17.3 Our God Saves: All in His Son

Table of Contents

The Text

John 21:15–17 (CSB)
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him.

16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.

17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.

The Chapter

And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit, come to have their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves, yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.

The Confession

Christ Saves: And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein

Matthew 26:70–74 (CSB) But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!” And again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You really are one of them, since even your accent gives you away.” Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed,

Do I even need to read the Bible to you? Hebrews 11 gives us the "Hall of Fame of Faith" because they were so perfect in their walk with God.

Can you my tone? Did you catch the sarcasm? I hope so--I was laying it on pretty thick.1

Every single person listed in the Bible were wicked sinners before a mighty God. And sometimes, they will do something good and is our our depravity that makes point to that and say, "Good enough." No! All of us have fallen short of the glory of God.

Did you commit the first sin like Adam?

Did you counted among the wicked like Noah that was so continuously evil that God decided to wipe the earth clean?

Did you lie to God like Abraham? Did you pimp your wife out to save your own skin? Not once but twice?

Did you dress up your wife like a prostitute like Isaac?

Did you dress up like your older brother just to steal his inheritance like Jacob?

Did you pridefully brag about your dreams like Joseph?

Shall I continue?

Murder someone like Moses?

Any of us a prostitute like Rahab?

Hebrews 11:32-34 (CSB) And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.

Christ Saves: whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit

Isaiah 64:5–9 (CSB) You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember you in your ways. But we have sinned, and you were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. No one calls on your name, striving to take hold of you. For you have hidden your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity. Yet LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we all are the work of your hands. LORD, do not be terribly angry or remember our iniquity forever. Please look—all of us are your people!

Ephesians 4:30 (CSB) And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.

Every person born of Adam have sinned not just a little bit but grievously. The scale of the holiness of God is infinite. To sin damns us to hell. We have grieved the Holy Spirit because God is working at us and in us to his will and good pleasure. We have grieved the Holy Spirit because we have not been obedient to the will of God.

Christ Saves: come to have their graces and comforts impaired

Psalm 51:10–12 (CSB) God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.

We are broken! We are fractured. We are not whole. We are born alive. There is no spirit within us at the time of our birth that sustains us and takes us all the way home to be with the Father.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (CSB) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

Titus 3:3 (CSB) For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

Christ Saves: have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded

Psalm 32:3–4 (CSB) When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah

Psalm 73:21–22 (CSB) When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was stupid and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward you.

Christ Saves: hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves

2 Samuel 12:14 (CSB) However, because you treated the LORD with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.”

Christ Saves: yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end

Luke 22:32–62 (CSB)
32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33 “Lord,” he told him, “I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”

34 “I tell you, Peter,” he said, “the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”

35 He also said to them, “When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Not a thing,” they said.

36 Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one.

37 For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in me: And he was counted among the lawless. Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment.”

38 “Lord,” they said, “look, here are two swords.” “That is enough!” he told them.

39 He went out and made his way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

40 When he reached the place, he told them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.”

41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray,

42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.

44 Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

45 When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief.

46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a mob came, and one of the Twelve named Judas was leading them. He came near Jesus to kiss him,

48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When those around him saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?”

50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus responded, “No more of this!” And touching his ear, he healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal?

53 Every day while I was with you in the temple, you never laid a hand on me. But this is your hour—and the dominion of darkness.”

54 They seized him, led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance.

55 They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them.

56 When a servant saw him sitting in the light, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with him too.”

57 But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know him.”

58 After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too.” “Man, I am not!” Peter said.

59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”

62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

How is the Christ going to respond to Peter after he denied the Son of God three times? Betrayed by his closest friend. Left to die on the cross. How would the Living God, Son of God, the One True God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega respond to the sin of Peter and his wicked betrayal?

If this where the story stopped and we just had this much of the Bible--Old Testament plus Matthew, Mark, Luke to chapter 22, how would I know this was going to work out just based on the Old Testament?

Psalm 103:8–20 (CSB)
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.

9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.

10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

14 For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field;

16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.

17 But from eternity to eternity the LORD’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren

18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command.

God is compassionate for us. God is merciful to us. God has lavished his grace upon grace for us. God loves us. God has made a covenant with us. He knows we are sinful. He knows we are made from dust. He knows we are wicked! He knows this!

How does God respond to us?

Romans 5:8 (CSB) But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We were ungodly and wicked sinner. Christ came to die for us so that we would be saved to him forever.

God does this. Not you. Not your big faith. Not your little mud kingdom. Not what you do. But God. God alone is good and righteous. God alone is infinite, good, and just. He is love and the source of love. He is not just holy but holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

God alone has the right amount of power to save us and take us home. How much power does it take to save us? Almighty power.

Romans 1:16 (CSB) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

The almighty, infinite power of God to save us from our sins is the gospel and it is the good news that Jesus Christ has finished the work of saving us from our sins.

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"Get yourself a new map."