Zechariah's Song | A Sermon on Luke 1:68-79

Introduction
As we look at the biblical songs of Christmas, we come to Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.

Zechariah was a priest—an older man who had served faithfully for many years. In this story, his priestly division was scheduled for its week of service in the Temple. Each division took turns throughout the year, and during that week one priest was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord. This was a great honor.

So they cast lots, and Zechariah’s was chosen. You can picture them drawing sticks—like deciding who gets the last piece of pie at Thanksgiving! Some might say it was chance, but Scripture makes it clear: God chose him. That’s why they cast lots—to discover whom God had appointed.

Zechariah entered the Temple to burn incense, and he stayed longer than expected. Everyone outside was wondering what was taking so long. Here’s why: while he was in the sanctuary, the angel Gabriel appeared. Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth—both advanced in years—would have a son. This son would be a great prophet, “like Elijah,” and they were to name him John. John would prepare the people for the coming Messiah.

Now, Zechariah was an old man, and naturally he doubted. “How can this be?” he asked. “My wife and I are old!” He asked for a sign. Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something, yet found yourself second-guessing it? That’s where Zechariah was. He knew the Lord was speaking, but he struggled to believe it.

Gabriel’s response is almost humorous. You can read it in Luke 1. Gabriel basically says, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I'm an angel!  Isn’t that sign enough?” But then he adds, “Since you need a sign, you will be unable to speak until this child is born.”

And so Zechariah entered nine months of silence. I imagine Elizabeth may have enjoyed the peace and quiet! But for Zechariah, those nine months must have felt very long.

Sure enough, Elizabeth became pregnant, and nine months later they gave birth to a baby boy. On the eighth day, according to Jewish tradition, neighbors and relatives came for the circumcision ceremony—a time of celebration and worship. This was also when the child received his name.

Elizabeth said, “His name will be John.”
But the relatives pushed back: “You can’t name him John! No one in your family has that name.” Tradition said you named a child after relatives.

So they turned to Zechariah.  Zechariah motioned for a writing tablet. And he wrote clearly: “His name is John.”

At that moment—instantly—his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak. And the first words out of his mouth were not, “I can talk!”  Scripture says the first thing he did was praise God.

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and then he gave the powerful prophecy I call Zechariah’s Song, found in Luke 1:68–79.  Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

Luke 1:68-79
⁶⁸ “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹ He has sent us a mighty Savior^[h]
    from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰ just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
⁷¹ Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
⁷² He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
⁷³ the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
⁷⁴ We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

⁷⁶ “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸ Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,^[i]
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

A Prophecy of Old
Zechariah reminds us that all of this was part of God’s prophetic plan from the very beginning. In his song, he reaches back to King David, and for us that can be hard to grasp. We struggle to comprehend the vast span of time God has been working through.

Zechariah says the coming of the Messiah was prophesied long ago—by David, who lived around 1000 BC. That’s a thousand years before Zechariah’s time. Think about that. Most of us can trace our family line back maybe to our great-grandparents, perhaps a little further if we’re fortunate. Some families know their ancestors settled in this area in the 1820s—about 200 years ago.
But Zechariah is pointing back a thousand years.

And then he goes even further. He mentions Abraham, saying God is fulfilling the covenant He swore to him. Abraham lived around 2000 BC—that’s 2,000 years before Zechariah.

We all have doubts. When something threatens our health, our family, or our future, we pray, we worry, and we wonder whether God hears us or will work things out. But remember this when you doubt:

God has been working out the details of your salvation for over 4,000 years.

He has not forgotten you. He has been faithful for millennia—and He will be faithful to you.

He is not slow or silent.  But your rescue is difficult because your sin-sickness is deep. 
And God is not just saving you; He is saving the whole world.

A Prophecy for the Future
Then Zechariah turns to the future.  He prophecies about his son, John:
“And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.

John came to prepare people for Jesus.  He was the voice crying in the wilderness:
“Make a straight the path for the Lord.” 

Now, you may not know this, but in ancient times when a king traveled, he never traveled alone. He came with his guards, his servants, and his whole entourage. And before the king arrived, they would send a detachment of soldiers and servants ahead of him to make sure the road was clear.

