WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.339 there are six people that I believe it's impossible 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:08.580 to tell the story of Christianity without. Obviously, 00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:12.019 there's Jesus Christ, there's Adam and Eve, there 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:15.480 is Moses, then there's the Apostle Paul and the 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:19.300 Apostle Peter. So Peter, the apostle who preached 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:21.980 the very first gospel sermon, he is one of the 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:24.420 most important figures in Christian history. 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:27.559 I mean, you have this man that stood at the right 00:00:27.559 --> 00:00:30.219 hand of Jesus. You have this man that was an 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:32.280 apparent leader of the apostles, the man who 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:35.219 the Catholics believe was the first pope. This 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:38.219 man who is so beloved and notable that in England 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:41.820 alone, there are roughly over a thousand historic 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:46.640 churches dedicated to him, Peter. I would say 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:50.159 we see Peter as a very valuable part of our heritage 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:53.979 as Christ followers. He is a priceless proponent 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:58.020 of the kingdom of God. But do you ever stop and 00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:02.579 wonder if Peter ever questioned his worth? Do 00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:05.219 you ever think about how Peter must have thought 00:01:05.219 --> 00:01:08.459 about himself, the self -image, the idea of who 00:01:08.459 --> 00:01:11.280 he was, what value he brought to the mission? 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:13.900 what value he brought to his friends and to his 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.760 community. Do you ever think that Peter, as we 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:19.719 know him, this valuable, very integral member 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:21.719 of the kingdom of God, do you ever think that 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:28.140 he struggled with his own sense of worth? See, 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:31.540 I imagine in the two or so years that Peter spent 00:01:31.540 --> 00:01:35.239 with Jesus, he spent a lot of time thinking about 00:01:35.239 --> 00:01:38.980 where he came from. He spent a lot of time wondering 00:01:38.980 --> 00:01:42.659 about how other people saw him. You know, before 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:45.000 becoming an apprentice to Jesus, Peter was the 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.379 son of a fisherman. And so being the son of a 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:49.799 fisherman, that means Peter was a fisherman. 00:01:50.060 --> 00:01:52.319 He was from this little fishing village on the 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:54.879 Sea of Galilee. And because Peter was a fisherman 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:58.060 from a family of fishermen, he was not nor would 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:01.599 he have a real chance to be someone at the top 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.959 of the social ladder. You see, fishing, it's 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:07.959 a major part of the economy in this area, in 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:10.900 this time, but it wasn't some relaxing or super 00:02:10.900 --> 00:02:14.020 profitable career on a nice boat. Basically, 00:02:14.020 --> 00:02:16.580 what Peter did was he lived and he worked under 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:19.520 a system where he most likely would never really 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.939 feel like he was worth much of anything. And 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:27.639 unlike in today's capitalistic American dream 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.960 society, Peter did not have much control of his 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:33.840 life. He didn't have much say in what career 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:37.099 he would have. He didn't have this ideal of what 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:41.680 fortunes he could obtain. And he had no control 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:45.460 over how other people saw him. Peter was at the 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:48.639 bottom with no chance of really moving up. His 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.819 father was a fisherman. He was a fisherman. His 00:02:50.819 --> 00:02:53.800 son would have been a fisherman. This was Peter's 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:56.939 reality. And in those days, it wasn't a super 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:01.210 valuable reality to have. But as I said, that 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.289 was his life before he started his apprenticeship 00:03:04.289 --> 00:03:07.490 under Jesus. So this morning, I want you to see 00:03:07.490 --> 00:03:10.509 how Peter's life is transformed, how it goes 00:03:10.509 --> 00:03:13.490 from this dark and, well, maybe not dark, but 00:03:13.490 --> 00:03:17.370 just bleak, mundane, normal and ordinary life 00:03:17.370 --> 00:03:20.389 to something that we view as super extraordinary, 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:23.689 something that gets cathedrals named after him, 00:03:23.770 --> 00:03:25.889 something that gets churches named after him, 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:28.310 something that causes people to name their son 00:03:28.310 --> 00:03:32.750 Peter. I want us to see how the transformation 00:03:32.750 --> 00:03:38.270 begins when Jesus steps into this ordinary life. 00:03:38.389 --> 00:03:39.909 We're going to do a lot of reading this morning 00:03:39.909 --> 00:03:43.610 from Luke chapter 5. There are 11 verses. I know 00:03:43.610 --> 00:03:45.330 how horrible. We're going to read a lot of scripture. 00:03:45.610 --> 00:03:47.509 It'll be on the screen. If you'd like to turn 00:03:47.509 --> 00:03:50.289 there in your own Bibles, you can. I would encourage 00:03:50.289 --> 00:03:52.349 that actually because there's more text around 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:54.050 it that I would love for you to read after this 00:03:54.050 --> 00:03:57.310 is over. but starting in verse 1 of Luke chapter 00:03:57.310 --> 00:04:00.250 5. On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing 00:04:00.250 --> 00:04:02.909 in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:05.650 by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats 00:04:05.650 --> 00:04:08.129 by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of 00:04:08.129 --> 00:04:10.669 them and were washing their nets. Getting into 00:04:10.669 --> 00:04:12.930 one of the boats, which was Simon's, also known 00:04:12.930 --> 00:04:15.789 as Peter, he asked him to put out a little from 00:04:15.789 --> 00:04:18.769 the land, and he sat down and taught the people 00:04:18.769 --> 00:04:21.290 from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, 00:04:21.410 --> 00:04:24.139 he said to Simon, put out into the deep. and 00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:27.540 let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered, 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.079 Master, we toiled all night and took nothing, 00:04:30.259 --> 00:04:33.560 but at your word I will let down the nets. And 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:35.560 when they had done this, they enclosed a large 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.899 number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:40.240 They signaled to their partners in the other 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:42.740 boat to come and help them, and they came and 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:45.639 filled both the boats so that they began to sink. 