Today, you and I are going to have another one
of those heart -to -heart talks. And we're going
to talk about Peter. And I don't believe that
Peter will mind one bit. I only wish that he
were right here sitting by my side and he could
tell it so much better than I can tell it to
you. And I believe it's just as real to Peter
this day as it was when it happened. You know,
Peter had an awful hard time. He had the hardest
time surrendering himself to the Lord. Now, if
you get a little discouraged sometimes in being
able to get to a place where it's the hardest
thing in the world for you to cut every shoreline,
it's the hardest thing in the world. to literally
let go and give the master everything that you
have just remember that peter had a hard time
too and up to a certain time in peter's life
god could not do much with peter Even though
Peter had followed Jesus and knew his message
and was called. But God wanted more than that.
And God wants something more than that from you.
He'll not be satisfied with just your second
best. He'll never be satisfied with my second
best. He wanted Peter. And he could not get all
of Peter, only through a trial. And so Jesus
prays him through, and poor Peter feels so humiliated
and so ashamed. And so in the permissive will
of God, Peter was thrown very... close to the
enemy, so close that the enemy can grab hold
of him and even shake him real good. He's put
into a sieve, and Jesus knew all about it. And
I want you to note the tenderness of Jesus as
he deals with this known weakness of Peter's.
He helps him as far as he's able. And then Jesus
says in substance, as it were, Peter, you're
about to suffer a terrific humiliation and testing.
And I cannot pray that you be spared this trial.
I cannot pray that you be spared the ordeal that
you're about to go through. The Father does not
give me the liberty to pray for that. I cannot
pray that you be spared the agony of it. Your
very nature and your very disposition demands
that this very treatment and this experience
be yours. It's the only way I can get all of
you. However, Peter, I pray one thing, and I
will pray that with all my power. And my one
prayer is, I'll pray that your faith fail not.
I will pray that it may not snap under the terrific
fire of testing, but that it may come out strengthened.
And that you'll come forth a power for God. I
want all of you, Peter. Not just some of you.
I want all of you. Now we shall better understand
Peter's mood when the story takes place. When
the disappointment of Christ's disappearance
and the failure to bring in the... kingdom settled
upon the disciples, what did they do? Remember,
they were men with weaknesses and like passions,
even as men today. They were not some great saints
who knew no weaknesses. They were just ordinary
men. And they did the thing that was perfectly
natural. perfectly natural thing to do. For when
your faith cannot bridge the chasm, when it's
not strong enough to take the step, you'll always
resort to some natural means of escape. Always.
That's the way we're made. When faith fails,
then we begin struggling and working and leaning
upon the resources of nature. Some are doing
it this very hour. There are some who have once
been used mightily of God in a tremendous way.
And then when their faith began to fail, what
did they do? Immediately, they began leaning
upon the resources of nature. And the disciples
did the very thing. Peter is a spokesman. He
always was. I know we sometimes ridicule him
for talking so much, but I'm sure we're glad
many times that he said what he did. Many times
he saves us from the trouble of asking or saying
the very thing that we're happy that he said
it first. I can imagine Peter looking at the
rest and saying, Well... And can't you just hear
him? This kingdom business has not turned out
as I had expected. And I had just been thinking,
fellas, don't you remember the day that the Lord
said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation?
And then remember again, he said something like
this, the kingdom is within you. Then see now
how he's died and he's gone and he's left us.
Now he has shown himself twice, but how do we
know if he'll ever come back again? We have no
assurance. We have no security. This kingdom,
it seems to me, is too mystical. And I never
was mystically inclined. I guess I don't understand
it. But I do know something about fishing. So
as for me, I'm going fishing. Now you fellas
can do as you like. It's none of my business
what you do, but I know what I'm going to do.
I'm going fishing. This whole kingdom idea is
exploded. It's ended in a crash. I may have gotten
some kind of emotionalism. I'm going back to
my nets. Going back fishing. That is exactly
why Peter went fishing that day. It was not because
he really wanted to go fishing. Not really. It
was not because he thought the fish would bite.
It was something worse than that. I really do
not think he cared much. Whether there were any
fish in the sea that day, he just wanted to get
away. Away. As far away as he could possibly
get from the whole thought, the whole atmosphere
of the past years and days. I'm talking to somebody
right now. Who's run away. Uh -huh. You went
to Montana. You went to North Dakota. You went
to Arizona. Oh, you said it was for your health,
but not really. So Peter went fishing. He didn't
want to be haunted by too many thoughts and suggestions
from his friends. He wanted a change of environment.
Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Sure
you do. Instantly, the other fellow said, okay,
we'll go too. That sounds good to us. You've
always been a leader. There seems to be nothing
else to do, and so we'll go along. They too probably
wanted a change, but didn't own up to it. I wonder
what the precious Lord read in their hearts just
then. And so there they are, fishing. Fishing.
The night settled down and they fish on and on.
And what the angels thought looking down. Seeing
them out fishing. It comes one o 'clock. No fish.
