WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.940 Welcome back to our continuing conversation on 00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:07.799 Refined for a Purpose. In our last conversation, 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:10.820 we talked about what happens when God corrects 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:14.359 the person He loves. We discovered that correction 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:18.059 is not always rejection. Sometimes correction 00:00:18.059 --> 00:00:21.820 is rescue. Sometimes God confronts something 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:25.359 because He is protecting something. Sometimes 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.149 discipline becomes preparation. And sometimes 00:00:29.149 --> 00:00:31.910 the discomfort of correction is actually evidence 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:36.710 that God refuses to leave us unchanged. But near 00:00:36.710 --> 00:00:39.649 the end of that conversation, we arrived at another 00:00:39.649 --> 00:00:42.750 question. And perhaps for somebody listening 00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:45.929 today, this is not merely a theological question. 00:00:46.409 --> 00:00:49.649 It is personal, because maybe you already saw 00:00:49.649 --> 00:00:54.049 the crack, but you didn't respond. Maybe the 00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:58.039 warning came, but you ignored it. Maybe the boundary 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:02.320 moved, and you crossed it. Maybe you knew better, 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.219 but you still made the decision. Maybe the failure 00:01:06.219 --> 00:01:09.599 wasn't somebody else's fault. Maybe this time, 00:01:09.939 --> 00:01:12.620 you cannot blame your enemies. You cannot blame 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:15.700 your circumstances. You cannot blame what somebody 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:18.519 did to you. You have looked at what happened 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:22.700 and had to say, I did this. And now your question 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:26.219 is no longer, how do I prevent the collapse? 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:31.180 Your question is, can God still use me after 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:35.480 I failed? Can purpose survive failure? Can mercy 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:38.840 reach me when I cannot blame anybody else? Can 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.500 God restore something I damaged through my own 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:45.599 decisions? Can I ever become useful again and 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:50.439 maybe even deeper? Does God still want me? Today, 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.540 that is where I want us to continue. because 00:01:53.540 --> 00:01:56.400 Scripture is remarkably honest about the people 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:00.519 God used. Abraham had moments of fear. Jacob 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:04.599 deceived. Moses lost control of his anger. David 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:08.180 committed devastating sin. Peter denied Jesus. 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:11.960 John Mark abandoned a missionary journey, and 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:14.680 yet their failures did not become the only sentences 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:18.099 written about their lives. Now listen carefully. 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:22.610 This is not permission to sin. Grace is not permission 00:02:22.610 --> 00:02:25.849 to become careless. Choices have consequences. 00:02:26.590 --> 00:02:30.949 Sin damages people. Trust can be broken. Opportunities 00:02:30.949 --> 00:02:34.870 can be lost. Some consequences may remain, even 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:37.990 after forgiveness. But there is another truth 00:02:37.990 --> 00:02:41.490 we must preach with equal conviction. Your failure 00:02:41.490 --> 00:02:44.210 does not automatically cancel God's purpose. 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:47.310 And that is our continuing conversation today. 00:02:47.909 --> 00:02:51.919 When failure doesn't cancel purpose. Mercy in 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:56.479 the refining fire. And maybe we need to begin 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.080 with Peter. There is something extraordinary 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:20.990 in Luke 22. Jesus tells Peter, when you have 00:03:20.990 --> 00:03:25.289 turned back. Before Peter denied Jesus, Jesus 00:03:25.289 --> 00:03:28.870 was already speaking about Peter's return. Before 00:03:28.870 --> 00:03:33.189 the failure, Jesus saw restoration. Before Peter 00:03:33.189 --> 00:03:36.710 collapsed, Jesus saw the man who would strengthen 00:03:36.710 --> 00:03:40.590 others afterward. Peter's failure surprised Peter. 00:03:41.150 --> 00:03:44.889 It did not surprise Jesus. That does not mean 00:03:44.889 --> 00:03:49.110 Jesus approved Peter's denial. Jesus warned him. 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:53.639 Peter was responsible for what he did. But Peter's 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.800 failure did not reveal something to Jesus that 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:59.379 Jesus didn't already know when he called him. 