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:49.600 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:53.930 Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me. For I am 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:58.569 a sinful man, O Lord. For he and all who were 00:04:58.569 --> 00:05:01.290 with him were astonished at the catch of the 00:05:01.290 --> 00:05:04.389 fish that they had taken. And so also were James 00:05:04.389 --> 00:05:07.569 and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners 00:05:07.569 --> 00:05:10.629 with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be 00:05:10.629 --> 00:05:13.329 afraid. From now on you will be catching men. 00:05:13.689 --> 00:05:15.829 And when they had brought their boats to land, 00:05:15.970 --> 00:05:21.170 they left everything and followed him. Now, this 00:05:21.170 --> 00:05:23.850 appears to be the second time that Peter is called 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:27.370 to follow Jesus. In John chapter 1, we read of 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:29.730 this moment where Peter had followed Jesus for 00:05:29.730 --> 00:05:32.189 a little bit through Judea before going back 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.029 to fishing, which is why Peter and Jesus, they 00:05:35.029 --> 00:05:37.810 seem to know each other. They have some familiarity 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:41.930 with each other here in Luke 5. Now Jesus, he 00:05:41.930 --> 00:05:44.149 had spent a lot of time in this area. He was 00:05:44.149 --> 00:05:46.410 familiar with the Sea of Galilee and the fishing 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:48.550 culture there. He was aware of the perception 00:05:48.550 --> 00:05:52.230 that people had towards lowly fishermen. And 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:56.230 knowing that, he still purposefully chose to 00:05:56.230 --> 00:06:00.509 call these men, to go to these men, including 00:06:00.509 --> 00:06:04.269 Peter, and he calls them to follow him, to be 00:06:04.269 --> 00:06:08.050 his apprentices, to be his disciples. I mean, 00:06:08.069 --> 00:06:10.470 like we said, this is the second time that Jesus 00:06:10.470 --> 00:06:14.149 had been with Jesus, that Peter had been with 00:06:14.149 --> 00:06:17.490 Jesus, that Jesus had called him. And it's kind 00:06:17.490 --> 00:06:20.610 of practical. Some of us give up. We give up 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:24.089 following after the first ring. Some of us, when 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:26.889 we call somebody, we give up calling after the 00:06:26.889 --> 00:06:28.470 first ring. Oh, they didn't answer. Guess they 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:31.810 don't want to talk. But what Jesus does is he 00:06:31.810 --> 00:06:35.740 continues to invite. Peter into this new life. 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:38.459 He continues to go after him. Peter had already 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:40.660 had his chance and it could have been very easy. 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:43.759 Jesus had a lot of options of people to follow 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:45.800 him. It would have been very easy for Jesus to 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.370 say, all right. This guy, Peter, he doesn't want 00:06:48.370 --> 00:06:50.949 to follow me. That's fine. Moving on to the next. 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:54.509 But instead, what Jesus does is he goes and he 00:06:54.509 --> 00:06:57.850 finds Peter again. He gets in Peter's boat. He 00:06:57.850 --> 00:07:00.730 intentionally teaches Peter, trying to get him 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:03.550 to see not just that he thinks that Peter is 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:06.569 worth something when the world around him doesn't, 00:07:06.569 --> 00:07:10.449 but he wants Peter, I think, to catch a glimpse 00:07:10.449 --> 00:07:13.930 of what he has planned for him to do with his 00:07:13.930 --> 00:07:18.050 worth. You see, after Jesus demonstrates his 00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:20.970 deity doing this miracle of putting all these 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:23.269 fish into the nets. I mean, you think about the 00:07:23.269 --> 00:07:25.509 way it's described. And I love the chosen. If 00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:27.310 you've seen this episode of the chosen where 00:07:27.310 --> 00:07:30.810 they let their nets out and it just like devastates 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:32.569 these boats. And there's all these people that 00:07:32.569 --> 00:07:34.649 are running to help to bring the fish onto the 00:07:34.649 --> 00:07:36.870 boats and get the catch in. And they're like, 00:07:36.930 --> 00:07:39.410 we can't take on anymore. It'll sink us. And 00:07:39.410 --> 00:07:44.139 it's this beautiful. of Jesus' awesome power. 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:47.160 And so you have this demonstration of deity. 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:53.839 And Peter is shocked. He's blown away. There 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:56.240 in Luke chapter 5, we read Peter say, depart 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:00.480 from me, for I am a sinful man. Josh and I didn't 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.500 talk about the Lord's Supper talk, but I think 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:06.000 it was convenient that Josh said, you know, you 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.399 see the best parts of me, but in reality, I'm 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:12.790 just a sinner. And that's what Peter sees. That's 00:08:12.790 --> 00:08:15.290 what Peter sees in himself. He's like, I'm not 00:08:15.290 --> 00:08:17.750 worthy to be in the presence of God. I'm not 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:20.089 worthy to be in the presence of the Messiah, 00:08:20.350 --> 00:08:25.509 the Savior. Depart from me. Because at this moment, 00:08:25.610 --> 00:08:30.889 Peter can only see his sin. He can't see his 00:08:30.889 --> 00:08:35.610 worth. But thankfully, God does not see what 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:39.990 we see. Yes, God sees our sin. He sees the mistakes 00:08:39.990 --> 00:08:42.929 we made. He absolutely sees when we are in a 00:08:42.929 --> 00:08:45.470 position that is contrary to what he has called 00:08:45.470 --> 00:08:48.289 us to be. He sees when we're doing things that 00:08:48.289 --> 00:08:50.029 are contrary to what