Restoration

 

Restoration

Collin Leong. Mar 24 2024

Part 1: Peter Refused to Acknowledge Jesus

Background - This conversation is right after the Lord's Supper in the upper room, where Jesus ask His disciples to eat the bread and drink the cup, in order to remember Him. Before they left, Jesus spoke to Peter privately: 

Luke 22

v31  And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. v32  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

v33  But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

v34  Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

v54  Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 

v55  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 

v56  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

v57  But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

v58  And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

v59  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

v60  But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 

v61  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”  

v62  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.'

Question 1:  What did Peter felt when he saw Jesus looking at him? Have you ever hide Jesus from our friends and in the public? 

Question 2:  What do you thin Peter saw on Jesus's face? What was Jesus feelings? 

Part 2: What was the Repercussion to Peter? 

Background: Note that this event happened after Jesus came through the locked doors at the upper room, to reveal to the disciples that He has resurrected.  He did this again 8 days later for Thomas, who said he won't believe until he see and touch Him again. (John 20:19-29)

The event of John 21 happened at the Sea of Galilee where Peter and some of the disciples were gathering. Assuming they walked, it must have taken 5 days to get from Jerusalem to the lake, which is 177km away. They arrived at least 2 weeks from the resurrection, assuming they left on the 9th day, after Thomas saw Him.  

John 21: 

v2  Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 

v3  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”  They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 

Question 3: What was Peter doing?

Question 4: What should he be doing? 

In other words, he gave up. If Jesus have not met Peter again, we would not even know that Jesus died for us. But praise God, Jesus knew he is not finished with Peter yet!

Part 3: What did Jesus do for Peter? 

Part 3a - Reminded Peter of His Faithfulness

John 21:  

v6   And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 

This reminded Peter of the early times he met Jesus. Luke 5:

v4   When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

v5   But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 

v6   And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

Question 5: Why did Jesus remind Peter and the disciples of the good old times?  

Jesus was going back in time to remind Peter how he felt in his first-love for Christ. Though it has been a bad few weeks, he need to remember how Jesus loved him and his disciples. 

Part 3b - Jesus Restored Peter to What He Was Called To Do

After the breakfast, Jesus spoke to Peter alone. 

John 21

v15  So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of  Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”  He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”  He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

v16  He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”  He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

v17  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of  Jonah, 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, “Feed My sheep. 

Question 6: Why did Jesus ask Peter the same question three times?  This is to restore Peter from his three denials, that basically paralyzed Peter both spiritually from his guilt and self-condemnation. 

Question 7: Why did Jesus reminded him to "Feed My Lamb", "Tend My sheep" and "Feed My sheep?"  It was to remind him of his duties assigned by Jesus in Luke 22:32 -  "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Part 4: The Result of What Jesus Did

Jesus restored Peter to who he was in the beginning of the relationship - to forsake all and to follow Jesus. Jesus took Peter from being lost and being found again. From fearful to have courage; from self-condemning to become confidence. 

Acts 1:15   And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty). 

Question 8: What is the difference between the Old Peter and the New Peter? From running away and becoming the leader of the early church. In other words, he became the person that God meant him to be.

Part 5: Conclusion - God wants to Remove our Bondages. 

God wants us to be Released from our Bondages or Restraints that limits us or something that holds us from moving forward. He wants us to be effective in following Jesus and be a better servant to invite others to His great banquet.

"Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."  Luke 14:21b-23

Like Peter, he comes up Reminding us of the good experience we had with him, so we know His love for us. He Restores our "first love" with Him,  takes away our our bondages, and free us from our guilt. As Hebrews 8:12 says: "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”  

Peter's call was to "catch men", where Peter was doing when he first followed Jesus - "And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men. So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him." (Luke 5:10b-11.)  After the recovery, Jesus asked him to follow him again: "And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow me." (John 22:19b)

 

This powerful promise assures us that God’s mercy extends beyond our wrongdoings. When we turn to Him, He forgives us completely, and our sins are wiped away from His memory. It’s a comforting reminder of His boundless grace and love.

The Results he want for us is to have a stronger relationship with him, and to Remember our purpose that we were saved - to spread the net to the nations and bring in more fishes. 