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.580 And perhaps somebody needs to hear that. God 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:06.860 knew your weaknesses before he called you. God 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.319 knew your vulnerabilities before he gave you 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.759 the assignment. God knew the places where you 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:16.500 would need grace. God knew there would be moments. 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:20.300 when you would disappoint yourself. Again, that 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:23.759 is not permission to sin. It is a revelation 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.040 of grace. God's knowledge of your weakness preceded 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:31.740 his decision to call you. Think about that. Maybe 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:34.379 you are discovering something about yourself 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:37.959 that God already knew. And now the question is 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:41.279 not whether God knows. The question is, what 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:46.560 will you do now that you know? Failure can reveal 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.759 what success allowed you to hide. Before Peter 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:53.759 denied Jesus, Peter was confident, very confident. 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:57.500 Jesus said the disciples would fall away. Peter 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:00.459 essentially responded, maybe everybody else, 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:05.680 not me. Peter loved Jesus. I believe his declaration 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.839 was sincere, but sincerity does not always equal 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:13.300 self -awareness. Peter did not yet understand 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:16.350 Peter. He thought he knew the strength of his 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:21.189 faith then pressure revealed something Fear entered 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:25.829 and the man who said I will die with you eventually 00:05:25.829 --> 00:05:30.589 said I don't know him Sometimes failure reveals 00:05:30.589 --> 00:05:34.529 something success allowed us to hide pride fear 00:05:34.529 --> 00:05:39.089 insecurity Need for approval anger lack of discipline 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:42.709 weak boundaries dependence on people dependence 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:46.600 on position dependence on applause, and suddenly 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.100 we discover, I am not as strong in this area 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:53.660 as I thought. That discovery can be painful, 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:57.480 but it can also become the beginning of transformation. 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:01.139 Because you cannot surrender a weakness, you 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:04.819 refuse to acknowledge, and sometimes failure 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:08.639 destroys the illusion of self -sufficiency. PETA 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.759 had to discover that passion alone was not enough. 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:15.720 Good intentions were not enough. Confidence was 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:19.639 not enough. He needed grace. He needed the Holy 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:24.160 Spirit. He needed transformation. And later, 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:26.680 Peter would become a different kind of leader, 00:06:27.019 --> 00:06:31.699 not merely passionate, refined. But there is 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:35.060 a difference between failure and defiance. We 00:06:35.060 --> 00:06:38.370 need this distinction. Because sometimes Christians 00:06:38.370 --> 00:06:41.750 hear messages about grace and assume that repentance 00:06:41.750 --> 00:06:46.769 is optional. It isn't. Mercy does not mean continue 00:06:46.769 --> 00:06:49.730 doing whatever you want because God will forgive 00:06:49.730 --> 00:06:54.649 you. Paul asks in Romans 6, shall we continue 00:06:54.649 --> 00:06:59.889 in sin that grace may abound? His answer is God 00:06:59.889 --> 00:07:03.540 forbid. There is a difference between struggling 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:06.459 with weakness and making peace with rebellion 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:10.040 There is a difference between falling and deciding 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:13.860 to live on the ground There is a difference between 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:17.680 failing and refusing correction There is a difference 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:22.399 between repentance and regret Regret says I hate 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:26.319 what this cost me Repentance says I hate what 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:30.509 this has become in me and I want to turn Regret 00:07:30.509 --> 00:07:34.329 can focus only on consequences. Repentance turns 