he has called us to do. 00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:53.029 He sees all of it. But when he looks at you, 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:57.669 he does not see sinner. He sees his child. He 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:00.909 sees past our mistakes and he sees what we are 00:09:00.909 --> 00:09:04.450 worth in his eyes. And we know this because God 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:07.210 proved it. And here's something I love. Peter 00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:10.299 himself. actually goes on to write about this 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:13.980 very truth. He goes on to write about the good 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:16.980 news. Way after this moment here in Luke chapter 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:20.019 5, Peter in his own letter in 1 Peter chapter 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:23.279 1 writes this, You were ransomed from the futile 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:26.259 ways inherited from your forefathers, not with 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:29.220 perishable things such as silver or gold, but 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:32.039 with the precious blood of Christ like that of 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:36.899 a lamb without blemish or spot. I want you to 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:39.769 think about that. if you have given your life 00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:42.330 to Christ, if you have been baptized into Christ, 00:09:42.509 --> 00:09:44.610 if you have been redeemed, if you've been bought 00:09:44.610 --> 00:09:46.429 with the blood, which we have all been bought. 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:48.149 It's just a question of if we're going to accept 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.929 it or not. And if you are in God's family, he 00:09:51.929 --> 00:09:55.769 looks at you and he sees someone that he purchased 00:09:55.769 --> 00:09:58.409 from their futile ways. He sees someone that 00:09:58.409 --> 00:10:01.190 he has redeemed from their sin. He sees someone 00:10:01.190 --> 00:10:04.139 that he has bought. not with silver or gold, 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:07.519 not with money, but with the precious blood of 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:12.039 Christ. And if you have been bought with the 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:15.120 precious blood of Christ, He looks at you like 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:20.860 a lamb with no blemish, with no spot. In other 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:25.919 words, He does not see you as a sinner. He sees 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.799 you as His purchased child. Think about that. 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:34.299 The same Peter who was once a nobody fisherman 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:38.100 that probably, I think we can gather through 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:42.240 Scripture, he had his own issues. This same Peter 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:45.480 now understands that his worth and our worth 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.960 was never supposed to be measured in currency. 00:10:49.470 --> 00:10:52.210 net worth or achievement. It was never measured 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:54.190 by where you were born, what family you were 00:10:54.190 --> 00:10:56.889 born into. It was never measured by your accomplishments. 00:10:57.070 --> 00:11:01.490 It is simply measured by the cost of the cross. 00:11:02.990 --> 00:11:06.830 You see, Peter wasn't really that valuable in 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:09.570 a worldly sense. Peter wasn't valuable because 00:11:09.570 --> 00:11:12.710 Jesus liked his fishing skills. Peter was valuable 00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:15.590 because Jesus was already planning. He already 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:20.049 knew what he was going to do. For Peter and what 00:11:20.049 --> 00:11:23.929 he was going to do through Peter. Jesus was going 00:11:23.929 --> 00:11:26.830 to pay a price for him that no amount of silver 00:11:26.830 --> 00:11:31.049 or gold could touch. And because Jesus, being 00:11:31.049 --> 00:11:34.990 God, sees Peter's worth, he tells him, don't 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:37.659 be afraid. Peter says, depart from me, Lord. 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:39.879 And he's filled with this like this awestruck 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:42.700 fear. You think about the priest that would go 00:11:42.700 --> 00:11:44.860 into the Holy of Holies and how they would go 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:47.059 in with a rope tied around their feet just in 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.259 case they died being in the presence of God. 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:52.840 And so you have this idea that being in the presence 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:55.700 of God is this fearful thing. Why is it fearful? 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.179 Because we know we're sinners, we're unworthy. 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:01.779 And if we go in the presence of the true righteous 00:12:01.779 --> 00:12:04.820 God. in a state of being unworthy, we might just 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:07.399 die. And so Peter gets on his knees and he's 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:09.139 saying, depart from me, Lord. I'm not worthy 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:12.240 to be in your presence. And Jesus says the same 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.139 thing that all those angels that used to appear 00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:16.460 to people back in the Old Testament say. He says, 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:22.019 do not be afraid. And I think we need this message 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:28.820 because we have a worth problem. We have a self 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:32.889 -image problem. We have a problem where we see 00:12:32.889 --> 00:12:35.889 ourselves as awful. We see ourselves as worthless. 00:12:36.090 --> 00:12:38.730 We see ourselves as stained. And we say things 00:12:38.730 --> 00:12:40.870 like, well, if God only knew what I've done, 00:12:41.070 --> 00:12:44.360 as if he can't see it all. Or we come into church 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:46.620 or we avoid going to church because we feel like, 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:49.220 well, I'm not good enough or I could never live 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:51.799 up to the standard of being a Christian. I could 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:54.580 never be good enough. I could never be holy enough. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.840 And what we see in scripture over and over and 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:00.360 over again is that God does not care about you 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.559 being good enough because you're right. You cannot 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:04.860 be good enough. What God cares about is what 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:08.899 he can do for you. And that is save you and redeem 00:13:08.899 --> 00:13:12.100 you and make you righteous, not by your own actions, 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:17.940 but by. the good news of Jesus Christ. But some 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:20.899 of us are so blinded by our own sin, by our own 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:23.799 mistakes, by our own deficiencies that we cannot 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:28.460 see ourselves the way God sees us. Some of us 00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:33.039 might could, but we're so afraid of what following 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.700 Jesus and leaving behind the old life might look 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:41.399 like. Either way, whether it's that you're blinded 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.019 by your own sin or you're afraid of accepting 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:48.340 the call to follow Him, that way of living is 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:53.779 incompatible with a heart, with a mind that believes 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:57.460 what God says and demonstrates about our worth. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:02.639 If I truly believe what God says about my worth, 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:06.519 I'm going to stop focusing on my inadequacies. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:09.559 And I'm going to lean into what Jesus has done. 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:13.759 If I stop or if I truly believe what God says 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:15.899 about my worth, then I'm going to be willing 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:19.019 to go with God wherever he calls me because I 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:21.240 will know that the only person in this world 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:24.419 that could ever purchase me is God. I mean, think 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:28.240 about this. When you're dating, especially ladies, 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:31.620 you don't settle for a man that just treats you 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:35.379 okay. And at least I hope you don't. You don't 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:37.320 settle for somebody who just treats you like 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:39.379 they're okay with being with you. You don't settle 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:41.580 for somebody that just tolerates you. You don't 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:43.799 settle for somebody that's just willing to be 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:46.340 around you. No, you find somebody that what? 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:50.340 Loves you. You find somebody that adores you. 00:14:50.419 --> 00:14:54.360 You find somebody that treats you right. And 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:57.379 the same is true for us. If we believe that we 00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:00.620 are actually worth something, that this world 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:03.399 cannot pay for, that this world cannot afford, 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:05.860 and the only person who can afford it is God, 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:08.600 then what should we do with our lives? Raise 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:14.679 our standards. You think about professional athletes. 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:17.419 They don't just go to the team that's willing 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:20.000 to take them on the roster. Now, if you're struggling 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.379 to get on a team, maybe you do, but they go to 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:26.059 the team that can do what? Pay the most for them. 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.820 We live in a capitalistic society, so we understand 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:32.860 this idea, right? You pay for or you get what 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:36.240 you pay for. And what God has paid for is some 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:40.820 really good stuff. And if he has paid for good 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:43.080 stuff, and if we are that good stuff, then we 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:45.539 can't live like everybody else. We've got to 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:50.039 live like our worth says. And so I say all that 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:54.320 to say we need to believe what God says we're 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:58.860 worth. We need to believe what God has said our 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:02.600 value is. And then, once we know what we're worth, 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.840 we've set the market. we don't settle for any 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.000 less. We don't settle for just tolerable. We 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:12.500 don't settle for just, I'll settle. We don't 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:14.779 settle for less. We set our standard high and 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:18.240 we live up to that. And the standard is following 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.240 Jesus because where Jesus goes is way better 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.100 than anywhere on this earth. Where Jesus says 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:27.799 to go is way better than what this earth has 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:31.919 to offer. And the life that he offers is so good. 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:36.200 It's a life full of. joy and peace and happiness 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.860 and comfort. Now, it's not necessarily comfort 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:41.159 in a worldly sense, but it's a comfort in knowing 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.539 that my life for eternity is secure. It's a life, 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:48.299 as Jesus says, that is abundant. And so we need 00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:51.580 to believe that that's what God wants for us 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:57.240 and from us. And if I'm honest, I think that's 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:00.769 what scared Peter the most. Maybe it's what scares 00:17:00.769 --> 00:17:04.009 you the most. Not that God believes you're valuable. 