After all, how embarrassing would it be for a mighty and famous king to be rolling down the road only to be stopped by a herd of cows wandering across his path? At that point it doesn’t matter how powerful you are—you’re stuck like everybody else, waiting for the cows to move! Kings wanted to avoid that, and far more importantly, they wanted to avoid bandits or an ambush up ahead.

So the advance team would clear the way. If someone was blocking the road, they’d shout, “Move aside—the king is coming!” And if people wanted to stay there, they’d better be ready to cheer and welcome him. Towns would gather, crowds would line the streets, and a parade of sorts would form as the king approached.

It’s not so different today. Imagine the President of the United States trying to drive through Atlanta in his motorcade and getting stuck in a traffic jam. It would make headlines around the world—and it would be dangerous. So what happens? The route gets cleared. Roads are blocked off. Everyone else sits in traffic so the motorcade can pass safely.

That’s John’s job. John came to “make straight the path for the Lord”—to prepare people for the arrival of the greatest King of all. His message was simple:  “The King is coming. Either get out of the way—or join the parade.”

And that’s the message for us too.  If you think about it, we should all be like John the Baptist.
We should, “prepare the way for the Lord.”
We should, “tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.”

Salvation through the Forgiveness of Sins
Here’s the situation.  All have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)
Every single person in this room (and in the whole world) is guilty of sin.

And the consequence of sin is death. (Romans 3:23a)  You will die physically because of sin.
And you face eternal punishment for your sin.  You cannot save yourself. 

You are guilty and there is no hope for you—except through Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23b says, “the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”
It is a free gift.  You cannot earn it.  You cannot be good enough to deserve it.  It is God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Romans 10:9-10 says, “⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

So, we must accept Jesus as Lord.  And we should become little “John the Baptists” declaring:
“The Lord, Jesus Christ, is coming!  He is coming!  Either become join the victory parade by becoming one of His subjects or get off the road, because the King is coming down this road very soon!”

The Meaning of Advent

We are now in the second week of Advent.
The first Sunday focused on Hope—the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Before Christ, we were sinners under the penalty of death and eternal punishment. But because of Him, we have hope where there was none.

The second Sunday is the Sunday of Peace.
Christ did not come as a conquering king. He came as a baby, offering peace to a rebellious world. It’s as if God said:  “Yes, you have turned your back on Me. Yes, you have rebelled. But I am offering you peace—not a sword. Not judgment. Peace. Turn back to Me, and you will be forgiven. You will be welcomed into My kingdom. I will be your King, and you will have peace.”

But there is no peace without Christ.
If we remain in rebellion against God, how can we have peace? Peace is found only in surrendering to Him.

So we mark the First Sunday—Hope.
We mark the Second Sunday—Peace.
And we still have two more Sundays before Christmas.

Advent is a time to remember Christ’s first coming as a baby in Bethlehem.
Advent is also a time to prepare their hearts for His coming into their lives today.
Advent is also a time to look forward to His promised coming again in glory.

The word Advent actually means, “coming” or “arrival.”
It is a season of preparation for the Lord’s coming.
Yes, we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, but we also prepare for Christ’s return.
The first time He came in peace as a child.
But He promised He will come again in the clouds—not as a suffering servant, but as the conquering King.
For those who have already joined His “victory parade,” His coming will be a glorious celebration.
But for those who refuse His offer of peace, His return will be a day of reckoning.

So let me end with a question for you to seriously ponder:  Are you ready?

I Will Show You How To... | A Sermon on Matthew 4:19

Introduction
It’s an incredible time to be alive if you like to learn and do things yourself.  There are so many resources available to us.  With YouTube, you can look up almost anything and there’s probably someone with a YouTube video to show you how to do it step by step. 

If you want to know how to fix a leaky faucet in your shower, there’s a video for that. Need to change the starter on your 2016 Toyota Camry? There’s a video that shows you how to do that too.

Find yourself in a stressful situation at work? There’s even a Navy SEAL who has a video on how to deal with stress—and I’m sure they know a thing or two about that.

Have you ever dropped your phone in the bathtub or the pool? You need to know what to do because you can’t afford to buy another $1,000 phone. There’s a video that will tell you how to dry it out and clean it up.