00:07:34.329 --> 00:07:38.509 toward God. Peter wept bitterly. David prayed, 00:07:39.029 --> 00:07:42.569 creating me a clean heart, O God. The prodigal 00:07:42.569 --> 00:07:46.790 son said, I will arise and go to my father. That 00:07:46.790 --> 00:07:50.649 is movement. Mercy meets us where we are. But 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:53.750 grace begins moving us somewhere else. So if 00:07:53.750 --> 00:07:56.870 you failed, the question is not simply, will 00:07:56.870 --> 00:08:00.410 God forgive me? There is another question. Am 00:08:00.410 --> 00:08:05.209 I willing to turn? David shows us that forgiveness 00:08:05.209 --> 00:08:08.870 does not make failure small. David is one of 00:08:08.870 --> 00:08:11.910 the strongest examples because scripture refuses 00:08:11.910 --> 00:08:16.129 to sanitize his story. David committed adultery 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:20.649 with Bathsheba. He abused his authority. He participated 00:08:20.649 --> 00:08:24.709 in deception. And Uriah died because of the plan 00:08:24.709 --> 00:08:29.310 David arranged. Those things were serious. Nathan 00:08:29.310 --> 00:08:33.250 confronted him, and David finally said, I have 00:08:33.250 --> 00:08:37.549 sinned against the Lord. Psalm 51 gives us a 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:40.889 window into David's repentance. He does not say, 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:45.250 everybody makes mistakes. He does not say, people 00:08:45.250 --> 00:08:49.070 are judging me. He does not say, you don't understand 00:08:49.070 --> 00:08:52.750 the pressure I was under. He says, have mercy 00:08:52.750 --> 00:08:57.330 upon me, oh God. And later, Create in me a clean 00:08:57.330 --> 00:09:01.330 heart. That is important. Real repentance does 00:09:01.330 --> 00:09:04.590 not minimize what happened. Grace does not require 00:09:04.590 --> 00:09:08.690 us to rename sin. Mercy becomes beautiful precisely 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:11.629 because we acknowledge how much we need it. And 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:15.169 David's story also teaches us something uncomfortable. 00:09:15.669 --> 00:09:18.710 Forgiveness does not erase every consequence. 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:22.450 David was forgiven, but consequences followed. 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:26.019 So when we say, Failure doesn't cancel purpose. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.200 We are not saying failure doesn't matter. It 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:32.379 matters. Some failures change relationships. 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:36.059 Some failures change opportunities. Some failures 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:39.639 damage trust. Some failures create consequences 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:43.200 that cannot simply be prayed away. God can forgive 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.379 you while someone still needs time before trusting 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.679 you again. God can restore your heart while your 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:53.320 reputation takes time to rebuild. God can still 00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:55.940 have purpose for your life even if the shape 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:58.759 of your assignment changes. That is maturity. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.720 We cannot demand that people erase consequences 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.659 simply because God has forgiven us. But neither 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:09.679 should we conclude that consequences mean God 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:15.580 has no future for us. Sometimes purpose survives, 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:19.779 but the person must change. This is where refining 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:23.460 becomes central. We want restoration to mean, 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:28.019 put everything back exactly the way it was. But 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:31.159 sometimes God's restoration is deeper than restoration 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:34.759 of circumstances. Sometimes God restores you 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:39.279 first, your heart, your humility, your discipline, 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:43.559 your prayer life, your character, your dependence 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:47.639 on him, your ability to listen, your ability 00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:51.000 to receive correction. your compassion toward 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.700 other people who struggle. Maybe you don't need 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:56.559 to return immediately to who you were before 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.600 the failure. Maybe that person was part of the 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.860 problem. Maybe God wants to build someone different, 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:06.620 someone humbler, someone wiser, someone slower 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:10.179 to judge, someone quicker to pray, someone who 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.259 understands boundaries, someone who knows their 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:16.860 vulnerability, someone who no longer says, that 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:19.960 could never happen to me. because now you know. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.440 And if you allow grace to do its work, what once 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:27.059 produced shame can eventually produce humility. 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:30.960 What once exposed weakness can eventually produce 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:34.399 wisdom. What once broke your confidence in yourself 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:37.740 can deepen your dependence on God. The failure 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:40.940 does not become good, but God can still produce 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:43.500 something good through what you learned in the 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:46.620 fire. God doesn't waste the fire, even when you 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:51.940 help start it. There are fires we didn't start, 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:55.759 and fires we did. This may be one of the most 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:58.659 important distinctions in this entire season. 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:02.480 Some fires came because somebody betrayed you. 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:05.779 Some came through injustice. Some came through 00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:09.600 circumstances you never chose. Some came through 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:13.179 spiritual warfare. Some came because life is 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:16.879 broken. But if we are honest, some fires have 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:19.899 our fingerprints on them. a decision we made, 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.899 a warning we ignored, a relationship we entertained, 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:28.340 words we spoke, anger we didn't control, money 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:32.179 we mishandled, pride we defended, a boundary 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:35.139 we moved, and when we are standing in a fire 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:38.779 we helped create, shame says, you cannot ask 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:42.480 God for help because you caused this. But scripture 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:46.830 repeatedly shows people crying to God. from consequences 00:12:46.830 --> 00:12:50.649 connected to their own choices. And God still 00:12:50.649 --> 00:12:53.870 hears repentance. You may have started the fire, 00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:56.850 but you still know where to find the refiner. 00:12:57.350 --> 00:13:00.929 Maybe you cannot pray, God, I don't know how 00:13:00.929 --> 00:13:04.549 this happened. Maybe your prayer has to become, 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:09.110 God, I know exactly how I got here. Have mercy 00:13:09.110 --> 00:13:13.059 on me. Teach me. Change me. and don't let me 00:13:13.059 --> 00:13:15.639 leave this fire as the same person who entered 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:19.820 it. That is a powerful prayer. Because accountability 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:24.360 and faith can exist together. You can say, I 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:28.440 was wrong and still believe God is not finished 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:33.039 with me. Look at Jacob. God may deal with the 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.519 person before changing the name. Jacob's story 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:39.879 is filled with complicated choices. His very 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:43.360 name became associated with grasping and deception. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:47.639 He manipulated situations. He deceived his father. 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:50.779 He experienced the consequences of complicated 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:54.519 family relationships. And eventually Jacob finds 00:13:54.519 --> 00:14:00.740 himself wrestling with God. Genesis 32 At one 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:03.379 point the question comes, what is your name? 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.639 Jacob has to say it. Jacob. There is something 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.940 powerful about having to name what you are, not 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:14.220 what people call you, what has actually been 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:17.220 operating in you. And then God gives him another 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:20.799 name, Israel. Before there is a new identity, 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.820 there is an honest confrontation with the old 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:27.480 one. Sometimes restoration begins when we stop 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:32.200 hiding behind explanations and finally say, God, 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:35.820 this is me. This is the weakness. This is the 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:40.169 pattern. This is where I failed. Change me. And 00:14:40.169 --> 00:14:42.830 perhaps that is where purpose becomes stronger. 