Part 6: Application 

Each one of us have something in the past  - whether before or after we became a Christians, that has affected us from following Jesus closely, and hindering us from our ministry of "catching men". It prevents us from maturing in our Spirit life. 

Question 10: What is a bondage and why does God wants it to be removed? 

Definition of Bondage: A spiritual or emotional enslavement, which results in difficulty for us to enjoy the freedom from sin, and prevents us from committing to God's will and call for us.

In Egypt, God broke the slavery (or bondage) or the Israelites, so that they can be brought out of a pagan nation to serve him. In Exodus,  "Let my people go, that they may serve Me" was mentioned 5 times out of the 10 plagues God released on Egypt. 

Rom 8:5-9 - "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace... Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." 

Question 11: Examples of our bondages? 

a) With respect to God

1. We are never good enough (ability or holiness) to serve God in the areas that he told us to serve. 

2. Past sins that are still disturbing us.  1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

3. Lack motivation to worship God in the church, lack time/interest to study the word, and pray.

4. Working harder or in a wrong way to achieve what we want, but without peace of God.

5. Growing resentment towards God due to bad things that happened to us. (Death, health, finance, children/spouse)

b) With respect to Others

1. Past trauma/broken relationships from family/friends that took away your ability to trust people and Jesus. 

2. Have a tendency to judge or criticize others, with a self-righteous attitude or thinking we are more clever. 

3. Expecting and controlling others to perform or act in our standard or impossibly high standard all the time.

4. Blaming others for our own failures & unable to accept suggestions for improvements, and being unforgiving or unable to ask for forgiveness. 

5. Being super competitive or envying other's successes. 

c) With respect to Self. 

1.  Often depressed, stressed, worried over our image, our performance, our family, our finance that made us unable to focus on what is important to God. 

2.  Bad habits or bad thoughts that I keep due to desire for pleasure, addictions, self-interest, self-image, etc. 

3.  Over-spending time in work, sports, games, social media, movies that I do not have enough time to spend with God and serve Him. 

4. Uncontrolled emotions/ actions such as easily angered, using logic to act without praying for His direction, being impatient, insecurity, being too shy or too egoistic to share the gospel to others.  

5. Unable to adapt to others who are poorer, who are sick, who have bad habits, who are down trodden - difficult to serve them if God asks us to.   

 

This process of breaking our bondages are an on-going process. We must be open to face Him and let Him work on any of our broken past, and let Him heal it for us. Once that is heal, the Spirit will bring another bondage, the one that we have forgotten, whether consciously or unconsciously. 

The bondage of guilt that Peter had was not the last. In Acts 10, Peter had a vision that Jesus asked him to eat unclean animals. Peter refused as it was against his Jewish religion that he practiced his whole life. It took 3 times for Jesus to convince him. We also need to continue to break our bondages multiple times until it is totally done and gone. 

If we are not willing to face Him, or to be ready to repent, then we will have difficulty in growing our spiritual maturity and growing our love for Christ Jesus. 

   

Question 12: What is the Process to Break our Bondage(s)?

 

1. Recognize - Let God open your heart and mind to know your sins and disabilities, that he wants you to change. 

The guilt of the denial is not the only bondage of Peter. In Acts 10:9-16, Peter had difficulty eating the food that God had made clean, as for his whole life, he had been subjected to what can be ate in the law. Again, it took the Lord to remove this bondage from in after three times. 

Proverbs 28:3 - Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Psalm 139:23-24 - "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts, See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 

"The greatest defence we can have against the devil is to maintain an honest, humble and pure hear before God. " David Holdaway.

2. Repent - this is not a repentance for salvation. We are already saved and nothing we can do can we lose that salvation. This repentance is part of sanctification, in order that we start doing what is right and become more like Jesus. (2 Tim 2:20; Rom 8:29; Colossians 3:5) 

Read Psalms 51 where David confesses his sin of adultery. Let God open up you heart and mind what were your sins (those that grieves His spirit) or lack of obedience (those that quench His spirit) to God. 

3. Renounce and Rebuke - James 4:7 - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Eph 5:8,11 - walk as children of light; expose the work of darkness.

We have the authority to rebuke the devils and his schemes. Luke 10:19 - "Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you" 

"Whereas repentance is directed toward God, renouncing involves one's own soul and rebuking is aimed at the devil .... Through renouncing sin and rebuking Satan we are not seeking to win victory bur rather applying the victory thar Jesus has already won. We need to speak to those sins that have tainted us and the powers behind them that taunt us and take authority over them in Jesus's name."   David Holdaway.

