This feeling did not begin with us. People in every age felt this way. In every age God's people are powerfully tempted to feel this way.

1. Often, I am thankful Peter figured prominently in the gospels and Acts.
   1. The beginning day before Jesus' crucifixion and continuing through the first 40 days after Jesus' resurrection was a horrible period for Peter.
      1. The night of his betrayal, Jesus told his disciples that they would all desert him (Mark 14:27-31).
         1. Peter said if all the others fell away, he would not.
         2. Jesus told Peter he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed twice the next morning.
         3. Peter continued to insist, "Even if I must die, I will not desert you!"
         4. In spite of all his feeling and all his words, when things did not go as Peter expected, he ran (Matthew 25:56).
      2. Even worse, he denied he knew Jesus (Mark 14:66-72).
         1. The third time he denied Jesus, he cursed and swore that he did not know Jesus.
         2. Then the rooster crowed the second time.
         3. When the rooster crowed, Peter realized what he had done, and he cried.
      3. Evidence suggests to me that even after Jesus' resurrection, Peter was shaken and confused. At some point in the 40 day period after his resurrection, Jesus spent time with some of his disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
         John 21:15-17 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.
      4. I personally conclude that Peter felt a growing sense of awkwardness in Jesus' presence on the shores of the lake where it all started.
         1. There they were eating fish and bread as the day dawned.
         2. Jesus prepared the meal and served them the meal--that had to be awkward and painful.
         3. Peter and the others had been out fishing from their boats with their nets that night just as they did when Jesus asked them to follow him.
         4. They even caught fish by Jesus' instructions just as when they first followed him (Luke 5:1-11).
         5. Nobody asked, "Who are you?" All of them knew it was Jesus.
      5. After everyone ate, Jesus began a conversation with Peter.
         1. He asked Peter a question that intensified Peter's awkward feelings: "Do you love me more than these?"
         2. There is a lot happening in this situation that is not obvious in an English translation.
            1. First, we are not sure what the "more than these" refers to, and no explanation was given.
               1. More than the other disciples there?
               2. More than the occupation of fishing?
            2. Second, Jesus began a word play using the word love.
      6. We have and use just one word for love.
         1. They had four different words for love they could use.
         2. The word Jesus used was, "Peter, are you committed to my highest good, my best interests?"
            1. Peter answered by using another word for love, "Lord, I have a brother's fondness for you."
            2. The first time Jesus said, "Tend my lambs."
         3. Jesus asked the same question using the same word for love the second time.
            1. Peter answered (the same answer) using his same word for love.
            2. This time Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."
         4. Jesus asked Peter the same question a third time, but this time Jesus used Peter's word for love--"do you have a brother's fondness for me?"
         5. Now Peter really felt the awkwardness of the moment--he was grieved that Jesus asked about his love three times.
            1. In his grief, Peter replied, "Lord, You know everything; You know I have a brother's fondness for you."
            2. After his running and denials, he knew the Lord knew everything!
            3. Jesus said, "Tend My sheep."
         6. I find this conversation of enormous encouragement: in spite of running, in spite of the denials, Jesus had a purpose for Peter.
   2. Shortly after that Jesus asked Peter to take a walk with him.
      John 21:19b-21 And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"
      1. For Peter, the awkwardness of the situation grew and grew.
      2. Jesus just asked him three times if he loved Jesus.
      3. As if that were not embarrassing enough, Jesus asked Peter to take a walk with him--Peter was going to spend some one-on-one time with Jesus.
      4. As Jesus and Peter began to walk, Peter looked back and saw the disciple who leaned an Jesus' chest at the last supper and asked about the identity of the betrayer.
         1. Evidently that disciple was trailing along behind them.
         2. Peter really wanted out of Jesus' spot light, really wanted to shift the focus to someone else.
         3. So Peter tried to shift the focus away from himself by asking, "What about him?"
      5. None of us want to be in the spot light of Jesus' MRI vision (he knows hearts), and we often think we can get Jesus' attention on someone else so he has no time to think about "me."
         1. Jesus answered Peter's question with a question: "What is it to you?" or "What do the plans I have for him have to do with my plans for you?"
         2. I am confident Jesus would give each of us the same response.

2. Jesus' relationship with each of us is personal and basically concerns each of us as an individual.
   1. Together we are the church, but the church is composed of individuals.
      1. In the past the manner that we emphasized the importance of the church created a misconception.
      2. It seems that there are some who have formed this expectation for the judgment.
         1. The Lord says, "Everyone here who attended the West-Ark Church of Christ hold up your hand."
            1. "Good!"
            2. "You people go on in heaven."
         2. So, as a group, members of the West-Ark Church of Christ walk into heaven.
      3. In my understanding, the New Testament does not suggest that will happen.
         1. One of us says, "Lord, I was a member of the West-Ark Church of Christ."
         2. The Lord says, "I want to talk to you about you, not about the West-Ark Church of Christ."
         3. The same person says, "But, Lord, you just extended a welcome to a member of the West-Ark Church of Christ!"
            1. "I saw you!"
            2. "I went to church with that person every Sunday!"
         4. The Lord says, "My relationship with that person was with him (her)."
            1. "My relationship with you is with you."

3. I surely need your help.
   1. Every time we assemble, every time I share with you, there are several groups of people present. Let me mention four groups.
      1. Group one is composed of Christians who are crushed by their burden of guilt feelings.
         1. They are plagued with "I am not good enough for God to tolerate" feelings.
         2. The primary issue at work in their lives is this: they place little faith in God's promises.
      2. Group two is composed of Christians who just do not care.
         1. They are convinced if God is merciful to others, He must be merciful to them.
         2. The primary issue at work in their lives is this: they abuse God's grace.
      3. Group three is composed of Christians who struggle.
         1. They know how they should devote themselves to God, but they are weak.
         2. The primary issue at work in their lives is this: temptation.
      4. Group four is composed of Christians who just do not know.
         1. They are confused because they literally do not understand.
         2. The primary issue at work in their lives is this: they know almost nothing about God, or Jesus, or scripture.
      5. These are not all the groups present; just four of them.
   2. The problem: one lesson cannot possibly meet the spiritual needs of all four of those groups.
      1. In fact, when I address the spiritual understandings needed by those burdened with guilt, those who abuse grace may feel justified.
      2. Or, when I address the spiritual understandings needed by those who abuse grace, those who know little are totally confused.
      3. Or, when I address the spiritual understandings of those who know little, the first three groups are bored.
   3. One of the continuing struggles in my work as a teacher arises from a truth I must always remember.
      1. I must always remember that we are a family.
         1. We have spiritual babies of all stages of infancy.
         2. We have spiritual teenagers.
         3. We have spiritual young adults and spiritual middle ages adults.
         4. We have the spiritually mature and wise.
      2. We all need a different spiritual diet.
         1. If all we eat is spiritual fast food, we all will be spiritually sick. Spiritual french fries are not the key to eternal survival!
         2. If we feed babies adult diets or adults baby food, both will get sick.
         3. We must not restrict spiritual education to Sunday sermons.
         4. We must not restrict spiritual education to close minded conclusions.
            1. We must be open to all scripture teaches.
            2. That is a very difficult openness to seek with honesty and sincerity.

We live in such a complicated time with such complex challenges. We desperately need to increase our faith and dependence on God. God can nourish us all. We must be a people who exist by faith in God, not a people who exist by religious reactions.