Need to know how to study Matthew 4:19? There’s a video for that as well. In fact, I’ve already posted two—this one will be up tomorrow, and there’ll be another one next week. And of course, there are probably a thousand other preachers out there doing the same thing.

So yes, there are all kinds of resources available—videos to show you how to do just about anything. But here’s the problem with YouTube: you have to be careful who you trust. Anybody can post a video, even if they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. Someone might tell you how to change the starter on your Camry, but if they don’t really know, you could end up doing it wrong—or even blowing up your car!  So you have to be wise, check your sources, and find the right ones that are truly helpful.

Why am I telling you this? Because today we see the “how-to” statement in Jesus’ invitation. We’ve been looking at Matthew 4:19.

Matthew 4:19
¹⁹ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

One of the things that set Jesus apart from other spiritual leaders of His day was Jesus showed His followers how to do stuff.  While other rabbis would sit down with students in a classroom and teach from a book, Jesus took His disciples out into the real world and showed them how to live for God.

If Jesus Had A YouTube Channel
Some of the things Jesus showed His disciples how to do were:

How to Love and Forgive:
Jesus showed them how to love their neighbors and even their enemies. He taught them about forgiveness and demonstrated it on the cross by forgiving those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34).

How to Pray:
Jesus didn’t just tell them to pray; He showed them how. He gave them the Lord’s Prayer as a model (Matthew 6:9-13) and demonstrated a life of prayer in all circumstances.

How to Serve with Humility:
Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17), showing them that true greatness is found in humble service. He lived out a servant-hearted life and invited them to do the same.

How to Trust God in Difficult Times:
Whether calming a storm (Mark 4:35-41) or facing His own crucifixion, Jesus showed them what it means to trust the Father fully.

Jesus’ Invitation to You
But Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 4:19 wasn’t just for the 12 Disciples 2,000 years ago.  It’s the same invitation He gives you today.  Come, follow me, and I will show you how to…

Unfortunately, Jesus doesn’t have a YouTube Channel, but He does have a Holy Bible, and it is full of His wisdom and practical lessons that show us how to live for Him.  We should definitely read it and study it and puzzle over it.
Don’t get sidetracked by puzzling questions like how did Noah fit all the animals on the Ark or how did God split apart the Red Sea.  I would encourage you to focus on the real life practical lessons of Jesus like:  How to forgive, how to pray, how to serve, and how to trust God in hard times.  These are the lessons that will truly draw you closer to God and help change the world.

So we have the Bible where Jesus teaches us How To, but we can’t forget the other part of the formula.  We have to get out there and do it.

Jesus’ lessons to His Disciples and to us must be practiced in the real world.  This is not head knowledge.  This is heart knowledge.  It’s meant to change your heart.  And it has to be practices with your hands and feet.  Let’s take one example.

“The greatest among you will be your servant.”
When Jesus taught His Disciples about serving, He got down on His knees and washing their feet.  He taught them while showing them.  And then He told them to do the same thing.  He said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

In order to truly follow Jesus and learn from Him, you must do the things He showed us how to do in the Bible.  Following Jesus isn’t an accumulation of head knowledge.  Following Jesus means letting Him transform your heart and your life.  As you practice what He preached, your attitudes and behaviors begin to change.  You become more like Him.  It doesn’t happen overnight.  But the more you live like Him over the course of your life, the more you begin to reflect His character to the world around you.

Think of the disciples: they didn’t become “fishers of people” on day one. They stumbled, they doubted, they failed—but little by little, as they walked with Jesus, He transformed their hearts. The same is true for us.

This is the process of discipleship: Jesus says, “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how…” If you keep walking with Him, He will show you how to forgive when it’s hard, how to serve when it costs you something, how to trust when the storm rages, how to love when it feels impossible.

And here’s the best part: you don’t do it alone. His Spirit lives within you, shaping you, guiding you, strengthening you every step of the way.

Conclusion & Invitation
So today, the question is simple: Will you let Jesus show you how?

• How to forgive that person you’ve been holding a grudge against.
• How to serve quietly when no one else notices.
• How to pray with trust instead of fear.
• How to love someone you think doesn’t deserve it.
• Or something else (there are a lot of lessons He showed us in His Bible)

This is what it means to be His disciple—not just to know about Him, but to let Him transform your heart and your life.  So here’s Jesus’ invitation, still echoing after 2,000 years: “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how…”  Will you take Him up on it today?