00:17:04.289 --> 00:17:07.670 I think that's probably a pretty, maybe an easier 00:17:07.670 --> 00:17:09.869 concept to understand. It's definitely an easier 00:17:09.869 --> 00:17:11.990 thing once you understand it to enact in your 00:17:11.990 --> 00:17:16.990 life like God believes I'm valuable. But I think 00:17:16.990 --> 00:17:21.230 what we struggle with is what it means for our 00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:26.910 lives. Because I've said it before and I believe 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:30.250 it to be true. When you learn something, you 00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:33.289 have to respond. When you learn something, you've 00:17:33.289 --> 00:17:36.009 got to respond in a different way. If I teach 00:17:36.009 --> 00:17:40.509 you how to drive a car and I teach you the rules 00:17:40.509 --> 00:17:42.170 of the road and I teach you how to keep it in 00:17:42.170 --> 00:17:43.869 the lanes and I teach you how to go 10 miles 00:17:43.869 --> 00:17:47.250 over the speed limit, not 11, just 10. If I teach 00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:51.170 you how to drive a car, then you have to respond. 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.460 By driving in the car the right way. And if you 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:56.599 don't drive the car the right way, then guess 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:58.819 what happens? You either wreck or you go to jail. 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:03.720 So when you learn something, it demands a response. 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:06.950 You cannot stay the same. When you receive good 00:18:06.950 --> 00:18:08.650 information, when you receive new information, 00:18:08.910 --> 00:18:11.849 something has to change. If I tell you there 00:18:11.849 --> 00:18:15.210 is a scary man outside your house coming to get 00:18:15.210 --> 00:18:17.490 you, then what will you do? You've now learned 00:18:17.490 --> 00:18:19.269 this information. You're either going to take 00:18:19.269 --> 00:18:21.470 protective measures or you're going to run. But 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:23.490 you have to respond. You can't just sit there. 00:18:23.890 --> 00:18:27.869 I guess being still is a response. I wish my 00:18:27.869 --> 00:18:29.630 kids would respond that way when I say, hey, 00:18:29.630 --> 00:18:31.869 we need to sit still during church, right? But 00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:33.849 you have to respond when you learn something 00:18:33.849 --> 00:18:37.680 new. And so if you learn and you accept that 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:41.880 God deems you to be priceless, that has to change 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:46.700 how you live. The way I would put it is, you 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:48.880 don't take an Escalade through a mud hole for 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:53.059 fun. You know, Escalades are nice. Do people 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:55.500 even drive Escalades anymore? I'm still stuck 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:58.720 in the 2000s, right? Escalades, nice, you know, 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:00.940 you've got the nice wheels on them. They're not 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.200 really meant for anything other than driving 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.440 on the nice road. We had guys in high school 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.099 that had the nice lifted trucks and we called 00:19:07.099 --> 00:19:08.980 them pavement princesses. Maybe you've heard 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:11.920 that before. Like, you don't take that through 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:15.519 a mud hole. You take a razor from Nelson Power 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.839 Sports through a mud hole. I got you, Jared. 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:22.380 You don't take the nice thing through the nasty. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:26.019 And so if God says you're the nice thing, why 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:29.680 do you keep going to the nasty? If he says you 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.819 are as valuable as an escalade, why would you 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:36.319 go through the mud hole? You're worth too much 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:41.740 for that. The same is true for our lives. If 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:47.559 God deems us priceless and we believe it, then 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:50.349 we have to live like it. And I think a big part 00:19:50.349 --> 00:19:53.349 of the problem for us as Christians in this world, 00:19:53.390 --> 00:19:56.289 for the American church especially, is we say 00:19:56.289 --> 00:19:59.150 we accept Jesus as our Savior, we accept the 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:02.009 gift of salvation from Him, but we don't really 00:20:02.009 --> 00:20:05.309 let that change our lives. We don't let it change 00:20:05.309 --> 00:20:07.690 the way we operate when we're at our job. We 00:20:07.690 --> 00:20:09.450 don't let it change the way we operate when we're 00:20:09.450 --> 00:20:11.529 out in the community. We just keep living as 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:13.809 normal. The only difference is we wear a cross 00:20:13.809 --> 00:20:16.650 necklace sometimes, or we get a Bible verse tattooed 00:20:16.650 --> 00:20:18.890 on us, or we put the Jesus Save sticker on the 00:20:18.890 --> 00:20:21.529 car. But it doesn't change the way we live, and 00:20:21.529 --> 00:20:24.670 that is not how becoming a disciple and apprentice 00:20:24.670 --> 00:20:28.859 of Jesus is supposed to look. And so Peter, after 00:20:28.859 --> 00:20:31.319 witnessing the greatness of Jesus and hearing 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:34.019 what Jesus has called him to do, Peter finally 00:20:34.019 --> 00:20:38.660 decides to give this rabbi, this teacher, a chance. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:43.460 He accepts the call to go fish for something 00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:47.160 new. And it's this invitation from Jesus that 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:51.680 changes everything for Peter. I want you to consider 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:55.660 this. How often... were fishermen in the ancient 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:59.000 world invited to change their occupation and 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:04.480 learn from a great religious teacher. How often... 00:21:04.809 --> 00:21:07.509 Did someone get to go on adventures and witness 00:21:07.509 --> 00:21:09.809 the things that Peter was going to get to witness? 00:21:09.869 --> 00:21:12.269 Peter would witness people risen from graves. 00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:16.069 Peter would witness people being healed of all 00:21:16.069 --> 00:21:19.349 kinds of illnesses, diseases, and ailments. Peter 00:21:19.349 --> 00:21:22.109 would witness women have their lives completely 00:21:22.109 --> 00:21:24.910 changed by the prophecy of Jesus. Peter would 00:21:24.910 --> 00:21:28.009 witness all of these things happen in radical 00:21:28.009 --> 00:21:30.569 community. He would witness the church form. 00:21:30.789 --> 00:21:34.170 Peter himself would walk on water. This is the... 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:36.680 Invitation of a lifetime. This is like Charlie 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:39.539 Buckets finding the golden ticket, except Charlie, 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:41.839 he won a trip to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.579 by accident. Jesus choosing Peter was no accident. 