00:14:43.230 --> 00:14:46.529 Not because you never had weakness, but because 00:14:46.529 --> 00:14:51.909 weakness is no longer hiding in darkness. And 00:14:51.909 --> 00:14:56.429 then there is John Mark. Acts 13 tells us John 00:14:56.429 --> 00:14:59.409 Mark left Paul and Barnabas during a missionary 00:14:59.409 --> 00:15:03.610 journey and returned to Jerusalem. Later, when 00:15:03.610 --> 00:15:07.690 Barnabas wanted to take Mark again, Paul refused. 00:15:08.730 --> 00:15:11.570 The disagreement became so sharp that Paul and 00:15:11.570 --> 00:15:15.909 Barnabas separated. Think about that. Mark's 00:15:15.909 --> 00:15:18.409 earlier failure affected how Paul viewed his 00:15:18.409 --> 00:15:21.570 readiness for ministry. There were consequences. 00:15:22.129 --> 00:15:25.389 Paul did not immediately say, grace means nothing 00:15:25.389 --> 00:15:28.990 happened. But the story doesn't end there. Years 00:15:28.990 --> 00:15:33.009 later, in Second Timothy 411, Paul writes, get 00:15:33.009 --> 00:15:35.759 Mark and bring him with you. because he is helpful 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:40.399 to me in my ministry. Helpful, useful. The man 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:43.980 once considered unreliable became useful again. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.639 We don't know every detail of what happened between 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:50.340 those moments. Scripture doesn't give us the 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:54.720 entire process, but we know enough to say, one 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.120 failed season did not become Mark's permanent 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:01.440 definition. Maybe you failed in one chapter. 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:05.500 Don't make that chapter your name. Let God work. 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:09.419 Let time work. Let discipline work. Let accountability 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:13.759 work. Let maturity work. Let restored faithfulness 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:17.480 speak. You do not rebuild trust by demanding 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:21.039 another chance. You rebuild trust by becoming 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:24.740 trustworthy. And sometimes restoration takes 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:28.840 time. That is okay. Don't confuse forgiveness 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:32.480 with immediate restoration of position. This 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.960 needs to be said carefully. Sometimes when people 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:39.059 fail, they want immediate restoration to the 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:42.620 same platform, same leadership role, same authority, 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:47.460 same access. But spiritual restoration and positional 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:51.539 restoration are not identical. God may forgive 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:55.379 immediately when repentance is genuine, but trust 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:59.200 may require rebuilding. Leadership may require 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:02.450 accountability. Certain responsibilities may 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:06.369 need to pause. Some consequences may permanently 00:17:06.369 --> 00:17:10.089 change what is appropriate. And in situations 00:17:10.089 --> 00:17:14.849 involving harm, abuse, exploitation, crime, or 00:17:14.849 --> 00:17:18.170 serious misconduct, protecting people, and pursuing 00:17:18.170 --> 00:17:21.369 justice matter, grace must never become a weapon 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:25.490 used to silence people who were harmed. So when 00:17:25.490 --> 00:17:29.730 we say, failure doesn't cancel purpose, We are 00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:33.630 not saying put everybody back into the same position. 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:37.349 Purpose is bigger than position. Your purpose 00:17:37.349 --> 00:17:41.390 is not your title. Your purpose is not your microphone. 00:17:41.990 --> 00:17:45.950 Your purpose is not your office. Your purpose 00:17:45.950 --> 00:17:49.710 is not your platform. Your purpose is not your 00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:53.670 leadership seat. God can restore a person even 00:17:53.670 --> 00:17:56.410 when a former position is no longer appropriate 00:17:56.410 --> 00:18:00.619 and sometimes The evidence of genuine repentance 00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:03.599 is that you care more about becoming right with 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:07.660 God than getting your position back. That's refinement. 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:12.059 Jesus didn't just forgive Peter, he rebuilt him. 