What is Forgiveness? | A Sermon on Matthew 8:21-35

Introduction

You know, I like to plan ahead on my messages. If you read David's article in the newsletter, he shared how I usually plan months ahead for what I’m going to preach on each Sunday. That way, he can plan the songs to go along with it. But every now and then, the Lord just grabs me and says, "I need you to change what you were planning." That’s what He did today, based on the Bible study we had on Thursday. We were talking about forgiveness, and the Lord said, "You need to preach on forgiveness today." And so, that’s what we’re going to do.

Forgiveness is a key, central theme in the Christian faith. It’s not optional. It’s one of those core things. It’s as central to our faith as the cross we adorn our churches with and often wear as necklaces. In fact, the cross should remind us every time we look at it that forgiveness is central to our faith.

Unfortunately, because it is so central—and because we talk about it so often—I think most people, even longtime, faithful Christians, often misunderstand what forgiveness truly is. So today, the Holy Spirit is urging me to preach on forgiveness. And I ask ahead of time for your forgiveness if this message goes a little long. This is what the Lord has given me to say, and we’ll also celebrate Holy Communion afterward.

Matthew 18:21-35
²¹ Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone^[a] who sins against me? Seven times?”

²² “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!^[b]

²³ “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. ²⁴ In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.^[c] 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

²⁶ “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ ²⁷ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

²⁸ “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.^[d] He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. ³⁰ But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

³¹ “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. ³² Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

³⁵ “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters^[e] from your heart.”

The Meaning of Christ’s Parable
Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive. Rabbis taught three times. Peter thought he was being generous by suggesting seven. Jesus responded with seventy-seven or seventy times seven—meaning endlessly.

In the parable, Jesus was teaching about us and God. We are the servants who cannot repay our debt to God. Yet God forgives us completely. And He calls us to do the same for others.

Whenever I’ve preached on this topic over the past 25 years, it gets the most feedback and the most resistance. People struggle with it deeply. They ask, "You mean to tell me I have to forgive my ex-wife? My abusive father? The person who assaulted me?"

I understand. It’s a hard word. But it’s a true word. And it’s central to our faith.

What is Forgiveness?

True forgiveness is releasing resentment and the desire for revenge. It’s choosing to offer grace and let go of the offense.

Here’s the key point: Forgiveness is something you do for your own benefit, not the person you’re forgiving.

People often get hung up here. They think forgiving someone is a gift to the offender. But it’s not. It’s a gift to yourself. It sets you free.

Jesus used a financial example to help us understand. Imagine someone owes you a trillion dollars. There’s no way they can repay it. You can hold onto the debt and let it eat you up, or you can release it. Forgiveness frees you.

Of course, most debts we carry aren’t financial. They are personal. Unfaithfulness. Betrayal. Violence. Abuse. Murder.

You may be wondering, "How could I ever forgive what was done to me?"

Remember, forgiveness doesn’t release the offender—it releases you. They cannot repay you. Nothing they do can restore what was lost. Holding onto the grudge only continues the pain.

Holding onto unforgiveness is like drinking poison every day and expecting it to kill the other person. It only poisons you.

Jesus offers the solution so you can heal: You must forgive.

 

Misunderstandings About Forgiveness

1. Forgiveness doesn’t mean the offender escapes justice. If someone commits a crime, justice must be served. Forgiveness doesn’t erase consequences. But vengeance belongs to the Lord (Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19).

2. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. The Bible never tells us to "forgive and forget." Only God says, "I will remember their sins no more" (Heb. 8:12). We may still need to remember for the sake of wisdom and protection.

3. Forgiveness doesn’t require an apology. You can forgive someone even if they never say they’re sorry. Forgiveness is what you do—it doesn’t depend on them.

4. Forgiveness isn’t the same as reconciliation. You don’t have to become friends with the person. Reconciliation requires more: repentance, apology, changed behavior, and a mutual desire to restore the relationship.