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:49.339 This was intentional. Peter received this invitation 00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:55.579 because Jesus saw value in him. Peter wasn't 00:21:55.579 --> 00:21:59.599 invited because he'd proven his worth. Jesus 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:01.980 didn't see value in him because Peter did something 00:22:01.980 --> 00:22:05.599 special. Peter was invited because Jesus had 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:10.299 already decided that he was priceless, that he 00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:13.880 needed him for his mission. The truth of this 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:16.240 that I want you to hear today is an invitation 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:19.680 says you are worth something. I want you to think 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:22.299 about when you get invited to a party, when you 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:24.200 get invited to a wedding, even if you don't want 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:26.740 to go, especially if it's a fall wedding, when 00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:29.799 you get invited to the special event, it makes 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:34.299 you feel important. Right? And then on the flip 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:37.480 side, when you don't get invited, how does that 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:41.039 feel? When you know that the party's going on, 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:44.019 but nobody asks you. When you know that somebody's 00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:46.460 getting married, but you never got the invitation 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:48.960 in the mail. When you know something good is 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:50.900 happening, but it seems like nobody wants you 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:53.740 to be a part of it. This is, let me take a time 00:22:53.740 --> 00:22:56.240 out and talk about Friends Day, okay? How many 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:58.519 of your friends and family would be upset? If 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.680 they learned that you had a friends and family 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:03.579 day at church and you didn't invite them. So 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:05.579 invite them so that they feel like they're valuable. 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:08.640 Okay, back to the sermon. Okay, so we know how 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:13.539 valuable an invitation is. And we know how valuable 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:16.039 or how much it hurts when you don't get the invitation. 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:18.880 But in God's kingdom, we don't have to worry 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:21.160 about not getting the invitation. We don't have 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:23.579 to worry about not being good enough, not being 00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:26.200 liked enough, not being whatever to get invited. 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:29.180 In God's kingdom, even a lowly fisherman like 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:32.319 Peter was invited to be a part of Jesus's great 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:36.640 mission. Think about that. No matter who you 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.869 are, where you've been, what you've done, No 00:23:40.869 --> 00:23:43.589 matter where you've gone, what wrong things you've 00:23:43.589 --> 00:23:46.109 done, how awful of a life you have lived in the 00:23:46.109 --> 00:23:49.289 past, none of that matters when it comes to being 00:23:49.289 --> 00:23:53.170 invited to God's party. God deems you worthy 00:23:53.170 --> 00:23:58.089 to be invited to. Because in His kingdom, we're 00:23:58.089 --> 00:24:02.670 all priceless. And so that's the truth that we 00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:06.410 learn. And I hope you believe that. And if you 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:09.910 do believe that, the question then arises, What's 00:24:09.910 --> 00:24:13.529 the response? In other words, what are you going 00:24:13.529 --> 00:24:17.430 to do with this invitation? Because if you're 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:20.230 like me, and you get an invitation to a wedding 00:24:20.230 --> 00:24:24.190 in the fall on a Saturday, you just put it in 00:24:24.190 --> 00:24:27.650 the trash. Because there's football games on 00:24:27.650 --> 00:24:30.910 on fall Saturdays. Stop getting married on fall 00:24:30.910 --> 00:24:32.789 Saturdays. There's other pretty times of year. 00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:36.849 Joking, but also, seriously, think about how 00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:39.529 many invitations you get that you just... set 00:24:39.529 --> 00:24:41.210 on the counter and you never look at them again. 00:24:42.849 --> 00:24:45.589 Every invitation demands a response. Invitation, 00:24:45.690 --> 00:24:48.609 did I say that? Invitation demands a response. 00:24:49.750 --> 00:24:52.849 You either say yes and you go and you have the 00:24:52.849 --> 00:24:55.630 fun and you do the thing and it's awesome or 00:24:55.630 --> 00:25:00.069 you say no and you stay back and you feel like, 00:25:00.089 --> 00:25:04.130 man, I wonder what I'm missing out on. So what 00:25:04.130 --> 00:25:07.480 are you going to do with the invitation? I advise 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:09.779 doing what Peter did the second time, because 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:11.660 Peter, remember, he had his first chance, but 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.440 the second time, Peter accepted the invitation 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:18.779 to become an apprentice, a disciple of Jesus. 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:25.039 Peter believed that he was worth what God says 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:28.940 he was worth, and he invited others to do the 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:32.470 same. And maybe that's you this morning. Maybe 00:25:32.470 --> 00:25:34.730 you've never actually said yes to the invitation. 00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:38.269 You've never actually accepted the call. You've 00:25:38.269 --> 00:25:40.549 been around Jesus. You've been to church. You've 00:25:40.549 --> 00:25:42.670 been around Christians. You know, there's a few 00:25:42.670 --> 00:25:45.630 times where you thought maybe this Jesus thing 00:25:45.630 --> 00:25:47.970 is worth a try, but you always kept thinking, 00:25:48.069 --> 00:25:52.450 nah, I don't know. If that's you, I want to challenge 00:25:52.450 --> 00:25:54.730 you to not leave here the same way that Peter 00:25:54.730 --> 00:25:56.849 did the first time. I want you to leave here 00:25:56.849 --> 00:25:59.380 the way Peter did the second time by accepting 00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:02.099 the invitation. Talk to somebody today. I, as 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:04.099 the minister here, I would love to talk to you. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.779 I know we've got leaders in this room. We have 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:07.819 people in this room. If they have accepted the 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:10.839 gospel, they are a minister in Christ's kingdom. 