mind, we’ll just take a little nap. Then I closed my eyes and just listened to the gas as it came from the heater. I will never forget the smell of that gas. Then she said suddenly I thought I heard music. I listened closely. I realized I had forgotten to turn the radio off in the kitchen. Didn’t matter now bug t then I realized the words to the song …..
What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and grief to bear
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer!
And she said as I listened to that song I realized what a tragic mistake I was making. I was trying to fight all my battles alone. So I jumped up from the bed, turned off the gas and opened the windows. She went on to explain how she spent the rest of the day giving thanks to God for the blessing she had been given. And she never lost her hope. Don’t lose yours either. NO matter what you are facing today God has NOT forgotten about you. He will never leave you. He will never give up on you. Don’t give up on Him.