Reconciliation Requires
Much has to happen in order to truly reconcile and restore a relationship.  Such as:

1.     Repentance – The wrongdoer acknowledges the harm and turns from it.

2.     Confession – Honest admission of the wrongdoing.

3.     Forgiveness – The offended person releases bitterness and offers grace.

4.     Apology – A sincere expression of regret.

5.     Restitution (if possible) – Making things right where harm was done.

6.     Changed behavior – Evidence of growth or a desire not to repeat the offense.

7.     Mutual desire to restore the relationship – Both parties willing to move forward.

8.     Time and patience – Trust may need to be rebuilt gradually.

So, you can forgive someone—release your resentment and expectation of offender restoring you—without being reconciled and becoming best buds with your offender. 

Forgiveness is Hard

This isn’t just theory. Forgiveness is hard. I’ve lived it.

Many of you know I didn’t have a good father. He was abusive and abandoned our family. As a child, I hated him. Over time, I stopped hating him—but the Lord called me to do more. He said, "You must forgive him."

That process began when I was 20. My father died a few years ago. By God’s grace, I was able to forgive him and even reconcile to some degree. I preached at his funeral, by his invitation.

So when I say forgiveness is central to our faith, I speak from experience. It’s not optional. It’s real. It’s hard. But it’s necessary.

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer and say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," we’re engaging with this truth.

Every time we look at the cross, we’re reminded of how serious sin is—and how deep God’s forgiveness goes. Jesus was crucified for our sins. And as He hung on the cross, He said, "Father, forgive them."

Let us live in that forgiveness. And let us extend it to others.

 

The "Feed My Sheep" Story | A Sermon on John 21:1-17

Introduction
Jesus is alive—and that’s something worth celebrating! On Easter Sunday, we rejoiced with full hearts and lifted voices. But the resurrection isn't just a one-day event. In the Church calendar, there are seven Sundays in the Easter season, giving us time to truly soak in the joy and meaning of the risen Christ.

So far, we've heard four powerful resurrection stories—stories filled with hope, amazement, confusion, and even doubt. They remind us that encountering the Risen Jesus looks different for everyone.

Today, we hear a story of failure and of restoration. A story that might hit close to home. Because if we’re honest, we all stumble from time to time. Most of us have regrets.  And yet, today’s story shows us what Jesus does with people who’ve failed… and the kind of future He still has in mind for us.

John 21:1-17
¹ Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.^[a] This is how it happened. ² Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),^[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

³ Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

⁴ At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. ⁵ He called out, “Fellows,^[c] have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

⁶ Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

⁷ Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. ⁸ The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards^[d] from shore. ⁹ When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

¹⁰ “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

¹² “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. ¹⁴ This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

¹⁵ After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?^[e]”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

¹⁶ Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

¹⁷ A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

Failure Is Not The End
The fact that Jesus rose from the grave is a startling and glorious realization. Mourning becomes dancing, loss gives way to victory, and despair is replaced by living, lasting hope. 

However, this story is important because it speaks to something real in the lives of the disciples—and in our lives too: failure. Peter failed Jesus. Before Jesus was arrested and crucified, Peter boldly bragged:  “I am ready to die for you!”  But when it came down to it, Peter ran away with all the other disciples.  And Peter even denied knowing Jesus when questioned.  It was a failure that must have weighed heavy on Peter’s heart, even as seeing Jesus alive again filled his heart with relief and joy.

All 12 disciples failed Jesus in one way or another. And if we’re honest, so do we. We all have regrets we wish we could undo.  Is there hope for people like us? Can failures be forgiven? Can broken people be restored?  This story gives us a resounding “yes.”

Jesus Gently Restores
Jesus knew Peter denied Him.  He also knew how much the failure weighed on Peter’s heart.  And so Jesus went through a simple ceremony to restore Peter’s heart.  He asked:  “Peter, do you love me.” 
And Jesus asked the question three times—one for each time Peter denied Jesus.  Each time Peter affirmed:  “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”
The third time Jesus asked the question, it stung Peter’s heart.  By the third question, the parallel with Peter’s failure would’ve been unmistakable.

Peter felt deep sorrow and shame as the memory of his failure was brought into the light.  Yet this wasn’t Jesus rubbing salt in Peter’s wounded heart.  This gentle confrontation led Peter through a process of restoration by bringing his failure into the light and reaffirming Jesus’ call for Peter to lead the church by feeding Jesus’ sheep.