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:12.980 They should be able to talk to you about what 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:15.680 it means to accept the invitation. We'll have 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:19.579 a moment shortly here after we sing and finish 00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:22.019 up with a lesson where you can come and talk 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:25.380 and pray. We can take that step together. Or 00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:27.420 maybe you've said yes to the invitation. You 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:29.839 said yes a long time ago. You got baptized. You 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:32.960 gave your life to Christ. And you were a follower, 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:35.440 but you've kind of been living like Peter was 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.259 right after he fell at Jesus' knees with your 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:41.519 mind so fixed on your own sin that you forget 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:44.700 to remember what Jesus, what God says about your 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:48.529 word. And if that's you, the solution isn't you 00:26:48.529 --> 00:26:51.529 trying harder or doing more or just trying to 00:26:51.529 --> 00:26:54.049 achieve. It is believing what's already been 00:26:54.049 --> 00:26:57.450 proven to be true by the God of the universe 00:26:57.450 --> 00:27:01.970 and then living like it. And so for the people 00:27:01.970 --> 00:27:04.829 that have given their life to Christ, but maybe 00:27:04.829 --> 00:27:07.950 you've been so captivated by your own sin that 00:27:07.950 --> 00:27:10.250 you haven't really been following, I want to 00:27:10.250 --> 00:27:12.029 give you this challenge this week. And this is 00:27:12.029 --> 00:27:15.509 a challenge for me. It's to ask God. to help 00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:19.289 you feel and live like the priceless piece of 00:27:19.289 --> 00:27:22.690 his puzzle that you are. Ask him to help you 00:27:22.690 --> 00:27:26.750 live like it. It's one thing to believe it. It's 00:27:26.750 --> 00:27:29.369 one thing to accept it. But what does your life 00:27:29.369 --> 00:27:34.150 show? I read a book recently called The Body 00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:37.420 Teaches the Soul. And what the whole premise 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:39.539 of the book was, was the way that you live, the 00:27:39.539 --> 00:27:41.259 way that you treat your body, the habits that 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:43.660 you instill in your life, those things, those 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:47.200 physical things you do, they will educate, they 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:51.019 will teach your soul. And you get the point of 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:53.819 like the idea that when you go exercise, you 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:56.180 feel better afterwards. Now your body might hurt, 00:27:56.240 --> 00:28:00.680 but mentally. you feel better for having exercised. 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:03.240 When you eat certain things, when you eat right, 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:06.299 you feel better for doing it. Now you may still 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:08.819 think, I really wanted the cookie, but you also 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:11.200 are glad you didn't eat the cookie because it 00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:14.019 showed that you have some self -control. And 00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:17.259 so what the point is, is the way that you live, 00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:19.339 the way that you operate in this world, the way 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:21.660 that you go about your life, that will educate, 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:24.200 it will inform your mind, your heart, and your 00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:29.960 soul. And so ask God to help you live like what 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:33.539 you say you believe. And if you're already living 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:36.799 convinced of your worth in Christ, then the question 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:41.539 for you is, who is your Peter? Who's someone 00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:43.529 in your life that's... going through the motions 00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:46.650 of their ordinary life, someone who is just thinking 00:28:46.650 --> 00:28:49.130 that they're not worth much, someone who's living 00:28:49.130 --> 00:28:52.309 this life as it was predestined for them to just 00:28:52.309 --> 00:28:54.690 go through life, you know, eat, sleep, work, 00:28:54.910 --> 00:28:57.130 eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, 00:28:57.210 --> 00:28:59.809 play golf, eat, sleep, work. Who's doing that? 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:02.779 Who do you know that's doing that? And who is 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:05.299 it in your life that you can say, hey, let me 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:07.779 pull you out of the ordinary and bring you into 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:10.740 the extraordinary, the life that Jesus has called 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:13.400 us to, this life of abundance, this life of eternity, 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.880 this life of love, joy, peace, and all of those 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:19.000 good fruits of the Spirit. Who is someone in 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:22.160 your life that needs that simple but amazing 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:26.099 invitation? I want you to think about that person 00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:29.519 and then don't just think about them. but actually 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:34.539 extend the invitation. And look, if you know 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:36.980 the story of Peter, you know he wasn't perfect. 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:40.380 We can think of all the times. I mean, I heard 00:29:40.380 --> 00:29:42.220 a preacher one time, he called Peter the chief 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:45.160 mess up. I don't know that Peter was the chief 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:48.119 mess up, but in the New Testament, he kind of, 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:52.960 he does mess up a lot, right? So we know Peter 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:55.180 wasn't perfect. He still had his moments of doubt. 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:58.119 He still had his moments of failure, but despite... 