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:16.640 Now let's return to Peter, John 21. After the 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:19.500 resurrection, Jesus meets the disciples by the 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:23.099 Sea of Galilee. They eat, and then Jesus asks 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:27.930 Peter, Simon son of John, do you love me? Three 00:18:27.930 --> 00:18:32.029 times. Peter had denied Jesus three times. And 00:18:32.029 --> 00:18:34.490 now three times, Jesus draws something out of 00:18:34.490 --> 00:18:39.970 Peter. Do you love me? Yes. Feed my lambs. Take 00:18:39.970 --> 00:18:44.410 care of my sheep. Feed my sheep. Jesus is not 00:18:44.410 --> 00:18:47.869 simply restoring Peter emotionally. He is restoring 00:18:47.869 --> 00:18:51.049 responsibility. But notice that the restored 00:18:51.049 --> 00:18:54.470 Peter is not the same Peter who boasted before 00:18:54.470 --> 00:18:58.019 the cross. Something has broken. Something has 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:02.980 changed. Soon, in Acts, Peter will stand boldly 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:06.960 and preach Christ. The man who once denied Jesus 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:10.380 before a small crowd will proclaim Jesus publicly. 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:14.640 What happened? Grace did not simply erase the 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.539 memory. Grace transformed the man. And perhaps 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:22.259 that is what restoration really is. Not pretending 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:25.099 the failure never happened. Becoming someone 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:30.569 different. because God met you there. Your scar 00:19:30.569 --> 00:19:34.890 can become wisdom. A scar means something happened. 00:19:35.549 --> 00:19:38.130 We shouldn't glorify the wound. We shouldn't 00:19:38.130 --> 00:19:41.529 pretend the wound was good. But a healed scar 00:19:41.529 --> 00:19:46.829 can testify, I survived something. And sometimes 00:19:46.829 --> 00:19:50.609 people who have genuinely repented and been transformed 00:19:50.609 --> 00:19:53.849 carry a kind of compassion they did not have 00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:58.160 before. Peter could strengthen his brothers because 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:01.740 Peter knew what it was to discover his own weakness. 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:05.000 David could write prayers of repentance that 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:08.380 generations would later pray. Mark could become 00:20:08.380 --> 00:20:12.299 useful after having once walked away. Maybe your 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:15.099 failure will never become something you celebrate. 00:20:15.660 --> 00:20:19.000 It shouldn't. But perhaps one day you will be 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:23.119 able to say, I know what pride can do. I know 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.759 why boundaries matter. I know why accountability 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:31.460 matters. I know why prayer matters. I know why 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:34.579 you cannot play with temptation. I know what 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:38.519 it costs to ignore conviction. And I also know 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:42.099 what the mercy of God feels like when you finally 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:47.740 come home. That testimony carries weight. But 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:51.710 don't build a house in your shame. There is a 00:20:51.710 --> 00:20:54.269 difference between remembering what God taught 00:20:54.269 --> 00:20:57.210 you and living permanently condemned by what 00:20:57.210 --> 00:21:01.269 you did. Some people repented years ago, but 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:04.029 they still introduce themselves to God through 00:21:04.029 --> 00:21:07.849 their failure. Every time something goes wrong, 00:21:08.410 --> 00:21:11.869 it's because of what I did. Every time an opportunity 00:21:11.869 --> 00:21:16.109 comes, I don't deserve it. Every time God begins 00:21:16.109 --> 00:21:19.029 something new, maybe he hasn't really forgiven 00:21:19.029 --> 00:21:24.039 me. Listen, if you have genuinely repented, receive 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:29.220 grace. 1 John 1 9 says, if we confess our sins, 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:33.099 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:37.680 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgiveness 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:41.019 is not based on your ability to emotionally punish 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:44.559 yourself long enough. You cannot pay for your 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:48.259 sin by hating yourself. Christ already went to 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:52.279 the cross. Repentance is necessary. Accountability 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.000 may be necessary. Restitution may be necessary. 