Feed My Lambs…
Some may notice that each time Peter affirms he loves Jesus, Jesus responds in a slightly different way.  He says, “Feed my lambs.”  Then, “Take care of my sheep.”  And finally “Feed my sheep.”
This may just be three different ways of saying the same thing.  Others have speculated a deeper meaning:  to show that caring for Jesus' people means nurturing the young, guiding the growing, and feeding the faithful.  That’s an interesting idea to ponder, but not the focus God is leading me to today.

Run to Jesus, Not Away
Instead, the Spirit is leading me to ask: When you fail, do you run to Jesus or run from Jesus?  Peter failed Jesus.  There was no doubt.  He denied knowing Jesus three times.  And Peter carried that guilt in his heart every time he saw the resurrected Christ. Yet, Peter didn’t abandon his faith.  He didn’t run away from Jesus. In this story, we see very dramatically how Peter ran to Jesus despite his past failures.

Verse 7: “When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.”  Peter didn’t just run to Jesus, he splashed into the water and swam toward Him!  It reminds me of the time Jesus was walking on the water and Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus.  That first time Peter's faith floundered and he started to sink.  But in our story today, Peter's faith was firm and he ran toward Jesus.

What about you?  When you're burdened by your failures, do you run to Jesus or run away?  I want to encourage you to be like Peter—run to Jesus. Jump in the water and swim if you must.  In Jesus, we find forgiveness and restoration.  Our burdens are lifted and our purpose renewed.  Jesus isn’t holding a grudge.  He isn’t angrily wanting to make you pay.  He loves you and wants to heal you and restore you to the safety of the flock because Jesus feeds His lambs, takes care of His sheep, and feeds His sheep.

So don’t run from Him.  There’s no need to hide.  Run to Jesus and be restored.  Jesus invites you to be forgiven, healed, and restored.  Lay down your failures and let them go.  So let us join together in a a ritual of restoration as Jesus helps us let go of our burdens.

Our Ritual of Restoration
Pastor:  Followers of Christ, Jesus asks you today:  “Do you love me?”
People:  Lord, You know that we love You.
Pastor:  Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.”
People:  We will care for the young, the new, the searching, and the struggling.
Pastor:  Again, Jesus asked, “Do you love me?”
People:  Lord, You know that we love You.
Pastor:  Jesus says, “Tend my sheep.”
People:  We will walk with one another, offering compassion, correction, and care.
Pastor:  A third time, Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”
People:  Lord, You know all things. You know that we love You.
Pastor:  Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”
People:  We accept Your calling, Lord. In grace and humility, we will love and serve in Your name.
All:  Though we have failed, You restore us. Though we are broken, You use us. We love You, Lord—send us to love others as You have loved us.

Building Godly Relationships – Reflections from Eden | A Sermon on Genesis 2:18-23

Introduction
Today, we’re continuing our series on the second creation story in Genesis.  Last week, we learned how the story of God’s creation in the Garden of Eden shows how intimately God was involved in creating us and how it shows He cares deeply for us and is not afraid to be involved with our messy lives. 

Today, we’ll learn how the creation story teaches us the importance of relationships—with God, with creation, and with others.  And we’ll learn about Jesus’ most important rule about relationships.  Are you ready?

Genesis 2:18-23
¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” ¹⁹ So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed.  “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”

God Is Our Deepest Need
The story of the Garden of Eden shows God created us for relationships.  First of all, there is our relationship with God.  Something everyone of us needs to understand, we were made for God.  Life is not about us, alone.  If you have everything in the world you desire, but don’t have a relationship with God, you will be unfulfilled.  There will be a hole deep in your soul you cannot satisfy.  And it will unsettle everything else about your life.  So if you skip this first idea, you will always struggle in the rest of your life.  You have to start by getting right with God…

But People Need People Too
But isn’t it interesting what God says in verse 18?  “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  Even God recognizes that people need people.  You might think God is all we need.  But even God knew we need relationships with other people.  That’s why church is so important.  Our spiritual life and our worship of God is not complete without including other people. 