Two o 'clock. Still no fish. They try every old
hunt that they've ever known. This point, that
bank, this little cove, all the old holes they've
been in before. It's cold. The nets are heavy,
and that night me thinks they were a little heavier
than they've ever been. They were a little harder
to handle. Those nets you're carrying are getting
pretty heavy, you know it. they're getting a
little hard to handle. Oh, the emptiness of it
all. Did you ever walk over the old pass? Have
you felt the haunting spirit of such a place?
We read that they fished all night and caught
nothing. But listen, the scripture says, but
when the morning was now come, Jesus... stood
on the shore. Morning will come. Oh, haven't
you been through many a dark night without fish
so by? Oh, and those hours are so long. We feel
that morning will never come. Have you ever had
the same feeling that I've had? That morning
would never, never come? But morning will come.
And the scripture says, but when the morning
was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, and he'll
always be on your shore when morning comes. Thank
God there's always a morning. There they are,
wretched, forlorn, unhappy, disheartened little
group. They had no business in that boat at all,
for he had called them from their nets to make
them fishers of men. They were doing the very
thing that he had called them from, out of. The
night cannot last too long. Finally, there's
a faint streak of light over against the hills
and continues growing. a little lighter and a
little lighter. The mist and the fog are hanging
along the shore so that only a dim outline of
things is visible. But as they look, they can
see someone moving. And finally, they hear a
voice calling. Children! Children! Have you any
meat? In other words, Jesus was saying, Have
you caught anything, children? He knew good and
well they hadn't caught even a minnow. He knew
that. But he took the initiative and asked them
the question. Why not scold them? Why not rebuke
them? They'd failed the master. They'd failed
him. There was cause for rebuke. Do they not
need to be lined up one at a time, being rebuked
for having failed? How many of you think that
Jesus did not know about the boat, or if they
had any fish or not? If, for a moment, you think
he just asked merely for information, you're
mistaken. He had in mind the blessing of a deliverance
and the reinstating of Peter and his commission.
But he must first ask them this question. He
must build the blessing upon a certain foundation,
and that foundation is a confession. And he's
working on you this very hour for that confession.
He's waiting for that confession. That is the
foundation for all forgiveness. There can be
no forgiveness until, first of all, there is
confession. And the hardest thing in the world
for human nature to do is to say, I'm sorry.
I've seen little children. You can punish a youngster.
And a youngster will refuse to say, I'm sorry.
And there's many a man and many a woman this
very hour who would rather go to hell than to
say, I'm sorry. And there's some people to whom
I'm speaking have never in their lives ever said,
I'm sorry. Yeah, that's right. There's a certain
foundation that the master builds upon, and that's
the foundation of a confession. It's the basis
for all blessing. If you have learned that wonderful
secret of coming into his presence and saying,
I'm sorry, you've learned. One of the greatest
spiritual lessons there is to learn. And it takes
a big person to say I'm sorry. You're showing
no weakness whatsoever in saying I'm sorry. It's
little people. It's small people who cannot say
I'm sorry. It's insecure people who cannot say
I'm sorry. Jesus knew all the circumstances,
but he wanted this one thing, a confession of
their defeat, a confession of their failure in
their own self -will. He wanted them to own up
to the failure. He wanted them to say just one
word, nothing. Children, little children, do
you have meat? He knew they didn't have anything.
He saw to that. He wanted just one word from
them, one word of confession, that simple word,
nothing. Oh, how much better to make a clean
breast of it than to say, if the wind had not
flapped the sails, or if so -and -so had not
rocked the boat. I think we may have caught something.
Or if they put the blame on somebody else. Thank
God they said in just one simple word, nothing.
And as soon as he gets this confession, he builds
up a blessing and he directs them as to what
they're to do. And now in obedience, they're
fishing in the very same boat. They're fishing
in the very same water, with the very same nets,
in the very same place, but oh, what a change.
What a change after their confession. What a
change a confession will make. What a confession
will do in that life of yours. You don't have
to run from circumstances. You don't have to
run from God. You don't have to run from the
family. You don't have to run off to Arizona.
You don't have to run off to Mexico. You don't
have to run off to the east. You don't have to
run to the neighbors. Just make that one confession.
I'm sorry. What do you have? Nothing. Nothing.
After that concession, do you want to know something?
The fish just could not get into the nets fast
enough. Sometimes I think every fish tried to
get into those nets. Yeah. Oh, how wise, how
tactful Jesus is. How delicately, how carefully
he handles Peter. Even though Jesus is tender
and tactful, he does not intend to let Peter
get biased, we say. He never does. His very love
is manifested in correction. He loves Peter dearly.
He's going to deal with him in a most clever,
the sweetest way possible without causing him
embarrassment before his fellow disciples. He'll
not cause you embarrassment. He'll never cause
me embarrassment. Never. Jesus doesn't work like
that. Never. He'll so deal with Peter that he'll
never forget it. And Peter never did forget it.
And so the Lord has some coals of fire and fish
for them. And as the disciples come up, I can
imagine the Lord say, Peter, won't you just come
and warm yourself? Here's a very fine fire. You
must be cold and damp, Peter. Come and sit by
me. And he came. And he answered for the first
time with all of his heart when the master asked
him, Lovest thou me, Peter? For the first time,
Peter answered it with his whole being, body,
soul. and spirit.