00:29:58.269 --> 00:30:01.990 his imperfection, Peter goes on to trust Jesus 00:30:01.990 --> 00:30:05.390 enough that he would eventually step onto a stormy 00:30:05.390 --> 00:30:09.410 sea and walk on water with him. He trusts Jesus 00:30:09.410 --> 00:30:12.609 enough that shortly after the Jews had killed 00:30:12.609 --> 00:30:16.109 Jesus, or had Jesus killed, he stood up in front 00:30:16.109 --> 00:30:19.170 of a crowd of Jews and preached the first gospel 00:30:19.170 --> 00:30:23.170 message just weeks after denying he even knew 00:30:23.170 --> 00:30:28.000 him. And he preached this good news. of a risen 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:31.579 Messiah. And later, when the religious leaders 00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:35.140 saw Peter's boldness, Scripture says they were 00:30:35.140 --> 00:30:38.480 astonished because they realized, as the book 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:42.859 of Acts says, that Peter was an uneducated and 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:46.940 a common man. Basically, they said, Peter is 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:49.740 just your average Joe, but there's something 00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:53.269 special about him. And what... The religious 00:30:53.269 --> 00:30:55.890 leaders who want to deny Jesus, the religious 00:30:55.890 --> 00:30:58.589 leaders who want to make it seem like Jesus was 00:30:58.589 --> 00:31:01.210 not deity, these people that wanted everyone 00:31:01.210 --> 00:31:04.549 to stop believing who Jesus said he was, they 00:31:04.549 --> 00:31:08.390 say there's something special about Peter because 00:31:08.390 --> 00:31:11.670 in the words of Luke in the book of Acts, he 00:31:11.670 --> 00:31:17.349 had simply been with Jesus. This lowly fisherman 00:31:17.349 --> 00:31:20.910 from a small little fishing town. on the Sea 00:31:20.910 --> 00:31:24.210 of Galilee, was transformed into a confident 00:31:24.210 --> 00:31:28.029 catalyst for the advancement of the kingdom of 00:31:28.029 --> 00:31:33.769 God. Peter had accepted not only what God said 00:31:33.769 --> 00:31:36.470 he was worth, but also what God had called him 00:31:36.470 --> 00:31:41.130 to. And he followed faithfully until the end. 00:31:41.170 --> 00:31:44.549 Peter would eventually die. He would be killed 00:31:44.549 --> 00:31:48.799 for his faith. for living a bold life that invited 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:51.460 everyone, regardless of where they were from, 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:54.559 what they did, who they were, whatever. He invited 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:58.960 everyone to be a part of God's family. And that 00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:01.319 ultimately got him killed. But guess what? I 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:05.619 can just imagine when Peter was dying. There's 00:32:05.619 --> 00:32:09.099 historical points on how he died. We don't really 00:32:09.099 --> 00:32:12.119 truthfully know how. But either way, Peter was 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:16.029 dying. He was being killed. And we can only imagine 00:32:16.029 --> 00:32:19.750 that in that moment, he did it with a smile on 00:32:19.750 --> 00:32:22.670 his face because he knew he lived a faithful 00:32:22.670 --> 00:32:26.410 life and he knew where he was going. I think 00:32:26.410 --> 00:32:29.509 about Stephen in the book of Acts when he's being 00:32:29.509 --> 00:32:32.009 stoned to death for proclaiming the good news. 00:32:32.549 --> 00:32:35.950 It says he looked up to heaven and he saw Jesus 00:32:35.950 --> 00:32:45.039 and he saw Jesus stand to receive him. That's 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:48.599 the life. That's the way you can go out of this 00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:52.119 life when you know that you lived faithfully 00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:55.900 in your worthless, not worthless, priceless. 00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:02.980 When you lived faithfully in your priceless portion 00:33:02.980 --> 00:33:08.039 of this mission. See, people who don't know how 00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:10.619 much they're worth, they don't often live that 00:33:10.619 --> 00:33:15.349 boldly. They're not able to live with, as some 00:33:15.349 --> 00:33:17.670 would say, reckless abandon. They're not able 00:33:17.670 --> 00:33:21.190 to live without concern for what might happen 00:33:21.190 --> 00:33:23.250 to them. They're not able to live without concern 00:33:23.250 --> 00:33:25.509 for what their finances might look like, what 00:33:25.509 --> 00:33:27.730 their community might look like, what their life 00:33:27.730 --> 00:33:29.450 might look like, what their death might look 00:33:29.450 --> 00:33:32.009 like. People that they don't know how much they're 00:33:32.009 --> 00:33:34.700 worth, they don't often live that boldly. People 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:37.240 who don't know their worth often, they follow 00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:39.859 their own self -doubt, and they chase after the 00:33:39.859 --> 00:33:43.380 approval from this world, even to their own demise. 00:33:43.539 --> 00:33:45.940 But Peter, he saw another way to live. He saw 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:49.200 a way that wasn't scared to proclaim the good 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:51.980 news of Jesus. He saw a way that wasn't scared 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:54.640 to preach the gospel, even if that meant being 00:33:54.640 --> 00:34:00.069 ostracized, arrested, beaten, or killed. The 00:34:00.069 --> 00:34:03.950 truth is that no inconvenience, no pain, no death 00:34:03.950 --> 00:34:07.630 could take away what God said Peter was worth, 00:34:07.690 --> 00:34:10.769 what God had called Peter into. Peter wasn't 00:34:10.769 --> 00:34:13.369 just convinced of that, he was convicted by it. 00:34:13.769 --> 00:34:16.789 And we need to be convicted by it as well. Convinced 00:34:16.789 --> 00:34:19.789 by the truth that regardless of your background, 00:34:20.050 --> 00:34:22.230 regardless of where you've been, what you've 00:34:22.230 --> 00:34:24.889 done, where you come from, regardless of all 00:34:24.889 --> 00:34:28.510 of those things, you are invited to the kingdom. 00:34:28.570 --> 00:34:32.449 You are invited to the family of God. And once 00:34:32.449 --> 00:34:35.829 you know that truth, you accept it regardless 00:34:35.829 --> 00:34:38.889 of what may come. And so here's the invitation 00:34:38.889 --> 00:34:42.510 for you today. As Jesus said in Matthew 11, come 00:34:42.510 --> 00:34:46.610 to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I 00:34:46.610 --> 00:34:52.250 will give you rest. What Jesus promises is a 00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:56.750 good life, an abundant life, a hope and joy filled 00:34:56.750 --> 00:35:01.809 life here and to come. And that's still the invitation 00:35:01.809 --> 00:35:05.329 for us all today. It's not you need to get your 00:35:05.329 --> 00:35:08.139 act together. It's not you need to. get cleaned 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:10.119 up. It's not you need to be perfect. It's not 00:35:10.119 --> 00:35:12.360 you need to prove your worth first. It is simply 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:14.960 to come. And so that's the invitation we extend 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:18.920 to you today. Jesus says you are priceless. He 00:35:18.920 --> 00:35:20.920 has proven it. He has extended the invitation 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:24.579 to even the least of these. And we say the same. 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:28.199 We ask that you come as we stand and as we sing.