So God created all the animals and let Adam name them.  And this shows how humanity has dominion and the important responsibility of taking care of creation.  We were created to “tend” the Garden and “watch over it”, not to just exploit it and use it however we wish.  But of all the animals God created, none was just right for Adam.

Bone of My Bone - Genesis 2:21-23
²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.  ²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed.  “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!  She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”

Finally, Adam had a helper just right for him.  And I just learned this week some insights about the Hebrew word for helper.  The Hebrew word for "helper" in Genesis 2 is ezer. It is a combination of two words, one meaning "to rescue" or "to save" and the other meaning "to be strong". It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to defend, protect, surround, and cherish".  It is the same word often used for God in multiple places in the Bible—such as in Psalm 115:11, “[God] is their help and their shield.”  So, think about that if you ever think a woman being man’s “helper” is a weak or degrading thing.  In the Bible, God is also called helper and uses the same word used for wives!

Eve was created from Adam’s very own rib.  This illustrates the unity and partnership God intended in human relationships.  We are to love each other, help each other, nurture, respect, and build up each other.  We are to be strong for each other when the other is weak.  We are to defend, protect, surround, and cherish one another.  What a beautiful and fulfilling design God gave us.

Unfortunately, we are broken.  We don’t experience the beautiful vision of the Garden in real life.  Because we sin, we live in a fallen world full of broken relationships.  People mistreat each other, use each other, and we all suffer the consequences of sin.

That’s why Jesus came to save us.  He showed us how we were meant to live.  He lived as the perfect human—doing everything right that we had done wrong.  Jesus suffered the same troubles we suffer and he was tempted in all the ways we are tempted, but He did not sin.  He was faithful to the end.  And then He died for our sins so that we can be forgiven if we will repent and turn to Him and follow His way of living.

The Golden Rule
As the perfect Son of God, Jesus taught the most important rule about healthy relationships.  In Matthew 7:12, Jesus said, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

You see, not only did Jesus wash away our sins, He also shows how we can break free from the power of sin.  He shows us how to live.  And it goes right to the very core of who we were design by God to be—people who live in harmony with each other.
We are to treat people the way we want them to treat us.  How do you want people to treat you?

Do You Want People to Be:

• Fun to be around
• Loyal, honest & trustworthy
• Genuinely caring
• Want what’s best for you
• Praying for and protecting you
• Forgiving
• Cheering for you/supporting you
• Were generous with you
• Honored & respected you
• And truly loved you

Wouldn’t that be nice!  Don’t we all want to be treated that way? Jesus says, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”

How to Have Great Relationships with Others:
So you want to know how to have great relationships with others? Here’s the secret:  Treat others the way you want to be treat.

• Have fun
• Be loyal, honest, & trustworthy
• Genuinely care and want what’s best them
• Prayed for them and protect them
• Quickly forgive
• Cheer for them and support them
• Be generous with them
• Honor them & respect them
• Truly love them

Maybe you have some other ways, you want to be treated.  What would you add to your list?  The secret, in every situation, is to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Did your friend win a major award?  How would you want to be treated if you won an award?
Did your friend make a huge mistake?  How would you want to be treated if it was you?
Did your friend hurt your feelings?  How would you want your friend to treat you if it was you who hurt their feelings?

The key to great relationships is to imagine how you would feel if you were in their shoes and then to treat them the way you would want to be treated.

Holy Communion
As we reflect on God's beautiful design for relationships, we are reminded of how sin has distorted that plan. But through Jesus, we find hope. Jesus came to restore what was broken. His sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate act of love, making up for our sin and showing us how we can live in harmony with God and each other once again.

In Holy Communion, we remember this sacrificial love. We remember how Jesus' body was broken and His blood shed so that our brokenness could be healed. As we come to the table today, let's reflect on our relationships—with God and with others. Where there has been brokenness, seek restoration. Where there has been hurt, seek forgiveness. And as we take the bread and cup, may we be reminded of Jesus’ love and commitment to restore our lives and relationships to God’s original, beautiful design.

And remember, Jesus is not dead.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  And as we come to His table today, He is here with us to nourish and strengthen us, to impart His grace to equip us to live in His Kingdom where we live in harmony with God, with each other, and with all creation.