00:21:56.619 --> 00:22:00.640 Consequences may remain. But endless self -condemnation 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:04.160 is not the gospel. You are not honoring the cross 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:07.700 by refusing the mercy Christ purchased. Learn 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:11.119 from the failure. Own the failure. Repair what 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.799 you can. Accept what you cannot undo. Then, keep 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:20.250 walking with God. Maybe you need to forgive the 00:22:20.250 --> 00:22:23.970 person you used to be, not excuse, not justify, 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:27.589 not rewrite history, but stop living as though 00:22:27.589 --> 00:22:31.009 the worst thing you ever did is the truest thing 00:22:31.009 --> 00:22:34.710 about you. You may look backward and say, I cannot 00:22:34.710 --> 00:22:38.150 believe I did that. Maybe that is evidence that 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:41.509 you have changed. You may look at your old decisions 00:22:41.509 --> 00:22:45.369 and barely recognize yourself. Thank God for 00:22:45.369 --> 00:22:48.869 growth. The goal of repentance is not to make 00:22:48.869 --> 00:22:52.970 peace with sin. The goal is to make peace with 00:22:52.970 --> 00:22:56.710 God and become different. You cannot change yesterday, 00:22:57.029 --> 00:23:00.490 but by the grace of God, yesterday does not have 00:23:00.490 --> 00:23:04.650 to keep reproducing itself tomorrow. And now 00:23:04.650 --> 00:23:08.670 listen to what Paul says. Paul carried a past. 00:23:09.269 --> 00:23:12.950 Before becoming the apostle we know, Paul persecuted 00:23:12.950 --> 00:23:16.720 Christians. Acts tells us he approved of Stephen's 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.700 death. He dragged believers from their homes. 00:23:20.119 --> 00:23:23.099 Later Paul describes himself as someone who had 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:26.799 persecuted the church. He did not erase his history, 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:30.299 but neither did he allow history to cancel grace. 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:35.200 In 1 Corinthians 15, 9 -10, Paul says he was 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.680 unworthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:45.339 the church. Then he says, and his grace to me 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:49.140 was not without effect. That is powerful. Paul 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:52.220 acknowledges what he did, then acknowledges what 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:55.980 grace did. By the grace of God, I am what I am. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:00.079 He does not deny the past, but the past no longer 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:04.180 has the final word. And then his grace to me 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:08.039 was not without effect. Grace produced something. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:12.190 Grace changed him. Grace redirected him. Grace 00:24:12.190 --> 00:24:15.730 transformed the persecutor into a preacher. The 00:24:15.730 --> 00:24:19.069 destroyer became a builder. The man who once 00:24:19.069 --> 00:24:22.190 tried to silence the gospel became one of its 00:24:22.190 --> 00:24:26.349 greatest messengers. That is mercy in the refining 00:24:26.349 --> 00:24:30.650 fire. Your failure may explain a chapter, but 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:33.529 it doesn't have to write the ending. Maybe your 00:24:33.529 --> 00:24:36.549 failure cost you something, maybe a lot. Maybe 00:24:36.549 --> 00:24:39.480 there are consequences you still carry. Maybe 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:42.240 some relationships will never be exactly what 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:45.339 they were. Maybe some doors will not reopen. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:49.059 I will not promise you that everything will return 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:52.900 to exactly the way it was. Sometimes it won't. 00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:56.000 But restoration does not always mean returning 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:00.119 to yesterday. Sometimes restoration means discovering 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:04.240 what God can still build tomorrow. God is not 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.450 limited to one door, one title. one relationship, 00:25:08.750 --> 00:25:11.630 one opportunity, one version of your future. 00:25:12.430 --> 00:25:16.349 If repentance is genuine, let God determine what 00:25:16.349 --> 00:25:19.910 purpose looks like from here. Stop demanding 00:25:19.910 --> 00:25:23.029 that restoration look exactly like the past. 00:25:23.630 --> 00:25:27.029 Maybe God is doing something deeper, maybe different, 00:25:27.569 --> 00:25:31.529 maybe humbler, maybe healthier, maybe more honest, 00:25:32.150 --> 00:25:35.309 maybe more useful, maybe more dependent upon 00:25:35.309 --> 00:25:38.930 Him. because purpose is not merely about where 00:25:38.930 --> 00:25:43.210 you serve. Purpose is about who you become and 00:25:43.210 --> 00:25:48.289 how God uses the life you surrender to Him. And 00:25:48.289 --> 00:25:50.930 this brings us to the question that will take 00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:55.210 us into our next conversation. If failure doesn't 00:25:55.210 --> 00:25:59.029 automatically cancel purpose, what happens when 00:25:59.029 --> 00:26:02.309 God begins trusting you again? What happens when 00:26:02.309 --> 00:26:05.700 the door opens? When responsibility returns? 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:10.400 When influence increases? When resources come? 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:13.779 When the thing you prayed for finally arrives? 