4. Receive and Rejoice - We receive by faith and thanksgiving. We rejoice for liberation from the bondage. Luke 10:19; Isa 10:27

Gal 5:1 - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Psalm 103:6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

5. Re-commit - Re-confirm you faithfulness and loyalty to Christ who has set you free. If the liberation allowed you to recommit your service to Him in anyway, tell Him about it. Matthew 11:28-30

Heb 10:23: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Repeat = To complete the removal of our bondage may take a few cycles. Our desire to remove it must be strong enough that we will begin to grieve over the issue with God. We must not doubt but have strong faith in Jesus Christ to make it effective. 

Question 13: How should I pray? 

 

Recognise Your Bondage Prayer Sample

Lord Jesus, open my mind and my spirit to your ways and you word. Let there be no blind sports to sin in my life. Search my heart and see that there is no wicked or offensive way within me. Lead me and guide me in your truth and enable me to walk in the light do that sin and spiritual darkness has nowhere to hide. If there are any ungodly footholds or stronghold in my life, help me to recognize them and not delude myself. Empower me through your truth and by your spirit to declare sin and the power of sin shall have no place and no dominion in my life.

Pray this when you are unable to recognize what bondages or weakness you have. It could be the bondage or trauma itself that spiritually “blinded” you. The Holy spirit will reveal them to you. If you are not ready to remove it, then just write it down on your journal. When you review your journal, you may be ready to remove it.

Restoration Prayer Sample

(Repent)  

Lord Jesus, I claim your promise that if I confess my sins, you are faithful and just to forgive me, and to purify me from all unrighteousness. I repent for my (specific sin, habit, weakness, etc) and forgive me for (inflicting harm) on my (friends, colleagues, family, etc). I forgive those who had harmed me, so that I can be free from that bondage. I promise that I will ask for forgiveness from those whom I’ve directly or indirectly hurt. 

(Renounce & Rebuke) 

In the name of Jesus, I renounce my (sin, habit, weakness) and I cast out the spirit of (sin/weakness) from my heart! I break every deception of the evil one that caused me to sin! I take authority over every the spirit that has itself up over the sins of my life, and I command them to leave me now in the name of Jesus! I take the sword of the Spirit and sever any connection with you and break your hold on my life in the name of Jesus!

(Receive & Rejoice)

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me free of the bondage!  I thank you for healing, cleansing and deliverance and freedom through your shed blood and resurrected life! I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your sacrificial love for me, that can never be diminished! Thank you for your gift of salvation for me that nobody can take away! Thank you that you promised never to leave me or forsake me!

(Re-commit)

I will walk in your ways and close the doors to my past bondage, and live a free and victorious life with you! Remind me, O Lord, if I ever go astray. I thank you for the truth that not only sets me free but also keeps me free. 

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Appendix

1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

2. Luke 18:35As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

3. Acts 10:10And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

4. 2 Tim 2:20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

4, Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

5. Colossians 3:5 (NIV):

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.”

6. Eph 5:8,11  for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.... Walk as children of lightTake no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

7. Isa 10:27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. (NKJ "because of the anointing oil.")

8. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV):“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

9. Luke 10:19 (NIV) (spoken by Jesus):

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”  Jesus empowers believers to overcome evil forces through His authority  

10. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Holy Strongholds

Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, My strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

 

Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation ….

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life…

of whom shall I be afraid?

 

2 Samuel 22:3(NKJV)

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.

The Greek word “anastas” is derived from the word “ἀνάστασις” (anastasis), which means “resurrection” or "a standing up"12. It is composed of the elements “ἀνά” (ana) meaning “up” and “στάσις” (stasis) meaning "standing"3. This term is used in various contexts, such as referring to the act of making someone move, removal, and most notably, resurrection4

The Greek word for “resurrection” is “ἀνάστασις” (anastasis)12. It is derived from “ἀνά” (ana), meaning “up”, and “στάσις” (stasis), meaning "standing"1. This term is used to refer to the concept of rising from the dead1. Another Greek word that can be used to refer to resurrection is “ἔγερσις” (egersis), which means a rousing or a rising from death3.