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:18.480 Can the person refined in the fire carry the 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:21.480 weight of the blessing? Because sometimes we 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:24.779 think the blessing is the finish line. But what 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:27.539 if the blessing itself becomes another test? 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:32.000 Joseph survived the pit, but then he had to survive 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:35.720 the palace. David survived Saul, but then he 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:39.400 had to survive being king. Solomon prayed for 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:44.160 wisdom. Then came wealth, influence, power, relationships, 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:48.519 and access. Sometimes adversity tests whether 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:52.619 you will quit. Abundance tests whether you will 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:56.160 remember. And that will bring us to our next 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:59.700 continuing conversation. The weight of what you 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:03.119 prayed for character must be able to carry the 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.759 blessing. Because maybe the question is not only, 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:10.619 can God bring me into it? Maybe the question 00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:15.180 is, can I remain faithful once I get there? But 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:18.400 before we leave this conversation, I want to 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.420 speak to the person who is still sitting in shame. 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:25.980 You failed. Own it. If repentance is necessary, 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:30.200 repent. If confession is necessary, confess. 00:27:30.410 --> 00:27:34.410 If restitution is possible, make it. If accountability 00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:38.890 is necessary, receive it. If trust needs rebuilding, 00:27:39.349 --> 00:27:43.289 give it time. If consequences remain, walk through 00:27:43.289 --> 00:27:46.750 them with humility. But after you have done what 00:27:46.750 --> 00:27:50.150 repentance requires, stop telling God that His 00:27:50.150 --> 00:27:54.089 mercy is not enough for you. Peter failed. Jesus 00:27:54.089 --> 00:27:58.109 restored him. David failed. God corrected him. 00:27:58.450 --> 00:28:02.420 Mark walked away. Later he became useful. Paul 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:06.039 persecuted the church. Grace transformed him. 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:09.980 Their stories do not make sin small. Their stories 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:13.500 make mercy enormous. And perhaps your greatest 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.359 testimony will not be, I never failed. Maybe 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:21.519 your testimony will become, I failed. God confronted 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.259 me. I repented. His mercy found me. And I did 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:28.859 not remain the person who fell. That is refinement. 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:32.980 Maybe the fire exposed something. Let God remove 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:37.059 it. Maybe the failure humbled you. Stay humble. 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:41.039 Maybe consequences taught you something. Don't 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:44.720 forget it. Maybe you discovered a weakness. Build 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:48.140 boundaries around it. Maybe you lost confidence 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:52.619 in yourself. Good. Put your confidence in God. 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.160 Because God does not need the illusion of your 00:28:56.160 --> 00:28:59.890 perfection. He wants the surrender of your heart. 00:29:00.509 --> 00:29:03.410 You may have started the fire, but you still 00:29:03.410 --> 00:29:06.670 know where to find the refiner, and the refiner 00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:10.329 is not finished. Failure may have changed your 00:29:10.329 --> 00:29:14.390 story. Failure may have changed your circumstances. 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:18.509 Failure may even have changed the shape of your 00:29:18.509 --> 00:29:21.859 assignment. But failure does not automatically 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:25.180 have the authority to cancel everything God can 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:28.819 still do with a surrendered, repentant, transformed 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:33.519 life. So get up. Not arrogantly. Not pretending 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.920 nothing happened. Get up humbly. Get up wiser. 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:40.279 Get up accountable. Get up prayerful. Get up 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:43.839 dependent upon grace. Get up different. Because 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:48.720 mercy is still available. Grace is still transforming. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:52.619 And even here, in the place where you wish you 00:29:52.619 --> 00:29:56.779 had done better, God can still refine you. You 00:29:56.779 --> 00:29:59.779 are still being refined for a purpose.